lisa strolled through the streets of Syux, her mind whirling with possibilities.
The king's promised reward still lood on the horizon, but she wasn't about to sit around lazily while waiting for it.
[Life Magic,] she mused, her crimson eyes gleaming with curiosity. [The opposite of Blood Magic... And yet, I managed to unify them with that Blood Magic healing spell, right? I need to find out more about this.]
She'd already picked the brains of the academy's healers and nurses, but their knowledge felt... limited. Practical, certainly, but lacking the depth she craved.
[A priest would probably know more,] lisa thought. Soone nearly tripped over their own feet as she walked by. [At least, if RPG gas are to be believed.]
It was for that reason that lisa currently found herself heading towards the grand temple just up ahead.
As she approached, she couldn't help but marvel at the structure. Gleaming white stone, intricately carved statues of very attractive female characters, and a beige do that seed to catch and almost amplify the sunlight.
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[Impressive,] lisa admitted to herself. [I guess the church isn't doing too poorly in this world. Even though, through 17 years, I haven't really t anyone particularly religious. Huh.]
She ascended the steps, her footfalls echoing in the entrance hall.
[Eh?] She stopped.
Almost imdiately, she felt a shift in the atmosphere. The air grew thick with tension, and she could feel eyes on her from every direction.
She caught snippets of hushed conversations as she passed.
"...a nim, in our sacred temple..."
"...probably here to cause trouble..."
"...shouldn't be allowed..."
lisa frowned, her brow furrowing in confusion.
[Hm. This is weird. I would have guessed nim would show up to these sorts of places often.] lisa pouted a bit. [I'm no fan of religion, but even back on Earth, poor people, whores, criminals... outcasts were, supposedly, always welco.]
But even as the thought crossed her mind, she noticed a subtle shift.
The hostility remained, but it was tempered now by sothing else.
[My pheromones,] lisa realized, a small smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. [Guess they're gonna be working overti today, huh?]
She could see it in the way the priests and acolytes looked at her.
Their eyes still held suspicion, but there was a hint of desire there too, a grudging attraction they couldn't quite suppress, showing in the way their eyes swept up and down lisa's form.
lisa was wearing a form-fitting dress in a deep, rich purple that complented her skin tone perfectly. The dress hugged her curves in all the right places, with a plunging neckline that offered a tantalizing glimpse of her cleavage. A slit up the side revealed flashes of her toned leg as she walked.
[Well, at least that's sothing,] lisa thought, straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin. [If they're not going to respect , they can at least want .]
She scanned the temple, looking for soone who might be willing to talk to her. Her eyes landed on a priestess standing near one of the side altars, arranging flowers in an intricate pattern.
The woman was tall and slender, with flowing blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. She wore white robes, cinched at the waist with a golden cord.
lisa approached, pasting on her most charming smile.
"Excuse ," she said, her voice honey-sweet. "I was hoping I could ask you a few questions about your faith."
The priestess turned, her eyes widening slightly as she took in lisa's appearance.
Multiple different reactions flashed through the woman's face all at once.
First, she scowled as she looked back at lisa's crimson eyes. Then, her own eyes widened just slightly as she looked lisa up and down, and finally, perhaps as lisa's pheromones began to kick in, her expression softened slightly.
She ended up saying:
"I... suppose that would be alright," she said, her voice carefully neutral. "What would you like to know?"
lisa's smile widened.
[Got her,] she thought triumphantly.
"Well, I've always been fascinated by Syux's sun worship," lisa began, which wasn't entirely a lie. She'd certainly been curious about it, even if it wasn't her primary reason for being here. "Could you tell a bit more about your goddess?"
The priestess slowly nodded.
"Of course," she said, her voice warming up a bit. "Our Lady of the Sun is the source of all life and light in this world. She watches over us, nurturing and protecting, but also challenging us to grow and evolve."
lisa nodded.
This was, obviously, just a bit of small talk to get her foot through the door. But, she put up with it.
"Truly? So, what does your day-to-day worship consist of?" She asked.
The priestess launched into an explanation of their rituals and practices, from the daily sunrise prayers to the grand festivals held throughout the year (all of which must have happened while lisa had her head in her books).
lisa listened, though, fascinated despite herself.
"So, when you say the goddess challenges you to grow," lisa interjected, "do you an spiritually, or...?"
The priestess actually smiled, hearing that question.
"Both spiritually and magically," she explained. "Our Lady of the Sun is the source of our power, after all. As we grow in our faith, we also grow in our ability to channel her power."
lisa nodded, holding back a grin.
[Now we're getting sowhere,] she thought excitedly.
"That's fascinating," she said, leaning in closer. "So, does that an your priests and priestesses are all skilled in magic?"
The priestess nodded, a hint of pride in her voice.
"Many of us are, yes. Particularly in the realm of Life Magic, which is closely tied to our Lady's domain."
[Bingo.]
"Life Magic," she repeated, as if testing the words. "That must be incredibly powerful. I've always been curious about it myself."
The priestess's expression grew guarded once more, a flicker of suspicion returning to her eyes.
"It is indeed powerful," she said carefully. "But also sacred. Not sothing to be trifled with or used lightly."
lisa tried to nod as solemnly as she could.
"Of course, of course," she said quickly. "I completely understand. I was just wondering... hypothetically, of course... what kind of things can Life Magic do? Is healing all?
Or...?"
The priestess hesitated.
"Well," she began slowly, "in its purest form, Life Magic can manipulate the very essence of living things. It can accelerate growth, slow aging, even transfer so small amounts of life force from one being to another."
lisa's heart raced, her excitent barely contained.
[Holy shit,] she thought. [That's incredible. If I could learn to do that...]
"But," the priestess continued, her voice growing stern, "such capabilities are rare and those who have them practice Life Magic in very regulated ways. Many of the more... extre applications are outright forbidden. The consequences of misusing Life Magic can be catastrophic... As can be seen with Blood Magic."
lisa nodded, trying to look appropriately chastened.
[Ah, so, they understand the connection there too.]
"Of course," she said. "I can only imagine. Thank you so much for explaining all this to . It's truly fascinating."
Slowly, the priestess smiled, though there was still a hint of wariness in her eyes.
"You're welco," she said. "I'm glad I could satisfy your curiosity. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"
lisa paused, considering.
She had what she ca for, but sothing made her hesitate.
[Well... I'm probably not gonna get a better chance for this.]
"What's your goddess like?"
And, again, the priestess seed to have had her defenses lowered.
"I'll tell you."
---
Later, lisa wiped her lips as she strolled through the streets of Syux, a satisfied smirk on her face.
[Well, that was certainly... educational, hehe.]
She could still taste the woman on her tongue, could still feel the rush of Essence she'd absorbed during their little tryst.
Yeah, their mont together ended with lisa eating the priestess out in a hallway.
Now, lisa couldn't get it out of her head. Additionally, though, she was playing the conversation they had over and over again in her mind too.
[Manipulating the essence of living things... accelerating growth, slowing aging... I an, all in all, the Life Magic school sounds just as overpowered as the Blood Magic one.]
She frowned slightly, rembering the priestess's warnings about the dangers of misusing such power.
[... Life Magic is that strong, and yet people don't really want to master it?] She shook her head. [I wonder why.]
She pushed open the door to her dorm room, her eyes imdiately landing on Raven.
To her surprise, her roommate was dressed up, wearing a crisp black shirt and so sleek pants.
"Wow, Rae," lisa whistled appreciatively. "Lookin' good! What's the occasion?"
Raven glanced up emotionlessly.
"Javir wants to see ," she said simply, adjusting her collar.
lisa's eyebrows shot up.
"Javir? At this hour? What for?"
Raven shrugged.
"She didn't say. Just that it was important."
[Hm, interesting,] lisa thought, her curiosity piqued. [Wonder what that's about.]
She sauntered over to Raven, a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Well, you've still got so ti before you need to go, right?" lisa purred, running a finger down Raven's arm. "Maybe I could help you... relax a little first?"
Raven's breath hitched, her grey eyes darkening with desire. For a mont, lisa thought she might give in.
But then Raven shook her head, stepping back reluctantly.
"I can't," she said, her voice tinged with regret. "Javir probably wouldn't like it if I was late."
lisa pouted, but didn't push it.
"Fine, fine," she sighed dramatically. "But you owe one, Rae."
"That's not my-"
She leaned in, capturing Raven's lips in a deep, hungry kiss.
Her tongue slipped into Raven's mouth, tasting her. Claiming her. Raven responded with equal fervor, her hands coming up to tangle in lisa's hair.
One long tongue fight later, they stopped. When they finally broke apart, both were breathing heavily.
"There," lisa grinned, her tail curling around Raven's leg. "A little sothing to rember by while you're out."
Raven's cheeks were flushed, her eyes slightly glazed.
"I... I should go," she said, her voice husky.
lisa stepped back, giving Raven room to move.
"Have fun with Javir," she called as Raven headed for the door. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
As the door closed behind Raven, lisa flopped onto her bed, a satisfied smile on her face.
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