Rebirth of the Nephilim

Syd stepped forward, taking Noct by the arm as she swept by. Opening the first door that she came to, she pulled the unresisting woman into the darkened bedchamber. It was a small bedroom, one of many unoccupied rooms on the third floor of Ulya’s temple, and going by the lack of personal effects and the bare mattress, it had been empty for a while. The only light in the room came from the curtained window, which proved not to be much as Syd shut the door behind them.

“Okay, let’s take a step back real quick here,” Syd said as she put a small amount of distance between herself and the winged woman. Holding up the letter she held in her right hand, Syd gazed down at Noct. “Are you propositioning me?”

“Yes.”

Noct’s answer was as direct as it was simple. Syd detected no lie or hidden agenda in the declaration, but getting a read on the dark-haired woman wasn’t easy. Noct had unusually contained body language; her posture and movements were purposefully restrained, so much so that Jadis couldn’t tell if her bearing was a result of her strange armor or personal training. Probably a mix of both.

Choosing to take the statement at face value, Syd continued.

“Is this because you caught me and Thea in the airship the other day?”

Noct tilted her head to one side, causing her fluffy bangs to fall to the side, uncovering her hidden right eye. The red orb stared up at Syd, turning gears practically visible behind them as the woman considered her next words.

“Partly.”

“Partly,” Syd repeated, then let out a sigh. “Okay. Look, I know I’m handling this poorly. I’m still kind of flustered because of Amarantha, and now you’ve sort of ambushed me right after her. I’m… usually a lot more put-together when it comes to things like this.”

“It’s fine,” Noct said quietly. Motioning towards her, she pointed with one finger. “Letter.”

“Ah, right, I guess I should finish reading it,” Syd murmured while moving to get the note into the light.

Jadis mentally chided herself for her behavior. She really was being an ass. In fact, considering the encounter she previously had with Noct in the baths back in Eldingholt, she really shouldn’t have been surprised at all that the winged warrior was trying to get closer to her. She blamed her reaction to being caught flat-footed by Amarantha’s sudden interest in her. Jadis was certain that she would have handled Noct’s approach better otherwise.

Reading a formal letter declaring intent was still a little confusing, though.

To Jadis Ahlstrom,

I, Noct of House Astrum, am writing you this letter to formally convey my intention to pursue you sexually. I find you to be appealing in both mind and body, and I believe I would enjoy a more intimate relationship with you. Even if we do not engage in a romantic liaison, I would still like to have sex with you.

I am aware of your need to repopulate your race, and I am willing to bear your children. I understand that you have a skill that will guarantee which race a child born between us would be. As I am a Valravn, you would be doing me a service if you were to give me children who are Nephilim. As such, an arrangement between us would be beneficial to us both.

If you are unable or uninterested in pursuing a relationship with me, sexual or otherwise, please do not hesitate to inform me directly. I will not take personal offense. I value honesty above gentle words.

Thank you for taking the time to consider me.

Noct

Jadis reread the letter twice over, just to make sure she wasn’t misinterpreting anything. Considering how short and direct the message was, she couldn’t imagine how she could misunderstand Noct’s intentions. Still, she wanted to be sure.

A small part of Jadis felt a bit vindicated by Noct’s admission that she was a Valravn. Jadis had guessed as much based on the woman’s half-delivered words back at the baths, but the confirmation had never come before that moment. Going by Noct’s looks, a very tiny part of Jadis was vaguely worried that she was going to reveal that she was some kind of vampire. It was a silly thought; Jadis didn’t think the concept of vampires even existed on Oros. Still, Jadis had harbored that small suspicion for a while, so it was nice to have that worry cleared away.

Unfortunately, a new worry had taken the old one’s place.

“So… why don’t you want your children to be Valravn?”

Noct shifted slightly on her feet at Syd’s question. She didn’t look uncomfortable, exactly, but Jadis could tell that her guard had gone up in an instant. Holding the other woman’s gaze, Syd settled back against the far wall, taking a purposefully unaggressive posture as she held the letter up between them.

“Sorry. I know I’m prying. But you aren’t the first woman who has offered to have children with me,” Syd said as she folded the letter back up. “There have actually been a few. Priestesses, mostly. Not all of them were from Lyssandria’s temple, either. And there were a bunch of Seraphim who thought they were doing their duty, too. Sev arranged those meetings, actually. Up until she finally admitted she wanted to be with me herself.”

Syd smiled at the memory of that night, but quickly pushed forward a second after.

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I’m familiar with the kinds of bargains that different sorts of people make when they offer to have my children. No-strings-attached sex is a common one, which I always thought was kind of weird. Like I wouldn’t be content with my mates, and would feel the need to sleep around with strangers. Offers of monetary or political power were paired with it. Usually the women were saying that our children would be raised as nobles, or something like that. But political alliance was pretty much always implied. I’ve even had someone try to blackmail me into taking their daughter as a wife. I felt genuinely bad for that girl. She seemed nice enough, and I didn’t want to hurt her, but I think you can imagine that I did not take kindly to that attempt.

“Now, in all of those bargains for my bed and my offspring, there was always lots of talk about how our children would be Nephilim or Nephilim half-breeds. Seraphim like to be specific and clear on all that, you know. However, while there was usually some talk about what would happen if our children came out as the mother’s race, not once did any of those Seraphim ever note that having a child of their race was something they were actively trying to avoid.”

Straightening from her lean against the wall, Syd took a step forward, crossing half the room with a normal stride, and putting her much closer to the dark-winged woman.

“That’s why, out of everything you wrote in this letter, the part that stands out most to me is your desire to not have Valravn children. You’re not trying to say that it’s unlikely that you and I will have Valravn kids. You’re saying that thanks to my skill, something I’m not sure how you know about, by the way, you would be getting the benefit of not having children of your own race. Maybe I’m overstepping some boundaries here. But you said you prefer honesty over gentle words. So. Noct. What’s this all about?”

Having said her piece, Syd settled in to wait and see how Noct responded. Nothing she had said was a lie. Jadis genuinely wanted to know what was going on with Noct and her apparent intent to not have children of her own species. Jadis didn’t know much about Valravn, having never finished the book that was still waiting for her on her nightstand back in Eldingholt, but it was obvious that something about the nature of her race was a problem for Noct. Clearly, she saw Jadis and her Skew the Legacy skill as an opportunity to have children without taking the risk of making more of her own kind. Jadis didn’t like the idea of being used, even if Noct was being up front with her intentions. But that same honesty bought Jadis’ attention. She was willing to hear the winged woman out, even if the conversation didn’t lead to anything romantic between them. Jadis had more ways to help than through sex.

At least, she liked to think so.

As Syd watched, Noct stood almost completely still. Only almost, though, as Jadis could see the other woman’s wings twitching. As the silence stretched on, Jadis also thought she could hear the slight creaking noise of Noct’s leather straps, almost as though a great amount of pressure was being exerted against the bindings that the woman had wrapped around nearly every inch of her body. Eventually, after a great deal of time had passed, Noct held out her hand as though she was asking to take the letter back. Fearing that perhaps the Valravn had decided to withdraw her intent and flee the scene, Syd reluctantly passed the slip of paper back.

Opening the letter back up, Noct seemed to read the words over for herself for a moment before turning the paper around so that Syd could see. Noct then tapped her finger against one word.

“Skill?” Syd read out loud the word Noct was indicating.

She nodded, before carefully speaking one word.

“Father.”

Jadis took a few seconds to interpret what Noct was saying, and the conclusion she drew put a frown on Syd’s face.

“Are you telling me that Aelius told you about my skill?”

“Yes.”

“He wasn’t supposed to share my information with anyone,” Syd said, her tone darkening. “He said he wouldn’t do so without my express permission. I am going to—”

“My fault,” Noct cut Syd off. “Not his.”

“No offense, but Aelius is a grown-ass man. He chooses to honor his promises, not you.”

Noct’s expression visibly turned agitated before she seemed to forcibly calm herself with a deep breath.

“His… concern,” she said slowly, with long pauses between each word. “My… need. Punish me.”

Syd blinked in surprise.

“Punish you? Why would I punish you? It’s not actually that big of a deal to me.”

Noct took another deep breath, this one shakier than the last.

“Because… Bad.”

“Bad?” Syd frowned, this time in confusion rather than annoyance. “Well, yes, you and your father shouldn’t be sharing and discussing my skills without my permission. That was a bad thing to do. I’m still not going to punish you. Maybe yell at Aelius for a little bit, but really—”

“No!”

Syd’s mouth audibly clicked shut at Noct’s sudden outburst. It was the loudest Jadis had ever heard the other woman by a large margin, but it wasn’t the only thing that shocked her. The winged woman was panting heavily, her chest heaving as her wings puffed and flapped with each breath. Far more disturbing than her sudden change in demeanor was the change to Noct’s eyes. While only one of the scarlet orbs was visible, Jadis could see that the woman’s irises had grown, the red eclipsing the white of her sclera completely. That one baleful eye had become something inhuman. Something animalistic. Something… predatory.

Noct took a deliberate step forward, and Syd felt herself involuntarily taking a step back. Despite the fact that she towered over the smaller woman, Noct had begun to exude a feral quality that put Jadis on edge. It was like being locked in a room with a hungry wolf; Jadis got the distinct impression that she was being sized up no differently from a slab of meat.

A sudden popping sound caused Syd to jump slightly. It only took her a second to identify the source, as it was only a second before a second pop was heard. One of the belts that was wrapped around Noct’s right bicep had come loose. No, Jadis realized, come loose was the wrong phrase. The buckle keeping the leather strap in place had literally snapped. And so had another. And then another.

To Syd’s amazement, Noct’s body seemed to slowly expand, as though both her muscles and bones were growing. Belts, straps, and even metal chains strained to hold back the growing mass as the Valravn’s form increased in both height and bulk. Before her very eyes, Syd saw Noct gain at least three inches in height.

Abruptly, Noct moved, lunging towards Syd. Her movements were shockingly fast, but not so quick that Jadis was in any danger of being outmatched. Syd was able to grab hold of Noct’s left wrist and hold her in place. Doing so, Jadis could see that long, black claws had torn through the tips of the woman’s leather gauntlets. While Syd’s Strength was enough to hold the other woman in place, she found that she had to put in more effort than she would have expected for someone she wasn’t even sure had unlocked a tertiary class yet.

“I. Am. Valravn.”

Noct’s voice had become a growl, nearly inhuman in its tone and timbre. When her lips parted, Syd could see that her teeth had grown in size and sharpness, to the point that it looked like the woman would have difficulty closing her mouth.

“I struggle. I hunger. I feed…”

Noct paused, her voice rasping as her mouth hung open, revealing the full extent of her shining, sharp, predatory fangs. Looking up at Syd, she seemed to stretch again, her armor of belts and chains straining further against the swelling beast growing within. Her next breath caused one of the steel chains to crack and drop to the floor with a loud thump that was nearly a match for Syd’s beating heart.

Before Jadis could decide if she should speak, run, or throw a punch, Noct pulled away. With a single surge of magic, the broken straps and chains that had fallen to the floor wrapped themselves back around the Valravn as her body shrank back to its original size. Just as suddenly as it had come, the bestial predator was gone, leaving behind only the blank face of the dark-haired Noct in its wake.

“Apologies,” Noct murmured, her clawless hands fidgeting with the slightly torn letter that she still held. “Never mind.”

Noct turned away, one hand already on the doorknob, before Syd’s own palm fell on the woman’s shoulder. Stopping her from fleeing, she reached down and gently took the letter from Noct’s hand. When she looked up at Syd, confusion clear in her red eye, Syd tapped the piece of paper against the side of her own head. Once again, her words were filled with her usual self-confidence.

“Not so fast. I’m still thinking about accepting your proposal. I have to talk things over with my wives first, though, before I can let you pursue me. Do you mind if we discuss before I get back to you? I promise, I’m not in the habit of keeping beautiful women waiting.”

Noct’s pale cheeks flushed a rosy pink as her red eye dilated once more to a ridiculous size.

“…Okay.”