>>5184151“You!” he scowls, though you see the fear behind the sneer. “How did you… Guards! Where are my blasted GUARDS?!”
“Handled,” you say, “and handily. What sseemss to be the problem? What iss the idea of barring me entry?”
But, of course, you already know—already SUSPECTED earlier, that the life-or-death confrontation with Siz-Gamid had jarred your enthrallment from this human’s mind and had shaken him back to full wakefulness.
“You know damned well,” he says, standing and beginning to back away. “You… You mesmerized me! Took my wits from me!”
Your plan has been to spirit Bianchi away from this place before the Inquisition arrived. You still could.
“Lord Bianchi—” you begin gently, approaching even as he backs himself into a corner.
Lord Bianchi bookcase and knocking loose a tome. He recoils from it, most probably recalling the source of his infirmity… If, you hope, not the one who inflicted it upon him. He looks back to you, furious and afraid, and like a cornered wererat he makes the stand he is forced to make.
“You stole my DEMON! My RESEARCH! My FUTURE!”
He is growing hysterical.
“Lisssten,” you say, “the Inquisssition iss coming. For YOU. I’m here to help—to get you out of here.”
“I’m not going anywhere with the likes of you, you… Witch. Whore. Traitor! SNAKE!”
You resist the urge to smirk at that last one, while Irinnile snickers. Still, this leaves you in a bind. Without a carriage at your beck and call (as when you were seeing Edwin of Engel), your travels across Hakwsong are by no means swift. Two and a half hours passed, to bring you to this place. It is almost midday. The Inquisition can’t be far behind you now… And Bianchi knows so much more than he KNOWs he knows. He could give up the entire game.
What do you do?
>Use politesse—convince him that you’re on his side, or at least a lesser evil than the Inquisition>Use merchantilism—parley the true-names of other demons from the Akashic Record to win him back to your side>Use force—knock him out and drag him out of town if necessary>Use the dagger—slay this fool and be done with it>Use suicide poison—make it look like he killed himself, and brainwash his staff to corroborate it>Use your connections—offer to introduce him to The Incubus, and show him the Symbol of Authority to back it up>Use your ectoplasm—the very last of it that you can spare—to make him a more permanent thrall, with less of this troublesome free will>Write-in 