“Oh. Sorry. Just so you know what you’re dealing with, I’ve kinda killed, like, hundreds of people. I’m a master assassin in the Gorenyan Guild of Assassins. Or at least was.”
“I... really don’t know how that news would make anyone feel better. What happened?”
“Well, you know my name?”
“Umm... It starts with O, right?”
“Yeah. Osa. Osadoguhn Viaxy.”
“Like Cyr—”
“Cyrio Viaxy was my dad.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah. So since I’m his daughter and all, the guild heard of me, mostly when I started getting good at fighting and when my brother turned out normal. The G.G.A. hired me, and I rocked people’s worlds. I’m hella strong, I’m fast for a Slagskin, I’m dexter-y, and I’m kinda crazy.”
“You mean dexterous?”
“Yeah, that one. I don’t know if you heard outside of Gorenya, but you ever hear of the Bloodletter?”
“Can’t say I have.”
“Everyone in Gorenya knows the name, and it’s leaked out in the news around the world. I am her. I got the name ‘cause, like I said, I’m pretty crazy. I spill lots of blood and tend to kill people in kinda terrible ways.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like, blood everywhere, neck sometimes ripped out, I like to gut some of them, I cut some of them in half. I make shows. Art! I’m not afraid to get dirty. I prefer it.”
“That’s... not consoling in the slightest.”
“What?”
“That doesn’t make me feel better. Sorry, should I... watch my language around you?”
“I just don’t know what a lot of words mean. I know Antrian pretty well; it is the wordspeak of Gorenya, but I don’t know the more... posh ones. I didn’t go to school.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I’ve dealt with people that know lots of words for a long time.”
“Good! Good.” Rhod leaned back onto the bed and rolled away from her.
“Look, Arianrhod. I know that you’re... freaked out. I’m big and scary, you’re in a freaky place and you’re still getting used to killing a person. I know how you feel. I remember my first kill, and I remember the first time I killed someone I didn’t mean to. I remember the first time I killed someone close to me. I know having all of those wrapped into one kill is just... bad.”
“Yeah.” Her word was choked through tears.
“If you want to talk about it, I’m here. All dess, every dess. You can let it out. I don’t get offended, so you can let everything out at me.”
“Thanks.”
The concise answer was enough to tell Osa she was done, so she proceeded to stretch herself back out and go back into the pushup regime. I gotta get ahold of the guards, ask real nice for a pull-up bar. I miss hanging situps.
“Why does it smell like Vol’Tyrian candy here?” Rhod was sitting up on the bed now, cross-legged and leaning against the back wall.
“The anise. I don’t know, but I think it comes and goes. Just when I forget about it, it starts biting me again. It’s strong, it’s bitter, and it won’t go away.”
“It kinda burns my nostrils.”
“It’ll do that.”
“What kind of clothes do you wear?”
“What?”
“I’ve never even really seen a Rilarian in person, and those illustrated never dress the same. I mean, you’re naked, is that pretty typical?”
“Yeah, usually a small hat or something and that’s about it. In certain cities, I’ll wear a long shirt dress thing, but I prefer no body clothes. The only reason I wear a helmet is sound boosting. I don’t hear very well.”
“There no problems with toplessness in most places?”
“Nah. Not much. I mean, I don’t got tits, and it ain’t like anyone’s checking out my cloaca. Shit, I bet most squishies couldn’t find it if they were looking.”
“I’ll be honest; I don’t even know what that is.”
“My vag, girlie.”
“Oh. I... I’m not sure I’ve... ever really thought about snake lady sex.”
“It’s not a big deal. You squishies have a great deal of fun what with your pussies and dicks and clits and cums. It’s quite the thing, and you both get together and sweat and end all tired. With us, his dick kinda slithers out and hooks into my bits, he pumps the juices in, and I push it to the eggs. Happy endings aren’t really a thing.”
“And... Where...”
“Towards the end of the tail here.” The tip of her tail reached up and she grabbed it and pointed.
“Thanks, don’t need to see it,” Rhod blurted as the covered her eyes.
“Hey, you asked.” She lowered the tip of her tail back down into the previously coiled position. There was a moment of silence before Rhod broke it again with another question.
“So... Your dad was Cyrio Viaxy, huh?”
Osa sighed. “Yep. Scourge of the Great Sea, Baron of the Oceans, Dread Pirate, titles, titles.”
“Yeah. So... how’s that?”
“How’s what?”
“How’s life with that? Like, how’d you deal with that?”
“Well, not much. It’s not like I met him. He kinda sailed the seas and fucked any women there, spread the seed, ya know?”
“Any women?”
“Any Slagskin women. Stickin’ his dick into someone like you wouldn’t do too good. I don’t even know if you’d feel it.”
“Hey, I’m a Noji. My people are whores. We’ll fuck anything and it’ll come out a baby. We should be able to fuck you guys.”
“Well his dick wouldn’t do much for you, and one of your guys’ dicks wouldn’t fit in me. If it did somehow, it’d probably get squished, cut off, or cut up somehow.”
“Most guys probably aren’t aiming for cock mutilation.”
“Some guys are into weird things. You never know.” She smirked. “Hey, speaking of cock mutill...”
“Mutilation?”
“That. Keep that in mind if you get messed with in the yard. Don’t look weak, hold yourself up and look scary. This pen’s full of men, very lonely men, very... men that threaten. Your pussy is just the treat they’re looking for.”
“I’m not getting fuckin’ raped.”
“No, you’re not. Not if you’re smart. You’re magicy, right?”
She giggled slightly, a welcome emotional sight. “You could say that.”
“Show it off. If a dude tries to mess with you, fight back with magic, hard. Show him you’re not fuckin’ around. These guys learn from example. The only reason I haven’t been messed with is my lack of tits and pussy, and my name is known. They couldn’t rape me if they wanted.”
“They could fuck your face, technically.”
In response, Osa smiled, baring her wicked pointed teeth. “That cock goes in, it’s not coming out in one piece.”
“Gods, how do you chew?”
“I swallow a lot whole.”
“That’s something you shouldn’t say around these guys, I have a feeling.”
“I say again, let them try.” She smiled again as Rhod shuddered.
“I don’t even have a cock and the thought makes my cock hurt.”
Chapter 37: All Clear on the Outer Front
The Village of Torgos Keep, The Isle of Xin
Grass crunched under his feet as he walked towards the smithy, every house so far completely empty, featuring little more than a bed. He hoped that the smithy would finally reveal something at the very least, some kind of clue. The closer he got to the stone building, the less faith he had in this hope. The forge was dry and cold, the smokestack was clear, the bellows dusty, the building was obviously abandoned.
> He puffed away at his pipe, inspecting the empty building, seemingly out of use for many, many turns. He sat down on the steps and stared at the keep. Massive and foreboding, made of solid black stone, he just couldn’t help but wonder where it came from, what made it happen. Such a weird place for a big damn castle, let alone a tiny abandoned town.
As he pondered, he got lost in thought to the previous night. Despite the Cherry situation bringing them down, the fact that the two of them were back together brought out something strange in Elon. It first manifested in the lengthened kiss they shared at the gates, continued with his semi-regular kisses on both their parts, all of which he found himself enjoying, but it really came out later. The two went back to the room, and, as they chatted, cuddling on the bed, something came over him.
The two kissed, which shortly went more ravenous, continued to the removal of clothes (which had happened before, just not in such a context), and quickly resulted in a bonding neither had experienced together, something Elon had never bothered to try. What he normally perceived as dirty, bestial, or degrading suddenly became a beautiful, passionate sharing of the souls. The both of them shared in pleasure, filling him with something he’d never even conceived before. He felt like he was one with her, like they were closer than they’d ever been. Oddly, he liked it.
“Lemme guess.” A lilting voice rang from behind him, breaking his thought process and making him smile, but once the words processed, the smile faded.
“Nothing?”
“Nothing.”
“Well shit.” He turned around to see his girlfriend kick the side of the smithy absent-mindedly. “Nothing at all?”
“Nothing but dusty beds. What about the big thing over there?”
“It’s a basic lumber mill, and it’s... well, same as the smithy. Old, obviously unused for a long while, and dirty. I hope they’re having more luck in the castle.” They both stared up at the mighty fortress towering above them.
“What do you think this place is?”
“I don’t know. Some mad king and his followers setting up their own kingdom?”
“A kingdom of twenty-odd houses, a smith, and a lumber mill? All around this beast of a fort?”
“Yeah. Like a fuckin’ cult or something. Some paranoid cult-leader building himself a giant fortress in the middle of nowhere so no one will find him, and if they do, they can’t even get to him.”
“Maybe. I dunno. Should we go in and look for them?”
“I don’t think so. It’s fuckin’ huge, babe. Probably like a maze in there. We’d just get lost.”
“But what if they’re lost?”
“Then the Chief’ll just break them out.”
Liz went to retort, but gave up before she could even speak. Instead, she opted to sigh, defeatedly sit herself down on the stairs, and lean against Elon. He, in turn, wrapped his arm around her back again and rested his wrist on her shoulder, absent-mindedly playing with her hair.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
“You were only gone for a few turns, but it felt like forever.”
“I know what you mean...”
“It’s just... You missed so much. My final project, Rhod’s final project, all the... kerfuffle that followed. It just...”
“I know. I’m sorry, babe.” He kissed her on the top of her scalp and pulled his arm in tighter. In return, she looked up and reached up for a kiss. The two locked lips and, after a short time, broke the kiss.
“You taste bad.”
“Sorry, babe.” He smiled and kissed her head again, his arm tight around her.
“You’re smoking more often.”
“Huh?”
“You did when I showed up, in Arghan’Sul, on the hill, on the ship, after sex, after waking, pretty much the whole walk here, and now... That’s seven plus a bunch on the walk in less than a dess’s time.”
“Yeah... I guess I am, huh?”
“That should worry you more, Elon. It’s bad for you.”
“Yeah...”
“By the way... That sex? Daaaaang.”
“Good?”
“Well, it was your first time, hon. Not gonna lie, you weren’t the best, skill-wise. But there was something else in there. I’ve never been in bed like that before. The other times, it was good, but with you... it was something else.”
“Glad we can agree on that.” He smiled and held her tighter, and she nuzzled his shoulder a bit and kissed his shirt. “I have to say, as much as I’ve enjoyed them in the past, I never realized how great your tits are.” He casually groped at her, massaging one near his hand as she giggled.
“All these many turns and it only took bedding you to make you like them.”
“I’ve never disliked them; I just didn’t recognize their... utility.”
“What is that, exactly?”
“Squeezing. Massaging. Tasting.”
“Ah, of course. That’s why we evolved them. So you can lick them.”
“You complaining?”
“Oh gods no. Taste away.”
“Right here?”
“Don’t tempt me. Your massage is turning me on enough.”
“Oh shit,” he said as he dropped his hand back to her belly. “Sorry.”
“I didn’t say stop, did I?”
“I don’t wanna tease you. Unless you wanna duck into one of the houses here.”
“There’s three folks are gonna be coming out any moment now. You really want them walking in on that?”
“We’ve been together how long? And we were apart for three turns? I think they’d understand.”
“Well...” She pondered as her hand started rubbing his crotch. “When you put it that way... There’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time that we couldn’t last night due to the... frantic-ness.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
She repositioned herself between his legs, dropping her head to his crotch as she played with his pants, undoing the straps.
“That so?”
She simply smiled, reached inside and removed her objective. Her hand wrapped around it and stroked gently, causing Elon to roll his head back. How did I never appreciate this before? He looked down to watch her take him in her mouth, her viridescent lips slowly gliding along his length.
“Gods, you’re good at this.” She chuckled slightly as she flicked her tongue about. His head lolled back and he closed his eyes, enjoying the moment. He opened to look down at her, seeing her brilliant green eyes boring into his. “I love you so much.”
She leaned her head back a bit, popping it out of her mouth as she did. “Love you too, babe.” A smile painted her face that filled him with bliss. This goddamned woman. She went back to business and he stared absentmindedly at the keep. As he looked up, he saw Leana walking out with her sister in her arms, a hopping white mass following them.
“Oh fuck. Liz.” He patted her shoulder and she removed him from her mouth to turn around.
“Oh gods.” She swung it back in his pants and ran to Lea as Elon rose, tying his pants and racing to them. She reached Lea just in time for her to drop to her knees.
“Ani! Lea! What happened?”
Leana slowly rested her sister on the flat grass and Amber immediately bounded to her head and pushed at her chin with her head. “He’s gone.” Liz’ hands were already glowing green as she laid them on Ani’s body, but she raised her hands slowly, the green now fading from them. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked back at Elon.
“Lea... What... What happened?”
She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We met a priest inside. Ani... approached diplomatically and things got out of hand. She... She used death magic on her. Before Chief could reach the priest
, Ani was in the air and being choked out. I tried to cast something, but before I could the Chief reached her and punched her. Then, suddenly... they were gone.”
“He teleported?”
“No. Yellow tendrils. She exorcized himself, and Chief with her. I don’t know where they are now.”
“And Ani...” Rather than respond, Lea looked to Liz, who was fighting to hold back tears and losing.
“...was gone before you could do anything about it. Lea, I’m so sorry.” She got up and hugged her, and Lea returned the hug, pulling her tight. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s...” She sniffed and breathed in deeply, straightening her face. “It’s okay. What did you guys find?”
They both looked at her as the rabbit moved to Lea, nuzzling her legs, making her pick her up. “Nothing,” Liz finally said. “It’s empty. Look, Lea, we can worry about that later. It’s safe. Let’s take some time.”
She looked at Liz pointedly and breathed in deeply. “I don’t need time, what did you find?”
“Come on, seriously, let’s—”
A fiery look shot from her eyes and bored into Liz. “I asked you a question. Give me a situation report.” Fear struck Liz’s face as she backed away from her, Amber looking up at her confusedly.
“I...”
“Hey, calm the fuck down there, Lea.” Elon stood up from the ground with his statement.
“Look, wizard, you don’t run things here, I do. You don’t order me around, that’s my job. Your job isn’t to ask me how I’m doing, telling me to not do my fucking job, it’s to shut the fuck up and do as I say.” The words shot out of her mouth like fire from a dragon, dripping not with venom, but a rage unbecoming of the Leana they’d seen. “Now then, I asked you a question.”
Elon glared at her, but decided to chalk her emotional state up to her dead sister lying between them. Any rage that boiled up was forcibly shoved to pity in his head, and he answered levelly. “Abandoned buildings. Some with furniture, some without even that. Both the lumber mill and the smithy are long since abandoned.”
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