The Countess’ Character Sheet

As before, Krvavy can feel her mind prod against a seemingly impenetrable barrier for just a brief moment. That mental shield yields slightly, as if it had some give to it or wasn’t entirely solid, before abruptly disappearing. Almost like a popped bubble. Or... more like a bubble that simply ceased to be without the feeling of being popped...?

Her Inspect goes through.

Krvavy’s throat quickly goes dry.

Disbelief swirls through the Drakling’s mind. She got false information the last time she used Inspect, so maybe... maybe all of this is fake too...? A part of her hopes that it is. Because this delicate and diplomacy focused mage is... so much more powerful than she is.

The Countess has a full eighteen levels on Krvavy. She has more stamina than the barbarian, and way way more mana. Nearly all of her stats – really all but Might, Endurance, and Toughness – are way higher than what Krvavy has. And then there’s that very long list of spells...

“It...” Krvavy is quite thoroughly stunned, but she does her best to hide that fact. It is just that her ‘best’ isn’t much right now... “It says that you’re... Hells-Cursed...? Not Hells-Touched...?”

“Yes, that... is the official name for my kind. ‘Hells-Cursed’ and ‘Heavens-Blessed’...” The slightly demonic woman softly sighs out, still standing there effectively naked and seemingly unashamed by that fact. “I prefer the less common ‘Touched’ as it does not carry a bias. Beyond the origin of the essence that suffuses those of these two different heritages – which itself is a topic far more involved than would be appropriate to go into right now – they are very much the same. Neither one is inherently evil or good, it is simply a difference of chaos and order. In that vein, the Heavens-Touched are afflicted with compulsions as well, albeit ones with an ‘orderly’ lean. Primarily varieties of OCD, hyperfixations, stunted or cold emotions, and a lack of social awareness.”

Oddly enough, that lecture helps to calm Krvavy’s nerves. Maybe because it almost felt like something that Inanna would have said...? If not in tone, then at least in its contents...

“I am sure that you are also curious about my Class.” The Countess correctly assumes, though asking that particular question wasn’t all that high on Krvavy’s priorities. “It is not nearly as ominous as it may sound, and is in fact considerably straight forward. A ‘Shadow-Tongue Sorceress’ is merely a Sorceress with a focus on communication – on diplomacy – and Shadow Magic, primarily via having more of a Class focus on Charisma and Guile. Attributes which aid both tasks.”

“And your traits...?” Krvavy idly gnaws on the inside of her cheek, slurring her voice just a little.

“Please, look through them at your own pace. And feel free to ask any questions you may have. I will do my best to answer them.” The Countess graciously offers, dipping her head down ever so slightly. “I should also add that everything you see here is entirely from me: none of what I am wearing has any effect on my Health, Stamina, Mana, Attributes, Traits, or Skills.”

“Not even your jewellery?” A degree of skepticism fills the Drakling’s voice as she meets Alexandrina’s beautiful and piercing gaze. She doesn’t hold her suspicious stare for very long, on account of how that brief bit of eye contact caused her heart to flutter.

“Not even my jewellery.” The immensely alluring and exquisitely exotic pink-skinned woman confirms. “This,” she reaches a single delicate finger up to the nebulous gem on her forehead, “is indeed enchanted, and via Divine means at that – it was a gift from my Patron. But its main purpose is to shield me from scrying and danger alike, with a secondary benefit of improving the potency and efficiency of my magics. An immensely useful piece of equipment, hence why I am rarely parted from it, but not one that has an effect on any of what you see before you.”

The Drakling idly nods.

“Rnngh...” The Were-Beast makes a light grumbling sound as she leans further into her Mate’s side, resting her head on the barbarian’s shoulder. Her white and silvery armour makes that considerably less comfortable than it should be... Probably why she growled in the first place. That or the growing boredom she is undoubtedly feeling. The hostile energy in the room (mostly perpetrated by Krvavy) has been steadily fading away, so she doesn’t even have a fight to look forward to...

The barbarian takes a deep breath. There a lot of traits in front of her. An almost daunting amount... She’ll... she will start with the stat milestone ones... Yeah, that sounds... like a reasonable place to begin. It also helps that the Charisma and Composure traits are familiar: Beryl has them both, though hers aren’t quite as upgraded...

Maidens Might I: Increases Might by 5%, strengthens the effect it has on Total Health, and now effects Health Regeneration. Associated attribute = Might.

Dexterous Divination II: Increases Dexterity by 10%, further strengthens the effect it has on Stamina & Mana Regeneration, and improves the efficacy of somatic components for spells. Associated attribute = Dexterity.

Elegant Endurance I: Increases Endurance by 10%, further strengthens the effect it has on Stamina, and makes it easier to conceal signs of fatigue. Associated attribute = Endurance.

Tenacious Toughness I: Increases Toughness by 5%, strengthens the effect it has on Health, and provides +10% Resistance against all diseases & poisons. Associated attribute = Toughness.

Rather than go through them alphabetically, Krvavy decided to go follow the order of how their related attributes are listed in that corner of the stat sheet. It just seems... less overwhelming to split them up into smaller groups like that...

The ones for Dexterity and Endurance are slightly interesting, but still pretty basic. Unless the ‘somatic component’ part of Dexterous Divination is more significant than Krvavy assumes... But she’s pretty sure that just means gestures and the like will have more of an effect on whatever spells the Countess casts. Which isn’t really how Krvavy herself casts magic, so... maybe it is more important? She wouldn’t know.

Rational Rulership II: Increases Rationality by 10%, further strengthens the effect it has on Mana, and further boosts your ability to carry out administrative duties. Associated attribute = Rationality.

Ingenious Insight III: Increases Insight by 20%, slightly strengthens the effect it has on Total Stamina, significantly strengthens the effect it has on Total Mana & Mana Regeneration, and makes it even easier to determine the true meaning of others’ words & their intentions. Associated attribute = Insight.

Wisdom & Willpower II: Increases Willpower by 10% and vastly strengthens the effect it has on Total Mana & Mana Regeneration. Associated attribute = Willpower.

Profound Perception II: Increases Perception by 10%, further strengthens its effect on Stamina & Mana Regeneration, and makes it easier to read others’ true intentions. Associated attribute = Perception.

As expected, the four Mental traits are better than the Physical ones. And not just because they are all at least from the fifty point milestone.

“You can read others’ true intentions?” Krvavy asks, feeling a bit justified in her continued suspicion. “What exactly does that mean?”

“Both Ingenious Insight and Profound Perception simply allow for me to better pick up subtle clues that people, often unconsciously, make.” The answer to Krvavy’s question is calmly and freely given. “Insight is more focused towards auditory cues, such as a persons tone, the speed at which they are speaking, brief moments of hesitation they may make, whether their words waver or not... Perception is thus more focused towards the visual cues, such as where a person is looking or not looking, minute changes in their facial expressions, the movement of their hands or feet, their body language in part or as a whole... Neither trait provides a foolproof explanation of what they pick up: I must still come to my own conclusions.”

The barbarian isn’t particularly happy to hear that. Knowing that she is even more of an open book than she usually is... kind of makes her feel ****. And that feeling is definitely something that the Countess could pick up on, so Krvavy quickly distracts herself by looking at the next, and last, four milestone traits.

Composed Confidence II: Increases Composure by 10%, further strengthens the effect it has on Total Mana & Mana Regeneration, and bolsters your ability to project an image of confidence & determination. Associated attribute = Composure.

Charismatic Charms III: Increases Charisma by 20%, further strengthens its effect on Total Health, Total Mana, & Mana Regeneration, and provides 10% of Total Charisma to Allure. Associated attribute = Charisma.

Awe-Inspiring Allure II: Increases Allure by 10%, further strengthens the effect it has on Health, Stamina, & Mana Regeneration, and makes it easier to captivate others with your beauty. Associated attribute = Allure.

Gregarious Guile II: Increases Guile by 10%, further strengthens the effect it has on Total Stamina, Total Mana, & Mana Regeneration, and bolsters your attempts at persuasion. Associated attribute = Guile.

Ah... Those... don’t help Krvavy feel any better. Worse, in fact. Allure and Guile specifically are...

“How manipulative are your traits?” The Drakling’s tone is rather guarded. Her left hand tightens around the haft of her axe.

“Are you speaking of Awe-Inspiring Allure and Gregarious Guile?” This succubus of a woman asks, getting a distrustful nod in response. Did her Mental traits help her figure out just what Krvavy was talking about, or did she just correctly assume that Krvavy didn’t go through her traits alphabetically...? “That... is not a question I know the answer to.”

The Drakling grows tense once more.

“Rrghhh...!” Khalia aggressively snarls out, glaring down at the unbothered Countess with intense, almost violent, amber-gold eyes.

Vera does not appreciate that hostility. The silent and mostly ignored maid idly fiddles with her featherduster, ready to pull the stiletto free from it at a moments notice.

“The effects of Allure on others is quite subjective. Its trait should make my appearance and mannerisms more distracting and eye-catching, but not to a supernatural degree. My beauty alone is far, far from being enthralling. As for Guile... it is much the same, albeit for my words. I may be better at persuading a person to do as I want, but I still cannot convince them to do something which they do not want to do. For example...” A disarming smile plays at Rina’s painted lips. Warmth fills her bright, amethyst eyes. “Relax, Krvavy. There is not need for you to be so on guard.”

The barbarian grits her teeth and furrows her brow.

“See?” The Countess expression drops back to something much more calm and neutral. “My ‘order’ did not **** you to relax. It may well have done the opposite, in fact. Apologies for that.”

“Hhn.” Krvavy unhappily grunts out. Again, she seeks a distraction. And, again, she turns to the Countess’ traits for that. Specifically the ones that she can, at the very least, guess the origins of. The best will be saved for last.

Divine Potential: Blessed by a divine power, your affinity for all skills starts at 100% and will never diminish.

Skilled Soul II: Blessed by a divine power, your soul has been strengthened to further improve your potential. Gain +2 Attribute Point per level.

Both of those are exactly as the Drakling expected.

Perfect Polyglot: Blessed by a divine power, you have a natural affinity for quickly and easily learning any language, whether it be spoken or written.

Dimensional Inventory: Within your soul resides a personal pocket dimension in which you can freely store personal belongings in perfect stasis.

As are those two traits. Krvavy can’t help but feel mildly envious as she looks at them both. Perfect Polyglot just sounds like a better version of her own Not So Cunning Linguist, both because it specifies being easy as well as quick and because it also works on writing. Dimensional Inventory, on the other hand, is exactly what Krvavy has been wanting to get for ages...

The more paranoid part of her mind also can’t help but worry about the Countess using that inventory to store some dangerous weapon. But Krvavy recognizes how unreasonable that worry is. This Champion is a mage. A single thought, possibly accompanied by a spoken word or a gesture, would be more effective than any weapon wielded by the delicate woman standing before her.

Mixed Blood: Those of mixed heritage are often identified more by their mother’s race than that of their father, but in truth are closer to a diluted combination of the both. Human ancestry provides a greater degree of adaptability & versatility while Moon Elf ancestry provides a greater proficiency at dealing with social matters and with harnessing esoteric magics, though neither to the same degree as if they were full-blooded.

Tainted by Darkness: Those with emergent ancestry from the lower realms are said to be Hells-Cursed. They are naturally seen as a corrupt and sinful folk, with this common view being strengthened by their appearance and the chaotic compulsions that plague their minds. But, regardless of heritage, they are still people and may not truly be as demonic as they appear.

Again, Krvavy’s guessing streak continues unbroken. Tainted by Darkness was a bit more of a gamble, admittedly, but with Hells-Cursed being rather negative sounding... It felt like a safe bet. And it was.

That just leaves three traits. Each one sounds a bit... daunting.

Twin Faced Soul: Blessed by a divine power, you may freely shift between the two forms of your mixed heritage. Upon gaining this trait, designate one form as your ‘Disguise’ and another as your ‘True Form’. While in your ‘Disguise’, any and all attempts to scry you will provide only falsified but believable information that will be presented as the objective truth. While in your ‘True Form’, your own attempts at scrying others will be far more likely to succeed and go unnoticed, but obfuscating others’ attempts at scrying you will be considerably more difficult.

That one wasn’t actually as bad as Krvavy expected. The ‘twin faced’ part made her expect something deceitful and manipulative. But it is actually pretty literal... Krvavy should have expected as much...

If it wasn’t for the barbarian’s Soulbound weapon, or more specifically the synthetic Heartstone subsumed into it, then the latter part of that trait might make her feel a bit paranoid. This wonderful and reassuring weapon outright prevents any unauthorized attempts at scrying herself or anything connected to her soul, within a certain range. So, thankfully, both she and her precious puppy are safe from prying eyes.

Which is very important, because Krvavy does not want the Countess to realize just how much weaker the two of them are compared to her.

The Truth Prevails III: Blessed by a divine power, deceit is laid bare before you. Gain the ability to sense when others are lying or speaking what they believe to be partial truths, and gain an understanding of the motive for their deceit.

And... that immediately puts Krvavy on edge again. “Just how does ‘The Truth Prevails’ work?” She asks, unable to hide the many negative and unpleasant feelings that description dragged out of her. Why even bother with that? The Countess will see through her mask either way...

“It functions as a sixth sense, of sorts. It is... difficult to describe, but I will try to do just that for you.” Alexandrina so helpfully responds, her voice gentle and soothing. The barbarian all but screams inside of her head, having never felt more conflicted than right now. “When someone near me is knowingly dishonest, I experience a gut feeling that informs me of that and ‘tells’ me whether what they said was a lie or only part of the truth as they know it. I also get an idea as to why they were dishonest: whether it was done out of maliciousness, personal gain, to protect another, in fear of reprisal, and so forth. I do not see the truth behind the deceit, only that it occurred and the motive behind it.”

“So... you know every single lie I told you.” A tinge of guilt underlines the Drakling’s words, much to her own disappointment.

“More or less, yes. And that, Krvavy, is why I grew to trust you so quickly.” Rina smiles softly, stepping forwards and reaching an arm out as if to cup the Drakling’s cheek. A harsh, hyena-like growl prevents her from doing just that. Or, technically, the maid that grabbed at her in response to that growl prevents her from cupping Krvavy’s cheek. “Your lies and partial truths were spoken with guilt, embarrassment, and a desire to protect your girls. Your words may have been dishonest, but your intent and the content of your character was anything but.”

The corner of Krvavy’s eye twitches. She feels... naked. And not in a good way. So many things now make sense... Far, far too many... She just can’t help but feel... violated. Manipulated.

And the Countess’ final trait... probably won’t help with that. Krvavy already knows what to expect by its name alone.

Moonlight’s Shadow IV: Blessed by a divine power, your shadow reaches all beneath the gaze of the Sister Moons. Gain the ability to split your shadow into up to four imperfect copies of yourself that can carry out your will, channel your mana, and store a reserve of mana within themselves. When outside of your sphere of influence, these Shadows operate semi-autonomously and can no longer channel mana straight from you, instead generating their own at a rate of 25% of your Mana Regeneration. Information and knowledge gained by Shadows outside of your sphere of influence is transmitted to you upon sleeping. You receive only a portion of the experience earned by your Shadows.

“How many ‘Shadows’ do you have right now?”

“Three.” Rina responds without hesitation. “You ‘killed’ the one I keep around Raseyne. The others are elsewhere. One is in Vratsa investigating the **** – a futile pursuit, it would seem, as I have yet to find any credible leads regarding that incident. My other two Shadows are in the vicinity of Volhynia and within Wawelu respectively. None are currently under my direct control.”

“And how does that work? How do you control them?” Krvavy cautiously asks, her curiosity battling with her worries.

“When nearby, it is hardly any different from controlling my own hand. They function as extensions of my body. Directly controlling multiple can be disorientating and distracting, more so as the numbers increase: I can control one perfectly and without any issue, two just fine, three with some difficulty, and the forth is... nauseating. The trait aids greatly in this task, as would my Mental Attributes were they significantly higher.”

The possibility of this devolving into a fight gets less and less likely by the second, but that increasingly small threat still remains. At least to Krvavy’s distrustful paranoia. And the idea of having to fight five versions of this Champion at the same time... At least that doesn’t seem like it is going to happen...? If she believes this seductively beautiful woman’s words...

“As for those beyond my immediate control...” The Countess continues to calmly and patiently answer Krvavy’s question. “They function as a ‘snapshot’ of my mind taken when they exit beyond my range, ‘updating’ only as their information is relayed back to me upon sleeping or if they were to reenter that range. Each Shadow is entirely me – a copy of my body and mind ‘piloted’ by a part of my soul. They act as I would act and do as I would do.”

“And when they die?”

“As you saw, my Shadows disperse upon taking more damage than they have health. Thus their ‘deaths’ do not feel quite the same as what a true body experiences. Though I will admit to only have one point of comparison for that...” The pink-skinned succubus softly shakes her head, causing her pearl earrings to lightly jingle around. “When under my control, the pain of their ‘****’ is shared with me. When beyond my reach, I only learn of their ‘****’ upon sleeping and do not receive the information they would have provided were they still ‘alive’.”

Krvavy quirks an eyebrow. That is... a pretty big weakness, or at least a vulnerability, to just outright admit... Assuming it is true, of course.

“Once one has been ‘killed’, I cannot resummon it for twenty-four hours.”

The Drakling narrows her eyes.

Alexandrina stands before her, looking quite dignified as she holds her darkened hands together in front of her hips. Of course the fact that she is still naked taints her whole posture with lewdness, especially with her partially covered upper arms squishing her big pink tits against each other... “Have you any more questions regarding that trait or my Shadows?”

Krvavy thinks for a moment before simply shaking her head.

“If you are to look over my spells, let me suggest an order for you to do so.” Motes of gentle purple light appear in the air, taking the shape of letters and words arranged in columns. “I have grouped them by their Schools, for your convenience.”

It takes Krvavy a few seconds to realize that those glowing words are... in English. She shakes her head again and decides to take the Countess’ suggestion.

Free-Form Casting: The skill of manipulating and shaping the mana within you into a variety of forms.

Suppose this is the ‘spell’ that Rina is currently using to project that list into the air... It really feels more like a passive skill than an active one, especially with how it is worded in the same simple way that those usually are... Though it is something that would get actively used... Bit odd that it isn’t in the same column as the Arcane spells like Krvavy would have assumed, instead being all alone...

Speaking of the Arcane spells... Might as well go through them next.

Spectral Hands: Arcane energies coalesce into glowing, phantasmal copies of your hands that float through the air and move by your will. Associated attributes = Dexterity & Rationality.

Cleansing Light: Mana shines outwards as a soft and warm glow that purges filth and sanitizes all that it illuminates. Can remove some ailments and cure minor illnesses. Associated attributes = Perception & Rationality.

Dispel: Manipulating arcane energies, you may attempt to unravel the magics cast by others, cancelling and preventing their spells from having any effect. Associated attributes = Rationality & Willpower.

Counterspell: Manipulating arcane energies, you may attempt to turn the magics cast by others against themselves or towards different targets. Associated attributes = Rationality & Willpower.

Arcane Ward: A barrier of mana and magic forms at your command, shielding all behind it from danger and damage. Can be imbued with other varieties of magic, gaining additional defensive capabilities. Associated attributes = Willpower, Toughness, & Rationality.

Arcane Blades: Mana condenses into razor-sharp blades of magical energy that fly through the air according to your will. Can be imbued with other varieties of magic, gaining additional offensive capabilities. Associated attributes = Rationality & Dexterity.

Arcane Arrowstorm: Summon forth a rain of magical arrows formed of razor-sharp and heavily condensed mana that barrage your target with violent and unrelenting ****. Can be imbued with other varieties of magic, gaining additional offensive capabilities. Associated attributes = Rationality & Dexterity.

As expected, all of those are pretty straight forwards. None of these spells are really a surprise either. Some of them are generic ‘tools’ that a mage should be expected to have. Some of them are spells that Krvavy has already seen the Countess cast: specifically the first two and Arcane Blades, though technically it was Shadow casting that one... As for Arcane Arrowstorm, well, Piotr had mentioned something like that on the trip to Vratsa...

It is a bit interesting that the last three spells can change what type of magic they use, no doubt giving them much greater versatility, but... Again, that isn’t much of a surprise. Arcane is the magic of magic, it only makes sense that it is versatile.

Next up is... Shadow magic. Might as well go from what has the most amount of spells to the least. Maybe all of this will feel a bit less daunting that way...?

Veil of Shadows: The magic of darkness and the night coalesces into an obscuring shroud, hiding all those within it from the perception of others. Effectiveness increases in lower light settings. Associated attributes = Guile & Composure.

Smothering Shadows: The magic of the night infuses the surrounding area, summoning forth a malevolent and oppressive darkness that smothers those unfortunate enough to get caught within it. Can cut off all sounds, preventing even the faintest of noises from being heard. Associated attributes = Insight, Willpower, & Perception.

Shackling Shadows: Dark chains manifest from the shadows, bursting forth and binding their target with the certainty of night. Mana cost depends on the durability of the chains, their anchored strength, and their initial speed. Associated attributes = Willpower & Insight.

Draining Darkness: Shadowy magics seep into your target, leeching away their life **** and their strength. Drains Health, Stamina, & Mana from the target, boosting your Regeneration in kind, and reduces all Physical Attributes by an increasing amount as the spell is maintained. Associated attributes = Insight & Guile.

Dark Star: Shadowy magics coalesce, gathering together into a dense sphere of utter darkness that unravels all that it touches. Mana cost depends on the size and strength of the Dark Star, increasing along with the void’s hunger. Associated attributes = Insight, Perception, & Composure.

Again, those are all pretty self-explanatory. A bit worrying that Rina can cast what seems to be a black hole, but... at least that spell is pretty low level...? Not that that means much...

Guess Fire magic is up next...? Fitting, considering that Krvavy is really starting to burn out. The maelstrom of emotions swirling through her mind has been fading into a hollow feeling for some time now, leaving her with just the exhaustion of rushing all the way to this meeting...

Candlelight Wisps: The magic of fire condenses into floating motes of burning flames that fly and burst at your command. Mana cost depends on the amount of Wisps, their size, their maximum speed, the strength of their flames, and their explosion radius. Associated attributes = Charisma & Perception.

Storm of Ash & Ruin: Fiery magics swirl together into a tempestuous cyclone of searing and scorching ash. Mana cost depends on the size of the storm, the heat of its flaming ash, and the harshness of its winds. Associated attributes = Willpower & Charisma.

Crown of Burning Radiance: Fire magic coalesces into a crown of luminous flames that hangs above your head, bolstering your magical prowess. Increases the potency and effectiveness of all spells cast while active by up to 100%. Associated attributes = Charisma & Allure.

The second one isn’t something Krvavy has seen before, but the other two are: they’re undoubtedly the spells that Rina cast during her playful intimidation attempts...

Now Metal is up...

Aspect of Lead: The magic of metal infuses your target with the aspect of lead, increasing its weight. Softer materials can be made tougher while harder materials can be weakened, altering their durability to that of lead. Associated attributes = Willpower, Endurance, & Might.

Gnawing Rust: Entropic energies surge and flow at your command, forming a corrosive and ravenous rust that eats away at all metal. Mana cost depends on the type, quality, durability, magical conductivity, and enchantments of the targeted metal. Associated attributes = Toughness & Willpower.

Searing Steel: Magical energies coalesce within metal, causing it to heat up to an intense degree, becoming molten and fiery. Associated attributes = Toughness & Willpower.

Those are, thankfully, rather straightforward once again. They do feel a bit out of place amongst the Countess’ other spells, but maybe that is because they feel more fitting for a magical thief than a noblewoman...? Specifically Gnawing Rust. That seems quite useful for destroying locks or breaking into safes...

With a sigh, Krvavy decides to just speed through the last three ‘categories’ together: Wind, Lightning, and Ice. Each one only has a single spell in their respective columns.

Whispering Wind: The magic of air and wind aids you in projecting, redirecting, distorting, and mimicking sounds at a distance. Associated attributes = Guile & Perception.

Umbral Lightning: The magic of electricity and storms bursts free as arcing bolts devoid of all light. Dark lightning debilitates its target(s), sapping away physical attributes and draining stamina, while simultaneously dealing an intense burst of damage. Associated attributes = Insight & Dexterity.

Black Ice: The magic of frost and cold coalesces upon your target, forming a slick and durable layer of dark ice. Mana cost depends on the amount of ice created, how resistant it is to heat, and how difficult it is to break. Associated attributes = Endurance & Dexterity.

Utility, damage, and more utility... That really sums up Rina’s spells, doesn’t it...?

“We done here?” Krvavy rather grumpily grumbles out.

“There is more that I would like to discuss with you, but...” Rina – ah, fuck. Krvavy has been thinking about her as Rina again... The Countess frowns faintly, her elegant and exotic face shifting in a way that just tugs on the Drakling’s heartstrings. “You have had a long day, no doubt, and it would not hurt to give you some time to... process... everything you have learned tonight. So we can save any further discussion until the morn.”

The barbarian glances towards the table covered in her belongings. Almost idly, she grabs the Far-Speaking ring resting atop it. After just a moments hesitation, she taps the thing against both of the ones already on her horn before... slipping it on as well.

“Your usual room is available, if you would like to stay the night under my roof.” The Countess states, stepping back into her discarded dress. Her dutiful maid helps her put the elegant outfit back on.

The barbarian lightly bites the inside of her cheek. She... is confident enough that neither she nor her precious puppy will be attacked while they’re trying to sleep. Though it still wouldn’t hurt to push a dresser, or some other heavy object, in front of the door... “Sure.”

The no longer nude noblewoman politely nods her head. Her demonic features quickly fade away, leaving her looking like the half Moon Elf she always claimed to be. “Goodnight.”

Krvavy drums her fingers at the edge of the table, waiting for Rina and Vera to both leave this mostly empty ballroom. She should really contact her girls to tell them that everything went... alright. No need to make them worry about whatever fate may have befallen Krvavy had this meeting turned into a disaster.

But first...