02 Wrath of Flames
Page 45
Rapid regeneration by the next day had Ethan groaning and itchy beyond even the pain. Most of his skin had grown back, but was still so new it was like ants crawled all over.
In a delirium, his mind wondered as he found he could now sense beyond the room which contained him.
Fires burned all around. Most were small, like candles. Some moved like torches. But almost all fire burned up above his head. Two very dark areas were above as well… and one to the right laid about two hundred feet away. By the absence of heat spoke of the Ice Dragons that seemed a faint memory now.
But something strange happened, something he never knew could happen. He was the fire and they were he. Every spark was an extension of himself and through them came a jumble of voices. Weak and delirious as he was, he thought he was hallucinating, but was real enough that the pain he still felt wasn’t a figment of the imagination. This wasn’t a dream. His mind knew that much.
The jumble of voices were overwhelming, but with nothing better to do he started to let himself and the fires mingle. That felt right somehow. The warmth all around drew him from his broken body. Every spark lent a hand, wanting to obey its true master like a loyal dog who would never abandon him. Warm. Inviting. Obedient. It was an experience unlike any other.
Beautiful actually.
So broken, Ethan never knew how simple and amazing fire could be. Over-thinking let something so monumental escape notice. His mind wondered through the flickering heats all around till he wanted to understand more.
As if granting the wish, the fires responded. They didn’t really have minds of their own, but for him they asked on a level older and more basic than life itself. ‘What do you wish of us?’ is how his mind processed their response.
Let me listen and learn. He thought and immediately the strongest of all flames high above in a hall drew part of his conscious mind in. The fire consumed him, but was gentle and didn’t hurt. Ethan’s closed eyes allowed him to see through the fire itself and hear.
He was up in a hall of some dug out ancient structure. Runes were etched into the rock wall itself, large and solid. To Ethan it was more like some Aztec or Egyptian inner chamber. He saw dozens of wild Demons in the spacious room. Some slept while others spoke loud and obnoxiously to outdo the other. There was one large gray Dragon curled up with a partially mauled human clutched in a hand. The nearest Demons were a recently bathed Arachne giving head to a Ghoul before the gray skinned corpse eater started to come around and have sex almost in a feverish state till Ethan saw the bite mark on his shoulder from the spider woman. As soon as he climaxed she didn’t wait to show her black widow side as she spun and sunk her fangs in again and sucked out every drop of fluid to nourish her now pregnant body. She licked her bloody mandibles and said “Your children thank you for your service.” She left to climb a wall and let his husk to be kicked in the fire by a shaggy Goblin.
Ethan watched and listened, but no one could see or sense he was using fire in a new way. He studied the room closely, finding holes leading up in the ceiling the Arachne disappeared into. The room was filled with bedding, mostly old dirt, moss and leaves. The single fire he was using heated what seemed a cold room. There were two dark tunnels coming in and out to either side of the room. He heard loud noises coming from the one nearest a group of slumbering Lamia, snake women all coiled around one another in a huge ball over fifteen feet high.
Dozens of smaller flames were placed in a rectangular pattern, at least in Ethan’s assumption and the large hearth let him go and he instantly traveled to the loud room to find it was a fighting ring where two Incubi were fighting to the death over a completely terrified Nymph with a swollen eye and was bound tightly, and naked, to a pole. Other Demons called for blood as the two lavender skinned sex fiends went at it with swords. In one quick move the taller one made a feint and took his brother’s head off when it was fell for. He painfully sodomized the Nymph in front of his fellow comrades while Ghouls took the fallen corpse away. Only, the Nymph wasn’t the only one being used for rewards. Several other men and women were chained up to be taken as personal slaves to whoever won the match orchestrated by a large Harpy. Blood red eyes sparkling with madness and had an ugly grin. She was large, even for a Harpy, but unlike most of the dirty Demons completely mad on souls, her feathers were swan white. She squawked “Next up to bid is an Amazon captured last week in Wisconsin. She is feisty, but young, barely out of training. Best of all she’s a virgin so the price is double. Bidding starts at two thousand raids. If it gets to ten we’ll have another match between the buyers.”
“A virgin Amazonian?” Said a disgusting Goblin. “Put me in for all ten. I’ll breed her dry and feed well daily.”
“Not unless I do.” Said a Kelpie trotting into the ring, brandishing it’s long fangs in a gruesome grin.
“Any other contenders?” The Harpy asked the frenzied crowd and six more bid for the Amazon who looked no more than sixteen.
Ethan left, seeing enough.
The next room was actually a sentry area and he could see outside. It was dark out, but by the lack of lights, Ethan determined a city likely wasn’t near. Smell and touch were vacant in the experience, but the first shred of hope rekindled within as the fire showed him a way to escape.
He bounced around from hearth, to torch, to candle, cigarette and lantern till coming upon someone who was now proven the one who betrayed him, Order and hope for life in general. One was clearly a mess hall where the main dish served were human with a side of souls from some lesser creature. Ethan eventually found himself in a fireplace in the most defended part of what he discovered to be a mountain.
And he glared such hatred he tried willing the fire to burn the room, but his power was still blocked.
Ximr Shortsnout the Nependis was thrusting doggie style on another Nependis. He was going all out till collapsing.
Hatred turned to fury as the female’s shape suddenly transformed into a Succubus who brushed her bountiful breasts against his furry, gorilla-like chest. “You keep fucking me like that I’ll get pregnant again.” She kissed his snout.
“Sheedan, that is exactly what I’m doing. We have a deal. I gave you the Elemental and you give me an heir.”
“A most satisfying consort I’ve ever had the pleasure of wrapping my legs around. A deal is a deal, Lover. My fertility cycle will start in a few hours. Can you keep it up till then? I’m still rather excited after your spiked dick reach all the way to my womb.”
“Your pussy is better than the females of my kind. And I’ve waited long enough to finally get you. Setting the trap which had almost every warrior come running in was easy, which you would have killed thousands if not for Odin showing up.
“Paying the zealot mercenaries to kill the Enchantress and Ethan was fun… and setting the trap four days ago finally worked so our agreement stands.”
Sheedan kissed his flat nose. “You certainly are a greedy consort. But remember, once I’m pregnant you are on your own. My minions will try to kill you.”
“They can try. Few have ever been bitten by my kind to know what it is like. No hard feelings if I kill some loyal minions.”
She shrugged. “I do not care if you kill a thousand. The only one who was a threat to me is now my slave in the dungeons and is being watched closely. One of my sisters will earn his trust, fuck him silly and pretend to be pregnant to control him. If what you say is true, he’ll be easy to manipulate if he thinks I’m holding his unborn child hostage. Now, fuck me like that again.”
“With pleasure.”
Like hell! Not after all I’ve seen. Looks like my gut was right. My cellmate is a spy and her arousal I detected wasn’t wrong. Ximr, you are dead for being fuckbuddies with that harlot. You laid the bait that got me in here and when I get out I’ll make it my eternal vow to tear your head off. And for selling us out so Kanade was hurt… oh, you are going to wish you killed me. Ethan mentally vowed as he returned to his aching body. But first…
His ey
es parted slowly, crusty from old tears and new eyelids. He went to use his right hand to wipe them clean and saw the nub was slowly growing a new hand, but was days from having any form of function again. But then he looked up at the naked, gaunt woman curled up in the corner shivering. Without so much as making a sound he struck fast with his left hand.
He was far weaker than he imagined, but still retained an abundance of strength as his large hand wrapped around her small throat. There was a tiny pop as her skull disconnected from her spine. Nerves jerked for a moment but then went still. He let go and noticed the water collection cup. He silently drank and put it back before laying exactly as he had moments ago. But before he closed his eyes he watch the fake Witch’s appearance ripple till she looked more like a mangy jackal with six legs, two hairless tails and floppy ears like a bloodhound. He realized he just surprised and killed an Agas to see it’s true form, not a perfect illusion.
Proof she wasn’t a Witch as claimed came when no soul separated from the body. If he were wrong, he would have just saved her from torture. Either way, his mind was at ease. They got to do better than that to get me to obey.
Ethan smiled and went back to sleep, taking his first step towards vengeance.
“WAKE UP!!!” the Succubus screamed as she shot him with a pain spell.
“Ahhh!!!” He screamed and jerked. As soon as she had his attention the pain ended.
“Did you do that?” She pointed and held up a lantern, bathing the cell.
“Do what?” He feigned ignorance till he looked to where she pointed. “Ah!” He yelled. “Shit!” and crab walked back into the bars and yelled again as his wings touched them. He panted painfully as he curled into fetal position.
A foreign presence entered his mind. It felt like old, chunky grease. Wrong. Unlike Kanade who went in his mind easy and soothing, this one was corrupt. But he knew it was coming and his much more powerful thoughts sealed away him killing the Agas spy while making his main thoughts of the pain he endured for days and beneath those were of sleeping ever since. He hid everything else that held importance. His extensive comic knowledge was left available as was his general life, but every real secret he knew of was stored in a mental vault the Succubus Shaman could not detect, let alone breach. Especially the new discovery she helped unintentionally uncover.
“But then how did she die?” The smoking Succubus sounded uncertain.
“Why do you sound so concerned? Was she your favorite pet?” Ethan asked bitterly.
“Want another lesson do you? No one told me how fast you heal. It means you will have more sessions till you are more compliant.”
He whimpered and tightened his ball-like body for real. He didn’t want her to work on him ever again. She was beyond an expert in this field. No matter a person’s pain tolerance, she made one rethink the meaning of torture. There was no way he could fake the sound.
“Better.” The woman purred through her ugly voice. “Crawl to the end and let me pull the corpse closer like a good boy.”
Lingering pain made it so that was all he could do. He got as small as possible, trying to hide himself behind a still healing wing as the door opened and the master interrogator magically drug the Agas corpse out and shut the door again. She checked the body and found it already stiff from rigor mortis, too stiff to find out how she died since there wasn’t a mark on her. She opened the door with all the razor sharp spikes with a word he didn’t understand and they left.
As soon as the door shut someone asked in the adjacent cell “New Guy, what do you do? That bitch actually raised her voice. Did you kill… whatever the hell creature it was?”
“No.” He lied, but didn’t know if another spy was listening. Sheedan admitted to one, but any leader always has a backup plan. “I just got a nasty wakeup call. How long I been out?”
“Couple days at least. She spent at last two skinning you slowly before throwing you back in. Now you see why we take the perverts over her.” The Naga across admitted.
“Yeah. That was horrifying. But since I heal so fast means I’ve got more coming.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but better you than us. We all got a break for a little while.”
“How about we make a deal.” Ethan groaned.
“Those of us who can still hear are listening… not that we have anything better to do.” Came a hoarse woman’s voice. The female Goblin Ethan noticed when he looked waved.
“I’ve lost a lot of blood and I need more water. I’ll keep pissing her off if you guys spare more. Those of you who saw what I look like can tell due to my large body, I need to drink more.”
“Wait, so you’ll endure more just for water? Aren’t you afraid of dying? For us?” The Goblin was curious now.
“I don’t want to, but it’s who I am. Chaos, Order. I don’t give a rats furry ass. If you help me, I’ll return the favor. I won’t ask for your food since you are all more malnourished than me, but I’ll endure all I can… for as long as I can. Sheedan won’t allow me to die. She wants me for some reason. I’ve screwed her over once big time. If she wanted me dead, the three Ice Dragons would have done it rather than bring me here. When I find a way to get out of here I’ll expect all of you to stand with me and kick some ass. Spare me water and I’ll spare you further sessions. Simple as that.”
“You really mean that don’t you.” The Goblin said in disbelief.
“Sheedan will fold faster than the Flash on laundry day than I ever will.”
“I’ll save up my drippings, but first you must prove you’ll take my place.”
“Sure, but next time I ask you better not pull back on our agreement. Anyone else want to support me?”
Ethan counted sixteen other voices beyond the three his hole allowed him to see. What he didn’t say was he needed to go back into that state and get familiar with it. He was trying to reconnect with all the beacons of light beyond the darkness, but the subtlety eluded him.
Sadly it wasn’t long enough when the succubus returned, but not alone. This time a bare chest Lamia slithered in. His voice sounded stronger than he felt. He was terrified, but a promise is a promise. “What, you’re two timing on me now, Skank?”
The Succubai raised a single eyebrow. “Still courageous are we? Very well. I guess this will be a perfect opportunity to teach the proper ways to make a man squeal.” She told the new girl. “He is wonderful to feed off of while making him scream. I’ve never tasted the like.”
She shot him again and brought him out to endure more days of suffering, even letting the snake woman sink her fangs in his body from time to time.
But as promised, when he woke up, nineteen full cups of water were passed down. Only this time he ate an unfulfilling gruel. Healing was much slower, but his hand and toes were all grown back. But now, after a second time in that state, he managed to connect intentionally and so he began learning all he could in the Agas den. The more he learned of the layout, the more fire in turn taught him about the truest meaning of it and who he was.
“Kanade…”
“LEAVE ME FUCK ALONE!!!” She snapped the moment there was a noise.
Floa squeaked as a vase shattered in a million pieces almost right by her head. Over the past week and a half Kanade grew increasingly violent. Floa and everyone knew why and it wasn’t due to just her angel’s disappearance. That only made her suffering even more unbearable. First Kanade was in shock for three days, acting like a robot and answering when spoken to, but ever since, she has grown thin from not eating. Black bags under sunken eyes spoke of little sleep to none at all in her desperation. Her once luminous skin had turn pale and the way it glittered seemed all but gone. Impeccable cobalt wings were now ruffled and unkempt. Covering her body was the same dress from three days ago when she withdrew completely from all contact with friends and family after screaming at Blossom for simply touching one of Ethan’s comics she was always allowed to read before. Floa even smelled her unwashed body from the crack left in the door.
“Mama, is Auntie Kanna going to get better?” Blossom asked with fresh tears streaming down tiny green cheeks.
“I hope so.” She cupped the soft cheek and kissed her brow to smooth out the wrinkles.
The immortal’s madness was what all female immortals experience without sex after maturing and finding their soul mate. They become dangerous till they mate with anyone, but for Kanade’s kind, there is only one who can save her. And her madness was quicker than most due to circumstances. The frenzy to mate makes Kanade dangerous though she still cannot intentionally do harm. The vase moments ago wasn’t from the normal and loving Kanade.
She was a ticking time bomb.
Ever since Ethan went missing, Kanade and Floa went all over the world doing tracking spells like every Witch and Wizard available tried. The only good news is the spells came about, but didn’t move in the direction. If it hadn’t worked at all would mean he was dead and his soul gone forever. It was the only proof he was still among the living. It also meant he was cloaked. But it made it harder for Kanade than anyone else knowing he was alive, being unable to find him and feeling herself deteriorate second by second.
Odin laid a hand on his wife’s small shoulder. As soon as he had finally awoken from the week of sleep he was told what happened. Still the search for the Fire Elemental had turned up no evidence on his whereabouts. Odin’s lone eye was both calm and resolute at the same time. “Floa, you know what must be done. For her own safety she must be confined somewhere she can hurt neither herself or anyone else. Her madness must be contained. I’ve personally made sure the room is escape proof. She will have the best care till we get the lad back. I heard how she spoke to you. She can hardly articulate anymore. It was more a clipped snarl.”