Его не звали, но он приперся / They never called, yet he is here: Ложа Наслаждение_Омак_Бринар_Полуканон

Sometime after meeting Tia.
* * *

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 11:54

Eternal was still feverish from the assassination of the Second Prince. I, my new long-eared companion, and the rest of the team were sitting at home, ready to climb the walls out of boredom. Everyone was doing what they could to keep themselves busy. In particular, one former bandit had clearly set herself the goal of stirring up a dark druidess, who had almost fully recovered from the assassination attempt and my extreme treatment that followed. And now, as if by accident, she began:

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 12:06

"Yeah, tell me Tin. You can't live without rescuing some long-eared damsel in distress?"

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 12:10

At the moment, we were all sitting in the living room on the first floor after breakfast. Including Tia. When she heard Tia say that, she put her tea cup aside and looked at me questioningly:

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 12:12

"May I ask what was meant?"

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 12:12

"Well, after we blew the hell out of the secret fortress..."

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 12:48

Taria told Tia the story of how I had, without expecting it, carried out an operation to rescue an elven woman and kidnap the Crown Prince of an entire country at the same time. After her story was over, Tia, who had been listening very attentively and had asked a couple of clarifying questions, looked at me and said:

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 12:49

"Tin, can I talk to you in private?"

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 12:50

I shrugged and followed Tia into the kitchen under Taria's suspicious gaze. When I closed the door, the dark druid turned to me and said with a serious face:

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 12:50

"You were really able to find the Daughter of the Stars who was kidnapped by the Sorz from the image given to you by her father alone?"

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 12:51

"Well... yeah."

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 12:52

Tia pondered for a couple of seconds, then said:

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 12:52

"Can I ask you to try to do something like this again?"

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 13:06

"Um... Did you have someone kidnapped too?"

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 13:07

A distant relative on my mother's side had disappeared a few years ago. Ardelia was a healer, but she treated not so much the material body as the energetic one. She had been summoned to help a patient in a human city-state friendly to the Eternal Forest. That's where she disappeared, right from under the noses of her bodyguards. They searched for her, but they couldn't find her. The trail led back to Eternal, to an organization known as the Pleasure Lodge.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 13:08

"That's a nice name. Is it some kind of high-end brothel?"

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 13:09

"Not really. Not much is known about it reliably. Its members are very careful to keep their secrecy. There are a lot of rumors but not a lot of facts. As far as we've been able to find out, it is a kind of private club where you can buy or sell an elite sex slave or use her services. But this is not entirely reliable information."

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 13:11

"Do you think your relative could still be in the Eternal?"

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 13:11

There's not much hope for that. She could have been sold elsewhere a long time ago if the information about the Lodge is true. But it's worth a shot.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 13:12

When she finished speaking, Tia looked at me, waiting for an answer. Well, actually, why not give it a try? I don't think we'll find anything, and Tia doesn't think we will, but, after all, a little practice for clairvoyance wouldn't hurt. And it might help dispel the boredom.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 13:23

"Give me an image of her. As complete as you can."

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 13:23

"Thank you, Tin."

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 13:36

We must have looked pretty strange from the outside. Sitting across the table from each other, leaning forward, foreheads touching, eyes closed, hands clasped. In fact, it was more comfortable for me and Tia to work that way. Even with two of us, supported by a couple of special mirrors, it wasn't easy to see in the Eternal. They were still looking for us. Not as biased as in the first days, but still. Cautiously, slowly, we probed the capital. The most important thing in our difficult endeavor is to find a lead. Anything at all. Only it does not want to be found.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 13:51

An attempt to find the Lodge directly had been fruitless. There were plenty of rumors about it, and even undercover as a Gardener in the Eternal, Tia had heard a couple of them. And it wasn't hard to find them in the infosphere either. But judging by what I've managed to "see" so far, these rumors were just that, rumors. Or rather, not quite so. Rather, it was something similar to the ability that one of the orcish women in the Green Tits tribe had gotten. Someone would start a rumor about this place on purpose, and it would travel by word of mouth, gaining new details, embellishments, outright lies, and fabrications like a snowball. At the same time, such a rumor began to play the role of both a "lightning rod" and a "system of interference" for the seers who would try to find this "Lodge" based on it. And this system worked so well that it could really take even a trained seer in the wrong direction. Or even lead him into a specialized trap.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 13:54

All that said, this place was being covered by some pretty serious people. Or non-humans. In theory, I could try to trace the rumor back to its "source." But alas, very quickly, I became convinced this was a path to nowhere. Sooner or later (more likely later), I will either end up in a grave or in someone who has had his memory wiped clean so he doesn't remember where he heard the rumor. Or remembers, but the memory is false. And it leads straight into a trap for the Seers. In short, it's a challenge, even for me. But all the more interesting. And, importantly, it's really an opportunity for a little distraction, which is also important. Since the forced sitting at home was already getting on my nerves.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:03

I stopped looking for the "Lodge" itself and focused on the image I'd gotten from Tia of a relatively young (only a hundred and fifty years old), short elf with long silver hair, azure eyes, and a pretty face. Her image had a warm and affectionate healing energy that could be harsh and painful. I began to look for her, just as I had looked for the daughter of the Dawn Forest Seer. I find nothing. Tia helps me to the best of her ability, but the results are nil. I don't feel a single response. I find no reflection, not even the most fleeting. Keep looking. The eternal big one is not easy to probe, especially since we have to proceed with caution. After another half hour, the dark druidess calls a break. I agree with her mentally, and we break contact.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:07

While I analyzed the image once again, Tia managed to brew us both some kind of tonic drink, especially for seers. It tasted a little bitter, but it did its job-the fatigue from using clairvoyance was wearing off. Then I sit down across from Tia again, and we form a circle of two seers again. And we search. Looking for the slightest sign of someone who's been missing for quite some time. Someone who may not even be in the Eternal. The two mirrors sing softly to me, reinforcing my search. Tia isn't too comfortable around them, but she endures and helps me as best she can. We search. Going through dozens and hundreds of reflections. Nothing. Silence. Not a single mirror, not a single glass, not a single polished surface reflects the one we're looking for. Not a single response. After an hour of intense searching, I get a thought pattern from Tia. Failure. Suggesting we stop searching. In return, I suggest we search some more. Agreed.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:32

After another hour, I was close to agreeing with the dark druid. The more I counted the thousands of reflections I'd sifted through, and the results were nil. The epiphany comes when I was ready to give up. I share my idea with Tia. She agrees after a short thought. Then we take a break until evening. And at night, after midnight, we search again. Except we're no longer looking for reflections but for dreams. We're looking for people who've seen her. Or knows about her. Even a tiny imprint. Again, slowly sifting through the dreams of hundreds, then thousands of people. An hour passes in a fruitless search.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:34

And then I get a response. Faint, barely perceptible, but very similar to what we're looking for. I look closer. It's a very high level of match. I start targeting the sleeping person in whose dream I'm picking up the image of Tia's missing relative. And then I run into a problem. The man in whose dream I'd picked up a response wasn't an easy one. And he knew how to protect his dreams. Or rather, he knew how to protect them. At least three good enough protective amulets of the Dreamcatcher type, and two stationary artifacts that created a kind of barrier specifically against Dreamwalkers, were located in his house.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:35

It presents a dilemma. Theoretically, I could penetrate his dream. But I'm afraid I'd have to use too much energy to do so. And that might draw some unwanted attention from a kindly grandfather that even the gods fear. Having localized the target, I break contact with Tia. Opening my eyes, we stare at each other for a second.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:36

"What do we do next?"

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:36

"I suggest we pay him a visit. Just the two of us."

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:37

After thinking for a second, Tia nods in agreement.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:37

"When?"

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:37

"Right now."

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:37

We went down to the first floor, where the rest of my world-saving team was playing cards.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:38

"We're going for a little walk. We'll probably be back by morning."

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:38

"Ts. You didn't take me on romantic walks around the city at night," Taria pouted theatrically, looking at Tia and me resentfully.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:40

Rolling my eyes, I walked outside with Tia, who was once again very skillfully disguised as a simple townswoman.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:40

* * *
Mathien Lagash was a level thirty-four with two rare classes: Chimerologist and Alchemist. He lived in a nice mansion in a good neighborhood of Eternal and had a reputation as a high-class expert. Everyone knew his creations were synonymous with the word quality. Which accounted for their high cost. What the vast majority of people around him didn't know about him was that in addition to his main occupation, he had a side occupation, a secret one.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:42

After sleeping for a couple of hours, Mathien woke up well past midnight. Then he dressed leisurely, went down to the first floor, and had a little refreshment. Then he carefully checked that the mansion's defenses were working properly. Only after that, he went down to his laboratory, which was in the basement of the mansion. He walked past the tables filled with all sorts of alchemical devices to the far wall. Touching a particular pebble in the stonework with his amulet ring, he waited a few seconds for the illusion to dissipate as tightly and faithfully as possible and then walked through the resulting passage. As soon as he did, the illusion reappeared behind him, safely concealing the secret passage that led to another laboratory.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:44

In the center of this laboratory was a bed on which an unconscious, naked girl was fixed with numerous wide leather straps. To be precise, an elven girl. Tall, slender, athletic build with dark, long hair, large breasts, porcelain white skin, and a pretty face. Next to her, on a special stand, was a creature that looked like a lump of flesh from which grew a dozen long, flexible tentacles as thick as a finger.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:46

Several of these tentacles, ending in suction cups, reached for the girl's head, where the hair had been shaved in several places to accommodate them. One penetrated her mouth. Two more tentacles wrapped around each of her breasts and covered her protruding nipples with suction cups. Three tentacles reached for her crotch. Two penetrated her while the third sucked on the bead of her clit. She was unconscious at the moment, though her chest was heaving, her whole body glistening with sweat, and her eyes were darting from side to side under closed eyelids. Mathien came up to her and looked her over, then seated himself in a chair placed beside the box and began the preparations for his work. At the same time, he was conversing with the unconscious girl:

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:47

"Hello, my darling. How are you feeling? You're looking much better. You're not twitching anymore. And your breasts have grown! I see my alchemy has done you good. I'm sure I'll soon be able to introduce you to my friends. I'm sure they'll like you. As I'm sure, they will like you. But first, I need to perfect you. Let me take a look at you now."

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:49

The chimerologist's cheerful voice did not match his actions. Mathien took one of the creature's free tentacles and brought it to his temple. The Chimerologist considered this creature to be one of his best inventions. In fact, it was a multifunctional medical device, the purpose of which was to correct the patient's consciousness by a rather unusual method, developed personally by Mathien, which he was also rightfully proud of. It was based on chemistry and knowledge of anatomy.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:53

First, the "patient" was induced into an artificial coma with the help of a specially selected alchemical composition. It was administered by one of the tentacles so each of them in the center of the suction cup had a long and thin enough needle and could work as a syringe. And the composition could be poured directly into the creature's funnel-like mouth. Then it directed the composition into the desired tentacle. With the help of the same drug and tentacle, the creature could induce in the patient the most realistic dreams, affecting directly the necessary parts of the brain. In these dreams, the patient retained the full range of all physical senses. Another special tentacle allowed Mathien to "connect" to the creature, allowing him to control the creation of the victim's dreams.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 14:55

And then it's a matter of technique. We create the necessary dream, and then with the help of other tentacles and drugs, stimulate the right parts of the brain, getting the victim to react positively to the right things. Or negative. Yes, the method is troublesome and costly, requiring great knowledge in the field of medicine, anatomy, and chemistry, but it gives huge advantages in certain situations. And most importantly - reliable! You can't go against your own brain. Yes, the higher the level of the "patient", the more powerful drugs are needed, but this, as they say, is a matter of technique. He always said that chemistry is a great science, and it should be respected! The proof of this was a solid record of "patients".

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 16:35

Another nice feature of its creation was the ability to delegate the care of "patients" to it. It fed them, cleaned them with its individual tentacles, massaged their muscles, in a word, took care of all the chores. This made the chimerologist's life much easier.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 16:36

"Let's get started," Mathien exhaled, pressed the tentacle of his creation to his temple, and closed his eyes. A brief stab of pain, and the world went dark. A few moments later, Mathien found himself in the middle of a spacious room that looked like a luxurious bedroom in a palace. On a huge four-poster bed, his patient was on all fours, being roughly ass-raped from behind by a thin young man with a very unpleasant face, holding her hair and occasionally spanking her red buttocks.

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 16:37

"You like that, you eared bitch?"

Camrad_RIP 15.07.23 в 16:37