Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

902 - Sacred Solicitation

The meeting with the elders of the adlet village had taken longer than Lex had expected.

While Yura had been quick to oblige his desire to speak to the leaders of the place, quickly gathering the half-dozen geriatric adlets who comprised the closest thing their village had to a government, the subsequent conference – taking place in a cabin not far from the turf hut where Solvei’s family lived – had taken several hours.

That hadn’t been because of any political concerns, however. While Lex’s goal in speaking to the adlet leaders had been to make sure that they would seek no reprisal against ponykind for what had happened with Panuk and Toklo – or, for that matter, binding Akna to himself and leading her into what their culture considered to be apostasy – the elders had surprised him by how readily they’d agreed to let those matters drop. There would be, they’d emphatically assured him, no retaliation against Bright Night, its surrounding villages, or anypony anywhere.

Instead, they’d wanted to know more about the Night Mare.

A great deal more.

As it turned out, between his having ended the yetis’ resurgence, slain Hvitdod, and resurrected so many deceased adlets – all things that Akna had attributed to his faith in the Night Mare – the elders were questioning their tribe’s traditional beliefs where the detestability of divine worship was concerned. Particularly since their customs said that most of the deceased adlets he’d brought back should have been reborn as new individuals by now. That Akna had gained new powers as a result of her bond with him, and Yura had lost none of her own despite openly calling for the widespread adoption of the Night Mare’s faith, had only heightened the issue.

To that end, the elders had all but begged Lex to teach them about his goddess, so that they could better understand what the growing religious fervor meant for their people.

Even a few weeks ago, Lex would have turned his nose up at the request, aghast at the idea of non-ponies worshiping a pony goddess. But that wasn’t a position he could countenance any more. He’d seen the diverse array of beings that the Keeper had gathered in the Shrine of the Starless Sky, united by their faith in the goddess. He’d witnessed the myriad creatures living in Darkest Night.

And most of all, it had been through the Night Mare’s power that he’d formed bonds – connections as intimate as they were powerful – with Solvei and Nenet, both of whom he’d come to cherish.

To deny that a non-pony was worthy of venerating the Night Mare was tantamount to rejecting his connection to the two of them.

That wasn’t something Lex could bring himself to do.

As such, he’d spent several hours educating the elders – as well as Yura and Yotimo, who had been sitting in on the meeting as their tribe’s spiritual and martial specialists – about the Night Mare, her faith, and how there was a shrine dedicated to her nearby.

The result was that the sun had long since set by the time Lex returned to Solvei’s family home.

Yura had already offered to let him stay there as long as he liked, heading back ahead of him in order to usher Tulok and Alasie out. It hadn’t escaped his notice that she’d done no such thing to Solvei or Nenet, sensing through their bond that the two of them had obeyed his order to stay there while he’d spoken to the elders, having wanted them to rest.

And as he entered the turf hut – his mere desire to enter the place causing the door to open of its own accord, closing behind him once he was inside – Lex saw that they’d followed his instructions thoroughly, cuddling together in a pile of pelts, fast asleep.

But Mei Li was still awake, straightening up from where she was sitting with her legs folded under her before bowing to him. “Welcome back, Prince Legis.”

Lex spared her a glance as he moved toward where his soul-bound servitors were sleeping. “Solvei told you that I’m royalty.”

Hearing that it wasn’t a question, Mei Li nodded, keeping her eyes downcast. “Yes, as well as your many other heroic deeds. To have been rescued by one who has not only founded his own country, but traversed the pathway to immortality, is a greater honor than a three-tails such as myself deserves.”

Lex didn’t acknowledge her words, instead looking at where Nenet and Solvei were curled around each other. Both were in their quadrupedal forms, but Nenet had shrunk down to the size of a pony, something that Lex hadn’t known that she could do. Solvei, by contrast, had increased her size, taking up most of the back of the hut as she curled around Nenet protectively, the sphinx completely surrounded by the winter wolf and almost completely hidden beneath the pile of pelts.

Even so, Lex could tell that Nenet was having a bad dream, hearing her whimper as she shuddered in her sleep. It took no effort at all for him to gently reach into her mind and dispel the disturbance, causing her to smile softly as she relaxed. He briefly glanced at his metal foreleg, wondering if the Night Mare would disapprove of his quashing an instance of the nocturnal ordeals for which she was named...but the barbed wire remained quiescent, indicating her lack of displeasure.

Satisfied that the goddess wasn’t upset and that his servants were comfortable, Lex turned his attention back to the kumiho. “Saving you was my obligation, one which requires me to care for you until you’re safely returned to wherever you call home. When morning arrives, I’ll take you there. Until then, is there anything you require?”

“Only to express my gratitude to you once again,” replied the kumiho, still bowing. “You have my oath that my clan will reward you greatly for the kindness you have shown me.”

“I need no reward,” shot back Lex. “And if you need nothing else, then rest.”

His words were more than just an order, they were a compulsion, and Mei Li gasped slightly as her eyes fluttered closed.

Catching her in his telekinesis before she could slump over, Lex scooped up another set of pelts, gently depositing her on them. His supernatural senses had made it clear that the kumiho was exhausted to the point where it was affecting her health, and his trans-temporal sense had allowed him to view the answers she’d have given to numerous other questions, confirming that although she’d eaten the meal that Solvei had made for all of them while he’d been meeting with the elders, Mei Li had – foolishly, in Lex’s opinion – refused to sleep until she’d thanked him again.

Nor was that all he’d learned about her. Besides her full name and the name of her clan, he now knew that she came from someplace called “The Thousand Kingdoms,” had been sent to the Plane of Ice on accident when her home had been attacked, and had survived by attuning herself to the nature of the plane, becoming a creature of intrinsic cold despite not being one originally. It had simply been, as far as she knew, bad luck that she’d found herself dragooned into Kryonex’s army of the unwilling.

But despite the fact that none of what had happened to Mei Li was her fault, Lex couldn’t help but feel mildly resentful toward her.

Another complication.

Returning the kumiho to her family wouldn’t be difficult. Regardless of whether or not the Thousand Kingdoms were on Everglow, he had sufficient spells, speed, and other powers to make any amount of distance a non-issue. Even if she resided on some other world, his tulpa would be able to produce whatever tuning fork he needed to enable his planeshifting spell to get there. Once he’d rested and recovered, sending Mei Li home shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.

But it was still one more errand that had to be done before he could quit Everglow for what was hopefully the last time. The new entry in a seemingly-endless parade of obstacles which served to further delay his return to Equestria was justified, and wouldn’t be hard to accomplish, but that didn’t make it any less unwelcome.

Particularly with how his instincts were continuing to howl at him.

That he was now alone with the females that his inner beast had already decided belonged to him had sent it into a frenzy. The urge to sate himself with one of them – no, with all of them – had become overwhelming as a result. Worse, those urges were causing him to glimpse futures were he indulged in his appetites, tantalizing him with flashes of what he could be doing with the slumbering trio.

It was enough that Lex could feel his control slipping, requiring him to actively concentrate on keeping himself in check.

Hackles rising as his internal war neared its breaking point, Lex took a different tack, reminding himself that the sooner he completed his remaining tasks, the sooner he’d have a lover to vent his desires upon. Thermal Draft was waiting for him to rescue her, and would doubtlessly submit to his advances once she was restored. Adagio would be his, in accordance with Kara’s promise to him and his own promise to her sisters. And of course, once he was done with everything here and returned to Equestria, he’d be able to find Sonata and Aria and consummate their reunion.

Fulfilling his responsibilities would fulfill his desires.

Repeating that line of logic to himself several times over, Lex felt his lust ebb. It was only by the most miniscule amount – he was still very much aware of the three beauties who were right there with him – but it was enough that he no longer felt like he needed to actively restrain himself.

Taking advantage of the respite, Lex cast another spell, using Nenet’s metamagic to reduce the casting time to an instant as he picked out his target and began speaking. “Mystaria, this is Lex Legis. Give me Thermal Draft’s current status and location. And also Fail Forward’s present disposition. You have twenty-five words to respond.”

For a moment no reply came, and Lex had just enough time to recall how badly his previous uses of this particular spell had gone. His attempt to call for outside aid when Vanhoover had been under siege had gone unanswered, and his more recent contact with Coat Tail had been maddeningly uninformative. But Mystaria was on the same world that he was, and was a student of Everglow’s magic; there was no reason why she shouldn’t be able to deliver a prompt and cogent response.

Unless something had happened to her.

But no sooner had he begun contemplating that possibility than his foresight announced Mystaria’s reply, her voice following seconds later. “Lex! We’re all fine. Drafty is at the estate of my grandmother, Perennial Stock, in Bright Night. She’s in stasis, preventing her soul from degrading.”

Lex paused, digesting that bit of news. Now that he was a titan, disrupting whatever netherworld monster was maintaining the killing curse Paska had put on Thermal Draft would be easy; it was highly unlikely that the shuck would have been able to call upon anything greater than the curse Sissel had used on Ujurak and the other adlets, all of which he’d easily torn apart. His only concern had been the rate of progression, since the Night Mare had said she’d slow the curse, rather than stalling it altogether, doubtlessly for political reasons similar to those that had forced her to stand by while he’d fought Kryonex.

But now that he knew that time was no longer a concern, he could afford to deal with Adagio first. Thermal Draft would still need to have the effects of her infernal contract cancelled somehow, otherwise her soul would be destroyed when she inevitably died, but with her being out of immediate danger, he had to focus on what had become of the Siren.

Which meant dealing with Kara.

Fortunately, he had one communion spell left.

Taking an additional few seconds to center himself, Lex silently intoned the spell, again glancing at his left foreleg for some sign of the Night Mare’s displeasure. This spell was designed to put him into contact with the deity that granted it, or a designated agent of theirs. Altering its structure so that he could contact a different goddess struck him as bordering on sacrilegious.

But again, the barbed wire remained quiescent.

Taking it as a sign that the Night Mare approved of what he was doing, Lex silently offered a prayer in appreciation of her understanding.

Then he felt the spell take effect.

Kara.

Hey stud, came the familiar voice of the love goddess. I was just thinking about you. Looks like the feeling was mutual, so how about you tell me what you’re wearing right now so we can share some more mutual feelings?

Lex knew better than to play along. You indicated before that you knew which entities-

Because I’m wearing an old cheerleader outfit, continued Kara as if he hadn’t spoken. But I think it must have shrunk in the wash! The skirt barely reaches my thighs now, and these panties are just sooo tight! I keep trying to get them off, but no matter how much I shake my hips, they won’t come loose! You’re a smart guy, how would you peel these pretty little panties off me?

Lex clenched his claws, leaving deep gouges in the earthen floor of the hut as he couldn’t help but picture the scene Kara was describing.

Kara, listen to me-

Mmm, I’d listen to you say my name anytime. It always gets my juices flowing. Or is that your plan? Get these off by getting me off first so that I’m moist and slick-

Adagio Dazzle has died, growled Lex, knowing that if he listened to any more, his self-control would come completely undone. My efforts to resurrect her have failed, which suggests that someone has imprisoned her soul. The most likely suspects are the individuals with whom she bargained for aristeia with, so I need you to give me their names.

Hm, nah.

Lex blinked. What?

I don’t feel like it.

I don’t care if you feel like it! raged Lex. You promised me that Adagio would be mine if I foiled her plans-

Which you said you didn’t want me to do, drawled Kara. So I know you’re not calling because you’re going to try to hold me to that promise now that she’s dead, right?

The promise I care about is the one that I made to her sisters, retorted Lex, glad to be focusing on something that made him angry instead of aroused. In order to do that, I need to bring her back to life!

You know, I might have taught you how to satisfy a girl, but now I’m wondering if I should have taught you how to talk to one first, sighed Kara. So let this be your first lesson: one of the quickest ways to turn a lady off is to talk to her about some other chick.

Which is the height of sophistry coming from a shapechanger goddess who spent the whole of our previous encounter looking like “some other chick.”

And that’s a good segue into lesson number two: never tell a girl that she’s being unreasonable.

It was all Lex could do to hold back the vicious tirade that came to mind then, knowing that he had to turn this around. Just like with the Night Mare and Kryonex, his foresight wasn’t registering Kara’s responses ahead of time, which meant that he had to use actual diplomacy instead of simply actualizing the most favorable future.

In fact, the Night Mare had told him as much after his last tryst with the love goddess, reminding him that just because Kara was supporting him for her own ends didn’t mean that her support wasn’t valuable. “Better that her meddling should be brazen rather than hidden. And that she should be invested in your success instead of working against you,” as the Night Mare had put it.

It took a literal titanic act of will, but Lex managed to calm himself. I would...appreciate your help in this matter.

Really? How much?

How much...?

Kara sighed. How much would you appreciate my help? Because by my count, I’ve done a lot for you, and you’ve never even so much as bought me dinner.

Biting back the urge to caustically note that he’d expected her to demand something in exchange for telling him what he wanted to know, Lex did his best to keep his mental voice calm and even. I assume there’s a particular form that you want my gratitude to take?

Lesson number three: girls prefer for you to have a gift in mind, rather than asking what they want, lectured Kara. But in this case, I’ll give you a pass, since I’d doubt you’d hit on this idea on your own.

A trickle of dread slid through Lex then. What idea?

I want a temple.

No.

A large temple, at least three stories tall, in the cloud section of Las Pegasus, continued Kara. It has to explicitly advertise its presence as a house of worship dedicated to me; no hiding what it is. It has to have a permanent staff, state funding, and once a month, you have to personally go there and partake in my sacred rites.

Absolutely not. Not under any circumstances. My worship is reserved for the Night Mare alone. Ask for something else.

Kara gave a throaty chuckle. I’m not asking for anything, stud. I’m quite happy to let whoever’s got Adagio’s soul mutilate it to their heart’s content. It’s what she deserves for betraying me and everyone else who’s ever put their trust in her. So if you want me to help you give her a reprieve, that’s my price.

Lex winced inwardly, recalling what Prevarius had said about ponies being hot commodities in the “soul trade” that he’d mentioned. If Adagio’s soul had been repossessed by one of her creditors, then they’d likely sell it in order to try and recoup their investment. Worse, the longer he waited, the more likely it would be that whoever had Adagio’s soul would pawn it off, making it that much harder to track down.

And the last thing Lex wanted to do was go on a misadventure across the afterlife to try and track down Adagio’s soul.

But even so...

What you’re asking for is a betrayal of my faith in the Night Mare!

Aw, is that what’s bothering you? Because if it is, let me reassure you: the same way a worthwhile mistress never asks her sugar-daddy to leave his wife for her, I’m not asking you to abandon the Night Mare for me. I just want you to formally declare that we have an ongoing relationship, is all. Think of me as your divine courtesan, the goddess you keep on the side, who’ll do things for you that the Night Mare never would.

The Night Mare, retorted Lex, would never approve of what you’re suggesting.

No? You’ve got a direct line to her right there on your foreleg, don’t you? Is it telling you that she’s upset at the idea?

Frowning, Lex glanced at his foreleg, despite knowing that it was offering no reaction whatsoever to what Kara was proposing. It was the third time that the goddess had shown him an uncharacteristic amount of leeway. Was she really okay with such an arrangement? Kryonex had mentioned the idea of practicing a syncretic faith, but even so...

I’ll even throw in a sweetener, continued Kara. You say yes, and I’ll personally help you with placing that overgrown snowdrift’s eye in that icy-hot bitch of yours.

The offer caught Lex by surprise. How do you know about that?

Kara laughed. Oh come on! Do you really think you wouldn’t have an audience for your big showdown with Kryonex? We all got together to have a viewing party! And let me tell you, none of us expected that walking icicle to have a secret connection to the Aesir. You were smart to pledge your pet wolf to take his place, because our pantheon is no match for theirs.

Finding out that Kryonex’s final threat hadn’t been a bluff, Lex cursed inwardly. Solvei is connected to me through the Night Mare’s power, you-

-also gave you a blessing, so it’s not like my influence would be completely foreign, interjected Kara. And besides, the two of you are already in love, right? That makes it even easier for me to help her acclimate to the power you want her to have.

I find that line of logic to be highly suspect.

That’s because love isn’t logical, tutted Kara. Or are you going to ask the Night Mare to uplift Solvei for you, even after all the favor she’s already shown you?

This time Lex did wince. The Night Mare’s credo was that she helped those who helped themselves. Between that and her telling him that Kara was a worthwhile ally to have, along with her apparent lack of displeasure now, it was hard to find a reason to turn down Kara’s offer.

But that didn’t mean that he had to give the love goddess everything she wanted.

I’ll agree to your proposal-

Woo!

-on one condition.

Let me guess: you still want Adagio to be your toy? Because that’s fine with me.

No. When your temple is established in Equestria, a central part of its doctrine will be that you’re a subordinate goddess to the Night Mare.

Ooh, kinky! Does that mean there’ll be statutes of me with a bit, bridle, and blindfold on while she rides me?

It means, answered Lex, trying hard not to picture what she’d just described, that you agree to turn over a percentage of the strength you receive from being worshiped in Equestria to the Night Mare.

To his satisfaction, Kara fell silent at that, and several seconds passed before she replied. How much of a percentage?

After how much she’d toyed him, Lex felt justified in paying her back now. Sixty-nine.

Kara burst out laughing. Well look who’s learning how to tease! Alright, I agree. You drive a hard bargain, stud; luckily for you, I like to be driven hard.

Just give me the names of Adagio’s creditors.

With a coquettish giggle, Kara obliged, rattling off seven names.

One last thing, she added after listing the last of them. How would you get these panties off of me? Just imagining it is making me quiver in all kinds of ways.

His tail gave a heavy swish of its own accord as Lex tried, and failed, to keep a shudder from running down his spine. I’d shred them, he snarled lustfully. And I wouldn’t stop there!

He spared no details in telling Kara exactly what he’d do to her, ceasing only when a wet, lewd sound came from the goddess, followed by her voice ringing out in a moan that could only be described as whorish.

Mmm, oh baby... she panted a few moments later. I can’t wait for you to go home and set up my temple.

Lex didn’t reply, not trusting himself to say anything else. Instead, he terminated the spell.

But not before Kara got one last comment in.

We’re going to have so much fun when you perform those rites of mine.

Author's Note:

After dealing with the adlets and confirming Thermal Draft's safety, Lex makes a pact with Kara!

Was the agreement a worthwhile one? Or will he come to rue this deal later on?

Comments

[Booster Spice]

Nightmare is going to get a Lot more power from Lexs deal as its not just going to be from immediate followers and nighttimes but a sizable proportion of the population including the Crystal Empire?

[Not so New Brony]

Leave it to a goddess of love and deceit to use the Night Mare's absence to her advantage. Then again, I imagine that if any of the other members of the pony pantheon had connections to Lex, they'd likely do the same...though without the 'phone sex'. Still, with her confidence in getting a proper foothold in Equestria, Lex's retrieval of Adagio's soul should be doable though whether it'll be easy or not remains unknown.

Hopefully, Lex won't encounter any being that can challenge a titan but given how vast and diverse the outerplanes can be...fingers crossed.

[Alzrius]

11791039 Well, it depends on how well Kara's religion takes off. Everyone likes a sex goddess, but her manipulative disposition seems like it might not go over so well with Equestria's ponies. Then again, she's not likely to introduce herself in anything less than the best possible light; and given that Lashtada's religion seems to be confined to the Crystal Empire at the moment, it's hard to say how well Kara's will catch on.

[Alzrius]

11791316 Exploiting the Night Mare's absence was very much in keeping with Kara's usual modus operandi...as was her treating an instance of divine communion as an opportunity for phone sex. Honestly, once I thought of her asking "what are you wearing?" when Lex contacted her, I couldn't not have that in there, and the rest of the scene practically wrote itself. All the more so since she's finally getting what she's wanted for some time now: access to a new stable (no pun intended) of potential worshipers. Thankfully, Lex had the presence of mind to demand that she turn over the bulk of what she earns to the Night Mare, and Kara easily agreed...almost a little too easily.

But at least now Lex knows who the primary suspects are with regard to tracking down Adagio's soul. Now he just needs to figure out which of them has it, and how to get it back.