The perfumed air of the Ishtar Familia's inner sanctum was always thick- too sweet, too heavy, designed to smother the senses and break resistance before words were ever exchanged. But as a servant hurriedly approached the lounging goddess of beauty, his hushed report did little to please her.
"Phryne was humiliated," he whispered, half-kneeling. "By an unknown- an outsider, a giant. She… fled." deciding to alter the truth slightly to avoid his goddess's possible wrath
A beat passed. Ishtar's expression didn't change.
She sipped her wine.
Then, finally she spoke. "The toad lives, doesn't she?"
"Yes, my Goddess."
"Then I don't care."
Yet despite the truth of her apathy, she stood from her throne with the grace of a panther preparing to stretch. Her expression shifted, a mask settling into place- a goddess spurned, slighted through the bruising of her Familia's so-called strength. It wasn't about Phryne. It was about image.
Letting someone walk away after laying low one of her elites- even a bloated monster like Phryne- would invite whispers.
So she would have to put on a performance.
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The tension in the great hall was already thick by the time Ishtar descended from her private quarters. Caelun stood near the back wall, arms loosely crossed, his massive frame calm yet unmistakably imposing. Carmine stood near him- wary, alert- but with subdued reverence.
Tammuz Belili, the high-level servant and pride of her male retinue, flanked her in silence. He was a level 3 and proud of it, but he knew well enough when someone stood leagues beyond him. His eyes locked on Caelun with caution... and, after seeing his insulting posture, was with seething indignation.
"So," Ishtar purred, "this is the one who put Phryne on her back like a drunk whore in a ditch."
"hmp, that pompous bitch needed a lesson in humility but i would have preferred it came from her peers rather than an outsider"
The room went quiet, save for the sound of her heels on marble as she approached, feline grace in every step. Her amber gaze studied Caelun, lingering on the rune on his chest, partially visible beneath the torn front of his cloak. before her gaze shifted to Carmine.
"Then tell me," she said, more coolly now, "what happened to Daz?"
There was a pause. None dared to speak except Carmine, standing in that space between honesty and fear, chose to speak.
"He's dead," she said quietly. "He attacked Caelun. Even after Caelun spared him the first time. He waited until we were asleep and tried to assassinate him. Caelun... reacted."
"Explain in detail." she commanded
She told the truth, the whole truth, She didn't lie. She didn't try to soften it.
Ishtar's nostrils flared. "Daz was a level six."
"A fool," Caelun muttered in his tongue.
She turned sharply to him. "Who are you affiliated with?" she demanded in common.
Carmine spoke up quickly. "He doesn't understand. Only speaks his mother tongue."
Ishtar narrowed her eyes, then repeated the question in the Language of the amazons.
"Are you one of Freya's pawns?" she asked, voice sharp with accusation. "Did she send you to disrupt my familia from within?"
Caelun let out a low, rumbling chuckle.
Then, in his strange slightly broken accent, "I am the pawn of no one."
Carmine added softly, "Daz said he had no magic stone... and I believe him. He has no falna. He's here… to receive yours."
A stillness settled.
Ishtar tilted her head, expression unreadable. Inside, however, her thoughts were storming.
'No falna? The strength to defeat a level 6… without divine grace? like the heroes of old?And yet… something lingers. I feel no divinity within him, but my instincts scream otherwise. It's like I'm staring at a sealed shrine- hidden, polluted, yet brimming with buried power.'
Still, her lips curled into a slow, sultry smile.
"So that's all, then," she said, voice dripping honey. "You only want my blessing."
Her charm began to stir, subtle at first- a divine aura exuding allure and temptation. Not overt, not enough to alarm. Passive charm. The natural grace of her being.
And Caelun felt it.
He had to admit: she was beautiful. Small for his tastes, yes, but undeniably divine. Her presence struck even him for a moment. His chest warmed. His cheeks flushed- just a little.
But then... she targeted him.
He felt it like a claw on his mind. A thread pulling against his will, beckoning him forward. A goddess demanding fealty. Telling him to bow.
"Enough," Caelun growled, eyes narrowing.
His rune pulsed.
A low hum reverberated through the air like a storm approaching, and the charm fell flat- its grip shattered like brittle glass.
Ishtar stumbled back half a step. Just enough to betray her shock.
The room went still.
Her lips parted, but no words came. Her charm- a goddess's charm- had failed. It wasn't resisted. It was rejected.
Caelun stepped forward.
"If my strength is what's required to receive your blessing," he said, voice cold but clear, "then I'll lend it to your cause. But I will be no one's pawn. Not now. Not ever."
Silence reigned.
Then...
A slow, curved smile returned to Ishtar's lips- different this time. Less divine. More… interested- motivated.
"You're going to be fun," she purred.
Carmine, tense and watchful, let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Caelun hadn't fallen under Ishtar's sway. She was relieved.
Ishtar noticed.
And as a goddess of love and passion, it took her no effort at all to see it- the way Carmine looked at him, the rare tension and soft admiration.
A bond forming, Ishtar thought.A delicate thread... ripe for plucking.
Her smile turned thoughtful.
If I cannot charm the beast directly… perhaps I'll seduce the woman who tames him.