《I Think My Familiar is a DemonLord》
Chapter 1: The Familiar
He looked around at the blank nothingness surrounding him. He was currently standing in nothing, if you could call it standing that is, there was after all no floor. Or walls or a ceiling for that matter, it was all just an endless nothingness.
Where was he?
Who was he for that matter.
He found he could not remember anything except some scattered memories that slipped through his mind like sand between his fingers.
He was dead wasn''t he? That meant that this was the afterlife.
But that couldn''t be right could it? There was nothing, absolutely nothing, where was the golden streets and the angels? Or the fire and demons? So was he in purgatory awaiting his trial to see if it was heaven or hell for his soul.
After an immeasurable amount of time he nodded, he had to be waiting for the decision.
A powerful force started to pull him. ¡°Hm, heaven or hell?¡± he wondered. The nothingness started to brighten around him. ¡°White light, hmm, that¡¯s a plus, I¡¯m glad it isn¡¯t red.¡± A searing pain ran through his body, and he fell down onto all fours. His body convulsed and rippled, the pain was unbearable, and he heard a sound, an inhuman cry of anger pain and rage. It took him a moment to realize that that sound was his own voice.
The pain was excruciating, with a roar he was unaware he could even make he opened his eyes. He found himself bound in a shallow pool of blood or so he assumed it was from the sticky feeling and the dark red color.
Archaic writings surrounded the pool. ¡®so, I am actually going to hell huh?¡¯ he thought bitterly. He raised his head and started to look around. There were creatures surrounding him. To his surprise however they were not demons or hell spawn waiting to torture him, rather they looked like normal people, no horns or claws or hideous deformities to be seen.
He took a closer look at the people as they stood just out of the pool of blood. They all looked to be around 17 or so, almost like high schoolers. No high school ever had a uniform like they were wearing however.
They were all clothed in matching robes, the majority of which was a fiery red, accented by yellows and oranges.
They all looked the same with their hoods up and there faces concealed deep within the folds. With the exception of two older people that is, one man dressed in white with a long black beard and hair that reached down to the middle of his back. And a woman who looked like she was in her mid-forties with auburn hair.
The crowd around him started to murmur and chatter excitedly as they looked at him. He found he couldn''t understand what they were saying, though that might be a combination of his current confused state and the low volume they were currently speaking in.
¡°Huh? What?¡± he heard a person make a few sounds, he couldn''t understand her but he could hear the surprise in her voice. Looking over he found one of the robed younger people was standing closer to him.
It was a girl that almost looked like an elf, standing roughly five feet tall, with silver hair that came down to her shoulders, a beautiful angular face, golden eyes, and a slim frame and form that gave her a doll like appearance.
She was currently holding a short stick and pointing it in his direction. Wand, that was the only thing that could be he thought to himself.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°A human?¡± one of the robed people said. ¡°Lira summoned a person as her familiar?¡± he looked at the crowd of individuals, who were currently staring at him in shock.
He attempted to stand up, only to receive a particularly painful shock that ran through his entire body. He fell to the floor writhing in pain. But as soon as the pain had faded it was replaced with something else.
Rage.
With a snarl he shot up, out of the pool of blood and threw himself against the fetters and chains. Pain shot through him but he ignored it, focusing only on the anger that was burning inside of him like hell¡¯s own inferno.
The crowd of people jumped back in fright at his ferocity. ¡°Don¡¯t worry students, he can¡¯t escape from the circle, those chains are capable of holding S class familiars.¡± stated the older woman. Just as she was comforting her students there was a terrifying sound.
rrrrrrrrr¡
The chains groaned in protest from his onslaught. ¡°Wha?!¡± she said, turning back to the trapped man in disbelief, just as a crystalline sound rang out as the chains holding his arms and neck broke. With a roar he rushed forward.
He roared in anger and rage however before he could reach the woman who had now fallen over in the pool of blood, staining her white robes red, a wall of blood rose in front of him and caged him in. He threw himself against the new barrier, roaring in rage and anger, his teeth bared in a primal threat as he relentlessly threw himself against the fluid wall, to no avail.
¡°Agrond? How was he able to do that?¡± The woman yelled looking at the older man, who was currently kneeling with one hand in the pool of blood, a bead of sweat rode down his forehead and dripped off of his nose into the pool.
¡°Evacuate the students, Mitra I doubt I can hold him for more than five minutes.¡± The man named Agrond growled, as more sweat dripped off of him.
¡°Everyone out! Now!¡± Mitra yelled pushing the already panicking students towards the exit. Everyone exited the room as quickly as possible, everyone except one girl.
She walked forward, towards the raging man.
¡°Lira, what are you doing?¡± Yelled Mitra as she frantically reached out to grab the young girl, but Lira ignored her.
¡°I understand,¡± she said softly to the raging man, who paused in his assault and looked at her. ¡°You are confused, and no one is explaining anything to you.¡± She placed a hand on the wall of blood. She spoke softly, and though he couldn''t understand what she was saying he felt something stir inside him.
Even on the other side of the barrier he could hear her perfectly. ¡°I can answer those questions, I can tell you many things about this world, and if you agree to be my familiar I can promise you will not be a slave, but a partner.¡±
Mitra had stopped moving and looked back and forth between the familiar and the small fearless girl. He had stopped his rage, and was currently staring deeply into her golden eyes ¡°I do not have riches to give, nor anything else material. However I need your help so I will give you myself, everything I am and will be is yours, and all I ask is that you help me achieve my goals.¡±
The man looked into her eyes, there was no deceit or ill will to be found, just determination.. He backed up off the wall. He had no idea what the girl had just said, but he found himself trusting her, even against his better judgment.
He looked over at the man who had his hand in the pool of blood, he was breathing heavily his brow soaked in sweat, and back at the small girl on the other side of the barrier. With a sigh he decided to trust the girl, for good or ill he sat himself back down in the blood well away from the barrier.
¡°Professor Agrond, can you let the barrier down?¡± Lira asked looking back at the man.
¡°I can¡¯t Lira, it is too dangerous, I doubt I could get the barrier back up in time to protect you if he decides to attack again.¡± The man croaked in a hoarse voice.
¡°Very well then, I will just enter it myself.¡±
¡°No! Lira don¡¯t! ¡± Mitra yelled lunging forward to grab the girl. But she was too slow as Lira pushed her way through the membrane of the barrier.
¡°To seal the pact there needs to be an act of acceptance, a slave kisses the master¡¯s foot, a serf kisses the hand, a partner kisses the lips.¡± her cheeks burned red as she slowly approached the man.
Not knowing what she was doing he allowed her to put her hands on either side of his head. With a quick movement she leaned in and placed her lips on his. An electric shock ran through his body as their lips touched and surge of energy that rendered him unable to move. His vision started to go black, and before he could react he fell back into the pool of blood unconscious.
Lira hissed in pain and held the back of her right hand. Slowly letting go she inspected the spot that had just flared up in pain. There on the back of her hand was a newly engraved symbol.
It was a Lion¡¯s head with a flaming main.
She looked down at the man currently lying unconscious in the pool of blood. He was around the age of twenty or so she would guess, with a handsome face that was adorned in red hair and a short matching red beard.
He was also stark naked.
With a blush she pulled off her outer robes she covered him up, but not before getting a good look however. She sighed as she looked at him, what was she going to do now? No one had ever had a human for a familiar, not that she had known of at least.
Was he human however? That strength, and add that to the fact she had never seen or heard of a human that had red eyes and hair. Other than those features he looked human, this would require more research¡
Chapter 2: You are my Familiar
He sat up with a start.
Where was he?
He looked around the room he was currently in, there was no one else to be found. The room was definitely lived in however. It had a distinctly feminine feel to it, perhaps that was due to the organized chaos that was all around him however. Everything was in its place, and yet at the same time it was also messy.
How this was pulled off he had no idea, but it was indeed a thing. He pulled the covers off of himself, and much to his surprise he found he was clothed in a red and gold robe that was exactly the same as those people he had seen before.
He looked out the window and found he was looking at a castle, or rather that he was looking out of a castle and down into the courtyard some two hundred feet below.
Where the hell was he? With soft footsteps he creeped over to the door and peeked out. Outside the door was a hallway that lead past ten or twenty more exactly like it and down a twisting staircase.
Softly closing the door behind him he stealthily moved towards the stairs. He had no idea who these people were, but he was sure he didn''t want to stay around to find out what they would do with him now that he was awake, they had after all chained him up and caused a lot of pain for him.
¡°How many fucking flights of stairs are there?¡± he asked himself as he moved down them. He abandoned all stealth in preference for speed as he took the stairs three at a time. It didn''t take long before he found the end of that winding staircase, it opened up into a sort of great room.
In the center of the room there was a mini arboretum of sorts, as landscaped trees and plants grew indoors, providing a contrast to the cold grey stones that made up the walls and ceiling. He looked in all directions, good, there was no one around.
He decided to not question it and to rather count it as a blessing, he was going to go down the path to the right but he heard the sound of people chatting and footsteps approaching him.
The only place he could hide was up in one of the trees, with a curse he sprinted towards the trees and with a flying leap he caught onto one of the branches, he quickly pulled himself up the tree and hid in the leaves.
He was just in time, as a group of twenty or so people entered the great hall and started milling about. They were all wearing robes like when he had last seen them, this time however they all had their hoods down.
He looked at them, they had to be in their late teens, no matter how he looked at it they looked like high schoolers. Standing around and besides these high schoolers was a whole host of different creatures. From small dragons to blue wolves and any other thing you could think of. They all stood around playing and petting their strange animals or conversing with one another.
All of them except one.
It was her.
That girl that had approached him, he felt the urge to go towards her but he fought it. If he was to leave his location now he would be found out. She was standing slightly off to the side, looking down at her feet as though she was lost in thought.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
She really was a beautiful girl. He shook his head clearing it off all the thoughts that had been circling through it and re evaluated his situation. He was currently surrounded by an unknown bunch of people, they may or may not want to hurt him, and he was stuck until they moved.
He looked at the girl again. She was standing by herself, no one was around her, and there were even some mean unmasked sneers thrown her way. Sh slowly walked towards the stairs that he had just came from, and disappeared up the stairs alone.
He watched as she departed before casting the thoughts about her aside, he had much more important things to think about, like how to get out of here.
Soon the sound of steps racing down the stairs sounded and the girl emerged back into the great hall, she was looking more flustered and frantic now. It could only mean one thing, she had realised he was gone. Which meant he had to move soon, before others could be warned of this possibility. She looked around frantically and ran down the path to the right, pushing a group of students out of the way as she passed, red robes flapping as she ran.
So that was the way she thought he could have gone, and therefore it would be the way he actually went, he could''ve headed down anyone of these paths, but truth be told he didn''t know if they led further into the castle or towards the outside.
Pulling his hood up he shimmied down the tree, now was the best time to move out. If he waited anylonger her might be caught after she alerted others. Thankfully his robes were exactly like theirs, so he moved slowly around the group of trees and integrated himself into the crowd.
Keeping his head down he walked through them, heading towards the hall she had just walked down. It was honestly nerve wracking to weave in between them all, but after the longest three minutes of his life he was able to make his way through without any problem.
Trying his best to look inconspicuous he moved down the hall, and was greeted by the sweat smell of grass and open air. With a slight smile he stepped out onto the lawn of a courtyard and angled himself towards the nearest exterior wall.
The wall itself was a good twenty feet tall. He approached the wall and a voice called out to him.
¡°Where do you think you are going?¡± said a female voice. He froze up for a split second before turning around. He found he was looking at the very same silver haired girl he had just been following.
¡°I asked you a question.¡± she said, hands on her hips. ¡°Where do you think you are going?¡± he looked at her lips in confusion. He could understand her words, but what he heard and the shape her lips made were, off.
Like he was watching someone else translate her words for him.
¡°Familiars can¡¯t leave their partner¡¯s side.¡± she said, resting her hands on her hips.
¡°I am going now,¡± he said.
She raised her eyebrows. ¡°No, you don''t understand, if you get to far you will just come back.¡± he ignored her and turned back to the wall. Bursting forward he ran up it four steps before launching himself up and over it.
She looked in shock as he cleared the twenty foot stone wall with ease. ¡°You will see...¡± she sighed, staring at the stone wall.
He ran as fast as he could flying through the trees and planes that surrounded that castle, putting as much distance between himself and that place as humanly possible. After about two or so hours the sun started to set and he paused for a breath.
Even though the castle was surrounded by flat plains he could not see it due to the distance. Sweat was dripping from his brow as he bent over and caught his breath. After a short period of recovery he was going to continue his journey when he felt a strange tug that stopped him from moving.
The back of his hand glowed. He looked down at it in shock as fire spread from the tattoo and covered his body in black flames. They didn''t burn, they just slightly warmed him, the effect however was horrifying. It started with his arm burning away into nothingness.
In a panic he rolled around on the ground in a desperate attempt to put out the hellish flame. In under twenty seconds however he was fully consumed and turned into a fine black ash. Purple and golden runes and ancient drawings lit up the forest surroundings as a soft wind blew away the ash pile he used to be.
Much to his surprise he however didn''t find himself back in the white place, he was instead laying on the floor of the room he had woken up in a few hours ago. This time however he was not alone. Laying on the bed was that silver haired girl, she was currently reading a book and without even looking up she spoke to him.
¡°What did I tell you? Familiars can not leave their master¡¯s sides¡± she casually flipped the page. ¡°What is your name?¡± he checked himself, making sure he was all there, after he was sure he had everything still he let his head fall back and rest on the cold stone floor.
It felt good, the cool stone.
¡°Leon, my name is Leon.¡± he said softly.
¡°Nice to meet you Leon¡± she said, still not looking at him. ¡°My name is Lira Mila Vas Lirtus, and you are my familiar.¡±
Chapter 3: I am no slave...
¡°Leon huh?¡± she looked over at the man that was currently laying on the cold stone floor next to her bed. He looked over to her with his red eyes, they were honestly captivating. A deep red that held a slight tinge of gold around the edge and caught all the light in the room, devouring it. ¡±Where are you from?¡± she asked.
¡°I-I don''t know.¡± he answered after pausing to consider it. ¡°I honestly can¡¯t remember anything other than my name...¡± he searched his head, but with the exception of a single scene of a city in flames and the cobbled streets painted in red with blood he had no memories. He tried to think back, remember anything, anything at all, but when he did he got a stinging headache, it felt like someone had stabbed daggers into his eyes.
¡°Nothing?¡± Lira looked over at him, placing the book down on the bed beside her. It was a book about all known types of familiars, and as she had assumed there has never been a human familiar, or even a humanoid familiar for that matter.
¡°When I try to remember I feel this deep pain, it causes me to loose focus for a few seconds.¡± she looked at him, that sounded like someone had locked the memories away from him artificially. But if that was so then it would have had to happen before he had been transported here as a familiar.
And there was that. Familiars were nothing more than spirits that were summoned and bound to a practitioner. Meaning he would have had to been a spirit before he could have been summoned.
He was dead.
Or at least he had been dead. That subject was the center of many debates over the last 100 years or so.
¡°Why can I understand you even if you are speaking in a different language.¡± he asked, looking over at her.
¡°Well it would be a hassle if a familiar did not understand its master.¡±
¡°Master huh?¡± he looked over at the little girl, she was his master? Ha, as if she could ever be the master of the great- the great-... his head felt like it was going to split open, cradling it in his hands he let out a soft groan of pain.
She watched as he rolled around on the floor in pain. She didn''t know what to do, or frankly what she should even feel while she was watching him.
He stopped rolling and lifted himself off of the floor with his arms, before spitting out a large gob of blood all over the floor. Her eyes widened as she saw the blood. Was he really in that much pain? She reached down and was going to touch his shoulder but he moved away his shoulder and looked at her with an angry look.
¡°Don¡¯t assume you can command me, I will bow to no one.¡± he growled before spitting out more blood. ¡°I could kill you right now.¡± he growled, His eyes glowed red with a blood lust and a promise of an early demise. ¡°It is hard to be a master when you are dead.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
She shrunk back away from him, her eyes wide with fear as she drew a ragged breath. He had never moved, he had simply sharpened his gaze at her.
But the meaning in those eyes were clear.
¡°I however do not feel like killing you, so do not make me.¡± he said his eyes reverting back to the normal red as he looked at her. ¡°As of yet I have no ill feelings for you, please do not change that, I am not the type to grant mercy.¡±
¡°You would die anyway.¡± she said. ¡°When the caster dies the familiar dies as well.¡± that was a lie, a barefaced lie, many familiars that outlived their masters would become the guardians of their descendants, her grandfather¡¯s familiar was one such creature.
It was a bluff, but it was one that would keep her alive for now.
¡°So I am stuck with you.¡± she nodded, thankful he had believed her. She etched this moment in her mind, it would seem her familiar had a violent side, if this encounter and when he had first appeared were anything to go by. ¡°Very well, I will stay, but if you think I am some servant, let us say I would rather choose death before dishonor.¡± he growled, the implications were all too clear.
You mistreat me and I will kill you, even if it meant my own death.
That was what he was saying. She would remember this. Her life depended on it.
¡°So explain,¡± he said, sitting down, he gestured to the surroundings. ¡°Where are we, what are you? What am I?¡±
She looked at the man, or whatever he was that was seated on the floor. Even though he had just threatened to kill her mere seconds ago he now looked like a different person. His red eyes no longer glowed with the vengeful promise of violence.
She took a deep breath, and started to answer his questions. ¡°As I said I am Lira Mila Vas Lirtus, I am-¡± she paused and pulled a face, it was obvious to him that the next thing she was going to say was a hard thing for her to say outloud. ¡°I am the bastard child of my father a duke and a maid.¡±
¡°And in a feudal society like this one that has negative connotations does it?¡± he asked, it would explain the looks he had seen some of her peers shoot her way.
¡°Feudal?¡± she asked, it was not a word she had heard before.
¡°An absurdly outdated or old-fashioned way of living that is based on the holding of lands in fief or fee and on the resulting relations between lord and vassal.¡± he looked over at her. ¡°In other words a world that is ruled through hereditary rule, it is the only place someone would be shunned for something as simple as their parent¡¯s social status.¡±
She looked at him in confusion. ¡°How does where you came from work?¡± she asked.
¡°Power, power rules.¡± he stated simply. ¡°Power is king.¡± he smiled even as the pain stabbed him again in the head.
¡°That is-¡±
¡°Where you came from does not matter, it is more about who you are and what you can do.¡±
¡°That sounds nice...¡± she said.
¡°Nice?¡± he looked at her, before breaking out in laughter, ¡°No, it is not nice, if you are weak you are nothing, I say feudalism is archaic, but in truth our methods are just as barbaric.¡± he stopped laughing and motioned for her to continue. ¡°I apologize for interrupting, continue.¡±
¡°There is not much else to tell about me, I showed I had talent in magic, and my father has no other heirs so I was sent here, much to his wife¡¯s anger.¡± Leon was beginning to understand her circumstances better now. And it would seem understanding her circumstances was also understanding his own as he was currently tied to her.
¡°What exactly is a familiar?¡± he asked.
¡°It is a summoned creature that covers all of the caster¡¯s weaknesses.¡±
¡°So I am your opposite?¡± he asked.
¡°Well, yes and no, for example I am good at buffing and protecting and healing, but offensive magic...¡± she paused. ¡°I am a complete failure.¡± she hung her head in shame.
¡°I see,¡± he nodded to himself. ¡°And how long do I have to stay as your familiar?¡± he asked, he felt he already knew the answer, but he was hoping otherwise.
¡°For the rest of my life...¡± she answered softly. He had known that answer was coming. With a sigh he closed his eyes and resigned himself.
¡°I will help you,¡± he said softly, ¡°But I am no slave.¡± she nodded, she would remember that.
She doubted he would let her forget...
Chapter 4: can I have another?
Leon sighed as he leaned up against the stone wall of the courtyard. He was currently accompanying Lira in her daily lessons. As a familiar he was expected to accompany here everywhere, and while there unique situation made it hard for him to follow her some places he was still forced to follow her to places like her classes.
Classes were bad enough to begin with, but add to this the fact he did not understand anything that was said unless it was said by Lira and you have a recipe for complete and utter boredom.
He looked at the teacher that was prattling on and on about something, waving her arms through the air comically. At first he was under the impression that she was showing them how to do a spell, but seeing as when they repeated after her no one else swung their arms through the air he was forced to chalk it up to simply one of her quirks.
He looked at the teacher better, she was on the older and plumper side of the scales. A large mole grew on the left side of her face and her fashion sense was, eccentric to say the least.
She was a stereotypical witch.
He smiled as an idea popped up in his mind, if he could not understand what they were saying then he would make it up. He started imagining her speaking about whatever popped in his mind.
¡°Sooooo, students today we will be talking about pie.¡± she said, a slight hungry look in her eyes. ¡°As you all can see I am quite the fat bitch and really like my pie, oh and waffles.¡±
¡°But ma¡¯am¡¯ you can''t eat the waffles!¡±
¡°What? Why not?¡±
¡°Because I ate the waffles!¡±
¡°Waffles?¡±
¡°Who needs waffles? I want some whisky!¡±
¡°Why would you need whisky?¡±
¡°Because staring at your ugly ass face is not an enjoyable pastime, I am going to need some alcohol to make you look like a human.¡±
¡°Oh,¡± the teacher paused. ¡°Well then, you will need stronger liquor than that...¡±
Leon giggled to himself, Lira who was standing beside him looked at him with a look of confusion. He waved her off and went back to entertaining himself.
¡°Hey, there is lightly fried fish fillets for dinner.¡±
¡°What the hell? It''s like one a.m.¡±
¡°Do you want lightly fried fish fillets or not?¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
¡°Well, I mean yea...¡±
¡°Mhm, thought so come on downstairs they¡¯re still hot.¡±
¡°Wait, did you just make them?¡±
¡°Yes, I wasn¡¯t tired so I decided to make some lightly fried fish fillets.¡±
¡°Say lightly fried fish fillets one more time please...¡±
Leon stifled his laughter again, causing not just Lira to look at him, but also the majority of the class to look his way. It would seem giggling in class was not an acceptable thing in this world.
Damn shame.
The witch of a teacher looked his way, there was a large vein in her forehead that was pulsing, she obviously was not to pleased with his interruptions. She looked his way and said something in her language, he looked at Lira for a translation.
¡°She asked if you would perhaps like to demonstrate how to take down an earth elemental since you seem to find her teaching method humorous.¡± she said, leaning his way, her cheeks were currently burning red with embarrassment.
¡°Well you can tell that waffle eating, late night fish cooking bitch, why the hell not?¡± he laughed with a smile on his face. Lira¡¯s eyes opened wide as she heard the words that came out of his mouth.
Lira looked back at the teacher and then to leon before addressing the teacher again. ¡°He, uh, he said why not?¡± she said, she doubted she would have gotten off lightly if she had repeated what he had said. waffle eating, late night fish cooking? What was he talking about? And this was an earth elemental that they were talking about, did he really know what he was getting himself into?
The teacher¡¯s eye twitched ever so slightly before she walked to an open part of the field and started to cast a spell. Pulling out a vial of what could only be blood she slowly poured it towards the ground chanting the entire time. The blood however never touched the ground, but rather started dancing around her and forming strange patterns in the liquid.
Stepping out of the circle of flying blood she spoke one more word, and as it left her lips the ground in between the circle started to swell, before shooting up at a rapid pace and piercing the sky some twenty feet straight up.
As the clay and soil touched the blood it slowly started dripping down the new spire of land. Clods of earth fell off, revealing a mostly humanoid shape. There were two arms, two legs, a torso and a head. At the end of the arms however were not any hands, simply blunt objects that could only ever be used for crushing.
Blood dripped down what he could only assume was its head. Looking at it he stopped leaning on the rock wall, he walked over to it casually. He looked at the woman, and the thoughts of the conversation he had translated surfaced in his mind, without being able to help himself he laughed.
The vein in her head pulled more, and with gritted teeth she asked something. He didn''t need Lira to translate this one, she was asking him if he was ready. He simply nodded.
It was apparent she intended to use him as an example for the rest of the students. Unfortunately for her she had decided that he was the one to use in such a demonstration. At her command the golem moved forward.
Leon¡¯s eyes narrowed, even as a smile spread softly across his lips. Rushing forward he dodged the massive creatures punch by jumping onto its arm, with a quick series of movements he ran up the things arm and did a backflip off of it¡¯s shoulder, planting a kick under its chin as he did so.
The creature¡¯s head all but exploded as a large path was carved out of it. He stood up and dusted off his robes as he looked at the creature, everyone was staring at him with a look of shock. But he didn''t see any of them as he still had his eyes on the golem.
The path he had carved in its head was quickly filled back in, but this time instead of stone it was clay that covered the wound. His smile widened, it would seem that seeing as this was not a living creature he would be able to have some fun with it.
He planted his feet on the cobblestones of the path and pushed off. The excessive force he used to push off displaced some of the buried bricks. He saw a large stone fist coming directly for him, and he held out his palm to stop it.
He didn''t know if he would be able to hold it back, but he had never been one to be cautious. As he made contact with the massive fist he was pushed back almost five feet, he dug his heels into the ground.
The bones in his arm protested the force that was being applied to it with a groan, ignoring it he put all the force he could into pushing back with a single massive shove. The massive creature which was already off center from its last punch was not only pushed back but also fell over backwards.
Leaping up into the air an impossible distance Leon used gravity to his advantage as he smashed down onto its torso with the heel of his boots and all the force he could muster. The stone creature broke apart into hundreds of peaces, flying every which direction, causing the watching people to cast shields to protect themselves from the flying debris.
As the dust cleared Leon was still standing in the same location, red robes lightly blowing in the wind. With the exception of a red palm he looked perfectly fine, like he had not even broke a sweat. He looked over at the teacher who was currently staring at him in shock with her mouth hanging open in horror.
¡°Can I have another?¡± he asked her with a smile on his face.
Chapter 5: Ruination
He had been following her to classes all day, and in all this time he had learned a lot. Not about magic or any of the subjects that the teachers were teaching, especially because it was hard to learn something when the person teaching it speaks a different language.
No what he was learning about was how this world viewed its social standings. Lira was of a low birth, or rather she was of a half low birth, something that was often considered much worse. She was in the eyes of the vast majority of her classmates and even her teachers, nothing more than the scum of the earth.
Infact there were from what Leon could understand only two reasons she was even allowed to be here even though her very presence was considered a disgrace to her father¡¯s otherwise reputable name.
It was because of her innate magical ability. From what Lira had told him she was outstandingly good at defensive and supplementary spells. This alone however normally would not warrant such a thing as sending her to such a prestigious school. At most it would normally have meant getting her a private tutor to teach her all things magical and to keep her out of the public eye.
There however was one other reason.
Her father was of fading health, and he had yet to have any heirs with any other woman besides Lira¡¯s mother, Much to his wife¡¯s displeasure. And seeing as this was a feudalistic society, or rather a society that had some feudalistic tendencies as Leon doubted other feudalistic societies would simply be ok with a woman running a household or Fiefdom, this meant Lira needed to be trained in the basics of ruling a dukedom and be prepared to take over for her father after he had passed away.
And seeing as Grulik school was one of the most prestigious schools in any of the surrounding kingdoms for such things as training young noble men and women, as well as teaching them everything they needed to know about magic.
Magic, now that was an interesting subject. Normally the difference between a commoner and a nobleman was something as fickle as who gave birth to you, in his world however magic was contained in bloodlines, meaning that there were very few non noble mages, or rather those that are non nobles most likely were like Lira, illegitimate sons or daughters of some nobleman.
Bastard children.
Leon looked at Lira, she was on the smaller side of things, and part of it he felt likley had to be due to some malnutrition, he highly doubted she had a good life, living under the roof of a woman who hated her.
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No, what that woman more likely felt towards Lira was odium. Hatred and disgust, Lira after all was a daily reminder that she was unable to produce an heir for her husband. Lira stood up with the rest of the class, and turned to leave, but as she did her path was blocked by a young woman.
She had a haughty look about her, with smooth pale skin and long wavy blonde hair. She was the kind of pretty girl that would make boys swoon with a simple wink of her eye.
Annoying.
She was speaking to Lira, and even if Leon could not understand the words it was clear that there was no kindness between the two of them.
¡°Well if it isn''t the school¡¯s harlot, how much do you charge for a night?¡± She asked ¡°Because I know a few guys that could help pay for your tuition...¡± the girls following her giggled at their leader¡¯s remark.
¡°I am sure you know a couple of guys Risan...¡± Lira shot back in a faux kind voice. The smile on her lips betrayed none of the venom residing behind them.
Risan¡¯s face darkened as her own insult was turned back against her.
¡°Only a harlot like you would do something like that!¡± she spat back, her insult was weak, simply rehashing on what she had said mere seconds ago, but in her flustered state she was having a hard time coming up with anything.¡±Your days are numbered Lira, it won''t be long before they pull you out of the school and hide you away in some long forgotten dungeon in the hopes that everyone will forget you.¡±
Lira narrowed her eyes at Risan, who laughed and with flushed cheeks continued.
¡°You know what I heard today? A little birdy told me that there will soon be two Lirtus children, not just one.¡± she laughed triumphantly.
¡°So what if my father¡¯s wife has a child, my tuition is paid in full for the next five years.¡± Lira said, she tried to sound confident but there was a slight quiver in her voice as she spoke, Leon was sure he was not the only one to hear it as well as Risan flicked her hair and laughed in a new and more confident way.
¡°Oh, it''s nothing, I just wanted to let you know,¡± she smiled. ¡°From one friend to another.¡± her smile grew more malicious. ¡°Now if you''ll excuse me!¡± she turned with a flip of her blond hair she turned around and walked off, her small posse of followers stuck close to her heels.
¡°Come on Leon, we will be skipping the next class there is something I need to check on.¡± she moved quickly and without a word Leon followed.
He had only been able to understand half of the conversation, but it sounded like that Risan girl had some information that Lira¡¯s position as the next in the line to lead the Lirtus household was in danger.
It didn''t take them long to reach their room, and as soon as she opened the door she saw it.
On her desk there was a single envelope stamped with the red wax seal of her father. With shaking hands she walked over to the desk and picked up the letter. Leon entered the room behind her, softly shutting the door and allowing her to look over the letter without interruption.
She slowly peeled the top flap of the thick parchment open, cracking the wax seal as she did so¡
Inside was a letter from her father, first congratulating her of her accomplishments at the school, then assuring her that he was in good health, or rather as good of health as his worn down body would allow, and finally-.
Finally informing her that she would be having a smaller half sibling soon.
Lira dropped the paper, and stumbled back until her back hit the wall, where she slid down and stared at her hands in shock and horror.
A single tear traced its way down her face as she thought about how the conception of this single child had brought about the end of everything she had ever hoped or longed for in life.
She was ruined.
Chapter 6: Planning
Leon looked at her, she was currently as far back into the wall as she could press herself, her legs drawn up to her chest and her face hidden behind her crossed arms she had resting on her knees.
He clicked his tongue, there was a tad bit of disgust in the sound as he looked at the sobbing mess this once confident girl had been. Upon hearing the reproachful sound she lifted her head up and looked at him.
¡°I guess it is true we are exactly opposites.¡± she looked at him. He was standing tall and imposing, red eyes blazing with a light that gave his handsome face a slightly demonic look.
¡°Wha-?¡± she asked weakly, her eyes were bright red and puffy.
¡°Weak.¡± he said simply. ¡°You are weak,¡± he gazed at her with cold eyes. ¡°But seeing as I am your opposite that means it will be up to me to be strong.¡± he casually walked over and slipped an arm behind her back and one under the crook of her knees. Picking her up he carried her over to the bed and placed her down there.
She looked up at him, wild thoughts racing through her head, her cheeks burning. She was too young! She didn''t even know him that well! How was she ever going to get married now? None of those thoughts came to fruition however, as after he placed her on the bed he stepped back and considered her.
¡°Map,¡± he said.
¡°What?¡± she asked looking at him in confusion. She had to shake those thoughts out of her mind, she was glad he hadn''t done anything, but there was also this small voice in the back of her head that sighed in disappointment.
¡°Do you have a map?¡±
¡°Yes, well I do but.¡± she was still feeling all jumbled.
¡°Show me.¡± she looked at him, his actions did not seem to make any logical sense. Complying anyway she reached over and pulled a map out of a stack of books and lay it out on the bed. ¡°Good, now where are we.¡±
She pointed to a little spot on the map, almost dead center. ¡°That is a tiny spot of land.¡± he said, and honestly speaking it was, it was indeed the smallest spot on the entire map. ¡°So your father has a dukedom here?¡± he asked, how was this spot of a kingdom even still around how had it not been absorbed into some other bigger surrounding kingdoms?The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°What? No, my father had a dukedom here.¡± she pointed to a large kingdom to the right of the first spot.
¡°Wait so we are not even in the same kingdom as your father right now?¡± he looked at her and she shook her head. ¡°Why would he send you to a neighboring kingdom would it not be wiser to keep you closer to him I mean up till this point you were the only heir to his land and title, seems pretty stupid to send you to some other kingdom that could hold you for a ransom.¡±
¡°What? No we are at Grulik, it is an independent state, there is no king, or even any villages or towns, it is just the school.¡± he looked at her still confused. ¡°It is a neutral zone, no one claims it as their own, seeing as that would anger the other kingdoms, every kingdom sends some of their best here, not only is it for the education but it is also for the alliances they form with people from other kingdoms that they would not otherwise, it is an attempt at peace.¡±
¡°Peace? Hows that working for you?¡± he scoffed.
¡°Well, it has worked for the last 500 years...¡±
¡°Damn, this place is more boring than I thought.¡± he said, looking over the map with consideration. ¡°So what were your plans before this baby popped up.¡± he asked her.
¡°I was going to graduate and take over the management of the Dukedom after father died, but now I have nothing, with a new heir I will get nothing at the end of school.¡± she sniffed. ¡°I have no money, and no one will want to support me if my own household won¡¯t.¡±
¡°So you are telling me that this kingdom here has no rivals?¡± he asked, he stabbed a finger into the map where she had indicated her father was. Lira lifted her head and looked at the map again.
¡°Well there is Juslanr,¡± she said, pointing to a medium sized area on the map, it was smaller than the one her father was in, but it was not that much smaller. ¡°They clash frequently over minor land disputes and such.¡±
¡°Good, Good, Juslanr it is.¡± he nodded to himself.
¡°What about Juslanr?¡± she asked, his statement confused her.
¡°You are out of here in how many years?¡±
¡°Five, and then I will be fully trained.¡±
¡°We will do it in three.¡± he nodded to himself.
¡°Do what in three?¡± she asked.
¡°Get you fully trained of course, and then we will go to this Juslanr.¡± he nodded to himself again, forming some sort of plan in his head.
¡°No wait-¡± she started but he was not listening to her. She was going to explain that getting it done in three years would be impossible.
¡°They will take us in, seeing as we are from their rivals, meaning taking us in deprives the other kingdoms of us, giving them not only an advantage, but also some salt to rub in the other parties wounds, and once we are set up in Juslanr we will truly begin.¡± his eyes glowed a bright red as he smiled and looked over the map.
He had a plan now, and all he had to do was execute it.
¡°Start what?¡± she asked looking at her familiar, she was a little frightened by his determined look as he stared at the map as thought it was the enemy, nut she also felt this strange exhilarating rush deep in her stomach.
¡°Conquest.¡± his smile twisted on his face, his eyes lit up a bright red, and he placed his hand on the map. ¡°Conquest of it all.¡±
Chapter 7: The first visit.
¡°What do you think?¡± the figure asked while standing in the shadows of the room. He looked up from the book he had been reading at the vaguely discernible figure in the corner.
¡°I don''t know what to think.¡± he sighed, closing the book and rubbing his temples with a tired look on his face. ¡°First her aptitude, now this...¡±
¡°She is definitely the perfect candidate for- that...¡± the shadowed person said.
¡°But this makes it more difficult, we have extensive knowledge on any and every familiar and how to suppress them, but this this is-¡±
¡°New? Interesting?¡±
¡°Aggravating- we should have moved before the summoning.¡±
¡°I find this to be more fun this way.¡±
¡°It might be fun for you but there is a lot resting on my shoulders, if this doesn''t work...¡±
¡°Then you won''t be needing the head attop those shoulders.¡± Laughed the shadowy figure.
¡°I don''t find that very funny.¡± he said, still rubbing his temples.
¡°No? I didn''t expect you to, your taste in jokes is just off...¡±
¡°My taste?¡± he looked up, but found himself in the room alone, the shadowy figure had disappeared just as quickly as it had shown up. ¡°My taste is just fine you freak.¡± he muttered to himself before once again burying himself in his research.
[The waffle witches class]
¡°No.¡± Leon said, he refused.
¡°Please?¡± Lira pleaded with him. Almost every other familiar had performed the task, the only ones that hadn''t were the ones to stupid to understand what their masters wanted.
And then there was Leon.
He simply refused.
¡°What am I a dog?¡± he growled.
¡°I just want you to pick it up...¡±
¡°No, you can fetch your own god damn ball.¡± he said crossing his arms. The task was a simple one, designed to help work on the communication between the conjurer and the familiar. All he had to do was pick up the ball and carry it back to her and place it in a basket.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
¡°And you can tell that waffle eating bitch faced teacher that if she so much as smirks at me one more time I will personally shove them down her throat and watch her die.¡±
¡°Three years Leon, three years.¡± she said looking at him with pleading eyes. Several people were snickering at the two of them, one leaning up against the wall the other pleading for the task of picking up a ball and carrying it back to a basket to be done.
¡°For this it will become two years, if I have to do demeaning tasks like this then we are shortening the time.¡± At this point Lira was ready to agree to almost anything to get him to finish the task.
He walked over and picked up the ball, only to once again notice the smile of what had to be his least favorite woman in the world right now. He knew she had came up with this idea as punishment for the actions that had happened yesterday.
Walking over he palmed the small blue ball and picked it up. It had a surprising amount of weight to it for such a small item. Turning around he went to put it in the other basket some 20 yards away. Only to find the ball was increasing in weight substantially with every step he was taking.
That woman was smiling with a pleased look not hidden at all on her face, and based on the snickers of the majority of the class they were also in on the joke.
So that was how it was going to be huh?
He casually strode forward. Each step making the ball double in weight, at the end of ten steps his feet were already sinking into the hard compact earth of the courtyard, but even with this he kept walking.
Around half way there the grass was replaced with a cobble stone path, and as he stepped on the bricks they started to crack.
Lira¡¯s face went stiff as she realized what was happening.
Someone had cursed the ball.
Surprisingly enough however Leon was not showing any sign of slowing as he walked, even though each step was sinking him into the ground and the ball must have weighed almost a thousand pounds at this point.
He arrived at the foot of the basket, at this point all of the snickers had stopped, he simply stood there, and lifted his arm horizontally holding the massively heavy object suspended over the basket.
Looking back at the teacher he smiled, the vein was back on her forehead, showing how great her displeasure was. He let go of the ball, which promptly fell to the ground inside the basket with an unbelievably loud thud.
The bottom of the basket was destroyed, and the ball itself had sunk down a good two feet into the ground from the impact.
The teacher was not looking like she was in to happy of a mood, and without even breaking a sweat Leon went back to leaning up against the wall.
¡°Rumumlur ssekunss wie woll aull lu srauzulonj si shu Turnos auruau siin si phaucr aull shu shonjs wie nuuk...¡± she said, Leon looked over at Lira for a translation.
¡°She said we will be going to Ternis two days from now and we need to make sure we are packed for the trip.¡±
¡°Ternis?¡± he asked.
¡°It is an untamed wildlands where we can get some training, there are many magical beasts and other creatures there, and it is important to know how to cast spells in the heat of battle.¡± her cheeks darkened a little. ¡°It is also to em, get to know your familiar better...¡±
Leon smiled at the girl looking at him, she was awfully cute, and the way she looked away shyly like that, it reminded him, reminded him of-
Her.
Leon¡¯s vision flashed, and he was no longer standing in front of Lira in the school courtyard, but rather standing in a barren red landscape. Turning around he found her. She looked like Lira, or maybe Lira looked like her, he couldn''t know, he might never know.
She looked up at him and smiled, her silver hair parting to reveal those purple eyes, and two small curling horns set at her temples curved forward protecting her pretty forehead.
¡°Leon,¡± she said softly, with a smile.
¡°Who?¡± he asked, she looked at him with a loving smile.
So soft.
So tender.
He wanted to go over and hold her forever. Never let go.
Ever.
He started to move forward but found his feet trapped in the hard blood red ground.
¡°Leon, I lo-¡± she started, before coughing up blood. It slowly dribbled out of her mouth, and tears of blood started running down her face.
She smiled one last time.
Before falling over and never moving again. Leon stared at the corpse in shock and horror, he could have helped, he should have been able to do something.
Anything.
With an earth shattering scream of a man who had just had his heart ripped out he collapsed to the ground, and lost consciousness.
Chapter 8: The realm of mirrors
Lira looked at him, he had been like this for the last day or so since he had collapsed. She had yet to even move from his side since he had collapsed out in the courtyard. He was currently laying in her bed, tucked in tightly, and she was constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead with a wash cloth she had set on the bed stand.
She didn''t know what was wrong with him, but the way he had simply collapsed in the courtyard, and that scream.
It still chilled her to the bone, it was the scream of a man who had lost everything, the scream of a man who had nothing to live for.
And since then he had scarcely even breathed. When he had collapsed she was afraid he was dead, he had simply stopped moving and crumpled over like a marionette with his strings cut.
She looked over the man laying on her bed, her cheeks dying red as she looked at him. He really didn''t seem that old. He had to be in his twenties, or so and the red hair and beard on his face gave him a rugged and suave look.
She leaned in closer getting a better look at his face, her mouth dry as she leaned directly over him.
Should she?
She had already done it once, when he had first been joined.
And that feeling, that sensation.
She pressed her lips against his, this was only the second time in her life that she had kissed a man, and he had also been the first. God what was this feeling? Why did his lips feel so good?
She pressed herself deeper, and her tongue slowly came out to taste him.
He tasted good, there was a slightly salty metallic taste, but there was also something else. Before she could however put her finger on it he started to stir. Her eyes flew open wide and she practically threw herself away from him.
He however did not awaken, he simply mumbled something to himself and rolled over onto his side. She exhaled a sigh of relief as he went back to sleep. Not only her cheeks but her entire face was a bright red¡If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
She let out a sigh and wondered what had come over her.
[Unknown location]
Leon had never seen a landscape like this before, the world around him was gray. Everything was covered in a thick fog that made it difficult to breathe. ¡°Hello?¡± he called but the only reply to his words was a slight breeze that pushed the fog away on a path.
He didn¡¯t know why, but it seemed like he was supposed to go down this path. This was the way that had been laid out for him. With a bad feeling burning in his chest he stepped onto the path, only to have the fog cover up where he had just been.
For hours he followed the path the wind cut for him, until he came to a clearing, in the clearing there was three mirrors. Looking around he approached them, but stopped when he felt someone behind him. He didn¡¯t know how he knew; he just knew there was someone behind him.
Slowly turning he looked at the other person. Like looking into a mirror there he was, the other leon.
¡°Long time no see,¡± The other him said with a smile that held no good intent. Leon rationally knew that this was a dream, but everything about it was so real, the sight, the feeling, even the smell. ¡°It has been a long time nasci.¡± it said as he looked Leon over.
¡°Who are you? And why do you look like me?¡±
¡°Oh, tell me, how do you feel right now?¡± He asked, as he walked around Leon slowly.
¡°Why would you care?¡±
¡°Do you know how fascinating you actually are?¡± he gestured to Leon. ¡°You can''t remember at all can you?¡± He laughed, his face twisting with disgust, ¡°it is your own fault, it is all your fault that she died, and yet still she loves you?¡± he spat on the floor at Leon¡¯s feet. ¡°Nasci, you are truly as your name.¡±
¡°My name is Leon,¡± he growled, looking at his other self.
¡°Is it now? How do you know? Do you even remember who gave that name to you?¡± Leon racked his brain, but the pain was too great he was forced to give up the search or risk passing out from the pain.
¡°Nasci, Huh? It means vermin right? This is the best insult you can come up with?¡± Leon growled.
¡°It is not an insult merely a statement,¡± he said, circling around him once again. ¡°You are a Nasci, parading around wearing my face, using my voice, and confusing young girls.¡± He growled, stopping directly behind Leon.
¡°Leave Lira out of this, this is between you and me.¡±
¡°But how can I leave her out of this? Do you know who she really is? What she really means?¡± He sighed, ¡°You wish me to leave? Then you must first leave yourself, you are the ghost here, not me.¡°He snarled ¡°You are wearing my face, and I feel like you have been wearing it far too long now.¡±
He reached out, and dug his fingers into Leon¡¯s forehead, the pain was intense, and Leon found he couldn¡¯t move couldn¡¯t resist as the man tore off his face. The mirrors glided around and in their reflections Leon found that under that face, was not bone and muscle, but an empty black void of nothingness.
Still unable to move he had to watch as the other leon held up the loose skin that had used to be his face. ¡°Do you see this?¡± he looked at the face, dripping with blood and back over to Leon, before pointing to the mirror. ¡°You can claim that I lie all you want, but the mirror always tells the truth.¡±
Leon tried to open his mouth, but found that he could not even do that. ¡°Under this facade you are nothing, you are not alive, you never have been, and you never will be.¡± Blood constantly dripped from the face, creating a pool on the gray ground that spread out like a rose.
¡°You aren''t even real,¡± he said backing up into the fog, ¡°you never existed, and you never will.¡± Leon fell to his knees, and wherever he looked there were mirrors, showing him the truth. All while the other leon¡¯s words echoed in his head, ¡°You don''t even know who she is...¡±
Chapter 9: Really good at Remembering
Leon¡¯s eyes slowly opened.
He honestly felt like shit, his head was pounding almost like someone was beating on it like a drum. Looking around he realised where he was. He was once again in her bed, and feeling something warm and soft pressing down against his chest lifting his head up he was able to see Lira, who had apparently fallen asleep and was currently resting her head on the right side of his chest. With a smile he reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair that had fallen across her face back behind her ear.
She really was a good girl, a good girl in a bad situation.
That however was life, it was not fair in the slightest.
So you also had to be unfair or life would get the better of you.
This was the true nature of the world.
Leon looked out the window and it would appear it was either early morning or late evening as he could not tell if the sun was rising or setting.
He looked down at Lira¡¯s sleeping face, considering her. For a split second she once again looked like she had horns, like that other Lira.
¡°You don''t even know who she is...¡± The voice echoed in his mind.
¡°That''s ok, I don''t even know who I am so what difference does it make?¡± he chuckled to himself, though after these dreams he had to say he was curious, to say the least, about who he was and who she was.
It was not as simple as he had first believed.
A roster called out the morning song, and Lira stirred, ah so it was morning.
Lifting her head up she realized where she had placed her head to sleep, and with slightly frightened eyes she turned towards Leon.
¡°Good Morning, Lira¡± he smiled pleasantly, her cheeks dyed a bright red and she turned away from him, unable to even look in his direction. ¡°Thank you.¡± he said, smiling all the more when he saw her reaction.
¡°For what?¡± she mumbled softly.
¡°For taking care of me¡± he answered.
¡°You are my familiar, of course I will take care of you...¡± she mumbled into her silver hair, which she was currently using the bottom of to obscure the lower part of her mouth.
¡°So, what are the plans today?¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°We will be staying here, I will have to opt out of the hunt, but you need time to recover.¡±
¡°Time to recover, ha, there is no need for that.¡± he said, sitting up in the bed he pulled off the covers.
¡°No, Wait!¡± she screamed, before half covering her eyes as he stood up out of bed. Looking down he found himself to be stark naked, where had his clothes gone? And who had taken them off of him?
She blushed even deeper and started to explain. ¡°You had fallen unconscious and were burning up and sweating, and I needed to wipe you down and and-¡± she rambled on and on in a single breath.
He smiled and leaned in a little closer to her, prying apart a few of her fingers to get a good look at one of her golden eyes. ¡°And did you like it?¡± he asked, a smile playing on his lips. Before this moment if anyone had told him she was capable of blushing more than he doubted he would have believed them, but to his surprise she did indeed turn redder. Laughing he withdrew his face. ¡°So, where are my clothes now?¡± he asked.
¡°On the top of the dresser.¡± she was able to squeeze out, as she hid her eyes behind her fingers again, Leon however could feel her gaze as she glanced at him covertly.
After getting dressed they both started packing her items that they would need for the upcoming hunt.
[Front gate of Grulik school]
There were four carriages in all that were lined up at the main gate of the school. They were ornate creations, being built from a dark black wood with red and gold furnishings they had been polished to a mirrored sheen.
They were the type of carriages that only nobles would ever feel fit riding in. Leon had never liked carriages, why he did not know, or perhaps the reason was really locked in this head of his behind whatever was holding him out¡
Whatever it was it lead to an instant dislike of the four carriages in front of him.
¡°I am sorry, but we had thought you were not coming, so we did not make adequate preparations for you to travel with us.¡± The teacher Leon called the waffle eating bitch said, her actual name was Mrs. Illuni, but at this moment Lira also wanted to call her a bitch.
Ever since she had gotten here this had been one of her constant tormentors. She was in fact her aunt, not that Mrs. Illuni would ever allow anyone to know this. She saw Lira as a stain on the honor of her family¡¯s house.
And now she was being like this.
It was not like it would take long to get another carriage, at most it would take ten minutes, and even worse than that there was room for two more people in one of the carriages, they however claimed they had no room.
¡°We have however provided you with a horse, I hope it is not to much of an inconvenience?¡± she said, and a group of girls giggled. A servant brought out a horse, it looked like a good horse, but Lira blanched at the sight of it.
¡°What is wrong?¡± Leon asked, honestly this not being able to understand anyone but Lira was a blessing and a curse to him. On one hand he didn''t have to put up with all the crap that others threw his way, which meant he had less people to kill, but there were other times where needing to know what was going on was crucial to understanding the situation, he did not much care for this informational disadvantage he had.
¡°They say there is no room, and we will have to ride a horse.¡± she said numbly.
¡°And that is an issue how?¡±
¡°I don''t know how to ride a horse and they know it, it is to ridicule me.¡± she said softly, the girls laughed ans shut the door of the carriage, there muffled laughter could still be heard inside.
¡°When I first showed up here I made a friend, the first one I had ever had in my life, she treated me so nicely, we talked and talked for days, weeks, even months.¡± Lira turned her back to the carriages and kept speaking like if she was unable to get it out now it would never be said again. ¡°I- I told her everything, how I was treated, what I did and didn¡¯t know.¡±
Leon nodded listening to her story.
¡°But it was all a lie, she never was my friend, because after I had told her all of my life and secrets she left me, and those secrets became public knowledge.¡± a single tear slid down her face, and leon with a hand brushed it away. ¡° I wasn''t taught to ride a horse you see, as that is only for people of proper birth, and I am a bastard child, an unwanted half breed.¡±
Leon looked at the horse and smiled, so they wanted to use all this to ridicule them huh? Well he would just have to turn these flaws of hers into weapons no one would ever expect, and he now knew where to start.
¡°Would you like me to teach you how to ride?¡± he asked with a bright smile.
Go ahead and laugh, laugh all you want, just remember that you are laughing at your future rulers. He softly chuckled to himself as he inscribed each of their faces into his memory. He would not forget this.
He had a really good memory...
Chapter 10: Im so sorry...
Leon Lifted her up into the saddle of the waiting horse with a practiced ease. Then putting his foot of the stirrup on the near side he swung his leg up and over the side. ¡°Do you know why I mounted on that side?¡± he asked her, she shook her head indicating no.
He had said he was going to teach her, and so he would do so. ¡°It is an old custom that comes from when people used to wear swords.¡±
¡°Peasants use swords, but they can''t ride on horses.¡± she said, looking back at him in confusion. Her current position caused her to blush slightly, she was sitting sideways on the saddle with her legs hanging off the right side, in front of her was the horn and behind her, with his arms wrapped around her was leon.
¡°Oh? Well it is tradition to mount up on this side because if you mounted on the other side the sword would get in the way.¡± he looked at her and smiled, she was desperately trying not to touch him, that would be an impossible task once they actually started moving however.
The lead coach driver looked back at them and gave them a nod, which Leon promptly returned. With a word the gate swung open and all four of the carriages rumbled out and onto the dirt path that they called a road around here.
¡°To make the horse move forward tap its haunches lightly with your heels.¡± he said, and he did exactly that.
¡°How do you make it turn?¡± she asked.
¡°He will go the direction his head is pointing, so pull the reins the direction you want.¡± he leaned forward and wrapped the excess of the reins around the horn. ¡°However this is a well trained horse and we will not need to do much.¡± he said, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed her back against his chest, he could feel her tremble ever so slightly.
¡°How-How do you know?¡± she asked.
¡°The way he is moving, he is making an effort to not sway side to side to much so we don''t feel any discomfort. ¡± he patted the horse softly on the neck, and receive a whinny as a thank you. ¡°Horses are smart animals, for the most part you only have to point them in the right direction and give them a speed, they can do the rest.¡±
¡°I-is that so?¡± she asked, she didn''t want to admit it, but with the swaying movement, and the comforting solidity of his back, she was starting to relax, in fact she was liking it. She smiled, and closed her eyes, allowing herself to lean back into his chest further.
The girls looked out of the carriages expecting to find some hilarious sight, but were only greeted by leon sitting up straight and noble on a horse, and Lira leaning back against him with a contented smile.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
¡°So, tell me Lira, what was it like growing up in a barony?¡± he asked, he was not simply making idle conversation, he needed to know as much as possible about this world and how it was structured, and the best way he could think of at the moment was through talking with her.
Lira¡¯s smile disappeared.
¡°It was, well awful.¡± she said, opening her eyes, the rumble of the carriages provided a background noise as she started her story. ¡°It wasn''t bad, not until I turned nine, that was when we started to learn magic...¡±
[Eight years ago]
¡°Ahaha, can you even call yourself a member of this family?¡±
¡°This is the daughter of the great flame of the east? Are we sure this is not a joke!?¡±
The laughter of the children around Lira set her heart ablaze, but she stifled the rage, it would serve her no good here. A kick came flying at her face as she lay in the dirt, Lira promptly rolled, protecting her head and catching the kick in his gut instead. Though the kick was launched by an twelve year old child that was sneering down at her as she lay in the dirt it did a good amount of damage to the nine year old girl, flipping her in the air and landing her on her back.
¡°Ugh-¡± Lira groaned as she coughed out a mouthful of blood, gritting her teeth Lira pushed herself up off the ground with shaking arms.
¡°I can¡¯t believe a failure like you is the daughter of the duke! You can¡¯t even cast a simple flame spell, do you really have any noble blood in you?¡± one of the youths sneered, edging closer to the battered Lira with a dangerous gleam in his eyes.
¡°I heard her father was drunk, and got with this ugly bitch¡¯s mother, and when he awoke it was all he could do not to kill the mother outright .¡± Laughed another, one.
The leader stepped forward, pushing past his cronies; he was a boy around twelve, with dark hair and blue eyes, Richard Waltren, third son of the head of the branch family, and Lira¡¯s cousin. ¡°You are a disgrace to the family name, no to even the name of all nobles; I doubt if we beat you to death we would even get a slap on the wrist.¡±
He walked forward and grabbed the front of Lira¡¯s shirt, lifting her a full foot off the ground. ¡°But I won¡¯t kill you today; I will wait until I learn the spell mind break, that would be more fun if you ask me.¡± He laughed, and punched the struggling Lira in the stomach as hard as he could, before dropping her to the ground. ¡°Come on guys, let¡¯s go look for something else to do.¡±
She lay there for a few moments before picking herself up off the ground. She looked down and wanted to cry, the new dress her mother had spent so long making was ruined, what was she supposed to do now?
Fighting back the tears she went to her mother¡¯s room inside the castle. It was a small room, dark and dingy with only one small high window a cabinet and a bed, almost more like a prison than a room.
¡°I¡¯m so sorry to be putting this burden onto you my little Lira,¡± the middle aged woman sighed, her deep gold eyes filled with discomfort. She looked to be around the age of thirty, but there deep wrinkles that caressed her face that shouldn¡¯t have been there.
Her mother was a commoner, and a servant at that, she had been sold to the house at the young age of ten, where she had met and served Lira¡¯s father. Over the time they had grown close, and it was not too long before she was intimate with the man.
It was not socially acceptable however, and his parents had forced him to marry a noblewoman. It had been all Lira¡¯s father could do to make sure Lira¡¯s mom wasn''t thrown out with nowhere to go.
Soon after they had married however it came to light that Lira¡¯s mother was pregnant.
¡°I''m so sorry child.¡± she reached out a shaky weakened arm and pulled her daughter into her embrace. As she felt her daughter sobbing in her embrace she also let out a few tears.
¡°I''m so sorry...¡± she whispered as she held the one thing that kept her going in this world close to her chest.
Chapter 11: A pointless trial
The chamber around him was filled with members of the order. They all looked down on the old man, some in horror others in disgust, fear, even odium. They are all hypocrites. Standing there on a lectern overlooking the old man was an even older man, his grey beard was long enough to lightly graze the floor, his face it remarkably calm, but then again it isn¡¯t he that is being tried for treason against the order.
¡°Luthor, for fifty years you have served the order honorably, carrying out our missions of peace across the world, eradicating our enemies. For these meritorious services to this order I will allow you to speak on your behalf.¡±
A smile spreads over Luthor¡¯s face, as he raised his head to look at the men and women before him. They were all hypocrites, each and everyone of them.
¡°As you have said, I have served for over 50 years, and in these 50 years I have seen the world, and learned much. One of the things I have learned is how naive this order is.¡± he smiled when he heard the hushed murmur of the people in the council chambers. ¡°The order is blind, there is no light side or dark side to magic, for magic is life, it contains both light and darkness. Your pathetic attempts of categorization leads you away from the true meaning of life.¡±
¡°This fool must be silenced before anymore of his heretical nonsense influences others.¡± a member of the council declared as they stood and pointed towards him.
¡°Councilor Al¡¯karish, I believe I was told I would be allowed to speak? If you could refrain from interrupting me I would love that.¡± Luthor growled. ¡°As I was saying, magic can¡¯t be divided into light and dark, there is no dark spells or light spells, there is only spells, they are not inherently good or evil, they just are, you don¡¯t call a sword evil simply because it can kill it is simply a tool, an object. It is the wielder who decides what it will be used for.¡± he sigh and look at the councilors arrayed before him, and turn to look at all the members of the order. Ah, there he was it had not been but two days he had visited and interrupted his research. And now look at it, they all were interrupting his research.
Annoying.
This entire trial was pointless, only there to serve as an ego booster for certain members, an opportunity to flex their muscles.
¡°Do not think that you previous accomplishments will save you this time Luthor, during your indecision she was able to obtain a familiar that is unknown to us, but seems to be at the very least S class.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
¡°And is an S class familiar to much for this council to handle?¡± he asked with a chuckle. ¡°Indeed now I see, you are all berating me and calling my years of work a failure because of a new unknown factor being added into the equation, please council let me enlighten you all...¡±
¡°You know something about this familiar?¡± a council woman asked, she was sitting there looking at him, hands folded over her stomach.
¡°Indeed, it would seem this has happened once before in history.¡±
¡°Oh? Surely you don''t mean-¡± she started, before trailing off leaving her meaning hanging behind in thin air.
Luthor smiled ¡°Indeed lady priscilla, I mean High queen Mariana and her knight...¡±
[Camp]
They had all stopped for the night. Off to the right there were rows of tents set up for the other students. Leon was currently sitting alone next to the fire outside their tent. The tent for Lira and himself was set up away from all the others. Honestly how far were these people willing to go just to alienate one person?
¡°This is for you,¡± she said offering the bowl to Leon. She had just returned from the cook¡¯s tent.
Taking the bowl Leon looked at its contents, there was slices of mutton, bread, cheese, and roasted vegetables. All in all it looked and smelled delicious.
¡°Thank you,¡± he said, with a laugh she sat next to him and looked at him, ¡°might I ask why?¡±
¡°Why to what?¡±
¡°Why you brought me food?¡±
¡°A thank you I suppose,¡± she cocked her head to the side like a puppy would; it lent a sort of playfulness to her features.¡±That and because you are my familiar,¡± she stated as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
She had been in a much better mood since the riding lessons and telling him part of her story, it was like having a massive weight lifted off of her chest, there was nothing better than having someone to confine in.
He sunk his teeth into a bite of lamb, mulling it over in his head. As he was thinking and chewing she reached over and snatched some meat out of the bowl and bit into it.
¡°Hey!¡±
¡°What it was mine I¡¯m just sharing with you. You wouldn¡¯t take a meal away from a woman would you?¡± she asked in mock meekness, attempting to create puppydog eyes at him.
¡°You would be surprised what I am willing to do to a woman.¡±he said, a smile spreading over his face. She dyed a bright red as the meaning of that sentence sunk in. He laughed at her reaction. ¡°Can I ask a favor from you?¡±
¡°What is that?¡±
¡°Will you teach me your world¡¯s language?¡±
¡°You can understand me right now fine.¡±
¡°It would be a dull life if I was only ever able to interact with you.¡±
She nodded to herself, she was slightly reluctant to teach him however, it was the connection that the two of them shared that allowed her to speak to him and him to her. If she was to teach him the language, then it would be less special.
She would never admit that however, at least not out loud...
Chapter 12: I dont want to be alone...
This really wasn''t working.
Leon was currently sitting in the tent they had set up and as staring intently at the piece of parchment Lira had laid out on a small folding table. On said parchment were around a hundred words scribbled on it.
Lira had laid her head on the piece of paper in frustration.
She was trying her hardest to teach Leon the language, it simply wasn''t working however. Every word that came out of her mouth was auto translated for him to understand, so she had tried to sound them out, but that was translated aswell, even when she took a pause between the syllables.
So they had attempted to write the words, only to find his characters and hers were entirely different. There was even a different amount of letters in the alphabet he knew than the one she did.
In short it was impossible for now.
She lifted her weary head up, and looked over at Leon who had spent the entire night listening to her patiently, and calmly. He was staring at the parchment with a focus that excluded anything except the thing in his eyes.
The text was, strangely ornate, much more artistic than the one he was used to. With a sigh he shook his head and looked over at Lira, when he did he realised she had not just laid her head down in frustration but had actually fallen asleep.
Smiling softly he picked her up and carried her over to the small raised wooden cot they had set up for her, it didn¡¯t sit more than a foot or so off the ground but it served the purpose of keeping the covers off the cold lumpy earth.
Once he had sat her in her covers however he realized the ink from the paper had left large black marks on the right side of her face. Reaching out he tried to rub the ink off of her face, but it only smeared a little, causing a long black streak to be there instead of the pretty character.
With a laugh he licked his thumb and started to rub off the ink, but he found he would need more liquid than just a little of his saliva, and seeing as spitting on her seemed a little to rude he did the next best thing.
He licked her.
His tongue ran up the length of her cheek and ended just under her eye. She wrinkled her face cutely but continued to sleep. With this thumb he rubbed off the ink that was on her face, it looked like he would need to do this once or twice more however. He pulled back slightly and was going to lick her again when her golden eyes fluttered open.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
He froze, his face was a few centimeters at most away from her own and he was leaning over her.
¡°Ehh?-EHHHHHH?¡± she screamed slightly, her cheeks dyeing red as she realised how close he was to her.
¡°Hi¡± he simply stated.
¡°What, eh what are you doing?¡± she asked there was a tremor in her voice.
¡°This,¡± he licked her from her chin and up over her lips. Her eyes went wide. She made a small strangling sound in the back of her throat, and honestly he doubted she could blush any deeper.
¡°Emm, if you''re going to¡ properly please...¡± she muttered, looking away from him.
¡°What was that?¡± he asked.
¡°If you''re going to kiss me...¡± she said softly, still not looking at him. ¡°Then do it properly please.¡± she forced herself to look up at him. He really was a handsome man, what with the red hair and beard lining his face like a lion¡¯s mane. And those eyes, those deep ruby eyes, every time she had looked into them she almost feared falling into their depths.
And he was nice to her, listening to everything she said, helping her, teaching her.
But most of all he never treated her like she was under him, like she was just some bastard child.
If it was him, she didn''t mind.
¡°Are you sure about that?¡± he asked her. ¡°If I kiss you it will be to claim you as my own, and once I do that there will be no other men in your life.¡±
¡°Nn-¡± she nodded, ¡°I have already said I would give you my everything.¡±
¡°You did? When?¡± he asked, a look of confusion crossing his face.
¡°You don''t remember?¡± she asked.
¡°Repeat them for me...¡±
¡°Doing that...¡± her cheeks much to Leon¡¯s surprise did indeed become darker. ¡°I do not have riches to give, nor anything else material. However I need your help so I will give you myself, everything I am and will be is yours, and all I ask is that you help me achieve my goals.¡±
¡°Is that what you said when you first met me?¡± he asked looking at her.
She nodded, ¡°That is why I cannot order you to do anything, you are not my slave, but my partner.¡± she looked up at him.¡±How could you have forgotten?¡±
¡°Before you kissed me I was unable to understand anything anyone said.¡± he said softly. ¡°But since you said that, let me return the sentiment.¡±
And with that he leaned in and stole her lips.
He pried her lips apart, sending his tongue into feel about her mouth. She opened her eyes widely as she felt it come into her mouth. It was not long before her tongue responded back. He smiled and lightly bit the bottom of her lip, listening to the sweet music that was her gasp of surprise.
Pulling back he looked down at her panting below him her eyes were hazy and she was not focused on anything anymore, with a smile he leaned down and licked her cheek again, wiping off the rest of the ink with his thumb.
That was enough for tonight, he thought to himself. There was no need to rush things, they had all the time in the world. With a smile he tucked her in and stood up to leave, but as he did she caught the hem of his robe and held him in place.
¡°You''re going?¡± she asked, there was a slight hint of desperation in her voice.
¡°You''re not thinking clearly, get some rest.¡±
¡°Could you atleast sleep here with me? I don''t want to be alone.¡± she asked, covering her mouth with a han, almost as though she was surprised at what she had said. With a sigh he motioned for her to move over, and crawled into the cot with her.
It was warm from her body heat, and the narrow cot made it so if they both were going to fit they would have to spoon, he wrapped his arm around her slim midriff and pulled her close to his chest.
It was not long before she drifted off to sleep, a lazy smile on her lips.
Chapter 13: unbidden memories
She opened her eyes and felt the warmth of him on her back and his arm wrapped around her waist. A deep blush came to her face as she remembered what she had said and done last night.
¡®If I kiss you it will be to claim you as my own, and once I do that there will be no other men in your life.¡¯ that was what he had said. Her cheeks died a deep shade of red and she felt her heart start racing.
¡°Good morning,¡± she stiffened up when she heard him speak, slowly turning around she looked at him, due to the closeness of her body to his he could feel how her heart raced, it was frankly adorable, and he felt he could tease her forever.
She pulled out of his embrace and sat up, a strand of her hair fell down and covered the right side of her face. He looked at her with a smile and was about to say something, but before he could his head suddenly felt like it was dunked in an icy river before being placed in a fire.
The pain was not something he would ever be able to discribe in words, he let out a silent scream of pain and agony.
His vision went black and white and red.
Looking up he found himself looking up at that other version of Lira.
¡°What about your wife?¡± she asked softly, the slip of the night gown she was wearing fell down her shoulder.
¡°It really is unfortunate, you know how her race is, I doubt she will see this as anything besides a betrayal.¡± he sighed. Or rather the other him sighed, he was currently watching this like an outsider.
¡°Is it not?¡±
¡°Honestly it is not, we are one person after all.¡±
She laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Just because we are formed from the same soul does not mean we are the same person.¡± she said softly her head tipping to the side, the hair that was covering her face slid off to the side, before getting caught and held in place by the horns protruding from her temples.
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¡°No?¡± he sighed again. ¡°What do I tell her?¡±
¡°How do you feel about her?¡± she asked.
¡°You know how I feel...¡±
She laughed, ¡°Indeed I do, but I want to hear it.¡±
¡°I love her, with all my heart, but not with all my soul.¡±
¡°Because that is mine¡± she said softly as she leaned in closer to him, and placed her hands on either side of his head. Her lips drew closer to his, softly brushing up against his.
¡°She will likely kill me,¡± he said softly.
¡°That is fine, with that we can be together again, nothing will be holding me back anymore.¡± she said softly. He moved slightly, and her hand fazed through his face, like either it or her was not solid. ¡°Wherever you go in your next life I will follow, we are one in the same.¡± she said softly.
¡°I thought you said just because we share a soul doesn''t mean we are the same.¡± he laughed, and his laugh was echoed by her.
¡°Ah, this form is so unsatisfying,¡± she whispered softly, ¡°So many things I want to do I can''t.¡±
¡°Like what?¡±
¡°Kiss you, slap you, do other things,¡± she laughed softly. ¡°You will make her hate you, you know?¡±
¡°It is better that she hates me and moves on then if she blames herself, I have been married to her for the last 14,000 years, I know her if she feels it is her fault she will think of nothing else till the end of her days, I would rather she hate me than make her suffer so for my own selfishness.¡±
¡°I must go, I am weakening,¡± she said softly, and started to fade away into nothingness.
¡°Till next time Nara.¡± he whispered into the empty air.
Blinking he once again found himself lying in the cot with Lira sitting up next to him and looking down at him in worry.
¡°Are you ok?¡± she asked softly.
¡°I am fine, Nara.¡± Leon instinctively said.
Lira felt like a bolt of lightning had just fallen out of the blue sky and struck her. It caused emotions and memories she had never made to well up inside her.
Love.
Longing.
Happyness.
A small glimpse of Leon carrying the corpse of a woman, as he walked through streets filled with blood fire and death.
A small hillock overlooking the sea covered in wild grasses and flowers, where he and a woman leaned up against one another as they simply watched the waves.
Of that same hill, this time however crowned with a single large stone, and leon leaning up against that stone, not moving as the rain fell down.
She blinked and looked down at Leon.
¡°Who is Nara?¡± she asked.
¡°I-I don¡¯t know.¡± he said, his face twisted up in confusion.
¡°Don¡¯t ever call me that again, I am Lira Mila Vas Lirtus, and you would do well to remember that.¡± she said sharply as she stood up and walked over to a partitioned section of the tent that would allow her to change.
Once behind the cloth wall she let out a silent sigh. She had been harsh with him, but she honestly didn''t know what was going on, and it had been her first reaction.
Nara, why did that name spark so many things in her? She was confused with what she felt and had seen, those were most definitely memories, but they were not her own, of that she was sure.
So the question now was if they were not hers then whose were they, and why did she have them?
Chapter 14: Krya
¡°I was under the impression all countries sent their students to Grulik.¡± Leon said, they were currently standing at a cross road, and on the other side of the gravel path that passed for a road around here was what would appear to be students from another school.
They were dressed in a similar to the students of Grulik, but the cut and coloration of the robes was slightly different. To be precise the robes of Grulik students were gold and red, and cut in a traditional style with long ankle length robes that had multiple layers.
The other students however were in a more, stylized robe, the robes only went down to the top of their knees or so and was made up of a black and blue coloration.
¡°It is one of the premier places of study, but it does not hold a monopoly on the idea.¡± Lira whispered to him and leaned in closer to him. ¡°That would be Wolfthir, it is an academy that focuses on more offensive spells and casting.¡±
¡°And our own does what? Defensive spells?¡±
¡°No, Grulik is well known for being well rounded, they teach anything and everything there, it is the only school that does that, all others focus on a certain type of magic.¡±
Leon nodded, and looked off toward where that waffle eating bitch of a teacher was off talking to an instructor from the Wolfthir school. ¡°I am guessing there is no love between the school...¡±
¡°You could say that, there is a tournament every year, and each school battles it out to prove who is best.¡± she said. ¡°It looks like we will have to share the hunting grounds with them.¡±
As she said that the two teachers walked back to their respective groups of students.
¡°Ok, so due to time and area constraints you will have to hunt on the same grounds as the students of Wolfthir,¡± she said, much to the grumbeling of the other students. ¡°What''s more both I and Mrs. Fergul of Wolfthir feel this will be a good opportunity to learn about working with others even if they are not part of your faction.¡±
This just about caused an uproar in all the students on either side of the road, and Leon looked at Lira with a curious expression. ¡°We are partnering up with them.¡±
¡°Understood¡± he simply nodded before starting to scan all the students across the road. They all looked about the same in their matching robes, all of them except one that was. She was currently sitting atop her familiar, which happened to be a giant white wolf with blue marks all over its fur.
She herself also looked cold, with her light blue hair and eyes she looked like an ice queen. She was not even paying attention to her surroundings as she was currently buried in a book.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
He didn¡¯t know why, but he felt she was the correct person to partner up with. Nodding to himself he grabbed Lira by the hand and dragged her across the road. ¡°What, what are you doing?¡± she asked as she was pulled along behind him. The sound of everyone¡¯s arguments and complaints evaporated like a fog once
He pulled her along with him, and stopped directly in front of the girl sitting on the wolf. It took a few seconds before she noticed that the two of them were standing there in front of her. Slowly she lowered the book and placed it in a messanger bag she had slung over the wolf¡¯s back.
¡°Introduce us.¡± Leon said, pulling Lira from behind his back and putting her in the spotlight for everyone to see.
¡°Eh? What is he doing?¡±
¡°Do they want to die?¡±
¡°Oh I have to see this.¡±
He could hear the murmurs of the Wolfthir students as they appraised the two people standing in front of the most feared and respected member of their student body.
¡°I uh-¡± Lira stumbled with her words as she was put on the spot.
¡°Speak up properly and introduce us.¡±
But before she could say any the girl on the wolf spoke up first. Looking at Leon she narrowed her eyes. ¡°What language are you speaking?¡± she asked.
Leon looked at her, his lips held a soft sort of smirk on them. ¡°I apologize, I cannot understand anything you are saying, please direct any questions you have to Lira here.¡± he gestured at the currently cowering silver haired girl he had propped up at his side.
¡°What did he say?¡± she asked, hopping down off the back of the wolf with a large display of grace.
¡°He apologized for being unable to converse with you, he said if you have any questions to aks me.¡± lira said in a soft voice.
¡°He is unable to converse with me?¡± the Wolfthir student said, looking towards Leon. Now that she was on the ground he got a better look at her.
She had light blue hair and eyes, narrow shoulders and waistline, and wide hips with a thigh gap that could make most men¡¯s mouth water. Her arms were thin and delicate, and her breast small but shapely, all of this could be seen based on how the robe was cut to form fit her.
¡°Yes, he does not know any of our language, I have been attempting to teach him it but, we have run into¡ some difficulties.¡±
¡°What language is he speaking?¡± she asked, there was a look of curiosity in her eyes, but there was no emotion on her face. It was like her emotions were non existent, or frozen.
¡°I- I don''t know.¡± she said.
¡°You don''t know what it is called but you can speak and understand it?¡± she asked looking away from Leon to gaze at Lira with her icy stare.
¡°Not really,¡± Lira took a deep breath and steeled herself. ¡°Everything I say is translated to his language for him, and it also works the same way for me.¡±
¡°How is that possible? There is no magic like that of which I am aware.¡±
¡°It just happened, it would after all be hard for the two if a mage couldn''t talk to her familiar due to a language barrier. ¡±
The Wolfthir student¡¯s eye twitched slightly and her eyebrow raised by a fraction of an inch, it was the only telling sign of her surprise.
¡°Familiar?¡± she snatched at Leon¡¯s right hand and brought it up to examine, with no facial expression she ran her hand over his mark. ¡°Interesting, so interesting.¡± she murmured as she stared intently at the lion tattooed on his hand. ¡°Order him to speak in our language, it should force the knowledge and allow him to speak.¡±
¡°I can''t,¡± Lira said. ¡°He is my partner, I have no ability to command him.¡±
¡°Interesting¡± she murmured.¡°I am called Krya,¡± she said looking up at Leon.
¡°Leon.¡± he stated simply, and nodding towards Lira. ¡°Lira.¡±
Krya nodded to him and looking over at her teacher ¡±We are to partner up with someone from the other school correct?¡±
¡°Well- yes...¡±
¡°Very well, I chose to partner with Lira and Leon.¡± she nodded to herself and left no room for any argument.
After all how could she allow someone so interesting get away from her now?
Chapter 15: Demonlord
The three of them were currently riding on the back of Krya¡¯s wolf. The large beast had strength enough to carry three people with ease as it effortlessly loped through the forest.
They had been felling beasts left and right all day, in fact they had started to learn the quirks of each other. It was honestly the most fun Lira had ever had in her life. She leaned back against Leon¡¯s broad chest and smiled closing her eyes.
¡°So the two of you are intimate.¡± Krya said looking at the two of them without any expression on her face.
¡°Ehhh?¡± Lira¡¯s eyes shot open and her cheeks burned red. ¡°Whhaaaa- no we just.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t particularly care.¡± she interrupted Lira¡¯s rambling denial and looked at the two of them with emotionless icy eyes. ¡°I am merely stating the facts, I have no opinion on them, so there is no need to waste your breath denying them.¡±
Lira was going to continue denying them even if Krya didn''t care, but just when she was about to open her mouth the wolf under them stopped moving and started to growl. Shelving all the coversation they all got ready for a fight.
Out of the forest walked the largest wolf man she had ever seen. His tan fur glinted brightly even in the shadowy twilight of the forest. His entire body was covered in tribal markings, and a thin loincloth was wrapped around its private section.
It was one of the few intelligent beasts that lived in this forest, it was also one of the most difficult beasts to defeat.
¡°What is a Lapith doing this close to the edge?¡± Lira asked.
Krya¡¯s wolf charged the Lapith, and lunged with a snarling bite, only to be cought by the open hands of the beast man. With a roar he picked up the wolf and slammed it into the ground stunning it. And then it placed his hands on both the top and the bottom of the muzzle. With a sickening display it pulled the two apart, and before long there was a sound heard as the jaw of the familiar was broken off.
With a savage yank the beast pulled the lower jaw and ripped it entirely free of the poor massive wolf¡¯s face. It stumbled back in pain, making a gurgling noise, before having its throat slashed by the Lapith.
Krya fell to her knees, as the black fire consumed the corpse. She had a pained look on her face and she was holding the brand on her hand as though it had just been burned into her flesh.
¡°I can bring him back, I will need time however.¡± she said, her voice strained.
¡°Lira, barrier.¡± Leon said, looking at the beast.
¡°But-¡±
¡°Lira barrier now!¡±
With a curse she started to chant the spell, like most of the holy arts the barrier required a small sacrifice from the caster, in this case it was blood. Pulling a small dagger free she slid it across the palm of her hand.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
It hurt.
Fighting back the pain she let the blood well up and started to chant the spell. Golden light spread with her as the epicenter. The Lapith dashed forward.
Just as the spell was about to finish Leon grabbed her and threw her the opposite direction. As she landed a large golden dome covered both leon and the Lapith.
¡°No!¡± she screamed as she rushed forward and threw herself against the barrier.
The Lapith launched himself forward, and Leon roared like a lion as he lunged to meet him fist for claw.
The two clashed.
The Lapith was much larger than Leon, larger by a good three of four feet, and looked to be much better built aswell, muscles rippled under the fur as it grappled with the familiar.
It came at him claws ripping and teeth snapping like a wild beast. Lira was mesmerized by the sight for a second, but quickly recovered and started casting the support spells Leon would no doubt soon need.
Neither of them payed attention noticed the small girl with silver hair just outside the barrier as they grappled and slashed at one another. With a snarl Leon hooked one arm around the Lapith¡¯s neck and turned around, yanking the head back over his shoulder.
But before the arm could finish its move the wolf launched off of the ground and flipped over backwards, planting his feet in Leon¡¯s gut. The blow knocked the Leon off balance and while he was unable to counter the wolf swept in from below and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up off the ground before driving him back down onto it with a massive amount of force.
The ground rumbled with the shock, and Lira cried out in surprise as Leon coughed up blood. The wolf looked over to her and snarled. It approached the barrier, leaving the wheezing Leon there to cough up blood.
Lira looked at the approaching wolf, he had a curious look in his eyes, as well as a less than pleasant one.
The Lapith were known for capturing women, this one seemed to have such aspirations.
But before it could get any closer to the barrier Leon threw himself on the back of the Lapith, sinking his teeth into the beast''s neck like some crazed animal. Blood sprayed all over, splashing all over the barrier and obscuring Lira¡¯s view.
With a sound that was a half growl half whimper the wolf threw himself on his back, crushing Leon who was currently clinging to him. The hard crash was enough to dislodge the teeth from out of the wolves neck, and stun the Leon. With a snarl that would scare even a demon the wolf flipped over and grabbed the now stunned Leon by the neck and started repeatedly bashing his head into the ground.
There was no movement from Leon.
¡°Leon?¡± Lira called softly, the Lapith was currently panting and holding its bleeding neck as it stood over the unmoving Leon. Turning it once again started to come towards Lira, this time noticeably slower.
But once again before making it more than a few steps it was stopped.
Looking down it saw there was a blood stained hand wrapped tightly around its ankles. Leon sat up, slowly, the back of his head was a bloody mess, and it looked like there were some claw marks all over his face.
But his eyes.
His eyes burned red like the fires of hell.
¡°Hey asshole, I''m not done with you.¡± he growled, and leaping up he grabbed the Lapis by the throat and slammed him into the ground. The wounded wolf attempted to crawl away with a whimper.
Leon walked forward, as he did large black wings sprouted from his back, and horns grew from his temples. Archaic writings spread out across the skin of his arms and neck.
¡°I am not done with you by a long shot.¡± he said, his voice going a level deeper than it wasnormal. Flying forward with an unbelievable speed he picked up the Lapith with a single hand.
¡°You shall turn to dust!¡± he growled and his eyes glowed with a fiery light, as if listening to a command the wolf in his hands drained of all color and turned into a statue, a soft wind blew and before their very eyes the Lapith was blown away as grains of dust.
The barrier faltered and fell, and rushing in Lira was about to grab onto Leon when he turned toward her.
That look.
The look of anger, rage, hatred.
Odium.
She halted, as he looked at her, was this Leon? The Leon that held her? The Leon that cared? The Leon that listened?
He looked at her with cold indifference.
No, she would not allow herself to lose the one person she cared for, her mother was gone, no one else loved her, she would not be alone in this world.
Tears in her eyes she threw herself into him and wrapped her arms around him.
Slowly the fire faded from his eyes, as did the wings on his back and runes on his skin. He looked down at the sobbing mess that was Lira who was holding onto him for dear life, almost like she was afraid that if she let go he would disappear.
With a smile he wrapped her in his arms and held her.
Far above them a shadowy figure looked down on them. ¡°Interesting, most interesting,¡± it laughed, and with a small sound it disappeared into thin air...
Chapter 16: His, now and forever
¡°Well then fluffy it looks like it is up to us.¡± Leon said, he and Krya¡¯s wolf looked over the two girls currently asleep on the ground. After the fight and the wolf¡¯s resurrection they had both passed out in exhaustion.
Leon scratched the massive wolf under the chin, it lowered its head leaning deeper into this scratching hand and half closed its eyes in pleasure. With a smile he brought his other hand up and scratched it even more vigorously.
After about a minute of petting he pulled his hands away, much to the massive wolf¡¯s displeasure. ¡°Wooo,wooo, woooooo.¡± it made a sound halfway between a cry and a bark as he pulled his hands away and looked at him with sorrowful eyes.
¡°Come on, we don''t have time for that, let''s get them back to camp.¡± he picked up Krya first and slung her over the wolf¡¯s back. Then he shouldered Lira himself. ¡°Alright fluffy, ill let you take her back first.¡± the wolf looked at him with a curious look in its eyes and its head cocked to the side. ¡°We will be fine fluffy, go, we will get there on our own, we have to go to different camps remember?¡±
The wolf made a short sound, before licking Leon on the face and turning around and bounding off. He smiled, and repositioning Lira on his back he set off on the way back to camp.
The sun rose over the ridge revealing the figure of a man, carrying a sleeping girl on his back as he walked down the road. He moved with ease as each step caused her robes to sway in rhythm with his walking. Making a yawning sound she slowly woke up, and realizing that he had carried her all night she felt a warm feeling in her chest.
A slight blush crept onto her face.
¡°Umm, I¡¯m awake, can you let me down please?¡± she asked in a small embarrassed voice. Kneeling down Leon let her down off his back. ¡°Have you been walking all night?¡± she asked.
¡°About thirty miles or so.¡± He nodded. She looked at him with a slightly worried expression on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± he laughed ¡°Thirty miles is nothing for me, I¡¯m fine¡± he reached out his hand and patted her head, she narrowed her eyes with a contented expression on her face.
¡°So where are we?¡± she asked, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings, the woods had long receded into the distance and they were currently on a road crossing a grassy plain dotted with wild flowers. The dirt and gravel road that they were on meandered into the distance weaving its way through the rolling hills farther than her eyes could see.
¡°About ten or fifteen miles away from the camp.¡± he said looking at her, then back on the road, and starting down the path.
She stretched herself out and quickly trotted to keep up with him. She watched him walking for several hours as they walked. She told herself it was because there was nothing else to look at out here. Honestly thought she was staring at him so she could unravel her feelings about this man.
Whenever she was close to him she felt so safe and happy, and when she next to him she felt so happy, even as she had difficulty drawing in her breath.
Was she?
Was she in love?
If she was, then what should she do? Her mother had talked to her about it once, back before the sickness had gotten so bad she had trouble talking. She remembered the Dark cell like room that was her mother¡¯s world. And the withering woman that had brought her into this world and loved her dearly with all she had.
¡°My little Lira, Don''t be like me.¡± she weeped as she held onto the small girl and hugged her with all of her strength. Lira remembered her mother¡¯s feeble limbs as they wrapped around her, holding her daughter close as she spoke.
¡°Don¡¯t be like me little lira, if you find someone you love hold onto them, and no matter what, no matter what, don''t ever let them go. Ever.¡± her mother smelled slightly of alcohol, and her eyes had the bloodshot look that accompanied her when she had been drinking.
She held her daughter at arm¡¯s length and looked her in the eyes. ¡°Do you hear me Lira? If you let him go he will leave you and you will be like me.¡± her red eyes were open wide with desperation. ¡°And you will hate your life every day.¡±
¡°Lira?¡± she heard a voice call, and blinking she was back in the present, looking around she realised she had stopped moving and Leon was standing in front of her calling her name. ¡°What is wrong?¡± he asked.
It was in that moment she made up her mind.
With a finger she beckoned to him, and as he leaned over she grabbed his face by either side and pressed her lips up against his. It was a quick motion and one that he had not expected, but to his credit he pulled her tight into the kiss after a split second of shock.
Her tongue explored the inner parts of his mouth, she ran it over the teeth, behind the lip and anywhere she could reach. Pulling away from him she blushed sweetly. ¡°We- ah, we don''t have to be back to the camp until tomorrow.¡± she said, not being able to look him in the eyes.
He smiled, he was not going to let an invitation like that pass.
Leaning over he picked her up princess style and carried her off the main road and back towards the soft rolling hills. Setting her down in the grass he leaned over her and planted a kiss on the exposed skin of her neck.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
With quick hands he pulled her robe off and his as well. Using the outer garments as blankets he lay her down on the padding. She looked up at him, before looking away with a cute expression.
She knew what was next, she may have never even kissed a man before Leon, but she instinctively knew what was going to happen. With shaking hands she started to undo her clothing. It was not that she did not want to do this, it was simply the fear of a new experience.
Her hands were trembling so bad she couldn''t get the buttons undone on her shirt, and with his surprisingly soft hand he wrapped both of her shaking hands up in a single firm grip. And with assured movements he slowly undid the buttons of her shirt.
When her chest was bared to the world she couldn''t help it, she removed her hands from his grip and covered her chest.
¡°Why do you cover up?¡± he asked, there was a soft tenderness to his voice, and a slightly husky tone to how he was speaking.
¡°It is embarrassing¡± she mumbled her face turning bright red as she looked away from the familiar.
¡°Is that so?¡± He asked with a touch of mirth in his voice.
It would seem he had to be the one in charge.
¡°Yes but,¡± she started but gasped when he removed her skirt with one swift motion. ¡°Wait, I just Wait!¡± she said in a startled voice, only to be silenced by a kiss from him. His tongue invaded her mouth, dancing and intertwining with her own.
There was something calming about that kiss, she stopped shaking once she felt his warm mouth press against her lips. He pulled away, and deftly removed her clothing, until she was fully naked infront of him.
¡°...aren''t you going to take off yours?¡± she mumbled, crossing her legs in a subconscious attempt to hide from view her stark nakedness. ¡°Its embarrassing if I am the only one...¡±
With a smile he pulled off the clothing he had been wearing, and her eyes went wide when she saw the weapon that was hidden underneath.
It was not the first time she had seen it, when he was summoned to this world he had been stark naked aswell, but now, it was larger, and standing upright.
There was no way. No possible way. It would never fit.
Contrary to her thought however he didn''t skewer her just then, with a wolfish grin he put his head between her legs and moved closer, she gave off an shiver as the familiar¡¯s breath brushed up against her lower lips.
With a practiced ease he spread her apart and began licking her in a place no one else¡¯s mouth had ever come even close to nearing.
His tongue twisted as it slowly penetrated her, adding his saliva to other liquids that she was currently excreting. She looked down at him as he moved around inside her, there was a mixture of fillings she could not even begin to comprehend right now running through her mind.
The fear, the embarrassment, the pleasure.
And more.
¡°Ahhh! Ahh!¡± she cried out as she climaxed. Her back arched as the muscles spasmed throughout her entire body.
He pulled his head up from between her legs and started to crawl forward, licking everywhere as he ran his tongue from her lower area up to the belly button. He paused for a split second, his warm tongue slowly cleaning out the cavity in the middle of her stomach, before tracing a wet line slowly up to her breasts.
They were small, she was almost flat chested, but that just added to her appeal, he slowly licked every inch of her small mounds, making sure to pay special attention to the areolas and nipples, which he playfully rolled around in his mouth.
But even as his mouth toyed with her up above he did not leave out her lower lips. With his spare hand he slowly reached between her thighs and inserted his middle finger. Her eyes went wide as something reached in even deeper then his tongue had invaded her sacred place.
He pushed a second finger in and slowly spread her hole open, as it was she would be unable to accommodate him, so he needed to arrange her size. Hooking his fingers ever so slightly he rubbed against the slick walls of her vagina. And he spread her open by opening the gap between his fingers.
Between this and the toying around with her chest she climaxed again. As she did she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life. He smiled and slipped his fingers out of her and looked deeply at her current twitching form and vacant expression.
Yes he would need to be the one in control here.
She shivered slightly as the warm summer breeze ran past her bare skin. And as the birds chirped and the sun shone down on the world he moved to make her into a woman.
With a smile he spread her apart with his spear, slowly at first, as he inched deeper and deeper into her. As he went in she gasped in pain, and her hands reached up and were placed flat on his chest in an attempt to grab onto him.
Even in the haze of pleasure and pain she looked down.
Where was the blood?
She had always read that there would be blood, that that was the mark of a pure maiden.
¡°I am a virgin I swear!¡± she said, looking down in shock and horror at the lack of blood.
What if he didn''t like her now?
What if he didn''t believe her?
Did he think she was a whore? A harlot? A loose woman?
Tears started to well up in her eyes.
It wasn''t supposed to be like this, there was supposed to be blood to show her purity. What must he think of her?
With a gentle hand he wiped away the tear that was forming in her eyes.
¡°There would only be blood if I didn''t do my job properly.¡± he said with a gentle smile, his red eyes gleaming with a soft light. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he whispered softly as he leaned in and stole her lips away for another kiss
Pushing in slowly he quickly reached her limit, sadly he was only halfway inside her, but it was as far as she could accommodate so he didn''t mind.
If he went any further she felt like her stomach might explode. Here he paused, allowing her to catch her breath, once she looked up at him again he started his movements, it started with a slow motion, but each time he entered her it felt like a bolt of energy ran up her spine.
The feeling of pleasure melted away all the previous pain and worries, as she lost herself in the moment.
With every time he pushed into her she made a soft moan, her eyes rolled back into her head and she found she could no longer think straight. Slowly his movements ramped up, until she felt like if he went any faster she would shatter into a million peices.
Much to her surprise however he stopped moving.
¡°Wha- wh-?¡± she panted out in confusion, even though it was her first time she felt like she wanted more, no she needed more.
With firm hands he picked her up off the ground and held her aloft, she wrapped her arms and legs around his thick torso to prevent herself from falling off as he stood up.
He felt like he was even deeper in her now, she didn''t know how much more she could fit inside of her. Using only the strength in his arms he started to lift her up and down.
This feeling.
This feeling would be her undoing.
With aggressive motions he controlled how she rose and fell, as he impaled her each time she fell. The cool breeze blew past the two of them, but neither paid it any mind.
They continued on in this position for several minutes before he lay her back down on the floor and placed a hand around her neck. Holding her in place this way he rammed her with more aggression than previously, as he pushed as far into her as possible.
She felt him press up against the entrance of her womb each time, throwing itself against the wall of flesh like an seige engine against a gate, sooner or latter he would enter.
With a final thrust harder than any of the rest he plunged deep and came to rest as far as she could humanly allow. She felt him tremble, and not just his body. His member swelled in size before a torrent of warm flowed out of him and into her stomach.
¡°AHHHHHH!¡± she screamed and locked her legs around his back as she felt the warmth enter her and she for the countless time today climaxed.
He stay there, leaning over her one hand still on her throat. ¡°You are mine.¡± he said in a low voice that almost resembled a growl.
She nodded, she was indeed his, now and forever.
Chapter 17: Merged
Lira opened her eyes, they were currently camped underneath a tree. The morning sky opened up and beckoned to them. The cool breeze blew past her naked skin, with a slight chill she snuggled up closer to Leon¡¯s warm skin.
She was sore, extremely sore, her hips, her thighs and yes even that down below, she felt like she had been stretched out and pushed in ways she never had before. But if that was the worse thing she felt after something so amazing as what had happened last night, then she was willing to put up with some discomfort.
The best and worse part was she didn''t have to worry about getting pregnant. There had been many documented cases of familiars mating with others of their race, and there was no offspring from such pairings.
Familiars were infertile.
It made her happy that she didn''t have to worry about contraceptives, or getting pregnant, which was the last thing she needed right now. But it also caused her to feel some sadness, what would their future together be like?
Leon wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, she looked up and was surprised to have found him awake.
¡°How long?¡± she started, her cheeks blushing slightly.
¡°I have been watching you all morning.¡± he laughed. ¡°You are different now.¡± he said looking at her with serious eyes.
¡°I suppose that is what they mean when they say you become a woman.¡± she laughed.
¡°Well that, I was referring to your horns however.¡± he said, and he reached out to her forehead, his hands wrapped around something, and when he pulled her head followed the motion of his hand.
¡°What!?¡± she shouted, sitting up and conjuring a pool of water to look at her reflection in.
She indeed had horns, they were white, and swept forward from her temples and curved around the front of her head. She softly touched them, before smiling.
¡°Do you know what this means?¡± she asked.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°I don''t, but now we are matching,¡± he said and he turned away hiding his face with a hand for a split second before turning back to her. When he did he had those horns on his head again like when he had taken down the Lapis.
His were slightly different, they curved back over his head from his forehead, they were also completely black, which looked quite nice over the top of his flame red hair.
¡°It means we truly trust each other now.¡± she said. ¡°We are truly one now, it is called merging, it happens when a familiar and a conjurer give each other there everything, they start to share some physical features, some Mages go their entire lives without ever merging.¡±
¡°Oh I have much more to give you.¡± he smiled as he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead in between the points of her horns.
She blushed sweetly before pulling away. ¡°We need to get back to camp, or they will be liable to leave us.¡± she got up and shook the loose grass off of her clothes before putting them on.
¡°Damn shame.¡± Leon sighed, ¡°It was such a beautiful morning...¡±
It only took them about an hour to get to the camp, this was due to Leon carrying Lira on his back as he ran. When they arrived the carriages were being packed and the camp was being torn down.
There was a commotion in the center of the camp, at the epicenter was krya, she was shouting and arguing with the teacher.
¡°I am telling you we killed a Lapis!¡±
¡°And I am telling you there are no Lapis around here.¡± her teacher responded with an annoyed look on her face.
¡°Well this one wondered far to get here then.¡±
¡°If that is so then where is the evidence? The trophy from the hunt?¡± the teacher sneered at the girl infront of her.
¡°I-I¡±
¡°You-you don''t have any because you didn''t kill one, even I would have trouble killing a Lapis, and you expect me to believe you and another student were able to do something I don''t know I would be able to?¡±
¡°I am sorry, it would seem my student Lira was a bad influence on young Krya here.¡± The waffle witch said. Lira shook her head, she would no longer be able to think of her by any other name no thanks to Leon. ¡°Speaking of which where is that girl?¡±
¡°I am here.¡± Lira said, the teachers turned towards her and Leon, and was about to say something when her eyes fell on the horns on Lira¡¯s head, and the ones on Leons. Her mouth fell open in shock and the only sound that passed through the camp was the sound of the wind and the movement of the horses.
¡°Hey Lira, can you answer my questions in a loud enough manner that everyone can hear them?¡± Leon asked a slight smile pulling up the corner of his mouth.
¡°Sure, what is it?¡±
¡°Is Mrs. Waffle Bitch merged with her familiar?¡± he asked, and lira smiled.
¡°No, she is not merged with her familiar.¡± she answered in a normal voice, it was clear that they were talking about her, as they were staring at her.
Mrs Waffle Bitch flushed red in anger.
¡°Is it normal for someone that old to not be merged?¡±
¡°No, it is not odd, most people can''t do it.¡± Lira said.
¡°Oh? Why is that?¡± he asked the smile growing larger on his lips.
¡°Well it is mostly due to a lack of trust.¡± she said simply, inside herself however she was freaking out, why was she going along with this? She had always been a person that kept her head down. So why was she doing this now?
¡°Thats sad¡± he said, slowly shaking his head, Lira didn''t need to say anything, everyone was able to get his meaning from the motion alone. ¡°Let''s go, we need to get our things packed and ready.¡± he said, he beckoned to Krya and fluffy as he had named the large wolf, and grabbed her hand and pulled them away to the tent they had used several nights ago, leaving the humiliated and fuming waffle witch behind with the rest of the students.
Chapter 18: I wont get in the way..
¡°Never before in my life have I been treated like this!¡± Krya fumed as she stomped around camp as Lira and Leon tore it down. She was being no help at all as she stormed around, even fluffy was more of a help than she was, se he tried to roll up the sleeping bags with his nose.
Though the way she was acting was honestly to be expected, she had always been the darling daughter of Wolfthir academy, she had perfect grades, perfect manners and was never to social or too antisocial with her fellow students.
She was in every sense of the word a perfect student, and beyond that a perfect noblewoman.
¡°What is she bitching about?¡± Leon asked, and Lira was about to answer but before she could he held up his hand to stop her. ¡°You know what nevermind, I really don''t care, just tell her to pack up some things.¡±
Lira looked over at Krya, she knew the type, she was the sort of person who was only interested in anything if it benefited her, so she was sure there was no good intentions behind her following Leon around.
Honestly it irked her to even have her near leon for that very reason, this woman was nothing but trouble, and she refused to live like her mother had, she would never let him go, even if it costed her her life.
¡°Leon said to get your lazy ass in gear and help us pack instead of complaining.¡± She growled, the words that came out of Lira¡¯s mouth surprised even her, why had she said that?
¡°He-hehehehehahahahahahahahah!¡± Leon let loose a small chuckle that soon turned into a full blown laugh. ¡°This merging, does it also give you part of my personality?¡± he asked as he straightened up and wiped the tear that had fallen from his ruby eyes.
¡°I-I don''t know normally it is a small change, something like eye color, or hair color.¡± this was abnormal, no one ever had mood or personality changes from a merger, but then again they were rare, so rare that they had not had much of a chance to be studied, so perhaps this was not out of the question.
¡°So the horns are a little strange Huh?¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
¡°Yes, not unheard of, but different than the status quo, but then there is my attitude, to have it shift so suddenly...¡±
¡°Perhaps it is not magic.¡± he said with a shrug. She looked over at him with her head cocked to the side, the loose silver hair fell across her face and was caught by the horn on the left side, it gave her an adorable look of sure curiosity.
¡°How do you mean?¡± she asked, pulling the hair out of her eyes, and tucking it behind her ears.
¡°Well people have a limit, they could have just reached yours, but I personally think it might be a psychological change in you.¡± he looked her up and down. ¡°You are not a girl anymore, you are a woman, you became this when you became my woman, and no matter what anyone says it is not the age that makes a person a child or an adult. It is the thought process.¡±
¡°Wha-¡± she started but was interrupted by Leon.
¡°When someone is there to fall back to, there to rely others opinions don''t matter anymore, at least not as much, seeing as you now have someone else.¡± he nodded to himself. ¡°So it is not that you are more bold now, it is simply that you no longer care what they think, as you have found something more important.¡±
He smiled boldly and looked over at her, ¡°Me.¡±
¡°As if,¡± she scoffed and started to put away the bag of clothes she had packed. ¡°Your conceited. ¡±
¡°I am merely confident in myself, you are mine, that is how it is, there is no reason to hide this.¡± he laughed to himself.
¡°You know, listening to you two talk is equal parts fascinating and annoying.¡± Krya said, and ot her credit she was helping pack things.
¡°Oh? How so?¡± Lira asked, not bothering to look up at the other girl.
¡°Well I can only understand one half of the conversation, so I have to guess and infer what he is saying based on your reactions and expressions, in a short amount of time it has taught me many things about the two of you, perhaps more than it would have if I could understand him and didn''t require so much attention.¡±
¡°Oh and what have you learned?¡± Lira asked, there was a sharp edge to her voice.
¡°That you don''t like me much, and that the two of you are in an intimate relationship, and that you are afraid I will stand in between the two of you.¡± Lira froze up. ¡°How was that?¡± Krya asked with a smile on her lips.
¡°I don''t know what you are talking about,¡± Lira said, not looking over at the other girl, there was a noticeable quiver in her voice.
¡°Normally you would be treated like an outcast, a freak, having a sexual relationship with your familiar, however I think your situation is different.¡± Lira looked over at Krya. ¡°You should stop worrying about what others think.¡± Krya smiled ever so slightly, it was clear that the near emotionless girl was trying very hard to show her how she was feeling.
¡°Krya I-¡± Lira started, but was interrupted by Krya.
¡°Let me finish please, as for me stealing him away from you, well that is not something you really have to worry about is it? I mean I know the two of you are in a contract of partners, equals, but that still means you own him and he owns you.¡± Krya chuckled softly to herself. ¡°I envy you to be honest, I have never had anyone I have ever felt close enough to devote myself to.¡± she looked back over and flashed a smile, it had an adverse effect however, just showing how sad and lonely she was. ¡°Dont worry, I wont get in the way.¡±
Chapter 19: we are going to be late...
It had been a good day or two since they had said their goodbyes to the Wolfthir academy and their students, this had included Krya and fluffy, and since then they had a full day to rest and relax after the trip back.
But that day was over and it was time to resume the usual schedule.
¡°Wait, you''re telling me that the classes we were going to were the light version?¡± Leon asked, the look of disbelief on his face was quite comical.
Lira sat in front of a mirror brushing her hair, honestly these horns were beautiful, but they made the task of brushing her hair that much more difficult. Was it not already enough to have to put up with the split ends and the tangles she had to fight every morning.
¡°Yes, we only had a few classes as we needed extra time to get to know our familiars, we will now be resuming the normal schedule,¡± she said, pulling on a particularly tangled section of her hair. ¡°We are going to have a least ten or so classes a day for the next two or so months.¡±
Leon groaned and flopped himself over on the bed and lay there face down, it was almost enough to make her laugh.
¡°Well it is your own fault, you said you wanted us to be done with school early, so I picked up more classes.¡±
Leon sat up and looked over at her with pointed eyes. ¡°Don''t be pushing this off on me, it was your choice to take so many classes.¡±
¡°I am not pushing it off on you, i am just telling you we have ten classes to attend today and nine tomorrow. ¡± she said, a small smile pulling at the corner of her lips. He may not want to go, but she was glad he was going to be there, not that she would ever tell him this, but if he was there nothing seemed so bad.
¡°So what is our first class?¡±
¡°We will be going to the defence class which is done by professor Tirmlo.¡±
¡°Oh? So not that waffle bitch?¡±
¡°I have been meaning to ask, what is a waffle?¡±
¡°You have never had one? Well it is a wonderfully fluffy bread like substance that typically has some sweet substance like a syrup spread across the top of it, they are awesome.¡±
¡°If they are awesome then why would you attribute that to that woman?¡± Leon paused when she said this.
¡°You have a good point, from now on she will just be the bitch.¡± he said, nodding to himself in the most serious manner. Lira laughed a little to herself. Leon got up and walked up behind her and placed his chin on her shoulder. ¡°So, how long do we have until class starts?¡± he asked.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
¡°A-About an hour and a half,¡± she stammered, blushing deeply.
¡°Plenty of time,¡± he growled softly, reaching around the chair to fondle her soft chest.
¡°Leon we cant, people will hear us, and -and.¡± she whispered, her cheeks becoming more and more blushed.
¡°I don''t particularly care if they hear or not.¡± he whispered, his lips brushing her ear.
¡°No, you can¡¯t, I command you to stop,¡± she said in the strongest voice she could muster, she wanted him to stop not because she didn''t want it, but because she doubted she would be on time if they started, she feared she would indulge herself too much if they started.
¡°You seem to be forgetting something.¡± he growled, his lips still close to her ear.
¡°Wh-what is that?¡± she asked, her heart was beating fast, and she was drawing in short gasping breaths.
¡°I''m the dominate one.¡± he growled, before biting her earlobe. The pain she felt mixed with the feeling of lust she had welling up in her veins as he picked her up and threw her on the soft fluffy bed.
He didn''t even other removing her nightgown he simply moved it up past her hips and slid the panties to the side. He pulled the nightgown down past her small breasts pinning her arms to the side before straddling her torso.
Her breasts were too small to give him an actual boob job, but to her credit she tried very hard to wrap the small breasts around him.
This feeling, this warmth pressing against her chest.
He might be the dominant one, but he was her Dom. The thoughts of making it to class on time all but melted from her mind as she submitted to him. He might act rough, but he never hurt her, and there was a sort of soft gentleness to his touch, even as he did things like this.
Arms still pinned to her side he picked her up from under the armpits and flipped her over, placing her rear in the air and her face down against the white sheets.
¡°No- wait this is,¡± she couldn''t believe she was currently like this, her rear was up in the air, with her legs spread and she was showing him everything, it was, it was embarrassing.
He smiled, there was already a thin stream of liquid coming out, this was enough right? He quickly pulled his pants down and freed the flesh that had been straining against the fabric underneath.
He slipped inside her as far as he could go. In response she bit down on a section of the sheet to keep the moans muffled.
God, it felt so good, she was worried it would hurt like it had at first last time, but it would appear that just happens on the first time. She bit the fabric harder every time he slid in, and grunted out a muffled sound.
¡°Uhhhhhh,¡±
The movements soon became the only thing that was on her mind as she felt him becoming one with her, this was, this was too much. She felt like if this kept up she would never return to normal, never be able to think straight.
Then something happened that she had never expected. A swift hand came down and slapped her on the rear. Her eyes flew open as she felt the stinging blow on her behind, it came again, and she found that even through the pain she felt the pleasure, no more to the point every time his hand fell, she felt more pleasure.
By the time the third spank came down she felt a tidal wave rushing through her body. She arched her back and in the motion ripped a piece of the sheet off in her mouth, her vaginal walls tightened, working in conjunction with the twitching of his penis.
She screamed.
Even through the cloth gag she had made herself it was loud.
She couldn''t help it, she also found she didn''t care anymore, she was after all his.
He was her dom and she was his sub.
He pulled back and looked at Lira, she was currently flopped down on the bed, a piece of the sheet still in her mouth, her arms still pinned to her side by the nightgown, and white liquid leaking out of her twitching lower lips.
Add all this to the contented look on her face made him want to go again, unfortunately they had things to do today.
¡°Come one we are going to be late,¡± he said with a smile on his face. She recovered enough to shoot him an angry look, and mumbled something along the lines of:
¡°We wouldn''t have been late if not for you...¡±
Chapter 20: transfer student
They were indeed late.
Class had already been going for a good ten minutes by the time they had showed up at the door of the room. The thick wood and iron door was slightly ajar, and Lira paused outside of it, listening to the current lecture that was going on inside.
It was about shielding wards, a subject that she knew a lot about, so if he asked her a few questions due to being late she would know the answers, and he would, it was what he always did, whenever a student was late he liked to grill them asking them on the subject he was currently teaching just to show them that they needed to be there for his lectures.
She had a moment of crisis, perhaps she could just go back for this class. Showing up late was rude right? It interrupted the teacher, and the student¡¯s learning. She could go back with Leon and¡
No, she shook her head, she couldn''t , not right now anyway it had taken her almost an hour to wash the smell off of her body.
His smell.
She actually liked the way it was, the smell was invigorating, but it was not something she could go into public smelling like or into the classroom.
She would also need to get new sheets¡
That was a worry for another time however, taking a deep breath she conjured up all of her courage and opened the door. The door made the loudest creek she had ever heard in her life, and would not stop for what seemed like an eternity. She cringed inside as every set of eyes looked over at her, and professor stopped his lecture to look over at the two of them.
Several sets of knowing eyes and smirks flashed her way, and she blushed deeply. All of those staires were her neighbors, they had undoubtedly heard the noises coming from her room this morning, it would not be too long before it spread through all the school, and possibly further.
She knew she shouldn''t feel ashamed, she had found a man that loved her, and would never leave her and truly understood her? What could cause a woman to be more proud? But she still had that lingering feeling in the back of her mind, that fear of being ostracized more than she was already.
¡°Ah, Miss Vas Lirtus, how kind of you to join us.¡± Mr Tirmlo said. He pointed over to her assigned seat, it was in the far back of the room to the right side, as such it was elevated above others as each successive row of seats was set on a slightly higher platform to allow them to have a full view of the professor and his or her teachings. ¡°Please, take a seat.¡± as she started to walk back there, head down, face burning with shame however he spoke up again. ¡°Miss Vas Lirtus?¡± he asked, Lira turned around and looked at him, half way sitting in her seat. ¡°I do hope that your, erm, extra curricular activities do not get in the way of attending class on time again.¡± he said, a slight smile on his face, as he glanced over at Leon.
Lira¡¯s blush deepened and she thought she might die right there and now from the embarrassment of that moment. To make matters worse, several people started laughing at that comment the professor had thrown out, showing that it was not only her neighbors that knew but also several other people and even her professor.
She was going to die.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
¡°Ah, now, Miss Vas Lirtus, since you have deemed my class as less essential that exploring, erm, other subjects could you please tell me the properties of a Bingeir shield and the history of who developed it? ¡±
She knew this, she had it memorized, but she was having an awful time remembering it right now with her feelings and thoughts all in a jumble.
And as she tried to think about it the more she found she couldn''t remember, and and.
Then there was a warm hand on her shoulder.
Looking over Leon had placed his hand there and had given her a simple nodd.
He believed in her, and it was at this moment she truly realised something, that his trust, his belief, that was the only thing that truly mattered. She calmed down, that was right, why did she care about what they all thought? She had Leon, she didn''t need anyone else¡¯s approval.
¡°Miss Vas Lirtus? Do I need to repeat the question for you?¡± he asked, a cocky smile on his lips.
¡°No professor, I appologize, my mind was on other matters.¡± she said clearly, she held her head up straight, her cheeks were still slightly flushed, but the fear and embarrassment was gone from her eyes. ¡°The Bingeir shield is a third rank C level shield that was created by Sir Michael Bingeir in the year 1451 of the lord emperor Gladius, second era.¡± she paused and took a deep breath. ¡°It was an attempt to create a better version of the Ashir shield, however it failed and is roughly a third of the blocking power and potential of said shield.¡±
Professor Termlo¡¯s smile slowly started fading off of his lips.
¡°The relatively low mana cost of the shield and the ease and quickness of the spell however meant it was not a total failure. In fact it is one of the most successful creations in all of magi history, as it allowed Emperor Gladius to have all of his army shielded, including his peasant knights as one fully trained mage would be capable of casting over 35 of these shields at once.¡±
The professor¡¯s face had started to grow dark.
¡°As such Emperor Gladius was able to sweep through almost any fight with minimal casualties, as no one thought that peasants, who were incapable of magic would be covered with a magic shield.¡± she paused to collect her thoughts. ¡°The creator of the spell Sir Michael Bingeir was awarded the title of right had of the emperor due to the creation of this shield, and would later marry into the empire¡¯s royal blood line, becoming the twelfth in line for the throne.¡±
She stopped and looked at the now brooding professor, ¡°Would you like me to go over the modern applications for the sheild professor?¡±
¡°No, that is good enough.¡± he growled holding up his hand, he was no longer in such a good mood. He was about to start his lecture again when the door creaked open. ¡°What is it now?¡± he snapped turning towards the door with a snarl. His attitude quickly changed however when he saw who was standing there. ¡°Headmistress, my apologies.¡± he stammered, leaning low for a deep bow. ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure?¡±
The headmistress was a tall woman, looking to be in her forties, she had blonde hair pulled back into a bun that was held together by a single silver clip. Even in her forties she was a good looking woman, with tight skin, and high cheekbones, but the most attractive feature about her was those eyes.
They were the clearest blue anyone had ever seen, like looking into the endless sky.
She waved the groveling professor Termlo off, and reached around the corner, pulling into view a girl. ¡°I have brought to your class a transfer student, she comes from the Wolfthir academy, and has decided that she will receive a better education at our Grulik School of Magic, I do hope you can prove her correct professor.¡± she said curtly before turning and walking away.
Professor Termlo was sweating bullets, but he picked himself back up and beckoned for the girl to enter, she was followed in by a massive wolf that barely was able to fit through the door by crawling on its belly. ¡°Come introduce yourself.¡±
The girl looked over the class, her eyes pausing for an extra second on Lira and Leon, a small smile briefly passed over her face as she saw them, she bowed to the class before standing up and announcing: ¡°I am Krya Millsra, of clan Gremor, I am pleased to be your fellow student.¡± she did a small curtsey. She looked over at the professor. ¡°May I choose where I sit?¡± she asked, Mr Termlo nodded.
Practically every guy in the room cleared a place for her to sit next to them, but they all stopped moving when the heard a scraping noise, looking back they all watched as leon pulled a table closer to his and Lira¡¯s and cleared a large spot.
¡°Here fluffy,¡± he whistled, the wolf practically jumped for joy and ran right over to Leon, before rolling over and allowing the man to rub his belly. Krya smiled and walked over, sitting in the spot Leon had just made for her.
¡°Lira, Leon.¡± she nodded to them with a small smile, greeting them both. She looked back at the shocked look of the other students and the professor. ¡°This spot will be sufficient.¡± she said, ¡°Now please continue your lecture.¡±
Mr. Termlo looked at those four in the back of his class room and sighed, today just wasn''t his day.
Chapter 21: interrupting lunch...
¡°Oh thank God,¡± Leon sighed as he slumped on the warm sun baked earth outside. It seemed fluffy felt the same way seeing as he was currently rolling around in the grass with a happy growl.
They had been in classes since early this morning. First was the defence class with professor Termlo, then was a course in history, and finally was a class in hexes and offensive magics.
The last one was interesting, it was neat to see how Lira did with different magics.
Magic in this world appeared to be a fairly archaic form of magic, requiring both a catalyst and also a chant. Some times blood, sometimes a powder of unknown origin, it just depended on which spell and the strength of the spell that the caster was going for.
As it would turn out Lira was great at defensive skills and spells, but in terms of offensive abilities, well let us say she was lacking.
Majorly so.
Most people would be able to cast a hex, especially by their second year at the school, in fact they would typically be able to cast quite a few at the end of their first term.
Lira on the other hand, well she had been trying for the past two years, and she had yet to even cast a single spell that had anything to do with offensive abilities.
And it wasn''t for lack of trying.
She applied herself, to the task with a sort of vigor that was awe inspiring, sadly the results were less so.
With a sigh Leon picked himself back up and helped out the two girls who were currently setting up a blanket beneath a tree.
They were not alone, there was plenty of people that were sitting out here on the fields, it would appear that this is a common place for such things. Food was brought out to them by a servant in a basket.
Hmm, this was an odd way to go about lunch, but then again everyone here was some sort of aristocrat or noble, so having someone bring them there lunch was most likely a normal thing. Inside were perfectly cut sandwiches, and bowls of some sort of red liquid, it might be a soup, and somehow, even with the speed at which the basket had been brought the bowls had not spilled even slightly.
That was one skilled servant.
Lira opened the basket and handed out the bowls and a sandwich to each of them. Leon, not waiting for anyone started to eat his fill, it would appear that it was filled with some sort of thinly sliced meat that had a peppery after taste to it and also a leafy green that tasted like it was lettuce but had a slightly softer texture to it. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
It was simple, but that is what made it so good.
¡°Excuse me,¡± all three of them looked up at the group of people interrupting their meal.
A group of young men were standing on the edge of the blanket Lira and Krya had laid down.
¡°What is it Simon?¡± Lira asked, her voice was slightly clipped, but not uncourteous.
¡°I wasn''t talking to you.¡± he growled. Leon closed his eyes for a brief second and though he didn''t know what the boy had just said, he knew it was rude. Leon tossed his sandwich over to fluffy, who happily caught it out of thin air and started to gobble it down. Standing up he stepped in front of the visitors.
Leon was a full head taller than the biggest one there, add this with his beard, red eyes, the horns and the pure hateful look he was currently sporting and well he was an intimidating force to be reckoned with.
He didn''t say a word, he didn''t need to, it was more than enough to stand mere inches away from this boy¡¯s face.
¡°I-I uh,¡± the boy was clearly rattled by Leon¡¯s aggressive demeanor, but to his credit he continued on. ¡°I was here to ask if Miss Millsra would join us for lunch?¡± he hid his fear behind a surprisingly effective mask of haughtiness. ¡°I am from Clan Hilron, an ally clan to your clan Gremor.¡±
¡°I see,¡± Krya sighed, she was in a little bit of a pickle here, if she was rude to this Simon of Hilron then she would surely bring trouble to herself and her clan. The alliance between clan Gremor and clan Hilron had only just stabilized, and was still sitting on the edge of another war.
She was about to get up and go with them when Lira spoke up. ¡°You come in here, you act rude to me, and then you attempt to force my guest to leave, you have some balls going against the Vas Lirtus family like that.¡± she said crossing her arms.
¡°Shut up you half breed bitch.¡± Simon shot back, and when he did a hand clamped around his throat. With a look of ease Leon lifted the posh mage off the ground and held him at arm¡¯s length.
The others started to make a move to attack Leon, but all of them backed down when Leon turned his fiery gaze at them. The boy in his hands struggled valiantly, kicking and hitting, but none of these things were doing anything to Leon, it was almost like he didn''t feel them.
¡°That is enough!¡± A voice called out, stern and commanding, looking over Leon saw the headmistress from this morning standing there. ¡°Put him down.¡± she said in a strong voice.
Leon didn''t need a translator to understand what she was saying. With a casual toss he deposited the boy on the ground with no ceremony or grace. Simon just flopped there, panting before picking himself up and shouting in a rage.
¡°How dare this lowly beast put his hands on me!¡± he started ranting, but stopped as soon as the headmistress shot him a look. ¡°I demand punishment be given.¡±
¡°None will be given, you were the instigator, and as such you bear the responsibility of the action and reaction.¡± the headmistress said in a manor of fact sort of way.
¡°What? This is preposterous! If you will not punish him then I will go to my father!¡±
¡°Thats right run back to daddy!¡± Lira said with a smile, Leon had to fight the urge to burst out laughing.
¡°Why you!¡± He took a step forward, only to be blocked by Leon again.
¡°Miss Vas Lirtus, if you would please not instigate this or I may be forced to include you in my reprimandation.¡± she looked over at Simon ¡°Mr. Simon, I will remind you that your father, and no other nobles have any sway over this school, it is one of the core tenets of my academy.¡±
¡°Fine if you will not punis them then I will.¡± he pointed his hand at Leon, three fingers extended and the rest folded back towards his palm, with a quick motion he drew a straight line down his chest and held the hand there almost like he was waiting for a response.
¡°He is challenging you to a duel Leon.¡± Lira told him.
¡°How do I accept?¡±
¡°Repeat the motion he just did.¡±
¡°Understood.¡± and with a quick motion he matched Simon.
¡°It will be tomorrow at noon, I expect to see you there.¡± he growled and turned away leaving.
The headmistress sighed and adjusted the glasses sat on the tip of her nose. ¡°Lira, just make sure he doesn''t kill him, it would be a hard thing to justify to his father.¡±
¡°Understood ma¡¯am.¡± Lira nodded.
Chapter 22: Not even a fight...
Professor Mitra sat down in the teacher¡¯s areas of the stands, Sadly, Argond was not able to join her here today. She looked at the poor poor student that was down on the right hand side of the field.
He had no Idea what he was getting into.
Infact most people had no Idea, the ones that were there when she had summoned him were sworn to secrecy about what had transpired in that summoning room. The Headmistress had seen to that, making it amply clear that if word got out that this familiar was able to break s class binding then the punishment would be much worse than a simple expulsion. And in a society where the political field is played every waking moment and even some sleeping ones, giving someone ammunition like your expulsion from the academy was akin to political suicide.
So they had all kept their mouths shut.
This included her and Argond, the two instructors who had helped summon this monstrosity.
¡°So what do you think Mrs. Mitra, how long before this familiar buckles under the weight of the Hilron Clan¡¯s protege?¡± asked a man sitting on her right, his name was Gremond if she remembered correctly. ¡°We are running a bet, care to throw your wager in?¡±
¡°What are we betting?¡± she asked looking over at the man, he was a fairly tall and well built man, nothing too impressive to look at but also not too bad on the eyes.
¡°Whatever you want.¡± he smiled.
¡°Fine, I am betting on grading homework.¡± she said with a smile.
¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°If I win you will all have to grade all the essays, and other homework I give this year, if I lose I will do the same for you all.¡±
¡°That hardly seems fair, seeing as there are twenty other people in this betting pool, do you really think you can grade that many people¡¯s assignments?¡± he asked, he was looking at her with a queer look.
¡°Perhaps I am just confident in my wager?¡± she said with a small laugh. ¡°Take it or leave it.¡±
¡°Fine, we agree, but what pray tell is the bet? 35 seconds? A minute?¡±
¡°Winner.¡± she stated simply.
¡°Winner?¡±
¡°Yes I am betting the familiar will be the winner.¡±
¡°This is the Iron Clan Hilron¡¯s most favored son, the one they have poured all their knowledge into, the one they have placed to rise up and be the next clan leader...¡± he trailed off, what exactly was this woman saying? Did she not realise who this familiar¡¯s opponent was?
¡°I know all that.¡± she laughed. ¡°And it won''t even be a fight...¡±
[Dueling grounds]
Leon looked across the field.
Standing there was that Simon kid from yesterday. He was standing there all proud and cocky, Leon smiled at his naivety, he had no idea, Leon could kill him in a split second, but where would be the fun in that? And Lira had told him specifically not to kill, she never said anything about not maiming however.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
The crowds were abuzz with talk, this event was really unprecedented, and not all the talk was good for simon. Simon could hear the scattering whisperes about how he was fighting with a Familiar, a being that most people saw as nothing more than a soulless puppet, a servant whose only purpose was to do their master¡¯s wills.
It didn''t cast Simon in a good light.
And it did nothing to improve his mood.
He didn''t have to wait long, soon a thunderous sound of a horn range out.
¡°It is unfortunate that you had to come up against me, but be proud, you will lose to the future Clan leader of Hilron, you can proudly tell your children that you fought up against the great Simon of Hilron!¡±
Leon¡¯s left eye started twitching in annoyance, he had no idea what the other had just said, but he had a feeling he needed to educate him.
Simon blew a kiss to a group of screaming young women and pulled his wand from its holder on his belt with a huge amount of flourish. The wand was much like its owner, showy and gaudy, it was black and was covered in a ridiculous amount of ornate runes and intricate designs.
Leon on the other hand simply smiled, standing there, face concealed in darkness, the fiery gleam of his eyes was the only light that could be seen. if one word would be used to describe him it would be ominous.
Or perhaps demonic.
The two contrasted each other, one gilded and gaudy, the other dark and foreboding. Not liking the feeling the other was giving him Simon decided to make the first move. Using a complex pattern he weved his want through the air, while with his free hand he pulled out a ritual blade, and slit his own palm.
Swapping hands he held the wand in the bloodied hand, still causing it to dance in the air all the while chanting.
Blood splattered in a circle around Simon, and wherever the blood landed the ground would groan and rise.
So he was like that bitch, a summoner of some sort, Leon nodded to himself, not moving even slightly as he watched the show Simon was putting on for him.
Soon out of the ground rose four things that looked like knights adorn in plate armor. With a flick of his wrist Simon sent them forward to attack Leon.
The knights didn¡¯t rush him, but rather started circling like wolves on the prowl. Every few steps one or the other would reach out with an experimental poke or swing to test Leon¡¯s defense. Each time the blade would near Leon he would dodge with a hair of distance between him and the blade.
This dance continued on for almost a minute. Simon was soaked in sweat, there was no way he would be able to continue this for very long, he had to get him now, or he would run out of strength, and there was no way he would allow himself to loose this, not with his entire clan watching.
¡°Are you going to fight? Or just dance around like a coward?¡± he called out. Leon had no way of knowing what the man just said simply smiled. Cursing Simon ordered the knights to move in and be more aggressive.
Leon decided he would call these knights by numbers.
Number three poked out again, and Leon was able to see that he had slightly over extended his reach, so with a dash he stepped into the arc¡¯s range. He used his right backhand to deflect the blade by slapping the flat. Grabbing the wrist of the Knight he twisted.
A cracking sound could be heard.
With little effort Leon ripped the hand off the knight, and pried the blade out of its hand. In a flash Leon did something no one would have thought of, reaching out with his right hand he grabbed the blade of his newly acquired sword and let go with his left hand from the pummel, so he was only holding the blade. And with a flip of his wrist he swung the sword around and bashed the pummel into the Knight¡¯s head, using the handle of the blade like a mace.
The knight stood there for a second, head caved in from the overwhelming blow. This didn''t last long however, as soon hairline cracks showed on it, and it soon shattered into a fragmented pile of dust.
The entire world was silent.
Looking over at Simon Leon threw a smile. A smile that would have scared a mass murderer.
Simon ordered the rest to attack, but it was to no use.
Rushing forward with a speed that no human should possess he threw himself into the group of remaining knights. Dancing swiftly he battered them with the pommel of the blade like it was a weighted hammer, each strike was too fast to be seen and left behind after images.
Soon the entire troop Simon had summoned was gone, turned to a fine dust in front of his eyes.
Simon stood there in shock, how was this possible, this couldn''t be happening.
This was all a bad dream right?
He was going to wake up and see this was all a bad dream right?
Faster than the eye could see Leon brought his sword down and slapped the flat of the blade against Simon¡¯s face. The man fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, all grace gone from his form, he even spat out some blood and teeth all over the ground.
The crowd was silent.
¡°On the battlefield the price for arrogance is life.¡± Leon said, with a deep voice, he walked over and picked up the wand Simon had dropped. Simon spat out some more blood, and tried to push himself off the ground, but he quickly found he had no strength to stop Leon.
A loud and clear crack sounded out as Leon snapped the wand in half.
The crowd inhaled a large breath, in a single moment he had put the arrogant little lord in his place, and with a single moment he had achieved total dominance.
And he had broken his wand, the ancestral wand of Clan Hilron.
Leon tossed the blade in his hand along with the bits of wand and turned and walked away with Lira, Krya, and Fluffy.
The second they left the crowds burst into conversation about what had just happened. Only one person wasn¡¯t talking about it, and that was professor Mitra , she was too busy thinking about all the free time she would have not haveing to grade this entire year...
apologies
Ok so first of all, I would like to apologise for not posting yesterday. I was about halfway through writing the chapters for that day when I got a phone call from my mother telling me that my uncle had just passed away due to a car accident.
So I dropped what I was doing, called in to work to let them know that I would not be there and me and the wife headed out to kentucky, which is where we are right now. I do not have access to my computer seeing as it is back in kansas where I live so there will also be no chapter today(sorry, I am writing this via my iphone)
Once again I am sorry for the chapter delays, this really was an unexpected event and I hope you all understand. I should be back home wednesday so I will try my damnedest to get a chapter out for you by then.
I write to help relieve stress, so trust me I will be doing a lot of that once I get home.
On the weekends I don''t post anything that doesn''t mean I don''t write, as an apology have a sneak peak(first half of chapter 1) at a fiction I have been writing in the past month or so, it is called Penance and it is a little different from what I normally write, think spice and wolf meets Demon¡¯s souls and you will have a good Idea of what it will be like.
I am really sorry, I will hopefully see you all again tomorrow with some chapters...
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The road lay out before him was a long one, with the sound of a rustling leather, he rose to his feet. His paint horse looked over. A slight pang of loneliness crept in, but he brushed it aside with a shrug and a sigh.
His red hair was close cropped, as he might have to go many days between baths, it was easier to keep short hair. On his chin was a short red beard; he remembered his father having one and felt that one suited him as well, he didn¡¯t let it grow to far as to be a hassle, but it was a noticeable length. Coupled with his blue eyes there was no way anyone would mistake him for anything other than a Kalrnian from the northern country.
He put his left foot in the stirrup and swung his right leg over the horse. Every time he mounted he remembered his training.
¡®We mount from the near side, do you know why boy?¡¯ In his memory, he remembered his meek self as almost another person; it had truly been a different world and life back then. ¡®It is so that you don¡¯t get your sword stuck. If you mount from the off side your sword will prevent the movement of your leg over the horse, thus making it so you cannot mount.¡¯
A small smile spread across his face as he remembered the gruff old Knight; the man that had taken him from his life and forged him anew. It was all just another reminder of what had been lost.
Of the sins he had committed and those he had done to him.
He shook his head clearing the thoughts out of it, they would do him no good here, in this moment.
The horse snorted as though it understood and he patted the beast¡¯s neck in appreciation.
Due to the hot summer day, he wore only a hardened leather and chain gambeson, greaves, and boots. Opting to leave the heavier, thicker iron plate in the bags behind his saddle. The bastard sword he had tied to his hip however stayed where it was. Though the weight and size of the blade made movement more difficult, he refused to have it leave his side.
He and the paint moved at a slow canter as they crest the ridge. The path on which they traveled had not to long ago been frequented by peddlers He could tell the merchants had been through here by the wagon marks in the now dry path.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Now however. Now there was not a soul in sight.
This was to be expected however, no one would ever travel this close to a demon¡¯s lair willingly.
Well, almost no one¡
At the top of the hill he pulled back on the reins, slowing his horse and looking out over the plains before him. About halfway down the hill, the forest suddenly disappeared into flowing into waves of gold. Had there been people living here, they would have gotten a full harvest of wheat this year.
Over the crest of the next hill the tip of a spire could be seen, its white wash peeled away revealing the clay and straw bricks underneath. At the top of the building a large copper bell gleamed in the sun.
It struck him as gaudy to be this far from a large town and to have such a tall chapel in the middle of no man¡¯s land. The bell stood out defiantly as though tempting anyone to attack the building. The knight had the upmost respect for the men of the forward churches, as they went to spread their faith into lands that were hostile to them. This however was not a forward church; this establishment was much too grand to be the home of an errant priest.
Though its coloring was peeling from the walls, this church was quite well off.
Large double doors backed with steel bars stood wide open, almost like they were opened from the inside instead of breached. Scars marred the wooden surface, telling tales of the valiant defence of the wall.
Of humanity''s last stand here.
The courtyard was filled with peach and hawthorn trees. The once kempt lawns and walkways told of the skill of the groundskeeper. All of this however was juxtaposed by the dried stains of dark reddish brown and the scattered remains of its inhabitants. Dismounting he lead his horse over to the stable found on the left side of the entrance.
He pulled the blade free from the leather scabbard, it made a hushed sound as the blade slid free. He propped the blade on his gambersoned shoulder and started looking around, it was his job to return this area to humanity.
He pulled the armor down off of the horse and went about putting it on.
He was clothed in cotton over which he wore a leather gambeson greaves and boots, and over that he put on the iron plated armor; all in all he was wearing three layers of protection. The layers were heavy, but their purpose was to protect, not for comfort. Picking up the bastard blade he rested it on his shoulder and made his way inside.
He had work to do.
[Inside the fallen church.]
She sighed as she leaned up against the bars of her cell.
Honestly , how had she gotten here? How had she, the most powerful demon to walk the lands in the past 150 years gotten captured by some upstart?
The simple answer?
She had been cocky.
This place drained her power away, not all of it but the holy places of humans definitely weakened her, couple this with her underlings supposed loyalty to her and her cause, his betrayal had caught her by surprise.
It shouldn''t have, he was after all like her, a demon.
If she was being at all honest with herself she would have to admit the plan he had set was indeed a great one. It had almost all the bases covered, she had come out here to congratulate the young demonlord, it was important to keep her troop''s morale up during this long and arduous war with the humans.
Humans.
They may be one of the lesser races, neither their strength nor their numbers gave them any advantages. Rather there ingenuousness, there tactical savvy, and the unbelievable determination they possessed were the reasons they were so hard to deal with.
This war between human and, well, everyone else was one that was started long before her time, it was one passed down to her from her father.
With a sigh she pressed her head against the bars of her cage, she had to get out of here and punish that little bastard who thought he could not only take her place but also that she would submit to him, both physically as well as sexually.
As if she would ever lay with a bastard like him, even in this weakened state he would never try to lay a hand on her, lest he lose the hand.
She was looking around her cell for any means of escape when she felt it. The presence of someone, of someone human. Though dampened her sinces might be there was no way she would have missed that feeling, it was something that had been drilled into her from childhood.
A human was here?
Why? To reclaim the area? It couldn''t be, how would one human mange to do that? It was not possible.
Was it?
She shook her head, perhaps not, but if he could make it this far, maybe she could tempt him to open her cell door¡
Sighing and shoved aside the pride that was in every fiber of her body she opened her mouth and shouted, for the first time in her life she called for help.
Update...
So I am still in Kentucky, sorry
Butthanks to PengWing(who is awsome btw) I was able to get Penance releaced today, I decided to release this so you all had something to read while I am away(as i had it on my google drive and copying and pasting on a phone is much more doable than writing chapters) I will be posting chapters of this for a while, I am sorry for the delay.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Here is the link, I hope to be back to writing on my schedual next week, once again sorry.
https://royalroadl.com/fiction/11309
Chapter 23: Coward...
Leon sighed and put down the pen. It had been roughly a week since the duel, and that entire week no one had said a word to Lira or Krya. In fact he was pretty sure they avoided those two girls at all costs.
And of course they also avoided him.
Apparently breaking a mage¡¯s wand was like crippling them, almost for life, seeing as each wand was unique and could only work for one person or their family it costed fortunes to make a new one, and there was not even a guarantee that the thing would work correctly.
Which was why wands were passed down the lineage to the younger generations so that they could use them.
¡°Leon, Leon! Lira, Leon isn''t listening to me again.¡± Krya sighed in frustration, she to had a paper in front of her. Scrawled all over it was symbols and letters much like the ones on Leon¡¯s paper, however they were formed with a lot more eloquence on her paper.
¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± he said, shaking all the other thoughts out of his head.
¡°No, I don''t know what that means, speak in our language.¡± at this point he was able to catch specific words, so he could get the jist of what she said. He closed his eyes and thought of the words he needed to say.
¡°I am sorry...¡± he said, there was a decided accent to his speech, the way he inflicted certain sounds was, different, but he was indeed speaking the language. Both Lira and Leon looked over to Krya, awaiting her verdict.
¡°You need to work on the enunciation but yes that was good.¡± she nodded begrudgingly, she looked at the familiar seated before her, using her familiar¡¯s belly as a backrest in interest. It had only been what a week since they had started and he was already speaking the language, not fluently mind you, but he was indeed speaking it.
He was a ridiculously fast learner, especially considering the language he was learning was considered one of the most difficult to master. H¡¯Jerlin as it was called was amalgamation of over thirty different languages and retained almost all the quirks of each.
For example, each word had around 15 declinations, based on several different factors, not only did the end of the word change based on sex, age, social status, relation, and also time of day, but it actually even moved where the word could be placed in the sentence structure.
The fact that he was even remotely conversational when she had taken a years to get to that point just went to show how intelligent he was.
¡°I think that is enough for today.¡± Krya said, and with a sigh of relief Leon flopped back onto fluffy, who in response lifted his massive head and looked at Leon. Leon looking at the huge wolf¡¯s head as it curved back towards him, reaching up he placed a hand on it¡¯s chin and scratched.
The wolf pushed its head down deeper into his scratching and his back leg started scratching before anyone could stop it there was new deep gouges in the wood of the floor. They were not the only ones, just merely the newest in the poor wood floors.
¡°So what are you going to do for the summer break?¡± Krya asked. ¡°Going home?¡±
¡°I don''t know.¡±Lira flopped on the floor, honestly though she didn''t know what she was going to do, ¡°Probably stay here.¡± she didn''t really have much reason to go home since her mother¡¯s death. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Not after the disaster that was last time¡
[a year ago]
She worked on casting the spell, it fizzled out twice before she was able to keep the flame from blowing out at the tip of her wand, it was an elementary attack spell. And no matter how she tried she was terrible at anything that had to do with attack magic.
Which is why she was practicing.
¡°Well well if it isn¡¯t the failure!¡± a loud voice sneered, he hadn¡¯t heard that voice in over four years, but it was definitely the voice of Richard Waltren, the boy that had tormented her since she was five. ¡°Playing with your stick again? Aww isn¡¯t that cute.¡±
Waltren wasn¡¯t alone, behind him was almost every influential clan member, and three people Lira had never seen. One was a man wearing regal purple velvet clothing, by his side was a knight in a full set of plate mail, and hiding slightly behind the kingly man was a girl of about the age of fifteen.
The kingly man had a kind look to her, but was still built like a warrior. As for the girl, she had golden hair like the sun and bright blue eyes, her small lips and well-built figure gave her a look of well-bred royalty.
¡°Failure?¡± she asked, looking at Lira in confusion. Lira¡¯s step mother rushed up and looked at the king apologetically.
¡°Just ignore this girl, she is a disgrace to our family and I apologize for her presence.¡± She said, looking at Lira with disgust.
¡°Father, your wife is being rude again.¡± Lira declared, looking at the woman coldly.
¡°Do not call him that!¡± she snarled, quickly clenching her fists until the knuckles turned white.
¡°I apologize, I was under the impression that the man that impregnated my mother would be my father, am I perhaps wrong?¡±
She shot Lira a dirty look. The kingly man and the young girl looked on at this exchange with a growing look of disbelief, could a mother actually be this cold to her own daughter?
¡°Madam if I may, what exactly has this girl done to earn such disdain?¡± The Kingly man asked, as a doting father he found this scene almost too hard to bear.
¡°She is the product of my brothers lack of commitment to his wife¡± A man answered in disgust, looking at Lira. Lira on the other hand did not betray any emotion, even as she was looked at by the entire clan with animosity.
The man opened his mouth, but closed it when he found he could find nothing good to say. He felt sorry for this child, she did nothing to deserve this, it was not her fault that her father was, well what he was.
¡°She is a failure, can''t even cast a simple attack spell, completely worthless¡± Waltren sneered.
¡°Ha.¡± Lira laughed, but her eyes were still as cold as ice, she folded her arms across her chest and gave Waltren a look of disdain. ¡°I find it humorous to hear that from someone like you.¡±
¡°And what is so funny about it?¡± Waltren asked, lowering his voice dangerously.
¡°Yes, you, someone who failed remedial classes not once but twice, the question is, was the third time the charm?¡± Lira asked, she stood up, and looked at her step mother.
She glanced at her father standing there next to his wife, he had his head down, almost like he was completely inthralled in his shoes.
Coward. She had no idea what her mother had seen in the man.
¡°Tell my Father i will be returning back to the academy early, you all have made it abundantly clear that I am not welcome here.¡± she said, she emphasized the word father, just to watch it get under her skin, and to make her father squirm. ¡°Is that so?¡± her step mother asked, narrowing her eyes.
¡°Indeed it is.¡±
¡° Where do you think you are going? I will make you regret those words, I will make you regret saying such things in the presence of my future wife!¡±
Lira glanced at the girl behind the kingly man.¡°You have my condolences,¡± she said looking at her, before turning and walking back to her room.
¡°What!?¡± Waltren roared, his face dying a bright red in his rage. He stepped forward, pushing past the other people and shouting at the departing Lira. ¡°You are courting death!¡± who simply kept walking away.
Her father never said a word during the entire exchange.
Chapter 24: Stuck...
She stared at the sleeping face of the man lying next to her. A deep sense of warmth permeated her chest as she watched him sleep, the gentle way his mouth moved and his nostrils flared out ever so slightly when he breathed in.
The way he even held her in his sleep.
The smell and taste of his skin¡ she paused after thinking about that.
What was becoming of her? He was changing her, in ways she liked, but it was still frightening, because of him the everyday life had a sense of joy now that it had never in her life had before.
She had always been the outcast, the bastard, so much so that she now had no idea what to do when people treated her like an equal, like Krya did.
Krya, her first friend, Leon was right about her aswell, she was in many ways a lot like she herself had been before she had met Leon, so alone, it hurt deeply some days to look at her, she was so blissfully unaware what it was like to actually live, not to just exist.
It was like looking into a mirror.
Shaking her head clear of the thoughts she went back to looking at Leon¡¯s face. It was not long before she found that she was pressing her horn¡¯s up against his own. The soft clacking they made caused his eyes to shoot open.
She sharply drew her head back in surprise, or at least she attempted to, she hadn''t moved to far before she ran into a problem.
There horns were stuck together.
As she yanked her head back the two sets of horns locked around one another, stopping her motions in there tracks.
¡°Ah, hang on i''ll get it,¡± she said blushing bright red, she turned her head to the side in a desperate attempt to remove them, however she found she could not turn her head enough to dislodge the horns, it was not helping at all that they were on her head and she was having real trouble seeing what was actually going on and why they were stuck.
¡°Thats a nice rack you have there...¡± Leon said with a sly smile on his lips. ¡°Not that this rack is any worse.¡± he said, reaching through the short sleeves of her slip to massage the small breasts hidden underneath.
¡°Leon...¡± she said in a reproachful tone, but she could feel the warmness of his hands as he massaged her chest softly, that and the fast beating of her heart gave her away in an instant.
Closing her eyes she sighed, a small sound that escaped her smirking lips.
They had only done this a few times, and she had let him lead, perhaps it was her turn to take control? She brought her head forward, slamming her forehead into his, which was not something he had been expecting, using the shocked moment she pushed him sideways, since the two of them were locked together at the head she was dragged along with him, causing her to end up straddling his torso.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Bringing her arms up she placed them on either side of his head, boxing him in she pressed her lips against his own. The smoothness of lips melted together, as she bit his lower lip and pulled, a move she had learned from him.
His hands reached down tracing the lines of her stomach and coming to rest on her hips. Still wearing clothing she started to rub up against him, the fabric folding and sticking with the friction. Reaching down she undid the lacing on his pants, and with a little help from him she removed them, revealing a peice of him she would never allow another to see.
It was unbelievably warm in her hands as she slowly stroked it up and down, running her hand along the shaft, all the while never removing her mouth from his.
He pulled his hands off of he thighs and reaching up undid the bow that held the neck of her slip together, allowing the nightgown to slip down her form. She had to release him, if only for a second so she could take off the slip. Reluctantly she complied, sitting atop of him entirely naked she never slowed her movements, shoving her tongue as far as she could, stroking him up and down.
She was in control, or so she thought.
He smiled lightly as her tongue invaded his mouth, he waited for just the right amount of time before biting down on it. Her eyes opened wide as he captured her tongue and held it prisoner, and opened even wider when he slipped a hand around her backside and inserted two fingers into her vagina.
He felt her shudder, the pleasure running through her.
She was in control, this was what she kept telling herself, she repeated it like a mantra, like a prayer, up until all thoughts vanished from her mind when he lifted her up and entered her. Heads still locked together she began moving her hips up and down, she pushed him in deeper than she ever had, allowing the end of him reach the gates of her womb.
He released her tongue, and she began panting and moaning, making sounds every time she drove her hips down.
A thin strand of drool leaked out of the corner of her mouth and he ran his tongue over the path it had traced from her chin to her lips.
Her legs started to tremble slightly, do he decided to help her out, picking her up he carried her off the bed and placed her back against the wall,allowing one foot to rest on the floor he held the other leg up, almost in a vertical position as he continued to move back and forth.
Reaching his arm down in between the two of them he started to caress the labia and the upper part of her clitorius.
¡°Ahhh! Ahh!¡± she cried out as she climaxed. Her back arched as the muscles spasmed throughout her entire body. As she did she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life. He smiled and slipped his fingers around her backside, caressing the flesh near her other hole. He loved it when she looked like this, with her current twitching form and vacant expression.
With a final thrust harder than any of the rest he plunged deep and came to rest as far as she could humanly allow. She felt him tremble, and not just his body. His member swelled in size before a torrent of warmth flowed out of him and into her stomach.
¡°AHHHHHH!¡± she screamed and locked her legs around his back as she felt the warmth enter her and she climaxed.
With a sigh the two of them flopped onto the bed, completely spent, and not even noticing the rising sun peaking through the window.
Before they knew it a rapping came at there door, and without waiting for an answer Krya stepped inside. ¡°Come one you two we are going to be la-¡± the girl stopped talking as she noticed the state the two of them were in, both her and Lira turned the brightest red Leon had ever seen, and without a word she turned around and started to leave.
¡°Wait,¡± Leon called out, his voice was still heavily accented, and perhaps it would always be. ¡°Need help.¡± he said. Fluffy stuck his massive head in the door and sniffed curiously and the interesting smells that mingled in the air of the room, only to be quickly pushed out by Krya. he scratched at the other side of the door, whining softly, but Krya ignored him.
¡°We are stuck,¡± Lira murmured her entire face a bright red.
¡°Stuck?¡± Krya asked softly, her shoulders shaking visibly as she kept her back to the two of them.
¡°Our horns are stuck together...¡± Lira said, almost in tears from the embarrassment. Krya sighed, and psyched herself up before turning around, thankful to find that Leon had covered the two of them with a blanket. It didn''t change what she had seen however.
And she had seen everything.
Walking over she wrinkled her nose at the smell, it was a mixture of sweat, and this musky smell, trying not to think about it she looked at the two of their heads, and only their heads. Pushing them together she twisted Lira¡¯s head to the right, dislodging them from one another, and just as soon as she had done that she turned around and fled, screaming something about them being horrible and how it was like she was living next to rabbits...
Chapter 25: Lyruc Orb Part 1
The courtyard was abuzz with talk, talk that Leon could now somewhat understand, it was like being blind and then having someone remove the cloth that bound your eyes. It was a freeing sensation, he no longer felt so isolated.
He couldn''t understand every word, but more than three out of four was not bad after a week¡¯s worth of work. Unfortunately however it would seem that most of the conversations around the campus were about him and Lira, with some slandering remarks thrown in about Krya.
He was honestly getting pretty pissed, perhaps it would be better if he didn''t know, it prevented him from feeling like he should wipe this school off of the face of the earth.
He tightened his fist, the rage boiling up in his veins. Lira noticing what was going on with his emotions grabbed his clenched hand and held herself up against his arm. He took a deep breath, it was calming to have her here.
Extremely calming.
They were about to sit down when they were approached, by none other than the headmistress herself.
¡°Lira,¡± she said, looking over at them, ¡°And Leon if I am not mistaken?¡±
¡°Yes, my name is Leon.¡± He replied, casually sizing the woman up and down, The headmistress was a tall woman, looking to be in her forties, she had blonde hair pulled back into a bun that was held together by a single silver clip. Even in her forties she was a good looking woman, with tight skin, and high cheekbones, but the most attractive feature about her was those eyes.
They were the clearest blue anyone had ever seen, like looking into the endless sky.
¡°I was under the impression that you spoke only in a language that no one besides Lira here understood.¡± she said, looking at leon with a surprised look, as she raised her eyebrows.
¡°I have been,¡± he paused for a second, thinking of the word he needed. ¡°I have been making an effort to learn this language.¡± he said.
¡°And it would seem you are doing an excellent job.¡± she nodded, ¡°I however did not come by here to chat at you or discuss idle pleasantries, if you could meet me in my office in an hour.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
¡°We, uh have classes in thirty minutes.¡± Lira said in a small voice.
¡°You have already been excused from the class, I have talked with the professor before coming here.¡± she looked over at Lira, who shut her mouth, and simply nodded. ¡°I will see you then.¡± the headmistress said, before turning crisply on her heels and walking back down the brick pathway.
Krya looked over at the two of them. ¡°What was that?¡±
¡°I don''t know, but we will find out soon enough.¡± Lira sighed.
Leon and fluffy seemed to be the only two that were unaffected by the headmistress¡¯s appearance. Leon was too busy rubbing the unbelievably large wolf under the chin in search of the ever illusive scratching spot, every time he removed his hand the wolf would use his large cold nose to nudge his hand and get him to start petting again.
The time for the meeting came much sooner than she wanted.
The office was a large oval style room at the top of a rampart, it was furnished with many rugs and decorative pieces of artwork. The only light that came into the room was from a huge window on the west side of the wall. The head mistress was sitting behind the desk that dominated the room, with its large oak finish and rounded edges.
¡°Please come in, I have much to discuss with you two.¡± she said, gesturing them over to a pair of chairs that seemed to be placed specifically for them. ¡°So let us get the small things out of the way shall we?¡±
¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Lira nodded, there was a cold sweat dripping down her back.
¡°So, the two of you are being to noisy in the middle of the night, it is, causing many students to loose some sleep,¡± Lira¡¯s face turned a bright red. ¡°Normally in these cases we separate the two students, as such activities can lead to long lasting consequences and that is something this school would like to avoid, but your case is, different.¡±
¡°Ma¡¯am I-¡±
¡°Let me finish Lira, I really don''t care what you choose to do, and seeing as the two of you cannot be separated I have already set a few noise dampening spells on your room, they should cancel out all the sound unless you are screaming at the top of your lungs,¡± she narrowed her eyes at the two of them, ¡°So my advice is to not scream at the top of your lungs.¡±
Lira felt like she was about to die from embarrassment.
¡°Good, now that we have that out of the way let us get to the real business at hand.¡± she pushed her glasses up on her nose. ¡°There is an object I would like you to retrieve.¡±
¡°An object?¡±
¡°It is called a Lyruc Orb, they are extremely rare magic amplifying devices, and we know where one is located, and you will be going to retrieve it.¡±
¡°Wait, us? Why us? Wouldn''t it be better to send a full mage or something?¡±
¡°Why indeed?¡± she smiled, ¡°to be honest it is not up to me,¡±
¡°Not up to you? you are the headmistress aren''t you?¡± Lira asked, looking at her.
She sighed, ¡°Here at Grulik we attempt to be apolitical, I am sure you are aware of that?¡±
¡°Of course.¡± Lira nodded.
¡°Well sometimes the real world doesn''t work that way, and sometimes we have to pay back a favor, this is one of those cases, if it was up to me i would be sending a full mage squad, but it would seem that the, hmm, employer shall we say had other thoughts on what to do with those mages, and they specifically requested you two.¡± she looked over at them. ¡°But don''t worry, I and two other teachers will be accompanying you,as if I would allow a student of mine to walk into potential danger without supervision.¡± she scoffed. ¡°We leave tomorrow, be packed by then, and please, try to get some rest, I don''t want to have see the two of you exhausted from your, nightly activities.¡± she said with a coy smile.
Chapter 26: Lyruc Orb Part 2
Lira moved to stand up to leave but Leon put an arm across her lap, preventing her from standing. She looked over at him with a curious look in her eyes.
¡°So, I have a few questions if you don''t mind.¡± Lira looked over at him, she was happy he could now for the most part converse with other people, she was however slightly upset that she could no longer keep him to herself, she had liked being the only one he had ever conversed with, almost like no one else mattered to him.
¡°Go ahead,¡± the headmistress said, once again readjusting her glasses.
¡°I am sure you are aware how big of an obvious trap this is correct?¡± he asked, his lips pulling in a smile, which was mirrored by the woman that was sitting across the desk from him.
¡°I am well aware of this, correct.¡± she nodded. ¡°It would seem that you have some very powerful people who don''t much like you.¡±
¡°Care to elaborate on that?¡±
¡°I would if I could, let us just say that there are some old, and some new,¡± she leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Some very, very new.¡± she whispered.
There was silence in the room for a long while.
¡°I see, would you also give me some more information about this Lyruc Orb.¡±
¡°It is an amplification orb created in the second era, by lord emperor Gladius himself.¡± she pulled open a book that had been resting on her desk, rotating it she faced it towards them, inside was a picture of a gold and white orb covered in glowing golden runes. ¡°It is said that it was with these devices he was able to rise above all others, they hold the essence of a powerful being, each one boosting the user¡¯s ability by sometime as much as 400 times over in a specific school of magic.¡±
¡°As if they would just send a fledgling mage and her familiar to retrieve something that powerful.¡±
¡°Indeed,¡± she nodded.
¡°If we do this what is in it for us?¡± he asked.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
¡°What do you want?¡± she asked.
¡°The world, but I doubt you would be able to give it to me.¡±
¡°No, not something so big, but I might be able to help with something.¡± she looked over at Lira. ¡°Your father and stepmother are having a child are they not?¡± she asked.
¡°They are,¡± Lira hung her head, she had been avoiding thinking about it, but it still had a way of worming its way into her thoughts.
¡°Which means you have lost your right to the inheritance, as well as a place to go after graduation.¡± Lira nodded weakly. ¡°Well, there is an old keep that used to be part of the Hurthan Kingdom, but after the creation of this neutral territory it was situated within the schools borders.¡± she looked at Lira and smiled. ¡°You do this for us, and the keep is yours.¡±
¡°Ours?¡±
¡°Indeed, since the keep is situated on our land you would undoubtedly be linked to the school, which would mean you would be unaffiliated with any other countries.¡±
¡°Wouldn''t that just make us a larger target?¡± Leon asked, his voice a soft growl.
¡°Not at all, as attacking you would be the same as attacking us.¡± she said, ¡°Independant is indeed independent.¡±
¡°Except from the school.¡±
She smiled, ¡°You have a good head about that shoulders there Leon, yes, you would not be independent of the school, in fact I don''t think you will ever be independent, the world just does not work that way.¡± she leaned back in her chair and pulled off her glasses, carefully folding them and placing them on the desk. ¡°So, do you agree, even knowing this is most likely a trap?¡±
¡°I have one last question before I answer,¡± Leon said, She nodded her head. ¡°If i were to kill people...¡±
¡°Self defence, it would be perfectly legal, would not make you any friends, but then again I don''t think you are the type that cares.¡±
He nodded to himself, before looking over at Lira with a question in his eyes. She nodded her head yes, and he looked back to the headmistress and answered her question. ¡°We accept.¡±
As they walked out of the room Leon noticed a strange feeling, like he was being watched, stopping his movement he looked around, but finding nothing he continued with Lira down the hallway.
A few minutes after they left a shadow pulled itself from the wall and walked through the open office door of the headmistress, shutting the door behind it.
¡°Well? Was that sufficient?¡± the headmistress asked, not looking up from her stack of papers she was sorting through .
¡°You really like to skirt the edge of breaking orders don''t you.¡± the shadow asked, her eyes snapped up and locked on the figures face.
¡°Let us get one thing straight, i do not work for you or your order, I am merely paying back my debt, so do not think you can order me.¡± she snarled.
¡°Ah, yes, always the rebel, tell me do you see yourself in her?¡± the headmistress growled low in her throat.¡±The bastard child of nobility, no one to take you in, no place to go?¡± her grip tightened on the book. ¡°Is it like looking into the mirror?¡± with a mighty yell she threw the book, it arced through the air and passed through the shadowy man like he was nothing but thin air. She stood there breathing heavy. ¡°Never forget it was us that gave you all of this,¡± he gestured to the room around her. ¡°So, yes I can order you, because we own you, everything you are is because of us, both of us know this...¡±
Without another word he disappeared, leaving the headmistress standing there drawing in breath like she had run a marathon. She stood there for a full minute before slumping into her chair.
Soon tears started leaking out of her eyes, she didn''t care, no one was here, no one cared. She just lay there and dissolved into a pool of sadness on the desk.
Chapter 27: A Kiss...
The horse that was carrying them came to a halt as Leon pulled on the reigns. The headmistress looked back at the two of them and was about to ask what he was stopping for when he waved them on.
¡°We will just be a minute, go on.¡± he said making a waving motion with his hands.
¡°We shouldn''t get separated.¡± she responded back.
¡°I want to say this tactfully without embarrassing people, so please, go on for just a minute.¡± he said.
She looked at him, and nodded, coming to some sort of conclusion of her own. ¡°Do not take to long we will be just around the bend in the road.¡± he nodded in acknowledgement and sat there waiting for the to get out of sight.
¡°Leon why did we stop?¡± Lira asked, arching her back and looking at him over her shoulder.
¡°You will see.¡± he responded. ¡°Here fluffy!¡± he called out, and whistled.
¡°Fluffy is not here he would be back at the school wi-¡± she started to say, but she fell quiet when there was a racket in the bushes to the right of them.
¡°No, stay you''re going to give us away...¡± she could faintly hear a whisper from those bushes.
No way right?
Leon smiled, and called out to the massive wolf that was apparently hiding in the bushes. ¡°Here fluffy!¡± the massive wolf bounded out of the bushes, dragging along a disgruntled Krya, you had ahold of the beast by its tail in an attempt to hold it in place.
¡°I told you to stay, whose familiar are you again?¡± she sighed as she lay there on the ground, covered in branches and grass. The massive wolf whimpered, hanging its head in shame, a shame that disappeared very quickly when Leon started to rub it under its chin.
¡°What are you doing here?¡± Lira asked looking at the only friend besides leon she had ever had.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
¡°Nothing.¡±
¡°Nothing?¡± Krya crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks looking away from the two of them.
¡°Krya...¡± Leon said, pausing in his petting of the wolf to look down at her. He had a stern look on his face.
She looked up at him, and collapsed, she didn''t know why, but everytime he spoke to her she felt the need, the urge to get recognition from him, to do what he asked in the hopes that he would look on her favorably.
Was she falling in love?
Even if she was there was nothing for it, she had already given her word to Lira not to get in the way.
And she was a woman of her word.
¡°I just, I didn''t want to be left behind, there is nothing there for me at that school, it is no different than the last school, the only difference is the two of you...¡±
¡°There is a reason we left you behind, where we are going...¡±
¡°I can take care of myself!¡± she yelled back at him.
Can''t you see that?
Or am I just dead weight to you?
A third wheel?
¡°I know you can take care of yourself, but where we are going I might need to chose, I might not be able to save or protect everyone.¡± he looked at the girl in the dirt, she had grass in her hair and she refused to look the two of them in the eyes.
Lira looked at her and understood, she knew that feeling, the loneliness, it had been ever present since she could remember.
Her constant companion.
Until she had met Leon.
Yes, she looked over at Leon, he had cured her of the loneliness. She looked at Krya again, her heart became conflicted. She never would allow someone to take him from her, he was hers, but this was Kray, her best friend. And she was someone who very much understood how she felt right now, it was almost like she could read the girls conflicted thoughts.
With a sigh she came to a conclusion.
¡°Get down leon,¡± she whispered, he looked at her in confusion. ¡°Get off the horse.¡± he did as was asked and helped her out of the saddle. She walked over to krya and kneeled in front of her. ¡°Krya,¡± the other girl looked away from her. ¡°Krya...¡± she said again, grabbing the girl under the chin and turning her to look at her face.
Krya opened her mouth to ask what Lira wanted, but before she could get any words out Lira leaned in and pressed her lips against Krya¡¯s.
Leon raised an eyebrow as he saw what Lira was doing, but made no comment, a smirk growing on his lips.
Her tongue explored the inner parts of Krya¡¯s mouth, she ran it over the teeth, behind the lip and anywhere she could reach. Krya struggled slightly at first, but soon gave into the soft sensation of Lira¡¯s lips.
Krya¡¯s mouth was softer than Leon¡¯s, more tender, it didn''t have the same taste. But it was also pleasant, in a different sort of way¡
Krya¡¯s eyes slowly closed as Lira ran her fingers through her hair, pulling her in tighter as she rubbed her tongue across Krya¡¯s. it took almost a minute before either of them came up for air, and a thin strand of saliva bridged their lips for a split second.
Krya sat there dazed, a hazy look in her eyes. Lira put her lips by her ear and whispered to her softly. ¡°You are no third wheel, anytime you want to join in you can, I know how you feel, that was how I felt before, I am willing to share with you. Just keep in mind that no matter what happens he is mine, and if you try to take him away from me, things will get ugly.¡±
She pulled back and looked Krya in the eyes, hands on either side of her head. ¡°Are we clear?¡± Krya glanced at Leon and nodded slowly. ¡°Good.¡± Lira said with a satisfied nod to herself.
Chapter 28: Lyruc Orb Part 3
Leon looked back at the blushing Krya and smiled ever so slightly. He knew she could hear him so he defaulted back to his original language, so only Lira could understand him.
¡°Only you can understand me right now so don''t answer back where she can understand.¡± he said, in a conversational tone of voice. Lira simply nodded and didn''t say a word. ¡°I can honestly say I was not expecting that.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Well you are a little clingy,¡± he said with a laugh, Krya looked over at them in annoyance, it was apparent that they were discussing something that they didn''t want her to overhear, otherwise why would he default back to his original language.
¡°I am not.¡± Lira said, crossing her arms across her small chest.
¡°No?¡± he asked, a laugh in his voice.
¡°No, I am not.¡± she nodded her head, shooting him an angry look with those golden eyes. He raised his hands in surrender with a laugh. ¡°Why do i get the feeling you don''t believe me?¡± she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
¡°Well that is probably because I don''t.¡± he said with a slight shrug.
¡°Shut up, I am not clingy!¡± she shouted, and realising she had said that outloud she glanced at Krya and blushed furiously.
¡°Can you talk in a language I understand please?¡± Krya asked softly her blue hair hair billowed around her, causing her to softly brush a strand of it out of her face. ¡°I don''t want to be left out, it always feel like I am an afterthought to the two of you.¡±
¡°Sorry,¡± Leon said, he leaned his head back and looked at the blue sky. The sun was not yet in the center of the sky, but it had the violent promise of a hot day. ¡°I did not want to embarrass Lira, I will be more considerate in the future.¡±
¡°It''s ok,¡± she said, she glanced away.
There was a long period of silence, before it was broken up by krya again.
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¡°What exactly did you mean by, share?¡± she asked softly.
¡°What I said,¡± Lira answered, she only blushed slightly this time.
¡°I am going to agree with Leon, you are clingy this seems out of the ordinary for you. Why are you doing this?¡±
¡°Because I know what it feels like, when we first met you do you know what Leon said to me?¡± Krya shook her head. ¡°He said to take a good look at you, because that was what I had been.¡± she looked over at Krya, ¡°Lost, alone, and not caring that I was either.¡± Lira sighed, ¡°I am not like that anylonger, and as your friend I don''t want you to be like that either...¡±
They rounded the bend and found the teachers waiting for them, all of them besides the headmistress looked surprised to see Krya and her wolf.
¡°What are you doing here!?¡± one of the professors growled.
¡°I-I¡± Krya started but before she could explain herself the headmistress interrupted.
¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked the professor. He pulled a confused face and looked over at the headmistress.
¡°What do you mean didn''t you ask me to come along?¡±
¡°I did, but I fully expected you to have a well developed since, are you telling me you had no idea she had been following us this entire time?¡±
¡°I uh.¡±
¡°So that would mean you had no idea she was behind us, therefore had she been a trained assassin she could have easily done us in without you even noticing.¡±
¡°I would have noticed it if there was an assassin.¡±
¡°You would have noticed it? Even though you didn''t notice the young girl following us, the one who has no skill in concealment and hiding and was simply shadowing us for the past two days?¡±
¡°I-¡± his skin paled as she drilled him.
¡°Leave, get out of my sight, I fully expect you to be packed up and gone by the time I return to the academy.¡± she said, pushing up the glasses on her nose.
¡°Are you...¡±
¡°Yes, I am terminating your position.¡± she responded.
¡°I have worked here for over twenty years! Long before you ever became headmistress! I taught you in class! You can''t fire me I have tenure!¡± he yelled his eyes growing wide and desperate. Teaching at a school like this was a great position for someone who had nowhere else to go, it afforded you a high position in the societal ladder, even if you were not the first born of a family destined to the position of your father.
This was why the schools were so filled with female teachers, seeing as this was a hierarchical society women would only take over for their fathers when there was no one else. Which meant that for a man to have that position he was either a bastard child or a second or third son, looking to gain his own lot in the world.
In other words this job was his life, ending it was the same as a social murder.
¡°I can fire you, as the headmistress it is my right. You are dismissed, leave before I take more drastic disciplinary actions.¡± the man turned around his horse with an angry but also slightly hollowed look about him, and left without another word, they all stood in silence as they listened to the departing sounds of his horse clomping on the loose gravel path ¡°It would seem that we are lacking a member for this expedition, Miss Krya, would you like to fill this role?¡± Krya looked up at the headmistress, she had a small smile on her face, and did not at all have the same feeling she had just a second ago...
¡°Yes headmistress,¡± she said, bowing her head, she made a mental note to never get on her bad side.
¡°Good, welcome, I look forward to working with you.¡± the headmistress nodded and turned her horse back towards the path and started down it. All the other teachers started following her leaving the three of them dallying behind.
Krya looked over at the two of them. ¡°So, uh, what exactly is this mission about?¡±
Chapter 29: rub my belly?
¡°We are approaching our destination.¡± The headmistress called out. Lira looked up rubbing her sleepy eyes, she had been resting her head on leon¡¯s chest, not a worry in the world. And when she opened her eyes she was surprised by what she saw.
Standing there in front of them, at the end of the worn path they were on was the remains of a city. Tall buildings reached up to the sky, gotic peaks of church spires soared.
And not a soul moved.
The cobbled streets were in disrepair, and the wrought iron fences were bent and twisted.
The place felt, unclean.
The look of it all snapped her wide awake.
¡°Here?¡± she asked, the headmistress not pulling her eyes off of the city smiled at the sound of slight fear in her voice.
¡°Yes here, this was once a great city you know, but a plague ravaged it, a terrible terrible plague. Now it lies in ruin, a testament to the frailty of human society.¡±
¡°You could look at it like that.¡± Leon nodded, ¡°I however prefer to think of it as a testament to the ingenuity of humanity.¡± everyone looked at him. ¡°Well think about it, even with no one here to repair anything the city still stands, defiant in the face of a nature that would tear it to the ground.¡±
¡°I never would have expected you to be an optimist.¡±
¡°I am full of surprises.¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°So, does our dilapidated city have a name?¡±
¡°Larkin.¡± everyone''s face flushed when she answered, the blood draining away making them all as white as ghosts.
¡°You don''t mean...¡± Krya said, looking at the city with a renewed horror.
¡°Yes, I do, everyone stick close.¡± they had to leave the horses behind, they refused to follow them into the abandoned city, honestly Krya couldn''t blame them.
As they entered the city the desolation was oppressive. They had been walking along for almost an hour without the sight or sound of anything besides themselves when Leon heard a sound.
It was a soft click, but it was enough of a warning to him. With a quick movement he grabbed fluffy by the tail and dragged the wolf back. Krya and Lira who had been sitting atop the wolf almost fell off with the speed of movement.
And it was just in time as well.
A golden wall of energy sprung up, dividing them from the teachers. Everyone held their breath, there was no way this was the end of this, it was clearly an ambush.
Two shadows descended from the roof tops and walked over towards the four of them. ¡°Fluffy, guard them.¡± he said, placing himself in front.
Leon could see them now, black skin tight suit, with armored plating over it, and a full plate helm. The armor glowed slightly, covered in runes and etchings. Krya didn''t wait, she threw a fireball right away at them, but they simply walked through the fire like it was nothing more than a warm breeze.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
¡°They have magic mitigating runes!¡± she shouted out.
¡°Then we will just have to do this the old fashioned way.¡± Leon growled, his eyes turning red like the fires of hell were burning within them.
He rushed the two of them, one looked to be a female, the other male, he could tell by the size and width of their shoulders and hips.
Leon lashed out before either assassin could do anything, planting his foot in the male¡¯s torso.
The collision was spectacular, the assassin was hit with such a force that he folded over in half at the waist. He flew backwards, rolling end over end before coming to a rest, but in no time he was back up.
the assassin pulled out a long serrated dagger, and lunged at Leon, who slapped the blow away with the palm of his hand. Leon didn¡¯t just stand around to see what would happen next; his fist came in from the exposed right.
He thought he had a solid blow connected with the assassin''s head, but much to his surprise its hand shot up and redirected the force that was in Leon¡¯s punch.
At that point the other one joined back in the fray.
Leon fended off the two of them, they were faster than any human should have ever been, if that was even what they were, he couldn''t tell with the full helms that they were wearing.
A solid kick landed in Leon¡¯s gut, pushing him back two feet, and causing a small amount of blood to leak out of his mouth.
¡°Leon!¡± Lira shouted when she saw the blood, she might not be able to fight but she could still be of use, healing, a shield something. With desperate movements she started casting a spell.
The assassin turned its attention to Lira, tossing a throwing blade with practiced ease, it would have found its mark had fluffy not slapped it aside with its tail.The assasin turned its attention to Leon and arced the knife with a fluid motion that was to smooth and powerful for a human, and possessed a speed that even would have taxed Leon. He dodged the blade by leaning back and threw an uppercut in retaliation, the assailant saw it coming and reacted, causing the majority of the force to dissipate as only part of his fist connected, it was still enough to cause the assassin¡¯s head to rock back.
It was then that Krya struck, jabbing the long staff into the stomach of the assailant, and and calling out some archaic words a twisted black fire erupted, shooting through the male assailant¡¯s torso and ripping him nearly in half.. The assassin fell backwards, still trying to move and get to them, even without the bottom half of his body.
There was no way these things were human.
With a low growl fluffy slammed its massive paw down, crushing the head of the downed assassin. Blood stained the wolf''s white fur.
Only one left.
Leon turned his attention to the last one.
The woman didn¡¯t stop to mourn her fallen comrade, she just rushed forward with determination ,but instead of targeting Leon like she had been doing she aimed for Lira.
With a gravity defying leap that allowed her to get over Leon with such grace in seemed otherworldly. Leon watched in horror as the blade fell down arching for Lira¡¯s neck.
It never found its mark.
Fluffy jumped in front of the blade with a vicious snarl.
There was the sound of a whimper, and with a roar of rage, Leon forgot everything else as his mind focused on one thing:
Kill.
The world slowed down as rushed forward, he watched as the blood arced from the blade as it was pulled out of fluffy¡¯s side, and quickly went in for the throat, like he was going to allow that to happen.
The bricks cracked beneath his boots as he pushed off with all his strength, he blocked the way of the blade, and he barely felt a thing as it slid into his shoulder. He grabbed a hold of her by the neck, slamming her into the shimmering barrier of light.
There was a soft hiss as the back of her head simply vanished as she came in contact with the barrier. She struggled briefly, but soon stopped moving altogether, and when she did the barrier disappeared.
The teachers rushed in, but the four of them paid them no mind.
They had more important things to do right now.
Krya held the wolf¡¯s head close to herself, softly comforting it while Leon looked at the wound in its side.
He pulled off his robe, opting to wrap it around the wolf, in an attempt to stave off the bleeding. He didn''t really care that all of his wounds were also bleeding, it really didn''t matter to him right now, the wolf had saved both Lira and Krya¡¯s lives when he could not.
Lora finished her healing spell, pressing her hands up against the now blood soaked robes, a soft light enveloped the wolf, and it looked like it started to breath a little easier.
¡°Who''s a good wolf?¡± Krya asked softly, fighting back her tears, the wolf licked her in the face, wiping away the blood, and leaving a long red smear on her face.
Leon stepped back and looked at Krya and fluffy.
It was a good wolf indeed.
Much to Lira and Leon¡¯s surprise a bright light enveloped both Krya and fluffy. Leon was about to dash forward, but was stopped by Lira holding him back.
¡°What...¡±
¡°They are melding, like you and me, don''t interrupt this...¡± so this is what it looked like, they had not seen it, they had simply woken up this way.
The light spread so that it was hard to make out the shapes of the two of them inside. But when the light faded, everyone was shocked into silence.
There in Krya¡¯s arms was not a wolf. Laying there with her head on Krya¡¯s lap was the form of a naked girl, with dark skin, white hair, blue eyes and a fluffy white tail. Atop her head was a pair of wolf ears. She even had markings of blue on her skin where the direwolf¡¯s patterns were on its fur.
She looked over at leon and smiled. ¡°Rub my belly?¡± she asked with a small laugh.
Chapter 30: can you pet me heavy?...
¡°Hey, hey, just a little petting ok?¡± Fluffy asked as she hung from Leon¡¯s back. She was now clothed in a spare set of clothing, but seeing as no one bothered to pack any extra shoes she had none, thus the reason she was dangling from Leon''s neck.
¡°No,¡± he said, one arm behind his back, giving her a location to sit on, he could feel her tail swishing back and forth, she was in this moment extremely excited.
¡°Aww common, you would always rub my belly way back when, and under the chin and, please please please pet me?¡±
¡°I think you were cuter when I didn''t understand what you were saying.¡± he growled.
¡°Oh,oh oh, I can still do that, wait, wait, how about Auuuuuwwwooooowwooooowwoooo!¡± she made a sound that sounded almost exactly like the sounds she used to make as a wolf. Lira¡¯s left eye started twitching ever so slightly.
¡°How come Leon has to carry her?¡± she asked.
¡°Do you want to have me walk on the streets and tear up my feet or would you like to volunteer your boots for me to wear?¡± she asked, sticking her legs out around Leon¡¯s sides showing off her perfectly tanned calves and feet to them.
¡°Fine,¡± Lira consented, allowing the wolf girl to ride on Leon¡¯s back was irksome however.
¡°Now back to the topic at hand,¡± fluffy said. ¡°About that petting, it¡¯s good and all, in fact let me be so bold as to say it is amazing, but it could be a little...¡± she placed her lips up by Leon¡¯s ears. ¡°Heavier...¡± she laughed a deep throaty sort of laugh and licked his neck. ¡°Mhhhmmm, tastes so good.¡±
¡°I don''t even know what to think in a situation like this...¡± the headmistress muttered under her breath, there was a noticeable flush to her skin.
¡°I can''t wait to tell my sister about you, you will be an excellent mate!¡± she said excitedly bouncing up and down on his back.
¡°Wait what?¡± Krya looked over at her familiar riding on leon¡¯s back, sister? Mate? More importantly mate?
¡°Its funny,¡± he said chuckling to himself.
¡°What is funny?¡± Fluffy asked.
¡°I thought you were a guy, makes all those times I pet you seem completely different now.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡°YOU THOUGHT I WAS A WHAT!?!?¡±
¡°A male.¡±
¡°But I, But I showed you my belly!¡±
¡°And?¡±
¡°I-I lay on my back belly up, and and...¡± her cheeks started to darken a shade, ¡°And you rubbed my, my...¡± she pulled her arms from around him and wrapped them around her chest, protecting her breasts. ¡°Don''t tell me you didn''t know where a wolf has her nipples...¡± she said ever so softly.
¡°There was so much fur I didn''t even notice.¡± he responded rather bluntly.
¡°Are you saying my breasts are small?!¡± she yelled, tears welling up in her eyes. He felt a sharp pain in the back of his head as her fist came down and slammed into him. ¡°Stupid idiot,¡± she muttered as she buried her face into his neck. ¡°You don''t know anything, even after I rolled over all submissive and all...¡± she sniffed and muttered something else that sounded like ¡°never petting my belly again.¡±
He glanced over his shoulder at the wolf girl on his back, she had her face buried in his clothes, sniffing and making sad little whimpers. Using his free arm he reached over his shoulder and put two fingers under her chin.
And he scratched her.
She let out a happy little sound, before coming to her senses¡±That''s not going to work...¡± she said, but that didn''t stop her from pressing her chin deeper into his petting. She soon started panting and her tail swayed back and forth, swiping its way past his legs several times.
Her right leg started moving up and down, scratching the air in time with his scratching of her chin.
He pulled his hand away.
¡°Hey...¡± she said, poking her head over his shoulder, ¡°That''s not fair.¡± she said, pouting at him.
He looked over at her, her eyes were this deep blue color, he was about to respond when she did something no one in the party expected.
She bit his nose.
¡°What the hell was that for?¡± he asked in anger.
¡°You were challenging me, so I bit you in the nose.¡± she said as though it was the most natural thing ever, her ears standing proudly atop her head.
¡°How was I challenging you?¡± he asked in a low voice.
¡°You were staring into my eyes, clearly issuing a challenge, I mean I like you but don''t expect me to just lay down...¡± she paused, ¡°Unless you want me to?¡± she asked in a low suggestive voice.
¡°This thing is impossible.¡± Krya said, lifting up the hem of her skirt. A soft fluffy tail peeked out, she looked up at fluffy on Leon¡¯s back, ¡°How do you not trip yourself when walking?¡± she asked.
¡°Easy, don''t tuck it between your legs.¡± fluffy answered matter of factly.
¡°But if I don''t it will get in the way of the skirt...¡±
¡°I can fix that.¡± she said, and she tapped leon on the shoulder twice ¡°Down boy.¡± she said in a cheerful tone of voice.
It was Leon¡¯s turn to growl.
After she had been let down she walked behind Krya, ¡°Hold still,¡± she said as krya tried to turn around to see what was going on. There was the sound of ripping fabric, and Krya¡¯s hands flew behind her to cover her rear, as her cheeks dyed red.
Fluffy reached up under her skirt and fed the tail through the newly formed hole. ¡°There, now it''s good, let it wagg free! As a tail should!¡± she laughed. Standing up she grumbled and pulled on the robes she was wearing, ¡°Do I really have to wear these? I don''t like clothes...¡±
She started to take them off, getting the robe mostly over her head, and flashing a breast in the process, but before she could remove it both Lira and Krya stopped her and pulled it back down on her.
¡°Yes, you have to wear them...¡± Krya said.
¡°Aww...¡± she let out a sad whimper, before forgetting about the issue entirely and jumping back onto Leon¡¯s back.
¡°How, uh, how does it look?¡±Krya asked, she was talking to no one in particular even though her eyes lingered on Leon. She twirled around showing off her new tail and the new customization in her clothes to accommodate it.
¡°Looks good¡± he said, Lira nodded in agreement.
No one dare tell her that the hole was too large and that they could see her blue polkadot panties...
Chapter 31: Maahes
¡°I honestly thought those two would work.¡± a shadow said, watching as the troupe of both students and teachers slowly passed by.
¡°It would appear that he is much stronger than we previously thought.¡±
¡°Indeed, but the question is is he strong enough to grab the orb?¡±
¡°I believe so,¡±
¡°I hope you are correct, otherwise the entire plan falls to pieces, and we shall all feel the repercussions.¡±
¡°It will work.¡± the sat on in silence as they passed underneath there purch. ¡°It will work...¡±
[Streets below]
¡°We are nearing where the orb should be, everyone keep an eye out, I doubt those two are the only ones that are lying in wait for us.¡± The headmistress said, they were approaching a large ceremonial structure, or at least Leon thought it was a ceremonial structure, based on the flourished architecture and the round building.
¡°Yeah because this obviously is not a trap.¡± Fluffy said with a sigh.
¡°I am going to agree with fluffy here, there is no way that is not a trap.¡± Lira said looking at the large building in front of them.
¡°Why exactly do we need to do this?¡±Krya asked
¡°It is like confronting your demons,¡± Leon replied, he adjusted the weight that was fluffy on his back before continuing. ¡°You either confront them on the dry land where you are most comfortable or you attempt to drown them only to realise they can swim,¡± he looked over at Lira, ¡°It''s now or latter.¡±
¡°I would rather have it done now,¡± she said as she took a deep breath.
¡°That makes two of us.¡± he replied.
The doors of the building were decorated with intricate engravings depicting something, honestly there were people carved into the surface everywhere,and events going on and it was all too much for him to take in at once.
It didn''t matter either, seeing as the thing they needed was behind the door. Using one arm he pushed open the large wooden door. It made a huge creaking noise as it opened. The room inside unlike the city outside was impeccably clean, almost like someone was maintaining it.
Marble floors shimmered and shone in a blue light, the source of which was a small orb suspended in mid air above a centralized alter.
The orb floated, suspended by nothing and radiating a blue light that washed the room in a soft color. It slowly rotated, as it bobbed up and down softly.
The strangest thing about it to Leon however was none of this, he had gotten used to seeing some of these strange arcane things now that he had been here a while. No the strangest thing was the feeling that he had been here before.
That he had seen the orb.
He took a step forward and time seemed to stop, he looked around as all the color drained from the world.
¡°Long time no see,¡± The other him said with a smile that held no good intent.Leon had seen this dream before, but it was different this time, the other him was different somehow. ¡°It has been a long time nasci.¡± it said as it looked Leon over.
¡°So, you are back, or should I say I am back?¡±
¡°I don''t know should you?¡± He asked, a slow smile creeping onto his lips.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡°Do you know what I think?¡±
¡°What do you think?¡± the other him asked, a hint of curiosity on its face.
¡°I think you are what I used to be.¡± Leon said, ¡°Before all of this before coming here.¡±
¡°That is an interesting theory, tell me, what evidence do you have.¡±
¡°None, just a deep feeling in my chest.¡±
¡°So, you came to this conclusion with no evidence?¡± he asked with a laugh.
¡°Yes¡± leon replied looking at the other him.
¡°Do you know how fascinating you actually are?¡± he gestured to Leon. ¡°You can''t remember at all can you?¡± He laughed, his face twisting with disgust, ¡°it is your own fault, it is all your fault that she died, and yet still she loves you?¡± he spat on the floor at Leon¡¯s feet. ¡°Nasci, you are truly as your name.¡±
¡°You can curse me all you want,¡± he growled, looking at his other self. ¡°After all this is nothing more than beating myself up.¡±
¡°Is it now? How do you know? Do you even remember who gave that name to you?¡±
¡°Nira.¡± Leon said simply.
¡°Oh, so you are remembering, tell me what does the name Abyzou mean to you?¡±
¡°She was my wife, I was not faithful.¡± Leon replied, the memories all started to click, connect.
¡°You were indeed unfaithful,¡± he said, circling around him once again. ¡°You are a Nasci, parading around wearing my face, using my voice, and confusing young girls.¡± He growled, stopping directly in front of Leon.
¡°No, I may have been you, but I am no longer I like what and who I am, and I will not allow you to take what I am from me.¡± Leon said.
¡°Take from you? No, I am the real you.¡± the other self said.
¡°That is irrelevant.¡± Leon said with a smile. ¡°You see, I now remember who I am, or rather who I was.¡±
¡°Oh?¡±
¡°It''s not entirely clear, but my name, your name rather was Maahes was it not?¡±
A smile spread on the other self''s face. ¡°Ahhh, it feels good to be remembered.¡± he said, black wings sprouted from his back, and the skin on his face split, revealing a lion¡¯s head underneath it. ¡°Indeed I am Maahes, god of war, husband of Abyzou.¡±
¡°No one wants to be forgotten.¡±
¡°You are correct, now I will take control again.¡±
¡°I cannot allow that,¡± Leon said, looking at Maahes.
¡°You are just a figment of my imagination, a creature of my mind, created when I was shattered, when I died, you are part of me, you cannot deny me.¡± Maahes growled.
¡°I can, and I will.¡± Leon smiled. ¡°Destroying me is the only way to take control again.¡± he said, black wings sprouted from his back and his face also formed that of a lion, leaving two identical godlike beings staring at eachother. ¡°Therefore the only way for me to ever be free of you, of my past, is to kill it, to kill you.¡±
¡°You are part of me, would you really rather be destroyed than come back into me?¡± Maahes asked, the look of shock on his face was apparent, he had never thought this was a possibility. There was no answer and Maahes face twisted into a rage. ¡°So be it.¡±
The world around them changed, looking down Leon found himself in sand dunes.
The collision was spectacular,Leon was hit with such a force he sunk into the sand and lost his footing. The two fell to the ground and both showed a surprising amount of grace as they twisted to get back to their feet.
Leon lunged at Maahes, who blocked the blow with the open palm of his hand. Leon didn¡¯t just stand around to see what would happen next; he rushed forward and came in from Maahes¡¯s exposed right.
He thought he had a solid blow connected with the god¡¯s head as he was regaining his balance, but much to his surprise its hand shot up and grabbed the his wrist, nullifying the force that was in Leon¡¯s strike.
¡°You are me, I know everything about you, how you move, how you attack, there is no chance of you winning this fight.¡±
At the same time his knee was planted into Leon¡¯s gut, pushing him back two feet, and causing a small amount of blood to leak out of his mouth.
A sword of fire formed in Maahes¡¯s hand.
The blade arced with a fluid motion that was all too smooth and powerful for a human, and possessed a speed made it hard to even follow. He dodged the blade by leaning back instinctively.
Leon lunged forward, grabbing his arm. The god twisted in his grip, running the blade through his stomach. ¡°Useless, you are me, to think you could best me was wholly incorrect and misguided.¡±
Leon smiled, a smile that brought a small amount of trepidation to Maahes¡¯s heart.
Memories of the times he had spent with Lira flashed through his head, all those times, all those memories, if he died now, then they would die as well. He gripped tightly on the forearm of the sword that pierced him. ¡°You are wrong.¡±
¡°Wrong about what?¡± Maahes growled.
¡°I used to be you.¡± Leon said, ¡°But I am no longer.¡± He smiled a smile that would have scared the god of death. And holding the blade in place he lashed out with his free hand, clamping it around Maahes¡¯s throat. ¡°I AM ME, LEON!¡± He roared, his mane caught on fire, flames burned in his eyes, and with only the power in his arm he threw the god.
He looked down at the flaming sword still in his gut, and with a roar he pulled the blade free of its flesh scabbard.
He looked at the god lying there broken and battered in the crater he had been thrown into. ¡°I am you! Killing me will Kill you!¡± Maahes said, coughing up blood.
¡°No, killing you will free me.¡± Leon growled, he placed his foot on the god¡¯s chest, holding its broken form down with his boot, and plunged the blade into his chest.
¡°Do you know what you have done?¡± Maahes asked, with a wheezing voice.
¡°I have cast off my shackles.¡± Leon replied, grabbing the quillons of the blade he twisted, shredding the god''s heart. He watched as the light faded from his eyes and sighed. The world around him started to change, before long he was back in the ornamental building. Time was still stopped, and he could see himself carrying Fluffy, with Krya and Lira not far behind. He smiled and slowly returned to his normal form.
Yes, he was Leon now.
He resumed his original position, allowing time to flow once again.
¡°Leon?¡± Lira asked, she felt something change, it was impossible to describe, but Leon was, different, she ran around and stared into his eyes, they were, different, brighter somehow. ¡°Are you ok Leon?¡± she asked worry in her eyes.
¡°Never been better.¡± he replyed with a smile, and leaned down and kissed her.
¡°HEY,¡± Fluffy called out in protest. ¡°I want a kiss too!¡± it caused Lira and Leon to smile.
Yes he was leon, no matter what, this was who he was.
Chapter 32: Hunter becomes Hunted.
Leon stood not a foot away from the pulsating Lyruc orb. That strange sense of familiarity still radiated off of it. Wait, why was this orb blue? Didn''t the one in the book show a white orb with golden runes?
¡°Headmistress,¡± he called out, and she walked over to him, ¡°wasn''t the Lyruc orb supposed to be white and gold? Not blue?¡± he asked looking at the orb.
¡±What do you mean? The orb is white and gold.¡± she said looking at Leon in confusion.
¡°No, it is clearly blue, with a light blue hue where the inscriptions are.¡± Professor Mitra looked at the orb, coming up to stand besides the headmistress.
¡°She is right it is white and gold.¡± Leon looked around, everyone else including Lira nodded in agreement.
¡°Lets just say for a moment that it is blue, what exactly would that mean?¡± he asked.
¡°Could be a Triltik orb,¡± professor Mitra said, with a shrug, ¡°But those are even rarer, they were designed after the Lyric orb and their main function and purpose was to steal away familiars.¡± she narrowed her eyes at the orb, ¡°I know of no way to disguise one however seeing as they irradiate a light blue color, and that could not be masked.¡±
¡°Let us think about this for a minute, the Triltik orb steals away followers, leaving the mage vulnerable, on top of that Lira was specifically chosen, add that to the fact that we have yet to be attacked and it is pretty clear that we are being watched and or followed.¡±
He let what he had just said sink in.
¡°Trap¡± fluffy said with a happy smile as she continued to rub her nose up against Leon¡¯s neck.
Krya nodded in agreement, as did Lira.
¡°Well there is an easy way to find out,¡± Professor Mitra said, ¡°Triltik orbs are fragile things, often breaking after use, unlike the Lyric orbs.¡±
¡°Good to know.¡± Leon said, and with a flash of his hand the flaming sword appeared and in one swift downward motion he hit the orb.
There was the soft sound of breaking glass, as a crack spread around the orb, followed by a loud explosion and blue flames, it slightly defend them all, but when they came to they were not expecting to see what they were currently seeing.
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Surrounding them were no less than twenty almost identical plate armored knights.
¡°What-¡± Mitra started, but before she could Leon held up his hand to silence her.
¡°Lira, can you cast a shield and have it move with us?¡± he whispered looking at her.
¡°I can,¡± she nodded.
¡°This is a most unfortunate event.¡± called out an echoing voice.
¡°Indeed it would seem that the plan has failed.¡± hissed another. Three shadow like shapes appeared before them, fading in like ghosts or apparitions.
¡°Who are you?¡± Lira called out to them, Leon placed himself in front of her, and fluffy got down off of his back, giving a ferocious growl, hands in cased in gloves of ice.
¡°This would have been all so much easier had the familiar simply grabbed the orb, do you know how much time and money it to to put that there, and how many bribes I had to pass to make that orb appear like it had been there since the fall of this city?¡± the shadow sighed.
¡°It''s fine, we''ll just have to cut him from her the hard way.¡± replied the second.
¡°After all, we can''t have him around when we ready you for ascension.¡±
¡°Ascension?¡± Lira asked, a frightened look in her eyes.
¡°Yes, my dear, believe it or not but we have only your best interests at heart, you are after all the Saint of light reborn.¡± the first replied to her. ¡°Do you know who the saint of the light is?¡± he asked, before laughing ¡°what silly question am I asking of course you d-¡± he started to say but his eyes were drawn away by something.
Fluffy created a jagged chunk of ice and threw it towards the man.
He threw up a grey mana shield, but the ice sliced right through it as it arced beautifully gleaming in the dim light of the room before sheathing itself in the man¡¯s throat just above the black robe¡¯s entrance. He fell to his knees, gurgling and clawing at his throat his throat.
Everyone in the room turned and looked at fluffy with a mixture of horror and fasination.
¡°You talk too much,¡± she said, before turning to Leon. ¡°I got ¡®em can I have a petting now?¡±
¡°You-You- how dare you!¡±
¡°Lira now!¡± he shouted. She nodded with an ¡°Nn-¡±
She finished casting the spell, a golden dome shield appeared around them. It was honestly quite impressive, seeing as a shield of this type would never glow golden, the amount of skill it would require to make a shield like this was quite simply staggering.
She felt light headed and woozy for a second, but it passed quickly.
¡°Good, then I am going to get us out of here, but I will need to stay right behind me .¡± She nodded again, and a faint red glow could be seen in his eyes.
¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He said pulling the sword flame sword from out of thin air, he however didn¡¯t remove his hand from hers as he pulled her to the door.
The black robed mages vanished into smoke retreating as quickly as they had came, and the knights let loose a barrage of arrows and bolts.
¡°But the arrows!¡± Mitra cried in alarm, without waiting to answer her rushed forward. Four bolts flew towards them and Mitra closed her eyes, waiting to feel the pain from those bolts, but it never came. Opening her eyes she watched as an endless barrage of arrows approached them only to be disintegrated as they neared Lira¡¯s shield. ¡°Ehh?!¡± she cried, to be able to block that many arrows¡
Leon pulled Lira along with him as he rushed the archers.
¡°Fall back!¡± came the shout of the commander; he stood behind the archers commanding the troops.Krya aimed her staff at him, and with a mutter of words he exploded into a mess of black red and green goo that covered the surrounding men in a sickening display.
With the commander dead the men fell into disarray, they had found that there arrows could not touch Leon or his group and once there commander fell over half left the battlefield fleeing for their lives from them.
Thehunter becomes the hunted.
Leaping into their ranks pulling Lira along behind him Leon made short work of anyone that got in his way, cutting through their plate armor like it was nonexistent with his flamesword. The smell of blood and the screams of dying men echoed through the old city.
Covered in blood and with flame in his eyes and his right hand he hunted the poor men down. In this moment it was hard to believe that he was anything less than a Demonlord.
Chapter 33: An interesting proposal
Everyone sighed in relief when the school came into view up over the horizon. It had been a long and frankly trying trip, that had in the end yielded no fruit. The orb had been a bust, nothing more than a trap designed to drag Leon away from Lira so she was easier to snatch.
¡°I doubt your employer will be pleased with these results.¡± Leon said, calling out to the woman riding the horse several yards in front of him.
¡°Oh no doubt, I am quite sure they will be pissed,¡± the headmaster sighed, she had no doubts in her mind that this would make her life hard. ¡°On that topic, there is still the matter of your reward,¡± she said. ¡°Normally I would not give you the agreed upon reward unless the task was completed as asked but seeing as the circumstances are what they are and seeing as I have a feeling you will be needing this consider the keep yours.¡± she looked over at Lira who was sitting on the horse with Leon. ¡°Congratulations,¡± she paused for a second, ¡°You are now a countess.¡±
Lira¡¯s eyes opened wide as she heard this, this was overwhelming. Now no matter what she as going to have a place to go, somewhere for her and Leon to call home. No more fear of being kicked out of her father¡¯s house once his wife had that baby, she was now a countess, she could live the way she wanted.
Her body started shaking ever so slightly, and a few stray tears leaked out of her eyes. ¡°Tha...¡± she started, but wavered off. ¡°Thank you.¡± she sniffed and wiped the tears away with the corner of her sleeve.
¡°You are welcome,¡± the headmistress smiled. ¡°And you are clear to have the rest of the week off, so here.¡± she tossed a key towards them, which was caught in Leon¡¯s outstretched hand. She looked over at Krya and Fluffy as well, ¡°All of you are off, that includes the two of you,¡± she pointed down a path to the right that diverged from the school. ¡°Take this path it will lead you to the keep.¡± she said.
After saying their goodbyes they parted ways and went down the path as directed. It would appear the keep was only a few hours ride away from the school, meaning it could be used as a nice getaway from the craziness that was here lives.
The keep itself was of a smaller size, it was made out of white bricks, and grey mortar, almost like it had been hewed from the local limestone that was abunLeont in these hills. Great swaths of the outer walls were covered in green and red leafed ivy that crept its way up. Dismounting Leon opened the main courtyard with the key, and much to his surprise the great door opened by itself.
There was not a soul to be found in the courtyard, just the soft sound of a bubbling murmuring creek as it flowed through grates in the walls of the outer ramparts and divided the courtyard into two.
Everything was green, peaceful, lush, majestic.
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As they entered the door closed behind them, leaving them all to stare in wonder at the beauty and serenity of it all.
¡°Now that you are a countess you will be getting a lot of suitors.¡± Krya said, looking at Lira, Leon started to scowl.
¡°Ill kill them if they so much as look at her the wrong way.¡± he growled.
¡°That would be very bad, I doubt Lira would have a good relationship with other nobles if you did this, but I have a solution.¡± she blushed, her entire face turning a bright red. ¡°It hasn''t happened in the past 200 years, but it wouldn''t be the first time...¡± she trailed off and looked away, biting her lips.
¡°What wouldnt be the first?¡± Lira asked looking at her in confusion.
¡°We could...¡± Kry started to play with her hair, bringing it across her face to hide behind it. ¡°We could get married, you and I¡ ¡± she said in a soft voice.
The courtyard was silent, even the birds forgot to chirp in that moment.
¡°We could get married?¡± Lira¡¯s eyes went wide and her face started to burn.
¡°Smart.¡± Leon nodded to himself.
¡°Smart?!?!¡± Lira shouted turning to look at him. ¡°You are agreeing with this?!?!¡±
¡°I have no issue with this, it keeps others away, and it keeps the four of us together.¡± Leon said, looking at Lira with a slight smile.
¡°I uhhhhh,¡± Lira started to mutter to herself, and stare at her shoes.
¡°Don''t leave the person proposing waiting.¡± Leon said.
¡°I uhhhhh, fine, I will marry you.¡± she said in a soft voice, the two of them looked away from each other both as red a beets.
¡°Well this is awkward.¡± Fluffy said breaking the silence, ¡±I am going to explore the keep, you all are welcome to join me if you want.¡±
If he had to guess Leon would say the inner keep was around 5,000 square feet, completely furnished and immaculately clean, when he had asked Lira how this was possible without any servants around to clean it she had simply answered with one word:
¡°Magic.¡±
[Castle Eingrad]
¡°This could be a problem.¡± a shadow said, the room was filled with figures that were just as obscure and hard to see.
¡°I agree with the sentiment of worry, another unknown is added and we have no way of changing the plans now.¡±
¡°There is no need to change the plans, this has been something we have been setting up for the last 300 years.
¡°There is something to be said for simplicity. I still feel this is too complex, to elaborate.¡± the shadow said folding its hands.
¡°We are going about this the wrong way,¡± Said a woman, folding her hands atop her now bulging belly.
¡°And how might I ask would you handle it lady priscilla?¡±
¡°We need to be more direct.¡± she snapped back at the shadow.
¡°Perhaps it would be best if we were to leave that to someone less,¡± he looked at her stomach, ¡°Inclined to be away for some time.¡± he said carefully.
¡°Are you saying I can''t do my job?¡± she snapped back at him.
¡°I am saying it would be more difficult for you in your current state.¡± she shot the other shadows a look, with a question in her eyes, but there was no response, it would seem they were all in agreement here.
¡°I see, well then let this be considered my formal resignation from the order, from here on forth i will act on my own to make sure what needs done will get done,¡± she looked at once shadow in particular, he had not spoken the entire night.
¡°What do you plan on doing?¡± he asked in a deep voice.
¡°I will do what the council has no stomach for,¡± she looked around the room. ¡°I will kill the familiar, the saints ascension will be up to you all however.¡± she turned on her heals and with more grace than anyone that pregnant should ever have she walked out of the room.
Chapter 34: Third times the charm...
He had been waiting outside of the main bedchamber for almost a half hour now, the three of them had shut him out of the room and said he was not allowed in until they called him.
¡°Leon, you can come in now,¡± Lira called out, and as he pushed open the solid wooden door a beautiful sight greeted him.
All three girls were laying on top of the massive bed, each in a different state of undress. Lira who was only wearing her robes loosely stood up and walked over to him, her golden eyes shining, ¡°I expect the same amount of love and care I have always received up until now.¡±
Leon smiled. ¡°Deal.¡± he responded.
¡°Leon,¡± Krya said in a soft voice, Leon turned toward her and looked at the beautiful woman, like Lira she was on the smaller side, but those hips, they were wide, ridiculously wide... ¡°I uh- I am inexperienced , and uh, and I don''t know what to do and-¡± she started rambling, but before Leon could answer her Lira spoke up.
¡°Oh, don''t worry about that Leon is quite adept at teaching.¡± leon smiled and spread her legs right away, placing his head in between them.
He thought she turned entirely red from being touched by Fluffy, but he had yet to see her turn truly red until now. The words caught in her throat, and she started taking quick short breaths almost like she was hyperventilating.
¡°Oh, so aggressive.¡± Fluffy purred, she reached over and slipped her hand under Krya¡¯s bra. ¡°Though I will warn you, I fully expect to be petted after this...¡±
¡°Oh ill pet you, with quite a heavy hand as well.¡± Leon answered before getting started.
Fluffy practically jumped for joy before getting back to work on krya.
She planted a kiss on Krya¡¯s trembling neck, tracing it down with her tongue to the other woman¡¯s collarbone.
¡°Ahhhh, ahhh wait I don''t think i can...¡± Krya moaned.
¡°Hurry up, I want to be petted¡± Fluffy said before tracing her way back up Krya¡¯s neck and softly tugging her ear with her teeth.
With a wet tongue he traced down her to between her legs, he softly planted a kiss on her thigh, feeling her shiver in anticipation made him just want to sink in, but he resisted that urge. With slow kisses and small licks he made his way in closer.
The labia that presented itself to him was thick, with well formed mounds that were currently quivering cutely. With a gentle tongue he traced the curve they formed , stopping at the clitorial hood, and slowly pushing it open to reveal the prize.
He slowly started sucking on it playing around with it in his mouth with his tongue. With his hands he took a finger and spread her open and invaded the secret garden she had hidden away.
He slipped a finger just into the entrance and rubbed the sensitive skin located there, even as he played with her clitorus. He drew his tongue up and over the top of the Labia before pulling away to look at her. He started to stir around inside of her with his finger, soon adding a second and and then a third. As he worked on her she began moving her hips with his motions.
Her eyes were closed and she was biting her lips with her teeth in a desperate plea to not let out any noise.
He pulled her face around and pressed his lips to hers, and slowly his tongue pushed apart her lips and entered her mouth. Krya gasped in surprise, she froze, as Fluffy¡¯s hands wandered around her body and Leon¡¯s tongue entered her mouth.
With little effort Fluffy picked up the woman and lay underneath her, wrapping her arms around the woman from behind. Krya was sandwiched between Fluffy¡¯s exploring hands and Leon¡¯s invading tongue.
Her mind went blank as they did as they pleased with her.
Leon was curious what Fluffy was doing under those garments, so with skilled hands he undid the hooks on the bra. It was then that Krya¡¯s eyes became refocused.
¡°No-wait!¡± she started to say, and she moved to cover her chest, only to have her wrists snatched by Fluffy from behind. She pinned them to her side and went back to tasting the now defenseless woman¡¯s neck with soft kisses and licks.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Leon looked down at the breasts bared to the world. Krya was small of size, with perky pear shaped breasts, topped with small areolas and nipples. He placed his hands on them and watched as Krya¡¯s face morphed through several different complex emotions.
Happyness.
Desire.
Embarrassment.
All of these and more flashed on her face. Leon smiled to himself as he massaged the flesh.
He was rewarded with a beautiful sound.
¡°Ahhhhhhh-mmmmmmmmm¡± she started to moan, before biting her lips and muffling the sound in an attempt to keep it from leaking out. The resulting sound however was much more lewd and errotic.
Leon kissed her on the lips, before kissing her on the chin and working his way down to her breasts. He made sure to lick every surface of them, including on the underside, by her rib cages, before even moving to touch her nipples.
By this time they had already grown hard, the pink flesh around them had cute little goose bumps as he slowly breathed on them before putting his mouth around them. While he was working on her chest Fluffy was stroking her lower area.
¡°Nnn¡haun!¡± Krya put her hand on her mouth and desperately endured her voice. ¡°NN¡a,nn! Please wait!¡±
The skin that was being massaged and toyed with had turned a light red, partly from agitation and partly due to embarrassment.
¡°Na!¡± Fluffy bit Krya¡¯s ear and pulled slightly, even as she slipped a hand down inbetween Krya¡¯s legs.
Fluffy held the vagina open by spreading her fingers, ¡°Be soft with her, it is her first time.¡± she said.
¡°Leon doesn''t really do soft.¡± Lira laughed. Krya looked at him with a little trepidation in her gaze.
he doesn''t do soft?
Leon entered, the smooth feeling as he slipped inside was heaven.
She shuddered.
Pushing in slowly he quickly reached her limit, she was deeper than Lira, but not by much.
Here he paused, allowing her to catch her breath, once she looked up at him again he started his movements, it started with a slow motion, but each time he entered her it felt like a bolt of energy ran up her spine.
With every time he pushed into her she made a soft moan, her eyes rolled back into her head and she found she could no longer think straight. Slowly his movements ramped up, until she felt like if he went any faster she would shatter into a million peices.
¡°Nn¡nn¡Don¡¯t, move¡ Ahn, Ah¡nn.¡± A lovely voice leaked out every time he thrust further into her pussy, even so, Krya desperately tried to muffle her sounds, like she is afraid someone will overhear. ¡°Nnaaa!¡please¡nnoo, more.¡±
Krya¡¯s vagina twitched as if asking for ejaculation. Trembling ever so slightly, it was a trembling that coiled around Leon, he had felt this before, she was about to reach her limit.
¡°Ahn, Ah, Ah, ah, Haha, ¡nnn©`!¡± He placed a hand around her neck. Holding her in place this way he rammed her with more aggression than previously, as he pushed as far into her as possible.
She felt him press up against the entrance of her womb each time, throwing itself against the wall of flesh like an seige engine against a gate, sooner or latter he would enter.
With a final thrust harder than any of the rest he plunged deep and came to rest as far as she could humanly allow. She felt him tremble, and not just his body. His member swelled in size before a torrent of warm flowed out of him and into her stomach.
¡°AHHHHHH!¡± she screamed and locked her legs around his back as she felt the warmth enter her and she climaxed.
He stay there, leaning over her one hand still on her throat. ¡°You are mine.¡± he said in a low voice that almost resembled a growl.
He pulled out, some of the white substance leaked from out of the reddened flesh between her legs.
Fluffy moved around from behind Krya and pushed Leon out of the way. She buried her head between Krya¡¯s legs.
Her tongue gently slipped in between the reddish pink folds and coxed the semen out. Some dripped down her mouth as she licked it up. ¡°Ahh, this taste,¡± she said as she ate the semen right out of her master¡¯s vagina, ¡°Pet me please?¡± she asked looking at him with deep blue eyes.
¡°Gladly,¡± Leon smiled.
He placed his hands on her backside, stroking the smooth tanned skin. He ran his hands all around her, over her rear, across her back, down her hips, inside her thighs. She started panting as he ran his hands all up and down her body. Her rear was up in the air, with her legs spread and she was showing him everything.
Her tail was going haywire, swinging back and forth with such speed and ferocity it was making her rear sway along with it. With a smile he lunged forward and grabbed the tail in between his teeth, in response she let out a small whimper.
He continued to pet her belly even as he was entering her. He slipped inside her as far as he could go. In response she bit down on a section of the sheet to keep the moans muffled.
¡°Woooo,wooo wooooo,¡± she let out those peculiar wolf like noises, honestly it threw him off for a second, but only for a second.
The movements soon became the only thing that was on her mind as she felt him becoming one with her, this was, this was too much. She felt like if this kept up she would never return to normal, never be able to think straight.
Then something happened that she had never expected. He let go of the tail in his mouth and leaned forward, opting to put the tip of her canine like ear in his mouth.
Wolves are pack animals, one biting the other¡¯s ear is a sign of dominance, Leon knew this, and was using it to his advantage, as he placed the ear in his mouth and bit down firmly.
She arched her back and in the motion ripped a piece of the sheet off in her mouth, her vaginal walls tightened, working in conjunction with the twitching of his penis.
She whimpered, letting out a sound that echoed through the stone room.
Even through the cloth gag she had made herself it was loud.
She couldn''t help it.
He pushed in as far as he could go and let out a torrent of semen.
He pulled back and looked at fluffy, she was currently flopped down on the bed, a piece of the sheet still in her mouth, panting with exaggerated movements, every now and again her tail and ears would twitch, as she stared at the ceiling with a vacant expression.
¡°Hey Leon,¡± he turned around and looked at Lira, she had been sitting on the end of the bed watching the show this entire time. ¡°Did you save some for me?¡± she asked, a small smile on her lips.
He smiled in response. ¡°Well you know what they say.¡± he said picking her up in his arms.
¡°What''s that?¡± she asked, wrapping her hands around his neck.
¡°Third time''s the charm.¡± he said with a laugh.
End of Volume 1/Authors note...
Hey all it''s Markious, first of all I would like to thank you all for coming with me on this part of the journey. This is the third novel I have finished and to top it off it is the third novel I have written this year, and with this novel I have written over 200,000 words or if you like that is near 1,000 pages in my google docs.
Holy crap.
I am sure other people would have done this faster or better or both but I am proud of this one.
So, now I find myself in a troublesome position, you see I am currently editorless (thats a word don''t judge me lol ) Sobek, who helped edit Volume one of my fiance is an alien and also Dan¡¯s shoppe(of which I am still trying to format and edit for amazon release) has unfortunately had to go do some other things.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
So everyone, let''s give a warm thank you for sobeck who helped me make a legible version of the mess that spills out of my head.
Also , anyone who wants to help me do some editing please pm me, i could really use the help getting this one and Penece ready for amazon.
Anyway I think some thank yous¡¯ are in order. Once again I would like to think My wife, who not only allowed me to write this crap but also read it and gave me feedback, you are still the best hon.
Secondly thanks Sobek for helping me fix all the stupid mistakes in my previous two novels, you will be missed.
And last but not least thank all of you readers who gave me awesome ideas and feedback, you all are the people who make writing books worth it.
If you liked this one please leave a comment and or a rating, I love reading them. Thanks! (Also go read penance damnit! It only has 1/4th the readers of my other novels lol)
A preview of what is to come.
Ok so I wanted to post a preview of my next upcoming fic(I have this one almost written about half way so far it is at20,000 words atm)
Have yet to name this but it is a rewrite of an older fic I wrote(and started posting under a diff name way back when on this site before taking it down to rewrite it.)
so feedback would be appreciated, also this one is a mixture of Fallout and Appleseed(one of the best mangas ever made) but with more of a focus on the two main chars Ariana and Blain, also sex lots of hot steamy sex... cause its me lol.
so without further adieu here it is:
The funny thing is, you always hear that you never know what you have until you lose it. Everyone knows the saying; it is one that has been lost to the antiquity of human culture. As long as we have congregated together, this saying has held true.
Loss is something hard for anyone to cope with. Loss of property, dignity, or God forbid the loss of a loved one.
The toxic smell of smoke, burning flesh, and blood drifted. And the tears, the salty taste of tears as they slid down her face.
¡°No, not like this. Reese, please God, not like this¡ ¡± she wailed, as he looked up at her and smiled, or at least what was left of him. He had only one limb remaining, his right arm, and with a shaking hand he reached up and brushed back a strand of her hair that had fallen loose.
¡°Ah, sorry, I got blood on your face,¡± he laughed lightly, but she knew, he was in pain, and it hurt her. He was making light of the situation, like he always did in the tough times, it was one of the many things she loved about him. ¡°Well, I¡¯m gonna have a hard time making you that house on the beach you wanted; hard to drive a nail and hold a hammer with only one hand, huh?¡± He laughed, and when he did blood streamed out of his mouth, staining the short blond beard he had always been so proud of. ¡°We might have to find a contractor.¡±
¡°Stop talking Reese. Please just, don¡¯t talk,¡± she was able to choke out.
¡°Let me talk, this is the last time I¡¯ll see you, I want it to be something joyous, not mournful.¡± He smiled again, he just kept smiling.
¡°No! We will get you patched up. The A.R.C will be here soon. You¡¯ll get through this.¡± She could hardly see him through her tears. They both knew it wasn¡¯t true, she knew, there was no coming back from this, not when they had to wait for help to arrive.
¡°Ari, I need you to promise me something,¡± his voice got stern. She wiped away the tears in her eyes and focused on his face, he was covered in blood and ash, but those eyes those clear blue eyes still shone with the same light that they had when she had first met him. ¡°When I¡¯m gone, I want you to move on. You have so much to give someone.¡±
¡°You know I can¡¯t do that,¡± she whispered.
¡°Stubborn, always so Goddamn stubborn. Can¡¯t even grant a dying man his last wish, that¡¯s why I love you so much, hehe.¡± And with that he closed his eyes.
¡°Reese?¡± she asked, she already knew the answer, but she still had to ask, ¡°Reese?¡± She put a shaking hand on his face, but there was no response, ¡°I can¡¯t Reese, I can¡¯t, because I love you.¡± Tears and blood mixed as she leaned over and placed her forehead on his and gave him one last kiss...
She sat up with a start, breathing hard, the cool wind blew in through the broken window letting her feel exactly how wet her face was. It took a few seconds to get herself oriented, this was far from the first time she had relived that moment in her dreams. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
She also doubted it would be the last.
She regulated her breathing, bringing herself back to a calm. She turned her head and looked at the man whose leg she had just been using as a pillow.
Well, perhaps not a man. He was a third generation Bio-Android, created using Reese¡¯s brain post mortem.
Bio-androids, or Biros for short were a subject of controversy, in fact if you looked at it they were the reason the entire world had become a warzone.
World war three in the most literal of terms.
Their creation had brought about a fracture between people. They were entirely organic, they were by biological design human, everything, there skin, there bones, everything except their brains. They were at the core A.I.s, mapped from the human brain. They sent electronic impulses through it, mapping out its every detail and then converted it to a digital format.
He had all of Reese¡¯s memories, his personality even.
¡°Can I put forward a petition to change my name to Reese, so I cannot feel so jealous of my donor every time you fall asleep?¡± he joked, but she could see the hurt in his eyes.
He had the same blue eyes.
¡°Motion denied,¡± she chuckled, ¡°Sorry,¡± she said as she looked down at his leg, there was a wet spot where her tears had fallen.
¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he said, he leaned back against the heavy concrete wall of the building they were currently squatting in. if you could call it squatting, after the war broke out and subsequently ended the entire world was thrown in chaos, no one bothered with laws anymore, at least not here in the L.A. Boneyard.
¡°How much food do we have left?¡± she asked, she ran her hand through her raven black shoulder length hair.
¡°Three days,¡± he said, he pulled out a can and opened it up using the flat of his blade under the pull tab. Once opened he skewered one of the small sausages inside and popped it in his mouth. ¡°Next time we find food we are leaving it behind if it is these,¡± he growled as he chewed the meat, he skewered another of the salty sausages and offered it to her.
¡°I¡¯ll pass, thanks.¡±
¡°To hell you will if I have to eat this shit for the hundredth time then so do you.¡± he growled, pressing the sausage up against her non opening mouth.
¡°I don''t want it!¡± she said, but that was her fatal mistake, as she opened her mouth the piece of meat shot into it, and before she could spit it out he covered her mouth with his hand and tilted her head back. ¡°Fine, fine i''ll eat the damn thing!¡± she growled. ¡°Stupid Blain, acting like my mom, you know I don''t need to be fed right? I can do that myself thanks.¡±
He actually didn¡¯t have a name. His designation code was BL89E, when they had paired her up with him they had called him that, it was just so damn impersonal. And she could never call a man that was a replica of him by a serial code, so she had just started calling him Blain.
But that was a long time ago, back when the two of them were part of the military, there was no military anymore, like everything else it had fallen to shit.
He smiled and skewered another sausage, ¡°Here comes the airplane, open up the hanger.¡± he said with a laugh in his voice.
¡°Asshole,¡± she said, but there was a smile in the corner of her mouth. ¡°Give me that,¡± she said as she snatched it out of his hands and took a bite of the overly salty packaged meat. She sighed, ¡°What do we do now Blain?¡± she asked, ¡°where do we go?¡±
¡°We go wherever we need to,¡±he said simply with a shrug, before he stopped moving altogether. ¡°Heavy assault suit incoming, South-Southwest, and it¡¯s coming right for us.¡± He stood up, looking exactly like Reese, only taller by over a head and a half. He even had that same blonde scruff. He grabbed the matted, gray combat armor, a relic from there past service to the country and slipped into it, covering his torso and neck, before grabbing the helm and slotting it into place.
Ari followed suit, equipping her own gear and grabbing the 5.56 ap. assault rifle she had stashed in the corner. The rifle he grabbed was actually an anti-armor material revolver rifle, something usually mounted on vehicles or bolted to the ground, but in his hands it was no different from a rifle in anyone else¡¯s .
¡°Blain, how far out are we talking?¡±
¡°300 meters and closing. New tech; not prewar. It doesn¡¯t sound the same.¡±
¡°New tech?¡± she raised her eyebrows. Who exactly had the resources to build new assault suits? There was no more centralized government; it was a wasteland out here, as it had been for the last 3 years that she and Blain had wandered. ¡°Are you sure?¡± He looked over towards her. She couldn¡¯t see his face behind the steel gray visor of the helm, but she knew him well enough to know the look he would be giving her right now. ¡°Fine, fine, I trust you.¡± Of course she did. This was Reese. Even if he was not the same as before, it was still her Reese, he was just called Blain now.
This was one thing they disagreed on; Blain saw himself as a different person, something or someone new. Even though he had all of Reese¡¯s old memories, he saw him as a donor, someone whose loss gave birth to him. Ari on the other hand, couldn¡¯t help but look at him and see Reese. He was Reese. She even would have called him that had he let her, but at first he had only allowed her to address him as BL89E, and had finally given into letting her call him Blain.
He propped the rifle on the edge of the window. ¡°Tango in sight, lethal or not?¡± She bit her bottom lip.
¡°Disable the suit. I would like to know who has been shadowing us for the past few days,¡± she said, before kicking open the door and disappearing outside into the evening shadow.
¡°Roger,¡± he said, before regulating his breathing and sighting the mobile armor suit in his crosshairs.
Volume one is on Amazon!(And a preview of the next novel I am starting)
Whoo! this took alot longer to get all worked out due to a pretty horrendous glitch with google docs (Shakes fist at imaginary communists that probably caused this...)
but here we are and here is the book, or rather the link is in the author''s note above.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
I would like to say thanks to Bretton Alwood (DarkCurs3 on royalroad) who edited and did so much work to make this book be a publishable thing.
Now then, shall we also show off a cover to the next novel to be released? (Yes the answer is yes...)
update and 2018鈥檚 release schedule
Hello everyone, Markious here with an update and with 2018¡¯s release schedule(or at least what I have worked out so far.) So, I moved to another state due to getting a job in my field(Computer program and design Yeah!) and thus I have spent the last two months working on the new house which required some updating with my dad. We painted, put down hardwood floors and updated the electrical along with some other stuff. So I am currently waiting for the polyurethane to dry enough to move my shit into the house.
Which means my computer is still packed away, so to get back to writing I went down to walmart yesterday and bought myself a chromebook, man I like you guys to much lol.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
What that means is that I will be back to posting, and due to my new work schedule(I start today,) I will be changing how I post, I plan on posting four times a week minimum, meaning three posts of I think my familiar is a demonlord volume 2 and one post of Raider. I will stick with this and make sure you are getting quality content, not just quantity. After raider is done I might start posting either consort, Farseer, or the events leading to a warlock¡¯s wedding, I have yet to decide, those will take the weekend slot leaving me more open to working on the three main series.
So without further adieu, here is Volume 2 of I think my familiar is a Demonlord.
I cant wait to hear your thoughts, also waffles!
Volume 2 Ch 1: This will be interesting...
Leon sat at the table with the three others, it was the first day of this year of school, most people would have spent the time at home with their families, the four of them however had worked almost all the two month long break fixing up and making their new dwelling more to their liking.
That and planning the wedding.
A wedding between two females, which was not something that happened very often and definitely not something that Krya¡¯s family wanted. Clan Gremor had sent many suitors her way over the years only to have them all rejected. And now there beloved daughter was going to get married to some other woman, and a bastard child of a small duke at that.
Surely they thought it a waste.
And honestly the looks they all got from other students when the news went out was, uncomfortable. It was not like they were actually lesbians, it was simply that it was not possible to marry a Familiar, seeing as they were not recognized as anything more than magical constructs, complex magical constructs, but still magical constructs.
They wouldn''t even bother with the marriage, she was happy with just being Leon¡¯s woman, but the suitors were getting more and more annoying. She was already his, but she like Lira was unable to legally marry him. So she had proposed a solution to Lira, it would cure the nagging suitor problem and would make it so they were free to live there life any way they wished.
She played with the necklace she had around her neck. It had a pendant of a flaming lion¡¯s head, the same symbol that was branded on both Lira and Leon¡¯s hand, the symbol of their link, there contract. Lira likewise had a necklace that had a black and blue wolf on it, the same mark of her and fluffy¡¯s union. It was how you told people you were engaged to another house, wearing the other person¡¯s mark.
Krya liked wearing it, it was the mark that represented Leon, which gave her more than enough joy to wear for that reason alone.
The two of them being lesbians was not the only rumor going around, in fact the smarter students had already deduced that her and Lira were not homosexual but in fact all part of one person¡¯s harem. The act of mating with a familiar had always been considered taboo, mostly because familiars were nothing more than animals magically reconstructed to act as servants, add to this the fact that they were created with spirits, souls, animus however you want to call it.
They were in essence dead.
You can see where this was going.
Some pretty nasty names were floating around, of course not where Leon could hear them, most people had wised up to the fact that he could crush them underfoot, which gave them all some breathing room. But when he was not there there would often be a snide comment about beastiality or necrophilia.
Nevermind the fact that he clearly was not a corpse or an animal.
It honestly got to her some, not that she showed it, her face as always was emotionless. It was not that she didn''t feel, it was simply that she was unsure of how to show the emotion she was feeling. She had never been exceptionally good at social interactions, so she had learned to keep her emotions bottled.
The only time she didn''t do this was when she was alone with her family.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
By family she meant her new family, Leon, Lira, and fluffy.
They had truly become her family, no matter what happened she knew she could count on them to help her out of it all, through thick and thin. And they were the only ones she had anymore, to say her clan didn''t take to well to her engagement was putting it mildly. In truth they had completely disowned her, striping her of her status as a family member and as a royal descendant of Clan Gremor. Meaning all she was now was a mage that had no family ties, and that was worse than being a bastard child.
Much worse.
She however found that it didn''t matter to her, she was not lacking for anything, she had food, it was paid for with the tuition she had sent to transfer to this academy. She had a roof over her head, that they had earned for upholding their end of the bargain with the headmistress. And more importantly than any of that was the fact that she had companionship.
She looked over at her group, the tallest and easily the most eye catching was Leon, standing a full head over herself and almost half a head taller than any other man in the school he demanded attention, what with his fiery red hair and short beard, those blazing red eyes that would make a dragon quake with fear and the obsidian horns that curved back from his temples. He like all the rest of them was clothed in the red and gold uniform of the school¡¯s second year students, soon they would change those out for the next set of robes assigned to them, these ones blue, but still cut in the school''s signature look. He had this Aura around him, like he was some sort of Demonlord.
Or a god of war.
She didn''t know, all she knew was that she was drawn to him, and to Lira for some unknowable reason.
Speaking of Lira she glanced over at her fiance, strange as it may seem this woman was going to be her husband, or was Krya going to be the husband? Or was there even a need for one of them to assume that role? Shaking her head she looked Lira over, the woman was small framed, wearing her robes slightly looser than they should have been, but still in the respectable margins, she had shoulder length silver hair, and these piercing golden eyes. That however was not the thing that caught the most attention when talking about Lira, it was the horns. They curved from the back of her head across the temples and around, almost sticking out like a bulls but not protruding far from her head.
That had happened when she had merged with Leon, it was not uncommon for a mage to get part of their familiar imprinted onto them like that, it had even happened to fluffy and her. Krya now had this incessant tail, and no matter how she tried to hide her emotions the blasted thing would give her away in an instant, much to her chagrin and Leon¡¯s pleasure.
The last and final member of her family was her own familiar, who had been dubbed fluffy by Leon. never minding the fact that the familiar was a woman, and fluffy seemed more of a male name. Ah whatever, fluffy seemed ok with the name, so Krya let it be. During her and fluffy¡¯s merging the familiar had undergone the most extreme change Krya had ever seen, or heard of for that matter. She had gone from being a horse sized white direwolf with blue markings to a woman, with tan skin, white hair, and a full set of wolf ears and a tail. She also still had the blue markings.
She watched as fluffy rubbed up against Leon begging him for a ¡°Petting¡± Krya was well aware of what the familiar meant by this, there had been many such pettings over the break, and it would seem that other students also understood what her asking him to pet her was judging by the blush of the female students and the fact that multiple males crossed there legs.
She smiled, yes, she had made the right choice coming to this school.
¡°Greetings third year students!¡± the headmistress called out as she walked onto the stage, the headmistress was a tall woman, looking to be in her forties, she had blonde hair pulled back into a bun that was held together by a single silver clip. Even in her forties she was a good looking woman, with tight skin, and high cheekbones, but the most attractive feature about her was those eyes.
They were the clearest blue anyone had ever seen, like looking into the endless sky.
She had apparently been the bastard child of true royalty, and had been pushed out of her house by her siblings of pure descent, landing this position somehow she had carved a name for herself, free of the name of her father. She was a role model to Krya, if she could do it then so could Krya.
¡°Welcome one and all to your third year at Grulik School of magic, two down four to go.¡± she smiled, and a small wave of chuckles rippled through the room. ¡°This year promises to be exciting for you all,¡± she said, pushing up the half moon glasses on her nose. ¡°Besides the studies of Advanced systematic Magical constructs, the application of potions crafting course three, the study of elemental powers course three-¡± she called out the list of classes being offered this year to them, they would have the next three days to sign up for them. At this school it really didn''t matter what order they were done in, so long as you did them all and passed them all before the year was out. ¡°And many more elective classes we have something special this year.¡± everyone''s ears perked up, and in the case of fluffy you could actually see them perk. ¡°This year we have been invited to an event, or perhaps it should be said we were challenged.¡± The headmistress¡¯s eyes landed on Krya and lingered there for a second longer than she liked. ¡°There is to be a tournament between the schools, a grand tourney between us, The Retcliff school, Termlin, Motrasi, and Wolfthir.¡± krya¡¯s eyes opened wide, so that was why the headmistress had looked at her, it would seem as though her old school was one of the rivels¡
Volume 2 Ch 2: Little rabbit...
Leon slipped the robe over his head and tied its front together with the strip of leather that passed for a string. Closing it most of the way, but leaving enough room for breathing. These robes were exactly like the old ones, only they had a different color to them, they were blues and golds, they were even cut in the same way, consisting of a long sleeve robe, complete with a hood. The front was laced up, and the side from the waist down was split to allow ease of movement. Once he had that on he pulled up his pants, pulling the robe out of the way to fasten the leather strap. Following that was a set of woolen stockings and then his boots.
It was all in all, not a bad set, a decent mixture of practicality and comfort. It, however, lead him to wonder why mages like robes, they would be impractical in a lot of situations including battles and the like. You would think mages would want to be better protected seeing as they were the nobility.
He shrugged, this world often made little sense to him, it didn''t need to, all that mattered was the three that were still sleeping in the bed. He looked back at them, all three of them laying in their usual spots, Lira on the right side of the bed, Krya on the left, and fluffy curled up like a dog at the foot of the bed. There was also a cavity in the center that had been his place, up till he had pulled himself out of the bed, careful to not disturb the sleeping three.
He looked himself over in the dim light of the predawn mirror.
Ever since he had killed that old self he had gotten most of his memories back, or maybe he had gotten the memories of Maahes, the question now was whether or not he was his own person or simply an alter ego of Maahes. It was a question that burned deep in his mind. Shaking his head he dislodged those thoughts and headed out of the door into the cold stone hall.
This castle, this home of theirs, it was much too large for the four of them, there, however, was no need for anyone else, and the three others kept it from being lonely. He followed the path he had worn into his memories, right, right, left and out into the courtyard. He breathed in the brisk air, there was still a frosted dew on everything like there always was before the golden rays of the sun had kissed the earth.
He flexed his hand, willing a blade into his hand, it appeared there blazing, casting a red light around the courtyard and casting a comfortable warmth towards him. He looked at the blade, if his memories were correct Maahes had used this as his primary weapon, it was different, however, while that had been a scimitar, this was a more traditional long sword, perhaps even reaching into bastard sword territory.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
He spread his legs, adopting a pose more suited for fighting, and sprung forward, attacking his imaginary foes with a snarl and blaze in his eyes. He had many powers at his disposal, it just seemed as though they were out of his reach at this time. It would seem he was too weak to perform the more extravagant moves, hence why he was practicing.
He lunged forward, driving the blade hard into a tree, and pulled back just as fast, leaving the blade embedded, he formed a claw with this hand and twisted in mid-air, and in a flash of flame he was behind the tree, a flaming clawed hand came crashing down and removed a good fist full of bark and tree flesh, and in another flash he was back in front of the tree, several feet away with the blade in his hand.
You could almost see the tree shudder in pain as the wind caught the high branches causing a trimble of the branches that seemed to run all the way down into the ground. He banished the blade and looked at his hand, that was the first time he had been able to fully utilize his ability to distort space around himself. It was a great ability that allowed him to instantly close the distance, or to create some should the need arise.
He rolled his neck out, loosening the stiffened muscles and went into a fist fighting form, he flowed from form to form, building up a sheen of sweat as he practiced, committing the moves to muscle memory.
He would have been content with doing this until the others rose, but he felt something. Like someone was watching, as he flowed in a form he twisted slightly, teleporting himself to the location he felt the presence he found himself up in a tree, standing face to face with a living shadow, his hand didn''t stop moving it snatched out forming a flaming claw that ached toward the shadow¡¯s throat. His hand, however, didn''t make contact, the creature that looked like it was made out of smoke was just as elusive as the substance. It bent in a way no human could ever move, and shifted around his fist, avoiding the fist by mere millimeters.
That was fine, he ignited his fist, flames leapt out, turning the right arm of his robes into a fine ash instantly, the smoke person hissed out in pain, stumbling back it formed a more human shape, it was male, and it was wearing a robe, holding a staff in one hand and his face in the other.
Due to the darkness that surrounded them, Leon could not see his face, that was fine, he would have as much time as he needed examining the face after he ripped off his head. With a roar that could shatter a lion¡¯s pride he lunged forward once again, this time the blade in his hands, but before the sword could find itself in its new sheath the man pulled on a talisman around his neck, ripping it off of its leather thong and vanished in a blinding flash of light.
Leon blinked a few times, before hopping down to the ground and picking up the discarded talismen. He would have to talk to Lira about adding more magical barriers and defenses to the castle, that and ask about this¡
He looked up at the sky, the sun was just barely rising over the ridge to the east. He looked down and found the arm of his robe completely burned away, he was going to need to get changed, it was after all the first day of classes for them. He sighed, he hated classes, but if it was for Lira and Krya he would be there, no matter how much he found it boring.
¡°You got away this time little rabbit, next time I will burn you away...¡± he called out to the silent forest.
Next time¡
Volume 2 Ch 3: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned...
Lira looked at Leon, she stared deep into his red eyes and asked him for the third time this morning. ¡°Why exactly am I strengthening the barriers?¡± when he didn''t answer she moved to a different lane of questioning, one that was in her mind undoubtedly connected. ¡°Why were a set of your new robes damaged?¡± she narrowed her golden eyes,¡±Almost like you were in a fight?¡± she asked softly, her hands moving in ever-shifting complex patterns as she wove a stronger protection onto their property.
Even under her suspicious gaze, he refused to answer, it made her wonder if this was more out of pride than anything else, maybe he had burned the robes himself and didn''t want to say¡
No.
Leon wouldn¡¯t be that careless.
Had it been anyone else, and that might have been the answer, but she knew him, knew him too well to think that was the reason, that was not how he worked. Fine, he might be able to hold out against one upset woman¡¯s stare, but unfortunately for him, she had behind her two other women that could glare along with her.
And hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Almost as if they were communicating telepathically both Krya and Fluffy entered the room, and they lay into Leon burning him with their gaze. It didn''t take long for him to cave, just a little. A small crack in his near-impenetrable facade. ¡°There might have been someone spying on us.¡± he finally growled, caving to the three of them...
¡°Spying?¡± Krya asked.
¡°Yes, I found him high in a tree looking over the wall, observing.¡±
¡°And? What did he look like?¡± Fluffy asked, this onslaught of questioning pleased Lira, the three of them were working together like a perfect organism, slicing right through Leon¡¯s pride to get to the meat of the story.
¡°It was dark, and he was using some sort of concealment magic.¡±
¡°Did he look like an animal or was he more incorporeal?¡± Frya asked, picking up the torch that had been handed to her.
¡°He was like smoke and shadow, and he moved like such,¡± Leon answered. ¡°I was unable to get ahold of him, however, it would seem as though flames can still burn shadows.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
¡°So he or she, could you tell it was a male?¡± Lira asked, when Leon shook his head she continued with her line of questioning. ¡°So he or she was at least an advance mage, seeing as they were tapped into the shadowverse.¡±
¡°Shadowverse?¡± Both Leon and Fluffy looked at Lira confused.
¡°It is the fourth element, or so some people call it, personally I believe it is simply the lack of light.¡± She responded to their questioning gazes.
¡°It is a magic type that allows you to as you saw Leon conceal yourself, and at higher levels move like smoke and shadows,¡± Krya said, filling in the spots that Lira had left out. ¡°So no discernable features then?¡±
¡°Well, they will have a burn mark on the left side of there face now¡± Leon offered with a shrug.
¡°You do know we have magic to fix scarring and burns right?¡± Krya asked.
¡°Not my flames you don¡¯t,¡± he said confidently.
¡°Whatever,¡± Lira said with a sigh, ¡°We have to go, classes will be starting soon, Leon go get changed, and you fluffy.¡± she looked over at the naked wolf girl, complete with her tanned skin, white hair and blue body markings. ¡°Get some damn clothes on will you?¡±
¡°Awwwwww, do I have to?¡± the wolf girl asked, her pointed ears flopping to one side and her previously wagging tail coming to rest limply in between her legs.
¡°For the last time yes!¡± Lira shouted and pointed out of the room, she watched as a despondent wolf familiar walked out tail firmly between her legs and feet dragging. Honestly. She shook her head and got back to work on strengthening the barriers, if Leon was right, and honestly speaking he usually was then they would need all the defenses they could get¡
It took about thirty minutes to get everyone in order and ready to go standing in front of the teleportation gate, it was a nice device that the Headmistress had set up for them so they could come and go as they pleased, other students were also offered this, but seeing as most of them had no need it was only typically used to go back home quickly in the case of emergencies or on breaks.
¡°So, what are the classes today?¡± Leon asked, and both Lira and Krya shot him a look, and after a second or two Fluffy followed suit, though she really didn''t know why they were all glaring at Leon, all she knew is that the girls had to stick together, how else would they be able to handle Leon?
¡°So basically what you are saying is you have not been listening to me at all?¡± Lira asked, sighing, as she rested her head in her hands. ¡°Today we do not have any classes, it is a half day, intended for orientation of the lower grades, letting them get to know their peers and classrooms, and a day that allows us older students the ability to select our classes,¡± she said, explaining it again to him.
¡°Ok, so you have options on what classes to take? That''s nice, I guess I didn''t show up until part of the year was through, so I didn''t get to see you do that last year,¡± he said nodding.
¡°Last year I didn''t do it, they only allow students of third-year students and up do it,¡± she explained, pricking her finger and drawing some blood she ran her hand over the smooth polished surface of a plaque to the side of the portal, it sprang to life, the mirrored surface greedily drinking up the red liquid like it was dying of thirst. ¡°Also, we don''t really have a choice on what classes we can take, simply the order and the teacher giving those classes, which is why I am upset with you two, by now most of the good spots will be taken.¡±
¡°Don''t worry about it, so long as we are all in the same class it will be fine,¡± Frya said with a smile, and without waiting for the rest of them she stepped through the portal.
¡°She has really warmed up to you guys,¡± Fluffy said with a warm smile, she looked back at Leon and Lira, ¡°You know she has never had any friends before you, you two are definitely the best thing that has ever happened to her,¡± she paused, her head flopping to the side, ¡°Besides me of course,¡± she said with a playful laugh and wag of her tail, and following her master the Wolf familiar hopped through the portal. With a smile on both of their faces, Leon and Lira walked through as well at a leisurely pace.
A look at the upcoming novel covers [WIP]
Ok, so I just wanted to get your guys opinion on some covers for upcoming novels, here they are, keep in mind they are W.I.P. works and most are simply in the line art stage before I have even gotten them on my computer to clean up.
Farseer:
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Consort:
Not naming this one yet, two versions:
Version 1:
Version 2:
New Cover for Penance(Yes I will finish it):
Volume 2 Ch 4: Class selection.
The world they appeared in seemed to be moving at a leisurely pace and bustling like it could not be contained at the same time. Throngs of people milled about, all being polite and trying to appear calm, but it looked like behind those facades there was a stream, no an ocean of sheer excitement that seemed to almost want to surge over like the tide on¡
Leon stopped his thought, he hadn''t known what he was about to think, but it was not his memory, it was another''s, he was Leon, and for all intents and purposes he was born here when Lira had called him. Standing by her side he looked down at the small woman, he really couldn''t call her a girl, not with the way he treated her and she, erm handled him. And it was not just there extracurricular activities that made her a woman and not a girl, it was also the way she thought of things, she was so damned mature. Part of this he knew had been forced on her when she had been growing up in her household, she was without doubt tempered by her treatment as a bastard child of the duke. With a hand, he reached around her head, and as she saw the motion she looked up at him curiously, her golden eyes glinting as she looked in puzzlement at him. He used his finger to take a strand of that silver hair of hers and tuck it behind her right horn that curved down from her temple to her cheekbone, pointing forward like a bull''s.
He smiled at her, and she at him, and the two of them walked over to join with the other two of their party. He almost laughed out loud when he saw the two of them, Fluffy was wanting to bound around and look at well anything and everything, and Leon could see the vein rising in Krya¡¯s forehead, the two of them had their tails entwined, seeing as it would not be proper to hold the other¡¯s hand as that was only for married or betrothed couples in this world and because Krya really didn''t want to leash Fluffy seeing as that was rude and demeaning, unless used in the proper situations and locations.
Like a bedroom.
Leon smiled wickedly and leaned down to Lira¡¯s ear. ¡°You know how you wanted to make a bold statement about you and Krya but not be rude about it?¡± she nodded. ¡°The entire school is here to pick their classes if you hold her hand naturally...¡± he switched to his own language. ¡°Show them you are not scared of them.¡± she looked up at him, eyes worried. ¡°I am here.¡± he said with a smile, ¡°No one shall even spit in your direction or they will regret it.¡± she nodded, and striding forward she took Krya¡¯s hand in her own. Krya moved slightly, but the woman hardly ever showed emotion, now she just stared at Lira¡¯s eyes and nodded, this, this was indeed the correct time to do this.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
The two women started walking down the hallway, hand in hand, each with the other¡¯s fingers laced through her own, and Leon peeled Fluffy apart from them and taking her to task he followed. ¡°Leon,¡± Fluffy said, her tail unusually stiff at the moment, hanging down to her waist like a cord and not a living thing.
¡°Yes,¡± he asked the wolf familiar.
¡°Can we also hold hands?¡± she asked shyly, ¡°Krya told me it was to signify you have selected this person as a mate, and to ward off others, and that it is not allowed to have a formal mating between a mage and a familiar,¡± she screw up her nose, ¡°And it is not fair that we would not be allowed to hold both of our master¡¯s hands, they cannot say anything about two familiars can they?¡± she looked up at him, eyes glistening in the torch lit halls of the school.
Without speaking he grabbed her hand and wrapped her warm little fingers up into his own. She smiled, the dimples on her face made the blue markings on her skin dance. Her white tail with blue markings danced again and she bounced along besides Leon as they followed the other two and all four drew the attention of each and every eye.
Today they were here to select classes, the previous years Lira had been here it had simply been a traditional formality that had no actual bearing on her education seeing as all classes were required, now, however, she had choices on what classes she would be taking. The change was exciting. It meant that she would have more choice in her life, and she was really starting to like the choice that she was becoming familiar with and all of this was due to Leon. She glanced back and smiled as she saw Leon holding, no not holding Fluffy¡¯s hand but almost restraining her by it. Looking back forward she walked with purpose as her and her betrothed approached the table that had been set up for the third year students, they had to wait in line for a short period of time but it was not too long seeing as there were only five people in front of them in the line. Smiling she found she had not been this happy in a long time, well no that was a lie, she had never felt this happy. She had a roof over her head, she was no longer beholden to her father and the woman that he called his wife, and she had people she loved who loved her back, there was nothing in this world she couldn''t handle with Leon, Krya, and Fluffy with her.
Nothing.
Volume 2 Ch 5: Professor Kompf.
¡°We would like to register,¡± Krya said, ignoring the whispers and looks that were cast at them, it was not too strange to see people here holding hands, it was after all a school for nobility and thus many of its students were put into political marriages to further whatever duchy or kingdom they hailed from. She shut out everyone else, focusing solely on talking to the instructor that was sitting in front of her.
He was an old man, a wiry beard that covered his face from the nose down but had been shaved away to reveal his jowls which wobbled with each slight movement of his head. He looked up at the company in front of him and looked Krya and Lira over with an inquisitive look through rounded bespectacled glasses. ¡°Greetings I am Professor Kompf, of the Kingdom of Albony, I am a professor of Advanced magical theory, as it so happens I have two places left in my roster, it would seem that at this posting my field of research is much more respected than my last location.¡± he chortled out a laugh, which brought a slight smile to even Krya¡¯s face, which was quite an impressive feat.
¡°It is a pleasure to meet you Professor Kompf, I am Krya, Krya Millsra,¡± she stated the sound of her voice still flat even with the corner of her mouth turned up ever so slightly. ¡°This is my FIance, Lira.¡± she said introducing Lira who bowed her head slightly.
Professor Kompf nodded his head in her direction, a single bushy grey eyebrow rising into locks of hair that covered his forehead that escaped the man¡¯s long braid. ¡°A pleasure.¡± he said in a mild voice, and addressing them both he proceeded, ¡°would you like to hear about this course and what I as a Professor expect of my students?¡± he asked they nodded so he continued, ¡°Well as I am sure you are aware Magical theory is the study of magic from the purely theoretical standpoint, now, I know you both have taken magical theory classes before, but this time around it will be under my tutelage so you will get to know more about the depths of the craft, we will be studying the transmutational properties of blood and how it powers spells along with many other topics, I will expect you to be on time, if you are tardy more than three times I will drop you from my classes and you will have to look elsewhere for your course credits as I will not readmit you to the class, not this year or the next or any.¡± he looked at the two women standing in front of him, and using a long finger he pushed up the brim of his glasses on the bridge of his nose. ¡°There will be no magic allowed in the class, none, you use it even once and you will be dropped, the grading scale will be as rigorous as the class itself, are you sure you wish to sign up?¡± he asked.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°Yes sir,¡± Lira answered this time, she was confident, she was well versed in the curricular activities and courses this school offered, a remnant of when she was all alone and did not wish to go home. Back before Leon dragged her kicking and screaming into a family, as for Krya, she was sure that she was just as well versed as Lira herself.
¡°Very well, you may leave, I will expect you in class after lunch,¡± he said, and with a small smile shooed them off, looking up he found himself at the end of a pair of red eyes, the didn''t seem hostile, they simply looked into his soul like he was an open book for the reading. ¡°I am sorry sir, ¡± he said shaking his thoughts free in his head and breaking the spell those demonic eyes had cast upon him. He now looked at the man standing in front of him and his companion, a tall mountain of a man, towering over everyone with blood red hair and blazing eyes. It was however, the horns that sealed the deal.
The man looked like a demon.
¡°I, unfortunately, do not have any more slots for students, may I point you over to the lovely Professor Harven? She also has a class for Advanced Magical Theory, and I am very sure she is a very good Professor.¡± he watched as a small smile served the lip of the demon in front of him, it was not due to the words, of this Kompf was sure, it was more likely due to something the man had decided about Kompf instead.
¡°That is fine sir, ¡± he said, his voice flowing out smooth like silk, it had a distinct accent to it, something that Professor Kompf couldn''t place. Kompf looked over at the demon¡¯s companion, she was a cute girl that only came up to the demon¡¯s chest, her skin was tanned, marked by blue markings that covered every inch of her exposed skin, her silver hair and wolf ears contrasting with her dark skin and blue eyes made her to be a striking figure. The robes that were on her seemed to be arranged haphazardly on her frame, barely covering parts that normally would have never seen the light of day. Kompf took her in and realized quickly that she was more than just some eye candy, she was dangerously intelligent if those eyes were anything to judge by. She had gone completely still, not a single muscle moving, but every fiber in her body tensed.
Like a predator watching prey.
These two were not normal, of this professor Kompf was sure. ¡°Have a nice day,¡± he said and pulling the wolf girl along with him he turned and left, leaving professor Kompf to wipe the sweat that had suddenly accumulated on his forehead.
Volume 2 Ch 6: unhappy reunion...
Krya raised her eyebrow at Leon as he and Fluffy caught up with her and Lira, they walked along with a casual grace that bespoke complete assurance. ¡°What?¡± Leon asked he cocked his head to the side, his blazing red eyes drinking her in as he looked her from head to toe. At first that gaze had scared her like he was looking for some sort of flaw like he was looking for a reason to be rid of her, but she realized quickly that that was not the case it was more like he was drinking her in again, flaws and all.
¡°What the hell was that?¡± Krya asked, breaking out of his intoxicating stare, and returning a look on her carefully arranged face she watched as a small smile formed on his lips, as though he found it funny that she thought she could hide her thoughts behind a mask of emotionlessness. She bit down on the responding smile, which only caused the smile on his face to grow ever so slightly like he had seen her internal battle to fight the smile even though she knew nothing had shown on her face.
¡°What was what?¡± he asked smoothly as he fell into step beside Lira, who gave him a reproachful look, honestly Lira was the only woman who would ever dare be openly reproachful to Leon, even Krya who was part of his harem, part of his family would never be reproachful to him, not like the open way Lira did it, but she supposed it was to be expected, seeing as he was her familiar.
¡°That whole staring contest with the professor,¡± Lira said, and his eyes turned to her golden ones.
¡°I like him,¡± Leon said, not answering the question simply looking into her eyes and making the casual statement about the way he felt about the professor.
¡°You have a strange way of showing it,¡± Krya said her voice flat, this time to hide the mirth that bubbled under the surface. Leon turned his red eyes to her, and she fought a shudder, gods she was glad he was on her side.
¡°Do I?¡± he asked in a voice that seemed to vibrate within her as he spoke.
¡°You do,¡± Lira said, but Leon¡¯s eyes never left Krya, he simply kept staring into her eyes as he responded to Lira¡¯s statement.
¡°Hmm, perhaps I need to work on my social skill, perhaps I could find someone who would be able to teach me,¡± he said.
¡°I could!¡± Lira said with a smile, this time Leon broke eye contact with Krya, and as he did so she felt her knees go wobbly as though he had been holding her up with only his gaze. The look on his face, the bemused smirk made it really really hard for Krya to not remove the mask, but she was in public and the thought of showing others not part of her family her inner thoughts terrified her.
¡°And how good might your social skills be my dear Lira?¡± he asked, and his smirk deepened as her lips pursed in annoyance.
¡°No need to be a jerk about it,¡± she snapped, pulling her hand out of Krya¡¯s to cross her arms over her chest. Leon simply stood there, towering over the woman, smirking for all his handsome face was worth.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
¡°Sorry to interrupt your little lovers spat but we still have several classes to select, and if we don¡¯t get to it it is doubtful we will be able to get any good classes, seeing as all the empty spots will be taken, and we have decided that we will be taking our classes together, no matter what.¡± it was Leon who had made that demand, he took the people in his family''s safety very seriously, it was a sweet gesture, something that she would have very much have doubted he would have been capable had she been asked before she had gotten to know him.
He was a study in contrasts, both hard and soft. Each part of him at first glance looked like it wouldn''t fit, but they all flowed together, both the mean and the nice, the cruel and the kind. It made him into a man that was both amazingly interesting but also terribly frightening.
¡°What classes are left?¡± Leon asked, spinning in a circle as he held onto Fluffy¡¯s hand as she ran a lap around him, giggling and bouncing up and down like an excited puppy, or at least she was up until she tripped on the hem of her robe and went down in a tumble of clothing and fur. She looked up from where she lay lips puckered and with an excellent show of sad puppy eyes with a few well placed pained whimpers she was soon scooped up into Leon¡¯s arms and held against his chest, where she smiled and nuzzled his neck.
¡°Thaumaturgy, Xylomancy, Archaic runes, Divination, Herbology, Transfiguration, Summoning, Aggressive magic, Defensive magic, and Recuperative magic,¡± Krya answered of in rapid fire as she looked at the antics of her familiar, and tried not to show the begrudging respect she felt for the she-wolf for hatching such a marvelous plan to getting held by Leon.
¡°Well shit, it looks like we need to get a move on then after we select classes the first one you selected starts right after lunch today correct?¡± He asked, still holding onto Fluffy, even as she started licking his neck and cheek, messing up the perfectly combed beard that Lira had spent so much time on this morning.
¡°Indeed, we have the first four classes today, just the introductory classes, each day we have a rotating block schedule, normally we would have six classes on one day and the other six on the next, but seeing as the first two periods are used up for class selection-¡± she broke off what she was saying as a group of figures strode into the school, they were not wearing the standard school uniforms but were wearing a similar style of uniforms to what Leon and Lira had first seen Krya wear, all those months ago in the hunt.
One of them, a man who looked to be about eighteen, barely a year older than Lira and Krya walked right up to them, he had high cheekbones, blue eyes and long blue hair that he tied up behind his neck with a complicated six braid pattern. He stopped right in front of Krya and stared at her. She felt Leon¡¯s warmth on her back, and she was pretty sure she had not backed up but rather that he had stepped forward to support her. Fluffy was no longer in Leon¡¯s arms but now at Krya¡¯s right-hand side and Lira was at her left.
¡°Greetings sister,¡± he said in a monotonous voice, there was no emotion on his face, it looked like it had been carved out of ice. ¡°Though father told me not to call you that, I find it hard to break a habit I have formed these past years.¡± he looked over at Lira, who was wearing a blue and black wolf pendant around her neck, and then over at Krya¡¯s own neck, adorn with a fiery lion. His gaze passed over Fluffy, his eyes heating in a way that made Krya feel uncomfortable, and then went up to Leon, whos gaze froze him in the spot. Krya watched as the mask her brother had donned cracked ever so slightly under Leon¡¯s fiery glare. ¡°I see,¡± he said, there was a slight wobble in his voice, some fear, or anger, or a mixture of both. ¡°I had hoped it was all a misunderstanding, but it would seem that the wild tails father has told about you were correct, engaged to a woman, a bastard child even, and fucking a familiar, how you have disgraced out clan sister.¡± Leon¡¯s hand shot out to grab him, but Krya moved faster, rushing forward she embraced her brother in a hug, preventing Leon from tearing the man¡¯s head off.
¡°You understand nothing brother,¡± she said just loud enough for Leon and the rest of her family to hear, releasing him, and holding him at arm''s length, drinking in his surprise. ¡°This is my family, I care not what others think of me, I am happy, for the first time in my life, and if you think you can take that form me.¡± her hands tightened painfully on his biceps. ¡°Then you will face my wrath, an anger so profound that even the mercy of the mountains will feel kind in comparison,¡± she growled the last words, like a wolf, like her wolf, and watched as the surprise morphed on his face into something more. She had never stood up to him like this, he didn''t know what to do anymore. Releasing him she turned and grabbed Leon¡¯s hand, lacing her fingers through it and ignoring the shocked murmurs of onlookers at the bold statement that her holding his hand had made lead her family deeper into the hall to select their classes.
Volume 2 Ch 7: Well find something to do...
Leon looked around the lunch hall, due to the overcast nature of the day they and most of the school were jammed into the dining hall, and when you placed that many privileged individuals that close together things tended to happen, as was the case with the individuals he was now watching over his sandwich.
¡°I don''t care where you came from or what great house Brandt, I am not going to sleep with you simply because you want me to.¡± the girl snapped and pushed her finger into the man¡¯s chest.
¡°Stop acting all high and mighty VIctora, we all know you are a loose woman, what this last year you went out with three or maybe four men? The fact that you are not in my bed already is-¡± he didn''t get the chance to say another word before Victora¡¯s hand flew out and struck him a hard slap across the face. He stood there, head turned to the side frozen in shock with a large red hand shaped mark on his face. This only lasted for a second, however, and as he recovered he raised his hand against her. But before he could lower the fist he found he could not move that hand, looking up he found his wrist casually held by Leon, who had seemed to have moved faster than the eye could see and who was still eating his sandwich with the other hand.
It was a damn good sandwich, potato bread, nice slices of meat Krya had fried in a glaze this morning with a good cranberry sauce and crisp vegetables.
¡°Mr. Perkins, Ms. Jullias,¡± a familiar voice said, and Leon looked away from the delectable sandwich and into the eyes of the Headmistress, she gazed back at him even as she addressed the two quarreling students. ¡°I expect better behavior from our students, especially in front of other academies, as such you will be relegated to menial tasks during your free times.¡± neither spoke out, what the headmistress said went around here, seeing as she could remove you from the school entirely at her own whim. Leon released the boy¡¯s wrist and was going to turn and walk away when the headmistress addressed him. ¡°Leon, after classes are through I need to see you, your master and Ms. Krya in my office to discuss a few things.¡± Leon simply nodded his head once and walking back to his table as casual as could be he continued eating.
***
Professor Kompf walked into the room and surveyed his class, good it would seem that his entire class was here, he would hate to have to fail someone on the very first day, but such was the way of life. He smiled and started to look around the room at the raised desks that formed a semi-circle around his desk. He was about to begin his opening lecture when he caught sight of a red pair of eyes. Frowning he looked over the head of one of his students and found he was staring straight into the eyes of the man he had spoken to this morning. Walking over he addressed him. ¡°I am sorry Mr.-¡±
¡°Leon,¡± the man answered, and Professor Kompf was only briefly surprised to see that the flash of white behind those lips were not sharpened to deadly points.
¡°Mr. Leon,¡± he said with a slight bow of his head. ¡°I do believe you are in the wrong classroom.¡±
¡°I am not a student,¡± Leon answered back, this answer caused Professor Kompf to frown, the lines of his face become deep craggy valleys and hills.
¡°If you are not a student, why then do you attend class and wear student¡¯s clothing?¡± Kompf asked.
¡°I can hardly be expected to prance around naked can I?¡± he said with a smile.
¡°No, but your answer did nothing to answer the important part of the question, allow me to rephrase.¡± Kompf smiled, he was finding he liked this youth. ¡°Why are you wearing school clothing and attending classes if you are not a student?¡± he asked.
¡°I am a familiar,¡± Leon answered, holding up his hand and showing Kompf his marking on his hand, Lira also held up her hand.
¡°Remarkable, a completely humanoid Familiar?¡± Kompf leaned forward and stared intently at the markings. ¡°And you?¡± he asked looking at the dark-skinned wolf-girl, who on prompting also lifted her hand and showed that she too was a familiar. ¡°Did you start humanoid or did you become one after a melding?¡± he asked Leon.
¡°Started as you see me,¡± he said, ¡°Well minus the horns, makes me wonder, did I give those to her during the meld or did she give them to me?¡± he asked with a laugh as Lira punched him in the shoulder. Kompf looked over to Krya and Fluffy but before he could ask Krya answered.
¡°Started as a great dire wolf, became like this after the meld,¡± she stated in a flat voice.
¡°Well, this all is truly fascinating, but unfortunately I am going to have to ask you two to leave the classroom,¡± he stood up and addressed the entire class, ¡°Them and every other familiar in the room, this is advanced magical theory, we will not be having any magical constructs or spells in this class, that includes familiars who as you all know are constructs made of mana bound to there masters.¡± he looked over at Leon and added, ¡°Sorry.¡± he truly meant it, feeling like he was being terribly rude to the familiar.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
¡°No problem,¡± Leon said standing up and pulling Fluffy close to his side. ¡°I''m sure we can find something to do...¡± he said, drawing out the word something and giving it more meaning than the word usually held. Professor Kompf was willing to bet he knew exactly what the familiar meant by that, and judging by the shuffles and blushes of the students in his class they did as well. With a smile, he and Fluffy, accompanied by a myriad of familiars walked out of the room.
They only got three rooms down before Fluffy physically dragged Leon through the doorway of an unused classroom and pushed him bodily up against the wall. She buried her face in his neck and breathed in his sent. With a feral smile, he gripped her by the shoulders and turned the two of them so their position was reversed and she was pinned to the wall. He brought his face down to her own and rubbed it against the side of hers, causing her to whimper loudly with need.
Her clothes practically fell off as she wiggled out of them, and then proceeded to help him remove his own, he dropped the robe on the floor, giving them somewhere to lay down, pushing several chairs and desks out of the way.
And with a single motion, he pulled the linen shirt up and over his head. Pulling back he stepped out of the pants that had gathered on the floor of the classroom, and just like her he turned around slowly allowing her to look him up and down. ¡°So, how do you want it this time?¡± he asked with a smile.
¡°Let me think,¡± she said with a slow pondering to herself as she looked him up and down, even as her eyes kept going back to his manhood. ¡°I wonder, how good are you at petting?¡± she knew very well just how good he was at petting her, but if this was how she wanted to play then he was game. She leaned back on the robe covered floor, her wide legs spread revealing the treasure hidden between and looking at him expectantly. It was tempting to simply dig right in, but he resisted the temptation. Instead, he knelt down in-between her legs, using his knees to widen her stance, he then leaned down and placed his hands on either side of Fluffy¡¯s head and leaned over her.
He leaned in and gave her a kiss, his mouth lightly touching her own and his tongue pushing in and running over the smooth surface of her teeth. Slowly she parted her teeth and her small tongue came out to play. Pulling back he kissed her in between her big blue eyes and once more on the lips as he moved down leaving a trail of kisses, one on her chin and then one on the small of her neck, and down her throat and on her collarbone, and down to the top of her small breast. She shivered as he neared her mounds. Slowly, taking as much time as he felt she could handle he began to pet her.
His hand reached down and moved over her nipples, rolling the now straining buds in between his forefinger and index playfully as he used his tongue to swab out the area in between drawing a wet line down between her small quivering breasts.
¡°mnnnnn,¡± she let out a muffled moan as her big blue eyes rolled back in her head as the pleasure seemed to overwhelm her. With a smile he gripped her by the hips and before she could ask what he was doing he flipped her over and went back to his petting, with slow careful hands he massaged her starting from her neck, loosening the tight muscles as he palmed them into submission with his hands, he then went down her back, making sure to cover each and every one of her straining muscles with a heady mixture of masculine strength with hands warmed from friction and body heat. Soon he worked his way down the small of her back and to the base and without pausing he went to massaging her rear as well, she sighed contentedly tail wagging as he rounded her plump backside and slipped down between her legs.
Her languorous form suddenly seized up, her muscles growing tense as his fingers caressed the flesh of her lower lips. Slowly he eased one finger inside her, curving ever so slightly to rub against the now slick walls of her secret garden. As he did all of this he never removed his other hand from the soothing relaxing motion on the small of her back.
¡°Leon, plea-¡± she started but before she could finish he slipped another finger inside, both of them fishing around inside her, she continued to whimper even as her hips began swaying with his finger''s motion, pressing them deeper grinding against the palm of his hand. Squirming around like the slicked up she-wolf she was she turned herself over. ¡°please, Leon don¡¯t tease me,¡± she said rolling over and reaching out for his hand to stop him from moving the fingers in and out, unfortunately for her he was much stronger and she was not able to stop his motions. ¡°Please, in-¡± she frowned, her lower lip under the sharp teeth. ¡°I want you inside, not your fingers.¡± She whispered softly. With a smile he grabbed his shaft and lathered some of her wetness onto it, he then used his fingers to position himself at her entrance. He leaned over her, they exchanged a mutual groan as he pressed up against her smearing a line of seed on her lower lips. And then he pressed his lips into her own, and she opened to him, both her mouth and her thighs, he slid in filling both places causing her to worry she would burst from the fullness inside her. It was a slow decadent play of mouth and tongues, he swallowed her whimpers, his hands slid from her waist to her hips, holding her in place as he ground against her pelvis. Fluffy sucked on his tongue all her internal muscles quivering as they matched his rhythm as she squeezed his manhood, their position didn¡¯t allow for a wider range of movement but neither cared, both were to enthralled with the feeling of the other to care.
Oh, gods, she loved that filling.
As he had moved inside of her it was like a bolt of lightning had shot down her back and up her spine leaving her tingling in its wake. His hips started moving and it was all she could do to not die from the pleasure of it all, his Large hands wrapped around her small waist, and her legs around his backside, there would be no escape from this lion.
¡°Ahh, please, Leon, please-¡± she pleaded as he entered her faster, his movements becoming aggressive and nearly painful as he slammed into her.
¡°Fluffy,¡± he panted her name as he thrust, each movement a promise, each penetration an oath. Her lower lips were tightening around his shaft, pulsing as he moved in, pulling as he slid out, it was like she was trying to coax him deeper into her, even as her strong legs held him in place.
No retreat.
As if he wanted one.
Wrapping his hands around her neck he drew in close to her face and growled low and menacing, taking the tip of her ear into his mouth and bit down, her big blue eyes that had to this point been closed sprung open and she howled, her hands sprung to his back and the sharp claws of her fingers created two scores of marks from shoulder to hips one set of grooves on either side of his back as she laid him open.
She pulled her hands away from his back and looked at them with horror blood covering her fingertips. ¡°I- we should- Im so sorry I didn¡¯t mean-¡± she began her voice halted however when she felt his mouth go around her right shoulder, and his teeth sink into the flesh strong enough to draw blood, even as he began thrusting into her even harder.
The blood trickling down his back served only as a temporary distraction, a warm tickle as it slid down his ribs was nothing, not even the sharp burn of rent flesh registered as his pelvis ground against her pubic bone. She wriggled under him, back arching fingers digging in even as she kept her claws well away from his flesh for fear of repeating her mistake even as jolts of heat and sensation shot down her spine to gather in her core. She cried out as her knees clamped down on either side of his hips, drowned in her own climax she barely heard the sound of his own pleasure. She, however, was likely the only one in the school that didn¡¯t hear it as he roared out like a lion and pushed deep inside her. She quivered as she felt the warm torrent rushing in to meet her own gush of warmth and after a few seconds of blissful back arching the two of them flopped to the side, spent and panting.
Volume 2: the Lion, the Wolf, and the Dryad...
Gweince walked down the hallway, softly humming to herself the song of the forests that her mother had taught her when she was just a sapling. The soft call of birds as they sing the morning awake flew from between her lips. Each step of her feet was more like a bounce as she passed by the classrooms, making sure not to disturb the classes within.
She was only half dryad, the product of her mother and a human traveler, who she had paid for her tree¡¯s transplantation with a night with her mortal form. It didn''t bother her that she didn''t know her father, or that she was the product of what was basically a business transaction, her mother had known and planned that she would get pregnant, Gweince was actually her 123rd child, and was actually the first she had with a human, all the rest of Gweince¡¯s sisters were saplings made within her mother¡¯s old grove, most of which were now planted in the Grulik grove just outside of the western gate. She had born Gweince thinking that the girl would make an excellent gardener, helping to keep all of her sisters healthy and keep the grove in the best possible condition. This plan, however, failed miserably, she was a naturally clumsy girl, she would miss prune a branch, or trip over a root and hurt herself. They had originally thought it was a phase she would grow out of, but that had been well over 70 years ago.
She had made herself useful, working as a custodial staff member in the school while classes were in, cleaning and dusting the unused rooms, but in that entire time she had always been somewhat lonely, she had once wondered if she was not human enough in regards to her looks, perhaps she drove off people. Something told her it wasn''t that either, however. Shaking the idol thoughts out of her head she walked into the abandoned room and snapped her fingers, hundreds of torch bugs sprung from within the folds of the supple leafy dress she wore and flowed around the room, lighting it.
It was then that she discovered she was not alone, and that the room was not abandoned at all.
Inside two people were intertwined on the floor, one was a very handsome man, looking to be in his early twenties with red hair, a close-cropped red beard, red eyes and a pair of black horns that swept back across his head from forehead to crown. The other was a woman with dark skin, white hair, blue markings and what looked to be wolf ears and a tail.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Gweince stopped in her tracks, the songs of birds dead on her lips as she took in the scene with wide green eyes that lacked both the whites and the pupils. The woman was sprawled, one leg draped over the man, her arm across his chest gripping his far shoulder, the man had one hand behind his head using it as a pillow.
They were both stark naked.
As she watched in horror a thin line of something white dripped down the woman¡¯s inner thigh, following the curve of her leg as it left a glistening path in its wake. Gweince sucked in a shuddering breath, and when she did the smell hit her, it wasn''t entirely unpleasant, it was this earthy smell, musky, pungent, and oh so damned exciting.
They both watched her in silence as her nostrils flared, neither moving or making a sound, in her stupor Gweince looked directly into the man¡¯s eyes, something in her stomach heated up, and she felt like she could be lost in those eyes forever when a sound broke caught her attention. It was a soft warning growl, she looked over at the women, who was now up on her knees, one hand still on the man, but she had her shoulders hunched, it wasn''t exactly an attack position, simply a position of dominance, warding off another female from her mate. Gwenice knew this, instinctively, it must have been some sort of knowledge all dryads had, even half dryad like herself. Something changed in her, she had seen couples before, never in the act, she always gave them space when she saw them in the grove, which was a popular place for dalliances. But this was different, for some unknowable reason once she had looked into those red eyes she had felt something.
She laid her deer-like ears back, the spots on them showing that she was still young by dryad standards and lowered her head, her rack of horns had just reached 15 points and was covered in soft velvet, the leafy gown she wore parted, revealing a strong leg that was in no way shape or form human, but rather more like that of a deer as well. She was not actually prepared to charge, she was just showing this woman that she was not afraid of her or her warning.
The growling stopped, and Gweince looked up to see the wolf-woman was no longer in a crouch but was rather sitting there with a smile on her face and her tail swishing back and forth looking for the entire world to see like a happy puppy. The man shook his head and stood up, grabbing the edge of a robe he yanked, nearly bowling over the wolf-woman who had been sitting atop it happily not a second before.
The dark-skinned woman also started dressing, it was this that seemed to break Gweince out of her trance, gone was the woman who was ready to fight, in her place was a timid half dryad, who upon reviewing the last few minutes of her life in her head promptly turned bright red and bounded out of the room much like a frightened deer would.
As she was leaving she heard the female call out to her;¡±Bye, bye brave little Roey!¡± with a good-natured laugh.
Doll preview( a Fantasypunk novel)
Ok, so I would like to apologize for the lack of chapters this week, between my wife(who is a teacher,) having parent-teacher conferences, meaning I had to watch baby ruth, and picking up extra shifts at the office I didn''t get a chance to write.
so I will share with you one of my weekend projects, let me explain how I write so everyone knows that these other novels I am writing do not affect my current running novels in any way. that is why I keep a pretty strict schedule
I spend Monday through Thursday on I think my familiar is a demonlord, then on Friday, I write raider, leaving me open on the weekends to write whatever I want(I have three projects I bounce between,). recently the whatever I want project I have been working on is this, here have the first three chapters as my apology.
enjoy!
Synopsis:
Alyn was a half-breed, the product of a union between an elf and a dwarf, one of the people calling themselves men, or human. He was also an independent investigator for the Elanus police force, and while his life was not perfect it was also not terrible, he had Doll after all. She had been abandoned, just another golem that had outlived its purpose and had been discarded, after taking her home and fixing her up the silent automaton refused to leave his side.
When a strange cult begins using golems as suicide bombers they created specifically for the purpose it is up to Alyn and Doll to find the source of their manufacture and shut down the operation. The Automatons can be made to look like any person, and they have no fear of death, at least, not yet anyway¡
A mixture of Fantasy and Cyberpunk that I have decided to call Fantasypunk, cus you know why not?
Prologue/Chapter 1:
The room was ornate.
Redwood and oak gleamed beneath the lacquer, reflecting the entire room in a hazy red that seemed to catch the light,lovingly stroke it and then allow it to go back where it could be perceived by mortal eyes. The walls were covered in an intricate design, like that of a gold grape plant as the climbing vines covered the walls, leaving behind the tendrils of there outstretched vines, curling at the ends where it had found some purchase in the white paint that was its backdrop. The furniture was likewise just as opulent, an unassuming grey, covered in the intricate dance of birds during mating season, stitched, by hand of course, in a silver thread of the highest quality.
But it was not the room that caught the elf¡¯s attention, he was instead looking at all the people arranged before him. There were ten of them, all standing perfectly still, each ramrod straight sided by side in front of him. They looked like they were a cross-section of races that could be found in this city, Elf, Dwarf, and even the half-breed men, a bastard mixture of elf and dwarf, not as tall or beautiful as there graceful elven forbearers, or as stocky and sturdy of there dwarven ones, this mule of a race was quickly becoming much much too common. There were only a few first generation half-breeds, those that came from an elf and a dwarf, most were from the unions of human with human. It had been one of the major reasons they had been officially accepted as a race, and not some bastardization or subrace of either dwarf or elf. Some cruel hand of fate had made it so they had none of the reproductive issues both dwarves and elves shared, causing the population of human to explode over the last few hundred years. But these things in front of him were neither elf, nor dwarf, nor human, these were golems. Artificially created beings, animated with magic, they were perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
Slowly he ran a hand down the face of one of the golems in front of him. She looked like she was an elf, mildly attractive long black hair, full lips, lithe body. His hand trailed down her neck, to her collarbone, and from there to her naked breast. Squeezing the artificial flesh there he revealed at how lifelike it felt. His hand trailed even lower, wrapping around her hips and he kneaded the flesh there, feeling the supple movement of flesh and muscle beneath his hand.
But there was no muscle there, only the tubing and magical conduit that moved the power from the crystal that gave the being life to every part of its body. Life, but not life, sentients, but not sentients.
A golem.
With a smile he pulled his hand back, and once again looked at the ten automatons standing before him. They would do nicely, and they were the first of many, they would allow him and his followers to carve the flesh of the world and mold it into the desired shape. He looked at the woman he had just had his hands on and smiled brightly.
¡°Unit twelve,¡± she snapped to attention, her head lifting and her eyes focusing on his figure, his face.
¡°Yes milord?¡± she asked, the smooth voice flowing out of her artificially created lips like the softest of music.
¡°Today you fulfill the purpose of your creation,¡± he said softly, a smile of pure madness lit his face. ¡°Today, we begin the reclamation.¡± his eyes roamed skyward, upto the heavens, to the forest of trees, ¡°It shall be glorious,¡± he said more to himself than anyone else. ¡°All life for Volfen.¡± he chanted.
¡°All light for Volfen,¡± came the chorus of ten voices, and he laughed, the soft sickening sound of madness echoing around the room, death and decay mixing with the painstaking recreations of life in new and unique ways.
A dance of life and death.
Chapter 1:
There was no need for an alarm, he opened his eyes blinked at the exposed metal frame above his head, three times he blinked and three times the ceiling swam into focus. On the forth blink he threw off the thin covers and swung his feet down to the cold tile floor, the feel of icy ceramic on his bare feet shocked him awake more than any coffee or other stimulant could have. Stifling a yawn he stood and stretched, allowing the muscles on his five foot nine-inch frame to stretch and loosen, he twisted his torso first left and then right, feeling the satisfying pop all along his spine. He looked across his small room and padded over to the small bureau bolted to the floor in the corner, his feet slapped against the cold tile with a hard tug he opened the door, inside was several sets of clothes, a pair of boots, his set of guns and a long coat.
Inside was everything he could accurately call his own.
Well almost everything, he looked back at the bed, and sitting there, one hand supporting her head was Doll.
Doll was a golem, an inanimate object given life through magic. Her solid golden eyes stared back at him without blinking, and as he watched she sat up fully. The covers fell away revealing quite the sight. Doll was naked, she had a curving figure, wide hips, full breasts, long legs. Her face was a grey skin like material, allowing it to move and stretch so she could speak and express herself.
Not that she ever did those things.
There were other places made of this same material, her breasts, for example, the area between her legs, and her ass. The rest of her, however, was combat grade, older combat grade, seeing as he didn''t make that much money. None of the rest of her was soft.
Attractive in a deadly sort of way.
She was from what he could tell when he found her a combat type golem, one of the many made and designed to be fought to the death in illegal combat tournaments, which were fairly common in Elanus city. He had found her on the job one evening almost two years ago, missing three of her limbs, only her left leg still there, and that was a mangled mess. She had been stripped of good parts and thrown into a garbage heap. She hadn''t even looked his way as he walked over and looked at her.
They hadn''t even taken her core crystal out, meaning they wanted her to experience her end. The crystal was worthless once activated, it couldn''t be used again, and once it was yanked out of a golem or cracked then the golem would die, expire. He remembered picking her up, not knowing why he found he could not just leave her here to her fate. She hadn''t said a thing, not the entire drive home, she had simply stared at him, a confused look on her face.
On his pay it had taken almost a year and a half to get her back up to fully functioning state, and in that time she had never said a word. She would stare at him, all hours of the day any day she could watch him. The first part he had gotten her was a new right arm, this one while new and combat grade was one of the older models, but as soon as he had done that he had allowed her the freedom of constructing herself to her own liking. He had, of course, told her his budget, and she had listened to him, nodding her head golden hair flowing around her face, but never speaking. When she got another part he made sure to take the time right away and install it for her.
This had been all good and well up to the point he had opened a box that contained a new pelvis and hips. This part was not a military module, it was a pleasure module, he remembered looking at it for a long time and then looking back up at her, looking into that blank face that often showed no emotion he had found he was able to read something in it.
It had been worry and embarrassment.
When she had been fully repaired she had for the first time since he had known her said anything. Two words, simple, but the way she said them told him everything about how she felt. ¡°Thank you.¡± was all she had said, she had then promptly thanked him another way as she had tested out her new pleasure mods. Ever since that day she had never left his side, not even for a second. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Alyn brought himself back to the present. He reached into the bureau and into the pocket of his long coat, routing around looking for his pack of stimsmokes. Not finding the he reached around and check the other exterior pocket, only to once again come up empty-handed. It took a second but the location of the box popped up in his mind he turned to retrieve the crumpled black pants he had worn the day before but stopped moving when he turned around.
Doll was standing there, still completely naked, and in her hand was a blue-green box. Before he could stop her she closed the metal hand, crumpling the pack of stimsmokes in her hand, her head cocked to the side as if to ask ¡°When the fuck did you get these without me noticing?¡±.
¡°Was that really necessary?¡± he asked and watched as she raised an eyebrow and then brought her other hand up and using both formed the crumbled back into a tightly condensed sphere and lobbed it into the receptacle. ¡°Fine,¡± he growled and walked over to the counter and touched the rune etched on the side of the sink basin watched as it filled up with cold water. He splashed his face and took a deep drink of the cold water freshly made with runic magic, before dropping the banishment stone into the sink and watching it all disappear. ¡°Am I at least allowed to have coffee?¡± he growled his question turning to look at her, and she in reply held up a packet, this one with the words Decaf written on it. ¡°No, that is where I draw the line, I am only twenty-five, and if I am going to drink coffee, and you can damn well bet I am, then I am going to drink the real stuff,¡± he said and rooted around in the drawer pulling out the coffee pot and a pack of coffee. Setting his mug under the lip he pressed the rune to create water on the side of the pot and dropped the tea like packet of coffee grounds into his cup. When the pot was full he turned on the heat rune and let it do its thing. Turning back around he found she was only about an inch away from his face, and as he turned she planted her lips against his own. They were soft, but not in any way warm, he had gotten used to that, he remembered when she had first thanked him when he had entered her she had been soft, moist, but cold as the room around him.
That had been a shock to his system, one that was quickly rectified with his own body heat, and the friction of there movements. The thought made him hard, and her hand shot down to grab along his length even as his worked around the exposed mechanical pieces of her stomach to the small of her back and onto her soft, plump ass.
Things probably would have become more heated than the coffee he was brewing if not for the familiar sensation of someone scrying him. He checked the aura of the person and cursed against Doll¡¯s lips, her hand stopped its pumping motion and he sighed. ¡°I gotta get this,¡± he said, and she said nothing like she always did. Pulling himself reluctantly away from her he walked over to the pair of discarded pants on the floor and pulled out his scrying mirror. It was a metal rectangle, shined to a reflective surface, one side smooth, the other covered in runes that ran across the back. He held it up to himself and looked at his reflection.
a twenty-five-year-old man looked back at him, his red hair was close-cropped, and the beard he had on his face reached his collarbone, three scars marred his otherwise handsome face, each running from the top of his skull on the right side and down towards the eye, carving through his hairline, which had not returned in that area after the scar tissue had replaced the once unmarked flesh. It was, however, the eyes that caught everyone¡¯s eyes. They were not the eyes of an elf, nor were they the eyes of a dwarf. He had one of each, one his mother¡¯s deep blue, the other his father¡¯s bright gold.
With a sigh he allowed her to scry him.
The person that appeared on the screen was a very pretty elf woman named Ellarian Paxina looked back at him. She had blue eyes and long brown hair which she wore loose, her pointed ears peeking out of the long locks, angling down instead of up. Her high cheekbones and red lips complimented her face perfectly.
¡°Alyn,¡± she nodded to him, and then looked past him, ¡°Doll,¡± she said and repeated the same nod, but as she did so a small mischievous smirk appeared on her face. ¡°Doll, you look upset, did I interrupt something?¡± she asked, and Alyn looked back at Doll, who did indeed look upset, though it was only a small lowering of her eyebrows that gave it away.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
¡°What do you need Ella?¡± Alyn asked, and all of a sudden Ellarian was back into professional mode.
¡°Have you heard the news?¡± she asked, and when he shook his head she went on. ¡°There was a terror attack last night at the Chapel of Aldrus, suicide bomber, 145 killed, 87 wounded 50 of which are critical, building is a total loss.¡± she shook her head. ¡°I have been put on the investigative team, think I could use your help on this one, you and Doll in?¡±
¡°Sure, we¡¯ll get dressed and head over,¡± he said, and she nodded before her image faded. ¡°Alright, let''s get ready,¡± he said, but before he could go get his clothes Doll pushed him over on the bed and went down on all fours between his legs.
Looked like she wanted to finish what she had started before they got dressed.
It looked like Ella would be waiting a few minutes more than necessary...
Chapter 2:
Alyx pulled the long coat onto his frame, it was made from the hide of a Damu, one of the fierce creatures that lived in the northern Haultian mountain range, a creature that was both resistant to magic as well as physical force it was prized as the best of leather and was well out of his price range. It had instead been a gift from his half-sister, the long coat reached his knees, having been handcrafted to fit him and him alone, the front of the matte grey leather had three pockets, two at about waist height on either side of the jacket, and one diagonal one that was more under the left arm, allowing easy storage for any device that he held in his right hand. Four straps crossed the front allowing him to fully close the front of the jacket. When it was closed the edge of the right side was well over onto his left side, it gave the jacket an asymmetrical look, add this to the bottom hem which was indeed asymmetrical, the right side reaching mid-calf as it pointed down in a triangular shape, the left side staying straight at the knee.
Turning he looked back at Doll who was already dressed, she wore a grey shirt that only covered her breasts, leaving her stomach and all the mechanisms that formed her physiology were on display. Riding low on her hips was a grey pair of cargo pants that ended at her calves, leaving about three inches of leg showing between the bottom of the pants and the top of her black combat boots. On her shoulders she wore a long coat that was more cape than actual cape, it was strapped across her chest with a single wideband, the cut of the jacket sweeping behind her almost reaching her ankles. The Rathian fur hood attached to the jacket was so puffed up that even laid back it was visible behind her head like some sort of fur halo.
Alyn pulled the guns off of the stands in the bureau, handing the large pistol to Doll. It was a gun he had designed himself, capable of utilizing over 35 spell activation sequences that he had created. Guns were a dwarven weapon, designed for the explicit purpose of combating elves who preferred to use there natural magical abilities to attack, the concept was relatively simple, the activation sequence of the firearm is a vast amount of displaced air, the gun compresses space behind the round, effectively bending the laws of the world to form an area behind the round, and when that compression is released the matter snaps back into its former existence instantly effectively creating a very powerful, but extremely localized explosion as the matter rushed back to its original state and position.
Magic and technology normally don¡¯t mix very well. At the most basic level magic works by bending physical law, allowing an effect to occur that would otherwise be impossible. For example, when a spellcaster produces a lightning bolt, he is causing electrons to flow from one spot to another, despite the fact that the electric potential of the destination may be equal or higher than the source. The caster has temporarily suppressed that law in their local environment. Thus, magic is a way to tell the universe "Do what I want!" It is very powerful but very personal.
Technology is the exact opposite. Technology relies on physical law to operate, and the use of a technological item or skill serves to reinforce the physical law on which it operates. When someone shoots a gun, he is relying on the chemical properties of the gunpowder to create a controlled explosion in the gun''s chamber and propel the bullet forward. By using this gun repeatedly, he is actually strengthening those chemical properties, making them harder to subvert through magic.
This has always been one of the major differences between the dwarves and the elves. Elves who rely mostly on magic and thus feel that they are above the laws of reality, and dwarves who believe that to act outside the realms of the laws of the physical is blasphemous.
It was fitting then that he, the half-breed that he was had been able to work both magic and technology into one coherent whole. Each time he had the gun fire he was using magic, to propel the physical object, but he also used it when he reloaded, each clip was connected to a disc of metal he kept on his person at all times, the disc carved with runes to allow the clip to pull mana from him in order to summon raw material and shape it into new rounds for the bullets.
He watched as she pocketed a few spare clips, and pulled his own weapon off the rack. It was a small tactical machine pistol. The front of it only three inches from the trigger, the back elongated by the angled grip and the shooters stock that could fold sideways for ease of storage. He folded the stock sideways and tucked it into the leg holster he had attached to the front of his jacket at mid-chest level. And like that, they were ready to head out. Alyn looked back regretfully at the now cold cup of coffee on the counter as he lead them out into the hallway of the building.
It like the apartment it connected to was old and as such, it was in need of maintenance, not terribly but it was in need of some love if the dusty cobwebs and cracked plaster were anything to judge by. As the two of them walked down the hall the worn oaken floorboards creaked their protests. For the hundredth time since they had gotten this place, Alyn thanked anyone who cared to listen up above that he had a floor on the second story as they passed by the broken grav-lift.
Alyn pulled the collar of his jacket up and set it straight so it stood up and protected his ears as he stepped out into the snow-blanketed world. He looked around, surveying his surroundings like he always did. The city of Elanus was, like any other elven city, a mixture of architecture and nature. Tall buildings grew some hundreds of stories tall, magic projections and advertisements covered the faces of buildings as they pranced about and showed off their products. Throngs milled about in the street, millions of bodies pulsed and flowed like a living thing.
And like all things Elven they tried to cover the ugly with nature, here and there trees grew, twisting things that wrapped around buildings and attempted to hide the modern away from sight. Bushes divided lanes, and provided protection from prying eyes. But it only served to make things more ugly in his eyes.
It was like putting a pretty dress on an ugly child.
The dress did nothing to make the child more pretty, in actuality, it simply highlight the contrast between its own elegant beauty and the ugly visage of the one it covers.
That was why he liked winter best, when all the pretty coverings died, when things faded away revealing the city beneath, it was like a breath of fresh air, like seeing the macabre face of the city when all its lies were stripped away.
With a small sigh, he looped his arm with Doll¡¯s and the two of them entered into the flowing stream of bodies as they made their way to the transport garage half a block down the street. Alyn¡¯s transport was a pseu as it was called by local standards, a two-seater that utilized anti-gravitational magic to hold the front end up, and the back was propelled and supported by a single wide wheel which was controlled in the cockpit by a directional mechanism that when pushed forward it caused the wheel to rotate, effectively driving them forward. The vehicle was around nine feet long, matte grey, and only four wide, making it a tight fit for the two of them.
It was called a pseu due to its nature of pseudo flight, seeing as only the front half of the vehicle actually flew. The two of them got in and he pressed his hand into the activation rune. With a soft sound, the anti-gravity magic kicked in and displaced the air in front of the pseu, causing the previously tipped craft to straighten.
Alyn grabbed the control rod that was situated in front of him and pushed it forward, the vehicle moved out of the garage smoothly and maneuvered into the driving street. Elanus had two types of streets, ones for pedestrians and ones for vehicles. As he drove he glanced over at Doll who was looking out the window. ¡°Whatcha¡¯ thinking about?¡± he asked, and she turned her head to him and gave a small shrug, a near imperceivable raising of her shoulders, he nodded and allowed the silence to drift back into the vehicle. It was one of the things he liked about Doll, she didn''t talk much, in the entire two years he had known her she had only said two words. It fit him, seeing as he also was not one for small conversation.
It meant that when she did talk they were not idle words, but ones that she truly meant.
It was part of the reason he almost crashed when he heard her speak. ¡°Love you.¡± she said, softly, but it was there, he blinked and glanced over at her, but she had once again turned to look out the window.
¡°Love you too,¡± he grunted, clearing his throat and looking once more at the road as the snow-covered world streaked by the two of them¡
Chapter 3:
The Pseu tipped forward slowly as the anti-gravity magic shut down, The two of them stepped into the cold snowy world and shut the doors behind them. Alyn looked at the protective barrier set up around the cathedral. It was a golden shimmering mass of magic, and it blocked all view of the destruction behind its golden sheen. There was a crowd of people, several thousand in fact that were all standing and milling about waiting for some information or a glimpse at the destruction.
Alyn pulled out his scrying mirror and leaned his rear against the side of the car, thumbing the rune on the back that allowed him to scry others. Ella only took a second to answer him, ¡°I''m here.¡± he said, and as soon as he had he found several sets of eyes on him, looking up he found a familiar face moving through the crowds his way and groaned. ¡°You better hurry the press is hot on my tail.¡± Ella nodded and hung up.
The woman that made her way through the crowd his way was none other than the reporter Aryial Hartun, a tall elven woman who only cared about the stories, so much so she was not afraid of using her body to get her stories if she could. He had been game when he was younger, right up until she had told him that she needed to seduce another man for a different story.
She had asked him to understand, telling him that it meant nothing, it was just sex. But he was done, done and gone at that. He sighed, today was going to be an interesting day, what between the caliber of the crime, his ex on her way to grill him and his-
¡°Alyn, if they are calling you out it must be a serious event.¡± Aryial said, as the hovering recorder passed by her shoulder and hovered between the two of them before the thing flashed green indicating a live connection, ¡°This is Aryial Hartun live with Elanus news five, your favorite source for all news.¡± she went into full reporter mode, her modified bust swelling to an even larger size, as her black hair cascaded around her in the cool winter wind. ¡°Joining me today is Alyn Tarken, a private investigator who has just arrived on the screen, Alyn what can you tell us about the terror attack that happened here?¡±
Alyn sighed, of course, she had not even asked if he wanted to be interviewed, that was how it always worked. ¡°Depends, what do you already know?¡± he asked, more as a stalling method than actual interest in helping her.
¡°145 killed, 87 wounded, an unknown amount of critical patients.¡± she rattled off the numbers, only slightly surprised at his willingness to answer.
¡°Last I heard it was 50 in critical, however, that was over an hour ago and the numbers might have changed.¡±
¡°Is it know what Reverend Tolmus status is?¡± she asked.
¡°Not by me.¡± he answered with a shake of his head, she bit the lower lip in a cute gesture that would undoubtedly captivate her male audience. He looked around but found no sign of Ella, much to his disappointment.
¡°Do you think this attack was in response to Reverend Tolmus¡¯s statement about the potentate?¡± she asked, and he looked up to see Ella walking through the crowd, parting it like waves around an iceberg.
¡°Couldn''t tell you,¡± he said, standing up, Doll walking from her side of the vehicle and standing at his side, not a step behind him.
¡°Can¡¯t? Or won''t? ¡±
¡°Both,¡± he said with a smile and walked away, Doll right at his side. He heard her spout off her exciting phrase and then the rhythmic click of her heels as she rushed to catch up with him, she was average height for an elf woman, standing at seven foot five inches, the heels adding a good three inches on her height.
¡°Alyn, could we perhaps get a drink after your done today?¡± she asked softly, her black hair blowing around her head like a black mist.
¡°Fishing for more stories?¡± he asked a slight smile on his lips, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his longcoat, the warm fur of the color tickling his cheeks and the back of his ears.
¡°What? No, I just want to catch up and to talk, about us,¡± she said, she bit her lower lip again, but the gesture was lost on him as he was watching Doll, who had tensed slightly at the elf¡¯s words. ¡°You know get back to the good days, stuff like that.¡±
¡°You know I wouldn''t mind that,¡± he paused, ¡±Except for the fact that the good days as you called them are long past, and if I remember correctly you need to be free to what was that again? Oh right, you need to be free to pursue any lead by any angle necessary.¡± he laughed at the pursing of the lips that Aryial did at that, ¡°And besides I am pretty sure Doll would murder us both in the most painful way possible.¡± he said, and Doll looked over and simply nodded in confirmation.
¡°Ah, Aryial, I see you are harassing my brother again,¡± Ella stated dryly as she finally got to them. ¡°You sure you don''t want me to file that restraining order?¡± she asked turning towards Alyn, one eyebrow raised. She and Aryial had once been good friends, but after she had gotten the truth out of Alyn behind the reason the two of them had broken up she had turned cold and distant to the reporter.
¡°He is your half-brother, not your brother.¡± Aryial¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°And he needs help, he thinks this thing,¡± she gestured in Doll¡¯s direction, ¡°Is an acceptable replacement for an actual person¡¯s affection.¡±
¡°No, he is my little brother, I was there when he was born, I helped raise him, and as for Doll,¡± she glanced at the Automaton who was currently inspecting her gun in a casual manner, even as the point of the gesture was lost on no one. ¡°She''s alright, don''t see her sleeping around do we?¡±
¡°It is a tool, nothing more!¡± Aryial snarled. ¡°I talked to him about it! I didn''t do it not when we were together, and if he had said no then I wouldn''t have!¡±
¡°The fact that it was on the table, to begin with...¡± Ella shook her head, ¡°Come on Alyn we have a job to do.¡± and without another word she walked off, Alyn and Doll following behind.
Ellarian Paxina was an attractive elven woman, short for her race, at only six foot eleven inches she still commanded an air of elegance and superiority as she walked. Her maroon police gear hugged her like a second skin, and she was saved from indecency by the armored plates that had been strapped to it. ¡°I see things still haven''t changed there.¡± she sighed, using an armored hand to push the loose strand of hair out of her face. ¡°Don¡¯t even know why she still tries, and in front of Doll.¡± she shook her head. ¡°Must have a death wish.¡± Doll, who had reholstered her firearm nodded. She looked at the Automaton and thought back to the private conversation she had with the golem when she had started following Alyn around¡
***
¡°Spill it,¡± she growled at Doll, who was sitting in front of her, she didn''t much care for the amount of money and time her brother had invested into this Automaton, but it had given him something to do. And he really needed something to take his mind off of Aryial, she still could not believe the bitch, she had been her friend for the past seventy odd years, and this was how she treated her little brother?
Unbelievable.
Doll simply tipped her head to the side, as though she hadn''t understood, ¡±Cut the shit, I know you can talk, so talk.¡° she pulled a chair over and turning it around sat in it, her arms crossed over the back of the chair and her chin resting on them. ¡°He spent a ridiculous amount of money and time putting you back together, now you are, what will you do?¡±
¡°Stay with him.¡± the Doll had said, her voice soft and musical as she answered, her golden lips framing the words like they were precious.
¡°Why?¡±
¡°I love him,¡± she said instantly, no pause to think.
¡°I doubt you even know what that means,¡± Ella growled.
¡°It means that I would die for him, that I would kill for him, and that his opinion is the only thing that matters to me in this world.¡± Doll answered, her golden eyes raised to the now startled Ella.
¡°Well, shit.¡± She blew out a breath, looking away and shaking her head, ¡°I guess you do know what it means,¡± a smile blossoming on her face.
***
Ella shook her head, clearing the memory out of her head, yeah, Doll was alright in her book. That had been an important conversation, not only because she knew her brother was in good hands, but also because it had convinced her that golems were actually alive, a debate that had been held for countless generations.
If Doll was not alive and sentient than no one was.
¡°I was assigned a BB.¡± she said, leading them through the magical barrier, Alyn groaned as he heard this. She used the slang term for a new investigator, one that they put under the tutelage of a more experienced investigator, it stood for Blue Boy, but it also sounded awfully close to the word Baby when said out loud.
¡°Please tell me you didn''t call me over to play babysitter.¡± he sighed.
¡°Hey now, you know I still have six months left on paying off that coat, six fuckin¡¯ months.¡± she snapped, but there was a laugh in her voice.
¡°Maybe you should have got me something less expensive,¡± he stated back his standard quip when she brought this subject up.
¡°Nah, it was a good investment, now I won''t have to tell mom about how her precious baby bit the dust because he was careless.¡± she laughed, but there was something behind those eyes of hers, some dark thought. ¡°I need you to still be around for my 200th birthday.¡± she laughed.
¡°I doubt I''ll be dead before next year,¡± he quipped back, and she punched him in the shoulder hard.
¡°Asshole, you know I''m only 120,¡± she was glad he was born when he was, of all three races human were the shortest lived, there lifespans about half of what an elf''s was. He had been born when she was ninety five, meaning she would not outlive him. If she was lucky enough to reach near her 200th birthday then he would be near his 100th, she didn''t want to have to bury him. ¡°Mom is still in anguish over letting her little baby out into the cold cruel world.¡± she laughed, banishing the depressing thoughts from her head.
¡°Still? It''s been what six years?¡±
¡°Yeah, she still feels bad about letting out a child of 19 move out, she didn''t let me move out until I was 55, you know?¡±
¡°If it was up to her I would be there until I was an old man.¡± he shrugged, and fell silent as the rubble that had been the cathedral came into view. The building was completely unrecognizable, the explosion had collapsed the entire thing, it looked like a sandcastle that had been kicked, bits and pieces everywhere, it would have looked comical the way it toppled if it was not for the healthy splashes of red that colored the white brick. That and the carts of retrieved body parts set to be sorted and counted. ¡°What a fuckin¡¯ mess.¡± he said looking at the disaster through the golden light of the privacy dome.
¡°Yep,¡± she answered, also surveying the damage. ¡°We got our work cut out for us.¡±
Volume 2 Ch 9: Cutting a deal...
The headmistresses office was much nicer this year than when they had last set foot in it. The once plain desk had been replaced with a more ornate piece that seemed to reflect the light in strange ways as it bounced and bent off of the mirrored finish. The walls were covered in bookshelves and on those bookshelves were rows and rows of books that seemed to have been leafed through many times, though the names on the spines of these ancient tomes would have induced a forced coma of boredom from any such reading attempt. Leon looked around and found his gaze drifting to the new embroidered carpet that covered an area of the flooring in an intricate design of the school¡¯s coat of arms.
The face of a snarling gargoyle looked back up at him.
¡°Do you think it is too much?¡± the headmistress asked from behind her ornate desk.
¡°The desk is fine,¡± he answered back, not even stopping to wonder if she was talking to him or the other three in his party, simply answering the question. ¡°But the books feel pretentious and the carpet, well we know this is the Grulik school of magic, no need to shout it into my face.¡± she nodded at his words and with a snap of her fingers the books disappeared as did the carpet, replaced by the more lived in feeling furniture.
¡°I need to get this correct, it is a matter of my career and reputation that is on the line, during the tournament we will be hosting several headmistresses and headmasters, meaning it is important to give a good impressions seeing as they carry a lot of weight in the political world,¡± she said as the four of them sat down, Lira opting to sit in Leon¡¯s lap instead of using the chair laid out for her. ¡°Do you know how this school gets its funding?¡± she asked, it was Krya who answered.
¡°The tuition fee that is charged for a student¡¯s education and boarding at the school pay for that correct?¡± she asked.
¡°Most of it, yes¡± the headmistress nodded, her glasses slipping a few inches down her nose with the motion, absentmindedly she pushed them back up with an elegant move that had to be a muscle memory habit seeing as how second nature it had seemed when she had done it. ¡°Though we do get quite a significant amount of money from the board, which is a group of individuals who donate vast sums of money to this school and therefore have a good deal of say in how the day to day operations are run here.¡±
¡°I was unaware that there was such a thing,¡± Krya said, her head cocked slightly to the side as she added this new knowledge to her vast store of information she kept locked away behind those blue ice eyes.
¡°They have, expressed a vast amount of interest in this tournament, and have tasked me with making sure we do well in the tournament, this is a problem, you would think that on our home territory with all of our students in attendance we would have a home-field advantage, but that is not the case, you see, we have not been able to win the tournament in the past nineteen years,¡± she smiled bitterly.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
¡°You want us to take part in this tournament,¡± Leon said matter of factly, cutting right to the reason they were called to this office.
¡°There are several events in the tournament, and quite a few of them rely on the strength of a familiar, and seeing as your familiar was rated SS rank last measurement Krya, and you Leon we don''t even have tools that can measure up that far...¡± everyone¡¯s minds drifted back to the testing room that had been there to test the potential for the familiars and their masters that the school had set up over the summer break.
Everyone had been super impressed when Fluffy had practically blinded everyone by grabbing the crystal and it had lit up with a burning blue light, causing everyone to look away for fear of going blind.
When Leon grabbed it, however¡
The damned crystal exploded, not being able to contain the vast potential he had, the amount of power he flooded into that small crystal was ridiculous.
¡°What is in it for us?¡± he asked, snapping her out of the memory.
¡°You get to represent the pride of the school and show everyone that Grulik produces the best of the best?¡± she phrased it like a question, the sound of her voice incredulous as she spoke. Leon sat there waiting for her to go on, but when she didn''t he stood, taking Lira with him, holding her in a princess style carry, and as he turned to walk out to leave the headmistress broke. ¡°Fine.¡± she snapped, watching as he froze, one hand still on the door, ready to leave at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°What do you want in exchange,¡± she growled at him, they both knew she needed him, she had to look good in front of the other headmasters, that and the board which seemed like it would have a significant amount of say in how the school ran, and while they couldn''t remove her from her position they could make her life a living hell seeing as they could pull their funds at any point of time.
Leon paused, hand still on the door Lira still cradled in his arms. ¡°I find the house we have to be lacking in the cleaning department, sure the spells keep it neat and tidy, but it lacks something human, something only a person can do, it is too sterile,¡± he said.
¡°I¡¯ll send over the best butler we have, he is yours.¡± the headmistress said without hesitation.
¡°No, there was this maid, very unique,¡± he said.
¡°Tell me about her, I will make sure to send her over.¡± At this point the headmistress was pretty sure he was not looking for someone to clean the keep, it was not odd for a member of royalty to have dalliances with a maid or two, so she could quickly make the logic jumps in her head. Lira and Krya seemed to have come to a similar conclusion if the pair¡¯s narrowed eyes were anything to judge by as they stared at Leon.
¡°She had deer horns,¡± oh no, the headmistress felt the start of a stress-induced headache forming behind her eyes as he spoke. ¡°Green hair, and it also looked like her lower legs were also those of a deer.¡± she knew exactly who he was talking about, and this would mean she needed to have a discussion with the mistress of the grove about her daughter, she would not be looking forward to that, not at all. He opened the door and looked back at the headmistress, ¡°Do I need to describe her more?¡± he asked and she shook her head numbly, no, she knew exactly who he was talking about. ¡°I''ll leave the details to you,¡± he said and walked out, his group following behind.
The headmistress slumped in her chair and placed her burning forehead against the cool surface of her desk. He was asking a favor that was much more than just getting a maid to play around with, but he probably knew that.
No.
She shook her head and corrected herself.
He definitely knew that.
Dans Shoppe of Oddities Book 2 out on Amazon/Farseer preview
Ok, so book 2 of Dan''s Shoppe is now out, it took forever to get out due to me moving and not having access to my pc, so sorry for the wait. but here it is, also thanks in advance for any purchases, they help me out a great deal the link is in the author''s note above.
thanks again for the read.
Markious
Also since they cant decide if they want to make it so that chapters must be 500 words long or not(Seeing as about half the time I post something like this it gives me that error and the other half not so much) imma give you a little preview of an upcoming novel to pad out the word content.
So here, have the first chapter of Farseer, which as it stands is over 5,000 words long.
enjoy.
Chapter 1
Each step sucked at the black ironclad boots as he walked along the side of the road leading towards god knows what forgotten hamlet lay in this direction. The direction didn''t matter, not even the destination, the only thing that mattered was the continuous movement, the tradition of momentum that continued to move him even as he felt his legs burn. Light rain fell, covering the robes and black iron armor. Crimson robes swirled about him in the wind, creating a light dusting that clung onto his shoulder and melted with his body heat, running down his back and freezing once again, creating silver rivulets of water that froze in time as they ran down him.
Each step sucked at the ironclad boots, a desperate attempt to stop his momentum, and one that had no chance of overwhelming him, not now and not ever. Each swing of his arms brought forth a clatter as the loose plates of black iron and leather ran from his elbow to his fingertips swung, clattering against each other. A finger of the wind blew the red cowl he had covering his head off of his face, revealing the stoic face of a man in his mid twenties, his red hair and beard streaked with white, a feature that would be strange on a man in his twenties, or rather a feature that would be strange on any man at the age of twenty that was normal.
This man, he was not normal, everything about him said this was the truth, from his sharp blue eyes to the scar that carved his face from scalp to chin on the right side of his face. The two swords that were strapped to his hip, the dagger at the small of his back, the robes that swirled about him, and the look on his face, or rather the lack of a look on his face.
It was blank, as all men like his were, it had lead to many stories, some good and useful, others bad and worthless and a whole mess in between that fit neither of these categories, for better or worse.
The swords were not the only thing bouncing at his hip, there was also a strange black helm, full faced and angled down into a sharp beak like protrusion, like that of a raven. It was one of the defining features that marked him as part of the company of the raven, though that was not what the common people called his order.
Carrion crows.
That was the name whispered by people outside his order when they saw him and his ilk and thought they couldn''t hear them. They could, but paid the commons no heed, they were below heeding.
The name however was not inaccurate, they were often found near battlefields, and it was likely as not they would be drenched in the gore of war.
No one ever said it to their faces.
The countryside passed by slowly as he methodically trod along, snowy forest slightly giving way as he neared the town. The people here were simple, woodcutters, farmers, ranchers, but that was not the reason a town had sprung up here, the reason for this was because a lord or lady had built their home here.
If it could even be called a house however was up for debate.
The household of this person of noble heritage was more like a keep than a house, sitting atop the highest hill in the vicinity, it was surrounded by four high stone walls that crested at around 25 feet. The entire outer wall structure running almost 40 lance lengths on each side, and the stone keep in the center standing proudly over that, boasting a not so modest 50 plus rooms for people of royal personage, and stained glass windows that made the churches of most towns weep at the unfairness of it all.
It even had an iron portcullis.
Though, no moat, seeing as it was perched atop such a high hill there was no practical need for it.
Above this portcullis flew a flag that fluttered in the wind of the high walls. He had no idea what color they flew, not from the distance but because he couldn''t see the colors. And that was neither because he was colorblind or anything else.
Or at least not a normal type of colorblind.
Most colorblind men would still see some color, but for him the entire world was black white and grey, with the exception of two colors.
Brown and blue.
The only two he had left.
Once he had been able to see each and every color, each and every shade of each and every color, but it was the cost of his art. And now he had only two colors left, and when those both went as he was sure was going to happen, he would be left with no colors, and then no light, or no dark, he really didn''t know which would go first, or last rather, it was different for each practitioner of the art.
But it was a part of him, it had been a part of who he was and after all these years, he had come to terms with his lot in life, all there was to it was to see as much of the world he could before all his colors were lost, before all his light was taken from his eyes.
Before the darkness was his world.
As he walked into the town he felt each and every eye on him, and though he knew they were no threat he marked them all in his mind, assessing how to put them down as quickly as possible. It was an old habit, one that had served him well for all of his adult life and a majority of his youth, and it was not one that he would let go of.
He heard the murmur, feeling glad at it, even as he felt berated at it. So long as they were talking about him they wouldn''t be attacking him. The time to truly be worried was when they stopped talking about him, that was when he had to be on guard. They whispered in hushed tones about him, remarking at the armor and robes he wore, the swords strapped to his waist, and the impassive look on his face.
Mage.
That was the word they used. It really wasn''t true, mages used their own spirits and skills to achieve magic. And he was not a sorcerer, they used other means, harnessing the energy from life.
He was a warlock, more specifically he was a seer, one of the rarest order of the magi that used his arcane arts to see the future.
He was a farseer.
But neither he nor any other farseer could control their powers, the farsight came and went as it pleased, and only revealed what it wanted when it wanted, often revealing scenes out of context, and confused by chance and circumstances. And every time it came it took with it something.
The price of such sight was sight itself.
As a farseer warlock his ability to cast spells was greatly diminished, meaning his magic ability didn''t leave a small radius of his body, this in itself was a great limiting factor to what spells he could use without self harm.
Hence the swords.
It no longer bothered him, in fact not much bothered him, as he walked down the muddy road he angled up to the wooden platform that formed a sidewalk people quickly fled out of his way, avoiding his eyes, as if they were worried he might enthrall their minds just by looking him in the eyes. That didn''t matter either, it used to, but it didn''t any longer.
Not much mattered.
Blue and brown.
His last colors.
He made his way through the parting mobs, aware dimly that as soon as he passed through an area the crowd would close again behind him, it would seem as though the entire town had come down to see him. Oh well, these people didn''t get much in the way of excitement he supposed.
He turned, ushing open an inn¡¯s door, leaving behind his new trailing honor guard in the street as he entered. A barmaid rushed up to him and started to speak. ¡°Welcome si-¡± the words choked and died in her throat as she took the man standing in front of her in, her mind catching up with her mouth that had by reflex started to speak. She was a pretty woman, in her early thirties and with only a few lines near her eyes, the start of the crow¡¯s feet that would at one day overtake her face.
But not today.
¡°Table, food, bed for the night, how much?¡± he asked, his voice gruff even to his own ears, this was what, the third time he had spoken in the last month? No wonder the sound was gruff, anyone''s would be after that length of disuse.
¡°A-acc,¡± the barmaid swallowed, and took a deep breath before trying again. ¡°Accompanied or alone m''lord.¡± Ah, so not just a barmaid then. He looked at her, his face still an impassive mask.
¡°Alone.¡± he said, and watched as the relief flashed visibly across his eyes.
¡°V-very good sir, the cost will be fifteen copper Tarns sir.¡± she said, and without another word he fished a small leather bag he had tucked somewhere in his armored robe and counted out the coin, and dropped them into the woman¡¯s palm, who was taking great care not to touch him, even through his armored gloves. She lead him to a small booth at the back of the inn away from the rest of the customers, and quickly returned with a mug that was filled with a warm beer, well, it wasn''t warm so much as lukewarm. The food that came with it was simple but good, consisting of roast chicken, bread, boiled eggs and cheeses. Pulling off his gloves he looked at the scars on his palms swirling complex patterns with pink flesh like they had been freshly opened, the people called them the Demon¡¯s touch.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
He ate with a slow deleteriousness, avoiding meeting the gaze of the patrons and the proprietor and employees of this establishment. A younger barmaid idled over nervously and replaced his tankard of beer and offered him a weak little smile, there was curiosity and a slight hint of seductiveness in that smile, he looked over at her and was about to smile back when she recoiled at the sight of his face, or rather the sight of the massive scar that gouged a trench in his face. She quickly excused herself and left. He sighed and went back to drinking his beer.
¡®Poor poor Kazzilar, poor poor Kazz, scaring away all the blushing maidens with your war scars.¡¯ a voice echoed in his head, it was that of a husky seductress, one who often seemed both like an older sister and a temptress to him at different times.
The voice of the demon in his head.
Every person who could cast magic was in contact with demons one way or another. Mages bound souls and spirits and lesser demons to their wills, sorcerers traded items in set contracts with them, and Warlocks like himself, well they allowed the demon to take up residence in their body, essentially allowing the demon to remain in this world for far longer than they naturally could and allowing them to interact with people through him and to see things they would have never experienced before, in exchange for allowing the human host to use the demon¡¯s powers.
This demon and human had been working together for the last 10 years, since he was a young boy stricken by grief and anger at the unjust loss of his parents. He felt the rage rising, still cold in his belly even after all these years and- he shook his head a gulped down another drink of the lukewarm beer, banishing those memories from his head.
¡®What do you care,¡¯ he thought, knowing his thoughts would be heard by the demoness. ¡®You are a female, I thought you liked men anyway.¡¯ The voice in his head laughed.
¡®Are you saying you would become ho-¡¯
¡®No,¡¯ he thought in a stern voice but was only replied by frantic laughter that echoed in his head.
¡®Dear sweet Kazz,¡¯ her voice said, shifting from the seductress to the elder sister. ¡®I have finished my end of the bargain, as have you. When you contracted me it was to kill the man that murdered your family and to get revenge for your lost life and parents, I have done this have I not?¡¯
¡®Yes,¡¯ he answered.
¡®My contract is complete, but I find myself reluctant to leave, I feel I still have a duty to do, even if it was not expressed in our contract.¡¯ If other warlocks knew about the fact that his contract was up and the demon was still possessing him they would kill him in an instant, as a non contracted demon could do anything to the host, and through the host wreak untold havoc on the world.
¡®There is nothing more I require,¡¯ he said, and that was true, though he found himself not wanting her to go, she had been there through every moment of the past ten years, unwaveringly loyal, though whether that was due to the contract or her own volition he didn''t know.
¡®But there is more you require, you lost your parents when you were thirteen Kazz. They would have raised you into being a fine young man I have no doubt, but they were not there, so it fell to me. I did my best but I am not human, there are things I do not know, things I wish to tell you but do not know how to broach the subject. You being twenty three and unwed is the biggest failure of mine, one I intend to rectify before I leave.¡¯
He snorted, and looked around the room, everyone was eyeing him warily and was well away from him. ¡®You do realise you are part of the reason that is so correct?¡¯
¡®No I am not.¡¯
¡®No one will approach me because of my being a warlock, it frightens them, and those brave enough to approach take one look at this ugly mug and run away.¡¯
¡®You are not ugly.¡¯ she said, her voice growing hard.
¡®Oh then why oh great demoness in my head does every maiden blanch and run at the sight of my face?¡¯ he asked, his thoughts adopting a sneer even in his own head.
¡®Your face is beautiful, from your eyes to your hair to your lips and even that scar that runs down it, you are a handsome man, those that run away simply are not brave enough to see past the scar, not wise enough.¡¯
¡®Krissa was-¡¯ he started but her sharp hiss cut him off.
¡®That wench didn''t care for you, she simply wanted a warlock for her court so she could show you off to the rest of her little ladies and lords, you would be a plaything. There was no love there, trust me.¡® Kazz didn''t argue, there was no point, they had this debate a hundred or a thousand times over, and it never changed. ¡®I will find you a good wi-¡¯ she stopped talking, the world growing dark and the people moving about slowing to a crawl.
The interior of the room he was in faded away, and in a burst of colors, colors he had not seen in years a vision lay out before him.
In front of him was a beautiful woman, her looks placed her in her late teens or early twenties, with layered golden brown hair atop her head in a traditional royal style of high court dress. Her face was small and tender, still that of a maiden¡¯s but her form was that of a woman that had just recently grown into her figure, all curves and lines that caught both the light and the eye. She opened her eyes, and looked at him, smiling and looking at him through those long lashes that barred her beautiful sapphire eyes. As she smiled her cheeks creased into dimples, each of which fascinated him.
She reached her hand out for him, her forearm garbed in a lace glove that matched the rest of her white and yellow dress, which swirled around her like it had a mind of its own. Without knowing why he also reached for her, but he couldn''t quite make it, straining with all his might, in an ungodly effort he pushed himself forward and clasped her hand. He watched as her smile deepened, and behind her events played out, many were confused, others clear, there was a wedding, there was running.
One in particular stood out more than others however, he focused on it, he was crouched over her, hands on either side of her head, and blood dripping down onto her dress, she looked at him in shock and horror, unable to move as he lay there, barely able to hold himself up on his hands and knees to shield her, she shook her head and a single tear tracked down her face, she mouthed four words, unable to say them.
No, please don''t go¡
He smiled at her, blood leaking from between his teeth and then everything went black.
As it did the vision faded, and he found himself back at the inn.
He looked down at the table, and watched as the color drained from the wood, removing the brown from the world, leaving him in a cold grey world where only blue shone. The brown seeped out, like it was being slowly poured down a drain, rushing out of sight. Looking around he noticed patches of blue that he didn''t remember being there before, so bright, so clear, highlighted so much in the monotony of this world.
His last color.
¡®Well then.¡¯ He sighed, and there was a several moment gap of silence. ¡®Well then Lilim, seems like you have your work cut out for you, it would seem that I am destined to marry royalty.¡¯
¡®So it would seem.¡¯ Lilim said back, neither of them mentioned the death at the end of the vision, it was not worth mentioning, after all they had lived with death as a constant companion for over ten years now. ¡®This, this will take some doing, you will require much refinement...¡¯ He nodded with a rueful smile and stood up, waving for one of the server girls to show him to his room. Once there he made a spell that killed all the bugs in the bed, and plopped down into the thin straw mattress, and as soon as his head hit the pillow he felt a tugging on his consciousness.
¡®Not tonight Lily,¡¯ he muttered, calling her by her pet name, a name that she had at first scoffed at but then had taken a liking to.
¡®Yes tonight,¡¯ she said, back in her seductive tones, ¡®consider it a bachelor party, who knows how many more times I will get to do this before you''re all married and what not...¡¯ he thought of resisting her, but he knew it was a futile effort. With a sigh he allowed her to pull him down into himself, his mind being pulled into the deepest part of his being.
He found himself standing before a beautiful woman with red hair and eyes, and blood red lips to match. Her back sprouted two black raven wings, and she wore absolutely nothing except a thin red ribbon that cascaded down her figure, hugging all the right curves as it wove itself around her.
The twin mounds on her chest were of a perfect size and shape, capped with blood red nipples that stood out against her porcelain skin. How long had it been since he had seen the color red?
At least four years, if one didn''t count things like this, where in his mind he could see any and every color. The loss of red had made the killing seem distant, not real anymore without the vivid paint of life that should flow through every living creature.
She sauntered over to him, her impossibly wide hips swaying back and forth with a hypnotizing rhythm. And with a single hand she pushed him back into a lying position. With a dark smile across her blood red lips she slipped him inside of her.
Perhaps Lily was the wrong name for her, it seemed too gentle, too unaggressive, not passionate enough. And Lily was all of those things to a fault. As she slid home and a pleased vacant expression passed over her face, he remembered the first time she had done this, he had been what, fourteen at the time?
Awkward could not even begin to describe how he had been.
She had to lead him, guide him, tell him exactly what to do, and he had finished up much too quickly, the memory brought a smile to his face and as his eyes refocused he found Lily was smiling as well.
¡°You have indeed grown since then, in more ways than one, I remember when you almost begged me to be dragged down here at any spare moment you got.¡± She smiled, starting to move her hips, rising and falling in a complex pattern of short movements and long ones that stressed him in all the right places and ways.
¡°I am a lot wiser now, I know that if I were to indulge in my wishes and wants neither of us would leave here until we both faded away into the next world.¡± He said, placing his hands on her hips, sliding them down the familiar curves to her thighs.
¡°Indeed,¡± she said huskily as she leaned forward, her perfect breasts swaying above his head, the white flesh and dark red nipples. ¡°Soon you will be married and we will not be able to be as such, I plan on spending as much time here without having us wither away as possible before that,¡± she purred, and as he reached for her chest arched her back pulling away from him, so he couldn''t reach her though she was still moving.
¡°I don''t want you to leave,¡± he blurted out, and she froze in place for a moment, before laughing and returning to her motions.
¡°That my dear is just the sex talking,¡± she said, with a laugh that sounded a little melancholy.
¡°No I-¡± he started but she placed a finger on his lips and shushed him softly.
¡°We will discuss this latter, but not now, please.¡± she added pleadingly to him, he simply nodded and moved his hands from his position on her hips to around behind her to her rear. She started to move more aggressively, a hungry look in her eyes. As she did he slipped his hand lower until he found what he was seeking. With a single finger he plunged deep into her other entrance. She squeaked and stopped moving, frozen entirely in place and her lower lips tightened around him almost painfully. He didn''t allow her to recuperate from the surprise attack, he quickly started moving his hips, driving himself in and out of her, with an aggression that drove all the thought out of her head and left behind only a panting animalistic lust. As he thrust he felt her tremble, and hooked another finger into her, this time causing her to scream and collapse against his chest, not able to sit up straight anymore, as he attempted to see if two objects could occupy the same space.
The two of them reached the same conclusion at the same time, each panting and dazed for a while. That was until she sat up and looked at him reproachfully. ¡°I told you I don''t want things in there,¡± she said crossly. He for his part smiled triumphantly, it had been years since he had last held the upper hand in such situations against her.
¡°That was a most interesting reaction, we will have to explore that more...¡± he laughed.
¡°As if, now if you would remove your fingers from my backside before I rip them off,¡± she said with a slightly serious growl. He complied, and allowed her to do as she pleased for the rest of the night, content with his small victory.
The sun rose and with it Kazz opened his eyes, feeling like he had no more than a minute of sleep, and that might have been the truth, he had no way of knowing. Fighting the urge to fall back into bed he pulled on the heavy ironclad boots and gauntlets and after belting his items back onto his waist walked down the creaking stairs to the entrance, nodding to the innkeeper that was at this moment pointedly avoiding his gaze. He walked out the door feeling the brisk spring air on his face, still tinged with the cold snow that had fallen, the air stung against him, and he smiled besides himself, looking around the town now that the light of the day was illuminating it, not casting it into shadows. The ruts and footprints of the day before in the mud that was this town¡¯s road had frozen, leaving perilous miniature mountain ridges that would fade as the sun rose and heated their brown caps.
No not brown.
He looked at them, and noticed like everything else it had no color, it was a simple grey now. The only color that he could see was the blue, and perhaps it was the lack of other colors, or perhaps it was just the way the color was, and he had never noticed it, the blue sang with a beautiful hymn of color, resonating with every string and chord of his body. As he stood there he felt a tug on his armored robes looking back after tearing his eyes off of the sky and its beautiful blue he looked back to see a small girl tugging on him, she looked somewhat timid, passersby watched in horror as he turned to regard the girl and froze, not knowing what to do in this situation.
She was a small country girl, one of the many that ran around a town like this, and she looked to be around 8 to 10 years old, she smiled up at him, revealing white teeth, something only youth could have, and spoke to him, as though he was no more scary than a stray dog that had lopped into the town.
¡°Hey mister everyone says you can do magic is that true? Older sister says there is no such thing as magic, but I don''t believe her, what does she know?¡± he looked at the little girl, and smiled. He held up one finger, a universal signal for the other party to wait. And he pulled off his armored gloves, revealing the skin to the cold of the environment. He cupped one palm like a cylinder and then placed the other over the top of it like a lid, covering the thumb and forefinger, concentrating he started a spell that he had learned many many years ago, it was called blood glass and was designed to make last defence weapons to save a life, but to get good enough at it you had to be able to craft it finely and quickly so as a youth he had practiced it to a fault.
Focusing he closed his eyes, allowing the blood to weep out of the scars on his palm and he shaped it, compressing it and willing it to become something else, slowly it took the shape of what he wanted and soon he had cupped in his hand a small rose flower made from the blood glass, and quickly a stem followed, he pulled his hand away and in that hand was a rose and stem that was a foot long, and covered in blood, he grabbed his flask and ran the cold water over the bloody rose and revealed a shining crystalline rose, made from a slightly reddish glass, bowing on one knee he presented the flower to the girl, who took it with reverent eyes and bounced with joy. ¡°Ha! This will prove that stuck up cow that magic exists.¡± Smiling he turned her around and gave her a pat on the small of her back to send her along, off she scampered, taking her new prize to no doubt show her sister and friends.
¡°A good show,¡± a woman¡¯s voice said behind him. Kazz didn''t look up to see who it was, he simply went on with washing the blood off of his hands and replacing the gauntlets about his hands and forearms. Then and only then did he turn around to see who was speaking.
A woman wearing a mechanist¡¯s garb which consisted of leathers and denims dyed tan or brown, Kazz could not tell anymore. Mechanists were not the most friendly he had found, they created all kinds of contraptions from mechanist¡¯s lights to strange weapons that were like crossbows but without the actual bow part, Kazz had never had a chance to figure out how those weapons threw their projectiles, which were small rounded balls that penetrated even hardened steel, let alone his black iron cuirass.
Worst of all however was the fact that they did not believe in magic, and they were teaching anyone that would listen that it was all fake, and that anyone casting magic was a fraud. Hence the hatred and disgust when she had called his magic a ¡°Nice show.¡±
¡°How can I help you lady mechanic?¡± he asked, with a courteous half bow to her. The woman was quite attractive, with shoulder length hair pulled back unceremoniously, and piercing eyes of the darkest deepest blue he had ever seen. She was also flanked by three royal knights in full plate steel.
It was the woman from his vision, she was not wearing the royal gowns, or had her hair in the flowing ringlets but he was sure, there was no way to mistake those eyes. The question now was why was she here acting like a Mechanist?
¡°You are summoned to the Ducal castle, there are those that would like to speak with you,¡± she spat at him, and then added ¡±Though I do not know why, I have told them many times magicians are frauds,¡± in a much lower voice, but not low enough for him to not hear it.
Perhaps that was her intent.
Interesting, very interesting, this was the first time he was meeting his future wife, and she was pretending to be someone else, or perhaps the other her, the royal her was the fraud. Kazz took a deep breath, closing his eyes to calm himself as he swallowed his pride and then opened them to look at the mechanist who was staring at him with open revulsion.
¡°It would be my honor Lady Mechanist,¡± he said, he smiled as he bowed in a courtly manner.
Volume 2 Ch 10: Enchanters...
Book 2 of Dan''s Shoppe of Oddities is out on Amazon, please think about purchasing it, it helps me out alot. Link is above in the Author''s note.
¡°Soooooo, Leon...¡± Krya drew out the words, they were currently making there way back to the transportation portal that would take them home, and they were not the only ones. The halls were jam-packed with people, and somehow, Leon didn''t know how but these people didn''t seem to realize that if traffic flowed in two directions then it was easier to have one going one direction on one side and another going the other on the opposite side.
This, this was what happened when you put too many people who were full of themselves in the same location. Everyone was pushing and shoving, and a great deal of people would likely get their toes stepped on and there poor royal feeling hurt.
¡°What a cluster fuck,¡± Leon growled, causing the small group of students in front of him to jump in fright.he ignored them. Opting instead to make use of his bulk and weight to clear a path right through the sea of people, it was there that he found an interesting sight. Another man was attempting to do the same but was having far more difficulty seeing as he was much smaller than Leon.
The group he was leading through comprised of four males, and six females. The thing that set them apart was the uniforms they wore. The robes they had, if they could be called that were simply cut, looking more like a tunic that reached mid-thigh than a robe they had a sache across the chest with a crest of an eagle holding a dead rabbit in its talons. Their hoods back he could see that they were much like everyone else here, young men and women around the age of 18, the strange thing, however, was how they were being treated, it was like they didn''t exist, no one paid them any heed except to elbow there way through them.
But that was ultimately met with failure, seeing as the males had formed a sort of phalanx around the females, who were providing support for the males by holding them in position. It was all very well organized, Leon didn''t know why, but he decided he liked this group, they stuck together, unlike the clique esq groups that ran the halls here they seemed to care about more than just their own person.
Like his group.
It was a little out of the way but it wasn''t like it was too hard, so he angled his clearing path over to the small group of foreign students. They saw him coming before he even got halfway there, and the leader, a man who had the first stubble on his chin and long brown hair tied behind his head in a braided ponytail eyed him warily.
¡°Enchanters.¡± Krya offered as she saw the direction they were heading. ¡°Most mages don''t think they are actually mages, seeing as they don''t have the ability to cast actual spells, but rather must put the spells into items and then they rely upon those items,¡± she said this in her usual monotone voice, belaying no emotion. ¡°They are typically looked down on.¡±
¡°And what do you think?¡± he asked looking down at Krya who was now just slightly behind his right elbow so she could talk to him.
¡°Never underestimate your opponent, assume everyone is better than you, and if they are not then it will be a pleasant surprise,¡± she stated, and a wicked grin showed on his face in response. ¡°I also think we need to talk.¡±
¡°About what?¡± he asked as he grabbed a man by the shoulder and bodily shoved him to the side and out of the way of his group, the man cried out in protest, but was quickly silenced with a single glare from Leon.
¡°About a certain maid,¡± Lira said, her expression dark, Krya nodded, the only change in her facial features was a crinkling of the brow, but the fact that it was there told him how upset she was.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Oh, Oh! Yes, let''s talk about little Roey!¡± Fluffy said, bouncing up and down behind them. ¡°She¡¯s so cute! And brave! What a brave little deer!¡± both girls raised eyebrows at her, and she caught on quickly, ¡°I mean, I am mad at you Leon!¡± she set her face in an angry little scowl, ¡°I don''t know why I am angry, I just know that I am!¡± she then looked to Lira and whispered conspiratorially ¡±why are we angry?¡± Leon tried not to laugh, he made a coughing sputtering sound in the back of his throat that got him two intentionally angry glares and one that was delayed by a few seconds.
¡°Ok, we will talk all you want once we get home,¡± he said.
¡°Yes,¡± Lira answered, ¡°Yes we will.¡± Krya nodded in confirmation, only to have Fluffy cross her arms and agree, mirroring everything the other two women did. It didn''t take long after that to close the distance to the small group of enchanters, and once they did Leon called out to the one in the lead.
¡°There is an abandoned classroom, three rooms down on this side of the hall, if we can make it there we can wait out the rush, should only take ten to fifteen minutes.¡± the leader eyed him wearily, the falcon on his shoulder, his familiar no doubt tilting its head to the side in a way only birds could pull off seemed to take him in with a keen sense of curiosity.
¡°Lead the way.¡± the leader called back over the din. Leon nodded and without saying another word he pushed through the crowd. Even though the classroom was only three doors down it still took a good five minutes to push their way through the crowd. Once in Leon shut the door and turned to look at the group, they were still in formation, but this time it was not the mass tide of noble men and women that they were wary against it was Leon and his group.
¡°Leon,¡± he said, holding out his hand to the foreign mage, who after a brief mental battle seemed to come to some sort of decision about him.
¡°Aaron,¡± the man said, grasping not Leon¡¯s hand like he had expected but rather reaching past and grabbing his forearm. ¡°You''re an awfully big guy and you look to be in what you 20¡¯s?¡± he looked at the robes Leon wore. ¡°What''s with the third year gitup?¡± he asked, not yet releasing Leon¡¯s arm.
¡°I''m not a student here,¡± Leon said, flashing his white teeth in a smile that was half friendly half warning in a way that only Leon could pull off. He turned his arm sideways, also turning Aaron¡¯s arm and displaying the branded Lion on the back of his hand. The group of enchanters gasped collectively. And Aaron pulled back and bowed to the three ladies low.
¡°Apologies, I didn''t mean to shame you, I was unaware that he was a familiar, I should not have touched him.¡±
¡°None needed,¡± Lira said, and stepped forward placing a hand on Leon¡¯s biceps. ¡°Leon is as you can see not like most familiars,¡± Aaron raised his head and looked at her.
¡°He is yours?¡± he asked.
¡°Or I am his.¡± Lira shrugged, which made Aaron''s eyes narrow in confusion.
¡°You don''t mean that you and him...¡± he trailed off, looking between Lira and Leon.
¡°I mean that I am his, and he is mine, yes,¡± she said, and the enchanter¡¯s eyes grew wider, some in the group mostly the women started whispering back and forth, hiding their words behind linen gloved hands, blushing.
¡°So, I will only give one warning,¡± Leon growled, ¡°Do not attempt anything, I will not tolerate it, if you even so much as hint at it I will tear you limb for limb, there will not be enough pieces of you to identify.¡± his red eyes blazing with a fiery promise.
¡°Got ya,¡± Aaron said, raising his hands in surrender, ¡°I have no right to judge, it is not my life, besides I doubt my fiance would be too happy if I started oogling too many other women,¡± he said with a laugh.
¡°Any,¡± a blonde called out to him her voice dangerous, ¡°I would not like it if you oogled any other women.¡± he nodded and gestured over to her as if to say see? Leon smiled now, it was one that relaxed the room, seeing as the big demon man was no longer growling.
¡°And this is my Fiance, Krya, and her familiar Fluffy,¡± Lira said, and Krya nodded her head in a slight bow.
¡°Oh,¡± Aaron said, his eyes opening wider, ¡°Oh, OH!¡± he exclaimed as he looked at the three women and Leon, a sly grin appeared on his face, and he winked at Leon and flashed him a thumbs up in approval, which promptly had him on the receiving end of the blonde¡¯s fist to the back of his head. After his apparently mandatory beating, he stood back up and smiled at Leon, ¡°Well then, Leon, as I said before I am Aaron, and this is my Fiance Tilly,¡± Tilly bowed low in a courtly manner.
¡°How do you do?¡± she said, and Lira and Krya mirrored her movements, after a second delay Fluffy attempted it, but seemed to give up halfway through the curtsey, opting to instead hop onto Leon¡¯s back and wrap her arms and legs around him, rubbing her nose against his neck in a very wolfish show of affection. Which caused several of the enchanters to blush, and Aaron to flash him another approving smile, which got him another beating in the face.
¡°Here for the tournament?¡± Leon asked, looking at the poor pummeled mage as he struggled back to standing.
¡°Yesh we arsh.¡± He said, his voice harder to make out over the swelling. Lira pulled out her wand and cast a quick heal, wrapping the man in warm green light, quickly causing his face to reform in its normal shape. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said bowing to her. ¡°My fiance and I have been engaged since her birth, but I fear she doubts my loyalty.¡±
¡°I don''t doubt it,¡± Tilly snapped at him. ¡°I just know how you think, and I cannot allow such brazen thoughts to go unpunished.¡± Leon laid a sympathetic hand on Aaron¡¯s shoulder. The two men close their eyes in silent comradery, they were now brothers in arms, forged together under the tyranny of women...
Volume 2 Ch 11: Fears and Doubts Cast Aside...
¡°So. could you by chance point the direction to the school¡¯s headmistress¡¯s office?¡± Aaron asked, looking first at Leon then at the others in his party.
¡°It''s back the way we came from,¡± Leon opened the door and peaked out, for the most part, everyone was out of the hallways, for the most part. ¡°It¡¯s not too far but it is also not labeled, we¡¯ll show you the way real quick,¡± he said and once again they marched out into the hallways, this time however it was not jammed packed, there were a few stragglers that were like them and had chosen to wait out the crowd before attempting to escape. Leon led the group to the headmistress¡¯s tower, one of the four corners of the inner castle and proceed to open the door and walk in.
The headmistress still had her head pressed against the table, and was mumbling something to herself when Leon stepped in, Aaron not far behind him. ¡°Greetings,¡± he said out loud, a smile in the sound of his voice.
¡°What do you want this time?¡± she grumbled, not even picking up her head to look at his face, ¡°Come to demand any more impossible tasks for me to do?¡±
¡°But of course.¡± He laughed, and her head shot up at that.
¡°Like hell, you will Leon, our deal was final an-¡± she stopped speaking when she found that it was not only Leon¡¯s group but also a group of foreign students. Her cheeks turned slightly pink but she had almost instantly regained the dignified look she normally carried. ¡°My apologies, I was unaware I had guests.¡± she shot Leon a glare, to which he laughed.
¡°I see so, me and mine are not guests then?¡± he asked.
¡°No, I would not call you a guest, more like an extortionist,¡± she mumbled under her breath, Aaron who was close enough to hear this cocked one eyebrow and looked at Leon with a question in his eyes. ¡°Well then, what can I do for you today?¡± she asked, looking over at the foreign students, pointedly ignoring Leon.
¡°Welp, looks like my work is done.¡± Leon said, and he and his group walked out of the headmistress¡¯s office, ¡°Catch you all later, I must go prepare a room for a new maid.¡± he called out over his shoulder.
*Bang*
The headmistress¡¯s fist came down on the desk with a sound like a gunshot, causing Aaron and his group to jump at the sudden sound. She closed her eyes and breathed in a deep breath, slowly she let it out and then turned her now pleasantly passive face towards Aaron she smiled a composed smile that only slightly waved at the corners of her mouth. ¡°So, how can I help you again?¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
***
Leon had seen this coming, in fact he had even been told it would be a thing by Krya not 20 minutes ago, but he had been under the impression that he would at least be allowed to take off his boots once he got home before they jumped him.
He had been wrong.
¡°Who is she?¡± Lira asked, her golden eyes seeming to smolder in her face, as though under that skin burning lava.
¡°A maid who walked in on me and fluffy while we were otherwise engaged,¡± he said, deciding to not play dumb. Lira closed her eyes, a single tear slipping out before she scrubbed it away angrily.
¡°And you- with her-¡± she said in a voice that could barely be heard, the sound of her heart breaking.
¡°No.¡± he growled, he grabbed her by the arms as she tried to pull away from him. ¡°Do you trust me so little?¡± he asked, his hand moving to her chin, lifting it up to face his face, he brushed a thumb across the path of the tear, still visibly damp on her cheek. ¡°Lira, look at me!¡± he growled, and she opened her eyes as commanded.
They were no longer glowing bright gold but rather were dull and distant.
¡°Do you really not trust me this much?¡± he asked softly, she moved to open her mouth, but he placed a thumb over her lips, stopping her words. ¡°If this was a smaller issue I would have Fluffy tell you, and she would tell you that I never so much as touched her, but that is not the problem here.¡± he looked her in the eyes, his thumb slowly caressing her lips. ¡°The problem is that the thought even appeared in your head and that it found purchase there.¡±
¡°Leo-¡± she started but he closed her mouth with his hand, cutting off her words.
¡°You do not trust that I will be faithful to you,¡± he said softly, ¡°This is likely a failing of mine, so I will rectify it.¡± he leaned in. ¡°Have I ever lied to you?¡± he asked, and she shook her head at that, mouth still held shut. ¡°And do you think I would ever lie to you?¡± he asked, again she instantly shook her head. ¡°Then let me tell you this, so there is no more misunderstandings.¡± he stood back, standing straight and towering over Lira, he looked down at her. ¡°I will never touch a woman without your approval, I am a part of you, you are a part of me, I have no more wish to harm you, body or mind or soul than a hand has to wound the body it is attached to.¡±
¡°Leon, i-¡±
¡°Let me finish,¡± he growled. ¡°The reason I want her was not sexual, while she is attractive I would never cheat on you, she is a powerful creature, one which I felt instinctively when I saw her, she would be an ally that would be beneficial to us, something we have precious few of.¡± he looked at her, ¡°I will not touch her, not without your approval, and I will not push you to approve of it, but I ask that you allow her to stay here, as I said she would be invaluable.¡±
¡°She is easily as powerful as I am,¡± Fluffy added in, sober in the thick mood. ¡°And Lira, you should know that Leon would never do anything to hurt you, he exists solely for you, and that is not referring to the fact that he is your familiar,¡± the slightly airheaded attitude was gone, she was sharp as a knife, she simply liked to hide it behind a facade.
¡°I am sorry.¡± Lira whispered softly, resting her head against Leon¡¯s chest, this time silent tears drifting out of her eyes.
¡°No,¡± Leon said pulling her close he held her tight up against him. ¡°I am sorry,¡± it was the first time he had said it since he had shown up in this world, in fact, it was the first time he remembered apologizing for anything. ¡°I know your past, I know your upbringing, I know how hard it is for you to trust anyone, I will work harder to prove to you that you have no need to doubt me.¡±
¡°Leon-¡± she buried her face deeper into him, as his arms held her, and silently cried out years of pain and heartache as he held her. Leon looked over to Krya, who was now leaning up against a wall, her face no longer impassive as she watched the heartwarming scene in front of her. The mask was gone, replaced with a broad smile and a warm look in her icy blue eyes.
Leon sighed in contentment, it was good to have a family.
Volume 2 Ch 12: A talk with the queen of the grove...
The grove was a large area to the east of the school. It boasted of over 2,000 acres of forested area that stretched from the gates to the river Millan that meandered through these planes. The denizens that lived there were a peaceful collection and cross-section of the region''s wildlife, everything from owls and other birds, deer, elk, wolves, all the way up to the Dryads that called it home as well. They had apparently lived here for a long time, much much before the time of the headmistress.
She breathed the air, relishing the change to her normal routine, the fresh air was divine. She stepped out of the gate and looked at the inviting sight in front of her, with a smile she reached behind herself and pulled the pin that held her hair up and allowed the long flowing golden locks of hair to fall down the small of her back.
Gods, that was freeing.
In the same mindset, she loosened the tie she had around her neck, and unbuttoned the top two buttons from her shirt, breathing out a sigh of relief. With her preparations ready she stepped out into the field and started her casual stroll into the woods. The sun cascaded through the trees, dappling the light and causing streams of gold in which dust motes played dancing in and out of the golden rivers of light with the air currents like children at a stream. As she walked her smile grew, each step away from her office, each stride away from that confining place brought her back to the first time she had visited this grove, and what had made it her favorite spot.
She had still been a student when she had first gone here, and it had been to find a place to cry.
Lira might not realize it, but she was extremely lucky, after all, she could have had the same situation as the headmistress had. A bastard child, unwanted even by her father, her mother deemed to low class to even be allowed to see a child with even half noble blood. And she never had the support of a familiar that was humanoid, one who could talk back to her, love her, hold her.
She sighed, and as she did a large raptor flew down from the sky and delighted on her shoulder, it fondly rubbed its head against her own and she smiled as she ran her fingers through its soft feathers. Yes, Luis was not capable of the same things as Leon, but Luis was a proper Phoenix Raptor, the bright red and gold of his feathers attested to that, not that it had done anything to assuage her father¡¯s disappointment that she had gotten such a weak familiar.
¡°So worthless it cant even die properly.¡±
The words echoed through her head as she walked, old words. Words spoken once by a now long dead man, his house heirless and divided.
And here she was, still standing, still alive, still thriving.
32 years, she had been on this earth, and in those years she had undergone countless trials and tribulations, success and defeat, love and betrayal.
And she was still standing.
A smile formed on her lips, and she started humming a soft song that often calmed her. ¡°That is the song I made for you is it not?¡± a voice called out in the woods, low and sensual, sounding like the wind blowing through trees, distinctly feminine. And as though materializing from the surroundings she found herself no longer alone in the forest.
The Dryad that walked towards her was a leggy creature, green as the grass, and clothed only lightly in a dress of maple leaves, her long flowing locks of green hair were woven through a walnut wood crown that adorned her head. Her legs were covered up to the knees in rough boots made of bark and she swayed her hips back and forth in a sensual way that would make any man¡¯s mouth water.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
¡°Is it not? My little Caitlin?¡± she purred and walked around the headmistress, running one hand through the woman¡¯s hair and drawing it up to her nose to breath in the sent.
¡°That is the one we made if I remember correctly I also helped in its creation.¡± The headmistress said smiling, ¡°It has been so long since someone called me Caitlin,¡± she sighed, leaning back into the Hamadryad¡¯s chest, relishing the warmth and love that was there.
¡°Ah, yes, I remember now, you were such a little thing back then, so heartbroken, I am glad you came out that day, you needed love, and I have ample supplies of love.¡± she snaked her hands down across Caitlin¡¯s stomach slipping one hand through the buttons of the shirt to feel the warm skin under.
¡°We need to talk,¡± Caitlin said, her voice barely hiding the need she felt quivering in her core.
¡°Oh?¡± the Dryad purred, ¡°Talk about what my precious Caitlin?¡± her hand slipped lower, messaging the flesh of her lower abdomen, the fingers just barely above the tangle of golden hair that ran down between her legs.
¡°About your daughter.¡± The headmistress moaned, even as the dryad moved her other hand and deftly undid the buttons of the shirt, and began kneading Caitlin''s purple cloth covered breasts. The movement of the fabric over her hardening nipples caused a pulse of pure joy and pleasure to run through her.
¡°Which one?¡± the dryad laughed, her fingers now tangled in the hair, slowly combing through it, her hand reached up from its place on her breasts and turned Caitlin¡¯s head to face her own, and she stole her lips, pressing deep into the kiss. ¡°I have so many...¡± she whispered into the painting headmistresses mouth. The dryad¡¯s fingers had just reached the small bundle of nerves at the entrance of her lower lips. With slow delicate movements, she began to stroke there, running her fingers over the labia, making sure to rub the sensitive bundle of nerves just above with every stroke of her fingers.
Caitlin struggled to keep coherent thoughts, but those soon vanished as two fingers spread her and slowly slid in, she felt her vagina tighten and felt the sucking pressure she exerted on the dryad¡¯s fingers. As they were pulled out they rubbed against the most sensitive spot in her body and it felt like a jolt of electricity had gone off, freezing her and causing every muscle to tense. When they were almost fully out and she was left feeling empty the Dryad pushed back in with a vigor, once again spreading the tight muscles wide.
Slowly the pace of the Dryad¡¯s fingers began to speed up, each thrust faster than the last. Caitlin didn''t know how long this lasted but soon she found herself on the edge, any more and she was likely to break.
¡°Miona!¡± she called out the name with as much force and frantic emotion as she could muster, and Miona the mother of the forest, the queen dryad responding by hooking her fingers and scraping them playfully against Caitlin¡¯s inner walls. It was that motion that did it, something broke inside her like a tidal wave, and she felt the hot rush of relief as it washed out of her.
She did not know how she ended up on the soft bed of grass, nor how she had been stripped of clothes, but she found she didn''t care as she looked down between her legs and found Miona perched there, her hands on Caitlin¡¯s inner thighs, holding her apart. She felt the warm tongue that darted out, tasting the juices that she had released and almost passed out again.
Her tongue caressed the tender flesh, running along each and every surface licking her clean before she began to crawl forward, kissing her way up Caitlin¡¯s body. She shivered as she got kissed just between the breasts. She felt her nub rub up against the warm wet area between Miona¡¯s legs and realized what the dryad was about to do. Her eyes opened wide and she was about to speak when her lips and her protest were sealed by the dryads own lips and her mouth was invaded by another¡¯s tongue.
Miona¡¯s mouth tasted of maple syrup, a divine and heavenly sweet flavor that seemed to coat every surface of the woman. It distracted her from the complex runes that were forming around the two of them, casting them in a bright green glow. Thick vines sprung out of the ground, wrapping all four of Caitlin¡¯s limbs, and had she been aware enough to notice she would have seen that she was not the only one so bound.
Four more came to be just behind them, two large and two small, the large ones entered both her and Miona, sliding in the slick passages and spreading them both wide. The smaller two, however, had a much larger impact. Caitlin¡¯s eyes flew open wide and she attempted to scream but the sound was lost down Miona¡¯s throat as the vine entered the only other hole she had down there.
The movement of the vines, the thrusting, the inability to move as she was being held down, and the feel of Miona¡¯s warm body pressing up against her own drowned away months of fatigue, replacing it with a sort of animalistic lust. The headmistress began moving her hips in rhythm with the thrusts, pulling the invaders deeper and deeper inside. She felt herself tense and for the second time, she came.
But the vines were not going to stop, not this soon.
By the time they pulled out of her a small puddle had formed, the grass which had once been under her had turned into mud from the motion and sweat and other liquids the two had excreted. Miona was still on top of her, her arms wrapped lovingly around Caitlin''s head, almost motherly as she hummed the song they had made together all those years ago.
¡°Gweince,¡± the headmistress croaked out with some effort, her throat raw from all the screaming she had just done. ¡°We need to talk about your daughter Gweince.¡± Miona¡¯s eyes raised in curiosity...
Volume 2 Ch 13: Evangeline and a surprise...
Miona sighed, ¡°While I am curious what the clumsy oaf did this time I think we have something far more pressing to talk about.¡± the Dryad waived her hand, and a bundle of gold and red burst out from behind a tree and practically tackled Caitlin, who had just propped herself up. When she had her wits about her again she noticed the small little girl that was pressed against her chest.
She looked like she was five or six years old, and she had long blonde hair, threaded through with feathers of red, in fact, those feathers covered a large portion of her body from mid-thigh down where her legs ended in bird-like feet. ¡°I''m, I''m not dressed and we just- oh god please tell me she didn''t see that!¡± Caitlin squeaked out in horror as she watched the little girl nuzzle up against her, rubbing her face into Caitlin¡¯s neck.
¡°She misses you, and I cannot tell you how excited she is to go see her mother work this summer,¡± Miona said a motherly smile on her lips.
¡°Mama,¡± the little girl cooed, and pressed even deeper into Caitlin, holding on to her like she was afraid she was going to vanish. And who could blame her, Caitlin had not been the best mother, she had left her here with her other mother in an attempt to not lose face with the board and the rest of the academic socialites. Caitlin hung her head in shame and wrapped an arm around her daughter.
Six years old now, she had been surprised when her frolics with Miona had born fruit, she shouldn''t have seeing as Dryad¡¯s reproduced magically, so anything that was sentient and had a magical aura could be mated with, in fact the actual act of sex was not even necessary, Dryads had to fully accept a partner, with all their flaws before they could reproduce, the act of physical intimacy was just one way to grow closer to them.
¡°Evangeline is the second child I have born a human, it always amazes me how they not only have physical features from the parent but also from the parent¡¯s familiar, I suppose that is due to the Familiar being a part of you, a part of your magic.¡± Caitlin nodded and began rocking her baby back and forth. ¡°We need to talk about a name.¡± Caitlin¡¯s eyes snapped up, and she watched as Miona patted her completely flat stomach.
¡°I-Its mine?¡± she managed to croak out, and she knew this was the wrong thing to say as the Dryad¡¯s face darkened and formed an angry scowl.
¡°I don''t know if you remember or not, but we Dryads have very very long memories, all those years ago when Eva became a seedling inside me we made a deal, neither of us would lay with another, I was yours and yours alone until the day you died, I have kept my side have you not?¡±
¡°I have, I am sorry it was just the shock speaking.¡± she sighed, and rested her chin on top of the small girl¡¯s head, ¡°I met someone who has made me reconsider the matter we discussed a few months ago.¡±
¡°Oh?¡±
¡°Yes, if she can be brave enough to accept the love even as unconventional as hers and her partners and not be afraid to show it to the world, then how could I do any less?¡± she sighed and looked up to the sky, she really felt like a terrible person, like a horrible mother. ¡°Each headmaster or mistress can appoint anyone they please to the position, I have decided that I want Eva to have the position,¡± she looked down at the little bundle in her lap, she stifle the urge to giggle when the little girl shifted, the downy feathers of her legs sliding over Caitlin¡¯s own, causing a rather intense tickling sensation.
"Are you no longer worried about the other''s opposition to someone like Eva taking over such a high position, they gave you such a hard time, and you are fully human and half royalty."Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
"I no longer care what others think," she said, and Miona nodded approvingly. ¡°What do you think of that little Eva, you will get to be like me,¡± the little girls face lit up, bright blue eyes sparkling brightly with excitement, ¡°It means you will have to come to the school, learn how to run things,¡± Eva began hopping up and down on her lap, bouncing excitedly. ¡°It also means you will need to wear clothing.¡± the excitement died down almost instantly.
¡°But mama!¡± she cried out, instantly distressed.
¡°No buts little birdy,¡± Caitlin cooed back at her, before turning to look towards her partner Miona, who was busy attempting to hide the fact that she had just wiped away a tear in her eyes, Caitlin smiled at her. ¡°How long?¡± she asked looking at the Dryad¡¯s stomach, Eva had taken almost three years as a seedling before she had developed her body, three long years of anticipation.
¡°Gwenice was shorter, she only took a year and a half to develop, Eva, she took much longer than even I had expected, who is to say?¡± she shrugged and smiled down at herself, rubbing her belly again.
¡°Speaking of Gwenice, she was the reason I came out here,¡± Miona raised an eyebrow at her, ¡°Well, one of the reasons,¡± Caitlin corrected. ¡°It would seem that she has caught the fancy of a particular individual.¡± this made Miona open her eyes wide and sit up straight. ¡°He would like her to come to his household.¡±
¡°When does she go?!¡± Miona asked, practically shouting.
¡°I would have thought you would be more, I don''t know, curious about the individual at the very least, if not more cautious seeing as this is your daughter.¡±
¡°That girl, she is such a mess, by her age I had already had forty children, and she has not even gotten intimate with a single being, she is an old maid by now, I had hoped this would happen it was why I sent her to the school in the first place, I was hoping she would find a mate there, and well, we have all seen how that has worked out, as for why I am not asking about him, it is not that I am indifferent, it is simply that I trust you, and I doubt you would even think of the possibility, let alone come to me with it if he was unfit.¡± she paused, ¡°But please do satisfy my curiosity, who is he?¡±
¡°Well, this is where it gets a little strange, you see, he is a familiar, a humanoid familiar.¡± there was supreme silence in the woods. ¡°He looks human minus the red eyes and horns, acts human though a tad bit too masculine at times, but he is Lira¡¯s, one of my student¡¯s familiar.¡±
¡°I didn''t even know that was possible.¡± Miona said, ¡°I thought all familiars were like your Luis there,¡± she tapped her lip with a green finger.
¡°Most are, there is only one recorded other time this happened and it was so long ago most people believe to be a myth.¡± Caitlin sighed, ¡°He is Lira¡¯s mate, and well also Lira¡¯s Fiance¡¯s mate,¡± she said.
Miona¡¯s eyes opened wide, ¡°He swings both ways?¡± she asked a strange smile on her face.
¡°What? No! Lira¡¯s fiance is a woman too, another student of mine, and well Krya also has a humanoid familiar.¡±
¡°Let me guess, also a female.¡± Miona smiled.
¡°Well yes, but it didn''t start out that way, it was a wolf and during the melding, it became this wolf woman, but anyway I have agreed to send her over to there, I am sorry I should have asked you first...¡±
¡°I told you, dear, my children are yours, they became this way when I agreed to you.¡± she laughed, ¡°Even if they are almost all much older than you, so I ask again, when does she go over?¡±
¡°As soon as possible.¡± Caitlin smiled at the little girl still holding tight to her, ¡°I''ll think about a name, do you think I can take Eva with me today?¡± she asked, she had to restrain the little girl from bouncing too much and hurting herself.
¡°That would be most helpful, seeing as even if you didn''t take her she would follow you, as she always does, and likely spy on you, as she always does.¡±
¡°She spies on me?¡± Caitlin asked horror in her voice.
¡°Oh yes dear, and you should hear some of the stories she tells us,¡± the forest around them filled with giggling laughter, Caitlin blushed a deep crimson.
¡°Please tell me they didn''t see what we just did.¡± she moaned.
¡°You are in a dryad forest dear, there is not a single thing that happens here that my daughters and I don''t see, we are the trees after all.¡± the forest giggled once again, and Caitlin moaned. ¡°Let me tell you everyone was most interested in the one about the long purple thing that shook and vibrat-¡± Caitlin lept forward pressing her hand against Miona¡¯s lips in an attempt to stop her from talking, all this did however was cause the Dryad to laugh behind her hand, and the forest around them exploded in laughter as well as hundreds of dryads poured out there murth. Caitlin let her hand fall away and hung her head attempting to hide her burning face behind a curtain of golden locks. Miona stood up and gracefully glided towards her and wrapped her in a warm hug, sandwiching Eva between the two of them. ¡°Next time you come out bring it with you, it sounds most interesting,¡± Miona whispered in her ear. Though Caitlin thought she might die of embarrassment she nodded her head...
Volume 2 Ch 14: A previously unknown side...
Aaron had not slept well last night, for the time being, the headmistress had set them up in a small classroom that was not in use. His lack of sleep had nothing to do with discomfort, seeing as beds had been dragged into the room for them, but rather with the woman who was even now peacefully sleeping on his chest, not really caring that she had her arm under her torso, thereby lodging her elbow quite deeply into his stomach. He sighed, the motion resisted by Tilly¡¯s weight, as he did so she started mumbling in her sleep as she so often did.
¡°I am not fat,¡± the slurred words drifted softly out of her lips and he smiled at them, amused by the path her unconscious mind took in this particular dream. ¡°Please, don''t leave me, Aaron, I promise I am not fat, I can lose the weight, please don''t go, please.¡± the smile slipped from his lips, he wrapped his arms around her holding her tight as she started to hyperventilate in her sleep.
She said she didn''t have trust issues, but he knew her better than that, the truth of the matter was that she was terrified of him being unfaithful because she felt herself unworthy of him. It was a deep seeded issue, one that came from the difference of there social standing. She was royalty, but minor royalty, daughter of a local fiefdom lord, and his father was the duke.
He knew much of these thoughts were put in her head by her own sister, a bitter hag that was not content with her lot in life and was upset that her little sister would be higher in status than she. Tilly, however, loved her sister, loved her deeply, no matter how harshly the words and thoughts the other spewed at her, and she would hear no ill of her sister.
That was the type of person Tilly was, loving, kind, the type who kept her fears and pain bottled and held deep so no one would be able to find them. Because of this, Aaron made sure to never go anywhere without her, she was his flaws and all and he would make sure she knew that. She took a shuddering breath, a single tear leaking out of the corner of her eye and wetting the cotton nightshirt he was wearing. He wiped it away with a thumb, the touch causing her eyes to flutter open. When she saw him she instinctively curled her arms and legs around him, holding him so tightly it almost hurt, like she was worried that if she didn''t hold him tightly he would vanish.
It was probably what she actually thought.
He rubbed the small of her back, small circles that elevated the stressed muscles of there tension, wishing not for the first time that he could choke that bitch sister of hers for messing with Tilly¡¯s mind like she had. She buried her face in his chest and he rested his chin atop her golden curls, breathing in her scent. ¡°Never,¡± he whispered and watched as a pair of green eyes looked up at him slowly. ¡°I would never leave you, do you understand?¡± he asked her and watched as her eyes glazed over and she nodded, knowing full well that she didn''t believe the words she was agreeing to.
Once again he cursed that bitch.
She would have to learn over time that he was not what her sister had told her, he would prove indeed what she doubted in word¡
***
The headmistress looked at the students in front of her, the students from Saint Francaris¡¯s Institute of Enchantment. Many people in the world of magic looked down on these students and those that created Enchantments, claiming they were inferior due to their inability to cast ¡°real¡± spells. She, however, was well aware how poor of a strategy it was to look down on anyone, she herself had been looked down on, and it had worked to her advantage, very much so. ¡°So, to reiterate to make sure we are all on the same page, I was able to find lodging for all but two of your students, but fear not I have an idea, on the outskirts of this school grounds there is a castle, it would be a perfect place for any students, and we used to use it for overflow like this in the past, there is one issue however,¡± she pushed her glasses up on her nose, ¡°it is no longer in our possession, it is now privately owned so we will need to ask the owner if you can use part of it.¡± she looked at the apparent leader of the group, from what she had gleaned they had come here by there own, normally the school would sponsor the trip, but Saint Francaris was suffering from a lower enrollment in recent years, in f, ct she had several reports saying the school was almost done for. This all meant that this trip was sponsored elsewhere, and if she had to guess she would say it was likely with this Aaron¡¯s own personal money. If they did well it would boost the schools prestige, and would likely result in new students, a last ditch effort, one that she could respect.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°And who is this owner?¡± Aaron asked, ¡°I would like if we could go make a case for ourself, we can help around the place with whatever was needed and-¡± as he was speaking the door opened and in walked Leon and his entourage.
¡°You called?¡± he asked, the arrogance and dominance he wore like a cologne rolling off of him in almost visible waves, but before she could say a word his head snapped around, causing him to look towards a darkened alcove, he made a hand gesture and everyone in his group froze as he walked over and kneeled down, head cocked to the side as he looked into the shadows, butt on the heels of his feet. Holding his hand out he called out to the shadows in a surprisingly soft and warm manner. ¡°There is no need to be afraid little one, come here.¡± and to everyone¡¯s surprise besides Leon and the Headmistress little Eva walked out from behind the couch she had been hiding. Slowly she walked over to Leon and took his outstretched hand, her tiny hand looking so small in his massive one, as she walked out there was a collective gasp, many heads went from the headmistress back to the little girl.
She was an exact copy of who had to be her mother, the same eyes, same face structure, same hair. But beneath the hem of the red dress she wore were a pair of taloned feet, looking very much like a hawks.
¡°What is your name?¡± he asked, the aura he normally had wrapped around him had for some reason retreated, leaving the man no more fearful than any other.
¡°Evangeline,¡± the little girl said, there was a slight quiver in her voice.
¡°It is nice to meet you Evangeline, I am Leon, may I call you Eva?¡± he asked the smile on his face so warm and, well, fatherly that even Lira had trouble recognizing him for a second.
¡°That is what Mama calls me,¡± Eva chirped, a smile on her face, the fear starting to dissipate.
¡°Is that so?¡± Leon laughed.
¡°Are these real?¡± she asked reaching up and touching Leon¡¯s horns which protruded from his head and swept back over the fiery red locks that crowned his head.
¡°They are,¡± he chuckled.
¡°So you are a demi human like me?¡± she asked looking up at him, her eyes sparkling, ¡°Was one of your mother''s human and the other a dryad as well? And why do you have fur on your face?¡± she ran her little fingers along his jaw tangling the small slim things in his beard, and causing him to laugh again. Her other hand rubbed the horns on his head, carefully tracing all the ridges with small fingers.
¡°No, I am not a Demi human,¡± he explained softly, ¡°as for my mothers, well I have only ever had one at a time,¡± she cocked her head to the side confused. ¡°I have lived multiple lives, been born multiple times, I can not remember much of those past lives, but I always remember my mother¡¯s face.¡± he smiled at her. ¡°As for the fur on my face, it is normal for men to have once they grow old enough, do you like it?¡± he asked, and she nodded, bringing both hands down to run through his beard.
¡°It is weird, but also nice.¡± she nodded, and squeaked in surprise when he scooped her up and placed her on his shoulder. From her perch she held onto him by his horns, and he turned to the headmistress and smiled.
She had watched the entire exchange, fascinated with this strangely fatherly side of Leon, she would have never thought he could act like this. And she was not the only one, even Krya looked shocked. A flush colored the cheeks of every woman in the room, as they instinctively recognized him as a man that would be a good father.
¡°She has the same blood in her as the maid, is that one yours as well?¡± he asked.
¡°Gwenice?¡± the headmistress shook her head, an attempt to get her head back in working order ¡°No, only Eva is mine,¡± she paused, ¡°eva and one other that is not yet here.¡± she muttered under her breath, forgetting how good Leon¡¯s hearing was.
¡°Congratulations,¡± Leon nodded to her, and she looked up at him in shock before her cheeks darkened a deep red color.
¡°Thank you but that is not the reason I called you out her-¡±
¡°I am going to be like mama!¡± little Eva shouted from her perch, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to her. ¡°I am going to be a mistress too!¡± Aaron coughed, covering a laugh which promptly caused him to get a nice cuff to the back of the head.
¡°Headmistress,¡± Leon corrected with a smile, ¡°You will be a Headmistress, not a Mistress.¡± he said this before a contemplative looked came onto his face, ¡°Maybe you can do both, it depends on who you meet and what you want to do later in life.¡±
¡°Headmistress!¡± she smiled and bounced on his shoulder, ¡°Just like mama!¡±
¡°Those will be some big shoes to fill.¡± he laughed.
¡°Mama said I dont have to wear shoes,¡± she pouted, crossing her arms, ¡°This dress is already bad, and the panties...¡±
¡°Well I think you look very nice in that dress,¡± Leon laughed, reaching up to tossle her hair. ¡°You were saying?¡± he asked, guiding them back to the reason he and his were called.
¡°There is not enough room in the school,¡± the headmistress worked to keep her expression plain, ¡°We need a spot for two more students, can they come and stay at your castle?¡±
¡°If it is Aaron and Tilly then I am sure we are fine with it, right Lira?¡± Krya said, speaking up for the first time, her eyes were still glued on Leon a hungry look in her eyes as she watched him and Eva.
¡°Of course,¡± Lira nodded, her breathing more shallow than normal, and her cheeks flushed, her eyes only for the smiling Leon and the giggling Eva.
¡°Then it is settled,¡± the headmistress said, a smile on her face.
¡°God, I want to fuck you so bad right now,¡± Fluffy growled, putting to words what both Lira, Krya and several other women in the room where thinking at that moment...
Volume 2 Ch 15: Things to work out...
Classes for Krya had always been one of her escapes, something she could throw herself into with an abandon. Magic was a complex system, but at its core, it followed rules, unlike people, who seemed determined to break any rules they found, or to never have followed any, to begin with. It was one of the reasons she was a loner before she met Leon and Lira. She always had such trouble with people as they were unpredictable, and she could not stand unpredictable.
It was an issue she knew she had and one that she was actively attempting to circumvent. However, reinventing yourself after so long in one state of mind was not an easy task. She did not want to seem standoffish it was simply her inability to show emotion that caused it.
It was honestly a self-fulfilling prophecy, her loneliness.
She wanted to be close to people, to connect like others did, but then when she did try to get close the way they broke all conventional rules made her fall back, would drive her away. It had been an issue up and to the point that she had decided to join Lira, who was like her lonely. Though Lira''s loneliness was a different sort of beast.
She cleared her head and paid attention to the professor that was at this moment lecturing in the hall. Professor Reed was the type of woman that Krya at one point in time would have liked to be taught under, she was a quietly studious woman, well-kempt and extremely knowledgeable in her subject. Now, however, Krya felt she was boring. It was a strange shift of her views on the world, seeing as the woman had not changed, simply her way of looking at the woman.
Context, it was all about context.
Four months ago she was alone in the world, even when surrounded by her family, now, however, she had a family that truly cared for her. All of this made it easier to ignore the man sitting one row behind her and to the right. The school had allowed the students that we''re here for the tournament to attend any class they so wished so long as they did not disrupt the class or the professor. It would seem that the majority of the members of her old school had taken to stalking her, seeing as for the most part every class with the exception of professor Kompf had at least one of them in the class and she had no doubt that they were reporting back to Emere.
Her older brother had always been standoffish, cold aloof. The only difference between her behavior and his own was that he used his standoffishness to draw people to him, making them think he was a calm cool and collected leader. Krya on the other hand simply pushed people away.
She had no idea why they were following her, she only knew that if they didn''t stop soon someone was likely to lose a limb. She glanced over at Leon, who for all intents and purposes had his eyes closed and his head on the table looking like he was asleep.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
He was not.
She could tell that he was about to get really angry by the set of his jaw, the way he flexed and clenched his teeth together, it caused his beard to quiver each time he did it. She could see it the increased throbbing of veins, each of which was pumping more and more blood back to his heart. She could see it in the tightening of his muscles, like a lion about to pounce.
Not knowing what else to do but knowing that she had to calm him down she reached over and grabbed his hand. His eyes flared open, a demonic flaming red, like the fires of hell itself. But it was a look that simply warmed her, she knew he would do nothing to harm her. Leon¡¯s head cocked to the side, and he looked deep into her eyes. His gaze flicked back towards Emere, but she squeezed his hand, causing it to go back to her, she shook her head, and he nodded once. Krya let out a sigh of relief, it was glad he understood and respected her enough to leave this one be, for now at least.
She smiled ever so slightly and attempted to remove her hand, only to find it was firmly enclosed in his larger stronger hand. She looked at him, a single eyebrow raised, but he was no longer looking at her but rather at some more interesting random point in the room, a slightly bemused smirk on his face.
Her eyes narrowed at him and she pulled her hand harder, to no avail. It was at this moment that she noticed that the entire room had gone quiet. She felt her cheeks darken before she even looked, the feeling of dread and horror hot in her stomach. Taking a deep breath she looked down at the lectern and found that Professor Reed was looking at her with a disapproving look on her kindly old face, and as it would also turn out every other face was turned up towards her. Her hand tightened spasmodically in Leon¡¯s, the blue painted nails digging into his flesh only caused him to smile more.
¡°I am sorry Krya, am I interrupting something?¡± the professor¡¯s voice was dripping with sarcasm, something that was normally only reserved for the absolute worst students in the class. Krya felt like there was a stone lodged in her throat, she stood up quickly, the chair she was sitting in making a god awful racket as it scraped on the stone floors and the noise was echoed throughout the silent room.
¡°Please forgive me, Professor Reed,¡± she called out in a halting voice, dropping into a half curtsey. ¡°I am not feeling well today,¡± she said softly, her cheeks still red, ¡°I am finding it hard to focus.¡± there were several snickers around the hall. ¡°I will retire for the afternoon.¡± she turned and walked, Dragging a bemused Leon behind her, who was soon followed by Lira and Fluffy, after they made some sort of excuse for the escape. She refused to say a word the entire walk, and Leon said nothing not even after they traveled through the portal back to there castle.
Once there, however, Krya turned on him, tears in her eyes as she brought her hand across his face. The sound of the slap echoed in the courtyard, even the birds fell silent as it rang out three times, bouncing off of each stone wall, singing its shock to the world at large.
Leon growled low in his throat, it was a warning growl.
He grabbed her by the face and made her look at him. Three fingers of her hand could be seen on the side of his face where she had slapped him. More tears spilled out as she ran her hand along the mark she had just made, the angry red bumps, her eyes searching his own. There was a fire there, it burned for her, it burned her. Lunging forward she placed her lips on his and kissed him with a ferocity that bespoke deep need and a want to get away from some psychological wound buried deep. His hands wandered up her torso feeling the flesh that was there just under the soft folds of robes, and with a single arm under her backside he lifted her up and pressed her against him, pushing back until she was flush up against the wall.
¡°I am so going to join this!¡± Fluffy shouted as she emerged from the portal, she was already half undressed when Lira caught her by the tail and hauled her back.
¡°Let them work this out,¡± Lira said, dragging the wolf girl along with her as she left the courtyard. ¡°Looks like there''s more to it than just being embarrassed in class...¡±
¡°But I want to get petted!¡± Fluffy howled out a mournful sound, her fingers digging into the ground leaving deep furrows in the soft sod as Lira forcefully dragged her away.
Volume 2 Ch 16: We will have to talk later...
She couldn''t have moved if her life depended on it.
He had her pressed up against the wall, boxing her in, making every move she made a concession of his will. With a single large hand, he pulled open the front of her robes, exposing the bare flesh, white as snow to the cool breeze of the day. Krya gasped, pressing her arm instinctually across her breast. Her mind went blank, her mouth went dry. Her hands wandered over his torso, his arms, his chest, his shoulder so broad and arms so powerful he looked like he could bear the weight of the world. He was over seven feet of impressive muscle, lightly tanned, a powerful man that made her feel small in comparison.
Like a doll held in his hands.
It was the eyes that always got her, however. They were the opposite of her own, such a blazing red, heated like a piece of molten metal cooked in fires so hot they could not be comprehended. They were so full of emotion, raw and unguarded, so unlike her own, the pale slivers of ice that stood solid and guarded, giving away nothing.
But did ice not melt in the presence of fire?
His vivid eyes, hot and piercing fixed on her with breathtaking intensity. The look in those eyes made Krya shiver and squirm. She had always thought herself immune to the intense sensual passions that seemed to afflict other women, but that was before Leon. Just the sight of him made her melt as if she was an icicle that had been dropped into a Furness. The flair of his nostrils and the faint satisfied curl of one corner of his mouth told her that he knew it.
Damn him for finding it so amusing.
¡°So, are we going to talk?¡± he asked, his voice low and husky.
¡°I don''t know, are we?¡± she forced her voice to have a cold calmness that she really didn''t feel at this moment.
¡°If you wish, or we can talk later,¡± he said, his face creeping closer to hers and his voice going lower as he neared.
¡°About what?¡± she asked, her breath coming in more rapidly than she would have liked.
¡°About what is really bothering you,¡± he growled as he slipped the corner of his ear into his mouth and gnawed on it lightly. She gasped and pulled her head to the side in an attempt to remove her ear from his mouth, the motion, however, caused his teeth to lightly scrape causing the feeling to transfer to her all the more intensely.
His gaze dropped lower and she could have sworn flames leaped to life in the center of his eyes. She glanced down and realized her hand had slipped from there protective clasp over her breasts, the light rose of one nipple was peeking out from between her fingers. She gasped and attempted to close the front of her robes, knowing full well how pointless it was, he had after all seen her naked before and had explored every inch of her body with his tongue and hands.
But she still felt that same shame and embarrassment.
¡°Don''t,¡± the simple command made her freeze, then a defiant look came on her face and she pulled the robes closed most of the way. ¡°We both know I am only going to take it from you before we leave this courtyard.¡± her fingers tightened around the cloth, and she arched one blue eyebrow at him in return.
¡°You can try,¡± she said a small smile curving the corner of her lips, ¡°Familiar.¡±
¡°I''ll do more than that, Ice mage.¡± he pressed up against her and brought them both down to the ground in one fluid motion. The long thick muscles in his legs bunched and flexed as they absorbed the both of their weight. He smelled to her of fire and passion, a burning scent that made her mind go blank.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Power, a mix of magic and male that she found she could not resist, it swirled around him with dark mystery, deepening his scent with an underlying core of danger.
She would not leave this courtyard before he re-acquainted himself with every inch of her skin. She knew this, as did he, it was simply a part of the game she played, her cold distance, it entices the chase in his blood, the need to dominate.
¡°Beautiful,¡± he said as he once again opened the front of her robe.
¡°Please, there is no need for false compliments, I know I am not beautiful.¡± she scoffed, gasping as he filled his palm with the weight of her small breasts.
¡°No,¡± he agreed, ¡°Beauty is to tame a word for it.¡± he held her gaze for a long moment, and it wasn''t until he turned his attention back to her breasts that she realized she had forgotten to breathe. ¡°But these,¡± he murmured his thumb lightly caressing the area around her nipples, rolling the sensitive flesh under his hands. ¡°These are most definitely beautiful.¡± his hands slid up the backs of her legs and stroked her inner thighs.
She closed her eyes and attempted to fight the mounting feeling in her core. She pretended that the feeling of his hands was simply that of a servant helping her don her clothing. An old wrinkled woman servant. But the palm that slipped between her legs was so large and masculine she couldn''t hold the images in her head, no matter how hard she tried. The cloth that separated his hand and her flesh stroked back and forth between her legs and there was nothing impersonal or servile about it. Each pass was a languid caress, slow and teasing, testing. The cloth shifted, and then it was his fingers that stroked her, skin against skin, slick with the warm feminine cream that betrayed her will.
With a growl he fully opened her robes, baring her to the world and to his burning gaze. His head lowered and he drew a burning line with his tongue from one breast to the other. ¡°Straddle me, wrap your legs around my waist¡± he commanded, mindlessly, instinctively she obeyed. Her legs hitched up and locked around his waist, heels pressing through the soft cotton of his robes to the hard-muscled buttocks beneath. One of his hands splayed against her back, the broad fingers spread wide holding her pressed against him. The other wandered lower curving down the deep valley of her bottom to the lips of her hottest flesh open to him by the position of her legs.
His fingers curled up, skimming the slick moisture, stroking. She gasped and arched her back, the motion thrusting her breasts closer to his mouth. Her legs clenched tight around his waist, familiar or no, in this she bowed to his conquest.
She rode his hand, instinct making her thighs and lower lips clench and unclench, lifting and lowering her in an undulating rhythm that was as natural as the roll of clouds across the sky. Her heart beat faster, her breath came in short gasps, and heat rolled off her in waves as she burned in the Furness that he lit. she grew tighter and tighter until she thought the fire inside her would burst from her skin like a fire from wind fed embers.
No spell was needed, no incantation or sacrifice, this was pure natural magic.
His thumb was stroking the small hard bead of flesh nestled in the folds of her womanhood, her body wept from the pleasure of it.
¡°Leon,¡± his name was a gasp of air from her lungs, with what seemed like all the air she could muster. ¡°Please,¡± she acknowledged his claim over her, a cry of both surrender and longing. Her eyes flew open and she cried out as the flames inside consumed her. She shuddered then flew apart in his arms, streams of her pleasure running down his hand as he held her close, her sanctuary.
Her rock in the storm.
His hands fell to her hips and held her fast, his grip firm and slightly painful, his hands gripped her tighter, lifted her up and then plunged her down on his manhood. She didn''t know when he had freed himself of his robes and found she had no mind to think of it as he spread her wide, pushing deep inside her, sheathing himself in her warm flesh.
Her eyes rolled back in near fainting from the pleasure of it. and every last rational thought flew from her mind, there was no later, there was no before, there was only now, there was only this. The fire, the ice, the consuming desperate need for more.
His strength wrapped around her holding her fast as he plunged so deep she thought she might die. His teeth closed around her nipple tugging with unbearable torment as he raised and lowered her on the thick column of his flesh, again and again. All the while her fingers dug deep into his chest her nails raked him, an instinctual fight even as she knew it was not only hopeless but also knowing that she didn''t want it to stop.
He endured it without flinching and only growled deep in his chest, increasing the pace of his thrusts, dominating her every motion as each thrust sounded a clap of flesh on flesh, reddening the skin in between her legs with the force of it. Her mouth fell open, slacked, so out of it she could no longer control the lull of her tongue.
His growl vibrated against her breasts and drove her her further over the edge. Consciousness shattered, her inner muscles clenched around him in wave after wave of powerful shuttering ripples. Leon¡¯s back arched his teeth tugged free of her breast as his head flung back on a shout of triumph and ecstasy. Her musky feminine scent swirled around him in heady waves, infusing his senses, driving him wild, his hips pounding into her so hard the breath was driven out of her with each thrust as he dominated her with urgent need as he impaled her with near violent thrusts.
Once.
Twice.
Inside her clenching heat, his manhood expanded, on the third driving thrust he released a hot wave inside her. He roared out loud as his seed entered her with such force it was like his life was exiting his body into hers. He dropped to his knees, allowing her to lay slumped and shaking on the ground, her eyes only showing the white having long rolled back in her head. She was gibbering something, he couldn''t understand, but it didn''t matter. She would not be coherent for a while, so he silenced her with a brief conquering kiss. And then rolled the two of them over, with her splayed bonelessly atop him.
He smiled as he felt her shudder limply on top of him, her warmth still around his manhood, now slick with both of there liquids., it would seem as though they would have to talk later...
Volume 2 Ch 17: Visitors...
Leon sighed the comfortable weight of Krya on top of him tempting him to fall into a deep and languorous sleep. He would have in fact fallen asleep if not for the presences he felt entering the outer bailey of the castle, quickly he layed Krya to the side, she was completely passed out, spent both physically and apparently emotionally.
He closed his eyes and listened, he could hear five sets of feet as they walked, not at all stealthily towards the inner courtyard, so either this was a social call or these were the world''s worst assassins.
If it was the former then well, he needed to be more presentable, and not just him. He looked down at Krya where she lay, she was indeed still partially clothed, her robes were open, and her underwear was shoved out of the way, but both of those things could be fixed easy. With quick motions he positioned her panties in a more acceptable manner and closed the front of her robe, the motions caused her to open blurry eyes.
¡°Wha?¡± she called out, brushing a blade of grass that had not too long ago been tangled in her hair, off the bridge of her nose.
¡°We have visitors coming,¡± Leon said, tucking his still engorged self back into the black trousers he had until that point around his ankles, he didn''t have time to fully close the robes, but he was able to shrug them on and help Krya stand before a small red and yellow bundle came bouncing in through the main gate.
¡°LEON!¡± Eva shouted his name and practically flew the distance towards him across the lawn, cannonballing into him with less of an effect that she had come to expect when she ran into people.
¡°Hello little firebird,¡± Leon laughed and tousled her hair before picking her up and placing her on his shoulder like he had done the day before, she laughed and swung her legs over his shoulders on either side of his neck, holding onto his horns like handlebars. ¡°Did your mommy come with you today?¡± he asked.
¡°Yes, Mama and sister came today, and some other people, but sis came, have you met my sis yet?¡± she asked bouncing up and down excitingly on his shoulders. As she was saying this the Headmistress, Aaron, Tilly and another woman walked in.
Gwenice was dressed differently today, instead of the leafy dress covering her rather voluptuous form was covered in a greenish leathery looking material that covered her chest and part way down her midriff, ending just above her belly button. Her skirt around her waist was cut diagonally, showing off one leg where the fur of her deer leg ended and the skin of the rest of her body began it was a very striking look, to be honest, and Leon knew his eyes hovered there longer than polite. Her green hair blew in the wind, tangling with the horns she had sprouting from her temples. Her eyes opened wide, solid green as she realized exactly who she would be working for.
Everyone froze as they all took in Leon and Krya¡¯s appearance, in fact, no one moved until Eva spoke up from her perch.
¡°Leon, you smell funny,¡± she said, wrinkling her nose and then leaning over and sniffing Krya¡¯s disheveled hair. ¡°You smell like Mama when she has alone time with Mom,¡± she declared to the world. Four sets of female¡¯s cheeks dyed different shades of red at this statement, and Leon shared a look with Aaron before the two of them burst out laughing.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
¡°Ahhhh, haa, haaa ufffffffffgggg,¡± Aaron let out a wounded huff and fell to his knees holding his gut, but even the pain could not contain his mirth as he curled up into a ball he once again began laughing for all he was work rocking back and forth. ¡°Ahhhh, hhaaaa she said you smell like sex! Urrrrgggggggggg!¡± this time it was not Tilly that hit him but rather the tip of the Headmistress¡¯s high heeled shoes that dug into his stomach, driving the laughter and air out of his lungs.
¡°What is so funny Leon?¡± Eva asked, leaning over his head to look into his eyes.
¡°Nothing, nothing,¡± Leon let out a long breath as he attempted to catch his breath, something he had a much easier time of doing than Aaron who was still recovering from the last attack.
¡°I cant do this!¡± Gwenice threw up her hands in defeat and turned to leave when the far door that lead into the castle banged open. Standing there in the doorway was a ragged looking Fluffy, she was still half undressed, her hair disheveled, and around her neck was a collar, the chain that attached to it was snapped but Lira still held onto the other end, apparently having been dragged through the house by the escaping fluffy. Her dark skin glistened, the blue marks standing out against the bronze of her complexion her white hair was pressed against her skull, matted there by the sweat, and her ears laid back on her head and her blue eyes glowing with a hunger that was not for food.
¡°I tried to hold her Leon,¡± Lira moaned, and then she realized there were other people there at that moment. Fluffy scanned her surroundings, looking more feral than normal until her eyes locked on Leon and she lunged. He dodged the move with an effortless grace, placing one hand on Eva¡¯s back making sure she didn''t fall off. Fluffy skidded to a stop, on all fours, and slowly turned back.
¡°Pet me,¡± she growled.
¡°Later,¡± Leon replied, his eyes narrowing in tandem with hers.
¡°Now!¡® she barked.
¡°Tonight,¡± he responded, it looked like Fluffy was about to respond with another demand when Eva spoke up.
¡°Does the puppy want to be petted?¡± the little girl asked, and before he could stop her she hopped down off of his shoulders and walked right up to the crouched she-wolf. Fluffy¡¯s head recoiled as the little girl laid her hand on her head, but after a few scratches behind her ears, she had curled into a ball around the little girl allowing her to scratch her behind the ears and under the chin. Both Eva and Fluffy were smiling, and when Eva found the spot Fluffy even started to make motions with her right leg like she was still a wolf and not a woman.
¡°Well Tilly, we can at least say it will be entertaining to stay here.¡± Aaron laughed.
¡°I cant do this-¡± Gwenice breathed out, a look of horror on her face. Fluffy¡¯s eyes snapped open, and she uncoiled herself from Eva and locked her gaze with Gwenice¡¯s.
And she pounced.
¡°AHHHHHHHH!¡± Gwenice let out a loud cry of shock and fear as the wolf girl pushed her down and pinned her, rubbing her nose up and down inside of the dryad¡¯s neck. ¡°Get off of me!¡± the struggling creature under Fluffy started making a terrified bleating noise.
¡°Ah! Roey!¡± Fluffy cooed, ¡°Roey!¡± she nuzzled the side of the terrified Dryad¡¯s head. It was a sweet intimate gesture, but as Fluffy pulled her head back her playful demeanor vanished and was replaced by a hard and hungry look on her face. ¡°I''m going to eat you,¡± she growled, and the effect was like the world had frozen.
The Dryad¡¯s eyes widened in shock and horror, and she froze for a second before her hoofs tucked under her and she kicked into Fluffy¡¯s stomach hard, effectively nocking the wolf off of the poor deer, she was then on her feet in a flash and had vanished into the house in a blur of hoofs and green hair. Fluffy jumped up like nothing had happened and raced after her.
¡°Wait!¡± she called out as she ran into the house. ¡°I meant sexually!¡± she shouted at the top of her lungs, chasing after.
¡°Yep,¡± Aaron laughed, ¡°Not boring at all!¡±
¡°Leon!¡± Fluffy reappeared in the doorway breathing hard. ¡°I need help!¡± she panted.
¡°With what?¡± he asked, arching one red eyebrow.
¡°She''s locked herself in a closet!¡± was all she said before she vanished back into the house after her prey...
Volume 2 Ch 18: Coming to an understanding...
Shit I posted this chapter on Dan''s shoppe lol!
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It took almost three hours to convince Gwenice to come out of the closet, in the end, it required a blood sealed pact overseen by the headmistress saying that they would not harm her in any way or force her to do anything she didn''t want to. And even then she basically hid behind the headmistress at all points in time, wary of everyone and everything that they said.
¡°Why would you make me do this?¡± she asked, tears forming in her eyes, as of yet unshed, but the threat of the waterfall was there hovering just at the edge of possible, like a threat that was not voiced but everyone could clearly hear.
The headmistress looked at her, one eyebrow cocked higher than the other and a small smile on her face, ¡°It was a decision your mother and I made,¡± she explained softly, ¡°The reason she sent you to the school in the first place was so that you could connect with people, but in these past years you have not been doing that, instead you have grown more and more distant and became more and more of a loner.¡± she said it softly, almost motherly to the Dryad, even though Gwenice was much much older than she was, it would seem that the headmistress was the more mature one of the two. ¡°I know Leon and the rest of them are, well an acquired taste, but they are also good people.¡± she leaned into the Dryad, resting her face against the other woman¡¯s. ¡°You should give them a chance.¡± Gwenice glanced over at the door to her right. They were in a hall in the house, everyone was waiting for the two of them to resolve some issue that had caused Gwenice to pull the headmistress out of the room. ¡°Tell me, how do you feel about Leon?¡± she asked looking over at Dryad, watching the women''s cheeks darken.
¡°I uhh-¡± Gwenice shuffled around nervously.
¡°Please, tell me, I need to know this is the correct decision.¡±
¡°Its, well I am honestly confused.¡± She sighed, a strand of long green hair catching the current of her sigh and fluttering before settling back amongst its peers. ¡°When I first saw him, I looked into his eyes, and it was like he cast some spell on me like I was fixated on those eyes alone and nothing else in the world mattered.¡± she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. ¡°And then That one, that fluffy growled and, something in me broke, I don''t know, I got confrontational and I felt well the only way I can describe it is territorial.¡± she looked up at the now smiling Headmistress, ¡°What is wrong with me?¡± she whispered.
¡°Nothing,¡± Laughed the headmistress, ¡°Nothing at all.¡± she giggled to herself and was about to usher the two of them back into the room when the overheard a conversation going on in the other room.
¡°Honestly, Fluffy are you going to try and fuck everything that catches your fancy?¡± Lira asked her voice miffed.
¡°How- How could you suggest that?¡± Fluffy practically wailed, her voice sounding wounded and close to tears. ¡°Leon is my mate, I would never mate another man- i- Direwolves mate for life I-¡± she started whimpering.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
¡°Oh I don''t know, it might have been the whole ¡®I¡¯m going to eat you¡¯ thing.¡±
¡°I was just joking- and she is going to join the family and-¡± she sniffled and whimpered some more.
¡°That''s Ok Fluffy,¡± the sound of a chair scraping and the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard, ¡°Come here,¡± Fluffy yelped, ¡°Its fine,¡± Leon¡¯s voice was a dull soothing baritone. For a long time, there was no sound besides Fluffy¡¯s crying and whimpers, but as they calmed down Leon spoke. ¡°Listen, we don''t know if she will become family, on top of that while we know your antics and attitude she has only seen you briefly twice now, you actually scared her.¡±
¡°I diiii- I did-- I¡± Fluffy stumbled through a few words, getting them out between the occasional whimper or sniffle.
¡°I know, I know you didn''t want to scare her, I know you were just playing around, but she didn''t ok? So we have to be on our best behavior, teasing is fine, but don''t push it too far with her just yet ok?¡±
¡°Ok,¡± she sniffled, ¡°And I mean it, Leon, I never would mate or even think of mating with another male, or another female outside of our family I really do-¡±
¡°I trust you,¡± he said.
¡°Mama is a terrible spy,¡± Eva called out, swinging open the door and causing both Gwenice and the headmistress who were leaning on that door to fall into the room. ¡°Eva is much better, does Mama want her to show her how?¡± Eva asked, her little face smiling wide as she looked at her mother who was at this moment burning with shame and pinned under a dryad who had also been eavesdropping with her.
The scene in the room froze, like time itself had stopped, Leon was standing cradling Fluffy up against his chest who had her face buried in his robes, Lira was sitting at the table, looking both surprised and upset and Krya was sitting there, her blank mask back in place.
¡°No baby,¡± The headmistress muttered, picking herself and dusting off her robes. ¡°I don''t have much use for spying,¡± she spoke softly, cheeks red with embarrassment.
¡°Are you sure mama? I got really good when I was spying on you at night.¡± Eva chirped out with a triumphant smile.
¡°Oh? And what did your Mama get up to at night?¡± Leon asked Eva turned to him her face bright and excited.
¡°She has this purp-¡± the headmistress¡¯s hand shot out and covered the little girl''s mouth hauling her back to her.
¡°That is enough from you!¡± She snapped.
¡°A purple what?¡± Leon asked with the fakest innocent smile She had ever seen plastered on his face.
¡°I-¡± Fluffy unburied her face from Leon¡¯s chest. ¡°I''m sorry Gwenice, I won''t call you Roey and I¡¯ll not tease you like that an-¡±
¡°It''s fine,¡± Gwenice cut her off, her heart broke when she saw the large sad puppy eyes the wolf girl had, all liquid blue and bloodshot from the tears she had shed. ¡°If I am going to work here I am going to have to get used to the way you all act, and you can call me Roey if you want, I- I have never had a nickname before-¡± she stumbled slightly on her words.
¡°I- I can?¡± she asked softly once again using her puppy eyes to great effect.
¡°Sure.¡± Gwenice nodded more confidently this time, she almost cried out as Fluffy practically flung herself out of Leon''s arms and onto her, the wolf girl wrapped her arms around the Dryad, and once again started to cry. Gwenice really didn''t know what to do in a situation like this so she froze, though only for a second, before she wrapped one soothing arm around the crying she-wolf and reached up with the other hand and started patting her head.
¡°You need to apologize to,¡± Leon said looking over at Lira, who hung her head in shame and nodded.
¡°Im sorry Fluffy, you know it''s hard for me to trust, it, it''s a flaw of mine, but that is no excuse, we have been a family for some time and I have no reason to doubt you an-¡± she didn''t get to finish her next words as a weeping Fluffy flung herself from Gwenice¡¯s arms, across the table that divided them and into the arms of Lira, nocking the chair she was sitting in over and causing the two of them to land on the floor, with Fluffy on top nuzzling the startled Lira.
It took several minutes for her to calm down again, well that and Leon picking her back up and allowing her to burrow into his clothing again.
¡°Well then, now that that whole issue is over, let us discuss the upcoming tournament,¡± the headmistress spoke formally, pulling out a seat at the table and looking at the rest of them indicating they should do the same. ¡°It starts this upcoming Monday after all...¡±
Volume 2 Ch 19: Rules and Regulations...
¡°So, what exactly are these tournaments?¡± Leon asked, settling down in his chair, Fluffy still on his chest sniffling slightly.
¡°The tournament was originally designed to foster competition and allow advanced students to test magical ability, intelligence, and courage, as well as cunning.¡± the headmistress said, scooping up little Eva and placing her on her lap. ¡°It is a tournament that has a long and vigorous history, it is also the single most fatal event held in the noble world, back in the height of its day it was responsible for more deaths than any feud or murder or assassination among the noble houses, as it stands it still carries the risk of death with it but it is much less prevalent due to some rules and regulations set in place. ¡± she looked at Leon, ¡°Familiars can take part at any time seeing as when they die they can simply be remade with magica, but for a student it requires that they be of the age of majority, meaning seventeen and that they read the entire book of rules and can pass a test on its content, so, only third years and up.¡±
¡°So, what exactly does this tournament entails?¡± Leon asked, but it was Lira who answered.
¡°It has six events taking place over a week, and one final event to determine the overall winner.¡± she explained, ¡°The first event is the Monolith event, where the contestants are put into teams of two, four if you count the familiars, and each team has a monolith hidden somewhere in the staging area, it is up to the players how they destroy the enemy monolith, they are restricted only to physical attacks, no magic, and of course the abilities of their familiars. ¡±
¡°It is intended to foster cooperation between the members, and to see how the contestants do without the use of an ability they mostly take for granted.¡± Krya supplemented.
¡°Keep in mind that cheating is not only alright but somewhat of a tradition, so long as it doesn''t break the no magic rule.¡± the headmistress smiled wolfishly.
¡°So the goal is to find and destroy the other team¡¯s monolith?¡± Leon asked.
¡°Correct,¡± Lira answered. ¡°The next tournament event is the sustained tournament, the contestants are subjugated to extreme pressure and hallucinations and other spells thrown at them by the masters of the tournament, all while also battling off opponents from other schools, last man standing wins.¡±
¡°A widespread spell is placed over the tournament location, causing everyone inside to suffer whatever effects the spell is causing, it is often changed at random throughout the fight to simulate the ever-changing battlefield of war were circumstances can change on the fly if the other army has skilled nobles in its ranks.¡± Krya nodded in agreement.
¡°The third event is the Rower and Ranger challenge, one person acts as the Rower of an unmotorized boat along a water channel, and the other acts as the Ranger, who will shoot down targets either on the banks of the channel or moving on the water channel itself. Both the time taken to reach the goal and the number of targets shot will determine the score.¡± the headmistress explained. ¡°Speed and accuracy are key here.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°Fourth is the shield tournament, this one is only between two mages, each is given a shield, participants holding shields will battle in an elevated arena,¡± Krya said ¡°winning conditions are either destroy opponent''s shield, steal opponent''s shield, cause opponent to drop shield and unable to recover it for 5 seconds or more, or knock opponent out of the arena,¡± she explained. ¡°A participant can use both physical either with his body or the shield and magic attacks on the opponent''s shield but only magic to knock an opponent off the arena. Physical strikes on the opponent''s body are not allowed.¡±
¡°The fifth tournament is the cross country tournament, an obstacle course in the forest where participants compete by the time taken to clear it. Originally derived from infantry training menu used on the commoner armies, the obstacles can be natural or man-made.¡± The headmistress said.
¡°The sixth and final main tournament is the Ice Pillar Break,¡± Lira said, ¡°two players stand on a tower, defending twelve pillars contained in twelve-meter square area while attacking twelve pillars in the opposition''s field.¡±
¡°It simulates how a noble will act in war and battles, protecting his or her own troops while attacking the opponent''s.¡± the headmistress interjected.
¡°Players compete to destroy the opponent''s pillars before their own are broken. There is no need to use the body since players compete remotely with magic, so they may wear whatever they wish, with the only restriction being that "It Must Not Offend Public Order or Morals".¡± Krya said.
¡°Yes, it has led the women''s Ice Pillar Break has more or less become a fashion show in recent years.¡± Lira smiled. ¡°The last tournament is a duel between the two contestants with the highest score, winner takes all.¡±
¡°Are all the tournaments scored equally? Or are there some that are prioritized due to having more point value of victory?¡± Leon asked, he could already feel his blood boiling, he had a very good feeling about this, this was going to be fun.
¡°Each tournament challenge has a different point value, so yes there is prioritizing.¡±
¡°Icicle destruction is worth 25 points for the winner, 15 for second and 5 for third, no points are given to any other places, the cross country tournament has 20 points for first, and 10 for second, with every other team not receiving points, shield tournament has 15 points for the winner, and no points for anyone else, Rower and ranger has 10 points for first, 5 for second, subjugation has 20 points for the winner, and monolith has 60 for the winner, and 30 for second with other teams placing lower not getting any points.¡± Krya listed off the points like it was memorized in her head, and perhaps it was, knowing her.
¡°So, a total of 150 points if a team were to win every event?¡± he looked at them, ¡°But even if you lose and come in second overall you have the chance to seize the win in the final duel correct?¡± he looked at the headmistress who nodded.
¡°Though it is highly unlikely anyone would ever win all the tournaments, that has never happened before,¡± she said a smirk in place on her face casting the stern look she normally had aside and making her seem like a mischevious teenager.
¡°I see, I must then be the first to do so...¡± Leon mirrored her smile.
¡°While that would be glorious,¡± the headmistress laughed, ¡°It, unfortunately, is impossible seeing as barring any unfortunate injuries and deaths on your team each contestant can only be in three of the six main events.¡±
¡°Damn,¡± Leon growled, ¡°So it is also about team composition,¡± he said, ¡°That and knowing when to place which member in which tournament.¡±
¡°Yes, so, you four will be competing for the third year students, now I just need to get the fourth and fifth year¡¯s teams formed,¡± she said standing and taking Eva with her.
¡°It''s not a general tournament?¡± he asked looking at the headmistress.
¡°No, but there is one final event at the end, where each year¡¯s tournament winners can challenge others of their titles, the challenged gets to decide which of the tournaments they wish to face the challenger in,¡± she winked, at Leon, ¡°But whoever heard of a third year beating fourth and fifth years?¡± she laughed lightly as she walked out, leaving Leon smiling from ear to ear in anticipation...
Volume 2 Ch 20: Much to do today...
Krya opened her eyes slowly and breathed in the warm scent of Leon, a small smile formed on her lips as her tired brain brought her to consciousness and realization of where she was. Her head was laying on Leon¡¯s shoulder her leg wrapped over his hips and covering part of his leg, and as she looked she could see the sleeping face of Lira who was likewise asleep in a mirrored fashion on his other side. She angled her eyes down and found Fluffy curled up in a ball at everyone¡¯s feet, she had felt bad about making her sleep down there at first, but Fluffy had claimed that she preferred it that way, and even when Krya had wanted her to sleep up here with the rest of them Fluffy would inevitably end up at there feet sometime in the middle of the night.
Gods, she couldn''t explain how nice it was to feel so warm and protected waking up like this, she had even known she was safe before she had opened her eyes, it was a feeling that seemed to just radiate off of Leon, like there was nothing in the world that could harm them if he was there.
Her smile grew and she felt a slight rumble in his chest and looked up to see him chuckling as he looked at her. ¡°I like it when you smile like that when you think no one is watching.¡± he smiled at her, a twinkle in his ruby eyes. She schooled her face into a mask just to spite him, but this only caused him to laugh deep in his chest more. His eyes tracked down her naked form and to her rear, it was then that she noticed the sound of a soft swishing, and with a small squeak of protest she reached behind herself and clamped down on the tratorious tail. ¡°You might be good at hiding those emotions, but your tail is not...¡± he laughed.
She looked away from him, burying her face in his chest and allowing the hair to curtain around her face to hide the reddening of her cheeks, she also did this to hide the smile she found she could not contain behind her mask.
¡°Krya,¡± he spoke her name, and it was in a commanding and serious tone, she looked up and saw the smile was gone and it was replaced with a stern look. ¡°We are still going to talk about yesterday, are we clear?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± she answered, but she really was not feeling up to it today, or any day for that matter. ¡°But not today, we have so much to do today,¡± she said.
¡°Like what? It is Saturday, there are no classes...¡±
¡°Of course you would forget,¡± she gave an exaggerated sigh, ¡°We need to go to the city of Alsten remember? We need to get fitted for wedding clothes after all. ¡± she felt his chest swell as he sighed and felt the compulsion to slap him on his chest, which she acted on, marring the smooth surface with a red handprint and causing a sound to crack out in the otherwise quiet room. The responses to the slap were immediate, Leon did nothing, just smiled at her, a smirk that told her he was going to return the smack later ten times more, though likely her rear would be the receiving location in this exchange. Fluffy hopped up muscles tense in an attack pose, ears perked up and ready, Lira simply yelped in startled shock and clung onto Leon.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The smile Leon gave Krya told her she had made a decision she might love during the lesson he would give her but would regret later as she lamented her lack of the ability to sit down on anything other than the softest of feathered pillow cushions.
¡°What the hell?¡±Lira croaked as she came to and shook the sleep out of her golden eyes. ¡°What was that?¡±
¡°Nothing,¡± Leon said with a laugh, as he sat up and got out of bed leaving a very large and warm spot in the center. ¡°Let''s get ready, we have a lot to do today, what with all the dress fitting you three will need,¡± he said.
¡°You remembered!¡± Lira practically bounced with joy.
¡°But of course, how could I ever forget anything that big?¡± Leon asked, flashing Krya a wink, causing the woman to shut her mouth with an audible click, even as her eyes narrowed to a dangerous width, as she practically shot icicles at him with her vision.
¡°Shopping?¡± Fluffy asked, her tail sweeping back and forth as she got excited. ¡°I love shopping!¡±
¡°Really?¡± Lira asked the wolf familiar, her eyebrows raised in a cocked fashion telling the world she very much doubted Fluffy¡¯s assertion. ¡°You hate wearing clothes, we have to practically wrestle you into your robes every morning, we had to start getting up an hour earlier just so we can get you ready...¡±
¡°Clothes suck,¡± she said, shooting a defiant look at Lira, and crossing her arms over her chest, which only made her breasts more defined. ¡°I don''t want to wear them.¡±
¡°Well you have to,¡± Krya said smiling on the inside as she watched the now almost ritualistic exchange between Lira and Fluffy.
¡°No,¡± Fluffy stated, turning her head to the right side and up looking away from Lira in a defiant manner.
¡°We are going into public, you will be putting on your damned clothes,¡± Lira growled, snatching the black lace skirt and top that she had gotten for Fluffy to have as casual wear for when they were not in school.
¡°Make me,¡± fluffy sneered, snapping her head back in Lira¡¯s direction and sticking out her head. Lira¡¯s left eye began twitching and without warning she launched herself at the she-wolf, making a lunge that allowed her to grabbed the dark-skinned familiar around the waist. Fluffy made a yelp of surprise before trying her very best to squirm and shimmy her way out of Lira¡¯s grasp.
It was quite the show considering both were stark naked, and not only was Lira attempting to clothe the she-wolf she was also attempting to manhandle the wolf into a more manageable position. If fluffy had really wanted to she could have easily knocked Lira off with little to no effort, instead, she looked like she was really enjoying this, especially when she accidentally slipped her fingers somewhere or rubbed something¡
¡°Hey! Guys, was wondering what you all were going to do tod-¡± Tilly opened the door to there room and took a step inside before she saw what was going on and froze, she reached behind her and stopped Aaron before he could round the corner of the door and shoved him back before retreating with wide eyes.
¡°What?¡± they could hear Aaron ask through the re-shut door. ¡°What the hell?¡±
¡°They um,they are busy at the moment...¡± came the subdued answer from the otherside. Lira and Krya¡¯s faces were burning with shame. Fluffy¡¯s was red for an entirely different reason and the color only deepened as she slipped her hand between the now frozen Lira¡¯s legs...
Volume 2 Ch 21: Priscilla...
¡°Congratulations, Milord,¡° the royal physician said as he handed the child off to his mother. Lady Priscilla grabbed the child out of the man¡¯s hands, looking deep into its eyes, solid black, no pupils, no iris, no white, just a field of endless black that looked like it could swallow a soul in a glance.
¡°Thank you, physician, you may go now,¡± Lira¡¯s father told the man and stepped out of the way as the man exited the room with a deep bow. As soon as the door closed he lost his commanding demeanour, and tried to fade into the background quietly.
¡°Where are you going dearest?¡± Lady Priscilla snapped out, putting extra venum in the words of endearment, causing them to have an adverse meaning. ¡°Do you not want to see your own child?¡± she asked her voice low and dangerous. He crept forward, making sure to keep his eyes on the floor. When he got to the bedside he looked up at the baby in his wife¡¯s arms.
¡°This, how can this be mine?¡± he croaked out the words looking at the child. Black hair, eyes, and skin a healthy shade of bronze, there was no way this was his.
¡°You doubt my fidelity?¡± she snarled, ¡°You? After you got not one but two whore in your own household pregnant after we married?¡± the color drained from his skin, ¡°Oh yes, I know about the other one, the one that you attempted to hide from me, tell me dear, did you enjoy strangling her?¡± he started to shake, ¡°did you like pumping her full of your seed one last time before you choked the life out of her, still connected?¡± a sadistic smile appeared on her face. He tried to back up but her hand shot out and grabbed him by the collar hauling him closer, his eyes were wide with fear, broken in every way.
No longer even a man.
That was fine with her, he would have more use as a puppet. She pulled the trembling man close and pressed her lips to his own, her teeth biting into his lips, drawing blood which she allowed into her mouth, holding it there she cast the spell, one which had not been cast in several generations. His eyes rolled back in his head, his veins bulging as his life essence was incorporated into her own.
The blood in her mouth began to boil, thin streams of it leaking out of her lips and down her chest, staining the white birthing gown in dark patterns. She pulled back, and as she did he sunk to his knees, leaning over him she grabbed his face, a thumb, and forefinger on his cheeks and with a single rough motion she opened his mouth and poured his blackened boiling blood back down his own throat from her mouth. She let go of him as he started having a seizure on the floor, looking back at her baby she smiled, but it was not the smile of a mother. ¡°You shall inherit this estate, and from there the world my precious one...¡± she cooed, ignoring the man at her feet vomiting up blackened blood as he trembled...The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
***
Alsten was a large city. Sitting in the Forengi lands it sprawled out across the hill strewn countryside, spilling out past the walls and fortifications as only a place that has seen generations of piece ever could. It was a prosperous city that boasted the finest weaving and clothing makers in the entire empire. Leon looked out across the city as it laid itself out before him like a map from atop of the hill they had gated to. It consisted of an outer area outside of the bailey that was marked with gravel roads and surrounded on either side of the lanes with grey stone houses thatched with hay, or in the case of the more affluent of the outer wall area clay tiles.
¡°I have never been this far south,¡± Aaron said, stepping up beside Leon and also looking over the town. ¡°Traders always come here to purchase cloth and clothing and then come to our lands and sell it for the most exorbitant fees,¡± he said, shaking his head partially in admiration and partially in disgust.
¡°It is good to know that no matter where you go merchants are still merchants.¡± Leon laughed, and Aaron nodded his agreement with the statement. Aaron and Tully had decided to come with them, seeing as there was nothing to do at the castle on Saturday for the pair of them. Tilly had not spoken a word in there presence since she had witnessed that morning¡¯s activities, though she did cast glances at everyone when she thought no one was looking. Aaron had known better than to ask her what was up, but he had given a questioning look to Leon, to which Leon responded with a shrug.
The only one that had wanted to stay behind was Gwenice, but she relented when Leon had threatened to to throw her over his shoulder and take her with them whether she liked it or not. Fluffy who was currently in her favorite spot riding piggyback on Leon stuck her head forward over his shoulder and drew in a deep breath. ¡°Mmmmmmm, something smells tasty, can we get something to eat?¡± she asked, her voice panting, and her tongue lolling out of her mouth as her tail began a relentless back and forth motion. ¡°Please, Please, Please!¡± she begged, her eyes large and wide, she even laid her ears back and turned her head to the side in her best-begging face.
¡°That sounds like a good idea,¡± Krya said, stepping up to Leon¡¯s side, her voice was once again emotionless, like it was everytime they were in a location that others could overhear, but her tail once again betrayed her, the thing the same blue as her hair was currently wagging a relentless pace almost in time with Fluffy¡¯s. Lira stepped forward, and linked arms with Krya, she was prepared to show any and everyone that the two of them were a couple. Lira had once been skeptical of it, but now she worked hard to show, and while she might not feel the same way about Krya as she did about Leon, she could not deny that she loved her, and wanted to make sure the four of them could stay together forever.
¡°I hope they have crepes,¡± Lira said with a smile, remembering the first time she and Leon had the delicious pastries.
¡°No,¡± Fluffy shook her head and arched her back to look over at Lira, ¡°Meat, we need meat, and eggs and cheese, it is the only way to have breakfast.¡±
¡°I''m sure they have both,¡± Leon said, and started down the path to the town, causing everyone to follow him as he moved towards the city...
Volume 2 Ch 22: Chewettes and Dresses
¡°If you drip any of that on my head I will hurt you,¡± Leon growled at the She-wolf familiar that was currently riding on his shoulders, one leg wrapped around each side of his head. He could feel her tail swinging back and forth with a standard pace, indicating her happiness with the current situation. She was munching happily on a chewette, a small pie of minced meat that was contained in a self-supporting crust.
The small pie was a standard street food in the city, something the vendors could cook hot and easy, the commoners relied heavily on street food seeing as many single adults lived in the city and had no access to kitchen, the number of cooks roaming the streets with carts that carried a small oven was quite high in this city. It made since thought that it was a thriving economy here, without access to cooking facilities, street food would have been the only hot food available to the commoners, significantly increasing its appeal.
¡°It''s fine!¡± Fluffy laughed, leaning down over Leon¡¯s head so she was blocking his field of view, ¡°Besides, you need to try this.¡± she laughed and she pushed the half-eaten pie against his lips. With a smile he opened up his mouth and took a bite of it, the meat was rich, cooked down to the softest possible texture before it turned into absolute mush. He could also taste the vinegar they put in the pie, a nice offset to the sweet saltiness of the minced beef. ¡°Good right?¡± Fluffy asked with a laugh, Leon nodded and with a single hand on her shoulder pushed her back to an upright position so he could see where he was going.
¡°It is really good,¡± Lira said, looking at the food in amazement, pieces of it clinging to her cheek on the right side, ¡°Who would have thought commoner food would be so good? First the crepes then this,¡± Krya leaned over and licked the crumb off of her cheek with a small smile, causing Lira to blush a deep red.
¡°Never ate much common food huh?¡± Tilly asked she had only eaten a small portion of her pie, she seemed to be savoring it.
¡°No, I was never really allowed out,¡± Lira said with a shrug, ¡°Bastard child that I am I was a disgrace to the family so they kept me on the Ducal castle grounds so the only ones that saw there shame were the castle staff,¡± she shrugged.
¡°Human societal structure has always confused me,¡± Gwenice said, she was eating a small berry pie, seeing as she didn''t eat meat, apparently it was a dryad thing. ¡°In dryad society, there is only one ruler, and that is the mother of the grove, and it doesn''t matter where her children came from, and who their father or their second mother was from, everyone is treated the same, be they from a king or a peasant.¡±
¡°Societal structure is an artificial creation,¡± Leon nodded, ¡°While there is a hierarchy in animal populations it is not something so rigid as human society.¡± he looked over at Gwenice, and noticed she was becoming more relaxed around the rest of them, perhaps outings like this were good for her. ¡°Perhaps Dryad society is like that due to the fact that most of your kind will never leave the grove that they were born in,¡± he said.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
¡°That reminds me,¡± Krya looked over at Gwenice, ¡°How is it that you can go so far from your tree?¡± she asked.
¡°I uh-¡± Gwenice hung her head, cheeks blushing a deep green, ¡°I have not planted my tree,¡± she said with a small embarrassed smile.
¡°What exactly is required for a dryad to plant a tree?¡± Aaron asked he had slipped his shoulder over Tilly¡¯s arm and pulled her close as they walked through the crowded street.
¡°A seed,¡± Gwenice said softly, so much so that it hardly reached anyone''s ears.
¡°Well I figured as much, so why haven''t you planted a tree yet?¡± Aaron pressed, ¡°I though Dryad magical talent exploded when you planted a tree.¡±
¡°I uh, well,¡± she shuffled around, no longer looking up at the street but instead at the top of her hoofs. ¡°Dryads cannot self-fertilize.¡± she choked out, and it all clicked, even Aaron blushed at that, and for his apparent insensitivity, he received a well-placed cuff to the back of the head.
They walked along for several minutes in silence until Lira spoke up breaking the mortifying lack of conversation. ¡°There it is,¡± she called out, pointing to a large white-washed shop that displayed a dress an awl and a spindle on it¡¯s painted surface. They made their way through the crowd, which was parting for them like waves around a rock, the rock being Leon of course.
A small bell rung as Leon opened the door, he held it open as everyone entered, even forcing Fluffy to get off his shoulders before he stepped in. There were only two other customers there, and they were busy looking at bolts of cloth and fabric, there dresses indicating that they were servants of a wealthy house, perhaps even the same wealth household.
¡°Greetings!¡± a small plump woman in her forties rushed over to them, the swirling tails of her skirt dancing blue around her ankles and the corset she wore much to tightly squeezed out her breasts, pushing them together and displaying so much flesh it was a wonder that one could not see her nipples. All of her exposed skin was covered in a fine white powder, an attempt to hide the aging flesh as young and white. She bowed low, showing them all an ample view of her cleavage, a move that had probably been ingrained into her being from when it was more effective when she was younger and prettier. ¡°I am Madam Rin, the owner, and seamstress of this fine establishment, what can I do for you my noble lords and ladies this fine day?¡± she glanced at the robes they wore, obviously recognizing them as the uniforms that they were. Several worker women that must have been employed by the shop peaked out at her words to take in the nobles that had entered the store, even the other customers turned to look at them.
¡°Greetings Madam Rin.¡± Krya bowed to her, lowering her head ever so slightly as was customary for a noble to a commoner. ¡°We have come here for wedding dresses and a groom¡¯s outfit,¡± she said, Madam first looked at Aaron who was standing closest to her at the moment and smiled at him.
¡°Not me,¡± he said, he still had his arm wrapped around Tilly, ¡°At least not yet, there are still a few months before she turns the proper age.¡± he smiled as Tilly blushed a deep red. The seamstress¡¯s eyes wandered over to the man who towered over everyone else in the room and swallowed in an attempt to wet her throat.
¡°We will be needing one groom¡¯s outfit and four dresses,¡± Lira added in, which started a murmuring around the shop as her scandalous words were spread from one servant woman to the next. Gwenice smiled and shook her head at the strict norms of the human¡¯s society, in Dryad culture the number one rule of love was to love as you will, she started to shake her head, before what Lira had just said struck her causing her to freeze.
¡°Wait, four?¡±
The plans for the 17th - 24th
Ok, so do you all remember that whole shebang about my sister getting a divorce? well thank the stars it is finalized finally lol, after dragging her and the kids from court date to court date to appeal he has finally seemed to give up(though whether this is the end or not IDK) as such I will be heading out of state from the 17th - the 24th to help her move back towards the family, meaning no posts of this novel or My Fiance is an Alien, but worry not good readers, I will not leave you contentless!
Behold!Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
Farseer is here!
and I have posted the first two chapters, I will set it up for several chapters of scheduled releases while I am gone, I am sorry I really hate not giving you all content, I hope this is enough to tide you over the week I am gone. After that week Farseer will take up the weekend slot where Raider used to reside, let me know what you all think of Farseer and stuff!
the link is in the Author''s note above, seeing as apparently you cant correctly link in a chapter, or whatever lol
Volume 2 Ch 23: I am the Forest and he is the Fire.
Raider is out on Amazon! If you all like my novels and would like to support me and my writing I would appreciate it if you thought about purchasing it on Amazon, it helps me out a lot. Also, can we give Darkcurs3 a round of applause for getting it done so quickly? He did pretty awesome if you ask me. The link to it is in the Author''s not above, and thank you in advance.
Markious.
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¡°Relax will you?¡± Lira snapped, she was addressing the sacred Gwenice as she was being measured, or rather attempting not to be measured.
¡°No! this is not what I agreed to!¡± she yelled, and Leon not being able to take any more of her squirming and holding up the process peaked into the room, she froze when he did that, seeing as she was currently in nothing as they had stripped her down to get the most accurate measurements possible. Her eyes wide she watched in shocked horror and something else in her eyes as his large hands wrapped around her waist, holding her firmly in place.
The seamstress shot him a thankful look but when she did she gasped as she took in his appearance. Both Lira and Gwenice followed her gaze and found that he was completely naked, it would seem that he was also in the process of being measured.
¡°Wha-¡± Gwenice started, but her throat was dry, so she coughed and tried again, attempting to get words around the lump in her throat, and also attempting to tear her eyes off of his naked form.
¡°Done!¡± the young seamstress who had been attempting to measure Gwenice shouted out, holding up the cloth tape that she had been using with a triumphant expression. Leon nodded to her and let go of Gwenice and walked back to his room to finish up his own measurements. All three of the women in the room watched his bare backside as he walked out of the room, Lira and the seamstress were the first to break out of there trance.
¡°What just- I- I-¡± Gwenice stammered as her cheeks died deep green.
¡°As I was trying to explain, a nice new dress does not mean you are getting married.¡± Gwenice looked over at Lira numbly, she watched as Lira stripped down out of her clothing, the robes fell in a silken pool around her ankles and she stepped out of them. With practiced ease, she unhooked the bra she was wearing and slipped off her panties. The wide hips, small breasts, and the forward curving horns gave her a wicked look, but those eyes were different. The golden color one that even Gwenice had never seen before. ¡°Though I will not lie to you, Leon does have some, hmm, shall we say curiosities about you?¡±
¡°And you are ok with this?¡± the previous statement broke her out of her trance.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
¡°No,¡± Lira said without hesitation, lifting her arms above her head as instructed as the seamstress got her chest measurements. ¡°Not at all, but then again I was against Fluffy and Krya to start with as well.¡± she smiled over at the dryad. ¡°How to put this,¡± she closed her eyes. ¡°Leon, he is the reason I am still alive, and I don''t mean he saved me from being killed multiple times,¡± she paused. ¡°Though he has also down that, no, what I mean is I would have committed suicide if he had not been there with me.¡°
Gwenice gasped, ¡°What? Why?¡± she breathed out.
¡°I am a bastard child, one that is hated by everyone, even my own mother in the end, but I think that was more of her pain talking, she was not terribly coherent,¡± she lowered her arms and spread her legs, allowing the seamstress to measure the inside of her it. ¡°About a year ago I received a letter telling me that my father¡¯s second wife had become heavy with child, something they had been trying to do for years.¡±
¡°Meaning you weren''t the heiress anymore,¡± Gwenice said, an understanding dawning on her.
¡°Indeed, I fell so deep into despair that he had to scare it out of me,¡± she smiled at Gwenice, as the seamstress circled her waist taking the measurements. ¡°I am his, and he is mine,¡± she stated it firmly, as though she was trying to convince herself as well as tell Gwenice. ¡°And I decided that as long as he is not taken from me I don''t care,¡± she looked over at Gwenice, ¡°Are we clear?¡± she asked, her voice hardening, the cute look on her face replaced by cold determination.
¡°But I- I am not even in a relationship with- I mean-¡±
¡°If there is one thing you should know about Leon, it''s that he gets what he wants, one way or another.¡± she looked over at Gwenice, ¡°So you have to decide, will you come willingly or will you make him chase, though I warn you, he loves a good chase.¡±
¡°That he does,¡± Krya said as she walked in, closely tailed by Fluffy both of them wrapped in simple shifts the store had given them. Krya turned her ice blue eyes on Gwenice, ¡°So what will you do?¡±
¡°I do-¡±
¡°Before that,¡± Lira said cutting the dryad off, ¡°How do you feel about him?¡±
¡°I, uh I don''t know?¡± she phrased it like it was a question.
¡°That''s not good enough.¡± Fluffy placed her hands on her hips, gone was the playful she-wolf, she was entirely business now.
¡°But I don¡¯t I have never been propositioned and have never been in a relationship and-¡±
¡°Wait,¡± Fluffy held up a hand, ¡°You mean to tell me that in the what hundreds of years you worked at that school there was not a single nobleman who wanted to have a piece of-¡± she looked the naked dryad up and down. ¡°Well, that?¡±
¡°I uh- well no, I assume it was because I was not attractive, or something.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not the problem,¡± Fluffy shook her head, and both of the other girls nodded in agreement. ¡°We will have to explore this later, so you have never felt this way before yes? Describe it to us.¡±
¡°I,¡± she paused, looking at the girls around her, the seamstress had back off and was watching this all with a rapt face, no doubt committing it all to memory so she could pass it along to her co-workers. Gwenice sighed, this might, after all, be the only chance she got to be accepted by someone other than her family. Closing her eyes she began to speak. ¡°I don''t know, I find myself drawn to him and, when I saw him and fluffy together I felt annoyed, annoyed that it wasn''t me, and that was crazy seeing as at that time I had never seen him before and,¡± she paused, eyes still screwed shut. ¡°He scares me,¡± she whispered. ¡°For I am a forest, and there is nothing more terrifying to a forest than a flame.¡±
¡°But is it not true,¡± Krya asked softly, ¡°That fire helps a forest?¡± Gwenice opened her eyes and looked at the icy-eyed woman, realizing for the first time she was seeing her without the mask, there was a smile playing on her beautiful red lips. ¡°Does it not clear the forest floor of debris, opening it up to sunlight, and nourishing the soil?¡±
¡°A fire can help, but there is always the risk of it getting out of hand,¡± Gwenice whispered, her fear palpable in her voice as it shook. ¡°What if it burns to hot and damages the forest?¡± she whispered.
Lira slipped an arm around her shoulder. ¡°Fire can be controlled,¡± she said, squeezing the other girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You just need the right help.¡±
Volume 2 Ch 24: Memories of lives past.
Raider is out on Amazon! If you all like my novels and would like to support me and my writing I would appreciate it if you thought about purchasing it on Amazon, it helps me out a lot. Also, can we give Darkcurs3 a round of applause for getting it done so quickly? He did pretty awesome if you ask me. The link to it is in the Author''s note above, and thank you in advance.
Markious.
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Lira walked out of the dressing room, she smiled at the seamstress who was casting them all scandalous glances, clearly thinking about the conversation she had overheard as she was getting her measurements for the dresses. She rounded the corner to see what Leon was doing and froze.
He was standing there, right in front of a mirror, but the reflection that was staring back at him was not his own, or rather was not one that she knew, though many of the features were the same. As she watched the world faded to grey, and he turned to her, but once again he was not the Leon she knew.
The world wavered like it was nothing but an illusion, a wool pulled over her eyes and she was finally adjusting her vision to see the individual stitching in front of her. As she watched they all came unraveled, and a new world was laid out in front of her. The Leon that was not Leon was there, laying in a royal bed. She watched, somehow knowing this man¡¯s name, Brandt, and finding she could do nothing more she simply observed.
***
Brandt opened his eyes and groaned, it was not just the light that seemed to drive its hateful nails into his eyes that caused this sound to escape his throat, it was also the memories that flooded his mind along with the hateful rays of light. Closing his eyes he breathed in a deep breath, urging himself to remain calm, when the calm would not come even as he commanded it to be so he threw open his eyes once again and took in the three visible posts of his bed, the fourth hidden from view behind his head in his current skewed state. Each of the dark oak posts was carved with delicate heraldry and the colors of his house, of which he was the only living member and would inevitably, be the only male to carry such colors now that his uncle the high king Randal of Bellmark had decided to sell him off.
Well perhaps sell was the wrong way to put it, but it was very similar. Brandt was of house Iru, his mother had been the king Randal¡¯s sister, and she had married Sir Iru, sadly when she was giving birth to Brandt she suffered some complications and passed away. His father had fallen in battle some ten years ago, fallen to a patrol of Riverfends patrollers who had ventured too far into Bellmark territory, leaving the then seven-year-old Brandt completely parentless, his maternal uncle had taken him in and cared for him the past ten years. It had been a politically sound maneuver for the king, because now he had another member of the royal house that he could marry off for political alliances, in other words to uncle Randal Brandt was nothing more than a bargaining chip, one that was not quite a prince but was definitely of the royal line. For the past two years Brandt had pushed back more than one royal lady that his uncle had urged him to get to know, but now his uncle had pushed on him one prospect he had no way of backing out of.
His uncle had told him he was too in no uncertain terms to wed the second daughter of the NormiSatyr clan chieftain. The satyrs were a race of demi-humans that were part animalistic and part human, typically consisting of a human upper torso with the legs of an animal. This particular strand of the demi-humans were part human part lion, with powerful legs that bent with an extra joint, had golden cat eyes and ears just like the great cats of the plains. They were clearly not human, and it was impossible for a human to create an offspring with a Satyr, so this alliance was simply a matter of trust, in other words, he was a political prisoner.
If it was for any other terms he would have outright denied the king, but this alliance would allow Bellmark to pass unharmed by the NormiSatyr people through their kingdom, allowing them to shave months off of each and every caravan and trade they made between themselves and practically all of the other nations, instead of skirting the plains and working its way around the inner plains that all nations bordered they could now go through it.
On Top of that as the kingdom of Bellmark and the NormiSatyr were to be in an alliance with one another they now were allies in conflict as well, meaning they would now leap to each other¡¯s aid if one was under attack, and seeing as NormiSatyr was so centralized it would make reacting and staging attacks much, much more advantageous.
His uncle the king had him cornered, there was no way Brandt would allow his kingdom to not seize this opportunity, and the king knew it. With a frustrated sigh, he threw back his covers and sat up in the deep feather bed, swinging his legs over the side. He would marry this Satyr woman, and he would bed her, and he would do all of this for his country. Cursing his bad luck he got out of bed and put on a clean pair of britches and a linen shirt, he then tugged on his padded leather gambeson which reached his mid-calves and was split both down the front and back to allow ease of leg movement, he also pulled on his boots, opting for the easier to put on riding boots and grabbed his sword belt, not even stopping to strap it on he marched out of the room and towards the practice grounds of the Bellmark castle.
He could walk these halls even blindfolded, he had lived here in the east wing of the castle by himself separated from the rest of the royal family for the past ten years after all. With a sigh, he ran his hand through his close-cropped red hair, and as he did his hand brushed past the short red beard he had on his face, his hand paused before rubbing over the short beard as he felt it, wondering if his new bride would like the fur on his chin or not. The thought made him pause, he hadn¡¯t even met the satyr and he was already calling her his bride, with a shake of his head he kept up his brisk walk towards the training ground.
It was not the fact that he was to be married off that angered him; it was, after all, that happened to royalty, a fact of life he had accepted much earlier in life, no what angered him was the fact that the king, his uncle had not seen fit to tell him the reason a diplomatic party of Satyrs was coming was for his one marriage to one of them. He hadn¡¯t known he was to marry until last night, and he had no time to prepare. With a slight growl and an agitated roll of his shoulders, he walked out of the castle and down to the practice field, which was at this late time in the morning completely deserted.
It was not that he didn¡¯t understand, he knew the reason his uncle had not told him, what with all the other offers he had shrugged off, his uncle was probably worried he would do so with this one as well. The reason for his being upset with the king stemmed from the fact that the king had no faith in him, Brandt knew his place, and knew that sometimes you had to do something that was distasteful to make sure the kingdom thrived, and this was one of those decisions, and his uncle had no faith in Brandt.
¡°Whatever,¡± he cursed in a deep guttural growl, he ripped his sword out of the scabbard and tossed the sword belt and scabbard some distance away and took a sword stance. He needed to work off his frustration and much to his embarrassment even though he would never admit it to anyone, his nervousness.
He started in the fools pose, pointing the blade away behind him like it was a tail and then flowed through the twelve stages of the Oracular dance of blades, a flowing dance that was more to free and flex muscles than a true fighting style, the dance consisted of impossible bends and twists and a fast footwork as he followed a circular path that spread out into an oblong shape before forming back up into a circular one. He was into his twelfth rotation when he heard a sound, he spun and pointed his blade, and found the person he was pointing his blade at was a young Satyr girl, as he pointed she tensed, her legs widening into a fighting stance and the spear in her hands pointing at his heart.
They were a good ten feet separating the two of them, but he knew in the heat of battle that was a small distance. Realizing what he was doing he made a move to sheath his sword, it would not do to insult or threaten a person who was in his future wife¡¯s party. It was only then that he realized he had no scabbard, seeing as it was discarded along with his belt some three feet behind him.
And while he didn¡¯t know a lot about the Satyr¡¯s culture he doubted showing her his back was a respectful sign, to a human it would have said that he felt she was not even worth the effort to keep his eye on her. He also couldn¡¯t discard the sword, his honor forbade it. So with an inward sigh for allowing himself to get into a situation like this he planted the tip of the sword into the ground and rested a single hand on the pommel in a non-threatening manner.
The Satyr also stood up straighter, and lowered the spear point. He looked at her, she was a small thing, lean and muscled, her high angular face was crowned with two lioness ears and wreathed in golden blond curls that matched her furry ear¡¯s color exactly. Her arms were muscled beyond that of any woman¡¯s he had ever seen, not grotesquely or anything, but she definitely was stronger than any other woman he had seen. Her breasts that were covered in a strange covering that covered one shoulder and left the other bare and also left her midriff bare were extremely small if the bulges in the cloth were anything to judge by. Her wide hips were covered in a skirt of strange design that split allowing her free motion of her legs. Her legs were where his eyes caught however, each was a twin jointed lion¡¯s leg, they were much too long for her body and ended in wide paws and was covered in short golden fur the same color of her hair. She didn¡¯t wear any shoes, and the black claws of her paws flexed in and out as they dug into the grass, a lion¡¯s tail even swished behind her. Shaking himself he looked up to her face again and for the first time saw her eyes.
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Most Satyr¡¯s eyes were gold according to the material he had read about them, but this woman, she had the eyes of a deep blue sapphire, they were still the eyes of a cat, no white to be found and slip pupils, but they were at least a very pretty blue. He looked her over, and it would seem as though she was wearing simple clothes, she would not be his bride would she, surely the princess would have guards and be better clothed than this correct? Since she was not his bride perhaps he could ask some questions, clear up some misunderstandings and misconceptions he had before he embraced himself.
¡°My apologies, I was so focused I didn¡¯t hear you,¡± he said bowing his head slightly. ¡°I did not mean to offend.¡±
¡°Nor did I.¡± The Satyr woman said simply, resting the butt of her spear on the ground. ¡°You are the first human to talk to me, I attempted to speak to some others but they all seemed to be frightened and ran away from me, I have some questions about human customs, if you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± His brows rose, what a stroke of luck, this was exactly what he needed.
¡°I also am curious about Satyr customs, so how about this, I will answer one and you will answer another.¡± She nodded at this her face thoughtful. ¡°I however warn you I have no idea what is considered taboo or distasteful of your culture and people, I might ask something I am not supposed to¡¡±
¡°I will let you know when you stray into territory not safe, if you in turn do the same.¡± She said, to which he nodded his head this time. ¡°I will start, what is the significance of chains?¡±
¡°Chains?¡± he asked confused.
¡°Chains, for the neck and hands, I saw they are part of the garment for mate binding.¡± Brandt turned the question over in his head, at least until he recognized mate binding was likely the Satyr word for marriage. When he realized this color flooded his face red. ¡°I am sorry did I insult you in some wa-¡±
¡°No,¡± he said, his voice cutting off her own. ¡°it would seem as though someone wants to dishonor the Satyrs,¡± he growled.
¡°Should the chains be refused?¡± she asked.
¡°No, I will make it so the issue is fixed on this side, as for your question the chains are part of certain marriage ceremonies, the chains signify the one wearing them is wholly the possession of the other, every decision is not their own but their spouses, I will see that this is fixed, neither of our nation''s can afford to offend the other.¡±
¡°It will be handled?¡± she asked, looking at him suspiciously.
¡°It will be,¡± he nodded firmly. ¡°Was that answer to your satisfaction?¡± she nodded and he asked his question. ¡°What will be expected of the groom at this wedding, I heard there was some parts of it from your culture.¡±
¡°The only thing added to the ceremony was the Haruki, a hunt, it is traditional that the male demonstrates his ability to feed his new wife, the male is expected to capture and kill the creature, and bring it back to the wife.¡± She sighed, ¡°It would seem your people are not the only ones seeking to insult the other party, the animal is typically a Ratyu or a Samiu but this time it is a Hasu, a small animal renowned for its speed, fast even for us Satyr.¡± She sighed, ¡°If the male cant kill the creature and bring it to the woman¡¯s Cham it is a grave dishonor, and bindings have been called off because of it.¡±
¡°This Haruki, can the hunter use weapons?¡±
¡°No bows, and the final blow must be by the hunters hand.¡± She said and watched as he nodded, his head. ¡°Why do you only have fur on your face?¡± she asked before realizing what she had said and worried she had offended him the first human to have spoken to her.
¡°I do not,¡± he said, and rolled back the sleeve of his padded gambeson, showing her the hair he had on his arms, ¡°I have hair on my arms, my legs, and on my chest and other places, though the thickness ranges based on the area.¡± He answered honestly, he then asked her a question she was not prepared for. ¡°Do you find me ugly?¡± she pulled back slightly, surprised.
¡°Honestly?¡± She asked looking at him, when he nodded she looked him up and down. ¡°yes, hideously.¡± And without elaborating she asked her question. ¡°And do you find me ugly?¡± he looked her up and down again before answering.
¡°Yes, grotesquely.¡± He stated simply, and as he did a small smile formed on his lips, and she found one forming on her lips on its own accord, and before either of them realized it they were both bursting out laughing. This went on for some time, each of them doubled over and in a bubble of mirth, when it died down she asked the next question.
¡°What do you find ugly about me?¡± she asked, flashing him a smile, her sharp white teeth causing him to flinch slightly as her predatory fangs showed.
¡°Hmm, perhaps ugly was not the right word, I find those teeth for example disconcerting, like that of a predator or a monster, and your eyes, they''re so, well once again predatory, looking into them causes me to feel some sort of unease deep in my stomach, and your legs,¡± he shuddered as he looked at them, ¡°They just aren¡¯t right.¡± he laughed again, ¡°And you, what make me ugly?¡±
¡°Much the same as what you have said of me, your eyes are just wrong, they are floating in white, and the way they roam around,¡± she shuddered, as his eyes did exactly what she was talking about. ¡°How do you even walk with legs like those, or run?¡± she said with a laugh as he shrugged, ¡°And that fur on your arms, that is definitely not right.¡±
¡°Men don¡¯t have hair elsewhere on their bodies?¡±
¡°They do indeed, but they have actual fur, there is less hair on those arms of yours then my aged grandfather, and he is known as Sulos the hairless. ¡± She could see the skin under the fur on his arms, why was it so thin? ¡°And your ears, they are shaped wrong,¡± she pointed to her at ears, ¡°How can you even hear with them on the side of your head, how do you swivel them to hear?¡±
¡°Your ears swivel?¡± He asked an eyebrow rose. She showed him and laughed at the strange look he was giving her. He laughed along, finding that though he was not attracted to the Satyr her company was refreshing when compared to the normal human women he was used to, he hoped his new bride was like her, it would make his getting along with her easier. He gauged the sun in the sky and sighed. ¡°Sadly I must leave you, I have things to do and get ready for, farewell predatory hag.¡± He laughed.
¡°Farewell ugly flatface.¡± She laughed back, and he moved to pick up his scabbard, and re sheathed the blade and was making his way back to the manor. She liked this human, he was not good looking, but his attitude was fun. With a startle she realized she had never asked his name and called out to his retreating back. ¡°Flatface, what is your name?¡± he didn¡¯t look back just called out with a laugh over his shoulder.
¡°Brandt.¡± He didn¡¯t notice her eyes go wide.
There was no way her luck was this good was there? Could he be the man she had been sent to bind with?
***
Lira opened her eyes and looked up at the face of Leon, who was kneeling over her holding her close to his chest. He smiled as she opened her eyes, a relieved expression on his face, he breathed out a sigh.
¡°You had me scared there,¡± he whispered, holding her tighter.
¡°What happened?¡± she asked, she was feeling weird, stiffer, especially below the waist.
¡°You passed out, and started convulsing, I was going to mobilize you but Leon held me back and told me that you needed to work this out, or it would only get worse next time.¡± Lira looked over at Krya who was standing a little away.
¡°Work what out?¡± she asked, gods, what was that feeling?
¡°It would seem as though you went through a second Merge, though I have never heard of such a thing,¡± Krya glanced down at Lira¡¯s lower body, and Lira found she could no longer ignore the feeling, sitting up slightly she looked down at herself, and was shocked to find her legs were no longer the same.
Rather they were like those of the Satyr woman in her dream, only silver like the color of her hair. Reaching up she felt a wash of relief when she found no ears on top of her head, but still the legs remained. Which could only mean one thing.
¡°Leon,¡± she looked at him still sitting there, his eyes transfixed on her lower torso like it was something that brought back memories long past. ¡°Leon,¡± he looked up at her, ¡°Who was Brandt?¡± a smile split his stern features.
¡°I have not heard you call me that in quite a long time, Riya, my lioness.¡± he said softly, his red eyes half lidded with long forgotten memories of lives past.
Volume 2 Ch 25: Brandt and Riya
Raider is out on Amazon! If you all like my novels and would like to support me and my writing I would appreciate it if you thought about purchasing it on Amazon, it helps me out a lot. Also, can we give Darkcurs3 a round of applause for getting it done so quickly? He did a pretty awesome job if you ask me. The link to it is in the Author''s note above, and thank you in advance.
Also please check out Farseer, as of this post it is 6 chapters long and over 109 pages, and we are just getting started lol.
Markious.
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Lira was sitting down at the table in the cafe with the rest of her group that had come to the city, with the exception of Aaron and Tilly that was, even with the strange looks they had shot Lira¡¯s way they had enough sense to realize this was something that needed to be handled by them first without outside intervention or interruption. Lira¡¯s hands shook as she raised the small container of coffee to her lips, she was not really a drinker of the foul liquid, finding it too bitter for her tastes, but in this case, Leon had insisted and had gotten her a cup of it black to calm her nerves. She unthinkingly crossed her legs and as she did she felt the strange sensation of the fur on fur and the odd way they now had an extra joint like that of a large cat of prey.
¡°I look like a freak,¡± she mumbled into her coffee, wanting to close her eyes to the world and disappear.
¡°No, you do not,¡± Leon responded, he was sitting across the table looking intently at her.
¡°I don''t even have a coherent theme to my changes,¡± she said, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice, ¡°I mean look at me, I am like some sort of cat down below,¡± she froze, a terrifying though springing into her mind, with a single hand under the table she slid her fingers down her skirt and felt between her legs, sighing with relief when she found no more fur there than the small patch of silver hair she kept carefully groomed. She pulled her hand out and picked up her lost train of thought. ¡°And some sort of demon up here,¡± she ran her finger along the forward swept part of her horns. The sharp black horns started at her temples and swept forwards, so they protruded at curved angles on either side of her eyes. ¡°I look like a freak.¡±
¡°You look like a Dryad,¡± Gwenice said with a smile.
¡°She looks like a Satyr.¡± Leon said looking at her, ¡°She looks like Riya, and Nara, and herself,¡± he looked at her, ¡°Fitting seeing as she is all three.¡± Lira breathed in a shaky breath her hand starting to tremble more as she brought the cup up to her lips and took a long drink. ¡°Seeing you like this-¡± he trailed off, at a loss for how to explain his feelings.
¡°It''s like seeing an old friend.¡± Krya supplied, and he nodded at that.
¡°Something like that yes,¡± he smiled.
¡°So, you both lived past lives together?¡± Gwenice asked she had a look of incredulity on her face.
¡°Is that so hard to believe?¡± Krya asked, turning away from lira, whom she had been studying most intently and looking back at Gwenice who was seated at the cafe table on her right side. ¡°Familiars are souls that are lost between lives, called to a caster and bound, and using that caster¡¯s magic they form bodies, if his soul has a strong connection with hers, like they have gone through life together multiple times, or maybe some other tie between the two of them is it at all strange to think that when she called he would answer?¡± she looked over at Gwenice, ¡°If the familiars are souls then that means they had past lives, and if they did then wouldnt other people.¡±
¡°But that would mean that there are no new souls, every child born would simply be an old soul reused.¡± Gwenice said, her face contorted, ¡°It seems wrong for some old wrinkly man to become some little girl or something like that.¡±
¡°That is only one theory,¡± Krya said, her mask cracking slightly to allow the small rais of her lips in the corner at the example Gwenice had presented.
¡°Please,¡± Lira¡¯s hand shook as she reached across the table and grasped Leon¡¯s in her own, she squeezed him like she was afraid that if she let go he would vanish.¡±Please, Leon, tell me,¡± her voice shook much like her hand held in his grasp. ¡°Please, tell me everything.¡±
Leon sighed looking at the distraught woman in front of him. ¡°It is a long story,¡± he said softly.
¡°I need to know-¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know everything,¡± he sighed, ¡°Like you, I am still remembering, every now and again I''ll see something, a flower, a particular color shade and it will jog the memories,¡± he looked at her deep into her golden eyes. ¡°I also believe that it is the natural way our minds keep us from being overwhelmed, look at how hard it is for you right now, and you only saw a brief glimpse of one of your past lives, I don''t think you would be able to take it all in if you remembered everything.¡±
¡°Perhaps then it would be better if you only discuss what she remembers,¡± Krya said, her hand reached out and grabbed Lira¡¯s unoccupied hand, ¡°We are here and we can help her cope,¡± she said softly.
¡°So, tell us, what did you see?¡± Fluffy asked, she had been sitting at the table quietly, not even eating the food in front of her, she was too interested in the story unfolding around her.
¡°I was some sort of tribal Chief''s daughter, I was to be married to a human male who was a king¡¯s nephew to seal an alliance...¡±
***
Riya sat in her Cham, it was a traditional bridal tent that they had set up for her and her soon to be husband in the courtyard, consisting of an octagonal structure with its center open to the elements where a fire pit could be dug. Her long curl of blond hair was currently being strung through with charms and hemp ropes in the traditional Satyr tradition by one of the women that had accompanied her here from her home. She looked down at the folded cloth in front of her, it was the clothing they expected her to wear, but she was not going to put on that much cloth, how was she supposed to be able to move in so much fabric? No, she was going to wear her own Husri that her mother had worn for her bonding and her sister had worn for hers. It was much like what she had been wearing earlier but the cut of the skirt was higher, allowing for the man to take her more easily during the ceremony. She looked again at the chains, there was one that connected to an iron collar and one for each wrist. She looked at them with trepidation, if what Brandt had said was true then she would be submitting herself to her future mate.
Did she trust this human she had just met?
Brandt was the name of her future mate, but was this Brandt the same Brandt she had met that morning? She had inquired and there was a one in five chance that that was her mate, seeing as there were five Brandts in the castle alone.
One in five.
Dare she hope that the man she had met was her mate? He was much more pleasant than any other human she had met, and while she couldn¡¯t say she was attracted to him she could see that he knew what he was doing with that weapon of his, his dance and movement was elegant and entrancing, and his honesty was handsome even if he himself was not. Every other human had either been afraid of her or disgusted with her.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
She dare not hope if she was wrong and it was someone else she would be disappointed. But as she looked at the collar of metal she was to put on she found herself hopeful nonetheless, despite her resolve not to be. Closing her eyes Riya took a deep breath and decided to trust the human, he said she should wear the collar so she would and she hoped he would make it so she was not scorned. The metal felt cold on her skin and the click of the latch made her stomach drop.
¡°Mihura Riya, we need to get you in the Husri, the ceremony is in fifteen minutes.¡± The Satyr that had been dressing her hair said, she looked at Riya with a sympathetic look in her eyes, Riya looked away, she didn¡¯t want the other woman¡¯s pity, she was the Mihura, the princess, and she was about to become a woman on in her 16th year of life.
Standing she allowed the woman to remove her current Husri, the fabric fell down over her form leaving her standing naked in front of a mirror. She had seen the human women, they all had such large chests that she was surprised they didn¡¯t fall forward. She looked down at her own, which were tiny mounds that barely rose from her chest and were topped with dark brown nipples. So small in comparison, would her mate be displeased? And she looked down at her legs, the fur started about halfway down the thigh, and besides the bed of golden curls in between her legs they were the only part of her lower body that had any fur on them. Where her legs too long? Her tail swished back and forth in nervous jerking movements. And she shook her head, thinking about it wouldn¡¯t change a thing, it was time. With a nod to the waiting Satyr woman, she allowed the skirt to be wrapped around her lower region, and the rathmu tunic to be pulled down over her head, hiding the breasts she was now sure were much too small. The tunic was then rolled up and tucked so that her belly was exposed, small straps held the folded section in place.
The chains were pulled loose to rest over the Husri and she looked at herself one last time, now wearing her mother¡¯s blue Husri. Despite her determinations she started shaking, causing the chains to dance and sway. Closing her eyes she slowed her breath, she could do this, her people were counting on her, she would do this.
¡°Mihura Riya, it is time.¡± The voice made her jump, but she dutifully turned and walked with the woman out the Cham and towards the building they had told her she was to be married to Brandt Iru.
The large doors opened and she found herself surrounded by a sea of faces. On the left side of the hall were her people, and on the right, there was her mate¡¯s, it would seem as though there was no intermingling, that was not a good sign. As she entered, several humans pulled in a shocked breath, they were looking at her chains, and more than a few had a mean smile on their face. With a reddening face, she walked down the long aisle alone, the sole object of everyone¡¯s attention. She definitely heard the whispers and the snickers.
Everyone¡¯s eyes shifted to the door as once again they opened, and a man walked in, he was wearing a cloak that covered his entire form, making it impossible to see who he was. She held her breath as he swept the cloak off. She nearly lept for joy when she found the man under the cloak was the same red haired blue eyed man she had talked to this morning.
It would seem the gods had seen fit to smile on her.
The shocked intake of breaths this time, however, caused her to look at him again, she found that her eyes like everyone else¡¯s in the building rested on the collar of iron around his neck and forearms. His chains unlike hers were not new, but rather old and quite rusted, scratched and pocked, these old manacles looked like they had seen some use if there scarred surface was anything to judge by. He walked forward, a jingle of chains with every step, tall and proud he came up to her and his eyes widened as he recognized her. Standing opposite her he flashed a genuine smile.
¡°Hello, predator.¡± He whispered.
¡°Hello, Flatface.¡± She purred back at him, she looked at the chains he was bound in, he had said that they were worn to have one party submit everything to the other, so did this mean he was submitting everything to her as she was to him? If so then he had taken the insult his people had meant and turned it into something almost romantic. She looked him up and down, he was wearing much the same he had been this morning, only these were newer looking nicer.
A priest stepped forward, he started the vows, but she found that she couldn¡¯t follow along with the man, he was rambling on too long, praying to each and every one of the five human gods. It took almost an hour before he announced to them that they were now bonded. With startling speed he leaned down and pressed his lips against her own she leaned into his lips, his tongue reaching out to coax her own out of her mouth, the two dancing tongues met, his soft and plump, hers scratchy and thin. After a kiss that felt surprisingly good, they separated and he started looking into her eyes.
She started shifting, waiting for him to take her.
He made no move to do so.
¡°What are you waiting for?¡± she hissed at him. He looked surprised at her, and more than a little confused. It was at this point she realized they must not do this at bondings of his people, so she explained quickly. ¡°You must claim me now, if you take too long it will say you are displeased with the mate and the bonding.¡±
¡°Claim?¡±
¡°You know, claim.¡± She said in a small voice her cheeks dying red and she found she could no longer look him in those disturbing eyes of his. His eyes widened in understanding and shock.
¡± Here in front of everyone?¡± he choked out of his voice.
¡°Not the full thing, you just need to enter me.¡± She said softly, shifting the skirt of her Husri to the side for easy access for him. He looked down and took in a deep breath, and closing his eyes he began unlacing the britches he had on, it took longer than she wanted, but soon his manhood was free. Several women gasped in shock as they realized what was about to happen, hands flew up to cover children¡¯s eyes and the priest started sputtering in protest. She ignored it all, focusing on the piece of him that was about to enter her. At least this part of him was no different from other males she had seen at other bondings, though perhaps he was a little too big. She raised her leg and put it on the side of his hip, and with only slightly shaking hands guided him to her entrance. She had oiled herself up, but she remembered how her sister had cried out in pain, she had told Riya that it only hurt the first time. He looked at her and she nodded, with a single movement he thrust inside her. She rested her hands on his shoulder using him to keep balance.
Her head flew back, her teeth clenched, as he ruptured her maidenhead, blood leaked down her leg, and with a small trimmer she looked back at him and smiled. ¡°I am fine,¡± she said to the unasked question in his eyes, rising on her pads she slid him out of her and kneeled down and licked the blood, her blood off of him, she licked every surface of his manhood and even placed the tip of it in her mouth before pulling his pants back up and lacing them for him and stood, slightly shaky in the knees. He stood there, and she once again realized this was all new to him, ¡±You need to clean me up as I did you.¡± She said, and even as his eyebrow rose he went down on one knee his head disappearing in between her legs hidden by the skirt about her hips. She pulled in a breath when his tongue ran its course following the path of the blood from her inner thigh back up to its source, he then used his fingers to spread her and cleaned her with his tongue. Pulling his head back after the task was down he rose, and on his cheek was a spot of her blood, with a thumb she wiped it, causing it to smear, and brought her thumb to his lip, pushing the bloody appendage into his mouth. He held her eyes he dutifully cleaned the thumb of blood. ¡°Thank you.¡± She whispered.
¡°For what?¡± he asked, and she pulled on the chain that was around his neck. ¡°Ah, this, I was not going to allow anyone to insult my wife.¡± He said softly. ¡°This is nothing,¡± he shrugged, ¡°What now predator?¡±
¡°I hope you are prepared flatface, it is time for the Haruki, the hunt.¡± She wanted to help him, but there was nothing to do, the animal was already consecrated, it had to be used in the hunt, all she could do was pray that the gods once again smiled on her, and her new mate could catch and kill the animal.
***
¡°We are definitely not doing that kind of wedding,¡± Krya said firmly as Lira stopped recalling her past life.
¡°Well, it sounds like fun to me!¡± Fluffy said, ¡°But none of us would bleed properly, that and I doubt Leon here would simply stop at entering.¡± She laughed.
¡°I doubt you would let him,¡± Gwenice noted dryly, looking over at the wolf woman, who simply smiled and winked at her.
¡°That was our second life,¡± Leon said, drawing them back to the topic at hand. ¡°Political marriage, one of the few that actually worked out well,¡± he said his eyes had been locked with her own as she had told what she remembered.
¡°Children?¡± she asked softly, she needed to know, she had never told him the longing she had for children, seeing as she would never have any in this life, not with him, seeing as he was a familiar, and she would never have any other man, of this she was sure.
¡°None, Human and Satyr are incompatible,¡± he smiled sadly at her, ¡°In fact, that is a common thread among all of our lives, for one reason or another we never have children.¡±
Gwenice¡¯s ears perked up at this, they had never had children. The realisation hit her that she could be the answer to that, she was after all a dryad, she reproduced magically, meaning anything that had magic in it could be mated with. Slowly she looked over at Leon who was sitting there holding Lira¡¯s hand, helping her work through the difficult time she was going through.
He would make a good father, she nodded her head as the thought occurred to her, she had seen him with her sister Eva. she looked at him, deep into him and came to a decision, she would pursue him, she would become part of his grove. The decision came extremely easy for her, she was surprised at the weight it lifted off of her, a burden she had felt for almost fifty years evaporating, lifting leaving her lighter.
And then she realized what she would have to do.
The issue was that if Gwenice had a child with him, would it not sadden Lira more? After all they were the ones who traveled through multiple lives hand in hand, never once having children. So she couldn''t just have it with him, she would need to have it with Lira as well. Then there was Fluffy and Krya, there was no way they would mate with another male, meaning they would never have children either. She sighed as she realized what her mother must have realized when she had agreed to send her here.
She hid her head in her arms as she placed it on the table, realizing that if she wanted to become part of this family, to be with Leon, to quench this forest fire he had set in her, she would need to bond with four people. Three parents were not unheard of, but five? She moaned slightly, knowing what she was going to do.
¡°Are you alright?¡± Leon asked her, she didn''t look up simply waving him off.
¡°Don¡¯t talk to me right now,¡± she groaned, wishing she had not made up her mind, but knowing that once she had she would never go back on it...
Volume 2 Ch 26: Behind the mask
Raider is out on Amazon! If you all like my novels and would like to support me and my writing I would appreciate it if you thought about purchasing it on Amazon, it helps me out a lot. Also, can we give Darkcurs3 a round of applause for getting it done so quickly? He did a pretty awesome job if you ask me. The link to it is in the Author''s note above, and thank you in advance.
Also please check out Farseer, as of this post it is 6 chapters long and over 109 pages, and we are just getting started lol.
Markious.
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It was Lira that needed to be on Leon¡¯s back on the way home, she needed to learn how to walk again with her new legs, and she didn''t want to be seen doing it in some city where anyone could watch. And thus Fluffy¡¯s perch was taken from her to much fake grumbling and coy remarks of payback. Lira simply ignored everything, laying her head on Leon¡¯s back and allowing the rhythm of his steps lol her into a soft sleep.
¡°It is really strange though,¡± Krya said, looking at Lira¡¯s legs, the long feline appendages were covered in silver hair, and ended in padded paws tipped with retractable claws. ¡°I have never heard of someone merging twice,¡± she looked over at Leon, ¡°Speaking of which, why do you even have a lion for your seal crest? You don''t have any Lion like attributes.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t I?¡± he asked with a smile, ¡°Have I not formed a pride?¡± he looked at her and winked.
¡°You know what I mean,¡± she brushed his joke off and scowled at him.
¡°I do,¡± he stated simply.
¡°You do know what I mean or you do have Lion characteristics?¡± she asked, not looking at him, but rather at the crowded road in front of them.
¡°Both,¡± he shrugged, the motion causing Lira¡¯s head to flop slightly.
¡°I''ve seen every bit of you, and I have seen no Lion.¡± the words left Krya¡¯s mouth before she even realized what she had said. A blush crept up on her face, and Aaron who had been minding his own business up to this point attempted to hide his laugh behind a cough, only to make it sound more like a snort. Much to everyone¡¯s surprise, however, Tilly did not club him behind the ears like usual, she simply gave him this disappointed look, which in some inexplicable way seemed to hurt him more.
¡°Later, I will explain,¡± he said, hoisting Lira higher on his shoulders, ¡°But only if you discuss with me the things we talked about earlier.¡± he looked at her, and she sighed, she had hoped he had forgotten all about that, but then again this was Leon, and of course he would remember something like that.
¡°The two of you spent multiple lives together huh?¡± Tilly asked looking at Leon.
¡°Four that I know of,¡± he said, and to that Tilly smiled.
¡°It''s really kind of romantic isn''t it?¡± she looped an arm through Aarons and pulled him close, ¡°The thought that no matter what happens the two of you will be together in this life and the next.¡±
¡°Must have been quite the binding spell,¡± Aaron remarked, ¡°Do you remember who placed it on you?¡±
¡°No-¡± Leon sensed something, his mouth snapped shut and with a single sweeping gaze he assessed the crowd around them. Someone was watching them, ¡°I am feeling worn out, let us go home.¡± he said, looking directly into Aaron¡¯s eyes. It would seem Leon¡¯s new friend was quick on the uptake, as he faked a yawn and stretch that allowed him to loosen the fabric of his uniform in such a way he would be able to fight better.
¡°Oh I agree,¡± he said rolling his shoulders, ¡°It has been a most trying day, let us go back.¡± his relaxed act was actually very convincing, and the way he and Leon had quickly changed the subject let everyone in the group know something was up.
Someone was watching them.
Leon could feel it, it manifested itself as a ripple down his spine, like a cold breeze had just blown past. He always trusted his instincts, and they were telling him that this one was simply watching for now. As it stood he could not attack in the city, for starters there were too many people, besides that there was also Lira and Krya¡¯s reputation to think about, something he had not really had the foresight to think about in the past, but now that they were more in the eye of everyone it was becoming more and more of a concern.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Every made inconsequential chatter as they exited the city. Krya quickly prepared the transport rune, using the but end of her staff she quickly scratched out the circle required to teleport them, lining it with the runes that were needed to dictate where. pulling out a vile of blood she poured them into the runes and watched as the dry dirt drank up the liquid greedily. She began chanting in a different language, and the portal opened, Leon was the last to step through, as he carried Lira with him. Before he entered it, however, he allowed his eyes to rest on the person that had been following them.
The man was dressed like a peasant, like any other commoner on the street, green tunic, slightly stained and threadbare, cotton breaches, and tousled black hair. As their eyes met Leon registered shock and fear for a split second before the man resumed his act correctly. Leon shook his head, a silent warning to the man, and whoever had sent him to spy. He stepped through the circle, making sure to scuff away some of the runes with his boot as he passed them.
The runes were only necessary for the creation of the portal, not its continued operation, and it would be next to impossible for anyone other than those approved at the castle to teleport in like they were, still better safe than sorry.
As soon as he reached the other side Krya assaulted him with questions. ¡°Same ones as last time?¡± she asked, hands on her hips, staff still gripped with white knuckles.
¡°I don''t think so,¡± Leon looked at Krya, ¡°Different style, this was more mundane,¡± and frankly a little better executed, he had sensed the shadow¡¯s magic, which was something that would give him away anytime, this, however, this was more a feeling that had told him, he had noticed the man one too many times for him to not be following them. ¡°Fluffy, can you carry her to bed?¡± he asked, gesturing to Lira on his back. With a graceful ease, Fluffy reached up and pulled Lira off, holding her like she weighed no more than a small child. ¡°So, remember what I said?¡±
¡°Right now?¡± Krya moaned the words, her face contorting in a display of emotions that surprised everyone, Leon included. ¡°Can we uh, take a walk?¡± she asked, and he simply nodded and followed along behind her. The main gate closed with a loud thud, and she rested her hand against it, allowing the spell to lock it back in place. Soon her head followed it, resting against the cool smooth surface of the polished wood.
Leon laid a hand on her shoulder, and taking a deep breath she pulled away from the door. The two of them walked together in silence for a few minutes before she opened her mouth. ¡°It''s hard to explain,¡± she said slowly, ¡°Emere is my brother, and I love him as a brother, but our position in the clan has led to,¡± she paused, ¡°him turning out to be more like father.¡±
¡°So your father is a sarcastic dick?¡± Leon asked, and Krya stifled a bout of laughter.
¡°Not really a sarcastic dick no, I- it would be better if I told you a story I think...¡±
***
Krya leaned her back against Simon¡¯s, both of them were sticky with sweat, both of them were panting hard, heads aching from the loss of blood. ¡°Dearest,¡± Lira¡¯s wavering vision fell on her mother, she was a tall elegant woman, one whom her father had apparently taken a liking to and had brought her here to the clan¡¯s main home to be his wife, liberating her from the branch families holdings. Krya had her mother¡¯s face, Simon, on the other hand, looked more like there father. ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is enough? They can barely stand.¡± her mother tucked a loose strand of blue hair that had escaped the bun she wore and placed it behind her ear.
They were all in a training room, one of many that her father had built into the Manor, the room consisted of a sandpit, surrounded by high stone walls, on which there father and mother both watched them.
¡°They need to learn, how are they supposed to be the heads of the clan if they cannot even pass this simple test?¡± Her father growled. He was a server looking man, silver long hair and wolfish grey eyes, apparently the product of a merge when he was younger with his wolf spirit.
¡°They do not need to be the head of the clan, that one falls to Emere, he is the oldest remember, and he is showing some great progress with the spells you taught him last week-¡±
¡°He does not have the right character,¡± her father sighed, brushing the silver locks of hair out of his eyes. ¡°He is too brash if perhaps I had him by you and not that harlot I called a wife-¡± his fist hit the stone with an almighty thump, causing the two of them to jump at the sound.
¡°Shhh, dear, shhhhh,¡± she grabbed him by the chin, pulling his face her way and rubbing a hand over the day-old stubble on his strong chin. ¡°They are only ten years old, please-¡± he sighed and looked at the two children in the ring, blood was splattered everywhere, the ruins of runes they had attempted to draw were everywhere in the sand.
His face hardened as he looked at the two of them, huddled there together. ¡°They will go again,¡± he growled, and her mother¡¯s hand fell away from his face, she gave him a reproachful look. ¡°Do not give me that look woman,¡± he growled. ¡°Remember, you are the second wife, there can always be a third.¡± her mother¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock and outrage.
¡°What did you say?¡± she asked in a low and dangerous voice. Krya ignored them like she always did when they fought, she used the staff, much too large for her, to push herself up, before leaning down to help Simon up as well.
¡°The marriage contract said you had twelve years to give me an heir worth of the clan, there are only two years left, and these two are not where they need to be, if they cannot perform to my satisfaction you will default on the contract,¡± he growled, turning back to the ring. He never saw the slap coming, the sound was louder than even his fist against the stone.
¡°I hope they do fail,¡± she said softly, her voice wobbling with pain and hurt, ¡°And when they do I will take them and leave for home, and you will be here, stuck with the memories of us, all those happy memories we had, all those memories you cast to the wind for a prodigy you will never get.¡± and with that she turned and left the hall in a flurry of blue and silver dress.
¡°Again,¡± her father growled, once again summoning the golems.
***
¡°What happened to Simon?¡± Leon asked after she had paused for a time.
¡°There was an accident one day when we were training.¡± Krya spoke softly, ¡°A spell backfired on him, corrupted, he had been using his own blood so it got its way into his system, got into his mind.¡± she shuddered, ¡°it, changed him, he looked the same, but he was no longer all there, mentally.¡±
¡°And your mother?¡±
¡°She kept her promise, well three-quarters of it.¡± she smiled bitterly. ¡°When the twelfth year rolled around she left, taking Simon with her, but leaving me.¡± she sighed, ¡°I doubt she would have been allowed to take me, in that time I had grown, and father had been pleased with my progress, enough to name me heir of the clan.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t suppose Emere was very happy about this?¡± Leon asked.
¡°No, no he was not, he began hating me, blaming me for all the things he did wrong.¡± she smiled softly. ¡°I found then after Simon left, what it truly meant to be alone in the world.¡± there was no sadness in the words, no bitterness, just a resignation. Her father only wanted a good clan heir, her mother had left her there alone, and her half-brother hated her for his own failings.
Yes, it was no wonder she hid all emotions behind a mask and acted so cold to the world. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in close. ¡°You are not alone anymore,¡± he said, and she smiled softly, resting her face against his side.
¡°No, no I am not,¡± she breathed in his scent deeply, smiling at the warm feelings he gave her.
Volume 2 Ch 27: Dreams
Raider is out on Amazon! If you all like my novels and would like to support me and my writing I would appreciate it if you thought about purchasing it on Amazon, it helps me out a lot. Also, can we give Darkcurs3 a round of applause for getting it done so quickly? He did a pretty awesome job if you ask me. The link to it is in the Author''s note above, and thank you in advance.
Also please check out Farseer, as of this post it is 6 chapters long and over 109 pages, and we are just getting started lol.
Markious.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The cage was set up on the green of the lawn, the well-kempt entrance just outside the Manor¡¯s main gate, off to one side a lake shimmered in the late day sun, off to the other side was a forest. Crouched inside the cage was a small animal, no bigger than a dog but it looked like a golden deer, with two tails and horse-like hooves. Its legs seemed unproportionally large. Its wide liquid brown eyes were round with fear as it surveyed the surrounding people and Satyrs.
¡°Perhaps this time you can tell me what this tradition entails and whether or not we should hide the children¡¯s eyes this time.¡± Madam Barlo said to Riya, she was Brandt¡¯s aunt, and King Randal¡¯s wife. Therefore she was the queen of Bellmark.
¡°I don¡¯t know why you felt the need to shield the eyes of the cubs during the wedding,¡± Riya answered back, and Brandt snorted, nearly choking on the cup of wine he had been sipping from. Before Madam Barlo could answer Brandt did.
¡°I now understand that your people have such a custom, but among my people, the defloration of a woman is something best conducted in private.¡± He said softly.
¡°How then do you know the marriage was consummated?¡± she asked and incredulous sound creeping into her voice.
¡°Well, um, the groom and bride retire to a room and you know, the bed is covered in a white sheet, and after the deed is done the sheet is hung somewhere anyone that feels like they want to see can see.¡± He answered, turning from her, and as he did she saw there was still a dab of blood on his cheek, with a quick hand she pulled his head down and licked the cheek, cleaning her blood of off his face. Madam Barlo blushed furiously at this and pointedly looked away.
¡°What if they simply choose to fake it?¡± she said. ¡°The blood could be from anywhere.¡± He looked at her like she was talking a different language.
¡°That is between the wife and husband but if they are unwilling to bed one another then I doubt that marriage will last long.¡± He said slowly.
¡°Wait, you''re marriages can end?¡± her blue cat eyes opened wide in shock. He looked into those blue eyes and decided he could come to like those eyes, though they are foreign to him it was fun finding new ways to read them.
¡°Yes, is it not that way amongst the satyrs?¡±
¡°Once bound you remain bound until your bond mate dies.¡± She said.
¡°That¡¯s all good and nice but please explains this to me.¡± Madam Barlo interrupted again, gesturing once again to the caged animal.
¡°This is where the male mate shows he can bring in food for his new pride,¡± Riya gestured to the caged animal, ¡°Without a bow, the animal must be caught and killed and brought back where it will then be prepared for the feast.¡±
¡°We already have more than enough food fo-¡± Madam Barlo started but Brandt cut her off.
¡°The way I understand it it is more of a symbolic gesture,¡± Brandt explained and was startled to hear a low growl of warning in Riya¡¯s voice. Before he could ask a Satyr man walked up to them and bowed low to Brandt.
¡°Are you prepared for the hunt?¡± he asked as he attempted to keep the malicious smile from playing on his lips, he hid it by offering a small bow.
¡°I can use any weapon I please except the bow correct?¡± he asked looking at the satyr, tactfully ignoring the man¡¯s almost abortive attempt at hiding the smile that was creeping in his voice.
¡°Indeed, any weapon, though I warn you the killing blow needs to be done by hand.¡± He said, head still bowed. Brandt nodded, and reaching into a pouch at his belt he pulled out a strange knife, it looked like it had two blades, one where Riya expected it but the other was where the handle should have been and was a mirror copy of the blade, in the center there was a circle where the blades were attached to, in the center of this ring was a hole. Brandt slipped his middle finger through the hole, and with a motion of his fingers, he started the strange blade spinning. With a strange flicking motion, he kept the blades rotating in his hands and quickly it picked up speed blurring into a silver circle from the speed and causing a soft hum as the blades spun in his hands.
¡°I am ready, let the animal out.¡± He said, not letting his eyes off of the caged Hasu, the Satyr smiled this time and raised his hand, when it dropped the cage was opened and the animal darted out with a speed that blurred its figure as it ran to the trees.
It was going to get away.
And Brandt was not doing anything, was he not even going to try?
Half a heartbeat later his hand whipped out, palm up fingers flat and it was then that Riya noticed the spinning blade was gone. A pained wail broke from the animal¡¯s mouth and it stumbled, end over end before coming to rest on its side, still breathing but not even trying to move. Casually walking over to the beast Brandt pulled the silver blade out of its front leg where it had just appeared, and almost casually stepped on its shoulder at the base of its neck and with his hands grasped the animal by the antlers, with a single quick pull the animal¡¯s pained bleating stopped with a crisp pop as the neck was broken. He wiped the blade on the grass and replaced it on his belt, and leaning over he picked up the animal, threw it over his shoulder and walked back to the now stunned group of Satyrs.
¡°This brings back memories,¡± The king laughed.
¡°How so dear? ¡± his wife asked, looking at her husband.
¡°I remember when he had those things made by the blacksmith, you were what eleven?¡±
¡°twelve,¡± Brandt answered simply.
¡°Ah yes twelve, brought that out to hunt, told us he had no need for a bow, I dare say none believed him, but the master of the hunt was curious, the looks on the faces of the Satyrs if you don¡¯t mind me saying so remind me of how we all looked, there was this elk you see, large animal before anyone could even get an arrow knocked the animal just fell, neck cut clean across, throat slit from ear to ear, and in the wood of a tree behind it that blade was buried, could hardly see the blade at all for how deep it had sunk.¡±
¡°I threw it much too hard.¡± Brandt nodded laughing, everyone including Riya just stared at the two of them. He turned and looked at her eyes curious, ¡°So my predator, what now?¡± he asked looking at Riya.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
¡°Now we retire to the Cham as the meal is cooked and prepared, flatface.¡± And to hide her blush she turned away and walked towards the main gate so they could get back into the courtyard, back to her Cham, no there Cham, and to do¡
She blushed, he might not be the man she had dreamed off, he was too different, not quite ugly like she had first told him, though perhaps she had believed it then, now she didn¡¯t know, she might be seeing him in a different light. Perhaps someday she could truthfully claim she was attracted to him, glancing back she found her eyes go to the bend of his legs, the flatness of his teeth and then the small eyes human seemed to all have, and those ears. No, perhaps she would never find him attractive, but she was willing to admit that he was not exactly ugly either.
Just different.
At least with him, she would never have to wonder at which days she might be able to get with child, there was no way that would happen, humans can¡¯t have children with Satyrs. The thoughts brought a shadow across her mind, she like almost all females had at one point in her life looked forward to having a family of her own, one complete with children, now, however, that was an impossibility, she would never have children.
With a sigh she pushed past the leather flap of the Cham and entered, it had been tidied up after her morning of preparations the furs that she had used to sleep on the previous night were now spread for two. And behind her, the Cham flap opened and closed to allow access to the person who would be sharing her furs with her. Without looking at him she walked back to the Cham¡¯s entrance and secured the flap with a rawhide strap. Turning back slowly she found him looking around the Cham.
¡°So is this the normal set up of a tent?¡± he asked looking around.
¡°Tent?¡± she asked rolling the strange word around in her mouth when he gestured to their surroundings she was able to divine that by tent he meant the Cham. ¡°No, this is the bridal Cham, after this, we will be in a full Cham.¡± She slowly sunk down on the furs and moved her tail out of the way; it was flicking back and forth with agitated movements. Slowly he walked over and sat down next to her, his breathing came out a little faster as he sat down on the hides by her.¡±So,¡± she said, her voice a little shaky.
¡°So,¡± he agreed his breathing slowing, deepening.
¡°Are we going to do this?¡± she asked taking a deep breath and smoothing out her skirt.
¡°I suppose so,¡± he took a deep breath, ¡°Unless you want to hold off,¡± she shook her head, and stood, with slow motions she pulled her skirt off dropping it to the floor and revealing her legs he noticed the fur on her legs ended somewhere near mid-thigh, her skin was a bronze color, showing she had spent time outside in the sun. She then undid some tie in the back of the top and dropped it to the floor in a neat pile of blue, with slow motions she turned around in a circle showing him her full form.
Narrow waist, wide hips, and a good amount of lean muscles that covered her naked body, she also had shoulders a hair too wide when compared to human women, as for her breasts they were practically nonexistent, they were just small mounds of flesh that rose a few inches from her chest, and they were topped with golden colored peaks that seemed to be the same shade of color as the color of her hair and fur. Speaking of fur the fur on her legs were not the only place she had fur, as she turned he noticed the short fur covering her entire back from the neckline down to the tail that swished back and forth where it ended just above her behind. Her posterior, shoulders and arms, and entire front, however, was entirely devoid of fur, with the exception of the golden curls that resided between her legs.
With her tail swishing back and forth the golden tail twitching back and forth in nervous jerks. ¡°What do you think of your new wife flatface?¡± she asked with a nervous laugh.
¡°Not bad,¡± he said honestly, sure she was not human but she was also not the grotesque monster that was described in the castle books and art.
¡°Really?¡± she asked, her eyes lighting up with a strange mixture of hope and embarrassment and confusion.
¡°Really,¡± he said, ¡°Your face is a little too angular, and the legs and tail really are really unsettling but I am sure I will get over them, for now, they have their own sort of charm to them, different but not bad, just different.¡± He answered as he undid the buckle of the armored coat he was wearing and slipped out of it to reveal a simple linen shirt that laced up the front and brown linen britches and tall riding boots that reached mid-calf. It was these that he leaned down to unlace first but she crouched down and deftly began pulling the boots and woolen hose off.
¡°So strange,¡± she murmured as she looked down at his feet, they looked like hands almost, but different, misshapen the fingers were too short and not in the right place and besides the biggest one all of them curled down slightly. He laughed and she looked up at him, she offered him a sharp-toothed smile and he offered one of his own, she slowly slipped her hand up the back side of his thighs and calves until her hands rounded the back side of his rear and her hands curled around the lip of his trouser and her hands slid around to the sides of his hips and with a smile she pulled down on the pants, ignoring the buttons on the trouser front. As she pulled them down they got stuck on his growing erection causing him to grunt as she continued to pull them down.
Soon he was free and the pants no longer holding him down his manhood stood up tall and straight. She eyed it with a speculative look in her eyes. ¡°I would say it is too big but we already found out that it would indeed fit didn¡¯t we?¡± she said with a nervous laugh.
¡°To big?¡± he laughed, ¡°I¡¯m not small, but I am also not the largest of men.¡± Her blue eyes widened as she took this in.
¡°I have been too many weddings seeing as I am the daughter of the chieftain, and you are the largest by far I have seen.¡± He laughed at that.
¡°Well, that is one way to inflate my ego.¡± He laughed deep in his throat. And with a single motion, he pulled the linen shirt up and over his head. Pulling back he stepped out of the pants that had gathered on the floor of the Cham, and just like her he turned around slowly allowing her to look him up and down. ¡°So, how do you like your new flat-faced husband?¡± he asked with a smile.
¡°Not bad,¡± she said with a slow nod to herself as she looked him up and down, even as her eyes kept going back to his manhood. ¡°Not too bad at all,¡± she laughed, ¡±You seem to be two-toned however, it would seem that you need to spend more time outside, it is a strange thing to have the entirety of your legs ¡± leaned back on the bed of furs, her wide legs spread revealing the treasure hidden between and looking at him expectantly. It was tempting to simply dig right in, but he resisted the temptation, every woman even Satyrs women deserve the best first time they could have. He knelt down in-between her legs, using his hands he slowly opened her legs up wide, allowing him to settle in between her legs, not doing anything simply sitting there.
He leaned in and gave her a kiss, his mouth lightly touching her own and his tongue pushing in and running over the smooth sharp surface of her teeth. Slowly she parted her teeth and her small rough tongue came out to play. Pulling back he kissed her in between her big blue eyes and once more on the lips as he moved down leaving a trail of kisses, one on her chin and then one on the small of her neck, and down her throat and on her collarbone, and down to the top of her small breast. She shivered as he neared her mounds. slowly, taking as much time as he felt she needed he began to massage.
His hand reached down and roved over her nipples, rolling the now straining nubs in between forefinger playfully as he used his tongue to swab out the area in between drawing a wet line down between the small quivering mounds.
She pulled him back up, nuzzling his neck, running her hands through all of his long red hair, amazed at the softness of it. He bent down to kiss her, gently at first, but as his lips neared her own he felt passion flare to life in his soul, like he was meant for this one moment, meant for her. He lifted her upper torso off the furs, pressing her bare skin against his own. Riya wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him tightly like she was worried he would simply vanish if she let go. She removed her lips from his and went back to nuzzling his neck with a soft rumble in the pit of her stomach. Brandt¡¯s hand drifted down to stroke the flesh there, feeling the purring rumble that was emanating from her through his fingertips. The fingers rose from her stomach to her ribcage.
She was so overwhelmed by his hot breath on her skin and the burning warmth of his touch that she threw her arms around him and fell back into the furs, pulling him with her. Brandt gladly laid down, his body half covering her own. His seeking lips once again found her mouth and he resumed kissing her. The hand on her belly moved back to the underside of her breast, and she gasped again, still not used to the feel of someone¡¯s hand on her the way his was. She paused a moment, her blue eyes wide as she looked up at him.
Brandt gazed back at her steadily, before dipping low to kiss her cheek. As he nuzzled her soft skin his hand moved up and fully enclosed her breast against the palm of his hand. He squeezed gently fondling her, and Riya groaned softly when she realized how good it felt. As she moaned his hand on her breast grew bolder, with a quick motion that caused her to gasp he pulled away from her mouth, and his mouth was on her soft white cleavage, his other hand still caressing her flesh. With a growl, his hot mouth descended on her hardening nipple, suckling.
She cried out softly as his tongue rolled her nipple around, stimulating her flesh in a way she never knew it could be stimulated. He had somehow pushed his way further in between her legs, and she found she could do nothing to stop him, nor did she want to, everything he was doing was new and wonderful and wicked.
She craved it.
She held his head against her chest, as if nursing a starving child, each movement of his tongue sending bolts of dangerous excitement shooting through her body. He moved from one to the other, leaving the damp breast wet with his saliva stinging and cold once exposed to the air of the Cham. from where he was he could smell the delicious musky scent of her womanhood, and it was then that something inside him snapped. He slipped lower and grabbing her bottom with both hands he pressed his face against her lower lips, tasting her even as his hand trailed lower and softly tangled in the golden ticket between her legs.
She shrieked, it was a very unwomanly sound as he put his entire face between her legs. His tongue glided over every surface of her, into every crevice of her lips, and then inside. It was this that was her undoing, his tongue slipping inside like it had when they had been at the mating ceremony, only this time it was not so tender, or rather it was but in a wholly new way.
Something was happening in the region between her stomach and her lower lips, she could feel it pulsating and growing, pulling back he pushed a finger into her, and she was surprised there was no pain, in fact, she groaned softly at the pleasure. Realising how ready she was Brandt found he could no longer resist claiming her, she was his, his lioness.
Which made him the Lion.
Lifting himself up he found her lips once again, and she tasted herself on his tongue, musky and warm. He arched his back, using one hand to guide himself into her. Thrusting with his hips he buried himself halfway in the first move, and then completely on the second. Beneath him, the purr turned to a soft cry as she felt him enter her for the second time that day, she didn''t know if she would ever get used to that feeling.
It only took her a few thrusts before the feeling that had been building for the past few minutes came to a head, and she gasped as she climaxed. Brandt could feel her pulsing around him, throbbing, pulling, milking him. And it was the most supreme struggle of his life to not answer.
He would but not yet¡
***
Lira gasped and shot upright, looking around she found herself alone in the bedroom, the throbbing feeling still there, and a dampness between her legs that she could not attribute to sweat.
Gods, she needed to find a way to control this, there had to be a way to handle these flashbacks, these glimpses of her previous life. With a groan, she turned sideways and hung her legs out of bed.
And froze.
She had known, she had remembered, but seeing them again¡
With a sigh she lightly stepped out of the bed and only wobbled a little, it was progress. She needed Leon, now, she could feel the heat in her core from her memory, she needed him. And so slightly stumbling she went off in search of her soul mate.
Volume 2 Ch 28: A promise...
Krya sighed as the four of them walked into the great hall, which was currently decorated with all the participating school¡¯s colors. She sighed because like always every eye was on them, or more specifically on Lira, who¡¯s new legs poked out from beneath her robe, Lira for her part had attempted to hide them by putting boots on, but it would seem that one cannot walk in boots if one has paws. Krya felt a small amount of resentment towards Lira, but that faded in less than a second as she thought about it.
Lira had not chosen to be this way, in fact, if she had been given the choice Krya was pretty sure she would have chosen to stay the way she was, and not have her legs anthropomorphized into those of a lion.
And if she could not stand by her own wife in a time like this, when she needed her the most could Krya be called anything but a coward? No. so she, noting Leon¡¯s small nod of approval, linked hands and bravely marched forward, feeling much better about herself, though how much of that was due to his approval she did not know, nor would she spend the effort finding out.
It was finally time for the first day of the tournament when the teams were announced and the rotation of the games were displayed. This was one of the few days where they were all required to be at school even though there would be no classes. Not that the headmistress had to enforce that rule, seeing as it was an exciting time, and was indeed the perfect time to begin the gambling and betting.
As the four of them sat down at the table reserved for the Grulik school the headmistress and several other people, all of whom were dressed like her in the school colors. ¡°Greetings everyone, My name is Headmistress Caitlin,¡± there was a small murmur around the crowd, ah so it would seem that Lira was not the only one who had not been aware of the headmistress''s name. A small red and yellow flash appeared at Leon¡¯s side, and Krya watched as the large man reached down and picked up little Eva without ever taking his eyes off of the headmistress and placed her on his knee. Eva for her part reached forward and grabbed some of the food that was set on the table and began stuffing her cute little face with it. ¡°Today is the opening ceremony of the Tournament, and I would like to begin this one by introducing the council of elders that presides over this school, it is through there benevolence that we can keep our doors open and-¡± Leon sighed loudly, loudly enough that the headmistress heard it half a room away and stumbled over her words.
¡°Typical bureaucratic bullshit, have to pat yourselves on the back and everyone wants a shot at the spotlight and all that shit-¡± he mumbled under his breath, and while he was mumbling it would seem that everyone in the room heard him. ¡°Oh look at me, I cant do anything myself so I am going to sponsor this and that and, poor headmistress, isn''t that right little Eva?¡± Eva looked up from the sweet roll she had been happily chewing on with a confused look in her eyes, and frosting smeared all across her face.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
*Ahem* the headmistress cleared her throat, calling all attention back to her and away from Leon, who seemed to be dead set on embarrassing them all at every turn this year, he, however, did not seem to even notice that he had caused a scene, Krya might even have been able to believe he had not done it on purpose if the corner of his mouth was not curled ever so slightly. The headmistress opened her mouth to continue her speech when Leon opened his mouth again.
¡°Next thing you know she will be saying that the event is sponsored by the McDonald''s corporation or some shit,¡± he grumbled, and to her, horror Lira burst out laughing before turning beat red and laying her head into her arms in an attempt to disappear.
¡°Mcdonald¡¯s corporation?¡± Krya couldn''t help but ask, surprisingly however it was Lira who answered not Leon.
¡°A large corporation that made cheap food and sponsored many events, and charities,¡± Lira answered, but then she froze, slowly she lifted her head and looked over at Leon, who was at this moment wiping Eva¡¯s face off with a cloth napkin. ¡°How did I know that?¡± she asked, softly.
Leon simply shrugged, ¡°We both worked there once upon a time.¡± he smiled, and went back to feeding Evangeline. Lira¡¯s head hit the table again as she realized everyone was staring at her.
¡°Well, I suppose that right now is as good a time as any to introduce the third year team for Grulik,¡± she made a sweeping gesture towards the group that everyone was already looking at. Both Lira and Krya bounced up out of there seats and bowed, followed more slowly by Fluffy and Leon. Normally that would have been the end of it, but Leon seemed to have a different idea. He placed Eva down and looked around the room, his red eyes scanning, until he found the pair of eyes he was looking for.
Emere was seated across the banquet hall surrounded by his cronies. Leon¡¯s eyes locked onto the man¡¯s gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t know how things are done here for an event like this,¡± he began speaking, and both Lira and Krya groaned, knowing Leon was about to make some ultimatum and knowing full well that he would see it through. ¡°But in memories of my past life tournament participants were allowed to say a few words, and I would like to use this opportunity to inform anyone who thinks they can use this event and its liberal rules regarding sabotage of the enemy combatants, we will not be participating in this tradition, we will be playing it by the rules.¡± everyone looked at the tall man in surprise. ¡°However, ¡± his eyes scanned across all the room¡¯s participants, with the exception of Aaron and his team. ¡°Anyone who thinks they can use this as an opportunity to hurt my people.¡± he grabbed a steel goblet in his hands and downed the wine in the cup in a single swig, his eyes drifted down to it as it started to glow red hot, before turning white, and starting to sag like it was made of a soft clay and not hardened metal. ¡°Retribution,¡± his eyes snapped back to Emere¡¯s ¡°will be swift and merciless.¡± molten metal dripped between his fingers and it was almost like his head was wreathed in flames for a split second, his face more bestial than human, but once one blinked it was gone. ¡°I hope we all have,¡± he paused and smiled a smile that would turn even the most hot-blooded killer cold, ¡°Fun,¡± he said, closing his hand entirely, squeezing out the liquid metal in his hands. As he sat down little Eva, who had been rescued from the fiery splatter zone by Krya picked up a cup and started to stare at it extremely hard.
It, much to her disappointment did not melt in her hands...
Volume 2 Ch 29: Tournament Part 1
¡°This is not really how I expected the opening day of a tournament to be,¡± Leon said, slapping down the thick volume he had pulled off of the shelve of the library onto the dark lacquered wood surface of the table they were using. It connected with the table with a solid thwack that seemed to reverberate through the entire library, echoing off the high vaulted ceilings.
¡°Yeah, this part sucks,¡± Aaron agreed, pushing his seat back from the table and putting his feet cross-legged on top of it, leaning the chair back onto its back legs.
¡°Your gonna fall-¡± Tilly said in a distracted tone as she scratched notes down on some spare parchment paper, her nose buried in a book.
¡°Have more faith in me I will do no su-¡± Aaron started to answer, but his snarky reply was cut off as the back legs the chair had been precariously balanced on slipped out entirely from under him. He tumbled to the ground with a loud clatter and began rolling over to his side holding his head and groaning. Lira pulled out a wand and not even looking at him cast a healing spell. The green sparkles rained down on him and his moaning stopped. With a groan, he sat up and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say it,¡± he growled and pointed an accusing finger at Tilly.
¡°Say what?¡± she asked, innocently.
¡°She told you so,¡± Leon said, Aaron, turned a mournful gaze towards him.
¡°I thought you were my friend!¡± he cried out, hurt to not have his backup like he had expected.
¡°I am, but I am also a survivalist, I know when I need to rack up points to cash in later when the women are grumpy.¡± He smiled, as Aaron narrowed his eyes at him and nodded.
¡°I see how it is...¡± he growled, the two locked eyes before both of them started laughing out loud, Leon offered him a hand and practically lifted him bodily off the ground.
¡°Do you have no concept as to what a Library is and how to act when in one?¡± A voice said partially irked and partially amused. Leon turned around and smiled at the Headmistress, who had somehow appeared behind them without even Leon noticing. She still wore the same outfit, her hair up in the severe bun she had become known for.
¡°Uncle Leon!¡± Eva bounced behind her mother, ¡°Can you teach me how to melt things to please?¡± she pleaded with him, big blue eyes staring up at him in near reverence.
He crouched down, resting on his haunches to be at almost eye level for her, ¡°To do something like that you have to be a good girl, and learn everything your mother teaches you.¡± he said with a deadly serious face, ¡°Can you do that?¡± Eva nodded her head, she looked adorable as she bit her lower lip, a habit she had no doubt picked up from her mother. He stood up and smiled at the headmistress who was beaming at him, only his smile was not so benevolent as her own, as she looked at his face her smile faded. ¡°Uncle huh?¡± he laughed, ¡°That makes you what my sister?¡± she started scowling at him, her hands dropped to her hips as she struck up a perfect irked sister pose. ¡°Ain''t that right Sis?¡± he asked.
¡°Don''t call me that,¡± she growled at him.
¡°What? Why?¡± he asked in a mockingly hurt voice.
¡°It makes me feel old,¡± she muttered.
¡°Wait, me calling you Sis makes you feel old? But having a child Eva¡¯s age does not?¡±
¡°I don''t know how things work in Leon land, but no, here in reality having a small child call me mom does not make me feel old, I will have you know that I know several women who were students here that have their own children here now, the fact that Eva is so young is-¡± she paused. ¡°Dammit, now I do feel old, thanks, Leon.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
¡°Always happy to help Sis.¡± he nodded his head in perfect sincerity, The headmistress was about to say something when Krya, who had to her credit not looked up from the pile of dusty old scrolls that she had Fluffy fetch for her this entire exchange, spoke.
¡°It is not worth arguing about headmistress, mostly because when Leon makes up his mind it becomes a reality, I swear if he believed the sky was purple it would be, just because he wished it.¡±
¡°Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-¡± Fluffy flopped onto the table, before rolling sideways, pushing books and stacks of paper out of the way as she did so. Laying there with her arms stretched out over her head she looked up at Leon. ¡°Leeeeeeeeooooooooonnnnnnnnn its sooooooooooo booooorrrriiinnnnngg,¡± Leon reached down and scratched her head between her ears, her eyes half-lidded as a lazy smile stretched across her face and her tail began vigorously swinging back and forth.
¡°Fine,¡± she huffed out, ¡°But if you are going to call me that then I expect at least a minimum level of respect, are we clear?¡± she asked, her eyes narrowing.
¡°Wow, you agreed to that much faster than I would have thought,¡± Krya said, brushing her hair back behind her ears as she looked up at the headmistress with one eyebrow cocked. The headmistress simply sighed and took off her spectacles so she could rub at the bridge of the nose.
¡°Are you all studying for the test?¡± she asked, referring to the test all students that would be participating in the tournament would need to take. It was the first requirement of the tournament, making sure they all knew what the rules of the tournament, well that and testing the student¡¯s academic abilities, seeing as the questions that would be asked were random, and the source text they could be drawn from was vast.
¡°Unfortunately.¡± Tilly said, placing down the book, ¡°Honestly why am I even doing this? I can''t even compete I''m 16,¡± she sighed in disgust and pushed the book away.
¡°Oh come on, you know how hard it is for me to study...¡± Aaron laid his upper torso on the table so he could reach across it to Tilly, who crossed her arms and turned away, chin up.
¡°So, Headmistress is there something I can do for you?¡± Lira asked, she had been up a stepping block to reach a book, but now she had the dusty tome in her hands she looked at the headmistress confused as to why she had come down to talk to them.
¡°Yes, Lira may I talk to you?¡± the headmistress asked, Lira, set the book down and nodded her head as Eva got pushed towards Leon by her mother. ¡°Leon, will you watch little Eva, and please for the love of all that is holy don''t plant ideas in her head about stuff.¡± she shot him a look, ¡°You know like melting a cup-¡± Leon rubbed the back of his head with his hand and gave a little smile.
¡°Leon, while we are gone do you think you can look up the twelfth theory of TermoMaldumorics of Lord Balmo¡¯s third law?¡± Lira asked, pointing at the book she had just set down.
¡°Sure,¡± Leon shrugged, picking up Eva and setting himself down on a seat picking up the thick tome.
¡°What did you wish to speak to me about?¡± Lira asked when they were out of earshot of the group.
¡°Well it''s about Gwenice, you see, her mother is pushing for her to you know,¡± The headmistress shrugged uncomfortably and smiled at Lira. ¡°In her own words she is a great great grandmother twice over and she doesn''t want it to be thrice over before she sees her daughter grow up, also she wants to meet him, and really all of you.¡±
¡°Its progressing,¡± Lira shrugged, ¡°I got her to talk about it, and she is interested, but I don¡¯t know, this all still feels strange and weird to me.¡±
¡°Was it strange and weird when Krya joined?¡± she asked.
¡°It was, but it was a smoother transition than this, Krya was a friend, a good one and it just happened naturally from there, but Gwenice, she was an outsider, and so it is more of a leap, perhaps I should work on being her friend but I dont know, its all,¡± she paused, unsure how to say it.
¡°Its fine, I get you-¡± she looked at Lira, ¡°Well, not your specific issue but I have also had some issues with my love life, after all there is a little bit of a hurdle in being in a relationship with a dryad who is the mother of a grove, has lived for over 500 years and has more than enough children to populate a small city, and that''s not counting the grandchildren or the great grandchildren, and that was almost 15 years ago, now, well, there are great great great grandchildren.¡± she once again rubbed the bridge of her nose, ¡°Just be nice to her if you can ok? You really don''t want to piss her off,¡± she looked at Lira, ¡°She and Leon have a lot in common when it comes down to how they react to threats to there family.¡±
¡°Thanks for the warning,¡± Lira said with a smile, ¡°We will come see you so you can take us to her at some point, but I really have to get back,¡± she said, and the headmistress nodded, and walked back with her. What they found there amazed both of them, freezing them in place.
Leon was sitting in a chair surrounded by a stack of books, on his knee, which was bouncing ever so slightly rested Eva, who was looking at a book much too large and advance for her but was also filled with colorful illustrations. In his hand was a book, and as they watched he reached over to the table not taking his eyes off the book and took a sip of wine from a goblet and went back to reading. The amazing part of this was the speed at which he was reading, every five or so seconds he would flip the page, and his eyes would blur as they ran across the text.
He finished the book he was on in a matter of seconds and was reaching for another when he looked up. ¡°No matter that cannot conduct heat can be changed to one that does such either through magic or transmutation,¡± he said looking at Lira, and then he grabbed the book he had been given by her and flipped open the page and pointed out the answer.
¡°Leon, did you read all of those while I was gone?¡± Lira asked, knowing the answer but not really believing it.
¡°Yeah, I''m still reading a little slowly.¡± he smiled at her.
¡°Slowly?¡± The headmistress croaked out.
¡°Yeah, well this stuff is all phonetically spelled, so it is much easier to read than say hieroglyphics or Sanskrit.¡± he shrugged...
Raider Audiobook is in production(first chapter preview)...
Hey everyone, I just thought I would let you all know that my novel Raider is being turned into an Audiobook by a Narrator named Marcus Price. Now I don''t know about you but this has me super excited and I have the first chapter here for you to listen to(Link is in the Author''s note above.)
I think he did an excellent job and can''t wait to hear more if this one goes well we will likely be seeing all of my books being turned into Audiobooks, which would be great, really really great.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Also, God damn that old lady voice tho :p I love it, it makes me wish I had given her more lines.
Keep in mind this is the first draft(or version or whatever) and all in all, I think it is great, I''m sure both he and I would love to hear what you think so comments would be appreciated.
Thanks, I can''t wait to hear what you think!
Volume 2 Ch 30: Good...Good...
Leon leaned against the wall as he waited.
He was not the only one sitting there in the dining hall, far from it, there were entire teams and group of friends just waiting to hear if the people they were here to support made it into the games. There was a sort of frantic tension that seemed to boil the air in the hallway alive. He looked over at Fluffy who was standing next to him, her usual bored expression was replaced with one of rapt concentration as she stared at the door of the testing hall, where all the students had gathered to be examined by the people who would be the judges of the tournament.
They had been at it for over an hour now, and much to his surprise no one seemed to be getting bored with it, and no one as even making a sound, it was a lot more constrained than he thought this population was capable of, seeing as the majority of them were snobbish due to their status and station in life.
The door opened up and they all held their breath, excluding Leon, who unlike the rest of them was ready with this section to be over so he could get to the fun part of the tournament. It was either a mark of pride to be the first done with the test or a mark of shame, it depended on what place the person who had stepped out first had placed. These tests apparently were in such a way they could be graded at a glance, even though the test was actually quite intensive, add that to the fact that there was no humanly possible way to cheat, seeing as the test taker heard the question in their head and simply had to write the answer on the paper, and that each test was different and well it made it so that this was a point of pride.
The person who walked out was a fourth year from their own school, a tall man with blond hair and scruff who had to be either 18 or 19, he proudly smiled as the entire population of the dining hall looked over to the board.
It was an ancient thing, apparently constructed the year this school first held the tournament here. Made from some greying wood carved with intricate symbols, which seemed to have been inlaid with gold, the board would have been impressive at some time, but now was simply an old wooden board with some magical properties. As they watched a token, with the man¡¯s name, which was apparently Argent Muran floated to the number one spot and affixed itself there, placing him in first, if only for the fact that he was the only one on the board at the time.
Apparently, there was some bonus for being the school that got first, seeing as the total points of the four competing schools were also displayed and the one for Grulik lit up and the number 10 wrote itself there, all others simply stayed at 0. Fluffy looked at it, ¡°I thought it was only the teams that were in the tournament were the ones who got graded on a point system, what do the school¡¯s points mean?¡±
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
¡°A couple things,¡± a student standing next to them said, not taking her raven black eyes off of the board. ¡°The school with the highest points gets to go first and select which teams they will be facing,¡± she said, ¡°And at halfway there is a large party held for the holders of the most points, though this is often a target for, well sabotage by the other schools.¡±
Leon smiled, the lip curl of a lion looking at a wounded gazelle.
He really hoped someone was dumb enough to disregard his warning and try to sabotage Lira and Krya. They wouldn¡¯t get far, and he would have someone to toy with¡
The door opened again, and this time it was one of Aaron¡¯s classmates who stepped out, she was a short little thing, with a wispish appearance, heightened further by her silver blond hair and silver eyes, she almost looked like something not physical. The first student out¡¯s face dropped as everyone watched his piece slide down the board to make room for hers at the top.
¡°Damn fool, couldn''t even hold it for one challenge.¡± the girl shook her head in disgust and disappointment.
¡°It doesn''t mean he is actually at the bottom, ¡± Leon said, ¡°He might have placed quite high, we simply don''t know the location yet due to the lack of others being placed.¡±
¡°True, but if I know that dunce, and I do, he will be somewhere at the bottom if not dead last.¡± she said, ¡°Well at least he contributed somehow by getting us those school points.¡± The same scene played out multiple times, over the course of the next hour as more and more people came out. Each time a different school placed first a single point was added to the school total. Grulik was in the lead by a margin of five, that first boost proving most beneficial to their totals.
The door opened and Lira stepped out, she had become quite proficient at walking on her new legs, they had added a good three inches to her height and had also made her hips wider, add this the cat-like grace she had begun to develop, where each step was a sway of the hips and a sensational motion. They all watched as she stepped out, the sway causing her robes to billow slightly, allowing more of her leg to be seen, or at least that was what Leon was staring at, apparently everyone else was looking at the board, which ultimately was a good thing seeing as it meant Leon didn''t have to rip out anyone¡¯s eyes.
He glanced at the board and watched as they all shifted down and she assumed the first position, displacing everyone by a slot. ¡°Wow,¡± Aaron said, he had come out about twenty minutes earlier and was sitting somewhere near the middle of the board, and was quite proud of himself for this, much to Tilly¡¯s Chagrin. As she walked over to him Leon pulled her into a hug, breathing in her scent and smiling.
¡°Good job,¡± he whispered, placing his chin on the top of her head, she smiled and turned around in his arms to watch the door with him, It took over an hour longer for Krya to come out, as it stood she was the last person out, and the second she stepped out every eye fell to her, slowly she walked down the steps, and into the hall, bringing with her a wave of murmuring. Her face was a mask, no emotion, there had been over thirty minutes between her exit and the person before her. They all looked at the board as the piece started to float up, and they all watched, it floated to the top, everyone from Grulik kind of already expected that she had gotten a reputation for being one of the most meticulous and best students in the school if not the best. But then the piece with her name on it froze as it neared the first place.
And it fell.
All the way down to the last place.
There was a shocked silence, even Krya¡¯s mask cracked ever so slightly. Leon¡¯s eyes shot over to where Emere stood, his face was plastered with a huge smile. ¡°I - can¡¯t-¡± Krya was staring at the board, her eyes wide, ¡°There is no way-¡± Leon closed his eyes, slowly, the fire in them burning so bright that you could see them glow.
¡°Good,¡± he growled. ¡°Good.¡±
Volume 2 Ch 31: The natural order of things...
He groaned as she slid him inside, ¡°My lady-¡± he called out before gasping for breath, ¡°Lady Priscilla, if your husband finds out-¡± Pricilla looked at the young man beneath her, he was a simple commoner, one she would never have looked at before, but one on which she now impaled herself. He was a young specimen, well built and sculpted from all the work he did around the castle, sandy blonde hair, blue eyes and a strong chin that was just starting to get some fur on it.
He was so young.
She smiled at him and went back to writing the runes on his chest, her own blood as the catalyst. ¡°He won''t mind.¡± she laughed, no, her dear husband didn''t mind anything these days. She rose, almost pulling him out of her and slammed back down. The boy gasped as she did this, what was he? Seventeen, eighteen?
Inexperienced.
But also full of vitality, which is what had drawn her to him. His hands came up and rested on her hips and he leaned up to get a kiss from her, causing a slight shiver to run through her body, messing up the rune she was painting on his chest. She scowled, her hands coming to his shoulders shoving him back into the downy fluff of the bed. ¡°Don''t move,¡± she commanded, and she leaned down, using her tongue to clear away the ruined rune from his chest. He groaned as she did this, the tip of her tongue lapping softly at his chest. She began rocking her hips back and forth. To be honest, this entire endeavor was slightly painful for her, seeing as she was still sore after having little Tenebris, who even at this moment was laying in the crib by the bedside, watching everything with black eyes.
She got back to work drawing the last rune on his chest, the man beneath her much to into the feeling to even care enough to ask what the runes were for. Slowly she began lifting her hips, her hands back on his shoulders as she sped up the motion, her own juices lubricating for the both of them. She felt him tense and smiled as the runes she had placed on his chest started to glow with light. As he released into her she felt the warmth of more than the young man¡¯s seed flow into her, as she watched he began aging before her very eyes, his own flashed open in a soundless scream, going from one extreme to the other, from pleasure to pain in an instant as his life drained out of him. In a very short time he withered away, leaving behind nothing more than a pile of dust, all the life drained from every piece of him.
Slowly she stood up, sighing in disgust as she felt part of his seed leak out of her and down her leg. Walking over to little Tenebris she cut her finger on her right hand and allowed all the life essence she had just absorbed become a golden droplet of liquid formed there, she smeared it on her nipple and picked up the small babe, allowing him to latch onto her. It was all too little, too much effort for too little vitality.
He would need to have more if he was to save to world from the Saint of light, she could not be allowed to ascend, a thousand years ago the last incarnation of the Saint of light had almost achieved that goal, and the world had been cast into a war that tore down nations that had stood for millenniums.
No, it could not be allowed, the world could not take a change like she would bring, every order would be reversed, every rule rewritten. And so she made herself and her child into the monster''s the world would need, the monsters that would keep the world the way it should be.
The way it has always been and should always be...
***
¡°Well,¡± The headmistress sighed as she looked at the four people in front of her. ¡°You are lucky Lira scored as well as she did,¡± he looked at Krya, who was staring at the floor her eyes wide like she was not even seeing the world. She shook slightly as she pulled in a breath. ¡°The average score between the two make it so you will be able to still compete, which has only happened in history twice before, and this tournament has been held over the past four hundred years, so that is quite impressive,¡± she offered the joke with a small smile, but it was lost on them, each was in their own mood, some shocked, others murderous.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
¡°There is no way to check the test?¡± Leon asked, his voice was quiet, not the brash loud that she was used to, and gone was the playful manner that she had come to know, and to her eternal shame, love.
¡°Each test is unique in not only the questions asked but the order they are asked in,¡± the headmistress laced her fingers into each other, ¡°Which means there is no way to check them seeing as the only thing written down are the answers, which also means there was no way for someone to cheat on the test.¡± Leon opened his mouth but she held up a hand to stop him, ¡°And before you ask, yes we did check her chip, and the board, no tampering was found there.¡±
¡°How is the score transmitted to the board?¡± Leon asked, and the headmistress raised an eyebrow.
¡°When the door is opened -¡± she paused, ¡°The door!¡± she shot up out of her chair and looked at Leon.
¡°Don''t bother checking,¡± he said, ¡°That door is in a highly frequented public area, any evidence is likely gone,¡± he growled.
¡°But that still has problems, you cannot single out a student like that, it would have had to been that it was set up for the last student out,¡± she said, but even as she said it it was all starting to click into place. ¡°And anyone who knows how Krya works would know that she is always the last one out of the room as she has to check and double check every answer.¡± Leon nodded his head, having come to the same conclusion. ¡°The only issue is there is nothing that can be done about this,¡± the headmistress sighed, ¡°After all, cheating is part of the tournament, and we cannot have her retake the test, that would require everyone to retake it.¡±
¡°You said we can still compete?¡± Lira asked, her eyes shone gold in the flickering light of the headmistress¡¯s office, a predatory light, she was very unhappy that someone would attempt to hurt her family, a trait of Leon¡¯s that as beginning to wear off on her.
¡°Yes, however you will be one of the bottom three, meaning you will have no choice in who you face, or on what field, and you will be given handicaps, making your lives harder the entire tournament.¡± she looked at Krya, who had still not said a thing or even looked up. ¡°I must tell you, there has never been a team that has gotten to the top from the bottom three.¡±
Leon stood up and looked over at Krya, fluffy had wrapped her arms around her master, the two of their tails were intertwined in an intimate gesture. Slowly Krya¡¯s hand came up and gripped fluffy by the shoulders and pulled her into a deep hug. ¡°How long do we have until the first match?¡± Leon asked his eyes on the two girls clutching each other.
¡°They start tomorrow officially at 8 am.¡± she looked at Leon with sympathetic eyes.
¡°Then we are going to skip the festivities of the day and use that time to rest,¡± he said, and every eye was on Krya and Fluffy, who was doing her best to support her master, so much so that she lifted Krya off of the ground and hugged her to her chest, almost carrying her princess style. They all turned to leave when the headmistress called out to Leon.
¡°Leon, a word?¡± she asked, and Lira looked at him, as he nodded his head to the door, indicating for them to wait for him out there. She nodded and ushered Krya and fluffy out and into the hallway.
¡°Yes?¡± he asked, his anger was clearly visible, a slow-burning rage, that she felt was more from the pain of seeing Krya cut so low then the actual act against her.
¡°She,¡± The headmistress sighed and pushed up her spectacles on her nose, wondering how to word this. ¡°She seems to be taking this much harder than I imagined she would.¡±
¡°What do you know about her history?¡± he asked raising his eyebrow at the headmistress.
¡°Not much, I am sure she has told you more, simply that she was supposed to be the head of the clan.¡± she shuffled around, ¡°But she passed on that to come here and when she got engaged to Lira.¡±
¡°Her father was an egomaniac and wanted the perfect heir to his title, so he pushed her, and both of her brothers to extremes, she as any young child wanted to please her parent and therefore worked very hard to reach his goals of perfection, which unfortunately lead to him raising them to see how far she could go.¡± he looked out the window as he spoke. ¡°Everything about her life was controlled, from where she went, to who she met, to what she was allowed to read and do any given day.¡±
¡°So her studies and scores were the only things in her control.¡± the headmistress said, understanding exactly where this was going.
¡°Yes, so for years that being the only thing she could really call her own, something she had complete control over she began to depend on them, to see them as a measure of her worth in this world.¡± he looked over at her, and she almost recoiled at the rage and hate burning there, so bright his red eyes glowed like they were backlit by the fires of hell. ¡°She now knows she has more of worth than grades and scores, but old habits die hard, especially ones that deeply rooted.¡± as he spoke a spark floated out of his mouth, and he snatched it out of the air like a bug, his fist closing around it, a glow began to show between his fingers. ¡°I know who did it,¡± he spoke softly, and she found this voice all the more terrifying for the calmness of it. ¡°They were fools to not listen to my warnings,¡± he looked over at her, ¡°is there anything else sis?¡± he asked.
¡°Only one thing,¡± the headmistress said, shocked at how natural it felt for him to call her sis. ¡°Cheating does not involve dead bodies, do you understand me?¡± she stared at him hard.
¡°Don''t worry,¡± he walked over the door and opened it before calling back over his shoulder, ¡°I won''t kill him.¡± he closed the door behind him, and the headmistress wondered if she should have also told him that maiming was also not an option...
Volume 2 Ch 32: A crack in the facade...
¡°Thanks,¡± Krya smiled as Leon walked out of the headmistress¡¯s office and joined them in the hallway.
¡°For what?¡± he asked looking at her, the blue tail that he had come to rely on to see a lot of her emotion was now hanging limp, as though it had no will to move. He looked at her and he could see a weariness in her eyes that didn''t seem to be there before like she was drained. He looked at her, a feeling growing in his chest, one that he could not quite put his finger on. Slowly he closed his eyes, exhaled a deep breath and calmed his frayed nerves. Sh didn''t need him like this, she needed him composed and calm.
¡°For believing in me,¡± she said, the words seeming to echo hollow.
¡°Anyone who thinks you did poorly on any sort of test has never met you,¡± Lira said. ¡°And are the type of people I doubt we need to interact with.¡± she looked at Leon and Fluffy who both nodded at her words.
¡°It seems like such a silly thing to be this upset about doesn''t it?¡± Krya said, walking down the hall, leaving behind the rest of them at the door, Leon glanced at Lira and followed right after her.
¡°Do you want my honest opinion?¡± Leon asked, and she looked over her shoulder at him.
¡°I never want to hear another type of opinion,¡± Krya said.
¡°Then I will just say that it is indeed a strange thing to be upset about, we are still in the tournament, no one we love is hurt, and it does not affect your academics in the slightest,¡± Leon spoke the words surely. ¡°It might be cruel of me to say but there are much worse things in this world than simply placing last in some tournament¡¯s ranking.¡±
Lira gapped at Leon, unbelieving at his lack of finesse.
¡°You don¡¯t sugar coat anything do you?¡± Krya grimace.
¡°No,¡± he simply stated, looking at the back of Krya¡¯s head. ¡°I find no point in making something bitter taste sweet, sometimes it needs to be bitter to learn.¡± he smiled, ¡°I have lived multiple lives, and I can attest to that fact myself from personal experience, sometimes it is the bitterness that teaches one to avoid, much like pain teaches a person to avoid things that cause it.¡± he smiled, ¡°You only touch a hot pan once,¡± he paused and thought about it, ¡°hopefully.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
¡°So what then do you suggest?¡± Krya asked she had turned around now that they had neared the end of the hall. ¡°Oh great and wise familiar?¡± she snapped at him. Leon smiled at the sound of her anger.
¡°You are already doing it.¡± he smiled and brushed past her, her eyes flared in anger as he pushed her slightly out of the way.
¡°I was talking to you,¡± she growled, turning on her heels, she followed behind him with quick steps, ¡°Leon!!¡± she grabbed the back of his robe, and yanked, he paused mid-step and turned to look at her, a look that was filled with laughter. ¡°What is so funny?¡± she snapped.
¡°You,¡± he simply stated and with a single hand he grabbed the edge of the robes in her hand and yanked, pulling the cloth out of her hands. ¡°You are, come we have things to do.¡± he walked away, leaving behind three completely puzzled women¡
***
An explosion shook the entire keep, small motes of dust drifted down as Krya beat out her frustration, it was honestly the largest amount of emotion he had ever felt from her, the rage the anger. It was like she was releasing an entire lifetime of rage that she had kept bottled up until that point. He smiled at the noise of it, so vibrant, so alive, so unlike the woman that normally kept all her emotions hidden. This would either destroy her, or change her, this was the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back, and he could not wait to see what emerged from that fissure. A lifetime of suppressed emotions finally set free and allowed to rage with all the life they could manage.
Simply beautiful.
The door of the chamber banged open, and in came the smoking wreck that was fluffy, part of the fur on her tail was singed off, leaving the pink flesh underneath visible, a complete color contrast to the darkened skin that covered the rest of her body. ¡°LEON!¡± she cried out, crawling on all fours, reaching one hand out to him for salvation as tears began forming in her eyes. Wisps of smoke still rose from her now ruined clothing. Lira simply stared at the poor smoking mess that was the wolf-girl, in complete and utter shock. Leon simply smiled and watched as she crawled pitifully into the room, ears, and tail drooping.
¡°Fluffy!¡± he heard the shout, and Fluffy squeaked in fright, scampering into the room to quickly take up residence under the bed, with only her poor, poor tail sticking out to let anyone know she was there. It was then that the demon who had ravaged the poor wolven maiden so showed her face. ¡°We are not done training yet!¡± Krya said rounding the corner, her face was in no way shape or form emotionless, there were so many of them going across her face all at once even Leon could not count them all. She spotted the cowering familiar¡¯s tail and marched over, seizing it in the hand that was not holding her staff she hauled the she-wolf out with a single motion.
¡°NOOOOO!!!!¡± Fluffy wailed, her words sounding more like a howl than something spoken. ¡°LEON SAVE ME!!!¡± she screamed, her arms latching onto the bedpost with such fervor that when Krya pulled her by her tail the opposing forces lifted the poor familiar off the floor entirely.
¡°I think Fluffy wishes to be done with training for the day.¡± Leon looked at Krya with a smile, Krya narrowed her eyes at him, her entire figure tightening like she was about to strike.
¡°I am not done training,¡± she said, still holding the struggling fluffy aloft by the tension of her tail.
¡°Perhaps you would like a new training partner,¡± Leon said, a smile carving its way across his face. She looked at him and released Fluffy, who fell to the floor with a meaty slap of flesh against the stone, she did not lay there long, but rather scampered up and over the bed and into Lira¡¯s arms, wrapping herself around the mage and putting her between her master and herself.
¡°I think that would be nice,¡± she said, a dark smile on her face, one that mirrored his own.
¡°Oh great, now there is two of them,¡± Lira sighed as she cast a healing spell over the traumatized familiar and gave her a soothing petting on the head...
Volume 2 Ch 33: Checkmate...
Krya felt the sensation, it was both cooling and burning at the same time, as a small stream of blood dripped down her forearm and into her palm, where it was lapped up greedily by the staff she held, the wood so used it was stained a permanent dark red-black color. She had not been the first of her generation to use it, but it was hers.
Irrevocably.
It was then that she realized she would never pass the staff down to one in the line, seeing as the man she was sworn to be with, and to cherish like no other was not really human. He was not even technically alive, sentient yes, but alive no, seeing as he was a construct of magic, a soul projecting its form in the physical world. To maintain a construct like this required a large amount of mana, so much so that mages were taught to corden off a percentage of the mana they possessed so they could keep a familiar active at all points in time. Once they had separated enough mana it was then sealed away with a spell, making it wholly inaccessible but for one purpose. It was once said that mages didn''t always use familiars, that some used to keep that excess mana, bolstering their own reserves with the mana required to keep a soul bound. They would be set free if the mana that sustained them and bound them was ever cut off, simply wandering souls, lost for all eternity.
She looked at the man in front of her, or rather the familiar, he was a tall beast, standing just over six foot four, a height that towered over everyone she had ever met. His mere presence commanding attention. He smiled as she looked at him, in his hand was a sword made entirely of fire. He really did look like an avenging god, that or a demonlord. The hair that he had was fiery red, as was the beard on his chin was short and well kept, a testament to her grooming techniques, seeing as if she had left it up to him he would not have trimmed it at all, and she was not going to be married to a troglodyte, even if he was a rather well-built troglodyte.
¡°Are you ready?¡± he asked, his face had a smile on it that would have normally been something she narrowed her eyes at, but this time she found herself smiling in return, it was such an interesting thing to be this, well open, this free. It was like being a different person.
She didn''t answer as she tapped the staff onto the ground, the blood that coated the polished wooden staff scattered into small droplets that hit the ground in perfectly spaced intervals, each drop going to her desired position. Mana was life, the will to control it was the will to control life, and at its most basic form life is blood. It was the reason Mages were only of royal descent, and magic could not manifest in the blood of a common without them being in part a noble in decent somewhere in the past. It was passed from bloodline to bloodline, each generation inherently getting weaker as the blood was mixed and less and less concentrated amounts were found in the children.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Where the blood touched the ground a small pillar of ice, no more than a needle stuck out of the ground, they all rose, hardening and spinning around her at such a speed they could not be seen. ¡°Ready,¡± she smiled and launched herself forward, swinging her staff like a conductor''s baton directing the blood ice shards like they were an orchestra whos sound only she could hear.
¡°Good,¡± Leon growled and also launched himself forward, somehow dodging the first shard that was too small to even be seen by moving his head ever so slightly. The blade of ice whizzed past shaving a thin line skin off of his face right under the cheekbone. His smile grew wider as he spun left, avoiding another that came in for a pincer attack and batted away the other one from the right with a swing of his fire-kissed blade.
Krya dodged back, kicking off the ground with a force that allowed her to move out of the circle she had formed and allowed him to occupy her previous position. ¡°Checkmate.¡± she purred as the droplets of blood she had spilled that she had not turned into ice shot pillars of light up into the sky. The pillars were pure mana, each one connected to her body, as she powered them she could feel the strength drain from her. Normally she would not put this much power into a spell, but she was after all attempting to cage a demonlord.
¡°Did you ever ask Lira about the first time I ever showed up in this world?¡± he asked, the sound of his voice muffled by the barrier. It also distorted his image, making him seem more like a silhouette than a man standing there.
¡°Can''t say I did,¡± she answered honestly, beginning to close the barrier, making the walls of it shrink down, boxing him in more.
¡°When I first showed up they put me in one of these, a blood barrier, or a magic barrier whatever you want to call it.¡± she had not heard this story before. ¡°I broke the containment chains,¡± Krya¡¯s eyes opened wide at that, it would mean that he was at least an S class familiar, and no one had even felt the need to tell her. ¡°I couldn''t get past the barrier, I was too weak at the time,¡± he laughed, and she felt her blood run cold. Suddenly the distorted image that was Leon was ablaze, she could see it through the barrier, a glow of the pure fire that burned through the red light that formed the walls of his confinement, and with no effort at all, he stepped right through.
The being that stepped out of the containment spell, however, was not Leon, or at least he was not the Leon that she was used to seeing. In its place was a creature with a human body, and a Lion¡¯s head wreathed in flames like the most majestic mane she had ever seen. He opened his eyes and looked at her, but there was no red there, simply a fire licking the inside of the lion¡¯s eye sockets. She gasped as he looked over at her, this was not the man she loved, this was something different.
¡°Leon?¡± she asked softly, and the creature just looked at her, its face contorting, it took her half a second to realize that the barring of its teeth that it was doing at her was actually a smile.
And then he vanished.
One second he was there, and the next there was nothing in the place he had once been standing. ¡°Yes?¡± a hot breath whispered next to her ear, her eyes widened in fright as jumped practically out of her skin, shrieking as she threw herself away. Leon¡¯s rumbling laughter caused a small vein to appear on her forehead as she picked herself up and brushed leaves and dirt off of her clothes, she turned to face him and found herself wrapped up in his arms, she looked up and found it was the normal Leon, not the lion-faced horror she had just seen. ¡°Checkmate,¡± he growled with a sadistic smile as he pressed his lips into her own possessively¡
Volume 2 Ch 34: Marked
¡°There he is,¡± Leon growled.
Lira, Fluffy, and Krya followed his gaze to a man on the stage. They were all standing in the middle of the dueling field, with the entire school and some visiting members of others schools in the surrounding stands. The four of them, however, were no the only ones standing there, there was also every other team that would be competing. Much to Krya¡¯s delight this included her brother, she smiled a dark smile at the thought of him groveling, but she shook it out of her head and focused on what Leon had said, she had learned over the past year that if Leon thought it was important than it likely was a matter of life and death, very little else captured his attention.
The man in question was seated behind the headmistress, who was currently giving a dissertation about what an honor it was to be hosting the tournament, and about the colorful history that was the Grulik school of Magic. He was seated in the middle of the elderly men and women of the school board, and he was drawing attention not only from the four of them, it would seem that most eyes were on him and not even paying attention to the headmistress¡¯s speech. This was likely due to the fact that of all the people on the stage he was the only one with his hood up, the deep cowl obscured his face.
¡°And so without further Adieu, I present to you the Magistrate sent by the royal court of the emperor to preside over these games! Sir Harl Menhim!¡± there was a polite applause as the man stood up, the applause faltered however when he lowered his hood, revealing a face that had at one point in time been quite handsome but was now marred by a burn mark in the shape of a clawed hand that had landed on the right side of his face. It was not just a normal burn scar, as this one had burnt the flesh down to expose the bone underneath, giving him a look like a skeleton who was wearing a man¡¯s face as a mask.
¡°Leon-¡± Krya spoke with a hushed voice, not taking her eyes off of the man as he slowly walked to the podium in complete silence. ¡°Didn''t you say you attacked someone who was spying on us, and you marked him with a flame that was unlike others and could not be healed?¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°Yes,¡± he said simply, looking at the man, now able to study the face of the shadow that had evaded him all those weeks ago.
¡°I see,¡± the man started to speak, his voice was rough course, and his mouth moved very little, this was likely due to the fact that he had lost almost half of the muscles that had controlled his jaw. ¡°I see that you all are interested in my face, or perhaps the lack thereof, Hmmm?¡± he looked over each and every contestant. ¡°I got this mark when I was careless and underestimated my enemy, it is a mistake I will not make twice,¡± to his credit, he didn''t even look over at Leon when he said this, he simply spoke and knew Leon would hear and understand. ¡°I choose to keep it as a reminder, showing me the folly of my ways,¡± he said, and Leon had to suppress a scoff at that. Both Lira and Krya shot him a glance.
¡°He cant get it removed, he cant get it fixed,¡± he smiled, ¡°he had been forever marked.¡± Both Lira and Krya groaned at this, knowing full well that it was not a good idea to have not only a judge bare a grudge against you but also someone who was in the good graces of the emperor. ¡°Not that it matters, he will not be with us too much longer,¡± he said with a shrug.
Krya frantically pulled on his arm and whispered to him. ¡°Leon please, if you attack him I don''t think we will be able to shrug off an angry emperor, even if he doesn''t like the guy he cant allow one of his own to be attacked or killed, it would damage the emperor¡¯s reputation Which might I say she would see as unacceptable.¡± Leon froze as she spoke and looked over at Krya.
¡°Wait, She?¡± he asked, and Krya looked confused.
¡°She who?¡± Krya asked not following the thread of the conversation.
¡°You said the Emperor was a she, wouldn''t that make her an Empress?¡± he had a wry smile on his face as he spoke.
¡°I know what you are thinking, and no, I am putting my foot down right now.¡± Lira said, ¡°First of all she is well over sixty years old and not a young woman anymore, second she has several children and is married, and third, the three of us, four if you count Gwenice are more than enough for you.¡± she narrowed her golden eyes at him.
¡°You misunderstand,¡± he said with a smile, all three of them no longer paying attention to the man on the podium. ¡°I don''t plan on marrying her, I am just pleased to know that once I take over this world there will be no issues with putting a woman on the throne, I don''t really want it for myself, and I do think you would look ever so nice up there, I might even, hmm service you while you were on it...¡± he laughed deep in his chest.
¡°Take over the world?¡± Krya asked in a horrified voice.
¡°I''ll tell you later-¡± Lira groaned as she hid her face in her hands...
Volume 2 Chapter 35: To be bound...
Harl Menhim was not a happy man.
Part of that was the fact that he felt conflicted between his duty to the Empire and its Emperor and the duty he owed the guild. Another part of that was due to the fact that he had gotten careless and had almost been captured by the group he had been sent to observe. And due to his carelessness, he was now horrifically disfigured, so much so that the man that had once been able to seduce any woman in the empire was now stared at like he was some sort of monster.
Another part of that was the fact that he had been ordered by the guild to no longer interfere with the affairs of the man, no not man, the familiar that had harmed him so. He was relieved from this duty, the unfairness of life burned in his gut, like the ghost fire that still burned away his face. He didn''t know what manner of magic had caused this flame, or what form of devilry had burned him so, there was apparently no way to stop it, or at least no way that he or any physician he had visited could find, it was still eating at his face, slowly burning away all his flesh.
Two years.
That was the best guess they had given him, it was indeed a grim prognosis for a man who used to have such a future ahead of himself.
Not anymore.
And they simply wanted him to wait? No, he didn''t have the luxury of time, there was no way he was going to wait for his colleges to find out what they were going to do. And thus he stood in front of the basin of water, staring down at the horror that reflected back at him, each small breath from his ruined mouth causing the water to ripple ever so slightly, distorting his face more and more, or perhaps that was the anger and hate building inside.
It needed to be done.
With a curse he bit his tongue, allowing some of the blood to drip into the pool of water, as it hit the water it turned inky black, the small drop causing the entire pool to turn a murky red. He then placed his face in the bowl. When he opened his eyes he did not see the bottom of the pool, but rather he was in a darkened room and was looking at a woman that sat on a bed, holding an infant.
¡°Priscilla,¡± he said, but the woman didn''t look up at him.
¡°Dear Harl, what happened to your face?¡± She asked softly, she reached down and with her thumb, she broke the seal the baby had on her breast pulling the now squalling child off and adjusting it so it could suckle on her other tit.
¡°The saint¡¯s familiar happened, we must free her quickly from such influence,¡± he growled, or at least he attempted to growl, the damage was beginning to enter his vocal cords, still growing, still burning. ¡°I don''t have much time, perhaps we can think of some way to speed up the process of his departure?¡±
¡°I have a few ideas,¡± she said softly, looking down at her child, who was nestled tightly against her bosom. ¡°It all depends though, what are you willing to sacrifice?¡±
¡°If the Saint does not reach her potential,¡± he shook his head, ¡°this world would not survive,¡± he sighed, running a hand over the section of his face that was not ruined. ¡°For that? I am willing to sacrifice everything.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
She smiled at him, it radiated a coldness that even through the scrying he could feel like a dark hand gripping his chest. ¡°Good, then we have a plan...¡±
***
The trees surrounded them.
Literally, they had gotten up and moved from there locations to surround the small group. Well, small was a relative term, seeing as the group was comprised of Leon, Lira, Krya, Fluffy, and Gwenice, all of whom were standing still, watching the forest literally creep in on them.
¡°This, this is why I never bring anyone home with me,¡± Gwenice said, crossing her arms.
¡°Are you sure dear sister? Because we were under the impression that you never had anyone to bring home,¡± said a voice of a tree, or rather the voice from within the tree. Almost like tree¡¯s bark was made of a liquid a woman stepped out, the bark curving to her rather curvaceous figure. It was pretty easy to see the family resemblance both in the way they were shaped but also in the spring in there step, like that of a deer. Gwenice crossed her arms, cocking her hip to the side.
¡°Faun, don''t tease your sister so,¡± the trees seemed to part as a new woman walked into the small grove that had formed around them, her voice was low and sensual, sounding like the wind blowing through trees, distinctly feminine. The Dryad that walked towards them was a leggy creature, green as the grass, and clothed only lightly in a dress of maple leaves, her long flowing locks of green hair were woven through a walnut wood crown that adorned her head. Her legs were covered up to the knees in rough boots made of bark and she swayed her hips back and forth in a sensual way that would make any man¡¯s mouth water. Leon to his credit did not let his mouth water, he made damn sure he kept his eyes on only the hymidriad¡¯s face, which was in itself beautiful enough to keep him occupied for some time. ¡°So, you are Leon?¡± she asked walking up to him, and around him, like he was some prize animal that she had to size up before she could render judgment.
¡°That¡¯s me,¡± he responded, allowing his usual smirk to once again grace his lips, even Gwenice was starting to enjoy that smile of his, sure it was a little arrogant, but considering how he backed everything up with his actions perhaps he could afford the cockiness.
¡°I hear that you call my mate your sister?¡± she asked stopping in front of him with a sultry smile on her face.
¡°It annoys her,¡± he laughed, he crossed his arms across his chest, making the gesture seem more like a casual one than the defensive stance. ¡°Anything that annoys her is good fun for me.¡±
¡°Ha!¡± she barked out a laugh and looked over at Gwenice, ¡°I like him,¡± she purred, ¡°shame he is yours, and I am promised to another, or I might just take him for myself.¡±
¡°I doubt his other mates would allow that,¡± Gwenice said, her cheeks burning red.
¡°Ah yes, his other mates,¡± she circled around each of them the same way. ¡°A human mage,¡± she said circling around Krya, ¡°from the icy north, where groves do not grow, a familiar, one of the sisters of the moon, tell me are you Lapulena or¡¡±
¡°Nope, that is my sister,¡± Fluffy said with a happy smile, ¡°I am called Fluffy now, it is the name I was given by my mate!¡± she practically bounced there in her spot, her tail swaying back and forth and her ears on swivel as she listened to the chatter of the dryads around them.
¡°Fluffy?¡± the hymidriad asked with a laugh, ¡°though I do not see why you are called fluffy, this one has more fur...¡± she walked around Lira, and with a casual flick of her hand, she caused the split in Lira¡¯s robes to part, revealing her legs. ¡°You, you are an interesting creature,¡± she purred.
¡°I am myself, and nothing more,¡± Lira responded, her golden eyes flaring at the challenge in the hymidriad¡¯s own gaze, they locked eyes and stared at each other for a long moment. It was broken first by the dryad who looked away with a sigh.
¡°I had hoped my daughter could be the alpha female in this relationship, but it would seem that she is practically outclassed in that department,¡± she glanced over at Gwenice, ¡°you are going to have to work hard my dear,¡± she smiled. ¡°I welcome you all yo my grove,¡± she said walking a short distance away, she started to seat herself, a throne of vines springing out of the ground to weave itself together under her as she sat. ¡°My name is Miona, I am the guardian and mother of this grove, tell me, future son of mine, why have you come?¡±
¡°Gwenice said we needed to come, she wouldn''t tell me why, perhaps you could ask her?¡± all eyes turned to the little half dryad, who was now shifting uncomfortably on her deer like legs.
¡°Mother, you said any of your daughters that wishes to bond with another must first meet with you, this is why I am here,¡± her cheeks were burning, and she hung her head so her green hair covered and hid her face. ¡°I wish to be bound to these people, wish to make them part of my grove.¡± she said softly.
¡°Gods child,¡± Miona leaned back and sighed, a single tear leaking out of her green eyes to slowly slide down her face. ¡°I''ve waited over a century to hear you say those words, you shouldn''t make your mother wait so long...¡± she smiled at Gwenice, ¡°come, my daughters, we have a celebration to start!¡± the entire forest seemed to explode as thousands of Dryads rejoiced and scattered, going about the tasks that needed to be done...
Volume 2 Chapter 36: A Dryads party part 1
The table was set.
It was quite a feat seeing as they needed literally over 1,000 places for all of her daughters and granddaughters and even great great granddaughters. Not that there were actually any tables or chairs, rows upon rows of food were simply lined on platters and placed in the center of the clearing. The poor younger children were tasked with keeping wild animals away from the food, which as it turned out was a full-time job. Whereas animals would avoid humans and the like they had no issue wondering in the midst of even a hundred Dryads. As Leon watched he saw a young girl that had patches of fur and cat ears pick up a small wolf cub and run back into the forest with him, only to have six or seven other pups take its place and start eating the food off of a plate that she had abandoned to take him away.
¡°Nice, the wolves are capable of diversionary tactics,¡± Leon said with a laugh indicating the small cat girl who had just come back to see the plate she had been tasked with guarding had been decimated. She placed her hands on her hips, the tail behind her puffing up as she hissed her frustration out loud to the world.
¡°Indeed,¡± Moina said as she leaned back against the bark of a tree, ¡°it is good to see all of my children here,¡± she smiled as she watched the little cat girl chase off the wolf pups, this time brandishing a branch like a club and wildly waving the leaved end at them hissing the entire time. ¡°Well not all of them, we are still waiting on my mate, apparently she is being dragged here almost forcefully by our daughter.¡± she laughed, and even Leon smiled at the image that formed in his head.
¡°You must have all kinds of parties like this,¡± he observed, Lira, leaned her head back against his chest, using him for a headrest as she watched the anthill of activity in front of them.
¡°I do have many daughters, but we only do this on the first bonding, and I only throw these parties for my daughters, not my granddaughters or so on, those parties are handled by their mothers.¡± she smiled.
¡°There was this one summer what was it forty years ago?¡± Gwenice asked from her resting place, which happened to be his lap. She had placed her head on his legs and was stretched out to the side her long limbs splayed in what looked like a particularly comfortable position. She was getting bolder by the minute, though she was still not used to the sexually charged jokes that tended to be thrown around by everyone in his family, those still threw her off of balance.
¡°Ah, Morea, Kraneia, Daphnaeae, Epimeliades, Kissiae-¡± Moina started naming off names.
¡°Yes mother, but there is no need to name them all off, I don''t wish to hear the names of hundreds of my sisters that got bound that summer,¡± Gwenice interrupted,¡±the point was we must have stayed drunk for at least a month, it is considered rude to not eat and drink at one of these, and we literally had hundreds of them, months upon months.¡±
¡°Yes, it got so bad that I got physically sick at the sight of Hymwine,¡± Moina laughed, ¡°Didn''t you claim you would never mate that day Gwenice?¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
¡°Did I? I don''t even remember anything of those months, except the beginning and the ending, I remember wondering why I was so cold, and then realizing I was covered in snow, it would seem that I had spent the entirety of summer in a drunken stupor and woken up in the middle of winter.¡±
¡°It was one hell of a party, or rather one hell of a string of parties,¡± the Hamadryad said with a laugh, ¡°And when I came to many of my daughters were now carrying saplings, and had no idea who the fathers were,¡± she shook her head, ¡°What a mess,¡± she chuckled.
¡°Roey, remind me to never party with your family, I don''t think I would be able to survive,¡± Leon laughed, Moina smiled, but the smile split into a broad grin when she realized what he had said.
¡°Roey? ¡± she asked with a laugh, and Gwenice groaned out loud and buried her face in his lap in an attempt to keep her face hidden. ¡°Oh goddess, that is adorable, I am going to have to reintroduce you as Roey now,¡± she laughed.
¡°No mother, please don''t-¡±
¡°Nope, it will be done!¡± she threw her head back and laughed up at the sky.
¡°Is it really necessary to antagonize your daughter so?¡± Caitlyn asked as she walked into the clearing, truly being pushed along by Eva who was struggling to hurry her mother along for all she was worth. The headmistress had cleaned up nicely, she had left her glasses off and allowed her long blond hair draped down her back free to be caught and blown by the wind, she had also lost the standard dress she wore, instead she was clothed in a looser fitting white robe that seemed to float around her like a cloud.
¡°But of course dear, what kind of mother would I be otherwise?¡± she asked smiling over at her mate, ¡°I am glad you are wearing that, it will make Julissara so happy to see you in the dress she made you,¡±
"LEON!" Eva shouted, and sprung out from behind her mother, pushing Gwenice''s head off his lap and taking the place like she was a queen and she had found some woman sitting in her throne while she had been away.
"HEY!" Gwenice shouted, "You little brat that hurt!" she fumed as she turned to look at Eva, who simply flashed her an innocent smile which melted the anger out of Gwenice''s stare. "That look is completely unfair," she muttered to herself as she scouted back and took his other shoulder, using that as a headrest instead, still mumbling something under her breath. Eva for her part sat there on his lap, looking extremely pleased with herself and started prunning her feathers with a satisfied smile on her lips.
¡°Wow sis, you clean up good,¡± Leon winked at her and smiled broadly as she blushed.
¡°Careful boy, you don¡¯t want me getting jealous,¡± Moina said with a slight smile on her face, ¡°Or I might have to take her here and now and show my dominance,¡± she growled good-naturedly as a vine sprung up from the ground wrapping Caitlyn around the waist and pulling her down on top of Moina¡¯s lap. "But he is right you do clean up good."
¡°Moina!¡± Caitlyn cried out, ¡°At least let me keep some dignity!¡± she cried out.
¡°Everything you are is mine, this includes your dignity, I will do with it what I wish, like I will do with you,¡± she purred as her hand wandered suggestively over her captive¡¯s body. Leon¡¯s smile widened a single eyebrow raised as he watched the interaction. An icy hand gripped his chin and turned his head away and he found himself looking directly into the eyes of Krya.
¡°Not allowed to watch,¡± she stated firmly, even as he could see fluffy in the background panting and wagging her tail at the site behind him.
¡°Perhaps you could entertain me some other way to keep my mind and eyes from wandering then?¡± he purred back and felt the satisfaction of watching her mouth slowly curl up in a smile.
¡°Mother!¡± Gwenice shouted, sitting up from her resting place, ¡°It is my bonding remember?¡±
¡°Yes, yes, fine, we will postpone this,¡± Moina said with a sigh, and as Krya released his chin he was able to see a red-faced and rather rumpled Caitlyn quickly trying to get her dress back in order, ¡°Everyone!¡± Moina called out, her voice commanding silence in the valley. ¡°I bid you welcome to my Daughter¡¯s Binding! Let the celebration begin!¡± and without any pomp or ceremony, they all descended on the platters of food like wild animals.
Elegant wild animals, but animals nonetheless.
Volume 2 Chapter 37: A Dryads party part 2
¡°So, what exactly does a binding entitle?¡± Krya asked, she was resting on a grassy knoll, one hand fishing through a platter that had been brought to her in search of a particular berry that she seemed to enjoy, the other was holding a wooden cup that looked a lot like a flagon that had been grown from a tree, not carved, but grown. The cup¡¯s contents were sweet, with only the slightest alcoholic kick, which is why she had grabbed it, they couldn''t afford to get to drunk, seeing as the first tournament was tomorrow. She glanced over at Gwenice¡¯s mother, who was currently on her fourth or fifth cup of some sort of wine.
¡°Well, there''s the party, obviously, then there is the transfer, and afterward there is the consummation,¡± she responded her words only slightly slurred.
¡°Give me that, you need to be sober enough to be able to do the transfer,¡± Caitlyn sntched the cup out of her hand and drowned its contents before her mate could react.
¡°You are no fun,¡± she groaned.
¡°So what exactly is the transfer, I mean I get the party part and I and guess what you mean by the consummation-¡± Krya started to say, but was cut off at that point by the headmistress.
¡°No you can¡¯t, I am sure many a young man and woman were disappointed when they learned that the consummation was not what they were expecting,¡± she laughed, her hand raising to her face to attempt to push the glasses that were not there up on her nose. She sighed and instead settled for pushing the hair out of her eyes and tucking it back behind an ear.
¡°Were you disappointed?¡± Moina asked, she wrapped her arm around Caitlyn''s waist and pulled her in closer.
¡°Disappointed? No, more like relieved,¡± she snorted.
¡°So if it is not what I think it is then what is it?¡± Krya asked, this, this was why she hated going to events and parties, no matter what or who people always got distracted and the conversation got pulled in too many directions at once.
¡°What?¡± the headmistress looked back at the now slightly annoyed Krya and realise she had forgotten that they had even been talking, ¡°Sorry this mead is strong, it hits you pretty quick,¡± she laughed, and like that she dropped like a stone, eyes rolling back, and the cup falling out of her hand to roll down the hill. Moina caught her with a casual grace and laid her head across her legs smiling as she combed out her hair.
¡°Is she ok?¡±Lira asked peaking at the headmistress from around Leon.
¡°She¡¯ll be fine, just have to sleep it off,¡± Moina laughed, ¡°Serves the girl right for drinking Hymwine, I warned her many times,¡± she shook her head, ¡°In fact I am the only one here who should be drinking it,¡± she continued brushing her long green fingers through Caitlyn¡¯s hair with a soft lovingness that seemed to radiate off of her.
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¡°Well fluffy seems to be having a good time,¡± Leon said, drawing everyone''s attention back to the crowds of dryads down below, they had abandoned chasing off the wildlife, instead they dined with them, some even feeding the wolves and foxes and other creatures like favored pets. There was one group of dryads however that was acting differently. Down to the right side of the hill was a group that had found some instruments and were currently dancing, and amongst them was a certain wolf woman with dark skin and light hair. She had somehow shed all of her clothing, but that was not what made her stand out, rather it was seemingly normal for the dryads to be naked. It was instead the way she was dancing that was different, while the dryad¡¯s dance was graceful and smooth like the wind through the leaves, Fluffy¡¯s was aggressive, full of sharp movements and turns like she was a wolf on the prowl. As he watched she even through her head back and howled, though there was no moon in sight.
¡°Let''s go!¡± Gwenice shouted, bounding up pulling Leon to his feet with her.
¡°Go?¡± he looked at her like she was speaking a foreign language, ¡°Go where?¡±
¡°Dance!¡± she shouted practically dragging him along behind her, her deer-like legs working furiously at the ground as she attempted to pull him along as he resisted.
¡°I don''t dance,¡± he smiled back, but still refused to move.
¡°Can''t or don''t?¡± she asked him coyly, and almost laughed when a vein showed upon his forehead.
¡°Don¡¯t,¡± he growled through a smile. ¡°I can dance, I simply choose not to.¡±
¡°It''s probably because your no good at it,¡± she shrugged and let go of his hand. She turned away from him and walked a few steps with a noticeable bounce. She turned back towards him her green eyes lit from within by a coy light.
¡°I know what you are doing,¡± he said crossing his arms and cocking his head to the side, ¡°bating me, using my pride against me.¡± it was a statement, not a question. ¡°You know what the worst part about all of that is?¡± he asked.
¡°What?¡± she smiled, her long deer-like ears flopping to the side as she mimicked his motion.
¡°That it''s fucking working,¡± he growled, and in a single motion he scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder, starting down the hill to the knot of dryads.
¡°Put me down!¡± she screamed even as a laugh bubbled up in her throat.
¡°Nope!¡±
¡°Can''t or won''t?¡± she asked.
¡°Won¡¯t,¡± he said, his hand that he had over her thighs to hold her in place over his shoulder moving up to grip her pert backside, she screamed again, this time for a different reason.
¡°He actually can¡¯t,¡± Lira said, a smile on her lips, ¡°dance that is,¡± she snatched the wine cup out of Krya¡¯s hand and took a sip, watching him from over the rim of the cup as he made his way towards the throng of dancers.
¡°You two aren''t going to go join them?¡± Moina asked looking up from Caitlyn¡¯s hair, she had somehow flipped the woman over and had braided her long blonde hair in the most intricate pattern Lira had ever seen.
¡°No, its good for her,¡± Lira said, smiling as she watched Leon fumble around, pretending like he knew what he was doing while Gwenice danced literal circles around him, in a rather seductive dance that involved a lot of rubbing on him if she as anyone to judge.
¡°Do you ever get jealous?¡± Moina asked, she looked over at Lira, and then over at Krya.
¡°I used to, but then I realized something,¡± she looked at Moina and smiled. ¡°I realized that just because he loves another woman does not mean he loves me any less, love is not something that can be quantified by an amount, only by a magnitude.¡±
¡°Many would disagree, but I can say that I do not, I have lived a long time, loved many people and I have found that even though I love one does not mean I do not love another just as much,¡± she looked down at Caitlyn. ¡°This is my mate, and I love her just as much as my previous mates, and I am sure my future mates, and it does not diminish the love I feel for her, now or in the future.¡±
Lira nodded, looking back down at the dance, ¡°You know what?¡± she said, ditching the cup even though it had some of the drink left in it, ¡°Let''s go.¡±
¡°Go where?¡± Krya asked, her eyes wide and a small smudge of dark berry liquid on the corner of her mouth. Lira pulled her up and dove in, licking away the dark juice that stained her lips, Krya¡¯s face got red, but Lira didn''t pay any attention, she simply grabbed her by the hand and dragged her to the ever-growing dance down at the base of the hill.
¡°We cant let her steal him away, now can we?¡± she laughed, ¡°Let''s go show her how real dancing is done...¡±
Volume 2 Chapter 38: I give you my heart.
Gwenice stood across from him in the pool of water. She wasn¡¯t far away, just out of arm¡¯s reach, and she stood perfectly still as she looked at him. The water was up to his waist, and up to mid stomach for her, Leon could feel the mud of the bottom of the small pond between his toes as his weight slowly caused him to sink down into its surface ever so slightly. He glanced at the mighty oak tree that towered over the small pond, and then down at the woman who was seated beneath it, or in it, it was hard to tell.
Moina was the tree.
Apparently the dryads had more in common with a familiar than he had thought, their physical bodies, much like his own were simply magical constructions, whereas the rest of them were actually just these trees, granted they were trees that apparently had human-level intelligence and the ability to form magical bodies, but they were in essence still trees.
Slowly Gwenice raised her hands out of the water and held up a small seed, no bigger than the size of her thumb with a green shoot coming out of it and held it aloft to him. This was her, she was literally this seed. He grabbed it gently, brushing one thumb over the soft leaf that grew off of the shoot, and watched as she shivered slightly and wrapped her arms around her upper body as though she needed to ward off the cold.
¡°I give myself,¡± she whispered softly to him, a hum of conversation went up around them and he was again aware of the Dryads surrounding the small pond of pure blue water. Apparently, it was not too often that one would give literally everything to there bond mate. He looked over at Moina who sat forward in her seat as though she was watching a show of particular interest.
¡°For that seed to grow you will need to plant it in a place that has plenty of magic, and she will never be able to go far from it.¡± she spoke solemnly, ¡°A tree can with care be uprooted and transplanted, but it can only withstand this trama a few times, so for now perhaps you should leave her here in the pool,¡± she said softly.
¡°All it needs to grow is Magic?¡± he asked, looking at the small seed in his hands, ¡°How quickly will it grow?¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
¡°It will grow as quickly as she wishes, as it is it is already over 100 years old, she has been consolidating the mana and using it for her base, so that when it does get planted it can flourish, if she wishes it can stay that size for as long as she wants it to, simply by consolidating more.¡± she smiled at him, ¡°When a dryad is born they are born like any other child, but they are born with a seed in their hand, these bodies might simply be magical constructs but they are our own, just like any other creature¡¯s.¡±
¡°I see,¡± he said, and before anyone could stop him he pulled out a knife from under his robes, cutting a deep gouge across his chest. He gritted his teeth eyes blazing and ignored the frantic cries and shouts of Lira, Krya, and Fluffy. He simply stared into Gwenice¡¯s eyes, watching them go wide in horror as he bled into the pool. He closed his eyes, knowing full well that what he was about to do next was going to hurt like hell.
With two fingers he spread the wound open, and with quick but careful movement he shoved the seed inside. The pain was so intense that he almost blacked out, his vision wavering as he fell to his knees, the water splashing and turning a hazy pink around him. He was about to fall when he was caught and held up, looking he saw himself staring into the startled eyes of a frightened Gwenice, her dear ears on a swivel, flicking back and forth in agitation. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± she screamed at him, her fear morphing into a mixture of fear and anger. He could hear the sound of people splashing through the water towards the two of them.
¡°Giving you my heart,¡± he smiled back, his voice deep and confident. His red eyes flew wide as did her own when the small seed soaked in his blood sprung to life, tendrils shooting out to wrap around his heart. The feeling was not at all unpleasant, almost like a tender caress, the pain came from a burning somewhere in his soul as he felt some connection he had never even known he had severed. He fell forward no longer able to hold himself up, and with Gwenice to in shock of what was happening to hold him in place. The water felt cool, relaxing like he was wrapped in a warmth that would keep him safe. He briefly wondered if he should simply stay here, forever.
The thought was dashed to pieces when he thought of Lira alone in the world, no family to call her own. And of Krya once again retreating into her shell, hiding behind her mask, of Fluffy, losing her mate, and now of Gwenice, who had willingly given him everything. No, sleeping in these waters was something he could do later, he had work to do now. With a roar of pure will and determination, he rose out of the water, like some warrior baptized in the river he arose, living for those he loved. When his vision cleared the entire forest was silent, not a soul moved, Lira was staring at his hand, slowly she looked down at her own.
The symbol of their bond was there, but it had changed, instead of the head of a flaming lion that branded the two of them the form of a lion made of thorns and wood, filled with fire from the inside stood proud and strong, as though it cared not that it burned away its own body, so long as it could do what needed to be done.
¡°What are you?¡± Moina asked, looking at him with a mixture of horror and admiration.
¡°Me?¡± he asked, catching the smile that appeared on the headmistress¡¯s face and knowing she knew what he was about to say. ¡°I am simply myself, Leon.¡±
Volume 2 Chapter 39: Monolith tournament part 1
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He was nowhere to be found.
Harl Menhim, the man that was supposed to start the tournament this morning was nowhere to be found. He had not left a message, not told anyone where he was and no one had seen him leave. Caitlyn sighed and removed her glasses so she could rub the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. Perhaps he got called away for some reason, she didn''t know, she simply knew that she had the entire school sitting in the dueling stadium, and then some seeing as a lot of influential members of the conclave and the national capital and hell probably even a few members of the emperor''s entourage were seated out there, and the person that was supposed to start it all was nowhere to be found.
She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, she felt something soft brush up against her leg and opening her eyes she looked down to see the smiling face of her daughter looking back up at her. She smiled back and scooped little Eva up, fine she would simply have to do this herself. With deliberate steps she walked out onto the stage, keeping her head held high. On the field in front of her were the teams of students, they were visually distinct seeing as they were dressed in there school uniforms, all of which were different colors and designs. The Retcliff school, Termlin, Motrasi, and Wolfthir, and of course there own Grulik school, even the small enchanting school of Saint Francaris. Each and every one of them were arrayed before her, each and everyone of them waiting to be pitted against one another. ¡°Greetings one and all! I would like to welcome you to the first event, today we will be running the Monolith challenge, a challenge specifically designed to test the cooperation of the students and their familiars without the abilities most take for granted, that means no magic, the goal of this tournament challenge is to find the enemy monolith and destroy it before your own is destroyed, if neither team can do this task in under thirty minutes then both are considered to be a loss,¡± her words echoed out across the stadium. ¡°The first teams to play today will be the two lowest ranking, after that it will be by random draw, until we have only one team remaining.¡± she pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to little Eva, who scrambled out of her arms and up to sit with her legs on her mother¡¯s shoulder, holding the paper in her small hands and reading it out loud.
¡°The first tou- tour-¡± she stumbled over the word and leaned forward ever so slightly to read it better. ¡°What are these words mommy?¡± she asked showing the Headmistress the paper.
¡°Tournament challengers,¡± her mother said with a smile, helping her out.
¡°The first tournament challengers today will be Grulik vs Saint Franc-¡± she narrowed her eyes at the paper. ¡°And this one mommy?¡±
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¡°Saint Francaris.¡±
¡°Saint Francaris,¡± she repeated and looked up with an innocent smile.
¡°Will the contestants step towards the gates?¡± the headmistress said, and Leon and his group rose, walking towards the gate on the right side of the stage, he looked over at the other gate where Aaron was standing with his other party member. It looked like they had a smaller team due to the fact that there was only Aaron and another man, and there two familiars, both of whom were small unassuming animals, Aaron¡¯s hawk, and the other man¡¯s rabbit, whereas the four of them stood at their gates.
¡°Good luck!¡± Aaron called out to him.
¡°Our thanks, but we won''t be needing luck,¡± Leon called back.
¡°Oh?¡±
¡°Yeah, we have skill,¡± and before he could respond back Leon stepped through the gate and into the woods. It would seem that he was in a strange location of the woods that he had never seen before, old trees grew twisted and gnarled, the branches overhead so dense they almost completely blocked out the sun. he stepped aside allowing the others room for when they materialized.
¡°Ah but if it isn''t our brother in law!¡± a voice called out, and from the nearby tree the naked torso of a dryad leaned out. ¡°What a treat!¡± she said with a large smile, ¡°It is not too often we get visitors here in the old parts of the woods,¡± she shook her head, ¡°for shame on my sisters, scared of some old spiders and snakes,¡± she laughed. Her skin was an ashy color, like the tree that she was a part of, with ram-like horns and dark green eyes with no pupils.
¡°Akura!¡± he called out and gave the woman a hug, ¡°It''s good to see you again!¡± he laughed, he had a drinking contest with this dryad, and much to his amazement he had lost, but he was willing to bet she had cheated somehow, like perhaps she could drink so much due to the fact that her actual body was a tree that had to weigh several thousand pounds. Which was probably the reason Hymwine was so high in alcoholic content, it needed to get creatures drunk that must weigh several thousand pounds.
¡°So what brings you to my part of the woods dear brother?¡± she asked, propping her arm on a knot in her tree and resting her head in her palm.
¡°Monolith tournament,¡± he said, pointing at the black obelisk that stood behind them. It was a tall thing, standing over 9 feet and looking like it was made out of polished marble, with several runes carved on each side.
¡°Ah,¡± she purred, pulling herself out of the tree, ¡°perhaps you would like my help with that?¡±
***
Caitlyn held little Eva in her lap and watched the massive mirrors situated above the stage, there were two of them, each set to scry one team, and while they could not hear what was being said, not because the spell was incapable of it, but simply because they did not want the strategies of the teams to be heard. It put the lower teams at a significant disadvantage, seeing as they could be studied by all other teams, and their forms and strategies could be deduced long before they ever met on the field. She smiled as watched Leon talk to the dryad, even if they knew what his strategy for this tournament was, they would never be able to counteract it.
¡°Look mommy! It''s sister Akura!¡± Eva shouted, pointing at the glass and bouncing up and down on her mother¡¯s lap, a few hundred eyes centered on her and Eva, and she groaned inside, simply smiling she ignored them and patted Eva¡¯s head, brushing the golden hair out of the way and arranging it so that the red feathers that poked through could be seen.
¡°Just watch my little bird,¡± she cooed to her, and Evangeline nodded and stared fixedly at the screen, completely absorbed. Caitlyn briefly wondered if it was a good idea to let Leon influence her daughter as much as he did, but then again, she doubted she would ever be able to tear them apart, not with how Eva had grown so attached to the man. She sighed, she would have to talk to him about what he said and did in front of her daughter, she could already tell how that conversation was going to go...
Volume 2 Chapter 40: Monolith tournament part 2
Aaron looked around the forest where he and Halmil had landed. They were deep in the forest, so deep he almost doubted anyone had ever seen it, perhaps it was only populated by whatever animals called these shadows home. He was sure that none of them were friendly, not this deep in the forest. He looked over at the obelisk and rolled his shoulders, well he was going to get nowhere if he didn''t move. Part of him was excited that he was getting a chance to compete against Leon and his family, he liked them for sure, but he also wanted to see if he was as powerful as he seemed, Leon seemed to exude some sort of power, even when simply standing, doing nothing.
It was time to see exactly how powerful he actually was.
He looked at the bird perched on his shoulder and shrugged, causing the familiar to wing away to the sky. He dropped his pack and started to look through all the items he had packed in there, the pack contained everything from water to a stick of grey material that could be used as a massive explosive device if it was simply snapped in half. He rooted around until he found what he was looking for, it was a long device that he unfolded and turned to look at the obelisk, with a quick motion he stabbed it into the stone face, chipping off a part of the rock, it slid down the hollow cylindrical tube that was the device, and with a practiced ease he folded it back up with a flick of his wrist, trapping the chip of stone inside the device. Aaron slowly turned in a circle until he felt the device buzz ever so slightly, a smile on his face.
¡°Halmil, we have a heading,¡± he said, shouldering his large bag and whistling once to call his familiar back to his shoulder. Halmil nodded and adjusted the blade on his hip, falling into step behind Aaron as he walked into the forest. ¡°Well, Leon lets see how good you are at this little game.¡±
***
¡°They have both left the pillar and are on the way here,¡± Akura said. Pulling her hand off the ground and standing up to look at Leon, ¡°I could break the pillar right now, it would be simple...¡±
¡°No, I will handle him, Krya, Fluffy, do you think you can take care of that obelisk?¡± he smiled, it looked like the grin of a madman, the mania gripping him wholly and completely.
¡°Who do you think you are talking to?¡± Krya asked, her face splitting into a smile.
¡°Yeah!¡± Fluffy copied her, placing her hands on her hips and cocking them to the side the same way her master had done.¡±What are we doing again?¡± she asked, and everyone including Akura smiled.
¡°Just stick with Krya, Fluffy, and you will be fine,¡± Lira said with a smile. ¡°Come on Leon, it''s time to do some hunting,¡± she pulled out a knife and slit her robes from her mid-thigh to the hem, tying the pieces to allowing her legs to move more freely. ¡°Think you can keep up?¡± she asked with a smile, and before he could answer she took off, weaving through the trees like a predator who had scented her prey. The sight of her moving like that brought back so many memories, with a smile he closed his eyes. As she got further away from the back of his hand started to glow. He looked down at it as the fire spread from the tattoo and covered his body in black flames. They didn''t burn, they just slightly warmed him, he smiled, remembering the first time this had happened. It started with his arm burning away into nothingness. In under twenty seconds however, he was fully consumed and turned into a fine black ash. Purple and golden runes and ancient drawings lit up the forest surroundings as a soft wind blew away the ash pile he used to be.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
¡°Well, that is one way to do it,¡± Akura said shaking her head at the fine powder that blew away in the soft wind.
The world came back to him, and he found himself a few feet above the ground as it raced past his feet, with an almost instinctive movement he braced and placed one foot on the ground, pushing off with it to begin the run.
¡°Cheater,¡± Lira laughed from beside him, easily running with the long strides her legs afforded her. He smiled, and with more flourish than he really needed he allowed his human form to burn off of him. Flames devoured his skin as he ran, allowing the Lion-god that he really was to show through, Lira¡¯s eyes widened as she watched him change.
***
The crowd gasped in shock and horror as they watched Leon change, even little Eva shook slightly as she watched him be consumed by the flames and emerge as something different. Caitlyn had always felt that he was hiding something, but she had never even considered something like this. The creature that came out of the flames was like a lion that stood on two legs, all muscles and pride. The mane around his head was red and black flames that streamed behind him devouring anything that they touched, two flaming wings also appeared, he held them angled straight back.
She would not have recognized him if not for the eyes, they blazed red, a burning fire that she recognized all too well. ¡°Mama?¡± she forcefully looked away from the glass scrying screen and down at her little girl who was now sitting with her face buried in her chest, not looking at the screen. ¡°Will Leon be-¡± the little girl broke off and looked back at the monstrosity on the screen and shook slightly, looking away quickly.
¡°Baby,¡± she cooed out softly, ¡°Look at the eyes,¡± and she used her hand to turn her daughter¡¯s face back to the screen. ¡°That is still Leon, see, those eyes are the same,¡± she smiled.
¡°He looks scary, mommy,¡± she sniffed.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, he is only like this when he is fighting,¡± she said, and she hoped she was right.
¡°So he will go back to normal?¡±
¡°Yes dear,¡± she softly ran her fingers through her daughter¡¯s hair, and prayed she was right, if only for Evangeline''s sake¡
***
¡°What is that noise?¡± Halmil asked as both of them paused, it had been a roar, some sort of primal call that caused Aaron¡¯s blood to chill in his veins. Halmil drew the blade at his belt, the runes on the blade casting him in a strange blue glow over him. The roar sounded again, and as they turned Aaron saw two monstrosities charging at them from out of the tree line.
One was instantly recognizable, it was Lira, her long silver hair streaming behind her, golden eyes blazing, horns pointed forward as though she was going to run him through with them. The long skirt of her robe tied back to allow her long digitigrade legs to run at their full speed and lope, but it was the eyes that were different, there was something about the feral look in them that caused his breath to hitch, that was not the sweet girl he knew, it was a lioness on the hunt.
The other monster had to be over six feet tall and was some half man half lion that was wreathed in flames, it closed its clawed fingers like it was holding something, and in its hand sprung to life a blade that seemed to be constructed of black and red flames. He glanced at its face and found he recognized the eyes burning there in the monster¡¯s skull.
He knew those eyes, they belonged to his friend Leon.
¡°Fuck my life-¡± he managed to get out before the pair of lions descended on them...
Volume 2 Chapter 41: Monolith tournament part 3
Halmil swung hard and low, the blade howling through the air like it was a creature possessed and then stopped, the blade bouncing like it had hit a stone boulder. What it had actually hit was Leon¡¯s blade made of flame, and the force of the blow had literally done nothing to him. No muscles quivered, hell his arm had not even moved. He leaned down over the blade, his elongated muzzle in Halmil¡¯s face and growled.
Aaron could fill it in his gut, and he was a good five feet away, it was no wonder Halmil was shaking, with a quick movement made all the more effective with the fear he was undoubtedly feeling he pushed the monstrosity that was Leon, though it had no real effect on him, simply pushing Halmil back and out of reach for a second. The shining blue sword swept out and was once again stopped as though it had hit a stone wall.
Leon could have ended this all within seconds, but he was toying with them, Aaron knew it, and decided to press his luck, if they were going to get out of this situation he would need every advantage he could get. He pulled the small glass vial from a belt pouch, his arm cocked and ready to throw it when he felt the air move as something, or rather someone approached him. Aaron ducked just in time to feel the wind as a powerful leg swiped past his head. ¡°Fuck!¡± he shouted out as he bodily threw himself backward and mentally called down his Familiar, who served as the perfect distraction as she flew directly into Lira¡¯s face, Talons raised for a fight.
He ran for the forest, the rod in his hand pulsing slightly and as he looked back he watched as Leon continued to play with Halmil. The man was not even looking at him, but rather at Aaron, even while he was deflecting every blow Halmil was throwing at him, and Halmil was no pushover when it came to swordsmanship. ¡°Fucking ridiculous,¡± he growled as he looked at the two of them. And even though the smile was on a face that was neigh on unrecognizable, Aaron still felt he recognized it as Leon¡¯s, there was a little condescension, a little bit of a superiority complex, and a whole lot of humor in it. ¡°Fucking ridiculous,¡± he laughed before throwing himself into the woods.
¡°Shoo!¡± Lira swatted at the bird in a half-hearted attempt to chase it away, Leon couldn''t help it he laughed out loud at the site. ¡°What?¡± Lira demanded, putting her hands on her hips and a reprimanding look on her face. Leon shrugged and dashed forward, with a bare hand he disarmed Halmil and gave him a light blow to the side of his head, knocking him out cold, he caught him before he even hit the ground and laid him there softly. ¡°Don''t give me that shit,¡± Lira said, and he chuckled as she narrowed her eyes at him, ¡°What pray tell was so funny Leon?¡±
¡°You looked like a kitten playing with a bird,¡± he laughed and as he did so she launched herself at him, tackling him and using the power in her legs to lay him out on the ground with herself on top. He looked at her, a single eyebrow raised at her action, a slight smile on his lips as she pinned him down and leaned down to growl by his ear in a playful manner. ¡°While I think this would be a fun diversion, don''t you think you should go chase down your prey?¡± he laughed, and with a single hand and a movement that bespoke of the ease he could move her off of him he extricated himself from the ground and her grasp.
¡°Fine,¡± she sighed, and swiped absentmindedly at her clothing, brushing off some stray leaves. ¡°Then we shall hunt,¡± she smiled as she stalked off, making sure to sway her hips in a most enticing way¡
***
¡°Uhhhhhh,¡± The headmistress slumped in her chair, breathing a sigh of relief. She wiped the sweat away from the brow of her forehead and closed her eyes for a second, thanking the gods and whoever else would listen that those two had not done what she feared they were about to do. Honestly, they were being monitored, she didn''t know what she would have done if they had started to get more, erm, intimate.
It''s not like she could have shut the scrying down, it was a process that required four people to operate due to the size of the mirror and the complex nature of the spell woven on it. And the worst part of it was that she was sure they would not have cared at all, or at least Leon would not have cared, he didn''t seem to care at all what anyone thought about him good or bad.
Leon just did not care.
¡°Aww,¡± Eva slumped in her mother¡¯s lap, crossing her arms across her chest and pouting, ¡°I thought they were going to do that adult thing, you know where they-¡± the headmistress''s hand shot out so fast it was a blur as she clapped it over her daughter¡¯s mouth with such a force there was an audible clap, Evangeline''s eyes widened as she looked up at her mother¡¯s face which was now burning red.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
¡°I am going to have to have a talk with Moina about what can and can''t be taught to you at such a young age,¡± she snapped to herself, before removing her hand from her daughter¡¯s mouth. ¡°Shush, we will talk about it later, suffice it to say that is not a good topic.¡±
¡°But Mommy it is natural, I''ve seen animals and people, and dryads and everyone seem so happy af-¡± once again Caitlyn¡¯s hand clapped over her daughter¡¯s mouth.
Oh yes, she and Moina were going to have a very long talk¡
***
So this was what it felt like to be hunted.
It was not the best feeling he had ever felt, but he had to admit, it was making his heart race a little. Aaron knew he was outclassed, had known it from the start, but if anyone thought he was going to give up because of that, well then they didn''t know him.
Didn''t know him in the slightest.
Dodging around a tree he pulled the pack off of his back, honestly, it was too bad that his opponent for this challenge was Leon and his women if it had been anyone else he was sure he would have won. Being an enchanter he had an innate advantage in a situation where magic couldn''t be used by a mage. This challenge was to test how well mages could adapt to situations where magic couldn''t or wouldn''t work. Therefore the rules stated that no one could cast spells, familiar abilities notwithstanding.
They said nothing about using magic items that were previously enchanted. With a smile, he brought out a small round ball made out of blue metal that seemed to shine and reflect in the dim forest light. Lines of runic symbols crisscrossed across its smooth surface, but he didn''t even glance at it, with a whistle he called his familiar back to his side, it appeared with a puff of smoke and the familiar feeling of talons on his shoulder. ¡°Be my eyes,¡± he huffed, and she obediently turned her head to look behind him. She would warn him if Leon and Lira got to close. He ran his finger over the priming rune and watched as it lit up, and feeling the squeeze of her talons on his shoulder he dropped it at his feet and kept running.
A blinding blue light flared up and the sound of the device assaulted his senses, he never knew what it reminded him of, simply that it did remind him of something. Aaron skidded to a halt and looked behind him, smirking when he saw both Leon and Lira trapped in the blue stasis light, completely unable to move. ¡°I didn''t think that was going to work-¡± he breathed out a sigh and rested his hands on his knees bent over panting from his run through the forest.
¡°It''s a good trick,¡± Leon nodded begrudgingly, his eyes flicking around examining the light that held him in place.
¡°Orb of immobilization,¡± Aaron said proudly, ¡°Invented by yours truly, you know, just in case I ever need to freeze Tilly in place to escape her beatings.¡± he laughed.
¡°I''m pretty sure this would simply make her want to beat you more,¡± Leon laughed with him.
¡°Yeah, well it only lasts for around 20 minutes, and it uses your own force against you, the more you struggle the more it restricts,¡± Aaron laughed, ¡°quite the perfect trap if I do say so myself.¡±
¡°Well it''s not bad,¡± Leon gave him, his lion-faced smile fierce, ¡°But do you really think this will hold me?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Aaron put his hands on his hips, ¡°yes I do.¡±
¡°Then you are sadly mistaken,¡± Leon laughed, and to Aaron¡¯s horror and interest, the light that held him started to glow as it absorbed energy. ¡°You see the issue with the design is the fact that it is not the motion it feeds off of, it instead feeds off the energy the motion creates, meaning it is a kinetic barrier,¡± he was speaking as though it was a simple conversation between friends or colleges. ¡°The thing about energy is, well all energy is at its base, the same, ¡± flames lept up around his body, only to be whisked away by the light. ¡°The biggest issue in the design is that you didn''t build in some way for the field to purge itself of excess energy.¡±
¡°Oh shit,¡± Aaron turned around and fled as he realized what Leon was about to do.
¡°Oh shit indeed,¡± Leon half laughed half growled.
The blast threw Aaron almost ten feet away, causing him to land much to his surprise not painfully at all against a tree, as he looked up he caught the site of a beautiful woman with green skin and deer antlers.
¡°Thanks, Akura,¡± Lira said as she kneeled down in front of Aaron, Leon standing over her with his arms crossed and a wide grin on his face, which now was no longer beastial, but rather the face that Aaron knew to be his friend¡¯s.
¡°You two are fucking ridiculous,¡± Aaron said, his lips twitching in a smile, he took the hand offered to him by Leon and allowed the man to pull him to his feet.
¡°I''ll take that as a compliment,¡± and as he was speaking trumpets sounded, it was the signal that one team had lost and the game was over.
¡°Once again, fucking ridiculous,¡± Aaron said with a laugh as he shook his head, ¡°I need a drink, care to join me?¡± he asked. Leon was about to answer when Akura walked around Aaron and put her hand on his cheek, and before he could move she leaned in and placed her lips on his. As she pulled away she trailed her hands across his chin as she walked away disappearing into the woods. ¡°Oh god,¡± Aaron said in horror.
¡°Well, sure, I''ll take you up on that drink, in fact, we better take Lira with us, I have a feeling you are going to need her after Tilly gets done with you.¡±
¡°I- I''m fucked-¡± he choked out in a horrified voice.
¡°Yes you are my friend,¡± Leon said laying his hand on Aaron¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Yes you are.¡±
An update
Hey all, first of all I wanted to say sorry about the lack of uploads and content for this and my other novels. I have been swamped between building a house and work, as such I don''t have much time to write but I also want to give you guys content, so I am launching the novel Doll which I have already finished writing.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The link is in the author¡¯s note above. I hope you all like it and with any luck I can be back to writing these novels soon.