A Sinner’s Chance

The first thing I told Ashara was that I had memories from several past lives, all of which had influenced me, and allowed me to remember the majority of the five years we spent together. What followed was an explanation about my time with the Eldur house, at school, and the past few years that had been packed full with all manner of events.

Ashara listened intently, interjecting occasionally to ask a question or get clarification, something that was often provided by Arya as she was more familiar with most of the situations I had gone through. I only briefly went into what I knew about Damian, and Demonweb, as I thought it would be better if she learned that from the man himself, it wasn't something I thought I should interfere with.

Once I had finished telling her all I thought she would need to know, there was only a little more that I felt should be discussed, the first and foremost of these was what she wanted to do. I wanted her to come with me, to fill the longing that had been a dull, yet omnipresent sore in my life. I would understand if she didn't want to, as not only would she be leaving her mother, but also the land she lived in, to experience whatever or wherever my path took me, not something that was predictable or even safe, there were simply too many things that I needed to accomplish.

While I held great conviction towards my goals, I wouldn't force anybody to share them, and even though Ashara had been Corrupted by my Skill and became a Retainer, it wasn't as if her free will had left her. It felt as if time slowed to a crawl, the silence as I waited for her answer pressing on me like a heavy weight.

The silence was occasionally broken as Ashara asked a question about the journey I was taking, most of which I didn't actually have a good answer for. Much like Velen, I did as my instinct and whims guided, they had yet to lead me wrong, but at the same time they weren't exactly something that had helped keep me out of trouble either.

She eventually came to the conclusion that she would come with me, if not for any other reason than she felt that there should be someone with a decent understanding of travel through dangerous territory, it wasn't like the things I needed to do were going to be completely safe endeavors at all times, but she also wished to have a word with my adopted father, Alcrem, it seemed.

With that decided I needed to look at her Status and what sort of changes I needed to apply so that she could travel with me. It was with that in mind that I produced one of the three ownerless Status Plates I had.

"I want to connect you to this device. It will allow others to see your Status, and is needed if you want to enter Human territory." I said, waiting for Ashara to respond.

She looked at the sleek black device with a conflicted expression, the seconds seeming to stretch out until she finally nodded and placed a hand on it. I wasn't sure what she had been expecting but when I told her I was done after only touching her skin in a few places for a quick moment she seemed bewildered, and became even more so when she saw what her Status was.

Her Status was quite good, almost all her attributes were high, the Class seemed strong, her Skills were quite good, at least those that I could recognize, though it did seem that her Thread Manipulation was probably newly acquired since it was so low leveled, but I imagined it would level quickly and would help with the two Physical Skills she had. I didn't think there would be too much I'd need to hide on her Status, but I made sure to use Seshat's Library for those I didn't know about so I could explain them to Ashara, as well as to make sure if they were okay to leave visible or not.

'Jorōgumo: A terrifying Demon that comes from the Eastern reaches of Hell, colloquially known as a Yōkai to other Demons. Often taking the form of a massive spider or a beautiful woman, they lure others into their lair, often an abandoned home or a cave by a waterfall, before sucking the lifeforce of the victim."

'Retainer of Web: A Gift obtained by undergoing a willing transformation into a Demonic Spider Race. Grants the Spider Ruler Skill.'

'Alluring Visage: A Skill that makes it difficult for other creatures to think of the user as a threat.'

'Terrifying Beauty: A Skill granted to those whose beauty hides a deep and terrifying strength or secret.'

'Spider Ruler: Grants the ability to control unintelligent Spiders, whether monsters or not. A select few may even be granted the ability to breathe fire, or other dangerous elements.'

'Devotion(Repressed): An evolved version of the Loyalty Skill. This Skill increases the strength of a subject in proportion to their devotion towards their lord. (This Skill is being actively repressed by the two entities it binds together.)'

'Hidden Terror: A Skill used to take on the form of a beautiful woman. Beneath this form is a hidden and often terror inducing one. It is possible to reveal only a portion of the true form, allowing access to Skills, or other abilities not available to the fully hidden one.'

From what I could tell it seemed that her new Race and Skills revolved around her having a lair that she would control, though it didn't seem like that was a requirement for her. The Skills I found most interesting were Spider Ruler and Alluring Visage, one allowed the control of other beings, while the other did make it very easy to lure others, or perhaps even assassinate.

I was however bothered by her Devotion Skill, as while both Marian and Arya had it, both of theirs were maxed, while apparently both I and Ashara were actively repressing the Skill. I had a pretty good Idea of what it meant, but I almost couldn't believe that a Skill was essentially telling me that I should get over my hang-up. It wouldn't be the first time I had done something that wouldn't fly in normal society, but I was still worried about Ashara and her feelings on the matter.

I first explained the other Skills to Ashara, and mentioned that I should be able to help her get a hang of Thread Manipulation, before bringing up the topic of her repressed Devotion Skill. I took a deep breath, to try and calm myself as I looked into her eyes. "I'm sure this Skill means the same thing for the both of us." I started. "I don't know if this is how you feel, but I'll say what I feel. I like you, and not solely in a mother-daughter way.

I want to throw you atop a bed, tear your clothes off, and ravage your body with sexual pleasure to mark you as mine. I want you not only as a mother, but as a lover."

Ashara seemed shocked, but I could see her face flush as she suddenly averted her eyes and looked at the floor. I might have been overbearing, but in the end I could only relay how serious I was in this manner. The sole thing I could hope for was that she could also push through the ideas that were suppressing her, and confess whatever it was that was preventing her full potential from being available.