Chapter 224 (PLEASE see the comments section, input needed for the future of this story. Thank you!) (Patreon)

Chapter 224

3 Days Later near Hakim's village of Jerbyville…

The details on the vampiric elder god quest had been left with Allie to deal with since Riven would be leaving in a couple months for Chalgathi’s next trial.  Allie had essentially dropped out of the Apocalypse Beast questline entirely after giving him her own piece, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t deal with the underdark while he was gone.  He had faith in her to do so, and it’d been decided by both of them that while Riven was gone for the next year - she would do what she could.

As long as it wasn’t overly dangerous of course.

She’d rolled her eyes at him and gave him a kiss on the forehead when he’d insisted on this, but nevertheless she’d promised.  However the only real details they’d even been given hadn’t triggered the quest prompt, with both of them thinking it would likely take physical action to go down into the underdark at a specified location to start the world quest at all.

The short version was that a labyrinth had been found in the deepest depths of the world, and anyone that entered this labyrinth acquired said quest update.  That, and the vampires claimed someone of pure vampiric blood was needed to unlock many of the seals.  In the entirety of the Bernzee covens, there were only two purebloods - both of them in the same coven which made the others very, very upset.

Hence Aksilias Bloodmare and his two sons had ventured to the surface to try and get one of the Thane siblings to spearhead their own house’s expedition.

He blinked his eyes, staring at the ceiling of the constructed ‘nest’ Athela had made near Hakim’s cabin.  It was a lot to deal with, and these rambling thoughts often kept him up at night.  What if he failed?  What if ALLIE failed?

What then?

Athela’s warm thigh rubbed up against his, and she started talking in her sleep about being a princess again to his immense amusement. “I suppose I should really work on sleeping during the day, and staying up at night… that might be another reason why I don’t get good sleep anymore.”

Yawning, Riven managed to push Athela’s sprawled, naked body off of his while chuckling about her mid-sleep grumbles.  He managed to scoot himself to the edge of the bed she’d procured for the three of them, his strength starting to return now that Gluttony was in full swing mending his broken soul and mana pathways.  He was able to push himself up off the bed too, but wobbled and fell back down after a brief stroke of weakness overcame his lower back - an area where his mana channels were still fractured.

He inwardly cursed, starlight from the small openings in the bloodsilk nest filtering through the ceiling.

“Where are you going?” A small voice asked, and Riven felt a light touch on his hand.  He looked right, seeing Fay curled up in a ball with the covers flung over her - one slender blue hand gently touching his.  “Are you ok?”

Her wide, black eyes were full of concern, and he couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m fine.”  He took her hand in his, squeezing it softly.  “I just needed to get up to pee.”

“Can I come with you?” Fay asked hesitantly, almost nervously even.

Riven’s eyebrows lifted.  “To pee with me?”

“No, I just want to go with you.”

“Oh.  Of course you can come, Fay.  I’d love to have you along…”  He winked, getting a playfully sharp jab in the side when she swung her own bare legs out of the covers and planted her feet on the floor.

They exited the nest into the forest of pine trees, and began walking towards one of the two outhouses his friends from the tutorial had made.

“I’m… Glad you came back.” Riven eventually said, using Fay to support himself when he felt a searing pain down his back.

The succubus bore his weight for him, then put her free hand around the front of his bare chest to look up at his face - making him stop in his tracks under the starlight.  “Can I ask you something, Riven?  It’s been bothering me… since Athela came to meet me, to convince me to come back.”

He blinked.  “You can ask me anything, Fay.  I’ll be honest with you.”

Nervously, she gulped, and the grip on his body tightened.  “U-Uhm… She said some things that I, I would… I would like clarification on.  I think?”

Riven nodded patiently, waiting for her to continue.

Fay let out a deep breath, then steeled her nerves.  “Riven… Athela said that she thinks that you chose her, back then, because she is family to you.”

Riven frowned, and closed his eyes.  “I’d rather not relive those moments for long if I don’t have to.  Please, ask your questions.”

She gulped.  “S-Sorry… Uhm… she said that you talked about me in your sleep?  Is that true?”

A sad smile played across his lips.  “Yes.  At least that's what she, Azmoth and Genua tell me.”

She began to blush.  “And she said that she thought you missed me?”

His sad smile turned into another soft laugh.  “Of course I did.  Why are you even asking me?  Fay, you were and are important to me.”

Her blush grew darker, and her eyes dropped.  In a whisper, she asked: “Do you think you’ll ever think of me as family too?  That you’ll love me like that one day?”

He paused, thinking of how to say what he wanted to portray to her - then a memory came to him.  A fond, warm memory.  “Do you remember the day that I brought you flowers, after I thought I’d messed everything up?”

Fay giggled.  “Yes.  You were so nervous.”

“I was.  I was beyond nervous.”  He placed a hand underneath Fay’s chin, bringing her face to meet his eye to eye.  “I said it before and I’ll say it again.  You mean a lot to me.  Yes, I do think I’ll get there, that I’ll feel that way about you - but don’t think that it should be a comparison.  I loved Athela as family back then, but not as a lover.  I’d actually been more invested in you as a romantic partner than I was with her, and she knew this.  I’ve told her as much, and I’m working on my relationship with her just as I am with you - because that’s what she wants.”

“Because that’s what she wants?” Fay repeated, frowning.  “You aren’t attracted to her?”

“Of course I’m attracted to her, as I am you!”  Riven laughed, this time more loudly.  “But her proclamation to me back then blindsided me.”

Fay’s frown turned contemplative, and a bright smile lit up her face before she got up on her tiptoes and whispered into his ear.  “So… You were actually more interested in me as a wife then?”

“Stop!” Riven said playfully, scolding her and booping her on the nose before drawing the succubus in close to his body with a hug.  “None of that, that isn’t healthy if we’re really going to try to make this relationship triangle work out.”

“I know!  I know… I’m just lacking confidence and wanted to hear it…”  Fay replied, embarrassed and shifting her gaze.  “Sorry.  I won’t ask questions like that again, but… you didn’t deny it.”

She shot him a look, then furiously blushed again when he remained silent - still refusing to deny it, but with a raised eyebrow.  “Ok that’s seriously the last time I’ll ask.  It’s just that you actually did choose her… and now knowing what you really thought about it all - it just makes me feel good.  Validated, that I’m not just a second choice.  I don’t want to feel like a third wheel.”

Riven glanced back over his shoulder to where Athela was still sleeping in his nest, sighed, and turned back to Fay with a gentle smile.  “Fine.  I was, at that point, more interested in you than her for wife material - but I hadn’t developed feelings of love for you.  Meanwhile, I did love her as a friend and family, so when you made me choose I couldn’t… Ugh.  Wipe that silly smile off your face - I’m equally invested in both of you regarding any kind of wedding now.  That was all in the past, this is the present, so if you go and tell Athela that I-”

“I won’t say a word.” Fay giggled, for the first time since getting back having a true giddiness about her that’d previously been present.  She was blushing furiously, and brought a hand up to Riven’s cheek.  “Thanks for saying it.”

Her lips touched his, pressing softly against his face, and she held him there for a long, long time until pulling back.  Tears were wet against her skin, and she sniffled - wiping them off her cheeks.  “Thank you, Riven.  It means a lot to me.”

Nearby, the sound of retching was heard from the nearest of the two outhouses.  Both Riven and Fay shared a look, before heading over to see just who it was.

Coming around the corner and seeing one of the outhouse doors open, they both laid eyes on Genua - who was on her knees in a nightgown; vomiting and dry heaving into one of the two dug-out holes.

Riven scratched the back of his head, then kneeled down beside her to put a hand on her bare back.  “Oof… You don’t look so good.”

The elf dry heaved again, wiped spit off her lips, then turned her glowing red eyes to meet his.  They were abnormally bright now, far brighter than they’d been even a couple days ago.  Wasn’t it abnormal for thralls or people becoming thralls to have red eyes at all?  So why were hers brighter than even Gurth’Rok’s?

“Hello master Riven, I did not mean to wake you if that is what happened.  I thought I’d be quiet when exiting Athela’s new house.”  Genua’s trembling arms shook from weakness, and she nearly collapsed before she was caught in his arms.  She made a belching sound, puked onto the ground in front of him, and groaned.  “I am sorry… I did not mean…”

“Don’t worry a damn thing about it, and you didn’t wake me.”  Riven said, concern in his voice while he propped the blonde woman up.  “Fay, could you go grab a glass of water?”

“Absolutely, I’ll be right back.”  The succubus turned around and scampered back to the nest where Athela and Len were still asleep.

There was a long pause in the conversation after that, the silence drawing out with the sound of crickets in the night.

Genua’s fingers gripped Riven’s wrist, getting his attention, and the middle-aged woman coughed to the side before clearing her throat.  “Riven… did you want to kill them?  Did you enjoy it?”

Riven’s brows furrowed in confusion, until a prickling sting of guilt flooded him when he realized what she meant.  Sincere sadness and regret overcame him then in that moment, looking down at her, and his shoulders sagged as he propped himself up against the outhouse next to her.  “Your family… Ethel in particular, were some of the first people I ever came across out of Negrada that showed me kindness.”

He tisked, remembering Greenstalk village and the elves he’d thought would be his friends.  “The short answer to that question is no.  I did not enjoy it.  Not at all.  Your husband was an asshole through and through, but Ethel in particular was a hard pill to swallow.  I liked her a lot.”

He gave a half-hearted smile.  “I even had a crush on her.  Then she attempted to murder me, and thought she had, until I blew them up.”

“That was certainly a nasty trick you pulled.” Genua muttered under her breath, a slight hint of malice underlying her words - but that malice quickly faded when she continued talking.  “For months I absolutely hated you, for what you did.  For taking my baby girl away from me, and my husband.  I won’t deny it though, I understand why you did it - even if I still wish it was you who’d died that day.”

She abruptly turned her head and belched out more vomit, going into a coughing fit while her fingers dug into the dirt.  She spit, then turned and - oddly enough - smiled at him.  “But I do not hate you.  I wanted you to know that.  In some ways, I even consider you a good person despite the grudge I have against you for taking Ethel’s life.”

Riven, who’d never thought he’d ever get closure on the guilt he still battled with regarding this subject, was shocked.  He nearly choked when he realized she was being genuine, and a lump in his throat started to form.  “Oh my god, you’re being serious… aren’t you?”

Genua nodded - shadows of pine trees shifting in the moonlight while a breeze picked up around them.  “You’re a good kid.  A good man, I mean.  Or at least you try to be.  There are certainly some questionable morals regarding your choice to destroy Daskus, and the way you butchered my family, but those were not choices you actually wanted to make - rather, you were forced to.  I understand that.”

She reached out a hand, placing it on his shoulder and beginning to squeeze when she saw tears beginning to trickle down his face.  “I’ve seen you trying to give us a good life after your initial spurt of revenge was done, after you’d been hurt and felt betrayed.  A betrayal that I participated in when we tried to kill you for not a single good reason.  I’ve seen you battle with that guilt of retaliating for a long time now.  You should stop, you have enough to deal with as it is, and battling the demons of your past - no pun intended - will only burden you more.  Let it go, in many ways what happened was our own fault due to extreme prejudices, and if you can’t and still really want to make it up to me… If you want to make it up to Len, then just make sure Len grows up cared for.  She still doesn’t understand why her older sister and father were killed, and one day I’m going to need to break it to her that it was you who did it.  I hope that, when that time comes, she won’t judge you as harshly as I did after getting to know you.”

Riven was silently crying now, and his reply came out as a wavering whisper.  “How can you even say that I’ve tried to make her life better?  After what I did?”

Genua gave him a fond smile.  “You don’t think I know it was you?  First, it started out as extra recess time for her and her friends at the camps.  That was only the beginning.  Then it was extra tutoring in subjects she loved… private tutors, that even went as far as to read her bedtime stories when I wasn’t there.  Then you allowed her to live with me in your manor, when I was supposed to be nothing more than a slave without rights.  The real kicker was when you allowed me out of that silly cage Tupper came up with!”

Riven snorted a laugh, wiping the wet tears from his eyes.  “That was a little bit too far, I agree.”

Genua’s weakly shaking hand slunk off his shoulder, and she clasped her hands together with an amused eye roll.  “He thought you’d be more into it than you were.  He misjudged your character.  Regardless, I was told later by Tupper that the maids who’d been giving Len extra attention at the manor had been instructed to do so.  At first I thought they’d just been awfully nice, but no - it was you.  You’d told them to do it, because you care.  You are worried about her, aren’t you?”

Riven didn’t reply, choosing to stare at the ground between his legs instead.

Genua’s hand again reached out, pushing her fingers across the back of his head through his hair with a groan and another hiccuping gag.  She spit one more time, glancing up to see Fay walking their way with an entire pitcher of water, and gave an amused laugh.  “Thank you, Riven.  A piece of me may forever hate you for what you did, but know that I am working on it - and that I am sorry.  Sorry that my decisions, and the decisions of my husband, ended up causing the nightmare that I later endured.  It was more our fault than it was ever yours, please - remember that.  And know that I forgive you.”

Riven, for all that he tried, couldn't even form a response.  Instead, he just nodded and closed his eyes - focusing on the feeling of her comforting touch while he curled his head down into his knees with a sitting position.

Crickets continued to chirp, and those chirps were soon joined by the patting of bare feet on forest ground.

Fay huffed, coming out of a jog to a stop - and leaned down to hand Genua the pitcher.  “Sorry!  I couldn’t find the cups, but the pitcher should do!”

The succubus sat down on the other side of the elf when Genua took the pitcher and started to drink, frowning when Genua set it down to vomit again shortly thereafter.  “Did you eat something bad?  Was it that mutated racoon Athela caught and cooked?  I told her those things weren’t good to eat and still she insisted… She's a fuck'n glutton!”

Genua and Riven both sputtered laughter, getting Fay to smile in self-satisfaction that they’d thought her funny.

“No, dear, I don’t think that’s it.”  Genua shook her head, then kicked out her legs and pushed herself into a laying position to look up at the stars.  “I’ve been getting sick almost every day for the past two weeks now.”

“Huh?” Riven furrowed his brows and cross his arms.  “Why haven’t you told anyone?  We could have gotten you a doctor, you should probably be seen by…”

His words trailed off, and a lightbulb seemed to click inside his small pea-brain at the same exact moment that Genua gave him a knowing look.

Fay gasped, then frowned and scratched her head.  "Wait, no... that can't be right.  It hasn't been nearly enough time for... for that.  Right?"

She glanced between the other two, remembering a very particular night that Kathrine had visited the manor.  Fay's face scrunched up in concern.  "I'm pretty sure it's not even possible to, you know, with a vampire and an elf?  IS it possible?!"

Genua merely shrugged, then pulled out a small handheld mirror from a pocket of her nightgown.  Staring up at the twinkling red eyes reflecting back at her, she hiccupped one more time.  "You tell me, Fay... You... tell... me..."