If you have a chance to take down the Joachimites in an expedient manner then you're going to take it. Last thing you want is this to drag out any longer than you have to.

You tell Shade that you're going to try to meet with the Dornans. Shade sounds a bit surprised when you tell him but agrees that it is worth a try along with saying that they probably won't kill you just for asking for an audience. (You sure hope he's right.)

He goes on to tell you that their high priest is Elder Flynn and he tends to be a bit aloof and always involved in some magic experiment so you might not even get to speak to him directly as he prefers to let one of his subordinates take care of things. Shade also mentions if you've got anything magical laying around, that might help you get a meeting with any of them since they love collecting magic items.

Shade then tells you he'll be preparing things on his side and in the unlikely event that you actually manage to get Dornan help and depending on how much help, you two can plan out your next move at that time. With those last words, Shade seemingly disappears into the darkness completely.

The next day you explain the situation to Vera and Warts. Neither one is exactly enthused about the idea, but they're just glad you're not asking either of them to do it.

"Hope Yag's rolling in yer favor." Warts says.
"If he is, I hope he does better than he did for his loyal worshippers. Just wish I had something more than this pair of dried unicorn balls as a possible offering...Warts are you even sure this shit is magical?" You say.
"Itz from a unicorn ain't it? Itz magic trust me. Witch doctors grind dem up and make inta potions dat make yer dick HARD. Youz can last fer hours let me tell ya. One time wit Snuffit, I…"
"That's okay, don't need to hear the details. Anyway, guess it'll have to do."
"At the risk that you'll take me with you, are you sure you should go attempt to do this alone?" Vera asks.
"I'm literally going to speak to a bunch of people that practically eat, sleep and shit magic. If they decide to kill me, there is little anyone else in the League is going to be able to do to help so there's really no point in anyone else getting potentially disintegrated. That's probably not going to happen, but in case shit does go south and I don't come back, I guess it'll be up to you lead this organization."
"What seriously?"
"Well you and Warts are the closest thing I have to seconds and I doubt if Warts wants the commitment. So you're the obvious choice."
"Got dat right. Barely wanna do the shit I hafta." Warts interjects.
"Wow, that's a huge responsibility and a lot of trust in me. I'm not sure what to say, thanks I guess." Vera says responding to you.
"Well I'm not dead yet, so don't start sweating or celebrating prematurely. Okay, I'm off."

You set off to the temple of Dorna. Along the way you see several groups of Joachimite fanatics preaching their faith to passersby. Most of the citizens are just trying to go about their day and are meekly just accepting the various pamphlets the Joachimites are aggressively distributing. Your own League members should be so intimidating.

Yep, their ranks definitely need to be whittled down severely. You're just hoping the Dornans will help. That's what you're most concerned about, because if you don't get their help in some meaningful way, you know full well you'll be taking some losses if it turns into a straight up fight with the Joachimites.

The closer you get to the area of Dorna's temple, the less people you see around in general. The force field that shimmers in and out of existence and surrounds the temple has certainly done its job in keeping everyone away.

When you get so close to the place that you could actually touch the field if you wanted to, you notice that beyond the field there is a robed individual sitting on steps to the entrance and reading a book.

'Hello?" you say in order to get their attention. The robed individual looks up and you see it's a woman. She puts her books aside to address you.

"Oh hello. Not many people even walk this way anymore let alone get this close. Last ones who tried were those silly Joachimites. They learned the hard way of course. So anyway, my name is Heather and what brings the leader of the infamous Nocturnal League here?" she says.
"You know who I am?"
"Oh yes of course! We're the worshippers of Dorna! Goddess of not just magic but of knowledge! We try to make it a point of knowing everything and everyone that might be important for one never knows when the knowledge may come in handy."
"Hm, never realized I actually was all that important really."
"You're an underworld boss who not only orchestrated the downfall of the Thieves Guild, but also the Ebony Claw Syndicate chapter in this city. THEN you created your own organization, which has quickly started to gain the same influence as the ECS once did here. You are also known to be very dangerous with firearms, particularly your custom made one. While you're probably not important in the grand scheme of the world, you're definitely important in this city at least."

You chuckle at that brief history of yourself.

"Well I suppose that's all true, though I had good reasons for everything." You say.
"Of course you did. And I imagine you're also here for another good reason. So what is it that you want?" Heather asks.
"To cut to the chase, I wish to speak to your Elder Flynn as I'm seeking your help in taking down the Joachimites. I believe it is in everyone's best interest that they aren't allowed to spread in this city. Plus, I figure your group of all people would finally want to put an end to this religious war."
"Hm, well seeing as we've already made it impossible for the Joachimites or anyone else for that matter to attack us, the war is already over as far as we're concerned."
"But if the Joachimites win, they'll be coming for you next and just because they were turned back by your barrier before doesn't mean they won't try when they have no more opponents left. Hell, if they become very influential they may even gain the help of the government to kick you out."
"I do not believe that will happen. You are allied with the Felians are you not?"
"We came to an understanding, yes."
"Then the predictions came true. Elder Flynn was correct in predicting that eventually your group would get involved and side with what's left of the worshippers of Fel. He also predicted that such an alliance would result in your side's victory. So with that in mind, I don't believe the Elder would have any more to speak on the matter. The Joachimites will be destroyed. The Felians will be in no condition to do anything to us assuming they survive at all and your organization will be so weakened that even if you were any sort of rival to us, you wouldn't be able to do anything either."
"Look, I'm not asking you to put your asses on the line at all. I was just told that you'd have something to help take down this Inquisitor asshole who seemingly has almost as much magical protection as you lot do. I mean I can pay you guys."
"You have anything magical on you?" Heather asks.
"I got these!" you say and hold up a large leather pouch containing the unicorn testicles.

Meanwhile Heather stands behind the barrier doing something with her hands. When you realize she might be casting a spell, you get nervous.

"What're you doing?" you ask.
"Checking something. Hmm, interesting. Very interesting. Perhaps Elder Flynn will be interested in helping you after all." Heather says and suddenly an opening in the barrier appears. "Well? Come on in, I'm not supposed to leave this open for very long!"

Wasting no time, you enter and the barrier closes behind you. Heather tells you to follow her.

"Did you want these now?" you ask shoving the leather pouch at her.
"What? No and Elder Flynn isn't going to want those things either. In fact, just put those away."
"Then why did you let me in?"
"Because you've got something far more magical than a pair of glorified horse balls. You've got ties to the infernal realm! You were marked by a succubus!"
"…um…oh. Uh…" is about all you can spit out since you're taken off guard by the statement. Also you're not exactly sure what this means exactly. Heather seems pretty excited though.

"And it appears that you've been marked for quite awhile. Succubi aren't known for keeping their mortal mates alive for very long. Maybe a year a most and most non-magical humans can't withstand the drain for extended periods of time. How did you pull this off? Nevermind, you can tell Flynn all about it when I bring you to him, he'll be just as interested in all this as I am."

Heather leads you into the temple which almost resembles more of a library than a place of worship. Several other Dornans see Heather and you and disapproval already ensues.

"Heather! What the hell are you doing?!" one yells
"Why have you let an infidel inside our sanctum?" another adds.
"Guys relax! He's no threat to us and I have a good reason! Elder Flynn will want to meet this one!" Heather says.
"Oh? I will, will I?" another voice says before a set of double doors opens up.

There you see an old man in robes. He looks very much like what you'd think a wizard would look like, or in his case priest-wizard. Heather wastes no time in telling him (and everyone else) that you've been marked by a succubus and also how you want help against the Joachimites.

Elder Flynn does a similar thing with his hands that you saw Heather do and he comes to the same conclusion.

"I see. Well our criminal friend here certainly does have a unique condition. I would be very interested in learning how this came about exactly." Elder Flynn remarks.
"May I sit in on this Elder?" Heather asks.
"Very well, you may observe, but do not speak. As for the rest of you, return to your tasks. I will call upon you when needed. Now then you, follow me into my chambers and tell me your tale. Then perhaps we can come to some sort of deal."

You and Heather follow Elder Flynn into his chambers which contains a lot of tables filled with bottles, jars, and other laboratory equipment. More books of course and several strange markings on the floor.

Elder Flynn motions you to take a seat and you do so before explaining "your tale" as it were.

You talk about Tanya for quite awhile. Honestly, it's kind of nice to talk about her as you've never done so before. Not even to Warts, even though you know he's aware about what occurred between you two. Flynn sits and listens very intently, never interrupting and just writing notes on parchment. Heather on the other hand looks like she wants to ask you all sorts of questions and is doing her best to not speak.

While talking about Tanya is nice, you also remind yourself of the loss you feel without her around. You explain that it's not as bad as it was when you first parted ways, but every now and then you have that empty feeling. You also mention "the curse" which peaks Flynn's interest even more. He asks you several questions on that, which you answer.

"Interesting. It would seem that despite your girlfriend going against her nature she still managed to leave behind something that ultimately causes harm, even if it wasn't to you directly. Anyway, fascinating tale and I believe this is your lucky day." Flynn remarks.
"It is?" you ask.
"Yes, how would you like my help AND get rid of your curse?"
"You can do that?"
"I believe it is possible, however you'd have to undergo a ritual first."
"Um, what sort of ritual?"
"You're bonded with a demon. Doesn't matter if she wasn't born a pure blood anymore because she's obviously embraced her heritage fully now. That bond might be dormant and perhaps even non-malignant, but it exists. Which means at any time she can reach you, but it also means YOU can reach her. You of course don't have the means, but I on other hand do. I'm proposing that we perform a ritual to bring this Tanya back here."

This proposal is getting strange and giving you all sorts of mixed feelings. On one hand you'd like nothing more than to see her again, but on the other…

"Um, okay so when Tanya is brought back here, then what?" you ask.
"Well I bind her of course." Flynn remarks.
"What?!"
"Properly bound infernals can be very useful sources of knowledge as well as servants. She'll be a good addition to the temple. Also when I bind her, her hold on you will also be broken and you'll be free."

At this point you stand up and have to do everything within your power to not attack Flynn. You know he'd probably easily disintegrate you before you could even do anything, but the temptation is still there. However you aren't adverse to verbal abuse.

"No, fuck you and fuck this plan." You say as calm as you can.
"(Sigh) I thought you might say that. You're missing the big picture." Flynn remarks.
"What big picture?! You're talking about enslaving my fucking girlfriend! You didn't think I might get pissed about that?"
"Please just calm down. We were getting along before." Heather remarks.
"Yeah? Well that's probably because you lot weren't talking about imprisoning my girlfriend before and having me play a role in that! How would you like it if you had to be part of a magic ritual you didn't want any part in?"
"If it was in pursuit of greater knowledge and wisdom, I'd be willing to make that sacrifice."
"Glad to hear you say that Heather, because I will need your assistance in this ritual." Flynn remarks.
"Huh?"
"I need something to help call the demon back to this realm just to give the spell a little more power. Usually for most demons this requires a sacrifice of some sort, however given that Tanya is a succubus, I don't think blood will be necessary, so fortunately I just need you to have sex with him inside the circle."

Heather's face looks completely dumb struck. She has no words. You on the other hand are just shaking your head and giving a cynical laugh about it all.

"This just gets better and better. Tell me, are you going to be jacking your old wrinkled dick the whole time too?"

Your crude remark is enough to finally set off Elder Flynn's temper.

"Look, you glorified cut throat, just THINK for a moment! The Tanya you knew is GONE. She left you for the infernal realm a LONG time ago and probably forgotten about you. In fact you're very lucky she has because I guarantee that she is NOT the same woman you knew. She has most likely become a being of pure evil, no matter what she might have told you before she left. Any concept of love would be gone by now along with any affection for you." Flynn rants.
"You don't know that." You say.
"No, I DO know that! I've done far more studies and forgotten more about infernals than you'll ever know and there is one constant, they always…ALWAYS become creatures of mayhem, chaos and destruction in one way or another, and have no affection for ANYONE, let alone anyone far weaker than themselves."

Elder Flynn says this with such conviction that you don't respond and are just wondering if you're going to be able to get out of here alive.

"Now I know this is all very emotional for you, but I think you're smart enough to see that I know what the hell I'm talking about on this subject. And if that doesn't convince you, then consider this. By participating in this ritual, you'll be free of Tanya's grip on you. No longer will you feel the loss of her presence and better yet, you'll be able to love another without putting their life in danger. Doesn't that alone sound worthwhile? And I'm not even counting the help I will give you against the Joachimites. So you see, there is no downside to this deal."

You have to admit, Flynn is making a pretty sound argument. There have been many times you'd like to "move on" but it's obvious that you can't unless you go through with this ritual.

You refuse to do the ritual

Maybe you're not thinking rationally and you're also still holding on to lingering feelings for Tanya, but that doesn't also stop you from being suspicious of this ritual anyway.

The fact that you have to fuck one of Flynn's disciples for this is already enough to raise an eyebrow from you, but even if this is all on the level and Flynn is being completely truthful, you can't bring yourself to do this only for Tanya to be enslaved to this asshole.

Tanya may very well be a creature of evil that's doing horrible things and no longer cares about you, but that doesn't negate the memories that you have of her. You remember that one of her stronger traits is that she cherished her freedom. If you sentenced her to magical enslavement, you'd feel pretty damn shitty about yourself and you're fairly certain you'd just replace your sense of loss with a bigger sense of guilt. Hell, it probably would be better just to kill her.

(You also never realized how very against slavery you are no matter what form or who it is. You suppose love of freedom is something)

There is also the fact that you have no idea if Flynn's spell is going to keep her imprisoned forever or if it's even going to work. If you go ripping Tanya from wherever she is into a magical prison, you can bet that you're going to be right near the top of her shit list if she ever escapes and you don't fancy your chances if Flynn turns out to be no match for her.

So you're not doing this for various reasons. Still, you have your concerns about getting out of here so you calm yourself down and address Flynn in a civil manner again.

"Elder Flynn, I apologize for my outburst towards you earlier. Out was out of line, but as you can tell my feelings in all this are very intertwined. I can't easily separate them even if I know it would be rational to do so. I loved and still love Tanya no matter what she's become. Maybe…maybe I just need more time to think about it, but I cannot bring myself to do this thing. At least not now."

Elder Flynn stares at you a bit, strokes his beard and then finally answers you.

"Very well. I believe you are being foolish about all this, but then those that do not follow Dorna are often mere babes in their cribs when it comes to greater wisdom. I certainly hope you do change your mind, but if you do come here again, you had best make sure you are VERY certain to go through with it. I will not be so understanding on a second intrusion. Heather, escort our guest out."

Heather motions you towards the door quietly and you nod once more at Flynn before exiting. Your walk to the temple entrance is silent as a few acolytes watch you leave, but say nothing.

Finally when you're outside, Heather speaks.

"You're not coming back are you?" Heather says.
"If you were in my position, would you?" you replies
"Probably not. I want to say though it was very wise of you to address Elder Flynn in a respectful manner and I even understand your feelings on this matter."
"Hm, for all the good it's going to do. Oh well, I'm at least getting out of here in one piece, and I'm sure you're glad you don't have to fuck a complete stranger."

Heather makes a nervous laugh.

"Yes, well there is that. Not that you're unattractive mind you, but…well it was a bit awkward. Under different circumstances it might have been fun, but I suppose you're forever bound to another." Heather says.
"Looks that way." You answer.

Heather opens a hole in the barrier, which you step through. Before you make your way back home, Heather asks if you can wait a moment and then runs back inside the temple. You're not exactly sure what Heather is up to, but you put some space between you and the barrier in the meantime.

She comes back out fairly quickly and after making another hole in the barrier she hands you a solid black glass sphere through it.

"What's this?" you ask.
"It's an null orb and it's from my own personal collection." Heather says.
"What's it do?"
"When you break it, it will completely nullify all magic in the immediate area for a time. I'm fairly certain it should take down whatever the magic defenses that the Joachimite Inquisitor might have. You'll still have to get in close and you've got one shot, but you've got a chance."

You look at the orb for a moment as if you're going to see something other than utter blackness before putting it away.

"Thank you Heather. This is more than I expected. I'll remember this." You say.

Heather nods and you finally put this whole odd meeting behind you.

When you get back to the League Lair, Vera looks like she's relieved that you made it back. You guess she was still sort of overwhelmed by the idea that she might be running things.

"You made it back alive, so I'm guessing you were successful?" Vera asks.
"Well, I wasn't unsuccessful. I've got something that supposedly will help against this Inquisitor, but it's a one shot deal. The next step is speaking with Shade again though and how we're going to set up this attack." You say.

In the next few days Shade finally manages to get around to speaking with you again. He tells you he's been placing what little remains of his manpower in gathering information and has determined exactly where the Inquisitor is currently staying which apparently is a humble house where a normal Joachim fearing couple lives. He says nothing is special about this couple and has no idea why the Inquisitor is staying there, but that's where he's been.

Shade also mentions that looks are very deceiving however on the external security front. Shade says it took all of his willpower to keep up his shadow magic to remain undetected (And apparently years off his life given that he looks older than he should now), but he learned that the Inquisitor has been using similar illusionary magic to make Joachimite fanatics invisible as well. Several of these invisible holy warriors are just laying in wait in case of an attack.

"Now, I doubt either side is going to remain hidden for very long from each other but as soon as we attack, the Inquisitor will soon intervene directly and then we'll be at a complete disadvantage." Shade says.
"It's okay, I've got something that's going to make magic in general completely useless to everyone." You say.
"So you were successful then. Mind telling me what you have?"
"It's an item that you need to break within the vicinity of the Inquisitor. You just need to get in close enough to do it though. As long as that happens however, his defenses will go down and he'll be vulnerable to everything. Here." You say and hand the orb to Shade.

Shade doesn't take it and instead gives you a bit of a suspicious look.

"What? It's not a trick." You exclaim.
"Maybe not, but forgive me if I'm less trusting of the Dornans than you are."
"Shade, YOU told me to seek their aid if possible and I got it. What more do you want?"
"Nothing, but I have no idea if that thing strips magic ability permanently or what. For all I know Flynn is setting us all up."
"He's not, because I didn't get this from fucking Flynn, I got this from a different Dornan."
"Oh, that makes me feel even better. You got it from one of his lessers. To be honest, IF this IS indeed the powerful item you believe it to be, I'm a little leery that you're so freely giving it to me, rather than keeping it for yourself."

You know this isn't going to help matters, but given what you've been through already…

"I'm giving it to you because your weak ass magic is already going to be fucked by the Inquisitor so you don't have anything to lose. Not to mention that between the pair of us, YOU are the close combat expert so you'll most likely get in closer than I'll be able to since we still have to fight through all those fanatics. Fucking hell Shade, I'm doing YOU a fucking favor, so stop being a paranoid asshole and take the damn orb in the spirit of our fucking alliance that its being offered!"

Shade's stare softens a bit and he even smirks a bit before taking the orb.

"Very well, you've made your point. Let it be known though if something goes wrong and we both survive it, I'm going to kill you." Shade says.
"Fair enough. Anyway I'll be hand picking my own people for the attack along with still being there in person since it'll be the only way I'll feel comfortable that my orders are going to be carried out. We probably should look at a map of this area to go over the details better." You say.

You spend a couple more days planning and preparing. Despite his magic going to be rendered impotent, Shade still wants to attack at night since he feels his people are still going to hold advantage over the Joachimites during that time. Since you don't have any real preference, you agree.

The night of the attack comes and you lie in wait from a distance with your people. You soon hear the scuffles and shouts of battle. Unlike the faithful of Fel, the faithful of Joachim aren't exactly the most quiet when they fight.

You soon join the fight and find that there are indeed a lot of Joachimites that seem to be coming out nowhere. They are screaming their deity's name and how they're going to purge all unbelievers, still they seem a little take off guard when you arrive.

Shade so far is holding the advantage due to him and his people teleporting all over the place, but you imagine that won't last long. In the meantime, you order your people to stay together and not get surrounded.

After about twenty minutes of combat, the streets are starting to pile up with bodies. You half expect the Watch to arrive with all the noise going on, but then the government has for the most part taken a slightly hands off approach to the religious conflict since it started, which explains why it's gone on as long as it has.

And then the Inquisitor finally makes his arrival. You've never seen the guy before, but he certainly makes an impression especially since he emanates a white light from his person making him visible to all even in this darkness. He looks exactly like how Shade described him, though he's also carrying a mace in his hand.

"FOUL FOLLOWERS OF FEL! LET TONIGHT BE YOUR LAST!" his voice booms and then suddenly several beams of light from the sky seem to target every Felian in the street, as soon as you see this, you tell your own people to find cover wherever they can.

Shade's people are unable to simply teleport or even turn invisible. A few barely manage to find cover before the beams of light completely ignite the unfortunate ones that couldn't escape.

"BURN IN THE PURE LIGHT OF JOACHIM! THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM HIS TRUTH!"

Shade himself is unfortunate enough to not react in time before being caught in this light. He is set aflame, however fortunately for you he has enough in him to take out the null orb and throw it to ground. It shatters and suddenly the white light surrounding the Inquisitor disappears and so do the beams of white light coming from the sky.

The Inquisitor starts screaming prayers to Joachim, but nothing happens, the rest of his people seem confused by this sudden "disappearance" of their divine weapon, but you're not confused and you urge your people to press the advantage since Shade is obviously no longer in any shape to do so.

You keep your eyes on the Inquisitor (Who is still pretty visible in the dark due to his white robes) and unsurprisingly realizing he doesn't have his magic advantage anymore, he runs away. Though you were expecting him to just start running down the street, instead he runs back in the house he was staying at.

You waste no time in following him, fighting and dodging along the way. You kick the door in and you find the Inquisitor standing in the middle of the room with his mace held ready for battle. An old couple stands further behind, frightened out of their minds and holding each other.

"YOU! I knew you were an infidel, but I didn't know you'd thrown your lot in with the blasphemous shadow worshippers! No matter, you too shall face the righteous justice of…"

While the Inquisitor is giving a monologue, you take the opportunity to end this by shooting him several times. He falls backwards crashing into a table and knocking over several other items as well. The old woman screams and begins sobbing.

You walk over to the Inquisitor's body to make sure he's dead and see that he is indeed still alive, but he won't be for long. In between his gasping and wheezing he tries to speak.

"Don't…ki…please…not…" he says.
"Little late for that." You reply reloading your pistol.
"Not me…par…ents…for…old times…please…"

You look over at the old couple and guess the Inquisitor means them. You suppose you know why he came running back in here now. What you don't get is that he seems to know you and not just by reputation.

At this point the Inquisitor's parents run over and kneel by him. Both are sobbing and his mother lifts his head a bit and removes the white mask he was wearing.

"I'm…coming home…Joachim…I see his light…" Yinen remarks and then he dies.

You did not see that one coming. Of course you never knew his parents either.

You aren't even sure how you feel about it. What caused this radical transformation? You can somewhat guess that perhaps Yinen never quite got over his experience of getting captured by the Neroth cultists. His return to his Joachimite upbringing to the point of zealotry was the result.

You wish you had known Yinen was the inquisitor the whole time. Maybe you could have spoke to him. Maybe not. Doesn't matter now, it's done.

You leave Yinen's parents to their grief and dead son.

As for the battle outside, it's winding down with your side winning, but you've suffered more than few losses. Still, could have been worse.

The few Felians still left have managed to bring Shade back from the brink of death, but he's a mess, what with burns all over his body and the fact he previously pre-maturely aged himself. This war has cost him quite dearly. You actually don't think he'll live too much longer or if he does, he's going to be spending the rest of his days as a cripple. However, apparently he's pleased that this was a "win." He even manages to say a genuine statement of gratitude. Saying that the Temple of Fel will come to the aid of the Nocturnal League if you ever need it.

You imagine this "war" won't entirely be over just by the events tonight, but this was definitely a big turning point and probably in a few months, it'll be over completely and then you can refocus back on business.

You time passes...

Year 29

Lot can change in just a few years, some things you predicted, others not so much.

The Church of Joachim being outlawed in the city wasn't too surprising given all the trouble that was caused and how Holgard in general tends more towards embracing sin and vice rather than moving away from it. Still, sort of funny that the faith is now in the company of it's eternal enemy, Neroth as far as being illegal.

As for the other faiths, only the temples of Dorna and Fel maintain any presence in the city and in the Felians case, that's thanks to Shade dying soon after the war was over and the new leader Gloom, making an effort to strengthen their relationship with the upper echelons of the government, namely Baroness Ludmilla.

Gloom has also extended a hand to the Nocturnal League, stating that the temple would be more than willing to come to an understanding like it had with the Ebony Claw Syndicate and train your members in shadow magic.

You declined that offer though. You've always said members are free to pray to whoever they want, but if they're going to be wrapped up in Fel (or whoever) that hardcore then they can go take up some black robes and start living in their temple's meditation rooms. The less religion you have in your organization the better.

Still, your cordial relationship with the temple has had benefits you hadn't intended. Due to the Felians being on better terms with the Baroness, some of that "understanding" has inadvertently trickled down towards you. As a result the Nocturnal League has freer reign over the city than it once did. Possibly similar to what the ECS once had.

So things are going good for the Nocturnal League and business couldn't be better. You haven't had any decisions of the major kind lately, but for whatever reason this has caused you to sometimes over think the minor ones now that do crop up.

Like right now for instance.

"You were invited to the Baroness' yearly costume party? How the hell did that happen and why aren't you immediately making preparations to go?!" Vera asks.
"Just one of the perks of being allied with the temple of Fel I suppose. Gloom had one of his members deliver this letter to me a week ago. Apparently Baroness Ludmilla has heard interesting things about me and would like me to show up at her party so she can see for herself." You say.
"She thinks yer intresstin'? She really doesn't know youz at all." Warts snarks and chuckles at his own attempt at a joke.
"Well, you have to go right? I mean it's the Baroness." Vera says.
"I dunno. I mean I suppose I see why I should, just don't really feel up to it." You reply.
"What? When the Baroness of Holgard calls you to court, you have to go!"
"Never knew you were such a supporter of our dear ruler. You secretly harboring royalist admiration?"
"No. It's not like that! I mean yeah she's royalty, but not really. I mean… I dunno, I've always sort of admired how she took power from her father and brother I guess. She's a very powerful independent woman and has remained that way. I guess that's what I admire."
"Hm. Well I guess I just see her as another corrupt aristocrat that used her position of power to gain even more power. Not that that's a bad thing, but nothing special. Lot harder to do when you aren't born with a silver spoon in your mouth."
"Yes, yes, we all know. You cleverly lied, cheated, stole and murdered your way to your position. You're the epitome of a self made man. We're all very impressed. Truly. I'm wet just thinking about it. Still, I really think you should go to this party, if only so you don't inadvertently offend her which then will cause our current friendly relationship with the law to become unnecessarily complicated."
"Yeah, I already took that into consideration. (Sigh) I suppose I'm going, though the letter also says I should bring one more person with me since that's apparently the rule of this event."

As soon as you've said that, Vera's eyes light up.

"Me! You gotta take me! Seriously I will seriously suck your dick if you take me to this party." Vera exclaims.
"You mean aren't already?" Warts responds.
"Wha? Why is that your go to action with me?" you say.
"I'll do whatever you want to do then, look I don't care! I just really gotta go to this thing!"
"Why? Wait a minute, you don't have a crush on the Baroness do you? I mean you were praising her pretty hard a moment ago."
"No! This ain't about pussy bumpin! Its just…(sigh) nevermind you'll just make fun and if you don't I know damn well this ugly half breed will."
"Oh fuck you, Vera."
"Warts, step out of here. While there won't be any dick sucking involved, I am sort of interested in why Vera wants to go so badly."
"Gruh, fine by me. I certainly don't wanna go. I gotta go see my kids anywayz, later."

After Warts leaves you motion Vera to speak which she does though she's still a bit hesitant to do so, fearing that you'll make fun.

Vera suddenly goes into more of her life story than you ever thought to ask of her.

She mentions that her mother was once very briefly employed as a maid during the Baron's reign of the city. She goes on to say that her mother always told her that she once had a brief fling with him while she was cleaning one of the guest bedrooms. Unfortunately the Baron being the asshole he typically was, he had all the maids, including Vera's mother, replaced a week later because he claimed his palace wasn't getting clean enough.

In any case, Vera said that shortly afterwards, her mother discovered she was pregnant and claimed to the day she died that Vera's real father was really the Baron.

"Wait a minute…you're telling me you're actually bastard royalty?!" you ask.
"I knew you'd make fun or not believe me." Vera says.
"Honestly, it's not really that far fetched given what I've always heard about the old Baron. Though I'm just surprised you've never mentioned it before. Seems like something you'd brag about."
"And get myself fucking killed?! No thanks! One of the big reasons my mother never told anyone or even tried to get financial support from the Baron is the fear of some assassin coming in to kill her and me. I mean I'm hardly the only illegitimate child the baron probably had and his son Farad was notorious for having suspected bastards killed. And if he didn't do it, I can't imagine Ludmilla was any different. Especially now."
"I guess that makes sense."
"Honestly, you're the ONLY person I've told about this and now that I've done it, I feel a little weird and vulnerable."
"Well, I'm not going to say anything. Not like there would be anything to gain. Though I guess this is why you want to go to this party so badly huh? Experience what might have been? Possibly even briefly speak with your older half sister?"
"…sort of. I know it's silly, but…sometimes I do think of a life that is different than this one."

Vera's thoughtful words are a little out of the ordinary, but not lost on you. Not like you don't have similar thoughts on your own life at times.

"Okay, I guess we'll go together then. Not like I can think of anyone else to take anyway. Says it'll be in three days so I suggest you prepare yourself." You say.
"I will! Thank you for this boss!" Vera beams.
"Don't mention it, princess." You mock.
"So, what are you going to be wearing?"
"I dunno. Some mask of some sort I imagine since it's a costume party. Which makes me wonder, how the hell is the Baroness going to know it's me if I'm wearing a mask?"
"I imagine she's got some way of figuring it out. Make sure you dress nice though! I've heard about these things and if we go in looking like we crawled out of the sewers, they'll turn us away, invitation or not."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll take a trip to the tailor's or something."

A few days and a trip to the tailor's later, you're dressed and ready to go to this thing. You're not exactly comfortable in this type of clothing, but many League members compliment you on your new threads. Warts of course has something to say.

"Oh well la de da, if it ain't da duke of da undaworld." Warts say.
"Don't even start, where the hell is Vera, she's the one that made a bigger deal of all this?"
"You ain't seen her yet? She's even fancier than you are right now. If it gets anymore highbrow here, we're gonna hafta forge all dat gold and silver we got inta fancy eatin' utensils."
"Yeah, well this is a one time thing. So where's Vera again?"
"She's in her room I think…um don't tell her I said so, but she iz sorta pretty. I mean she wouldn't be MY type, but y'know dressed like she iz right now, she looks like of doze princesses or sumthin. Hah, Vera a princess, dat's funny."
"Yeah…hysterical. Later Warts."

You shake your head and go get Vera.

You don't even bother knocking on the door, you just enter and that's when you see Vera who turns around from her mirror to face you. She does indeed look a lot different than you're used to seeing her.

"Wow. You look, really different." You say.
"Good different or bad different?" Vera asks.
"Neither…I mean good of course. Look, I'm just saying you could easily blend in with the rest of the aristocratic types. You're very pretty, like a princess and I'm not just saying that."
"Thank you. You look…appropriate too."
"The hell's that mean? I'll have you know I got a lot of compliments!"
"Well of course you did, you're the boss. They're hardly going to tell you, you look like shit. Not that you do. You're fine. I guess we should get going, do you have your mask?"
"Yeah, got one of those half masks. Don't really feel like struggling to breath with a full mask on that covers my mouth and nostrils. Still covers most of my face so I figure I'm good." You say and put it on.
"I think most people will be wearing those so, you'll fit in fine. I got one too." Vera says and puts on her her mask and the pair of you are soon on your way.

When you get to the palace you're sort of relieved since you half expect that you're going to get robbed on your way there. A guard stops you at the gates and you show your personalized invitation at which point you're waved through.

You and Vera take a moment to sort of absorb the fact of where you actually are for a moment. The seat of rulership, the palace! The grounds are certainly well taken care of and it's obvious that every effort has been spared to make it look as festive as possible.

The closer you get to the palace the more grandiose everything is. You also notice the increase in guards and you and Vera are patted down more than once.

You get inside the palace and the elegance of the interior is about what you expect. Vera is practically enamored by everything. Right now, she's probably imagining herself as that princess you ribbed her about being. As for you, you're a bit more of a harder sell on being impressed by such things, but if you could run your organization from a place like this instead, you certainly wouldn't turn it down.

You and Vera spend a bit of time just looking around until Vera wonders if you should start actively mingling with some of the other guests. You're of course against this idea, but you soon are forced into doing so anyway by someone you weren't expecting to talk to, or at least not so early.

"Well, if it isn't the head of the Nocturnal League. Glad you could make it, I was hoping you would."

And there you are standing before Baroness Ludmilla Varsakken. She wears no mask and at this close range you get a good look at her. She almost looks like she could be a vampire what with her skin on the paler side and the black hair accentuating it. She's beautiful of course, but just looking into her eyes a bit you can see a very ruthless woman before you. You also take a good look at her in general and then glance over at Vera.

Now that you're looking at them both, there could very well be a family resemblance.

"Well, you certainly like to stare." Ludmilla says, noticing your examination.
"Oh, um, apologies. Just sort of…overwhelmed you know. Never thought I'd be before royalty." You say.
"Hah, not the complete uncouth rogue I've heard our mutual Felian acquaintances tell me about I see. Good."
"How did you know it was me anyway?"
"I make it a point of knowing all my guests as they arrive. Not to mention your clothing isn't exactly shall we say refined enough. While I'm sure you thought it was very upscale looking, but the workmanship is obviously from one of the mediocre tailors in the city. Only a crimelord with no care for such extravagant airs would believe it to be sufficient for this party. Not to worry though, I will not hold it against you. You tried."
"I appreciate that, and your invitation."
"You quite welcome, and who is your companion here? She certainly seems to have a better grasp on the dress code. I dare say this dress is better than a few of the boring nobles here."
"Thank you! I had it custom made a long time ago. Always knew I'd get to wear it some day!" Vera says a bit excitedly.
"Now that's what I like to hear. A woman that plans in advance."

At this point Ludmilla begins speaking to Vera and you excuse yourself to get a drink. While you don't normally do so, you get the impression you're going to need a bit of extra help to get through the night.

You can't believe you're even in this situation, let alone acting the way you are. Still, you suppose it makes for an interesting change.

Still, you really don't want to be here all night. You made your appearance and now you'd like nothing more than to leave. Vera however looks like she's having a good time and to be honest you don't want to ruin that. She does help you a lot with the League.

So you go back to Vera and Ludmilla and stand nearby in an attempt to be social. Ludmilla goes back and forth speaking to you and Vera, though she surprisingly is more talkative to Vera. The Baroness seems to like to talk and can already guess that you're not exactly the most gregarious.

Ludmilla and Vera talk for quite awhile, it's actually pretty amazing since it's about absolutely nothing. Or at least nothing you're much interested in. Ludmilla is mostly talking about herself and the troubles of being of noble birth. Goes on about how Vera's lucky to not have to worry about such things.

Condescending of course, but if Vera noticed it, she's not fussed or at least not letting it show. It's sort of ironic anyway since Vera could very well HAVE had such problems if fate swung a different way.

Eventually though Ludmilla tells the pair of you that while she was pleased to meet you both, she has other guests to see, even though they probably won't be as interesting you are.

And the pair of you are left on your own.

"Well that was interesting." You say.
"Hm. Certainly was. Never thought I'd ever be directly in the presence of royalty before. Well not without my hands and feet in chains at least." Vera remarks.
"Hah! Same here. So, you ready to go?"
"What? Already? The party's just started and you want to leave?"
"Well, I mean I dunno what else there really is to do here. I mean we came, we saw, we met the baroness. I mean we covered all the important shit. Not like I really have any desire to talk to any of the other assholes around here."
"But, I wanted to stay a bit longer though. However, if you want to leave, I guess that's fine with me. You're the boss after all."
"Alright, we can stay a little longer, but I'm going to find someplace away from most of these people. You can do what you like. I'll come looking for you in a while I guess."
"Thanks boss, I'll see you later." Vera says and suddenly kisses you on the cheek before walking off to enjoy living the "high society life" for a little longer.

As for you, you decide to just look around to waste time. You grab another drink and try to stick to less "populated" areas of the palace. Though obviously you're still limited to where you're allowed to go. Guards standby keeping an eye on everything.

Time passes and while a few people attempt to speak to you, and few others seem to be talking about you (Mostly about your clothes) you basically ignore them all and just keep to your plan of moving about and sticking to areas where there are less people.

While you're doing that however, you're also studying some of the lay out of the palace, or at least what you're able to. You also take notice of what valuable objects would be easy to take.

You briefly flirt with the idea of stealing something from this place, but common sense soon wins out. Last thing you want to do is even risk pissing off the Baroness, especially since you're on good terms with her. Still, sometimes you miss the days of when you just stole things for a living.

After wandering a bit more and entertaining the idea of pilfering the palace, you discard your usual procedure of avoiding the crowds and walk towards a room where you hear some music followed by a lot of clapping.

You arrive just in time to see a crowd disperse before a group of musicians that apparently have just finished performing. Shame, from what little you heard, it sounded pretty good. You go and get yourself another drink and that's when you start to feel a little odd. Whatever this stuff is, it's apparently stronger than the taste would indicate. Still, it's a party right? Might as well try to loosen up.

You realize you're not nearly as fun loving as you used to be when you were younger. In fact, you're downright stodgy at times. All you practically do is fucking work. Being a criminal isn't fun anymore, it's actually not even dangerous at this point, it's just well… mundane.

How the hell did it come to this? If you wanted to be mundane, you might as well have stayed in Teckleville and followed in your dad's footsteps. Maybe he was right after all.

No. You've seen and done much in your life thanks to leaving that boring town. After all, you're here in baroness' palace! You're just in a rut that's all. When you get back, you're going to shake things up within the League. Maybe expand again, maybe even to a new city like Hessla or Klyton.

Still, it's all pretty pointless without someone to share it with. You couldn't go back home and say "Look mom and dad, look at what I've done!" It sucks. Your sister would probably be impressed, but who knows where she is. You hope she's having more fun than you are right now. You miss her sometimes. Simpler times. Happier times.

Fuck it, you need another drink.

As you go to get another you bump into a couple that are making out.

"Excuse me." You say.
"Mmm…" the woman says and strokes your arm as you pass by. The guy she's kissing takes no notice; he's too focused on her.

You briefly think of Vera and how she kissed you not too long ago. Makes you wonder if she's got more than a bit of attraction toward you. You know she's always making these sexual offers toward you, but as far as you know she's not really known to be the "good time" girl within the Nocturnal League. So it makes you wonder if she actually feels affection towards you on some level. Sometimes you think about her too, since you work so closely together. It's almost like you're an old married couple.

Of course it could be a case that she's perfectly fine being a potential whore if it's going to benefit her in the long run. Since you're the boss, and the only one above her in rank, makes sense that she'd only be offering you such extra "benefits."

Regardless, you probably would have made a move on her if it wasn't for your condition.

You nearly bump into another couple also making out. By the time you grab your drink, you realize there are a lot of people kissing and hugging each other. And some of them are getting pretty hot and heavy.

Now you think of Tanya.

You wish Tanya was still around. You'd love to share your success with her, but you guess that she moved on a long time ago. She claimed you'd move on, but you haven't. How could you? She was everything to you. If it wasn't for her, it's debatable that you would have even did any of this. You probably would have fucked around in Holgard for a few years and then just left when the Ebony Claw Syndicate started taking notice of you. She kept you around and made you fall in love with her.

But you can't hate her for that. It wasn't her fault. It just was her nature.

You look around and now you see several people doing more than just kissing now.

"What the fuck?" you say to yourself and get up to leave. You must have wandered into some weird orgy room.

You make it to a hallway and that's when you're starting to feel really…excited.

You've got an erection right now that you could stab someone to death with and you are about ready to murder the closest woman available and worse, they're just about ALL available.

Hell, with the way you're feeling, you're starting to worry if you aren't going to just fuck everyone on your way to the exit because it's been YEARS since you've had sex and right now your dick isn't caring.

It has to be the drinks. You're sure of it. This whole party is probably just an excuse for rich people to have decadent orgies anonymously with each other.

You need to get out of here before you kill everyone at this party with your cursed dick. The problem is you aren't sure if you're even going to make it that far.

The best you might be able to do is find a place with no people about and stay there until the effects of the drink wear off. (Whenever that is)

You run to the exit

You need to just get the hell out of here, because staying is surely going to doom someone.

You continue your trip to the exit, trying not to look at any of the people having sexual encounters along the way. Several times you have to push people away after they grab at you. Eventually you just start punching them, and for a couple of them that just turns them on even more.

"Uhn yeah, beat me harder! I like it like that!"
"This is fucked." You mutter.

You try to think of the most unattractive and least erotic things you can think of like the Holgard sewers, and similar things. You also hit yourself in crotch a few times and unlike the masochist freaks, that works to lessen your arousal. Doesn't get rid of it entirely though and you're not doing that too much more because it hurts like a sonofabitch.

Eventually you make it out of the palace. The guards don't even react when they see you and just shrug as you continue to run from the palace and out the gates into the city.

As soon as you're in the public area of the city again, you realize now you've got another problem. Instead of having a strong sexual desire around a bunch of other people who are also suffering the same condition, you're now potentially around a bunch of people who aren't suffering it at all.

You try to walk down the more isolated street with nobody about, but you need to get off them entirely before you potentially start molesting someone or worse. You'd go to a brothel, but if you did, you'd just end up killing all your employees.

"Hey, didn't expect to bump into you. I didn't realize you left the party too. Figured you were bedding some aristocrat or something."

You spin around and see Vera.

"Vera, what the hell are you doing here?" you ask.
"I was on my way back home. Shortly after we separated I wandered and talked to a few people and even looked around seeing if I could steal anything, but there really wasn't a good opportunity, and then something weird happened." Vera says.
"Let me guess, everyone got all friendly?"
"Yeah, REALLY friendly. Didn't know it was going to be that kind of party. Guessing something was in the drinks. Glad I hadn't drank anything while I was there. Still, I might have paired up with one of the horny aristocrat guys if it had just been a one on one thing, but then Ludmilla was around and she started hitting on me too and I got really creeped out. I mean she didn't know of course, but she could potentially be my half sister, and that just really put me out of the mood entirely. I ran out as soon as I could."
"Yeah, potentially fucking a sibling, I can see where that would put a damper on things…" you say barely able to contain yourself
"Um, what's wrong with you? You're fidgeting and sweating. You keep putting your hand on your crotch…wait a minute. Did you have the drinks?"
"Vera, I'm telling you, you need to leave me right now, because I'm having a REALLY hard time here."

Vera smiles a bit and grabs at the obvious bulge in your pants. You nearly don't back away.

"Shit. You ARE having a hard time. Well hell, come on let's put that to good use."
"Vera, you need to seriously stop!" you say.
"Oh come on! I don't see what the hell is wrong with me! I mean shit; you act like I got the fucking plague! You're a real fucking asshole you know that?"
"Vera…"
"No! I'm going to say some shit that YOU need to hear! I know all about your ex-girlfriend. Warts mentioned that you were really head over heels for a demonkin once when he suggested that I was banging my head up against a wall with you. Said that's probably the real reason why you don't have any relationships at all because you're still in love with the infernal bitch."
"Yeah well Warts don't know the whole fucking story."
"What's to know? You're obviously still holding a candle for her like a fucking idiot. You think she gives a shit about you? No. She was a DEMON. They don't give a shit about anything! And here you are still being faithful for a girl that isn't around meanwhile you outright continue to ignore people who ARE here and do care for you. Someone who knows your likes and dislikes. Someone who has done more than she would normally do and would probably do a lot more stupid shit because for some fucked up reason she really likes you."

Vera at this point looks down a bit and rubs her eyes.

"No. LOVES you. More than you'll ever damn well know."

You don't really know what to say. You always knew Vera had some attraction to you, but you didn't think it extended this far. Even with everything that's going on with your body right now, this information has made you focus on something other than sex.

"Vera, I really don't know what to say, except if you believe that I haven't ever thought about us, well you don't know me as well as you think. Hell, tonight I even enjoyed pretending a bit that we were going out on some fancy date, well until the drugged drinks that is."
"Then what the hell's the problem?"
"The problem is, I'll fucking kill you! My dick is fucking cursed!"
"What?!"
"Look, I'm having a difficult time as it is trying not to be all over you right now, so here's the short version."

You quickly explain how you came to learn about your unfortunate condition and everything else relating to it. When Vera asks about a cure, you explain that the cost is too high from what you know about the one time it was offered to you.

"So you see? I haven't been avoiding a relationship with you for no damn reason. I've been trying to keep you alive! And if you want to stay that way, I'd suggest you fucking leave right this minute. I need to go jerk off or something in an alley right now." You say.

Vera is silent for a moment

"Okay, well why don't I at least help you with that?" Vera suddenly says.
"What?" you say.
"Why don't you at least let me jerk you off? I mean it's not sex right? You're not penetrating me. I'm just going to be lending a helping hand as it were."
"Vera, while I appreciate the offer, I'm still not sure if that's a good idea."
"Look, you know how I feel about you. And you're saying you have feelings for me, so isn't this the type of shit couples are supposed to do for one another? Help each other out?"

You aren't sure if it's the drink that's breaking down your willpower or Vera's fairly convincing argument, but you can't hold back anymore.

"Okay. Okay. I guess maybe you make a solid point. I'm still really worried about you though."
"Don't worry about me. You just try to relax as I take care of everything. Let's go over there, that looks like a secluded spot."

You and Vera duck into an alleyway and soon Vera is helping you out directly.

And then again.

And then a third and FOURTH time and you're still not sated.

"What the hell did they put into those drinks? Ground up unicorn testicles?" Vera says wiping her hands.
"Shit, this isn't working. Fuck what if its permanent?"
"No, this has to wear off eventually. We're just going to have to do something else."

Vera begins to lower herself.

"What the hell are you doing?!" you exclaim.
"What does it look like?" she asks
"You can't do that! You'll die!"
"It's not sex right? I mean not really. I'll be fine."
"I'm pretty sure it counts, some of those other women blew me too."
"Yeah, but you also fucked them, and we're not doing that, so again just relax and let me take care of it."
"But…oh shit…"

You can't even argue anymore as you feel the glory that is Vera's oral skills. Given how many times she's offered this to you in the past, this has got to be a major fantasy for her or something.

Soon…

"Fuck. That was a lot. You good?" Vera says wiping off her mouth a bit.
"I really wish I could say I was, but you're going to have to stay down there a little longer."
"Yeah, as much fun as that was, I'm not sucking your dick all night. You're putting that thing to better use."

At this point Vera begins lifting her dress up and grinding herself into you.

"Vera! Shit! We REALLY can't do this! You WILL die!" you say, but still holding on to her body tightly.
"Y'know what I've been thinking? I think you're fucking imagining things. I think all those girls were just a bad coincidence and you jumped to conclusions because as I said, you're still holding a torch for your ex and felt guilty about it." Vera responds.
"What? Where do you get that idea from?"
"I get that idea from the fact that you have no damn proof that your dick is cursed from what you've told me. I mean if it really was cursed, I'd think those women would have melted shortly after or something, not died from common shit like drug overdoses or fires. You just had a string of bad luck and made assumptions."
"Vera, you can't know that."
"Yeah, well I've never been one to play it too safe, so if this is it for me, there are worse ways. Might as well at least be because you fucked me. Now let's do this already."
"Right here in this dirty ass alley?"
"You didn't seem to have any objections before when your dick was in my mouth."
"I still think this is a really bad idea…"
"I guess we'll see, now fuck me like it's my last night here, because it might very well be."

Against your better judgment (or any judgment really) you finally give what Vera's always wanted from you.

"Oh… shit. Fuck, this is going to be good." She says as you enter inside her.

You've barely gotten started fucking her up against a nearby wall and she's already trying not to make a lot of noise and failing at it.

This session quite unlike anything you've ever experienced. It's raw; it's dirty and it almost feels violent.

As you're giving it to Vera hard, she still manages to surprise you.

"Put your hands around my throat." She suddenly says.
"What?!" you ask.
"Oh and call me a whore too. I want to imagine you're raping me in this alley. Y'know like when you pretend threaten to do when we first met?"
"That's…sort of fucked up Vera"
"I'm attracted to the likes of you, are you really all that surprised that I'm a little fucked up?"

You're starting to get the impression that Vera's love for you is a little more twisted that you originally believed. You sort of wonder if it's been borderline obsession and she's just done a good job of keeping it together.

You're just not sure if this is such a good idea given that the women you have sex with tend to die afterwards.

You decline the request

As horny as you are, there some things you don't really want to risk doing.

"Vera, I'm not going to start choking you. I practically feel like I'm killing you already." You say.
"Not stopping you though is it? Come on, just choke me a little, I can take it."
"Vera I really don't want to, can we just get on with this…"

Vera suddenly slaps you.

"Vera…"

Vera then slaps you again harder.

"Okay stop that!"

Vera doesn't and instead leans in and bites your ear so hard she draws blood.

"VERA WHAT THE FUCK!? THAT FUCKING HURT!" you exclaim holding your ear.
"Help! I'm being raped!" Vera shouts.
"Shhhh! What the fuck are you doing!? You trying to get me…"
"RAPE! RAPE! RAPE!"

At this point you slam Vera against the wall and put your hand to her mouth.

"Shut the fuck up! You trying to get the Watch to arrest us? Ow! My fingers!" you exclaim as Vera manages to bite your fingers.

At this point you're genuinely angry. Under normal circumstances, you'd probably just completely disengage, but seeing as you're still aroused, you decide to give into Vera's obvious kink.

"Fine, I'll give you what you want if only to shut you up!"
"Well stop talking lover and just do it…ulp…yeah…just like that…"

You place your hands around Vera's throat and begin choking her. At first it's only light, but as your thrusting gets quicker and harder, you begin tightening your grip.

"Okay…you can…loosen up…a bit…" Vera gasps.

But you don't. In fact your mind has gone into a very dark place. You start seeing images of death. Not just hers though. You see the deaths of all the other women you had sex with since Tanya.

"St…op…" Vera says and begins to struggle.

You don't even reply, you just continue strangling her. Vera now is fighting for her life, but despite kneeing you in the crotch several times, you're not even fazed. Even your desire for sex has been muted over your desire to kill her.

"You'll never replace her! NEVER!" you start to shout.

You are then suddenly smashed in the back of the head by something, causing you to collapse.

"Lady are you alright? We were watching over there and saw him getting too rough!" someone says, meanwhile someone else is still kicking you.

While Vera is recovering and coughing, you pull your pistol.

"Watch out!" Vera barely manages to utter before you blast the asshole that's currently kicking you.

The bum falls to the ground, and then the other tries to run, but you easily shoot him as well.

Vera, realizing that she can't run, tries to appeal to you.

"Please, you have to stop this!" she says.

You are really not thinking straight however. The drugs in your body combined with being pushed into aggressiveness and some unknown factor that's really causing you to have bloody thoughts, and it's a volatile combination.

Still, it's almost like you aren't completely yourself. Part of you feels like you've done something like this before, and that you always tried to stop it, but couldn't. There is a brief moment of clarity and then only overwhelming guilt followed by rage.

"Why? This is what you wanted and I warned you of the consequences. You thought you were going to be different. YOU thought you were going to steal me away from Tanya! But YOU were wrong! They ALL were! I made sure of that!" you exclaim and point your pistol at Vera.

Now you've completely lost it.

A loud shot is heard, but it isn't from your pistol. It's from the musket of a Holgard watchman who overheard all the noise and came running. In typical Holgard Watch fashion he shot first and didn't even bother asking questions.

You fall to the ground a final time with a bloody hole in the side of your head.