by Dante King
“There, all done,” she said after a few minutes. She sat back so we could all see.
The design we saw clearly represented a heap of earth, with a spray of flowers emerging. The flowers were drawn with such vigor, their lines filled with such energy, it looked as if they were actively bursting from the earth.
“And this is what allows you to cast the spell that repaired the tavern?” I asked.
“That’s right,” Mistress Blossom replied. “It was specially etched onto this clothing for me, by a tailor I’d become acquainted with while I was in the army.” She plucked at the fabric of her stockings as she mentioned them.
“Did he design that rune himself?” Amelia asked.
“No, certainly not. I’m not aware of anyone with that power,” the Mistress said. “The original design was meant to produce poison plants from the earth. He simply removed the poison symbol for me.”
“What exactly does the rune allow you to do?” Amelia asked.
“Many things. It’s a very versatile rune,” Mistress Blossom replied. “I can use it to send nature energy into wood and other substances to restore them to their original shape.”
“And the healing?” Veronica asked. “Is that spell connected to this rune?”
“It is. Humans are, after all, a kind of animal, are they not? I can use my Mana to heal their injuries as well.”
“Remarkable,” Jacques murmured. “I never knew the details of how that worked.”
“Does it require a lot of Mana?” Amelia asked. “I would suspect such a powerful spell would expend an incredible amount of Mana.”
“It does,” the Mistress answered. “I began my magical training over twenty years ago, but I was only capable of casting the spell in its entirety last year. Before then, I could do some minor healing, but my Mana was not enough to cast the spell in its entirety.”
“That’s something worth keeping in mind,” I said, mostly for the benefit of Amelia. “We need to ensure I don’t draw any tattoos where the Mana cost is beyond our abilities to cast. It would make the tattoos practically useless for a good while.”
“That’s an excellent point, William,” Amelia said.
“It’s the sort of knowledge a Mage learns rather early in their schooling,” Mistress Blossom said. “Never purchase a vector with a spell that you cannot cast. Many Mages have found their coin purses empty, with a practically useless vector, and don’t have the coin to purchase one with a lesser spell.”
“They couldn’t just sell it and buy another one?” I asked.
The Mistress laughed. “That would be like selling one of these after it already had an owner.” She lifted a small wooden baton, wrapped in soft leather. It was in the shape of a cock, so it didn’t take me long to determine its purpose.
Both Veronica and Amelia blushed when the Mistress brandished the pleasure toy, but Jacques simply burst into laughter.
“That sense of ownership makes sense,” I said with as much seriousness as I could muster. “A mage’s vector is a very personal item.”
“Yes,” Mistress Blossom said, “very personal.”
“Well, thanks for answering my questions,” I said. “How about you show me where you want this tattoo?”
Mistress Blossom smiled coyly. “I had in mind a special place for a design that means so much to me.”
She placed a hand just above the mound of her sex.
“Can you draw it here?”
I raised my eyebrows at her, and she smiled.
Jacques roared with laughter and clapped me on the back. “This talent of yours brings its perks with it, doesn’t it, lad?”
“I probably can draw it there,” I said. “But it will probably hurt quite a bit drawing it on such sensitive skin.” I’d have to avoid my attention wandering and staring at the Mistress’s sex, but I was sure I could manage if I focused.
Mistress Blossom looked directly at me. “The more the better, my dear,” she said in a husky voice as she bit her lower lip.
“As you wish. You’ll need to lie back somewhere comfortable.”
She climbed up onto one of the tables and sat, leaning back against the wall. Then, with brazen confidence, she slipped off her short skirt and let it fall to the floor. I gasped. She wasn’t wearing any underwear. She lay back and opened her legs to allow me access to the space below her navel. With her long legs clad in their purple stockings, her flat belly and her cleanly-shaven sex, she was a beautiful sight. Her face was set in an expression of desire, and she bit her lower lip as she anticipated what was about to happen. The look in her eyes was sultry.
I took a deep breath and drew my tattooing dagger, then dragged a low stool over to the bench, placing it where I could see the charcoal design on the floor. I felt myself growing hard at the sight of her. She was obviously getting pleasure from this, so I figured there was no shame in my enjoying it too. I smiled at her and shifted a little; my stiffening cock pressed against my trousers. I met Mistress Blossom’s eyes as I reached down to adjust myself and get comfortable, and she smiled and laughed.
“Let’s get started,” I said.
Amelia, seeming somewhat excited herself by the prospect of the prone and obviously aroused Mistress, held the green Nature Core as I sterilized the tattooing dagger with a controlled burst of flame. Then I found the soft spot in the Core and punched the dagger through. There was a strong pull on my Mana, and I saw the ink flow up into the dagger’s Ink Well. A sudden realization struck me. It wasn’t just the dagger that drew the ink up through the hollow tip. This was my Ink Mage power, my control over the ink. That was a very satisfying connection to make.
I looked at the flowers. For such an intricate design, I was glad for the fine tip of the tattooing dagger.
I placed my hands against the soft skin between the mound of Mistress Blossom’s sex and her navel and prepared to make the first pin prick. Already I could feel the comfortable, trance-like state which accompanied the tattooing process. I felt very calm. The ink was in the dagger, and my Mana was poised to flow and help me bring the tattoo out. At this moment, I felt every inch an Ink Mage.
I pressed the tip of the knife against the skin.
“This will hurt a bit,” I said. “Let me know if it’s too much.” I pushed harder, until the point pierced the skin.
The Mistress moaned softly.
“Too much pain?” I asked.
“Never; it’s delicious.”
I was leaning over in my stool, my face close to Mistress Blossom’s sex. I could smell the sweetness of her arousal. Was she legitimately aroused by the pain of being tattooed? It certainly seemed that way, and the thought only made me grow harder. I’d heard of people finding controlled pain somehow pleasurable, and from the strange paraphernalia inside this room—whips and canes and such—I suspected the Mistress was such a woman.
“Please, don’t stop.” Mistress Blossom had her eyes closed and a look of pleasure on her face.
I shrugged and kept going. This design took longer to draw than the previous ones I’d done, as it was more detailed and larger. I inscribed the shape of the mound of earth above the shaved hairline of her own mound, up toward the navel. Closely following the design on the floor, I worked upward toward the navel, bringing in the stems and eventually the petals of the flowers.
As I worked, I was more aware of my intimate control over the ink than I had ever been before. Each prick of the skin served to put the ink in place, but it was with my magic that I drew the intricate details of the design. The room was very quiet now, the only sound was the Mistress breathing steadily, moaning with pleasure every now and again.
Now that I was deep into the process of drawing a tattoo, thoughts of my proximity to her sex faded to the back of my mind, although she continued moaning occasionally as I worked. Amelia sat near me, holding the Core, and I stopped my work every now and again to dip the tip of the dagger in and draw up more ink. When I looked up and met her eyes, she flashed me a confidential smile.
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At last, I guided the ink into the very last point of the drawing. Mistress Blossom opened her eyes and looked down at the design, then she gasped.
“My Mana pool!” she said. “I can feel it being drawn to the tattoo!”
Green light flickered through the whole design, as if there was green fire behind it. Mistress Blossom gasped. Then, suddenly, it lit up brightly, bathing our faces in a bright light that flashed between white, green, yellow, and red, like the leaves of a tree changing through the seasons. The Mistress threw back her head and cried out in pleasure. She put her hand to the tattoo as the light faded.
“It’s completely healed,” she said in amazement as she sat up, her dark hair tousled around her head.
“That’s part of the magic,” I said, standing up and stretching. “When you have the affinity, an elemental tattoo will heal itself completely once it’s done.”
“Oh, that was simply delightful,” she said as she sat up and pulled on her skirt again. “We must do that again sometime. The way the knife tickles against the flesh is heavenly.”
I laughed. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Do you like the tattoo?”
Mistress Blossom bent forward to examine her new ink. The flowing designs of the tattoo stood out against the skin of her flat belly, filling the space below her navel. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “A fitting way to honor the memory of those noble centaurs.”
“The patrons in the tavern will see that, you know,” I said.
“I will wear it proudly,” Mistress Blossom replied. “I’m only sorry it’s not more obvious. You don’t think you could add some other colors to the tattoo?”
I shook my head. “I’m afraid I can only use ink from one type of element for the design. I have no idea what would happen if I tried to combine more than one color together in one tattoo.” I stopped as I said this and turned to look at Amelia. “I definitely have to try that out.”
She laughed. “Yes, you will have to try it. I’m not sure what requirements it would involve though, and it could be dangerous. We will have to wait until I can find out some more information on this topic.”
“Well, go on then,” Jacques interrupted. “Are you going to stand around talking all day, or are you going to test the new tattoo?”
Mistress Blossom looked at me expectantly, hopefully. “What do I need to do?”
“You will need to channel your Mana directly into the tattoo,” I said. “This may take some time for you to learn. I haven’t had to teach a Mage how to do it before.”
I’d taught Amelia how to channel her Mana since I’d given her a tattoo, but I wasn’t sure whether it would be easier or harder for a Mage. I knew a Mage didn’t directly manipulate their Mana, relying on item vectors to do the channeling instead, so I assumed the Mistress might have difficulty when using a tattoo for the first time.
“Don’t you worry about that,” the Mistress interrupted me. “I’ve been doing that for a long time now.”
“You have?” I asked.
“Of course. That’s how I use the spell I already have. You may not have noticed, but I didn’t have to perform any special movements or incantations to use my spell earlier when I repaired the tavern.”
“Remarkable,” Amelia marveled. “How did you come to learn this skill?”
“The knowledge required to manipulate Mana is an ancient art,” the Mistress explained. “This is how Mages always used to perform their craft. They only stopped doing this, and made it all dependent on their items, because the Arcanists wanted to ensure that no one could engage in unlawful experimentation.”
“Of course,” Amelia said. “I can see how that would be the case. I have read about differences in the way Mages used to perform magic, but I didn’t understand what I was reading. Too much information has been buried over the centuries.”
“And how did you come to acquire this knowledge?” Veronica asked. I knew she would be interested, since she’d explained to us what she had to do to cast her own spells. This knowledge could change the way magic was used significantly. This was the knowledge required to channel magic to vectors at will, without the need for special movements or specific magic words.
“That’s a long story for another day,” the Mistress said. “I have to try out my new ability now.”
She stood still for a moment and looked around. “I almost forgot. I need something to work on. Jacques, dear, would you be so kind…”
“As good as done, ma’am. I would be delighted to smash some furniture for you.”
“You are so kind, Jacques.” The Mistress batted her eyelids at Jacques as he took a heavy hammer from where it hung and proceeded to smash two of the benches by the wall. The wood splintered with a crash.
Jacques stepped back to watch. Amelia and Veronica got to their feet, not daring to say a word.
“Do you need to touch the benches to repair them magically?” I asked.
The Mistress shook her head. “The earth here is special. I gathered many different kinds of plants and allowed them to die and decompose into the soil here, before building the tavern above. The earth is so full of life, it serves to magnify my Mana. This spell can find anything sitting in this place that comes from the earth and restore it.”
“That didn’t work for the sappers that you healed, though,” I said.
“That’s right, for animals and humans I do need to touch them to heal them. The Mana expense would be far too high otherwise. But enough talk; I shall begin.”
First, she removed her stockings, baring the smooth skin of her long legs. “I don’t want to be using the runes on these by mistake. It’s tattoos only from now on!”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I waited a moment, hardly daring to breath myself. Would it work? Or had I made some mistake that might end with the Mistress exploding and pieces of her showering me and my friends?
But I need not have worried. A moment later, the tattoo lit up, shining brightly into the dim room and lighting up our faces as we watched. Then, just as before, we saw Mana pulsing out into the ground beneath us, coming from around the Mistress’s feet. The Mana swept out in glowing rings that shimmered across the floor toward the broken bench.
The wooden benches knitted themselves back together, glowing green as they did so. The joins were so neat that we couldn’t see where the cracks had been. The benches grew back together and stood upright, just as the tables and benches in the tavern had done.
Just as the work was complete, a last pulse of Mana flashed through the furniture that had been broken, and a few small leaves and flowers burst up from the surface of the wood.
Amelia gasped. The Mistress stared with a look of surprise.
“That’s new,” Jacques commented.
“How did that happen?” I asked. “I didn’t expect that.”
“It’s beautiful,” said Veronica, as she walked over to look more closely. “Is it possible that the tattoo is more effective than the item you were using before?” she asked Mistress Blossom. “Perhaps something to do with using the ink from a centaur rather than a regular Nature Beast?”
“I suppose it might be possible,” she said. “What do you think?” She turned to look at me.
I shrugged. “Could be. This is new territory for me.”
“Well, thank you, William,” the Mistress said to me. “This is a beautiful gift. Turns out it’s good to have an Ink Mage about the place.”
“I’m glad I could help,” I said.
“A fine job you did there, lad.” Jacques clapped me on the shoulder. “What say we head upstairs for another beer?”
Amelia and I began to move that way. I looked at Veronica, who was standing still. “Aren’t you coming up to join us, Veronica?”
Veronica’s face was pale. “I, uh, I was wondering,” she stammered. She shuffled her feet and looked down.
“Is everything all right?” I asked.
“Do you think you could give me a tattoo as well?” Veronica blurted ou
t in a rush.
I laughed.
Veronica went red. “Forget it; it’s a silly idea.”
I walked over to her and put my hand on her shoulder. Her back was tight, and she almost seemed to be quivering.
“I would love to do that for you, Veronica,” I said.
“Really?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“Of course I would,” I said. “You deserve one. You’ve already fought by my side twice now. It would be an honor to give you this gift.”
Veronica sighed. “This is hard for me.”
“What makes it so hard?” I asked.
“I’m a Mage, and I’m proud of that. I use vectors for magic and I’m good at it, but...” she hesitated, unable to continue.
“You’ve worked hard to become a Mage,” Amelia commented, her eyes filled with sympathy. “You’ve had to teach yourself everything to get to where you are, haven’t you?”
Veronica nodded.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ve had to teach myself everything so far too. With this power, you will become a Rune Sorcerer, as well as a Vector Mage. Don’t think of the tattoo as supplanting your hard-won abilities. Think of it as augmenting them.” I put my hand on Veronica’s shoulder. “You are a confident Mage already. You’re brave. I was amazed when I saw that you took on all those monsters in the ruins by yourself.”
“You were?” Veronica sniffed. “I don’t feel that brave. Sometimes I’m terrified of the people in this town, and the monsters I have to face. I just thought. . . I guess I thought if I had a tattoo like you have, maybe it would make me feel braver.”
“I would never suggest that Amelia and I were in any way better than you because we can use these abilities without items, but if you want a tattoo, I’m sure we can do it for you. I can’t wait to see what kind of Mage you can become. Now, what sort of tattoo would you like?”
Chapter Sixteen
Veronica seemed to find new confidence now that she had broken through her resistance to getting a tattoo. It felt great to see her open up a bit, and the supportive relationship which I saw growing between Amelia and Veronica was heartening. I felt that the three of us were growing into a tightly knit team, and Veronica getting a tattoo would deepen that bond between the three of us.