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Jan 24, 12:10 PM
#1
| The dream of going to the bathroom and pissing into a urinal for fifteen minutes straight was a sign of urgency that Ashton was slow to pick up on. Eventually, though, his body managed to wake itself up, and him along with it. Unsure of what time it was besides dark, the still heavily inebriated young man fell out of bed and hit the floor with a heavy thump and a long groan. The world was spinning, and from somewhere in the dark he heard his girlfriend snoring loudly. "Fffffuck, where..." Ashton muttered, struggling to get to his feet, slamming into the wall and leaning heavily on it as he groped around in the darkness for something to hold onto. In the distance, somewhere within the houseboat, there was laughter. "Sounds like Goldilocks is finally up." More laughter. To Ashton, the words were distorted and even more distant. "Pisser. Did it move? Shoulda been right..." Ashton stumbled around in the darkness, unable to find his way to the toilet. He'd drunk a full two-six of Captain Morgan's spiced rum, taken two Jaeger Bombs, and seven tequila shots. All of that wasn't even counting the constant hydration with water and fruits that he'd been taking in throughout the day; it had been a miracle that Ashton managed to hold onto the contents of his stomach, let alone make it to the bedroom. More than likely, he had his brother, girlfriend, or friends to thank for that miracle, as he could barely stand by the time they put him to rest, something still evident as Ashton crashed out onto the deck of the boat, once more falling onto his face. "Ahh, fff...fuck! These...th, thhh..." He crawled towards the edge of the boat, pulled himself up to his feet using the low railing, and once he felt he was steady enough, pulled his dick out and began to relieve himself into the lake. His eyelids fell closed as relaxation spread throughout his body. Or was it cold? Suddenly Ashton was feeling very cold...or was it warm? Something was enveloping him, and he could have sworn he heard the distorted voices of his friends calling his name... Since when did he begin to feel weightless? There was a sound like wind. A chill was in the air that hadn't been there moments before, and it bit into his skin. The world was still spinning. No, that wasn't quite right. He was the one spinning. Ashton opened his eyes and saw a moonlit sky above him. He looked below him, and he had to blink a few times. Light reflected off the water's surface, which he was rapidly approaching. Ashton's mind hadn't worked quickly enough to rationalize anything, and his body's reflexes took over. He put his hands above his head and straightened out, staggering his legs and stiffening his body. It still hurt as he broke through the water's surface. Pain lanced through his hands and up his arms. Even when drunk, his form was pretty good. How high had he fallen from to hit the water so hard? Was his form off? Ashton peered down into the depths. Blackness. He looked around and could see almost nothing. Looking up yielded similar results, but it was up he needed to go. He began to kick his legs, but his arms weren't cooperating. When he focused on them, all he could feel was a dull pain. Luckily he was a skilled swimmer and could rely on his legs to surface. Gasping for air, he got a taste of salt. Panic instinctively took over. Why was he tasting salt? Where was the houseboat? Why was the water so fucking cold?! "Help!" Ashton couldn't think of anything else to say in that moment. He was certain both of his shoulders had been dislocated, at the very least. A dull pain throbbed in his fingers, wrist, and forearms. His feet could keep him above water, but he wouldn't be able to swim anywhere reliably without his arms. Not that he saw anything he could swim toward. Where was he? Where was everyone? There were so many questions, and it didn't appear as though any answers would present themselves. Panic rolled over into terror. He would get tired eventually, and he knew he was too physically dense to float in water. He'd sink and drown... Then he started thinking about what was below him. He couldn't see anything. He wasn't thalassophobic, but he'd never been stranded out in the middle of an ocean with two broken arms at night before. His imagination began to take over, causing rolling waves of fear to course through his body and tire him out even quicker. "Please! Help! Someone!" His pleas were ineffectual, the fear evident in his voice as tears began to well up in his eyes. He didn't want to die. Ashton continued to struggle for what felt like an eternity. Between the cold, the fear, and his legs having to put in double the effort, his strength was quickly sapped from him. His legs began to cramp. The realization that he wouldn’t be able to remain above the surface for long began to dawn on him. His life raced before his eyes. Thoughts of his parents. His older brother. His girlfriend. He was going to propose after the tournament next month. Use the money from the winnings to retire from sports. Start a bike shop. Tears were streaming down his cheeks by that point. He'd stopped calling out for help, and stopped screaming. His legs were giving out, and he was sinking. "Oh God." Something swam by him beneath the waves. He could feel the currents. "I..." His legs gave out, and he sucked in a deep breath as his head fell below the surface. His heart was still racing, using up too much oxygen. Something was swimming around him, no doubt waiting for him to be too tired and helpless to fight back. He didn't want to see it. Didn't want some sea monster to grin at him with a mouth full of teeth. Would drowning be worse, or being eaten alive? A slender, feminine hand slid against his jaw, a soft palm cupping his cheek. Ava? Ashton thought, opening his eyes, expecting to see his girlfriend. Maybe he was hallucinating. Had he already drowned? The woman before him resembled his girlfriend, and he thought for a moment that she might have been. Ava's hair was black, and though the illumination from the moon and stars above wasn't enough to get an exact picture beneath the lapping waves above, he was sure the woman was a brunette. Something about her captivated him, snapping him out of his despair. "You just had to fall on this night of all nights, didn't you?" Her words were like sweet honey and creamy smooth like milk, her musical voice so clear underwater. She had a conflicted expression on her face that Ashton was able to make out when she moved her face closer to his. Her rich brown eyes locked onto his, her brows furrowed. "I'll help you. You just have to hang on a little longer." She pulled back and whipped around out of sight with a speed and grace Ashton hadn't expected. He felt her hands wrap around his waist, and he felt himself being pulled upwards. He breached the surface of the water and took a big, heaving gulp of air. He still couldn't breathe without getting saltwater into his mouth and began a bout of coughing as the mysterious woman held him aloft. Once he had taken a few tumultuous breaths, the woman spoke again. "This might hurt. I'm sorry." The woman pressed her back against his midsection and draped his arms over her shoulders. "AH! Nnnngghh...." Ashton yelped in pain, gritting his teeth and groaning through them as the woman positioned him across her back, his arms held in place across her chest. He was in too much agony to give the positioning of his limbs any thought, especially since the adrenaline was wearing off. Her skin was warm against his, though, which was nice. It sent a different kind of shiver throughout his whole body as they made contact, though it wasn't cutting through the pain or numbness enough to distract him from his situation. "Stay with me! Hey! Stay awake," she ordered, her voice as gentle as it was stern. "My name's Anvi. What's yours?" She asked as she started to swim forwards at a blistering pace. Ashton wasn't a professional swimmer, but he was definitely no slouch in the water. Even so, the woman was not only moving at speeds beyond anything he'd ever seen before but was also doing so while carrying him on her back. "How are you doing this? Who are you?" Ashton asked, more than a little stunned. "Must have hit your head a little too hard when you hit the water, huh? I told you who I am." "R-right, yeah. Anvi. Ashton. I mean, I'm Ashton." He was stuttering, still in a state of confusion. "I meant, how are you doing this?" "Doing what? Saving your life?" She asked. Ashton couldn't tell if she was giggling at his question or if she sounded indignant. Maybe it was both? "N-no. This! Swimming so… effortlessly! And where are we, anyway?" "That's good, keep talking. Don't fall asleep on me now," she cautioned, ignoring Ashton's first question. "We're in the Wise Lord Michiko's realm, roughly three days sail off the shelf of the Frosthaven Archipelago." What the fuck? "Three days f-from shore? So we're in the m-middle of the ocean?" Though it didn't quite register at first, he didn't recognize any of the names Anvi was referencing. "The middle? No, we're far from the middle. There are a number of nomadic tribes out this way that occasionally head inland to trade with the Valkyries to the east or the Sunken City to the southwest." As if that explained anything. Ashton went silent as he started to think more about what she was saying. It was all foreign gibberish to him. She was talking like some sort of DnD nerd in fantasy land, but at the same time she was swimming with greater skill and speed than an Olympic athlete. None of it made any sense. "Hey, hey! Keep talking; don't go silent on me." "What? Y-yeah. What do you want me to say?" What could he say? He had so many questions and didn't have any time to even consider his situation. "Actually, wait. If we're in the middle of the ocean—" "Not the middle," Anvi interjected. "W-whatever. We're far from l-land, but you're heading somewhere. Is there a b-boat out here?" It was Anvi's turn to go silent. "...Anvi?" "Yes. There's a boat." "H-how do you know where it is? I c-can't even see anything." "I've been following it since it left anchor along the coast." Another bizarre answer to Ashton's question. He frowned. Or at least, he thought he frowned. It was getting harder and harder to tell. "Y-you make it sound l-like you're out in the m-middle-" "Not the middle." "-of the ocean without a b-boat of your own. L-like you've b-been sw-wimming f-for this w-whole t-time." "I have been. I can't very well stalk a ship stealthily if I'm aboard another ship following them directly." "Th-that d-doesn't-t m-mak-ke any s-sense." He was getting worse; he could feel it. Despite the heat from Anvi's body, he felt like he was constantly getting colder and weaker. "I suppose it wouldn't to you. Not yet, anyway. You'll see soon enough, Outlander." "Out-t-tlander?" Before she was able to provide any further answers, Anvi stopped swimming. "W-what's h-happening? W-why'd you s-stop?" Anvi sighed. "We're almost there. I need you to take a deep breath and hold onto it for as long as you can." "What? F-fuck th-that! J-jus-st k-keep s-swimming!" "I'm going to count to three." "Wait, s-stop!" "One." "N-no!" "Two." "AH, fuck!" "Three." Ashton sucked in as much air as his lungs allowed him to as Anvi dove below the surface of the water. He still couldn't see anything, but he could tell based on the drag he was feeling that Anvi was rocketing through the water like a torpedo. It was unbelievable how fast she was moving, and the sudden spikes of pain in his arms nearly caused him to open his mouth and scream. His lungs started to burn not long after they dove down, his jaw clenched and his eyes fluttering. Were it not for the sudden pain and the burning in his lungs, the weakness and cold he'd been feeling might have dragged him into unconsciousness by that point. His body began to spasm. Come on Anvi, what are you doing? Surface! Air! I need AIR! Ashton's thoughts were racing. He did his best to hold on but found his fortitude wanting. His mouth eventually opened, and he choked on water. He snapped his mouth shut again, but the damage was done, and he began to choke up the first breath of water he'd taken in. His mouth opened again, and another painful rush of water filled his throat and lungs. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. Just as he felt like he was about to lose it, he surfaced once more, water spilling out of his mouth and nose. He tried to suck in more air while it was happening, and for as painful as the process was, he had been getting bits of air here and there. Choking and coughing loudly as he thrashed around, he could hear Anvi's voice calling out. "Hey you! Help us! This man needs help! I don't have the spell to give him breath!" Ashton wasn't sure who Anvi was talking to, and at that moment, He didn't care too much. He just needed air. Whoever was above them clicked their tongue, and...water began to rise? There was a strange pressure around him, and he could feel some sort of lift. Anvi turned around to face him, wrapping her arms around him with one hand cradling his head and the other holding onto his waist. The water disappeared out from beneath them, and Ashton felt a hard surface beneath him. "What did you do to him?" A stranger's voice, belonging to another woman. Younger than him? "He fell from the sky. I saved him, brought him here. Just help him." Anvi urged. "He's lost so much blood." What? Blood? Was that why he felt so cold and numb, and not the ocean? "What's the commotion over there?" A voice called out in the distance. "What was that noise?" Ashton couldn't see very well by that point. He was so tired, his eyelids like anvils. He felt Anvi hand him over to another woman, his head resting in her lap. "I was never here." Ashton heard Anvi say, her voice moving further away. "Please." There was a short pause, and Ashton opened his eyes to look up and see a beautiful young woman with blue hair and pale bluish skin looking hesitantly off towards where he'd heard Anvi's voice. "Please." The woman looked down at him, her eyes glimmering like sapphires in the moonlight. Ashton felt a sudden tightness in his chest as she looked down at him. Even as his eyelids grew too heavy to remain open, the image of the girl's eyes had burned itself into his mind. Before he fell completely into darkness, he'd heard the girl's unsteady voice. "Fine. Go." There was the sound of a barely audible splash of water below, and then? Nothing. |
Jan 24, 1:18 PM
#2
| Very intriguing start. Makes one wonder how exactly he's been losing a lot of blood. Not much to say yet, plot wise, other than that, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it continues and where exactly Ashton ended up. |
Jan 24, 8:03 PM
#3
| Good to see another story starting up! And I believe this is the first one to begin at sea. If not, it's the first one in quite some time. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
Jan 24, 11:48 PM
#4
| Woah, was Ashton lured to the edge of the boat? It's breaking through the water at such high speeds that caused the bleeding right? It seems like a cruel start to fall from so high. The shtick with the middle was pretty funny. At first I wasn't sure what happened in the last part, but I think they dove deep into the water and then went up into a chamber with air? Then Anvi left to continue monitoring the ship she said she was investigating? |
Jan 30, 10:59 AM
#5
Reply to YummyLunches
Woah, was Ashton lured to the edge of the boat? It's breaking through the water at such high speeds that caused the bleeding right? It seems like a cruel start to fall from so high. The shtick with the middle was pretty funny. At first I wasn't sure what happened in the last part, but I think they dove deep into the water and then went up into a chamber with air? Then Anvi left to continue monitoring the ship she said she was investigating?
| @YummyLunches @mugen91 Diving from heights can be dangerous, but diving from ridiculous heights can be debilitating! Lethal, even! Until you break the surface tension of water, it's going to act like a solid, and the energy transfer goes both ways. I was a *bit* excessive, but I wanted to make sure he had a reason to be messed up at first. XD As far as the diving part, I suppose I could have written that a bit clearer, but coming from Ashton's perspective, it was probably just as confusing. She didn't want to be seen above water on approach to the ship, so she dove beneath the waves and surfaced right beside the ship, essentially. |
Jan 30, 11:13 AM
#6
| Chapter 2 Pain. It's the first thing Ashton became aware of as he emerged from a deep, dark slumber. The sapphire eyes he saw just before he lost consciousness were burned into his mind's eye, and he felt as though they had been watching him all throughout the darkness. Slowly, he became aware of a dull, throbbing ache throughout his body, worse than any hangover he'd ever had in his life. He took in a deep breath. That hurt too. There was a pain in his chest it expanded and contracted. He began to focus on different parts of his body, flexing his toes, then his legs, his torso, his arms, and eventually his fingers. His fingers hurt the absolute most. As he was focusing on his body, he felt an unusual warmth beside him along his left side. Eventually his eyes slowly fluttered open. He was on his back, and above him was a wooden ceiling, illuminated by the warm glow of flickering candlelight and slivers of daylight peeking in from somewhere out of his immediate line of sight. Ashton craned his neck to the side and saw the sleeping form of a girl with pale blue skin snuggled up to his side, her head resting in the crook of his shoulder. So it wasn't a dream. Ashton took a few moments as he observed the girl to run through what he could remember before he fell unconscious. The last thing he could remember was waking up in the middle of the night to take a piss on the houseboat, and then...nothing. Nothing except the girl's eyes. Everything else was fuzzy. He turned his head to the other side so he could take in the rest of his environment, even as his mind raced to figure out where he was. He was inside of a boat alright, but it wasn't the one he'd been in the day before. It looked like he was inside an old-fashioned vessel of some sort. There were numerous barrels and crates and ropes in the small area he was in, walled off with a pair of thick woollen sheets. A woman unlike anything he'd ever seen before was sitting on a nearby crate with a book in hand. She had long, platinum blonde hair that turned deep, dark blue nearer to the ends, which hung down to just below her knees. She was of fair complexion for the most part and had numerous blue hair ornaments that blended in with her white and blue attire that could only be described as something a pirate might wear. Her distant silver eyes were slowly meandering across the pages of the book in her hand, appearing lost in whatever story she was reading. How can someone look so beautiful? Before he could find his eyes trapped staring at her, Ashton decided to test how mobile he was and tried to sit up. The dull aches throughout his body became more pronounced as he moved, letting out a groan as he slowly extricated himself from his place beside the pale blue girl. She frowned as he pulled away, and Ashton got a better view of where he was laying. He'd been atop a pair of crates with thick linen sheets piled up beneath him, a single blanket laid overtop his body, and with a quick glance found that he was naked beneath the sheets. As he swung his legs over so his feet were touching the floorboards, pulling the blanket over to cover his sensitive bits, he caught sight of his arms. A gasp escaped him as he stared at his hands; dozens of scars crisscrossed his arms, all the way down to the tips of his fingers. "You're finally awake." The pirate-looking woman with silver eyes had such an alluring voice; it was low like a distant rumbling of thunder and as gentle and breathy as lapping waves. Ashton found himself surprised at how much the woman's voice drew him away from the shock he felt at the sight of his arms, and he looked up to see she'd set the book aside and was staring at him intently. A faint smile graced her full, mouthwatering lips. "How do you feel?" The question gave Ashton pause, and he looked back down at his hands. "Everything hurts." He looked back up at the woman. "Who are you? Where am I? What happened to me?" The questions were rapid-fire, and the woman nodded along as she rose from her seated position. "I'll answer as many questions as I'm able. I'm sure you have quite a few of them to ask. I have many to ask you as well. First, you should have something to eat and drink." The woman hopped off the crates, set her book down, and grabbed a wooden bowl that was sitting nearby before making her way over to kneel in front of Ashton. She offered him the bowl. "Here. Take this." Ashton reached out to take the bowl, and he realized upon grasping the edges of the bowl with both hands that he couldn't feel it very well in his grip. It felt heavier than it should have been too, something which the woman seemed to take note of. She said nothing as Ashton set the bowl in his lap. Dried and salted meats, dried fruits, and some nuts were inside the bowl, all finger food. He looked up at the woman again, and she provided an encouraging gesture for him to dig in. He picked a strip of jerky and tried to bring it up to his lips, but it fell through his fingers and onto the floor. "It looks like you sustained some nerve damage. I did my best to repair as much of the damage as I could, but it might take further rehabilitation to get you back into tip-top shape. Here, I'll feed you." The woman took the bowl and sat beside Ashton, picking a nut out from the bowl and bringing it up to his lips. Ashton ignored the offering and pushed her hand away. "Nerve damage?" He asked incredulously. "As I said, I'll answer any and all questions you have. I can do so while you eat." She said, leaning towards him, giving him a slightly admonishing look. She brought the nut back up, though she held it away from him, awaiting his acknowledgment. With a heavy sigh, Ashton nodded, and she began feeding him, bit by bit. "You're aboard the Scuffed Hoof, a large cargo vessel out of Dreg's Rest in the Freebooty Islands. I'm the resident cook and surgeon of this vessel, Persephone Erikson. The girl lying behind us is Zoe, a passenger of this ship. It was she who found you in the waters below and brought you aboard, and she hasn't left your side ever since. You had sustained severe injuries to your arms, head, and upper torso prior to being rescued, including numerous compound fractures in your arms and hands. Based on your injuries, it appears to me that you had attempted to dive into the water from a great height. You were unconscious, dehydrated, and anemic by the time Zoe brought you to me." Ashton looked behind him at the still sleeping girl as he chewed on the food. She looked so peaceful. "So... I fell into the water... and she fished me out of the water, and you patched me back up..." Ashton repeated between bites. He looked back towards the doctor. "How long have I been out?" "You were asleep for seven days. I suspended you in a minor coma using available herbs to prevent you from moving too much during your recovery. You were lucky it was me who was hired on as ship surgeon. I doubt too many others would have been able to save the motor functions of both your arms as well as I did, even with the assistance of mermaid's blood." Wait. Did she say mermaid's blood? "What?" Ashton asked, frowning and pulling back from Persephone. "Is that some kind of joke?" Persephone quirked an eyebrow up. "I assure you, there are no jokes to be had. You might very well have died had it been anyone less skilled than myself tending to you." "No, back up. You said mermaid blood was used? What's that supposed to mean?" A look of understanding flashed across Persephone's face, and she nodded, turning to look away from Ashton. "Ah, well. That answers that question then." She pursed her lips and set the bowl aside, turning to peer into his eyes once more. They were as kind as her general demeanour had been, and Ashton couldn't help but feel drawn into their silvery depths. "What I tell you next is going to come as a big shock to you, but it is imperative to your recovery that you remain as calm as possible. Do you understand?" She asked, placing her hand gently on top of Ashton's. He looked down at where they made contact and noticed for the first time that the woman wasn't wearing a long blue glove. What he thought was a glove was actually her hand, her touch soft and warm. He blinked a few times, trying to process what she was saying. "Is...is that your hand?" Ashton asked, surprised. Persephone nodded, her voice somehow dropping even lower and growing even softer. "Yes. This ties into what I'm about to tell you." She provided a sincere smile. Seeing the shock and confusion in his eyes, she attempted to guide him back to a calm present with a question. "What's your name?" Ashton was a little stunned. There were still so many questions racing through his mind, and his heartbeat had picked up its pace ever since he'd sat up. It took him a few moments to answer. "Ashton. Ashton Oakley." He uttered in a low tone. He looked up to Persephone. "So... why are your hands and legs blue?" "I'm a Nereid." Persephone smiled once more and was about to answer him further when the sound of a heavy, repetitive Thok-Thok-Thok-Thok started up from behind the fabric veil. It grew louder and louder as the sound came closer, and Persephone rose from her place beside Ashton. "Stay with Zoe. Don't go anywhere." Her voice was as stern as the expression she gave him, and she hurriedly jogged towards the curtain, passing through a part in the fabric. Ashton looked back at the sleeping Zoe as he listened in on what was happening behind the curtain. He couldn't help but find himself smiling down at her, thinking she looked kind of cute, even if she was an odd color. "Is he awake now? You said he would wake today. Can I see him?" "No, not yet. Patience." "I want to see him. I am not the only one." "Yes yes, I'm sure the whole crew would love to, but he has yet to adjust." "When can we see him? I want to see him." "Soon, Judy, soon. Just be patient. Can you do something for me?" "I will be patient. What do you want done?" "Good, very good, Judy. Go inform the captain that my patient is awake and that he should be able to receive an audience later this evening. Please and thank you." "You are welcome. I will go alert the captain now." The sound of numerous heavy impacts hitting the wooden floor started up again, moving further away into the distance. Ashton noted that the Judy woman, whoever she was, spoke in a very monotonous, almost emotionless fashion. And what was that weird knocking sound? Persephone re-emerged from behind the woollen veil and made her way back to where she was seated before. "As I was about to say, you—" There were more footsteps beyond, rapidly pitter-pattering towards the veil, and with an annoyed look, Persephone shot back up and raced towards the sound, disappearing behind the curtain. "Judy told us the man is awake! Can we see him? I wanna wanna see him so so bad!" "So, so bad!" A second voice echoed. The new voices were fast-paced, high-pitched, and squeaky. "I said no. He's not ready to see anyone yet." "Pleasepleaseplease? We won't be like Melody." "Not like Melody! Pleeeeeeaaaase?" Persephone sighed and repeated herself, insisting Ashton be left alone for the time being. The pair of tiny-sounding girls voiced their displeasure but eventually relented, returning from wherever they came from. Persephone pulled back the curtain, giving her best apologetic smile to Ashton. She was halfway to him when more footsteps became audible, making their way towards them. Persephone scowled in annoyance, spun around, and sped back out beyond the curtain to confront whoever was on approach. While she was occupied, Ashton decided to test out his legs, and he pushed himself up off the crates. He was a bit unsteady, and he felt more aches in his legs as they began to take his weight, but he felt fine otherwise. He took the blanket away from Zoe to wrap around his waist and saw that she was also naked. Ashton blushed and immediately looked away, letting out a long breath through tightened lips. Well, that just happened. Where are my clothes? Ashton asked in an attempt to distract himself as he looked around, taking a slow, testing step forward. Foot planted firmly on the ground, he took another uneasy step, discovering that both of his legs seemed to work just fine, aches and pains aside. He continued to listen in on the conversations happening from behind the curtain as he began to shuffle around the room, looking for something to wear. "For fuck's sake, Seph, I haven't had a good dicking down in months now. It's not like we're sticklers for the laws like everyone else out here. I want some fucking action." What the heck? Ashton thought, frowning as he listened in closer to the conversation. "I said no. You and the others can threaten and bribe and beg all you want, but even if you were to somehow get past me, would you really want to deal with that mercenary? You saw what she did to Melody when she tried to assault my patient." "She doesn't look so tough to me. Sides, Melody isn't a fighter like the rest of us. If me and the rest of the gang go in all at once, she can't take us all." "Listen to yourself! He's not even fully recovered yet. What's more, he's an Outlander. I haven't even explained everything to him yet." Ashton had inspected a few barrels and crates, finding mostly foodstuffs as he went. Listening to the other woman speak, he'd stopped looking for clothes and began looking for a weapon to defend himself with. "Who cares if he's an Outlander or not? What part of me not getting a good dicking did you not hear? That's what I care about. If he's still too messed up to ride me, I can just ride him instead, minotaur style." "I will not let you jeopardize my patient's well-being so you can satisfy your carnal urges, Brorna. If you're feeling so desperate, go masturbate in a corner somewhere. Far away from Ashton." "Ashton? You're just jealous. You're trying to keep him for yourself and that fucking merc, aren't you?" "For the love of the Wise Lord, walk away right now, Brorna." "Or what? You'll slap your hands at me? I know you have no offensive magic, and you're a terrible fighter." Did she just say magic? What the fuck is even going on right now? Ashton could hear the desperation in Brorna's voice, and it set him on edge. He had no idea what sort of weird cosplay shit they were up to, but Ashton wanted no part of whatever was going on. He found a large cleaver hanging from the ceiling on a hook and quickly armed himself with it, his other hand still holding up the blanket at his waist. "Cazlyth will hear about your insubordination. What do you think she'll do when someone else explicitly disobeys not just my orders, but hers as well?" "Your orders don't mean shit, cook. Besides, I'm her niece. She'll overlook a little disobedience here and there." By that point, Ashton had heard enough. He turned to look back down at the pale blue girl and nudged her shoulder. She'd saved his life and apparently defended him against people who tried to assault him while he was unconscious. She didn't look very strong or intimidating and was a full head shorter than he was, but if she was as dangerous as the women behind the curtain said she was, it would've been better if she were awake. "Hey, Zoe? That's your name, right?" Ashton asked, nudging her lightly. The girl scrunched her face up and groaned. "My name's Ashton. Wake up." "Don't you dare—" Persephone was cut off abruptly as the other woman, Brorna, grunted. The nereid yelped in surprise, followed by the sound of wood groaning against a heavy impact, causing fear to shoot through Ashton's veins. He spun around and held the cleaver in front of him, breathing quickly as Brorna stepped through the curtain. Ashton wasn't sure what to expect, but a dark elf clad in revealing, sumptuous pirate attire was definitely not what he'd pictured. "Aren't you a looker? Wavy blonde hair, nice jaw, athletic. You have a big dick, Ashton?" Brorna asked, lunging towards him. Ashton was bewildered by her words and appearance, but he knew he wanted nothing to do with the woman. "Stay back!" He yelled, swinging the cleaver in a wide arc in front of him. Brorna stepped back, just out of range of the cleaver, and laughed as it slipped through his fingers and went flying into the wall. "Ohhh, isn't that precious? The man thinks he can fight back." She waltzed right up to him and pushed him up against a stack of barrels, one hand around his neck while the other grabbed at the blanket he had wrapped around his waist, pulling it away. "I'm going to have my way with you, and there's nothing you can—" Her words were cut short as a painfully high-pitched buzzing hiss cut through the air for half a second, followed by Ashton being sprayed with something warm and wet. Something hit the floor at his feet with a dull thud and a sickly wet smacking sound. He blinked and saw that Brorna was covered in blood. They both looked down at the same time, and they both gaped in horror at the same thing. Both of Brorna's arms had been cleanly severed off halfway down her forearms. Blood gushed out of the bloody stumps, and the elf let out a shrill screech as she fell backwards, landing on her back as she writhed around in pain. Ashton stared wide-eyed at the woman writhing around on the ground, his heart pounding in his chest. Her severed arms had fallen to the ground right in front of him and were slowly gushing blood out onto the floorboards. "Don't. Touch. Ashton." Ashton looked towards the source of the voice and saw Zoe pushing herself up from her position on the makeshift bed, an arm outstretched towards the space between Ashton and the woman who just tried to assault him. Her index finger was pointing out, the girl making a finger gun with her hand, water droplets dripping off the tip of her finger. Her sapphire eyes were staring daggers at the woman, and she hopped off the crates and stepped over the writhing elf, pointing her finger down at Brorna. "Zoe! Wait, don't!" Persephone called out, bursting through the curtains and sliding to her knees beside Brorna, shielding the woman with her body. Zoe glared at Persephone for a moment, but dropped her hand to her side. Losing interest in the woman she just somehow eviscerated, she stepped towards Ashton, her shimmering sapphire eyes softening. "Are you okay? She didn't hurt you?" Zoe asked, worry lacing her words. Ashton tried to back away from her and found there was nowhere to go. Seeing him recoil in fear, Zoe froze. "No, no, please don't be afraid." She pleaded. "Damn it, Zoe! Brorna's arms. Bring them to me; I have to reattach them!" Persephone called out to the pale blue girl. Zoe's eyes were glued to Ashton, however, and she didn't seem to hear the doctor. Between the heated words and the screaming of the elf woman, it wasn't long until more people arrived at the gruesome scene. It was a bit of a shock to Ashton, but none of them appeared to be human. Chitinous carapaces, feathers, scales, tails. One of them pushed through all of the onlookers, another dark elf. She was similarly dressed as the one on the ground and had a large tricorn sitting atop her head. "What the blazes is happening back—BRORNA!" The woman with the tricorn rushed to Persephone's side, and the doctor wasted no time giving instructions. "Hold her down!" Persephone ordered as she rose up to her feet. The Nereid brushed past Zoe to pick up the severed arms without fear or repercussion and returned to Brorna's side. "Gabby and Billy, get in here and help Cazlyth hold Brorna down. Everyone else, stay back! I need her to be still. Give her something to bite down onto!" It was chaos. There was too much happening at once, and Ashton was having a hard time processing everything going on. Zoe took another step towards him, and his hands instinctively shot out in front of him. "No! Don't come any closer." He said, frightened. "I'll never hurt you. I'll keep you safe, I promise. Please, you have to trust me." Zoe pleaded with a shaky voice, her eyes starting to water. "What did you do to her?" Ashton asked, his eyes darting between Zoe and the scene in the middle of the room. Blood was everywhere, and the elf, Brorna, was shaking violently as she was being held down by three dangerous-looking women. There were more women standing at the edge of the curtain watching with wide eyes. The elf wearing the tricorn, presumably Cazlyth, was offering reassuring words to the semi-conscious woman on the ground. Persephone was shouting orders to the women behind the curtain to fetch the mermaids. "She was going to hurt you. She had her hands on you, so I cut them off." Zoe said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "That's fucking crazy. How did you even do that?" Ashton asked. Zoe looked like she was about to start crying. "I'm sorry! I was worried about you. Please don't be afraid of me. I saved you! You have to believe I'd never hurt you." How could such a cute girl like Zoe be able to do something so horrific? How did she even manage to do what she did? She seemed genuinely concerned for Ashton's safety... "You fucking bitch!" Cazlyth shouted, standing up and drawing a sabre, levelling it at Zoe. The pale blue girl turned at the sound of ringing metal from the sword being unsheathed and took a step backwards. "Choking Melody out was one thing, but this?" "Captain, now isn't the time for this!" Persephone shouted. "Shut your trap." Cazlyth hissed down to Persephone. "I-I was just—she, she was going to hurt Ashton!" Zoe retorted. "Does it look like I give a shit?" The woman stepped towards Zoe, lifting her sword. Everything was happening so fast. What happened next Ashton didn't anticipate. "Stop!" It was his own voice. He had stepped in front of the pale blue girl, using his body to shield her from the captain, both arms held out wide. Zoe looked up at him, surprised. The captain sneered at the man, pointing her blade towards him. The crew standing at the part in the blanket were staring with interest at his then-exposed lower half. "Step aside, male." She hissed. Behind her, three scaled women were ushered into the room, and Persephone gave them instructions as she began performing a strange series of hand gestures above the fallen Brorna. "Your niece assaulted Persephone and was about to fucking rape me. She wasn't the only one by the sounds of it. I don't know what the fuck is going on here, but it's pretty clear to me your crew is seriously lacking discipline. If you attack Zoe, all you're going to do is make you and your crew look like you have no control over yourselves." What was he even saying? He had no idea what he was doing, nor why. Zoe was pressed against his back, and he swore he could hear her sniffling. Why was he trying to protect her then? The captain snarled at Ashton, and her eyes shifted to gaze at the girl hiding behind him. Cazlyth was breathing heavily, her free hand clenching and unleashing repeatedly, everyone's eyes on her as she debated what to do. After an uncomfortably long silence, Cazlyth lowered her sword arm and cracked her neck side to side. She looked back down at her niece, gripping the sword with white knuckles. One breath later, she sheathed the sabre and turned to look towards the curtain. "You heard the male. Fucking control yourselves. If anyone gets any more funny ideas, I'll have you keelhauled. Now get the fuck back to work!" She ordered, and everyone who'd been trying to peek through the curtain hastily retreated. She looked down at Persephone. "She'll live?" "If people quit disturbing me, yes. The cuts were perfect; she'll have full functionality in both her arms and be back up by evening." "Good." Cazlyth looked at the other women that had been helping Persephone. "Head back up top when she's finished with you." She turned back to face Ashton and Zoe. "You two are coming with me." "I haven't finished my diag—" "I don't care." Cazlyth said sharply, cutting Persephone off. "He's been nothing but trouble since he was brought aboard. If I'm not mistaken, this is my ship, is it not?" She challenged, her head turned to the side to listen for any dissidence. Hearing none, she looked back at Zoe and Ashton. "My quarters. Now." |
Jan 30, 1:51 PM
#7
| Things get spicy in chapter 2. Water seems to be a general hazard so far in this story :P Quite liked the chapter. Based on what came up here,Zoey is a mercenary and was not travelling on the ship originally? (Before Anvi handed him over?) I will be curious to see how things proceed. I imagine Cazlyth is not pleased. Even if Zoey appears very capable, taking on the whole ship might pose a challenge. Also, Zoey is an undine, yes? Based on your description, her body is not very watery though, is it? |
Jan 30, 6:29 PM
#8
| Yikes. Zoe knows how to make cutting water jets. That's more than apprentice-level hydromancy. One has to wonder how good she truly is. I'm already disliking Brorna, and I'm none too fond of Cazlyth. So good job on that bit of characterization. I suspect that Judy is a soldier beetle. We'll see if I'm right. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
Jan 30, 7:50 PM
#9
| Sweet. I'm pretty excited to see a story with water types in it. It seems I didn't fully understand the sequence of events in the first chapter, but my understanding of what happened is now that Anvi brought Ashton to the ship, and Zoe used water control to lift him up and aboard the ship. The person that was alerted to the noise at the end of chapter 1 was probably Persephone, and Zoe covered for Anvi, claiming to have been the one who found Ashton. It seems in the time that he'd been asleep, the ship had traveled quite a bit from where he was brought aboard. Also it seems Zoe is a mercenary? |
Jan 30, 10:24 PM
#10
Reply to YummyLunches
Sweet. I'm pretty excited to see a story with water types in it. It seems I didn't fully understand the sequence of events in the first chapter, but my understanding of what happened is now that Anvi brought Ashton to the ship, and Zoe used water control to lift him up and aboard the ship. The person that was alerted to the noise at the end of chapter 1 was probably Persephone, and Zoe covered for Anvi, claiming to have been the one who found Ashton. It seems in the time that he'd been asleep, the ship had traveled quite a bit from where he was brought aboard. Also it seems Zoe is a mercenary?
| @YummyLunches You're correct on all points meow! :3 @mugen91 Zoe (along with some other passengers) have been on the ship for a while, long before Anvi showed up. She is indeed a mercenary, but for who? :3 Zoe is an Undine, yup! And you're right, she doesn't seem too "watery" right now. A bit strange...(this ties into something Tyger said too...) ;3 |
Feb 7, 8:05 AM
#11
| Chapter 3 Naked. Crippled and aching. Far from home. No friends or family. An unfamiliar place. Surrounded by women sprouting feathers, fins, and body parts they shouldn't have. Apparently magic was real? Oh, and not to mention being covered in blood. That was great too. Ashton was marched through the ship, up onto the deck into the bright morning sun, through the crew cabins at the back of the ship, and into the captain's quarters just beyond. Or was it the bow? Ashton didn't know ship terminology very well, even before renting the houseboat that he was supposed to be enjoying with his friends at that very moment. He was supposed to have a bad hangover, his older brother was already up bright and early cooking a greasy, fatty breakfast for everyone. His girlfriend was supposed to be lying beside him, beating him with a pillow to wake his ass up. Instead, he was God knows where, on an old-ass sailing boat in the middle of the ocean— "Not the middle..." A memory. Ava said something to him. Ashton tried to hold onto it, but it quickly faded. "What was that?" Cazlyth asked Ashton. "Nothing." "Good. Take this and wipe that blood off, then take a seat." The captain said to Ashton, tossing a clean towel his way. "You sit too." The captain said to Zoe, the girl who had saved Ashton's bacon several times already. She was likewise marched up to the captain's quarters without the chance to dress herself, and it was all Ashton could do to keep himself from staring at her. Zoe, on the other hand, didn't seem to share any semblance of shame or shyness and had been very overtly drinking in Ashton's form. Catching the towel in his hands, Ashton tried to quickly wipe himself down. It was a bit of a struggle, his grip strength being almost non-existent at that point. Something he had yet to even stop to consider the full ramifications of, considering how rapidly things escalated from the moment he'd woken up. Once he was as clean as he could reasonably get, he looked at the captain and held the blood-soaked towel up. "Sooooo where do I put this?" Ashton asked. "RUNT!" Cazlyth hollered loudly. Moments later, a tiny girl with large mouse ears and a long mouse tail wearing rags scampered into the room from somewhere unseen and came to a stop in front of Ashton, holding her arms up. He was startled, and his free hand immediately shot towards covering his junk. "Gimme gimme." The little mouse girl squeaked. Ashton looked up at the captain, who angrily gestured for him to get on with it. He shrugged and dropped the towel into the girl's arms, and she scampered off into... somewhere. Ashton couldn't actually tell where she went. "What the fuck was that? She was barely two feet tall." Ashton asked, his other hand moving to help his first hand try to cover himself. "I'll be the one asking the questions. Now sit your ass down in the chair." The captain's quarters was a small, cramped affair, maybe twice as large as the room he'd awoken in at most. There was a small wooden desk near the back of the room with beautiful, intricate reliefs along its corners, the top covered in some sort of green velvet. It had a fancy wooden throne with thick green cushions behind it, upon which the captain seated herself. There were two smaller, basic wooden chairs situated in front of the desk, one of which hosted the naked Zoe. Ashton made his way to the second chair and seated himself, taking the rest of the room in as Cazlyth produced an old-fashioned tobacco pipe from one of the drawers in her desk. There were numerous chests lining the base of the wall to Ashton's right of various sizes and styles, some more fancy-looking than others. Behind the captain was a door that led out onto a small private deck of sorts. To Ashton's left was a comfortable-looking twin-sized bed, clad in a gold-threaded red duvet cover. Paintings of ships of various styles from different eras and ethnic groups adorned the walls, along with fancy tapestries depicting star charts and what looked to be a map of a large landmass Ashton didn't immediately recognize. "Alright dickweed, we're going to start with you. What's your name, and where are you from?" Cazlyth asked, blowing out smoke rings as she threw her boots up onto the velvet-topped desk. "Ashton Oakley. I'm originally from Montana, but my family moved up to Alberta when I was thirteen. The BMX scene was pretty slick, but it wasn't as hype out there as it was in British Columbia, so I travelled west and ended up in Vancouver. Been there ever since, though I've travelled around the world and spent time in a few different places. Took part in two Olympic events, managed to bag tenth on my first run and a silver medal on my second. That Kamikaze guy beat me both times." Zoe was looking at Ashton with a bewildered expression, the shimmering jewels that were her blue eyes marked by a deep confusion. Cazlyth didn't seem nearly as fazed and rolled her eyes. "Ahhh, Outlander." "Okay, that's the second time I've heard that word. Can someone explain that to me?" "Me too." Zoe piped up, turning to look at the captain with her hand held up as if she was in a classroom. "It means either you're a good liar, or you're not from around here. All that gibberish you just spouted—half of which, by the way, I didn't ask for—has no correspondence to no places I've ever been, and I've sailed aaaaall over these waters. A couple of words you said sound sort of familiar. Kami..." She gestured for Ashton to finish the word for her. "Kamikaze. It was the name of a guy I raced against. Back in World War Two, the Japanese called pilots who would suicide bomb American destroyers by that moniker. They'd fly their planes straight into the boats, hoping to sink them and kill everyone aboard. I'm not really good with languages, but I'm pretty sure when translated into English it means 'Divine Wind,' which I guess is pretty fitting. Kamikaze told me he got his name legally changed because it sounded badass, and I couldn't really blame him." "Sounds reminiscent of someone from Kioko." She took another puff from her pipe. "The other word. I've actually heard it before. It started with an O." "Olympic?" "Yeah, that's it. One of my sister's old husbands was one of those Olympics." "The way to say that would be Olympian, not Olympic." Ashton corrected her. If she'd heard that word before, and there was another someone around who knew what was going on, maybe he could contact them! Ashton leaned forward, trying to conceal his excitement. "What's his name? Where is he?" "Alkaios of Thessaliotis. He went missing about six hundred years ago, but girl, was he ever a good fucking lay. Probably the best I've ever had." "...I'm sorry, what?" "The word sounds like it was inspired by someone in the Karpethesian Islands." She muttered casually, eyes staring into the past. "Old boy Leo didn't settle there, though. Kenndar clan took him down in Kaori, but he fought like a Jinko. Killed seven of us with his bare hands before we took him down. I've never seen a non-incubus male do anything like that before or since. Wasn't very submissive even after we tortured and raped him for a month back home in Freebooty, so we just let him go. He had some fucking stamina, I'll tell you that much. Easily the most impressive male I've ever seen, physically speaking. Probably why my sister followed him into the wilderness." Ashton couldn't believe what he was hearing. All he could do was blink and repeat his question. "Sorry, but what? You're gonna have to clarify some of that. Did you say six hundred? Years?" "Yep. No idea what happened to him after he left Dreg's Rest." Ashton's heart sank. He wasn't exactly sure what to make of what Cazlyth was saying. Ignoring what she was saying about Alkaios, she was a self-admitted rapist and sex trafficker who abused a guy for a whole month. She was the captain of a ship? A ship he was currently stuck on, with God knows how many miles between him and land? His eyes fell to the floor as he tried to calm himself down. "You have a similar body. Too bad it got all fucked up before you were rescued. I'd have loved to see how you matched up to the other Olympian." Cazlyth's words sent shivers down Ashton's spine, goosebumps emerging everywhere. "Safe to say that won't be happening anytime soon, if she has anything to say about it." Ashton looked up and over at Zoe, who was glaring daggers at the dark elf. "Don't go thinking you can just blast your way through the whole crew either, chicky-poo. You kill me, the rest of the crew is going to want your head. Say you can kill every one of us—which I doubt in the first place—then what? None of you dumb bitches knows the first thing about how to sail a ship, and at least half of you would be fucked, stranded this far out from land. Make no mistake, you mercenary cunt, I'm the one holding all the cards here. Doesn't mean we can't be civil about our disputes." Though Zoe still appeared determined, there were flickers of doubt in her sapphire eyes. She leaned back in her chair, and it was her turn to drop her eyes as the full understanding of her situation dawned on her. A pang of guilt shot through Ashton's chest as he watched Zoe deflate. He couldn't explain why he felt like that all of a sudden and tried to shake the feeling away as Cazlyth kept talking. "Yeah, that's right. Now you get it. Course, I'm not looking to get carved up like what you did to my dumbass niece. She had what she got coming to her, but with Seph on board, she'll recover in no time. No harm, no foul. Same goes for when you choked Melody out. They brought it on themselves, but if you keep putting my crew out of commission regardless of who started it, ain't no amount of gold your leader can pay me to stop my Artillerist from blowing you into a million pieces and having your water droplets scattered across the ocean. Savvy?" Zoe scowled at Cazlyth defiantly, but eventually relented. "Fine. As long as nobody touches Ashton." "Seph has worked overtime this past week. She's gonna need a top-up to even think of cooking for the crew." "The healer lady is fine." "Brorna is gonna need some help recovering too, once she's up and able." "No. Hard no." Ashton cleared his throat. Both women looked at him. "What are you talking about?" "We're talking about who you're going to have sex with." Zoe replied with a big smile, once again as if that was the most normal thing in the world to say. "Excuse me?" "No, you're not excused. We still have business to deal with." Cazlyth said, turning back to Zoe. "Alright, you got me there. But the ladies aren't gonna settle till they get some action. I say—" "Fuck that. I'm not having sex with any of you." Zoe turned to look at Ashton, shocked and hurt. To him it appeared as if he'd told her he'd just run over her favourite dog with his truck. "Yeah, that's not how that works here, male." "My name's Ashton." "Whatever. My girls are thirsty, and you're the only cock around for weeks." "You can't just order me around like I'm part of your crew! I don't even know you people!" "Even with all those wounds, you still have some fire, just like Alkaios did. I wonder if you could last as long as he did." She grinned devilishly, puffing on her pipe a few more times. "The only reason we don't have you tied to the floorboards for public use right now is because of her." Cazlyth pointed the tip of her pipe towards Zoe. "She's taken a liking to you, and she has enough power to effortlessly maim my crew. You ought to be thanking her that you're getting off as easy as you are." Ashton was beyond shocked at that point. He was appalled. "I'm in a committed relationship already. I'm not cheating on my fiancé with crazy fish people I don't even know." "You don't mean that, do you?" Zoe asked, her voice shaking. Tears were welling up in her eyes, and Ashton cursed himself. He was outraged, and the words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself. If Zoe hadn't been around, he'd have been attacked already. If she abandoned him, he'd be in deep waters without a lifesaver, and he couldn't let that happen. Ashton glanced sidelong at the captain, who seemed to be enjoying the show. He frowned and looked back to Zoe. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say anything hurtful. I'm just... a little out of my depth right now." That didn't seem to console her very much, and the captain laughed at his feeble attempts at consolation. "Let's be real here, male. You can be part of my crew. Stick around, sail the high seas, and partake in all the pussy you could ever want. You'll even earn your share of the loot we gain from our charters. We take shore leave after every contract, and we earn a lot of fucking gold." She puffed out another smoke ring. "Or you can withhold that third leg you got there from us while this cunt is aboard. She belongs to a mercenary group that's chartered for a round trip. The moment we hit the docks, they leave. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Georgina isn't interested in men, is she? Not too fond of tag-alongs?" Cazlyth asked Zoe, a big smirk on her face. The pale blue girl shook her head. "No, I didn't think so. Why would a group like hers need a male?" She looked back to Ashton, pointing at Zoe with her pipe. "She leaves with the rest of her group, and they don't take you with them. You lose her protection. Then what? You think we'll just give you a sack of coins, a pat on the back, and send you on your merry way?" She let out a mocking laugh and slapped her knee. "Even if you had all of that going for you, where would you go by yourself? You're from Earth, right? Hate to break it to you, dickweed, but this isn't Earth. Your 'committed relationship' doesn't mean fucking jack-shit here. Not to mention that walking around by yourself without protection means you're going to get jumped worse than anything I could do to you. Do you know how many women out there haven't even so much as touched a male?" Cazlyth swept her boots off the desk and made her way towards the tapestry that featured a colourful map. She thwapped her pipe against it. "Let me give you a quick lesson so you have it drilled into that thick skull of yours, fuckwit. I'm a mamono. That stupid cunt beside you is mamono. All mamono are women. Mamono make up ninety-seven percent of this island's entire population. There are only two women on my crew that have met Outlanders like yourself: me and Seph. She and I are both over a thousand years old, and I've met a grand total of three Outlanders, and Seph has met one. Fucking one." Cazlyth sashayed her way behind the chairs, drawing the tips of her nails lightly across Ashton's back, causing him to flinch away from her touch. The more she spoke, the more a deep malaise grew within him and covered him like a shroud. "Every mamono wants a mate. Not all of them come from Earth. They exist elsewhere, of course. Born and bred in breeding camps, whored out in brothels, and preyed upon in the wilds. Which one of these places do you think you'll fit into? You won't last a single day without someone looking after you." She whispered into Ashton's ear, her tongue flicking out to lick his earlobe. He flinched away from that too, a look of disgust and horror on his face. "Sinking in how fucked you are now, isn't it? I can see it on your face. Might as well accept what's happening to you. We can make it worth your while." "That's enough!" Zoe yelled, tears streaming down her face. She'd stood up, knocking her chair over, and stomped her foot on the ground with a surprisingly heavy impact, causing the wood to crack. "Ashton is special. Stop hurting him." "Special?" Cazlyth leaned her head back and laughed. "How old are you?" Zoe frowned. "None of your business." "Sure. Tell you what, kiddo. I'm nothing if not a generous woman. I'll give you and your new pet till this time tomorrow to figure out an arrangement and bring it to me. If you can't come up with anything by then, I'll go to Georgina and work a deal out with her instead. Who do you think is going to be more generous and considerate? Me or the bitch with a cold, black heart?" Zoe was having a hard time scowling at the captain as she sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes. "Fine. Can we go now?" "One more thing. Seph gave me a very detailed report about his injuries. Said it looked like he'd tried diving into the water from a great height. Unlike you, I know what that sounds like. I've tossed more than a few helpless women off cliffs in my time, and when they hit the water, it makes a big fucking noise." Cazlyth punched her fist for emphasis and strode towards Zoe, bringing her face in close to Zoe's. "I didn't hear any big noises." She stepped past the mercenary and righted the chair she'd knocked over, moving back around the desk to sit in the big fancy chair of her own. "Care to tell me where he came from?" Zoe remained silent, clenching her fists together. Cazlyth took another few puffs of her pipe and blew a couple of smoke rings into Zoe's face, causing her to start a coughing fit. "I guess not. Get the fuck out of my office. Both of you." "Can we get some clothes first?" Ashton asked. "The fuck you think?" The captain retorted, looking annoyed. "Come on." Zoe said, still coughing a little. The tears were still streaming, and she was still sniffling. Nevertheless, she took hold of Ashton's hand and pulled him along towards the cabin door. Ashton shuffled along behind her almost like a zombie. He couldn't believe what was happening. Why him? What did he ever do to deserve any of what was happening? He could barely bring himself to care about modesty. Zoe tugged Ashton along through the crew cabins and out onto the open deck. When the door opened, it looked like a bunch of the crew had just gone back to work after a short break, some of them whistling to themselves as they glanced sidelong at the pair as they emerged from within crew quarters. Ashton was too engrossed in the dark and miserable revelations swirling around in his head to have really noticed. Zoe led him away from the leering crew up on the deck back down to the kitchen area, past the catcalls and lewd remarks of the crew, and back down into the relative privacy of the makeshift infirmary. |
Feb 7, 1:53 PM
#12
| An olympic athlete, eh? Guess that would leave him in much better physical shape than most other fresh arrivals. (If it weren't for a set of unfortunate injuries, of course) The captain is certainly painting a pretty bleak picture. If she's over a thousand years old, her statements would probably be a bit hyperbolic. Outlanders are certainly much rares than humans born on arcadia, but you'd probably have occasion to meet more than a few in that timespan. Unless, of course, she's spent most of her life in places with fewer humans. Though, if she plans to corner Ashton into giving in to her demands, she's probably picker her words very well. Looking forward to the next chapter and where Ashton ends up. |
Feb 7, 6:18 PM
#13
| Heh. Wrong kind of Olympian, Ashton. :) |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
Feb 7, 7:03 PM
#14
| Wow rough situation. Looking forward to the next one. |
Feb 13, 11:46 PM
#15
| Chapter 4 [POV - Persephone] Persephone was sitting on the ground with her back against the crates upon which her latest patient was lying. The nereid was exhausted from the expenditure of mana she'd been forced to use before she'd fully recovered from treating Ashton earlier in the week, and it had become too much trouble to keep her hold on her transformation. Both of her legs ended in strong fins instead of feet, soft spines having protruded out of her arms, back, and neck. Her scales were thicker, and her sclera returned to the dark blue colour that she'd been born with. She'd dismissed the other crew members once they'd laid Brorna to rest on the crates and applied the ointments, bandages, and herbs as Persephone instructed. Eyes closed, she let her head rest against the crates as she began to drift away to sleep. "Don't worry. You're safe with me. Nobody is going to touch you so long as I'm around." Zoe's voice became clearer, the sound of two pairs of footsteps coming closer to the stern of the ship's hold where Persephone's kitchen area was set up. Something about Zoe's voice sounded off. It was quivering and lacking the usual confidence her determined attitude usually had. The nereid opened her eyes as Zoe stepped through the curtain, pulling Ashton along by his hand, and saw her voice wasn't the only different thing. The undine had been crying. Ashton, on the other hand, appeared despondent and numb. An outcome Persephone had tried to avoid by restricting access to him and setting up the curtain. She wanted to drip-feed the information calmly and soothingly so that Ashton's adjustment to his new reality would've been as gentle as it could've been. The captain clearly didn't care as much about a smooth transition. "You're back," Persephone said, greeting the pair with a warm smile. It was the best she could muster given her situation. Ashton didn't respond, pulling away from Zoe and making his way to a corner to curl in on himself. Zoe winced as he pulled away, looking like she was on the verge of bawling her eyes out. She turned to Persephone and tried to put a smile on her face. "Yeah! He's fine. He'll be fine. I'm fine. We're fine." She said, sniffling as she choked down any potential tears. "You, um... you look like you've been better." "I could say the same to you." Persephone quipped, smiling weakly up at the undine. Zoe glanced between her and the patient on the crates. "You should have let me kill her." Persephone's smile faded. "No, Zoe. I don't think that would have been a good idea." "You wouldn't be so tired." "My fatigue or lack thereof is no comparison to the value of a life, Zoe." "She tried to hurt Ashton." "She did." Persephone said plainly. "What if she tries again?" "She won't." "But what if she does? You can't know that." Persephone sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "She was given the same herbs as Ashton. She'll be asleep for hours. What did the captain say?" Persephone asked, changing the subject. The undine scowled and punched one of the crates beside her, Zoe's fist going straight through the wood with remarkable ease, sending splinters scattering across the floor. Luckily it was full of linen and wool so there was nothing to spill, but the action caused Persephone to pay more attention. That wasn't something that would've happened under normal circumstances. Undines weren't known for their physical strength, nor their solidity. "She was mean to Ashton." "What did she say, Zoe?" The undine withdrew her fist and looked over to Ashton. His elbows rested across his knees, and he was staring off into space. Zoe clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly until she eventually walked over to Persephone and sat down beside her. With a quiet voice, she answered. "She told me that hurting any more of her crew was a bad idea. We can't sail the ship back to where we need to go on our own. I would be fine swimming back, but the others would be stranded. She said we have a day to figure out who he'll be sleeping with." Zoe's tone of defeat and frustration told Persephone all she needed to know about how the undine felt about all of it. What surprised her was when Zoe looked up at her with big eyes full of innocence. "You can! You should. I want him. But if you weren't here, I would have lost him. You're tired, and you need energy." She beamed enthusiastically, though her energy drained away back to its previous low when she turned away. "But he said..." She curled her knees up to her chest and buried her head in her arms. "He said he didn't want to. Not with you. Not with me." There was a sharp inhale. Zoe started sobbing in earnest then. Persephone wrapped an arm around the girl, struggling a little to lift it high enough to rest it around her shoulder. The nereid looked over to Ashton. He was a good-looking young man, to be sure, but unlike the rest of the crew, Persephone had no desire to take advantage of a confused man in emotional shock and turmoil. She surmised the captain had fewer scruples about such things. Regardless of what he wanted, he was going to be abused by the rest of the crew if she didn't think of something. She hadn't expected Zoe to be as dangerous as she was, and while that was certainly a useful deterrent, the nereid wanted to avoid violence as much as possible. "Your group is headed to the docks in Dreg's Rest, right Zoe?" Between sobs, the undine answered with a shaky voice. "Yeah..." "Do you want to make it there?" Zoe continued to sob, looking up at Persephone with a confused expression. "I suppose it all depends on how close you are with the rest of your group and how badly you want to help Ashton." "...well..." Zoe wiped the tears from her face and tried to be a little more coherent with her words. "I'm under contract. If I breach the contract, the girls will come after me like those girls in Frosthaven." Persephone frowned. Unlike the captain and her associates, Persephone wasn't clued into the full truth behind their voyage. It sounded like they were violent reasons. "What do you mean?" "I don't wanna talk about it." Was it a sore spot for her? Or was she under some sort of obligation not to talk about it? Persephone didn't know much about the mercenaries aboard, her only contact with any of them being through Zoe. Even then, it was only for the past eight days. Since she wasn't likely to get any answers from the girl in that regard, she tried a different approach. "Are you in love, Zoe?" The question seemed to cause the undine to freeze. Her cheeks began to flush a deep blue, and she looked away from the nereid, hiding her face in her arms. "Love at first sight. It's usually pretty common, especially among the younger generations. Even more so for those who've never seen men before. Have you seen any men before him?" "...no..." "Love is a funny thing. People do things they'd never thought they'd be able to do for love." Persephone looked over to Ashton, still speaking softly to Zoe. "He has people he loves. The more people an Outlander loves before they arrive, the harder it is for them to accept where they are. The longer it takes for them to adapt to their new world." She looked back down to the girl. "You can help him adapt quicker. You can give him a reason to live and feel alive in this world. You're already doing so; he stepped in front of a sword to protect you in his first few moments awake in this new world." She expended some energy to try and give the girl a reassuring squeeze. "For him, the connection isn't going to be overnight. He's still looking at where he came from, not where he is or where he could go. It's fine to be sad that he doesn't feel the way you do, but you have to be patient and give him some time. The more you try and force things, the more you'll harden his heart against you. Love is patience. Love is sacrifice. Doing what you never thought possible." As she spoke, Zoe's weeping slowed and eventually ceased altogether. "Can you do something for me, Zoe?" "Sure. What do you need?" "Gather some of the linens in that crate," she pointed to the crate Zoe punched a hole in, "and bring them up to the boatswain, Himari. Get her to make some clothes for Ashton. She'll ask for him personally, but I already have his measurements in that book over there, on top of that crate. It's the second-to-last page with writing in it; just rip it out and take it with you. She's likely to argue, so be stern with her. Can you do that for me?" "But what about Ashton? I can't leave him alone. There's nobody to protect him." "He'll be fine while you're gone." "But you're so weak right now. He can't even—" "He'll be fine, Zoe. And while you're there, have Himari make something for you as well." "But I've never worn—" "He'll appreciate it." Persephone said, up-nodding in Ashton's direction. "Trust me." "Are you sure?" Zoe asked, even as she started to rise, uncertain about Persephone's request. "Yes, child, yes. Now go." The undine rose and began fetching the materials, snatching the page out of Persephone's book as instructed. She took a look at Ashton, who hadn't moved since he'd sat down, and told him she'd be right back. When she disappeared behind the curtain and her footsteps became distant, Persephone looked over to Ashton. "Ashton." She called over to him. The man responded by curling in on himself even further, and Persephone sighed. The captain did some damage, and it was going to be even more work to undo it. "I'm sorry that things went the way they did. I was hoping to avoid everything that happened, but we're here now. This is our reality, and we have to deal with it, or we're going to be controlled by it. I would rather not see any harm brought to anyone else aboard this ship, you included." He didn't respond. Once again, she'd have to try a different approach. "What was her name?" She asked. Still no response. "I'm sure you heard everything Zoe and I said." She started, closing her eyes and letting her head roll back against the wood of Brorna's makeshift bed. "A long time ago, I was in Zoe's shoes. Only, I wasn't as kind as she is. I wasn't as gentle. I was... a different person back then." Something close to a morose disappointment tinged her voice as she recalled her past. "Samuel Benjamin Erikson. He was from Earth, just like you. He was a bit older, in his early forties. Like you, he was confused. Alone. Separated from his family back home. When I found him, he'd built himself a little hut on an island off the coast of eastern Amarante. He was a self-sufficient man. Humble. Brilliant." A smile crept onto her lips as she looked up to the ceiling, recalling her late husband. "He was a doctor back on Earth. He wanted to help people. It was his life's purpose, he told me. To help people." She could see him so clearly, even then. "He's the reason I took up my vocation. Before I met him, I was selfish. I was greedy and vicious and envious. I was a terrible person. I was lucky to have met him. He changed me. Taught me to love. He taught me everything he knew about how to help others." She looked back down at Ashton. He was still staring into the distance. "I never thought to ask him when we first met if there was anyone else in his life. I just knew I wanted him for myself. It was only later, much later, that I thought to ask him about his past. About his life before, and if there was anyone he missed." Her eyes drifted to the floor. "He said there was. He'd been happily married. He had two children, and a third on the way." She squeezed her eyes tightly together. She'd been so selfish and uncaring when they'd met, and she could still feel the sting of those memories as if they were fresh wounds. "He told me he missed them every day." Persephone took a few breaths to help her move on. "He said that even though he missed them, that it was just part of life. It's normal to miss loved ones. I never knew what he meant or how he felt until he died and left me alone. I've missed him every single day since then." She didn't go any further. It had been years since she opened up like that to anyone. She wasn't sure if she could go any further, and she sat there quietly for a while. When she looked back up, she saw Ashton was looking her way. "Ava." He said. "Her name is Ava. We'd been together ever since we were little. Our moms had been best friends growing up." Persephone smiled. "What a lovely name." "We were renting a boat together with my older brother and our friends. It was the last time we'd all be together in one place since we were all going our separate ways soon. So we were celebrating everyone's success. Jeremy landed his first big tour with a bunch of other comedians. Bennie got his dream job. Mallory opened up her first business. Quinton was going to travel the world. Donnie went ten-and-oh just last month. Ava..." He trailed off, smiling for the first time that Persephone had seen. She liked his smile. "She was going to dance. She'd been working hard on promoting her team and wanted to move to Vegas. I was going to leave everything behind to go with her. We were having so much to drink, that I passed out. I remember falling..." He frowned. "I saw her... but it wasn't her. It was someone else." Persephone had been watching him as he described his story and picked up on the confusion in his voice and on his face. "You saw someone?" "Yeah. She looked so similar to Ava, like they could have been twins. I was about to drown when she showed up. I thought I was hallucinating, but she helped me surface. A lot of my interaction with her is fuzzy and hard to remember, but I know for sure she was there." "So Zoe wasn't the first to find you." Persephone had a flurry of questions she wanted to ask but didn't want to get too sidetracked by the revelation and thought it better to save any questions she had about the mysterious girl for later. "While I'd certainly like to hear more about this look-alike, we have matters more pressing to address. Ideally, I would prefer you had the time necessary to adjust to your new surroundings, but I'm afraid we don't have the luxury of time, as I'm sure you well know. Deliberations will have to be made decisively. That being the case..." Persephone looked towards the young man, her silver eyes speaking to the seriousness of her next question as much as her words. "Ashton, do you wish to remain aboard this ship?" The answer was immediate and passionate. "Hell no! That woman, the captain, she's fucking nutso. Uh-uh. No way. Not a chance in hell I want to be anywhere near her." Persephone smiled inwardly. Decisive indeed. "But what am I supposed to do? I can't go anywhere. I'm stuck on a ship full of..." He appeared to take a moment to choose his words carefully. "Full of women who don't have my best intentions in mind." "Maybe, maybe not." With that statement, Persephone had his full attention. "Men like yourself can live underwater. Not intrinsically, mind you. It takes some work to accomplish. Typically, a spell is used to grant you immunity to the detrimental effects of prolonged exposure. Most of us—mamono, that is—who live in the water are capable of casting the spell. Of the crew, thirteen are capable of casting the spell, myself included. I'm very low on mana right now, unfortunately, so I wouldn't be able to unless I was able to access some spirit energy." "So I can breathe underwater if you cast this spell, is what you're saying." "That and more. But again, I cannot cast much else in my current condition. As you can see, I don't even have enough mana to maintain my terrestrial transformation." She gestured to her legs, which ended in fins rather than feet. "You said something about spirit energy. That it could recharge your magic reserves or whatever. Where do we find that?" Persephone smiled, laughing a little. "I'm sure you won't like the answer very much right now." "Come on. You can't tell me this much and leave me high and dry." "Very well." Persephone smirked. "Spirit energy is generated by humans. Mamono can convert spirit energy into demonic energy. Despite the name, there's nothing 'demonic' or 'evil' about it. The relationship between mamono and humans could be likened to the relationship between humans and trees. You breathe in what we breathe out, and vice versa. It's a mutually beneficial relationship. Only, instead of air, you provide us a life-sustaining and empowering force we're able to convert into either magical spells or inherent traits." "Alright." Ashton said, coming out of his spot to sit down right beside her and throwing an arm around her, much the same way she had with Zoe. Though she was a little shocked at his sudden closeness, she soon let that melt away and leaned into him. "Does this help?" "This is nice, but it's not quite what's necessary for the exchange to happen." She remarked, giggling a little. He was warm, and his arm felt good around her. It had been so long since she'd been with a man, and he was right there... "So...what do I have to do?" "Mamono can acquire spiritual energy from humans through the absorption of bodily fluids." The thoughts were enticing and stirred her loins to ache. "Oh. So, like, blood and saliva?" "Those work, yes, though life-giving bodily fluids like milk and sperm are the most effective." Ashton went silent and seemed a little tense. "No, I'm not going to ask you. I'll admit how tempting you are and how nice it would be, but I won't force you." He seemed to loosen up at her assurance. "Huh. So that's why Zoe wanted me to have sex with you." He said, the realization finally hit him. Persephone grinned at his words. "So... is that the same thing with the rest of the crew?" "It is the same for every mamono. Even the angels of Asgard are able to utilize the life essence you produce." "I'm sorry, what?" Persephone chuckled. "We'll come back to that later when we have more time to focus on teaching you about our world. What I'm trying to impress upon you is that it's possible for you to leave the ship." "Right. But I would have to..." "No. I can't right now, and I wouldn't suggest asking anyone else in the crew. Zoe, on the other hand, is also capable of granting you the spell. She seems to have an unusually large reserve of demonic energy as well, so it shouldn't be a problem." "Right. So it's possible to leave the ship. Where do I go?" "That part is reliant on the knowledge of the Master Navigator, a harpy by the name of Iris. I don't know where we are relative to where we could go. My best guess is we're closest to the Sunken City based on the time we've travelled from Frosthaven, but I wouldn't have the slightest idea which direction we'd need to travel to get there, nor for how long." "So I need to find that information first." "Precisely. However, there's more yet to consider. Knowing Cazlyth like I do, I find it highly unlikely she'd simply let you go. She'd send the mer out to find you and bring you back. Maybe the witches too." "How do I stop that from happening?" "I'm not certain yet. We'll have to work that out as we go." "You keep saying 'we'. You're planning on coming?" The question gave Persephone pause. She hadn't been actively thinking about it. He had yet to fully heal, and she needed to make sure he came to a full recovery. But that meant abandoning the crew. She'd been with them for only a few decades, but she'd earned quite a bit of gold working with them. The deliberation must have shown on her face, since Ashton commented on it. "Why are you with them anyway? You look like you're having a hard time answering that question, but you don't seem like you belong with them." "This is a bit embarrassing, but I took the job originally because it was very lucrative." "Really? I know the captain said she makes a lot of gold, but how much are we talking about?" "Over the course of my employment, I've saved up more than thirty times what I would have if I'd stayed at the university." "Is that a lot?" "...yes. I have a lot of money saved up." Persephone said, blushing. "I know it's not the most honest work, but I still get to travel and keep people healthy. There aren't many healers in the world, and while I'm not the best there is, my services are in high demand for high-risk endeavours..." "I'd say you did a good job with me. The captain told me about my injuries. I would have been laid up for at least six months if it wasn't for you." "One and a half years, more likely." Persephone corrected, enjoying the compliment. She looked up to him, and when he returned her gaze, she felt a tingling in her scales. His lips were so kissable... "Right. Ahem. So, you're coming with me then?" Ashton asked, blushing and quickly looking away. Apparently she had an effect on him as well. She smirked and closed her eyes, laying her head against his chest. "I may as well. I've saved up almost enough to accomplish what I was hoping to." She replied, struggling to restrain herself. It wasn't evident in her voice. Or, at least, she hoped it wasn't. "And I believe Zoe will come with us as well." "Speaking about Zoe, I overheard a lot of what you said." "I imagine you did, yes." Persephone said without shame. She did try to speak softly, but she wasn't trying to keep anything hidden. "Right. She said if she left, she'd be chased down. What's that all about?" "I don't know the details of her employment. I'm guessing based on the briefing Cazlyth gave the crew before we set sail that whatever work they were doing in Frosthaven was meant to be kept quiet. Based on the amount we're being paid for the job, I'd say whoever her employer is might not appreciate her going AWOL. She'll probably be on the run from people looking to capture her. Maybe kill her." "That's insane!" "Like I said, I don't know for certain. I'm just making an educated guess based on what little I've seen." "There's no way she'd want to help me that badly." "Love makes us do things we'd never expect ourselves to do." Ashton pulled away a little. Persephone opened her eyes and looked up at him, worried the comment might have made him feel uncomfortable. He was looking towards the curtain, and she realized she was too intent on listening to Ashton's soothing heartbeat to notice the sound of footsteps. Someone was coming. "Special delivery!" Zoe called out, appearing from the part in the curtain. She was carrying a stack of clothes for Ashton in both arms and much to Persephone's mirth, Zoe was wearing her own clothes. Sort of. A thin, white bra and a tiny, silken thong weren't exactly covering much, but it was more than she had before. Ashton seemed to blush even harder upon seeing her than he did when she was fully naked. He stood up, once more trying to cover himself as she approached. "Thanks." He said as she handed him his new wardrobe. She stared up at him, positively beaming. "Do you like them?" She asked. "I, uh, don't know? I haven't tried them on yet." "No dummy! Not your clothes, mine! Here, I'll give you a twirl." She lifted her hands above her head and spun around, her long blue hair whipping about. From the back, it could have been mistaken that she wasn't wearing anything at all. "So, what do you think?" Ashton was beet red, and Persephone could swear she felt more heat radiating from him. She snuck a peek at his nethers while he was distracted and noted that regardless of what he could've said, she knew he liked what he saw. "You look nice. It's a bit revealing, though." He said, gulping. Zoe smiled coyly up at him. "Good. I'll turn around so you can dress." She said, being true to her word. She turned around and waited. Persephone smirked as she saw she was wiggling her butt around. "Ah, right. Yeah. Thanks." He also turned around and started to get dressed. "Ashton and I have been talking. He wants to leave the ship, and I'm leaving with him. Will you come with us?" Persephone asked plainly. Zoe didn't answer right away, and her body language told Persephone she was nervous. "Um...I don't think that's a good idea." As she said the words, Persephone saw Ashton deflate ever so slightly out of the corner of her eye. "Why not?" Persephone asked, once more taking the straightforward approach. "Persephone, you're a good person." Zoe said, her words uneven and shaky. "You heal people. You protect them. I'm not a good person. I'm a bad person. I do a lot of really, really bad things to people." "You hurt people?" The question caused Ashton to pause. "...yes." Zoe said, sounding ashamed. "The others, they're just like me. But worse. They'll come for me. I'm too valuable to them to just leave without them doing something about it." Ashton turned around, fully dressed. Persephone would have preferred him in less, but he looked no less dashing for the attire. "How do I look?" He asked as if the conversation wasn't as heavy as it was. Zoe turned around, and her frown turned upside down. "You look really handsome." She said, stepping forward and evening out his vest. She patted him on the chest, smiling. "Do you like working with the rest of your group?" He asked casually, reaching out and placing his hands along her upper arms. Persephone watched as their eyes connected, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that they felt the same way about each other. "Not really." Zoe replied. "But that's not the point. They'll come after me if I leave. If I go with you, that will put you in danger." "It's going to be dangerous no matter where I go. If you come with me, you can protect me from danger." "It's not that simple Ashton!" Zoe said, pushing him away. "You don't know them. You don't know how dangerous we are." "Then tell us. Help us understand." Ashton asked. "I... I can't." "When will you ever see him again?" Persephone asked. She had hoped to avoid using any underhanded tactics, but she wasn't going to let that look they both shared go to waste. "When will you get the chance? I can't keep him alive forever. I can't protect him from danger either. You might never see him again." Zoe was shaking, and she began pacing back and forth, her fists clenching and unclenching rapidly. She looked like she was working herself up to something. Eventually, she stopped and looked up at Ashton once more. "I love you Ashton. I know we just met. But when I looked into your eyes that night, I saw sapphires. Whenever I slept, I saw them in my dreams." Ashton seemed bewildered. "You... too?" Zoe's eyes shot open wide. "Me too? You mean..." "I saw your eyes in my dreams, watching over me." "No! You're not supposed to say that." "What? Why not? You just said—" "I wasn't finished! It just, it's taking a while to work up the courage to say what needs to be said. I have butterflies inside me right now making it hard to think straight. I just don't want you to hate me. You of all people can't hate me." "Hate you? Why would I hate you?" "Because I'm not a good person! I hurt people! I kill people! That's my job. My job is to hurt people for money." Ashton was quiet at that. "See? I knew you couldn't handle the truth. I can see it in your eyes. You hate me! You're afraid of me!" "No! That's not it. My brother, he's a retired soldier. I know what it does to people. I'm just... surprised. You don't look like someone who does that sort of work." "What? What's that supposed to mean?" She asked indignantly, her fists resting on her hips. "Well, you're a small, cute girl with a bubbly attitude." Zoe went from angry to surprised in a matter of seconds, her cheeks once more flushing dark blue. "You think I'm cute?" She asked. "Yeah. You are." Ashton replied, looking a little awkward in the silence that followed. It began to stretch out longer and longer, and Persephone began to wonder if she should have interjected. Luckily, Zoe took the initiative. "Fine. Fine! I'll go with you. Just..." She sighed, rubbing the palms of her hands in her face. "Just be aware that if I go with you that means looking over your shoulder all the time. Are you happy now?" She asked, dropping her hands and looking up at him with a determined expression. "I'm relieved, more than anything." He replied. Zoe looked angry at that reply. "No, dummy! You're not supposed to be relieved. You're supposed to be the opposite of relieved!" She said, pouting. "Whatever he is feeling right this moment we can unpack later." Persephone said, grabbing their attention. "Now that we know we're in this together, we only need to do two things before we leave." "What things?" Zoe asked. "We need to find the navigation data. Without that, we'll have no idea where we are or where we're going. Iris is our master navigator, though I don't know where she keeps all her information." Persephone looked between the pair. "We also need to ensure that we disable our potential pursuers. Zoe," she said, turning to the undine, "I'll need your help making dinner for tonight. We're going to prepare a special meal." Persephone still had enough herbs left over to sprinkle into the food. Enough to cause the crew to fall into a deep sleep for the night. She turned to Ashton. "In the meantime, it's up to you to find out where the navigation data is. |
Feb 14, 4:39 PM
#16
| [Mission Impossible theme starts] Hee hee... Ashton is about to have to do some heavy duty flirting with the harpy navigator. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
Feb 15, 10:46 AM
#17
| Mission Impossible theme starting indeed. Seems Ashton is the type to function better when he has a goal to work towards. Staying on the ship is certainly not ideal for him. Let's see how good he is at putting the moves on someone :) |
Feb 16, 6:35 PM
#18
| Cool, I wonder if Zoe and Persephone will be the main companions. |
Mar 6, 5:19 PM
#19
| Chapter 5 The clothes Zoe had brought to Ashton fit nicely. They brought out the vision of a pirate, which was accented by the gold chain he'd re-attached to his neck. It was the only possession he had on him at the time he'd fallen into the lake; Persephone had taken it off his person and hidden it away at some point while he was unconscious, but he made sure to get it back from her before he headed atop the deck. When combined with his loose shirt, vest, shin-length Renaissance-looking pants, and all the scars along his arms, he looked like a right badass. At least, that's what he had to tell himself. If he'd been at home he'd certainly flaunt his new appearance with swagger in front of his friends and anyone that cared to check him out, so why would any of that change in the new world he'd found himself in? Sure, he'd been heavily shaken by what happened hours earlier and he still wasn't operating at one hundred percent, but he wasn't one to mope around when there were things to do. Things that could secure his freedom, no less. Time to lean into the swagger. "Mornin', ladies!" Ashton said with gusto, saluting to the crew as he emerged from below deck. A breeze caught his hair, and the sun glinted off his pearly whites. He'd done a little bit of modeling in his previous life, and though he was still a little off-put by the appearance—or attitudes—of some of the mamono, he had composed himself enough to bring his charm to bear. He didn't need to try that hard; they had been all over him while he was moping, so seeing him full of energy and even smiling at them had the crew in a tizzy. The cancers that caught sight of him dropped what they were doing and scuttled towards him, bubbles forming around their... mouths? Ashton was inwardly a bit spooked by their crab-centaur-like lower bodies and forced himself past that weariness by giving each of them a winning smile. "You are very handsome." One of them complimented. "I would like to wash you." Another one of them requested. "I would like to carry you." A third said. They continued to chime in with various iterations of the same requests, wanting to pick him up, carry him, wash him, and manhandle him in various affectionate ways. Ashton thought it was a bit peculiar how their more human parts didn't seem very excited, or how their words sounded so even and monotonous, but he nevertheless responded as if they were like any other normal human woman he was flirting with. "Oh, are the showers out of order?" He asked, not realizing right away that showers might not have existed. A few children scurried beneath the crustaceans, tails whipping about. Or, they looked the part of children at first with how small they were. Persephone informed him all of the mice-girls aside from the cabin girl were fully grown women, and that they were just really petite by nature. Once they'd made it past the cancers, Ashton saw their appearance confirmed Persephone's words, feeling marginally better knowing he wasn't being propositioned by actual young girls. "Ohohoh that's him! He looks soooooo good good good!" "I wanna wanna wanna climb all over him!" "He can climb all over me, yum yum yum!" "Let's make lots of lots of lots of babies!" "I wanna nibble nibble nibble..." They weren't much better than the cancers that surrounded him. Thankfully, none of them came close enough to grope at him, their clamor interrupted by a loud voice. "Oi! Quit yer crowding around the bloke! I can't see him with you brainlets blocking the view. Get back to work!" Called a woman who sounded like she smoked five packs of cigarettes a day. The crowd Ashton had been drawing began to reluctantly disperse, the crab girls and mice girls traversing the peculiar design of the ship with exceptional ease, hopping over railings and climbing masts. Ashton turned to find the woman who provided him some breathing room. She must have been almost seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and a muscular body criss-crossed with scars. She had unusually white skin and had short blue hair and sharp, triangular teeth that showed when she smiled widely at Ashton. She was wearing little more than a skimpy leather vest, leather loincloth, and a thick leather belt upon which hung many bladed weapons. There was even a thick cigar in between her fingers. "Oi, you. I didn't get a chance te see ye earlier. C'mere boyo, an lemme give ya a once over." She was probably one of the most imposing women he'd ever met, at least physically, but he strode towards her regardless. As much as he wanted to head straight to Iris, he had to look casual and make it seem at least a little bit like he wanted to be around them. He was thankful that Persephone took some time to tell him about the crew before he left the ship's hold. "Hey. You must be...Bruce?" "That's me, aye." She said, examining him with her fully black eyes. It felt a bit unnerving like he was a piece of meat. "Why Bruce? That's a pretty masculine name." "Ashton's a pretty feminine name." She shot back. "My parents liked it." "Same. Little sister got Dory." "Wait a second... you don't happen to know anyone named 'Nemo', do you?" Ashton asked, wondering if her father had seen the movie. "Do you always ask stupid questions?" "... never mind. Thanks for helping me out back there." "Uh-huh." She said, bending over to examine him closer, sniffing him. "Ye smell like ye'd taste fine. Real gourmet." "...excuse me?" Ashton asked, wondering if it was even worth his time talking to the giant. "Mmm, yeh, ye'd go fine with a little rum. You know how te fight, boyo?" Did she just insinuate I'd make for a good meal? "Better than some people where I'm from, but I never really got into any fights in my adult life. Sometimes I'd hit the boxing gym to catch up with buddies. Or did you mean fighting with one of those?" He asked, pointing towards the swords on her belt. From what he remembered Persephone telling him, the great white was the ship's master-at-arms and loved fighting more than anything else. "Yeah, that's what I'm sayin'. Wanna have a round with me?" She was just as incorrigible as the rest of them. "I'd love to, but the doc says I'm not good for anything strenuous yet." He held up his arms, his hands shaking a little bit. "Grip isn't quite there." "Shame. Ye looked like a human that could handle himself a wee bit." She leaned back and brushed past him, nearly knocking Ashton to the ground as she made her way elsewhere. Thank God. Ashton thought, glad she quickly lost interest. He started looking around to see who was where. Most of the crew was up and about; Persephone informed him they typically ran a skeleton crew at night, so the daytime was pretty busy. Something about making the most of the available light, which Ashton supposed made a lot of sense. The mice girls and crab girls busied themselves with cleaning and maintaining the ship, while Bruce appeared to be instructing some of the mer on how to use their weapons. At a table near the central mast, there were some others he hadn't seen yet playing a card game. Going by what Seph told him, the dryad was the ship's carpenter. The big spider woman, Himari, was the boatswain. The pale woman with long teal hair was the ship's quartermaster and was a ghost by the name of Gracie. There was also a petite human-looking woman with a big hat; one of the ship's four witches. The tiny cabin girl, Runt, was bouncing and hopping around the table, trying to see what everyone was playing. Iris might be on the upper deck, or in the cabins. Ashton figured, and then looked up. The ship had two masts, with a perch atop the central mast. She's up there a fair amount too from what Seph told me, but good luck getting up there. Luckily he didn't see anyone atop the perch and turned his attention back to the women playing cards. "Hey, you're Himari, right?" Ashton asked, approaching the table. She was dressed in much finer apparel than the others, with intricate gold and black flower patterns across her robes. It reminded Ashton of the time he visited Japan, where he'd seen very similar garments. It was a nice reminder of where he'd come from; that, and it was easier to focus on than her creepy spider appendages. "That's right. You must be the Ashton boy that undine was raving about. I see your clothes fit you quite nicely." She said, her more refined manner of speaking starkly contrasting how brutish the Master-At-Arms spoke. "They do, yeah. They feel really good. Look cool too. Just wanted to thank you." "Think nothing of it." "No no, don't just brush it off. Quit acting so reserved." The ghost woman leaned back in her chair. She wore a pair of what could only be described as "booty shorts", knee-high boots, and a spiked leather choker. Ashton's eyes drifted naturally across her well-endowed topless form, and she snapped her fingers at him. "Hey bub, eyes are up here. Look at me. That fabric you're wearing. Where did it come from?" "Oh shove off Gracie, we have lots extra in storage. Let the boy enjoy himself a little." The witch said, looking up from her cards at Ashton and winking at him. "He'll be one of us soon enough." "I'm in charge of inventory you dolt. You know why I'm asking." Gracie replied. "Pardon, but are you going to play your hands?" The dryad said meekly. "Yeah yeah, one sec. You wanna join in?" The witch asked Ashton. "I don't even know how to play." He said, putting his hands up. "Besides, I only wanted to say hello and thank Himari for the clothes." The Jorou-Gumo smiled at him before she turned back to her cards. "Psssh, nonsense. C'mon, join us. Runt, go fetch another chair." The witch insisted. The cabin girl scampered off out of sight. "Really, I'm good. Have any of you seen Iris?" Ashton asked. "Where's the merc?" Gracie asked, making a mock effort to look around for someone. "She's not here? Maybe you ought to sit with us anyway. Then you can tell me where you got those threads from." Ashton frowned. He didn't like the implication that he had to sit with them because he didn't have a bodyguard with him. "Ask Persephone. I'll see you around." He said, not wanting to stick around any longer. He went to turn around but discovered with some shock that he couldn't lift his feet. He looked down and saw the wooden planks had grown roots over the top of his feet. Looking back up, he noticed the dryad focusing extra hard on her cards. "Seriously? Are all of you rapist assholes like Brorna who don't understand what 'No' means?" Based on their facial expressions, none of them seemed to like what was just said. "You better watch your tone." Gracie said sternly. "Or what? You attack me too, just like Brorna did? Or that other one, Melody? Even if Zoe weren't here, Cazlyth sounded pretty clear when I heard her tell everyone to stop fucking around." Ashton shot right back. "I like him." The dryad said shyly from behind her cards. "Yeah, he has some balls. He'll fit right in." The witch laughed. "Just let it go Gracie. We'll have all the time in the world later to go through your precious rags." Ashton rolled his eyes. "Yeah, great. Can you let go of my feet now?" Ashton asked, and the dryad blushed bright pink. A few moments later, the floorboards returned to normal. "Thank you." He turned to Himari. "Seriously." He said, giving her a slight nod. She politely nodded back. With his feet free, he turned his back to the gambling and made his way up to the upper deck. Making it up to the upper deck, right away Ashton could see a winged woman sitting in a chair in front of the helm, looking up at the sky. One of her clawed feet rested on the wheel, the other crossed overtop. Her wings were hanging limply by her sides, and her jaw was wide open. Going by Seph's descriptions of the color of her hair, feathers, clawed feet, and her general bored demeanor, she was the First Mate, Melody. The one who tried to attack him while he was unconscious. Yeah, fuck being friendly to her. Or even talking to her, for that matter. Seeing as how she was the only person up there, Ashton quietly stepped backward using the railing as a guide and turned around to descend the stairs. That left only one other place to look. The rear cabins. Ashton had been through them twice before, but he hadn't paid them much attention either time. Going in he was too embarrassed about his state of dress, and going out he was too overwhelmed by everything Cazlyth said. Cazlyth, that bitch. Ashton thought angrily to himself. I better be quick and quiet if Iris is in here. Don't want the captain to hear me through the door. Taking a breath, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. The walls to the left and right were lined with bunks, and cargo nets hung from the ceiling. The center of the room featured the second, smaller mast at the rear of the ship, from which a pair of unlit lanterns hung. There were portholes on either side of the room that allowed the natural light of the afternoon in, illuminating the rest of the scene for Ashton. He heard it before his eyes managed to register what was happening. It looked like there was a small orgy happening between four women in the bunks to the left; three of them looked like small human women, and the fourth looked like she was made of gold. What was crazy was that actual gold coins were floating around her, which she'd sometimes pluck from the air and insert between the witches' legs like they were some sort of slot machines. The witches would writhe about and moan, their legs shaking uncontrollably after receiving the coins. There was more going on, but out of all the sexual activities happening right in front of him, that strange image stuck out to him and caused him to stand there, dumbstruck. "Care to join us?" The gold woman asked with a deep, husky voice, even as her head was buried between the legs of one of the witches. How did she even see him? How did she manage to speak, might have been the better question considering how occupied she was with her mouth. The other witches took notice of him standing there, staring. "Hey... I was looking for Iris. Have you seen her?" One of the witches who was elbow-deep inside the gold woman licked her lips and answered. "She's busy with the captain, but you're more than welcome to join us while you wait..." Holy fucking shit. Ashton was familiar with the orgies that happened back on Earth. It was pretty common for the other athletes to gather up at their hotels when their events weren't on to relieve some stress and have some fun, but he never participated since he was in a relationship with Ava throughout his career. Seeing it happening in front of him right then and there was something else. "N-no, thank you. Maybe another time. Do you know how long she'll be?" "Long enough." The gold-skinned woman said, lifting her head from between the legs of one of the witches. She turned to face Ashton, and he noticed that other parts of her had eye-like features that were tracking him. Her hair ornaments. Buttons on her clothes. Some of the coins floating around her, even. The longer he stared at her, the more Ashton found himself thinking how nice it would be to be holding onto a fistful of her ass. Wait a second. What? Ashton shook his head. There was something strange happening to him when he looked directly at the gold woman. Ideas filled his mind, and his body was reacting rather strongly to her image. His eyes dropped to the floor. "There's nothing to be ashamed of." Her voice was calling out to his base desires. There wasn't even anything particularly special or appealing about it, but Ashton could feel himself wanting to push himself on her. Persephone warned him about her; Richie, the Purser. She was something called a Creeping Coin? Though they weren't particularly gifted with magic like the witches, Richie and others of her ilk had something of a passive aura of 'mental influence' that affected others. Ashton was trying his best to recall everything else Persephone mentioned about her, keeping his eyes off her form to alleviate the worst of her influence. "Oh, I'm not ashamed. Just didn't want to interrupt." He said, backing up slowly. He backed into the door and began feeling around for the doorknob. "You don't want to touch me?" Richie asked. The level of influence they had over others was relative to how greedy a person was. Or maybe it was much they sought actual gold? A hand pressed against his chest, coming into view. "Everyone wants a piece of me." She whispered, her breath hot on his neck. Holy fucking shit. Ashton's inhibitions started to melt away, even as he desperately sought out the doorknob to no avail. He looked up and into Richie's eyes. Oh, fuck me. "That's right. You want a piece of me, don't you?" She whispered, her other hand coming up to caress his cheek. "All you have to do is say yes..." Ashton gulped. He'd stopped trying to escape. She was right. He wanted to push her down and flip her around and— "HEY!" Richie spun around, everyone's attention focused on the captain, standing at the other end of the crew cabins. Ashton never thought he'd be happy to see her. "You're starting without me?" God fucking damn it. "Wait, is that the male?" She asked, a wicked smirk as she sauntered towards them. "By the salt in the sea, it is. Made up your mind, have you?" Cazlyth placed her hands on her hips, looking Ashton over. Though he was a little nervous with her in the room, she'd helped him regain his mental faculties enough to remember what he was there for. "I thought I might as well get to know the crew." Ashton replied, Cazlyth quirking a brow, still smirking at his response. "Iris was the last person I had to introduce myself to. Richie told me she was with you?" Richie looked back to Ashton, drawing her fingernails lightly down his chest. The witches returned to their activities with one another, ignoring everything else going on in the cabin. "That's right. She was." Cazlyth said, sauntering over to Ashton. She placed a gloved hand on his chest as Richie moved lower, her hands tracing lines along his belly. "Right, so uh, where is she now? I'd kinda like to get to know everyone before I make my decision..." Cazlyth frowned, her hand moving up to grip Ashton's neck as she forced him back against the door. "You're kinda insistent on seein' her. You haven't even gotten to know Richie here, have you?" She asked, her eyes narrowing as her grip around his neck tightened. Richie didn't seem to mind and was busy working on undoing Ashton's pants. Ashton was starting to panic a little bit. "I wanted to talk with everyone first. Richie seemed a little busy..." Ashton said, his words strained a little bit. Cazlyth wasn't trying to choke him out, but she wasn't gentle either. She stared into his eyes with a piercing gaze, searching for something. To say it was uncomfortable would be a bit of an understatement. "Richie, back off." Cazlyth ordered. Ashton felt her pause before her fingers lifted away from his belt. She stood up and out of the corner of his vision, he saw her give him a wink. She sauntered back over to the witches. Ashton would have felt relieved if it wasn't for the dark elf still pinning him against the wall, staring at him. Her grip tightened a bit. "Iris took flight from my balcony to check on the logs. She'll be back momentarily. I'll give you two some privacy." Cazlyth's grip tightened even more, and Ashton's hands wrapped around her wrist. "Head into my office. If you're still in there by the time I get back, I'll take that as you having made your decision to become a member of our crew." She whispered in a threatening manner, releasing his neck. He coughed a little bit, doubling over, and the captain laughed. "Have fun." She said as she opened the door behind him and stepped through, closing it behind her. Doing his best to not look towards Richie, he quickly made his way to the other end of the crew quarters and into Cazlyth's cabin, closing the door behind him. He leaned against the door, taking a moment to clear his head and refocus on the task at hand. "Fuck this day. Fuck this day." Ashton muttered to himself, rubbing his neck. He looked up and around at the cabin, seeing the harpy nowhere to be found. What he did find, however, was precisely what he was after. Splayed out in front of him on Cazlyth's desk was a ledger displaying dates and coordinates. Ashton wasn't familiar with the meaning of any of them as he was as far from being a sailor as someone could get, but he knew he had to memorize the numbers as best as he could. "If only I could hold a pen..." He muttered, taking a glance around to see if there were any bits of charcoal nearby. No dice. He returned his attention to the ledger and began memorizing the coordinates, repeating the digits out loud as he looked around for a way to check the numbers himself. The last time he was in there, Cazlyth pointed to a map hanging from the wall... Bingo. He rushed over to the map and began trying to match the numbers in the book to the numbers on the map. "Hello there." Ashton's blood turned to ice at the sing-song words. He took a breath in to compose himself and turned to greet the owner of the melodious voice. A short woman stood at the entrance to the balcony, standing at maybe five-four. She was of a petite build similar to the mice-women and was relatively plain-looking for a winged woman in comparison to the more flamboyant Melody on the deck above. Her feathers were various shades of brown. Her taloned, scaled feet were brown. Her long, unkempt hair wound in tangles that fell to her waist was brown, and her complexion was naturally light mocha brown. She wore no clothes whatsoever, revealing her water-speckled body in all its athletic glory. Iris. |
AeroscorchMar 6, 8:03 PM
Mar 6, 8:05 PM
#20
| Nice intro to the crew! And IIRC Richie is the first creeping coin we've had in a story. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
Mar 6, 9:03 PM
#21
| Chapter 6 "You like what you see?" Iris asked as she sauntered around the desk, grabbing a dry towel off one of the chairs with her thumb to pat herself dry. The casual nudity was something he'd have to adjust to if the people aboard the ship were any indication of normal dress codes on the mainland. Thankfully Ashton had enough composure to play it cool. "You look like you take care of yourself well enough. Your hair could use a comb though." Iris rolled her eyes, and walked over to stand beside Ashton as she continued to pat herself down. "The map. I was talking about the map. Do you like it?" "Oh. Right. Well, it's... a map. Is it supposed to impress me?" Iris frowned. "I inked this map myself." She stared up at him. "So yes, it's supposed to be impressive. This took me weeks to fill in using relevant charting data, some of which I gathered myself." Annoyed, she thrust the damp towel into Ashton's side, turning to admire her work. "One day, I'd like to see what's beyond." Her feathers traced the edges of the map, and there was a longing look in her eyes. Ashton tossed the towel back over one of the chairs, and took the opportunity to inspect the map closer while Iris let her mind wander. The pair were quiet for some time, allowing Ashton to complete his search. Between the numbers in the ledger he'd spied on Cazlyth's desk earlier and the coordinate marks on the map, Ashton had a pretty good idea of where the ship was relative to the landmasses displayed. Eventually, Iris looked up at him, brows furrowed. "You're terrible at this." "Huh? Terrible at what?" "I was hoping you'd be better at flirting, but I guess I'm too much of a romantic. Got my hopes up." She made her way back to the desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out an inkwell and feathered ink pen with her feet, and began scratching numbers into the ledger. "Though for someone who has no appreciation for craftsmanship, you're quite interested in that map." "It's a new world for me. Call me curious." "You'll see it all soon enough if you stick with us." Iris said, lightly blowing on the ink she penned into the book. "Why do you work for Cazlyth?" Ashton asked, turning to glance sidelong at her. "She's a good captain. She's kept us afloat for a long time. Gets us paid well. Caters to each of our individual needs. If it wasn't for her, I'd never have the chance to practice cartography the way I do now." "Are we talking about the same person?" With the information logged and the ink mostly dried, Iris turned to look up and over to Ashton. "You must have thin skin if you think a few harsh words and a tough attitude make her a bad captain." "She's threatened me several times within the span of a day and has openly admitted to committing some pretty serious crimes without remorse." "So? We're privateers. We get to live free from the strictures of the rest of the world so long as we don't piss off the powers that be too much. I said she was a good Captain. You're not a pirate if you don't commit a few crimes." Ashton narrowed his eyes. "You don't want to sail with us, do you?" Iris asked. "What do you think?" Ashton shot back. Iris shrugged. "Doesn't bother me one way or the other. I'm living my passion right now and getting paid handsomely for it. The same can be said for many of the others too. Scarlet enjoys explosions. She gets to explode things. Himari likes to work with textiles from all over, and she gets to. Bruce likes to fight on her own terms, and she gets the chance often enough. Lila enjoys visiting the forests of other nations. Brorna—" "Is a vile rapist who tried to assault me as I was just waking up." "Did she succeed?" Iris asked, her voice drawing more towards an even keel than before, though she still maintained a pleasant tone. "She would have if Zoe wasn't there." "So she didn't." "She could have." Iris closed the book. "But she didn't. That's the truth, that's the history. We could have been blown out of the water by one of the ägir, but we weren't. We could have been sunk by other pirates several times, but we weren't. We could have been raided in Kioko several times, but we weren't. We're here today because things went our way when they might not have. You're unharmed, whether due to luck, skill, timing, connections, or whatever else. That means you're living the life where you're unharmed. Don't try and live the life where you weren't." That caught Ashton off guard. He was still upset, but he wasn't able to find the right words right away to respond. Iris continued. "We're living our best lives. When we aren't, we deal with those consequences. Brorna is here to live her best life. She wanted to master knotwork, balance, and acrobatics so she could become a performer in one of the capital cities, which is why she's our best rigger." Iris walked up to Ashton, and poked his chest with her thumb. "She was tired of the 'family business'. The Kenndars are slave traders. She didn't want to be a part of that anymore, and so her aunt gave her the opportunity to sail the seas and become an adventurer with plenty of spare time to practice her art, and earn some coin so she could eventually open her own studio." Iris canted her head, looking up at Ashton. "Everyone here has hopes and dreams. Desires they want to fulfill. Pasts they want to escape from. The captain of a pirate ship isn't a position that's freely given like it is in the military. It's an elected position. Cazlyth is the captain because we all want her to be, because she has the knowledge, experience, skill, and connections to get everyone what they want, and keep us alive while we're in the thick of it. If Brorna never makes her dream come true because she can't tie knots ever again, that's on her. You're the one who came out on top in that exchange, so don't take your own hopes and dreams for granted and drop them into the same pit that Brorna dug for herself." Iris poked him once more for good measure. "If you don't want to be here, that's fine. It won't change anyone here if you get off at port. Just don't act like you drew the short stick when you haven't. We have to deal with the cards that are dealt to us. We can whine and moan, or we can do what we have to do to make things good for ourselves." Iris brushed the tips of her feathers along Ashton's arm. "If you're sticking around, wouldn't it be better to have fun than not?" After her little speech, feeling her feathers brush lightly against him, he became more aware of her state of dress. She wouldn't have been his type back on Earth, but he couldn't help but feel the flush in his cheeks. It was a bit of a different sensation than when Richie was in his line of sight. This was more controlled. He was in control. He placed his hands on Iris' shoulders. "Well, I guess this isn't so bad. You're much different than either of the elves." Maybe in a different timeline, he would have enjoyed her company. She wasn't as abrasive as either Cazlyth or Brorna, and while she was pragmatic with her approach, she seemed to empathize much better than other members of the crew. She, at least, wasn't forcing anything. He smiled. "Listen. As much as I'm enjoying this conversation, Cazlyth will be back any moment, and if I'm still in here by the time she gets back, she'll make good on a threat against me. I'd much rather spend my time with you than with her right now. Could we talk somewhere else?" Iris stepped forward and pressed herself against his chest, staring up at him with a mischievous look in her eyes and a coy smile on her lips. "Finally letting go a little I see." She whispered up to him, wrapping her wings around his neck as she let herself hang off his frame. "I might have a place or two I can take you where we won't be bothered. But I want something more than a conversation. Let go a little more, and kiss me. Deeply." Ashton could feel her heartbeat against his chest. She kept a cool exterior, but he could feel her heart beating like crazy. Feeling her soft breasts through the fabric of his shirt, his body was starting to react. He closed his eyes. I'm sorry Ava. The kiss was as passionate as it would have been for Ava. He tasted salt on her soft lips. Citrus on her tongue. He picked her up by her waist and sat her on the desk, her legs wrapping around him. His fingers curling in against her back. On instinct, he tried to run his fingers through her hair. "Ow!" Iris yelped, pulling back and batting Ashton over the head with her wing. "Shit! Sorry. I'm not used to—" "No no, it's fine. That's what I get for never combing my hair." She said, laughing. She seemed in good humor, and brushed some feathers against his cheek. "Don't worry about it. You're a great kisser." She looked towards the balcony. "Carry me over there." "The door is—" "I know. Just carry me over there. I'm holding up my end of the bargain, trust me." With a shrug, Ashton did as requested, and he set her on the bannister. She hopped up on her feet, perched perfectly balanced on the railing, and she patted him on the head. "I'm taking you to my roost. Grab my ankles. I'll hold onto your wrists with my feet." Ashton was puzzled. Was she saying she could lift him into the air? He did as instructed, and was shocked to realize that, in fact, she could lift him into the air. She sounded like she was exerting herself quite a bit to do so, but even so the ascent was quick enough to cause Ashton's stomach to drop. He wasn't afraid of heights, but the thought of being dropped from such a height again in such a short period of time. A sense of helplessness rushed through his body as he looked down to see the crew below, getting further and further away. Some of them looked up and pointed. "Here we are!" Iris said as she set Ashton down atop the perch of the forward mast. It was a small flat area with a short railing running along the edge, enough for two people to sit comfortably with their legs dangling over the edge. He looked over at her and saw her red in the face and breathing heavily from exertion. "You need to lose some weight, mister." She said as she sat beside him and leaned against him, looking out on the horizon. The view was much clearer from so high up. "I'll take that under advisement. You're a lot stronger than you look." "I'll take that as a compliment. You like the view?" "It's alright." He said, looking out to the horizon as well. "You like it up here?" "My favorite place on the ship. I don't get to spend a lot of time up here during the day though." "Too busy navigating?" "Yup." She said, kicking her legs back and forth. "We're headed south, right? To somewhere called 'drug rest'?" Iris snickered. "Dreg's Rest. It's a small port in Freebooty Freestate, hidden within the crags. It's our port of call. You won't find it on any maps." Ashton tried to relate their position relative to the rising sun. Finding the front of the boat, he designated that area roughly as 'south'. Land would have been to the east, to their left. He pointed in that direction. "What's out that way?" He asked. "Kioko. Lots of small villages occasionally raided down the western coast, but we're not sailing that close to land right now. No stops till we get to Dreg's Rest." "You raid villages?" "Rarely. The Scuffed Hoof is better equipped for long voyages than most other ships, and the jobs we take on usually pay well enough that we don't have to raid any villages, but it's common enough for smaller vessels and less scrupulous pirates." Ashton took a quiet moment to digest that information. The more she talked, the less the ship seemed like a horrible deal. It wasn't enough to change his mind, but he wasn't judging the ship as harshly as he was an hour ago. "What else is out that way? Any big cities?" "Bestallion, the capital of Kioko is right over that way." Iris moved to sit behind Ashton, wrapping her legs around his waist as she straddled him from behind. Her wing moved under Ashton's arm and positioned it, pointing him towards the direction of the capital of Kioko. "It's seated inside a wide inlet, to the south of the large bay in that area." She shifted his arm ever so slightly to the left. "Michiko, the Sunken City and capital of the sea is abooooooouut that direction. It's in the middle of the bay, and is fully underwater. A cool place to go if you get the chance to visit, though we tend not to sail those waters." "How come?" "The ägir, for one. They each patrol a section of water, the borders of several different patrols can be found there. Means we're more likely to run into them. There's also the regular patrols above and below water by their armed forces. It's also the seat of Lord Michiko, who we want nothing to do with." Sounds like the perfect place for Seph, Zoe, and I to head to. Ashton thought. It's protected enough that they'll never want to head in that direction. "About how far is it away from where we are?" "Why, you worried we might get caught?" Iris asked, pressing her cheek against his back. "What would you say if I was?" "I'd say you wouldn't have to worry. We have one of the fastest ships there are." "Humor me." Iris hummed a tune, sounding like she was working out the math in her head. "I'd say probably a day, maybe a day and a half. We're cutting it a bit closer than I'd like, but Cazlyth is pretty eager to get these mercs off her ship." "Oh? How come?" There was a long pause, as if she was uncertain whether or not she should say anything. "Let's just say the less we have to do with them, the better." Ashton frowned. Why was everyone being so vague about the mercenaries? Zoe was pretty reluctant to say anything about them too. Persephone knew nothing about them. Iris was being evasive. It was a little spooky. "Wait a second. I haven't seen any of them aside from Zoe. Where even are they?" "We have passenger cabins up at the bow that we clear out when we do personnel transport. Normally people come outside and mingle with the crew, but aside from that undine, none of them seem to want to leave their rooms. I'd go crazy being stuffed in such a small space for so long." "That's... weird." "You're telling me. Only time I've seen them this whole trip was when they boarded at Dreg's Rest. But enough of that. Tell me about yourself." "What do you wanna know?" "Where you're from, for starters. I heard you're from Earth." Having acquired the navigation data that ne needed, Ashton weighed his options. He could be brought back to the deck below, or he could relax a little away from everyone else. He wasn't likely to get any privacy for himself anytime soon, and so far, Iris had proven to be somewhat good company. It didn't take him long to decide to remain where he was, and to tell Iris all about where he was from, and where he'd been. The harpy remained quiet as he talked about his past, only occasionally piping up to ask questions. She wrapped her wings around his midsection, and time seemed to melt away. Hours must have passed, the sun having long since started its decline off the peak of noon. "Ashton?" Iris asked, her voice low. "Yeah?" "Are you going to stay with us?" Ashton didn't respond right away. He wasn't going to let her in on his plans to leave with Persephone and Zoe, that was for sure. He just didn't want to tell her he wasn't sticking around. "I don't know which choice is the right one, but I know what I'm feeling. I don't want to be around people who tried to attack me, let alone work with them." "Ah..." Iris sighed. "I skipped a few duties to be up here with you. Do you wanna make it a little more memorable before we head back down?" "I think it's been pretty memorable so far." Ashton replied. "Blowjobs always make everything more memorable, but hey, your loss." She said, snickering against his back as she gave him a little squeeze. "Let's head down then. Supper ought to be on right away." The way down was even quicker than the way up, and Ashton felt much better for having something solid beneath his feet to move around on. Before she took off, Iris hopped up and gave Ashton a light peck on the lips with her own. "Thanks Ashton. I'll see you later." No Iris, you won't. She flew away, and immediately the catcalling began. The girls were whistling and hooting at the kiss, some of them giving rounds of applause. Inside he wanted nothing more than to be done for the day, but he kept his composure and smiled at everyone, brushing off their advances as he turned to make his way below deck. |
Mar 6, 9:06 PM
#22
Reply to tygertyger
Nice intro to the crew! And IIRC Richie is the first creeping coin we've had in a story.
| @tygertyger That's really cool! I'm having fun introducing all these neat characters, even if they're playing only a small role here and there in this story. Maybe some of these rarer mamono ought to get the spotlight as Companions for others later on? :3 |
Mar 6, 10:52 PM
#23
| Oh man, those probably aren't mercs are they? I wonder if Zoe and Anvi are working to uncover some sort of trafficking plot or something like that. Also it's nice that you get to show off some not-often used mamono. |
Mar 7, 6:13 AM
#24
Reply to YummyLunches
Oh man, those probably aren't mercs are they? I wonder if Zoe and Anvi are working to uncover some sort of trafficking plot or something like that. Also it's nice that you get to show off some not-often used mamono.
| @YummyLunches To whom are you referring to as the mercs, purr-chance? :3 (Zoe has been the only mercenary shown at any point thus far. It's a guarantee you'll see more of their company, but *When* is the question...;3) |
Mar 7, 3:56 PM
#25
| Now, now, that was a double whammy. Certainly nice to see that things about the crew aren't nearly as cut and dry as it appeared at first. Iris seemed very nice and I have a feeling she's fairly understanding of Ashton's need. Considering she made the whole speech about everyone having to decide how to play the cards they're given. It will be interesting to see how the captain and the rest of the crew react when Asthon and company do execute their exit strategy. I suppose that will be the point when the other mercs might become active. Anyway, good job, looking forward to more :) |
Mar 7, 7:40 PM
#26
| Oho, we now see that the unsympathetic characters have redeeming qualities! Nicely done! And I gotta say I like how an HMG got integrated into the story so seamlessly. Here's hoping we see more of that. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
Mar 14, 10:56 AM
#27
| Chapter 7 Suppertime came around not long after Ashton parted ways with Iris, and he got to see for himself how mealtime worked on a pirate ship. Zoe had done all of the prep work supervised by Persephone, and the crew seemed to really acknowledge her work and provide her thanks for helping out. Ashton was surprised to learn what it was she actually made: deliciously seasoned lemongrass cod served with a side of massaged kale, almonds, cranberries, cheese, and half a lemon on the side. Ashton and Persephone were able to partake in the non-poisoned version of the meal, and the five-star taste was the furthest thing he expected. It was going to take about an hour for the alchemical remedy to work its way through everyone's system, giving Ashton, Persephone, and Zoe some time to gather their belongings for the trip to their agreed upon location; The Sunken City. It also gave them time to take some much-needed rest. Zoe was adamant that she'd be able to make the journey with relative ease the whole way, even carrying the two of them, but Persephone especially needed some shut-eye before the journey. She and Ashton drifted away while Zoe kept watch, his dreams plagued by anxiety. He relived the images of everyone mingling during supper. Cazlyth came down to check on Brorna, massaging her limbs and moving her around to prevent bedsores. Melody apologized for her actions in a heartfelt way. Iris continued to flirt with Ashton, drawing a comical amount of ire from the crew. Runt finally returned with a severely jury-rigged chair made of scrap wood, causing everyone to laugh. It was a warm and homey feeling, which had Ashton feeling unsettled by what he knew was coming. He was committed to his decision, but even so, he felt... wrong. Then it was time to wake up. Zoe had walked around the ship to check on the crew, and when she confirmed they were all taking the evening off, she roused Persephone and Ashton from their slumber and cast the water breathing spell on Ashton. Once again displaying her unusual physical strength and solidity, the undine picked Persephone up with relative ease in a princess carry, and the trio began to navigate their way up to the main deck. The unconscious bodies of the crew were strewn about in various states of rest. Women facedown at the table, cards still in hand. The mice girls were piled up on top of each other, with Runt on top. Numerous members of the crew were leaned up against the railings. The captain was slumped up against the central mast, her lower body covered by a thick blanket. More still were presumably in their bunks. They quietly made their way over to the railing of the ship, and just as Ashton was about to climb over the railing, he heard a deafening click. He'd been to gun ranges enough with his brother and watched enough movies to know the tell-tale sound of a weapon being cocked. Apparently, Zoe understood the meaning of the sound as well, as she froze on the spot along with Ashton. "You move, he dies." Cazlyth said from behind them. Persephone looked shocked as she turned to stare at the dark elf, and Zoe shared a worried sidelong glance with Ashton. "You. Male. Turn around. Slowly." Ashton turned around, and he saw that Cazlyth had stood up and was dusting herself off, blanket tossed aside. She had apparently been hiding a large, fancy-looking crossbow of some sort under there. "I don't want to skewer you. But you're stealing my cook and surgeon." Cazlyth said calmly. "How are you still awake?" Persephone asked, still surprised the captain was standing. "Ah-ah-ahh, I'll be the one asking the questions." Cazlyth said, wagging a finger at Persephone. "Number one, where were you planning on going?" "Don't tell her!" Zoe pleaded. Ashton agreed. He wasn't going to tell her anything and remained silent. Cazlyth sighed. "I really don't wanna stick you, male. But ya poisoned my crew. You're abducting my only trained medical professional. You're jeopardizing our contract with the mercenaries if that pipsqueak goes with you, which means we won't get the second installment of our payment. Not to mention the damage to our stellar reputation. All because you're not fuckin' patient enough to wait another week. I gave you more than enough grace. I didn't gut you when you hurt my niece. I let you rest when you needed it. Clothed you. Fed you. Healed you—" "Sephy healed him, not you! Himari clothed—" "This is my ship you nitwit. I could have ordered he be tossed overboard that night he arrived. I could have ordered him shackled, denied him treatment. Taken his clothes. Had my way with him if I so felt like it. And I didn't. How many fuckin' freebooters you know would restrain themselves like this, huh?" She scoffed. "I was tryin' to be reasonable. That's over now. Lance, back up two paces and set the good doctor down." Persephone and Ashton looked at Zoe. She didn't move as instructed, though there was a notable change in her demeanour and expression after what Cazlyth said. Her eyes had gone wide and her mouth was agape, as if someone had just shared terrible news. "Oh, you didn't know I knew, didja? That's right you fuckin' mass-murdering hypocrite. I know each and every one of you mercs by your stupid-ass code-names. I do my fuckin' homework on everyone that steps foot on my vessel, 'Piercing Lance of the Cerulean End'. I know what they mean too, and if you think you can drop my surgeon, turn around, and point your finger at me quicker than I can pull this trigger, you're more than welcome to test that theory at your convenience." A few tense seconds went by, and it looked to Ashton like Zoe was shaking, her eyes unfocused and distant. "No? That's what I fuckin' thought. Now, do what I fuckin' told ya to. You got three seconds, or I put one through the male's—" "You won't." Zoe said, oddly calm. The shaking had stopped. "The fuck I won't." "You won't, because I won't let you. I'll catch the bolt." "The fuck you will. Nobody can catch an armor piercing ten ounce bolt with a two ton draw weight. Got this puppy specifically to deal with the sea giants, and it wasn't cheap. Had to crank this fucker for one whole minute. Without the safety pin, you better believe this thing will fly at the slightest touch." "If you loose that bolt at Ashton, I'll catch it, turn around, and cut you and your ship in half. Then your entire crew will be in the water, where they will be at my mercy, and I'll kill every single one of them." Zoe's whole personality was suddenly very different, like someone flipped a switch. She spoke with a steady, calm voice, as if she were the one in charge. Nobody moved for a while after she said those words. Nobody spoke. Ashton watched Cazlyth slowly lower her large crossbow until it was no longer pointing at him. "Georgina ain't gonna let you go, kid." Cazlyth said, shoving a pin into the weapon's frame. There was a twinge of sympathy in her voice, barely audible over the sheer amount of dissatisfaction. Zoe closed her eyes, as if she was resigning herself to some horrible fate. Her next words were soft and tinged with a painful understanding. "I know." Cazlyth looked to Ashton, hands on her hips, clearly annoyed. "Well, I guess this is it, male. Take care of Persephone for me. When you're far from here, be sure to ask that merc about Lam Dezas. Maybe when she spills the beans, you'll realize how truly fuckin' stupid of a decision this was." She looked to Persephone. "When he dies, you know where to find me if you wanna make some gold. I'll tell ya how I resisted your sleepin' potion when we meet again." The captain of the Scuffed Hoof took one last look at the three of them as she leaned her crossbow against the mast, shook her head, and started walking toward the front of the ship. Just like that. "Zoe, are you alright?" Persephone asked, placing a hand against Zoe's cheek. "What was all that she just—" "Not now. Not here." Zoe quickly interjected, her tone sharper than usual. "Let's just go." With that, the trio made their way wordlessly over the railing, a pillar of swirling water from below rising up to meet them like some sort of elevator platform courtesy of Zoe's hydromancy. The water pillar lowered them gently down into the ocean below, and Ashton positioned himself behind the undine, wrapping his arms around her neck. Once everyone was secure, Zoe took off at impressive speed towards their intended destination, The Sunken City. The Scuffed Hoof soon disappeared from sight. Ashton was still processing everything that just happened, distracted by Zoe's sharp shift in behavior and the revelation that she was far more capable than her bubbly, innocent persona let on. He hadn't even noticed the effects of the water breathing spell that was cast on him until the sun had long since set, the moon taking its place. Though he knew what the spell would do, considering everything Persephone and Zoe shared with him, he still had a hard time believing it was real. It was one thing to know something from a logical perspective, and it was another to experience it first hand. Eventually though, the amazement of the magic that was he was under the effects of began to wear off, and he began to feel the effects of fatigue, his eyelids heavy. It wasn't until the moon was beginning its descent that anyone spoke. "I see sandbars up ahead." Persephone said. "Land mustn't be far away. We're likely close to the northern edge of the bay on Kioko's western coast, if the coordinates Ashton shared were accurate. We should stop there for the night." "No." Zoe said, adjusting her path a little to the north. "Zoe, you've been swimming all night, carrying two of us the whole time." "I'm not stopping till we reach the Sunken City." "Zoe, you must be tired—" "I'm not. I told you, this is easy." She insisted. "Not that I can really speak to what's normal for you or not, but there's no way what you're doing is easy." Ashton piped in. Persephone answered. "It shouldn't be easy, even for an undine. She's been swimming non-stop for over half a day while carrying two people." "I could carry ten of you and it would still be easy. I'm fine." Zoe growled. "Why are you so adamant on going the whole way without stopping?" Persephone asked. Zoe remained quiet. "Zoe." "We're not safe till we're under Lord Michiko's protection." Zoe replied, sounding more than a little frustrated. "Zoe, you just swam an unbelievable distance in such a short amount of time. It would have taken me three or four days to swim this far if I was in peak condition. We can afford to take a few minutes to get our bearings, eat, and recast the spell." Persephone suggested. Zoe kept swimming without stopping. "Zoe." Zoe came to an abrupt stop, tossing Persephone out of her arms. The nereid righted herself and spun around to face Zoe, a surprised look on her face. "There!" Zoe yelled, ducking out of Ashton's hold. She spun around, recast the water-breathing spell on him, and turned back to face Persephone. "The spell is recast. Are you happy now? Or do you want a picnic too?" She asked indignantly. "Sweetie, it's alright, we're—" "No! You don't get it! I told you what having me along would be like. We need to keep swimming." "Alright sweetie, alright. We'll keep swimming. Just let us eat first. I'm still very tired, and Ashton may be as well." "You're not listening." Zoe growled. "We can sleep for as long as we want once we get to the city. We aren't safe right now." "Does this have something to do with Lam Dezas?" Ashton asked. Zoe spun around to face him. There were a lot of emotions playing across her face in that moment; anger, shame, sadness. Fear. "Cazlyth was saying some pretty wild stuff back there. She had you shaken up, and then you said some pretty wild stuff too." "Ashton!" Persephone chided. He put a hand up in response. "She saved my life four times already. That's not in question." Ashton said to the nereid, dropping his hand and looking back to Zoe. "Just, we're in the dark here. Persephone and I don't know what you know. Heck, I barely know anything about this place. The fact I can breathe and talk to you right now is insane to me. I'm tired, I'm hungry, I've been in pain all day, and I just want to get my bearings. Please, Zoe, just give us five minutes. We can eat, and you can shed some light on things. If something looks fishy—" Persephone frowned deeply, fists against her hips. "Sorry, bad choice of words. If we notice something out of place, we can zip out of here at that same crazy pace you just set. Sound good?" Zoe still looked angry, but her eyes dropped down to peer at her hands as she considered Ashton's words. With an annoyed groan, she buried her face in her hands and wiggled around in frustration. "Arrrg! This is such a bad idea. Fine!" She threw up her hands. "Get your stupid cod out and eat." "Thank you. I just have one more question..." Ashton had been holding it in for what must have been a few hours by that point, and he didn't want to say anything, but he really had to relieve himself. "Where, uh, do we go to the bathroom here?" Zoe and Persephone looked at Ashton with a confused look on their faces. "I have to pee." Persephone smiled, looking as though she would have been laughing if not for the tense situation moments prior. Zoe's mood lifted considerably, Persephone's smile contagious. Zoe turned around and opened her arms. "This is the ocean. Just go wherever you want." "The food." Persephone added. "Right. Go here, and I'll swim us over to the shallows." "You mean, just... what, piss myself?" Ashton asked, looking a little mortified. Persephone started giggling in earnest then, further alleviating a good portion of Zoe's dour mood. "You know what, I can hold onto it for now. Persephone, you said there was land close by?" "There should be, if the sandbars are any indication." She said. "Thank God. Let's take our break on the beach." Ashton remarked. "Fine. A short break." Zoe said. "And you'll tell us what's going on?" Persephone inquired. Zoe sighed. "Yes. I will. The short version." "Fine by me." Ashton said. "Let's go; I'm not sure how much longer I can hold it in." With everyone in agreement, they resumed their trek through the water, taking little time to surface onto the coastline. Zoe carefully laid Persephone in the sand, Ashton hopping off Zoe's back to rush towards the treeline, roughly five meters from where the water tickled the sand. Once his business was concluded, he made his way back to the others, finding Persephone had laid out some cod for Ashton, already halfway through her own meal. Zoe didn't eat. "So..." Ashton started, looking towards Zoe as he bit into his meal, sitting beside Persephone. "Everyone aboard the ship seemed pretty evasive about the mercenaries aboard. Lam Dezas, I assume?" Zoe nodded her head, closing her eyes. "Yeah. That's us." She rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. "Them, I mean. Now. Since I'm a deserter." She dropped her hands, opening her eyes and looking into the distance. "Lam Dezas is small. Full of specialists. Elite. We're really good at what we do." As she was talking, Zoe reached a hand out to the gently lapping waves. Figures illuminated by the moon and stars above rose from the water, moving towards the beach like puppets dancing to the movements of Zoe's fingers. "Willow, Huǒ, Vetar, and Georgina. They're the other ones on the ship. Including me, that's one third of Lam Dezas." Each of them depicted very different women. Ashton couldn't tell anything about them based on their appearances, but thankfully Persephone chimed in. "A will-O-wisp, ignis, sylph, and glacies?" "That's right. Our resident necromancer, pyromancer, aeromancer, and cryomancer. I was their hydromancer. Usually, most jobs require only one or two of us at a time." "So where does that name Cazlyth called you come into play?" Ashton asked. "'Piercing Lance of the Cerulean End' was my title, or 'Lance' for short. Each of us is given a poetic title after our first mission. It's supposed to inspire recognition and fear, or whatever. They describe what we're good at." "I can't say I've ever heard of any legends or tales of someone with that name." Persephone commented. "The only reason people would ever know them outside the company is if they're in a position to hire us, or to be targeted by us. Think less like Sandwalker Company or Ashtails, and more like Flying Circus. A less expensive, less famous version with fewer morals. We do a lot of special operations; escorts, rescues, reconnaissance, infiltration. Assassination." That last word had a strong guilty twinge to it. She dismissed the four water-based simulacrums with a wave of her hand, each of them splashing back into the sea. "I'm... new. Ish." "So they're a bunch of badasses. There's still something I don't get though." Ashton said, licking his fingers as he finished his meal. "Why would they come after you? Why not just hire someone else?" Zoe shifted uncomfortably, scrunching up her face and showing more than a little hesitation. "Hey." Ashton reached over and placed a hand over Zoe's. "It's alright if you need a moment." She looked down at his hand holding onto hers and then up and into his eyes. When she did, the tension seemed to drain out of her body. Sadness filled her eyes instead, and she looked away, trying to hide the shame Ashton managed to see hidden behind the sapphires. "Georgina, she found me when I was younger. Raised me. Trained me. Told me I was special." Her voice quivering a little. "She said I was a prodigy of my era. A savant. She said people like me don't come around very often. I can do things no other undine can do." Zoe stood up, and turned to face the trees, letting Ashton's hand slip away. Her eyes stared into the distance the way someone does when they're reliving a memory. "My first job was supervised by Georgina. It was an escort mission in Kaori. A single carriage. A wealthy client. A trip from Zarom to Gomarra. Discrete. Only, it wasn't. Someone found out. We were surrounded at one point. And then?" Zoe lifted her right arm, pointing to the north of the treeline with her index finger. Ashton and Persephone watched as she made a quick, horizontal slashing movement with her arm, her finger pointing south when she was done. As she did so, that same painful, high-pitched buzzing noise filled the air for a second, as if someone was cutting steel with a circular saw in a closed space. "Then, we weren't." It was hard to notice anything different at first. A tree fell over. Then another, and another, until dozens were crashing down into each other with heavy reverberations that shook the ground, a crescendo of chaos. Wood splintered and cracked and bellowed out into the night as the treeline was rent in twain, the edge of the forest clear cut with the swipe of Zoe's finger. Ashton and Persephone watched on in awe and horror until the carnage came to a close with the rumbling earth stilled, Zoe's arm falling slack to her side. "Georgina will come after me, but not just because I'm super amazing. The job we were on, in Frosthaven. It was... really bad. The five of us went up there to... to..." Zoe ran her fingers through her hair, shaking her head as she stared out at what was left of the treeline. "Our primary objective was to 'eliminate all targets'. But... but there were no real warriors. No soldiers, no mercenaries. This wasn't a fight. There were no combatants. They were just... just people. So the five of us slaughter a hamlet full of helpless people." Zoe sounded disgusted. She started pacing back and forth, holding her arms, hugging herself tightly as a cold wind started to drift in from the sea. "That wasn't it though. It wasn't just, 'kill everyone'. We had to... we, we had to mutilate the bodies. Arrange them, put them on some sort of sick display." Zoe started quietly crying, and Ashton stood up. "Zoe, that's..." "Bad! It's bad! It's sick, and it's what I was trained to do. Me! I was there. I did that! And... and I..." Zoe fell to her knees, full-on sobbing. Ashton was hesitant to go to her, especially after her insane tree-chopping display. Doubly so after hearing what she admitted to. He looked over to Persephone, but she seemed just as taken aback as he was. "She, she, she's a psycho, the, the client. I'm scared. I'm really scared, and I'm sorry, and I shouldn't have come here with you." Zoe managed to get out between hiccups, struggling to say anything. "It was, was, it wasn't a normal job. I didn't know. I didn't know." The cold wind started to really pick up as Ashton found himself walking towards the crying girl, a chill crawling up his spine. Rationally, he knew he shouldn't get mixed up with the undine. But seeing her cry, seeing her spill tears of shame and disgust across the beach, he felt himself move regardless. He fell to his knees in front of her, and she tried to hide her face. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. Zoe continued to sob into his chest. Persephone made her way over too, joining the hug and squishing the undine between the two of them. It took some time, but eventually the sobs started to slow down, turning into sniffles. There was a long quiet, the three of them squished together like that. "You don't have to do that anymore. You're not part of that group any longer. You're with us now." Ashton whispered. He looked up at Persephone, and she looked back at him, her silver eyes spilling rivers of sympathy. "We should probably keep going. It was supposed to be a short break, right?" Persephone said with lilting cheer and a faint smile. Zoe nodded. "Yeah. Besides, it's starting to get really damned cold, and I would love to—" "What did you say?" Zoe asked, looking up at Ashton with wide eyes. "The wind is frigid, and it's been really picking up." Zoe shot up to her feet and turned to look out to the sea. "Zoe, what's wrong?" Persephone asked. Ashton stood up and followed Zoe's gaze. He couldn't see anything. Zoe walked out into the water and knelt down, putting her hands into the chilled waves. After a few moments of concentration, her eyes filled with disbelief and fear. "We have to go. Now." Her gaze snapped to Ashton and Persephone. "It's Georgina." |
AeroscorchMar 14, 11:53 AM
Mar 14, 2:37 PM
#28
| Well, well, things are getting spicy. Zoe certainly is pretty damn dangerous. Will be interesting to see what those others can do. That bit about using the restroom in the ocean gave me a good chuckle. |
Mar 14, 5:19 PM
#29
| Cool chapter. It seems like the feelings are all there, and there's more trouble coming up. |
Mar 14, 6:48 PM
#30
| Nicely done! This chapter does double duty advancing both the plot and the relationships between the characters. Bonus points for making excellent use of the shared setting. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
Mar 21, 6:28 PM
#31
| Chapter 8 The trio were back in the water, and were traveling along the coastline at great speed. Once more Persephone was in Zoe's arms, Ashton hanging off Zoe's back, and the questions were being fired off just as rapidly as the undine's pace was in the water. Desperation hung from every word, the edge of panic ready to make its cut at any moment. "How is she here? How is that possible?" Persephone asked. "I don't know!" Zoe exclaimed. "You said they were boats made of ice, right?" Ashton asked. "Yeah. Big ones, with sixty oars each. At least five that I can sense." "So Georgina is controlling a bunch of ice boats?" "Very unlikely." Persephone interjected. "Cryomancy is more about the removal of energy within a system, rather than control over the state of the system like it is with other elements. That aside, to be able to control so many remotely like that at such distances would necessitate the use of further schools of magic, which spirits aren't typically known for." "Spirits?" "Zoe is a spirit of water. Georgina is a spirit of cold. The other two elementals are spirits as well. They're intrinsically specialized towards their respective elements and schools of magic." "Damn it! There's another boat ahead. That's six." Zoe frowned. "Wait wait, so if Zoe is a water spirit that does water magic, that means based off what you said she can also control ice, right?" Ashton asked. "Theoretically, yes." "Why not just smash the boats then?" "No! We're not going anywhere near those boats." Zoe urged, the sharpness in her tone indicative of her caution. "It's too dangerous." "Too dangerous? Seph and I just watched you cut down a small forest!" "It's not about power!" Zoe sighed aggressively. "It doesn't matter how awesome I am when the power sets between my opponents and I are incompatible." "Care to shed some light on what that means?" "I'm useless against Willow. Everything she does is intangible. She could be on any one of those boats." "Willow the... necromancer? She's a Will-o-the-Wisp, yes?" Persephone asked. "That's right. She stores a bunch of ghosts in her soul cage. If she sends one of them out, she can possess one of you remotely. The only way I can defend you from that is to stay out of range." "Maybe that's how the boats are working." Ashton proposed. "Ghosts can possess more than just people, right?" "I suppose technically, yes, that would be accurate. They could be ghost ships. An astute observation, Ashton." Persephone said, praising his quick deduction. "Which is more reason to avoid the boats. Arg! There's a seventh one out there. How many did she make!?" "Right, sure. So Willow is a no-go. What about the others? One of them is supposed to be a fire elemental, right? Wouldn't that be an easy fight for you?" Ashton asked. "Huǒ is different. It's about how she uses her pyromancy. She's a long-range specialist." "Always hated snipers in Call of Duty." Persephone quirked a brow at the reference. Zoe didn't seem to notice, and continued her explanation. "If Huǒ is able to see a thing with her eyes, she can rapidly superheat a small portion of it. The water insulates us from her power, so it's better if we're under the surface." "Alright, so that's two bad matches. The other two?" "Vetar is fast and quiet. Don't let her touch you, or she'll force air into your body. As long as we're in the water I can sense if she's around and avoid her." "That's messed up. What about Georgina?" "She—Damn it! That's eight. They're all getting closer. I think she's trying to push us back onto land." "Land, where we're vulnerable to Huǒ and Vetar." Ashton cursed himself inwardly. He was the one who wanted to take a break on the beach, where they were the most vulnerable. He was starting to gain an understanding of Zoe's fear of confrontation. "So what about Georgina? What makes her a bad match up?" "I can cut through anything. No amount of armor can stop me, and she knows that, so she found a way around it. She has a sort of... 'heightened awareness'. It's like a sort of aura around her where she can detect and respond to danger, and her armor has a bunch of magic runes that amplify that." "That doesn't sound so bad in comparison to the others. How does that stop you?" "Her response to an attack is automatic." "...which means what?" "It's hard to explain! It's like... if I tried to cut her, she'd freeze the attack as it happens. My lance wouldn't reach her in the first place. It's why she's the captain of Lam Dezas. None of us can touch her, not even Huǒ or Willow." "Then the choice is pretty clear where we have to go." Ashton stated, his mind trying to work quickly through the scenario they found themselves in. If there were more of those ice boats ahead and they were all closing in, they had a limited window to figure out their next move. "What do you mean?" Persephone asked. "If we're on land, we're vulnerable to all four of them. If we're in the water, we're only vulnerable to one of them, or two if we go on the offensive. They're trying to push us in the direction they don't want us to go, so we have to do the opposite of what they want. If we play by their rules, we're gonna lose. So we don't play their game." "That's fair to say, but if we cannot approach those ice vessels, then what are we to do?" "Still working on that part." Zoe controls water. We have an abundance of water. But we can't get close to them. If she made a big tidal wave right here, she could smash the boats from far away... Ashton shook the idea out of his head. If there were any other ships out on the water, they'd get caught up in that attack, and Zoe just spent the last ten minutes sobbing into his arms about all the innocent people she already hurt. Even if she could pull off a move like that, he wasn't going to suggest it. Can't retreat, can't go on the defense, can't attack. Then we have to out-maneuver them. Think! What advantages do we have they don't? "That's another ship! Ahhhh! How many ships are there going to be out there?!" Wait a second... "Zoe, how are you able to tell there are boats made of ice in the water? Seph and I can't even see any of them." "Uhh, spirit sight?" Zoe remarked with a sarcastic tone, as if Ashton was supposed to know what that meant. Thankfully Persephone came to the rescue. "Every elemental is able to sense the presence of their element, and sense the world through their element, similar to how we see with our eyes or hear with our ears." Persephone clarified. "In this way, Zoe is able to 'see' much further than we can." "I can tell there are boats in the water from far away because I can feel the displacement of water. I can tell they're made of ice because of the difference in density of the water." "So I'm guessing they'll also be able to sense us when we're close enough. How much further can you sense than them?" "Way further." Bingo. "Then I have an idea on how we can get past them. I just need a couple more things clarified. Georgina will be able to sense us based on the temperature difference between the water and our bodies, right?" "You're picking this up rather quickly." Persephone remarked with a hint of approval in her voice. "What about Zoe? Can she tell the difference between you and the water?" There was a short pause as Zoe considered the idea. "I don't think so, but I'm not leaving you and Sephy by yourselves." "Trust me, after hearing you describe what these women are capable of, I have no intent on being left behind. That spell you used earlier on the beach with the water clones; would they be able to tell the difference between you and any clones you make?" The understanding of what Ashton was thinking seemed to dawn on Persephone as she smiled at him with an inquisitive expression (as well as a hint of something else Ashton didn't feel was entirely appropriate considering the situation). "They shouldn't. I could make them identical to me." Zoe stopped swimming, the momentum carrying them a fair ways before they came to a stop. She turned to look up at him with her big sapphire eyes as she too started to catch on to what he was thinking. "How far out can you control those clones?" "Pretty far. Almost as far as I can sense. The further out they go the more I have to concentrate." "You said Willow could possess 'one of you', meaning me or Seph. She can't possess you?" "Ghosts can't possess spirits." Zoe answered, her eyes starting to shimmer. "Then it sounds to me like we have a plan." Ashton said with a big grin on his face. — With the specifics of the plan quickly hammered out and set in motion by the undine, all Ashton could do was wait. Persephone busied herself by performing another quick check-up on Ashton's recovery, but that soon eclipsed, and the pair of them were stuck watching over Zoe as she concentrated deeply on her tasks. Were it not for the subtle expressions that crossed her features—the tightly knit brows, the occasional twitch of her limbs, the rapid eye movement behind her eyelids—she would have appeared to Ashton as the vision of serenity itself, the way she floated in place with her hair cascading around her feminine features. Persephone must have caught him staring, for she lightly bumped up against him with her shoulder, smiling at him knowingly. "You look deep in thought." She said quietly. "Not nearly as much as she is." Ashton replied, still watching. "You're conflicted." "I guess you could say that." "What about?" Ashton turned his head slightly so he could glance sidelong at Persephone. "Is right now the best time to talk about this?" He asked. "What else are we going to do while we wait?" Persephone responded, bumping his shoulder once more. He turned to look at her, and noticed her playful grin. He huffed an annoyed breath before turning to watch Zoe. "She looks so innocent." Persephone reached for his hand, and when he didn't immediately pull away, she laced her fingers between his. She turned to watch Zoe as well, the pair of them quiet for some time. "It just doesn't feel right. We've known each other for less than a day." Persephone glanced up at him, remaining quiet. "I've known Ava for my whole life, and we didn't even share our first kiss until twelfth grade. We took our time in our relationship. We didn't move in together till we were in our mid-twenties. We dated for eight years before I proposed to her. I've never felt anything for anyone besides her." "There's no shame in what you're feeling right now." Persephone responded. "I don't know what I'm feeling." "You two look at each other the exact same way." Ashton turned to Persephone, ripping his hand out of her grip. "Oh yeah? The same way every woman here has looked at me so far?" He said with a little more venom in his voice than even he expected. Persephone didn't seem hurt by the outburst at all, and her tone softened. "What do you think? Do you think she's looked up at you with the same look in her eyes as any of the other women you've met?" The question gave him pause. He didn't expect it to be turned around on him, and as he thought about it, the less upset he was. If he were really being honest with himself, women back on Earth gave him similar looks as the women on the pirate ship, though they were far less brazen. Zoe's eyes told him a different story, and it was utterly inextricable to him that he could feel the way he did about it. He still loved Ava. He missed her, wished she was with him. Wished that he was back home with everyone. The idea that he was in another world still hadn't settled in yet, despite the amount of experience that had been packed into his first day awake. And yet, he couldn't help but feel... "Done!" Zoe said, snapping awake. "Let's go, before they figure out what we did." Persephone gave a look to Ashton that told him 'we'll continue this later', Zoe swooping in to pick her up. "Yeah, let's." He replied to both women, once more wrapping around Zoe's back. Once they took off, Zoe shared the details of how their little maneuver worked. According to the undine, the ghost ships were traveling in a loose formation that was meant to do exactly what Ashton had suspected; cast a wide net and push them back to shore. When the clones made themselves visible to the ships, they deviated from their formation to give chase in directions that would increase the distance between the ships nearest to the trio. It was enough that Zoe felt more comfortable swimming between them, certain that she'd remain out of the sensory range of each of her former teammates. "That's amazing Zoe. That couldn't have been easy to do across such a vast distance." "Nah, it was easy." The undine said, practically beaming. Even if Ashton couldn't see her face from his position on her back, he could tell she had that expression on her face. "A lot of things seem to be quite easy for you." Ashton said, a smile of his own clear in his tone. "I told you, that's because I'm super amazing!" Yes you are. Ashton thought to himself. "Aaaaaand we're past the blockade!" Zoe exclaimed, full of glee. "Now we just have to make it to the city. No more stops!" "Fine by me." Ashton said, the descriptions of what Vetar and Huǒ could do fresh in his mind. Persephone must have had the same ideas in mind. "Agreed." |
Mar 21, 6:46 PM
#32
| Ha! Another human proves his worth by coming up with a good plan! Nice! And once again we have development in the character's relationships, which is good to see. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
Mar 22, 1:32 AM
#33
| Nice trick, and nice conflict. |
Mar 22, 6:52 AM
#34
| Very crafty.. Those mercs do seem pretty dangerous, so best to avoid them. |
Mar 28, 12:26 AM
#35
| Chapter 9.1 When Ashton woke, it was a bit of a shock to him. He immediately gasped for air, as he was still unused to being underwater. The startled reaction caused his other companion in the bed to stir slightly, and when he realized he was perfectly fine and wasn't going to immediately suffocate, he started to relax. Zoe, once more fully nude, acted as the small spoon and pressed her back into him while she grumbled, still asleep. Feeling her push against him, he became cognizant that he, too, was once again fully nude, and that his erection was positioned perfectly between Zoe's butt cheeks. A day earlier he would have removed himself from the position, but he couldn't bring himself to make a big deal about it. Instead, he wrapped a hand around her belly and pulled her close, making himself a little more comfortable as he laid back down. Being close to her like that felt natural. Perhaps it was because she'd spent most of her time against his skin when he was unconscious and recovering, though there was also the aspect of their shared experience of feeling watched over and protected by each other while they slept. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but there was something more going on than was readily apparent. She feels really good. I wonder if... no. I'll let her sleep for now. The last time he woke her up, the first thing she did was cut someone's arms off, and he wasn't keen to start reliving that sort of violence. He'd never really seen anything like that before. His brother had, and he'd told him stories about his time overseas, but he'd never been too explicit about things, always a humorous bend to his stories to evade the worst parts. He had to admit though, seeing something like that was more than a little jarring. The question he couldn't escape was why he didn't feel threatened by her. In the moments where things were hectic, he was cautious of her. When she first woke and nearly killed Brorna, he'd backed away from her. When she described that she was a mercenary who killed people for money, it took him aback for a few crucial seconds. On the beach, when she was recalling what she had to do on her last mission, he was simply shocked by the scale of the violence she was capable of. Every instance of such violence was far more graphic than anything he'd ever had to deal with, and for as much as Ashton could blame situational compartmentalization for his absolutely unhinged first day awake in a new world, there was something... off. There he was, laying in Persephone's bed, as cool and comfortable as could be, snuggled up against someone he had absolutely no right to feel comfortable around. And yet, he felt safer there than he had been anywhere in his entire life. Even with Ava, or his parents, or his brother, he couldn't quite recall a moment where he felt as close, and that thought bothered him. That wasn't the only off-kilter sensation either. There were too many tiny inconsistencies in his thoughts and feelings that he couldn't quite chew over. Kissing and flirting with Iris. Feeling doubt and unhappiness about poisoning the crew of the Scuffed Hoof. The sexual urges he'd been feeling nearly the whole time. Sure, that part could be easily attributed to the plethora of attractive, scantily clad women I've met, and the fact that I'm a guy with urges... but it's really a bit much, isn't it? Ashton thought to himself. Almost as if it were on cue, Zoe began to rub her bottom against him, the movement of her hip forcing him to take a deep breath. The sensation of her against him in such a sensitive place was creating a struggle between his rational mind and his baser instincts, one he knew he shouldn't have been struggling with. When she finally stopped, he exhaled a deep breath, and watched as the action caused some of Zoe's hair to be picked up by the current. Now this part is going to take some getting used to. He didn't remember much from when they arrived. He'd been so tired, he was practically asleep by the time Persephone guided them to her home. After successfully juking whatever Lam Dezas was doing to track down and corner Zoe, Persephone began telling them about Michiko, and the time she spent in the city. Apparently, she'd scored a sizable land grant on the sea mount for her time spent serving the city's public education and healthcare sectors, and owned a three-story penthouse in one of the city's inner towers. Beyond that, Ashton didn't recall too much, and fell asleep the instant Zoe set his head down on the bed. Did she spend half her budget on this bed? Ashton wondered as he began to take in his surroundings. This thing is a bit much. You'd think she was royalty or something. Not to mention this room is huge. Loveseats, wardrobes, mirrors, a harp, a couple walk-in closets... there's even little glowing jellyfish inside bubbles where all the lights in a room like this would normally be. But this bed. The bed was easily twice the size of a California king in all metrics, and had a slight 'bowl' shape, in the middle of which Ashton and Zoe cuddled. There were no sheets, which Ashton supposed made sense; trying to wake up and then getting tangled in a mass of blankets wouldn't be something anyone would have wanted to deal with. Instead, there were large body pillows made of a material Ashton couldn't quite place surrounding them. Probably some sort of woven seaweed, maybe? They definitely held onto body heat, that was for certain. "Mmm, Sephy..." Zoe mumbled, reaching a hand out to grasp at a figment. That's right. Where is the good doctor anyway? Persephone was just as tired as Ashton, if not more. The three of them went to sleep together, squishing Zoe in the middle, that much he could recall. Deciding it was time to leave the pondering till later, Ashton pushed himself up to a sitting position, which caused him to float off the bed entirely. Right. We're underwater. This is going to take some Serious getting used to. When he settled back down onto the bed, Zoe rolled around and grasped for him, her face ending up in his lap, her face pressed against his nethers. He'd just started losing his morning wood, but that idea was tossed out the moment she started rubbing against his shaft with her cheek. "Please, if there is a God, have mercy." Ashton said, closing his eyes as he tried to force down any horny thoughts that began bombarding his mind. "Zoe? Zoe, wake up." He said, trying to shake her awake and reposition her away from his sensitive bits. She grumbled some more, scrunching her face up as she tried to fight her way back into his lap. "Nnnooo... stop..." She mumbled. "You're warm. Let me back in." She said, her eyes eventually cracking open. She looked up at Ashton and pouted. "You were, uh, getting a little frisky." He said. "So?" She said, still pouting. Despite the situation, he couldn't help but think she looked cute. "What if I want to rub my face on your thing? It's nice and warm." Really? She couldn't even call it what it is? "As nice as I'm sure that is, we're guests in Seph's home right now. I don't think she'd approve of us doing something in her own bed." In reality, he was just trying to get out of the situation he was in, since she was still dangerously close to his mini-Ashton. Her face immediately brightened. "You didn't deny it! You want to rub your thing on my face." "Or, and hear me out here, we don't do that, and we find out where Seph went." Ashton insisted. The undine pouted once more. "You like my butt. You can rub your thing on my butt. Sephy told me so before bed you liked it!" Did she now? He thought, not remembering that part. Even as he conjured those thoughts, Zoe was right. He did like her little caboose, and was already guilty of doing the exact thing she was asking for not five minutes earlier. "Zoe." He tried to be firm with his tone. "You're a cute girl, and I like you, but I don't think it's appropriate right now." She looked wounded, and was rapidly becoming distraught. "But... you like me. Why don't you want to be with me? We've been sleeping together naked for over a week. You were okay sleeping naked with me just now." Ashton was about to try an assuage Zoe's worried, but then stopped as the realization caught up to him. "Wait a second. Why am I naked in the first place?" "You don't remember?" Zoe asked, looking as confused as Ashton was feeling. He frowned, and tried to remember last night. Most of it was fuzzy after a certain point. "No... I don't. Did we—" "No! We didn't." Zoe said right away, placing her small hands against him to try and reassure him. Funny enough, the sensation of her hands against his obliques and his abs really did help calm his sudden panic. "Ashton. Look at me." She moved her hands up to his shoulders, and stared him in the eyes, making sure the contact was equally solid before she next spoke. "I will never hurt you. I love you. I protect you. I'll never push myself on you like that." There was a silence where she waited for him to respond, and he searched her eyes for any hints of falsehood. When he found none, he also began to feel incredibly guilty. She'd had multiple opportunities to do something untoward, never did, and she'd saved his life multiple times already. Why was he still doubting her? "Alright. I trust you." He finally said. "So what happened then? Why am I naked?" "You took your clothes off." She said, a look of concern starting to spread on her face. "You said that jacket was 'getting in the way'. You seriously don't remember?" Ashton blinked a few times, trying to recall, but he just couldn't. He shook his head. "I don't." He furrowed his brows, taking another stab at trying to brute force the memories to come back. "What else did I do?" Zoe started to blush a deep blue color. "N-nothing. You took your clothes off then went to sleep." That wasn't suspicious at all. "That was a blatant, bold-faced lie right there. What did I do? I thought you said we didn't—" "We didn't! Ok? You know I want to, but I didn't say anything. You and Sephy were tired. I wanted you to rest. But you... um." She was blushing so much she had to cover her face with her own hands. "You took my clothes off too." Ashton just stared. There was a short circuit somewhere. "I did what now?" He asked, uncertain he heard what she just said. Realistically, Zoe was barely wearing anything in the first place, but the idea that he'd undress not just himself, but her as well, seemed... Is it really that far-fetched right now? I took a severe blow to the head, and I've been acting weird ever since I got here. Plus she's beautiful. What would be the harm...? He shook the thought from his head as he struggled to get Little Ash under control, and grabbed onto Zoe's hands, pulling them away to re-establish eye-contact. "Hey. Zoe. Focus. Do you know where Seph is?" "Last night she said she was going to visit the nearest brothel in the morning, and that she'd come straight back when she was finished." Maybe he should have just stayed asleep. There were fewer short circuits that could occur that way. Maybe he ought to have just taken the poisoned dinner along with the rest of the crew? "Ashton, what's wrong?" "Sorry, I just..." I just What? Wasn't ready to have sex with the attractive nereid who needed it to recover her stamina? He thought to himself, still trying to get accustomed that idea. There's so much I'm going to have to adjust to. I ought to be grateful I can learn it all in relative peace now. "I guess I'm just beating myself up over nothing. That's what she needed to do to get better, right?" Zoe canted her head to the side, a puzzled expression on her face. "Are you Jealous?" She asked. "What? Who said that?" Zoe narrowed her gaze. "If you want to put a baby in Sephy, you should just do it." "WOOOOAAAH, okaaaaay, let's just cool that chain of thought right down for a moment here." "She's super nice. Her boobs are bigger than mine. She's got actual meat on her bones, unlike me. Since, you know. I don't have any bones. She has pretty eyes, she can cook, she can heal, she's super smart and wise, she has a great fashion sense, and, and, Ashton, guess what? She also has a really nice butt too. I know. I squeezed it a bunch last night before I fell asleep." "What are you, some sort of car salesman?" "What's a K-a'arr?" Ashton pinched the bridge of his nose, heaving a sigh. "Look, I'm not jealous, alright? It's just a lot to take in, and I'm still trying to sift through all the stuff that happened yesterday. Seph is... she's really great." But is that all she is? "But I'm not just going to have sex with everyone in sight just because I think they're great." Zoe scoffed. "Pffft. You say that, but I know you kissed that harpy girl." "What? Wait, how do you know that?" "When you and Sephy took that nap, we talked. I saw you two flirting over dinner and I wanted to know how it went." Oh lord, she's been trying to convince me to show the slightest bit of affection this whole time and I give it to someone else instead. He didn't quite know what to say. It felt like he was in a trap, and the guilt just kept building and building. "I see that look on your face. I'm not mad, Ashton." She said, giggling, wrapping her arms around his neck. She moved to sit in his lap, and for as much as Ashton thought he'd flinch away, he didn't. He remained where he was as she pressed against him, just like Iris had. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. "I want you to be safe and happy. I like Sephy. You like her too, and if it wasn't for her, you wouldn't be here. If it wasn't for Iris, we wouldn't be in Sephy's bed right now, like this. If it makes you happy to kiss other women, do it." She opened her eyes and looked up at him, and there was a feeling of butterflies in his stomach fluttering around when they locked gazes. "Do I make you happy?" The answer came sooner than he expected. "You do." He replied, wrapping his arms around her. Despite everything he had to work through, he couldn't keep denying it; he felt safe with Zoe. Inextricably so, even after the scare yesterday. "Ashton, do you love me?" Ashton seized up a little, but Zoe was patient. She didn't look distraught, or concerned. When he dove into her eyes, all he could see was... "I'm home!" Persephone called out, zipping into the room excitedly. She was carrying a bunch of leathery bags in the crooks of her elbows, and was practically brimming with energy. When she saw how tangled together Zoe and Ashton were, she froze in place. "Oh-ohhh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I can—" "It's fine." Ashton said, still swimming in Zoe's eyes. He didn't make any moves to separate himself from the undine, and instead, pushed himself to the side of the bed with a little kick, and spun around so his feet touched the ground. Zoe had wrapped her legs around his back, and was just staring up at him with a dumb grin on her face. "You do..." Zoe whispered. Persephone watched the pair with suspicious eyes, until a big grin spread across her face too. "Right. Well, anyway," She started, swimming over to the bed. She tossed the bags on the bed, and started rifling through them. "After my early morning visit to the Seamen's Swordfish, I went and did a little shopping. Looking at you two, I think that might have been the right move." Neither Ashton or Zoe broke eye contact, the two of them still beholding wonders as Persephone made her probing remarks. "Yeah. It was." Zoe said quietly, absorbed in the oceans of Ashton's eyes. "I bought a bunch of food we'll need for the rest of the week that I already put away. Hope you like eel, Ashton. Oh, I also bought you some new clothes. Apparel that's easier to move around in underwater." Persephone began pulling clothes out of the bags, zipping over to a large wardrobe beside the bed. Whipping open the doors, she began quickly stashing Ashton's new garments on long hooks. The clothes themselves seemed to have bits of string tied around them to keep them bound tightly together, probably to prevent them expanding and getting tangled up with everything else. "Considering how solid Zoe is, I bought her some clothes too." "Thanks." Zoe replied, clearly elsewhere. Persephone quickly finished storing the clothes, leaving a few choice items spread out on the bed for whenever Ashton and Zoe finished what they were doing. "I'll go prepare breakfast. I left some clothes out for you to try on. When you're dressed and ready, come and meet me down current." "Yeah. Alright." Ashton replied. Persephone took one more look at the couple, smiled, and dashed out of view. "Are we going to have sex now?" Zoe asked urgently, having clearly been waiting for Persephone to leave the room. You know what? Fuck it. Ashton's lips crashed into Zoe's, catching her by surprise. "Mmm, mmm! Mm? Mmmmmm...." She began to wiggle her hips around, grinding against his scepter, a low moan escaping his throat. Ashton stood up, once again forgetting that they were underwater, and jettisoned them upwards. The kiss was broken as the ceiling greeted Ashton with a solid reminder of where they were, which caused Zoe to giggle so much she snorted. "That was supposed to be me picking you up and pressing you against the wall." Ashton said, laughing along. "The bed has a lot of handholds and straps." Zoe offered rather suggestively. "I thought you'd never done this before?" Ashton asked as they slowly descended back down to the bed. "I haven't. But I know water. It's kinda my thing?" She said, the "Duh" heavily implied by her tone and body language. As they touched down on the bed once more, Ashton broke eye contact to look around for something to hold onto and brace against. He'd missed them earlier because they were so inconspicuous, but Zoe was right; there were a bunch of looped straps on the bed, positioned between the body pillows. "That's convenient." He said, grabbing onto one of the loops to examine it. It was smooth to the touch, soft, and had some stretch to it. While he wasn't sure what it was, he was more that certain what it was intended for. Grabbing hold of Zoe's leg, he guided her foot through the loop, and just like a knotted rope, pulled it taught so it was snug against her ankle. "Is that comfortable?" "Yes yes, now quick, do the other one." Zoe urged hastily. Ashton obliged, strapping her other foot in. "My wrists too!" She said, holding them out at Ashton expectantly. He laughed quietly at her insistence, placing a palm on her abdomen to push her down to the bed. He slid his hands up the sides of her body, causing her to shudder in anticipation. It wasn't really necessary to hold her arms down by her wrists, especially considering how much stronger physically she must have been than he was, but she was practically trembling with excitement the way he was handling her. After spreading her arms out and securing them, Ashton took a moment to float above the undine, taking in the scene before him. Zoe was spread eagle in the middle of the bed, a big excited grin on her face. Her eyes were as big as they'd ever been, admiring Ashton as he was admiring her. Despite no longer being in contact with her, she was still shivering, so much so that she actually looked like she'd just been rescued from a blizzard. Her hair was starting to settle around her body, doing little to insulate her from Ashton's hungry eyes. Looking at her now, there's no way. He thought, noticing for the first time how petite she actually was. He could have sworn she was larger. With what he was packing, there was no way he was going to fit; he'd be poking her heart, if she had one. But she didn't have any organs? He could see right through her... "Ashton! What are you doing? Stick your thing inside me already!" She cried, wriggling around. "Sorry, I just... looking at things now, how is this going to work?" "What the...? Ashton. I'm dying here. Please, put your penis inside me. Right now." "I'm not going to fit." He said, finally coming to land his knees between her inner thighs. "What?" Zoe looked down at her crotch, and then at his dick, and then back her her crotch. "What are you—Just ram it in!" "Zoe, you're tiny, there's no possible—" "PUH-Leeeeeeeze, Ashton, I'm made of water. Water! I'm already as wet as I'm going to ever get! I'm vibrating. You cannot possibly hurt me. I promise you, you won't hurt me. Put your penis between my legs, press your tip against my little slit, and then just push as hard as you possibly can. PLEASE." Ashton blinked a few times at her insistence, not really sure where that side of her came from. He thought she'd be way more shy than she was. Well... I guess she's kinda right? He thought. With a shrug, he complied, pressing himself against her. She was practically gurgling water as he touched her. Taking her hips into his hands, he lifted his legs into a good position for leverage, and took a deep breath. He thrust his hips forward, trusting Zoe's words, and found that she parted to accept him with surprising ease. Only, he didn't bottom out like he expected. There was an equally surprising amount of resistance inside her, and he'd only barely managed to push halfway in. Zoe's back arched so much Ashton thought she was going to fold over backwards. Her mouth was open in a silent scream, her hands gripping the pillows so hard they began to tear. Though she was clearly in the throes of being possessed by a demon, Ashton wasn't spared the effects of that very first thrust either. "Hggnnnn...." She was so tight, but that wasn't even what had Ashton sounding like a wild animal. Her insides were doing things that shouldn't have been possible. It was like hundreds of little tongues were wrapping around his length, greedily trying to lick his shaft into oblivion. What's more? They were each vibrating. Zoe really wasn't kidding when she said that. Ashton tried pulling out, but quickly discovered he couldn't. She was holding on to him too tightly. Without the wherewithal to think, let alone form words, his body did the rest of the work for him. He wrapped his hands around her neck, re-braced his legs, and rather than the half-hearted thrust he made at first, he put as much strength as he possibly could into his second thrust. Ashton looked down as Zoe screamed and writhed. He'd definitely bottomed out the second time, and he could see he'd pushed so far inside her that the moment he saw where his tip ended up, he couldn't hold on. He began spewing thick white geysers inside her, and much to his shock, perhaps because Zoe didn't have any actual organs or anatomy to speak of, he was shooting his seed straight up into her throat and out her mouth. She actually stopped screaming, and coughed out several loads of sperm. In response, her arms snapped the loops off the bed frame like they weren't even there, trying frantically to cover her mouth with her hands to stop his jizz from ejecting out of her mouth. One full thrust was all it took, and Ashton was gushing inside Zoe like he was a half human, half fire-hose hybrid. Words couldn't rightly describe what her insides were doing to his shaft, but the effect had been instant, and it wasn't stopping. It was so intense that he nearly blacked out at first, and he buried his forehead against Zoe's chest, trying to draw breath. Her insides felt like they had a mind of their own, a pulsing pressure surrounded his rod and slid up its entire length in rapid succession, as if to squeeze the cum out of him the same way people tried to squeeze toothpaste out of an old tube. "Zzzzzzz..." He tried to say her name. Tried to tell her to stop whatever sorcery she was enacting with her rollercoaster of a pussy, but the sensory overload shorted out his language functions. Ashton thought rolling climaxes were supposed to be something only women could experience, but whatever Zoe was doing, she wasn't stopping. Time began to distort as he collapsed on top of her, Zoe stimulating him so overwhelmingly that he was sure something broke. He apparently didn't need to do more than to thrust once; he just laid on top of a convulsing Zoe as her insides did all the work. At some point, he fell into a strange state of serenity. Some sort of spiritual awakening was happening, his soul ascending to a heavenly plane as he observed their tangled bodies from afar. At least, that's how he probably would have described what was happening if he had the mental capacity to do so. Zoe didn't let him go soft the entire time, draining more semen out of him than he thought was even humanly possible. It couldn't go on forever though, and eventually things began to slow down. He cradled her head in his arms, his forehead resting against hers as he started to come down from the highest of highs, Zoe having long since stopped moving, both inside and out. The two of them just laid there like that, Ashton breathing heavily as if he'd just run a marathon. He'd barely used his legs or his abs or anything else at all, but he still felt like he'd done several intense workouts in a row. "Wwwh...ww...wwwhat..." He had to take several more deep breaths, his ability to process language slowly returning. "What... wwas... that?" Zoe was looking up at Ashton as if she'd just experienced rapture. The thought crossed his mind that it was strange, since she essentially did all the work, but the look in her eyes said otherwise. "It was everything I thought it would be and more." Zoe stated, her words dreamy and distant. If it weren't for the fact that she'd brought a hand up to trace her fingers along his jaw, he would have thought she was staring through him into some higher dimension. Her words so quiet they were almost ethereal wisps. "You do love me." "Zoe..." It was still difficult to string words together. "I think... I do." "Stay with me? Like this?" "I don't... think I... can do any... thing else..." "You're amazing." Zoe said, letting her fingers drift through his hair, tracing along his scalp. Likewise. Ashton kissed her lips lightly, sending a shiver through the undine's body once more, right before passing out. |
AeroscorchSep 20, 6:14 PM
Mar 28, 12:26 AM
#36
| Chapter 9.2 The eyes he'd been seeing every night were Zoe's, there was no question about it. Even if there were no dreams at all, they were there, watching over him. Because of it, he recognized her before he knew her name. Not a single night had passed in the new world without them on him. Ashton opened his eyes, and there was nothing. It wasn't even darkness. There was simply nothing. "Ashton?" The voice belonged to Zoe. Ashton spun around, and saw the undine, standing as tall as he was. "Zoe?" He was asleep. So was she. He closed his eyes. — When he woke up, he knew where he was. He could still feel Zoe beneath him. His eyes slowly fluttered open, as did hers. She had been sleeping too? "Hey, you." She murmured, her voice airy and light. "Hey right back." Ashton replied, feeling the strength in his limbs having returned to him. He began to push himself up, but Zoe's hand shot out and grabbed onto his arm. "No. Not yet." "We have to get up." Ashton whispered, brushing some of Zoe's hair away from her face. "Then take me with you." She whispered back, her eyes pleading. "Just pick me up and carry me. Don't leave me just yet." "Zoe, we have to go and eat. Well, I do at least." "I know. You can eat. I'll just rest my head against your chest and listen. Just don't pull out of me. Please." He appraised her wish through her gaze and realized that if he were on Earth, such a request by Ava would have been incredibly hot. Ava. I still miss you. I hope you're doing good without me. He had to move on, didn't he? Having thoughts of Ava while he was with other women would drive his guilt too far into his heart, and it would be the death of him if he couldn't let go. "Alright." He uttered quietly, and Zoe closed her eyes. At her request, he picked her up, and was about to swim towards the doorway, but Zoe stopped him again. "The ankle straps." She whispered, giggling a little. "Heh, right." It was a little awkward to undo the straps around her ankles while they were still entwined, but after a few unsuccessful attempts, they were free from the bed. Ashton's one hand held onto the small of Zoe's back, while he used the other to help him navigate towards the corridor he heard Persephone emerge from and disappear back into earlier. As he reached the threshold, he could hear voices. Persephone, and someone else. "Zoe, Persephone has company over." He whispered to her. "...please..." She whispered back with great yearning. I was never an exhibitionist, but if my experience on the ship is what it's going to be like everywhere... it won't matter if I indulge her a little, will it?" The corridor, looking like it was carved out of stone and decorated with more luminescent bubbles full of jellyfish, led downwards in a loose curve. Another archway, similar to the one used to get to the bedroom, opened up at the bottom of the corridor. As Ashton rounded the corner, he saw that Persephone did indeed have company. She and her guest were seated beside each other on a large sofa in the center of a large room that looked like some sort of study. There were actual bookshelves lining the walls, with what appeared to be some sort of semi-transparent membrane sealing them off from the rest of the room. The girl Persephone was chatting with looked very similar to her; she was also a nereid, and just like Persephone, she had silver eyes with dark blue sclera. The only real difference was the short black hair in a bob, and the slightly oriental facial features. Both of them were in their native forms, facing each other, and sharing a laugh about something. When Ashton stepped into view, they both turned to see him and Zoe still entangled. Persephone's eyes nearly bulged out of her head at the sight, and she looked up at Ashton with an expression that colored her impressed, congratulatory, and more than a little turned on. Her guest, on the other hand, gasped outright. "Wow. Wow. Wowzers. That undine looks like she's made out of milk, not water. And the cock on that man. It's like he's part centaur." The woman's commentary, while not rude, was still overly bawdy, enough that Ashton nearly pulled Zoe off him right then and there. The black-haired nereid turned and smacked Persephone's shoulder with the back of her hand. "Mom. Mom. This isn't the guy you were talking about. It can't be. That man is a god." "...He sure is..." Zoe whispered, snuggling her head against his chest. Ashton just stood there trying to convince himself not to swim back upstairs, curl up, and die in a corner somewhere. Wait, did that girl just call Seph 'mom'? "Ah-hem." Persephone cleared her throat, placing a hand on her daughter's knee. "Ashton. Nice of you and Zoe to finally join us. This is Hua Temmy Erikson, my daughter. Hua, this is Ashton Oakley and our friend Zoe." "Oh, I think they're more than friends." Hua said. Ashton grimaced. "We just finished eating dinner. You must be awfully hungry, Ashton. Hua, dear, could you go and fetch him a platter?" The nereid looked at her mother as if she'd just been disowned. "You want me to leave the room? Surely you're joking." "I am not, dear. And don't call me Shirly." Hua rolled her eyes, but rose up over the sofa and swam out of the room through an archway opposite of where Ashton was standing. The moment she was gone, Persephone rose up and swam towards Ashton, pressing herself against Zoe's back as she brought her hands up to Ashton's cheeks. She didn't say anything, but she was giving him another 'look', one that expressed she was proud of him, of all things. "You said dinner?" Ashton asked. "You came back in the morning, right? How long were we upstairs?" "All day. The sun has already set. Are you feeling alright?" She asked, still managing to sound more impressed than concerned. "...touch her butt..." Zoe whispered. "I'm not doing that. This is already too much." He retorted. She just hummed into his chest. "Seph, you have a daughter?" She frowned. "Yes. I told you last night. You don't remember?" "No. Zoe told me about some other things I said and did last night, and I don't remember them either." Persephone narrowed her eyes even further. "I wanted to do this when you woke up on the ship originally. We just haven't had the time until now. What was the last thing you remember from last night?" "Laying down in bed with you and Zoe. But... it's fuzzy." "Fuzzy? You said that back on the ship, when you were describing your first night here." "Yeah, I... can't quite remember. Some things are just kind of... fuzzy, or spotty. Zoe said I undressed both of us last night, and I don't remember doing that." "Hmm. This might be because of the nasty concussion you suffered. Symptoms of head trauma like you suffered often include mild short-term memory loss. This sort of thing typically heals on its own, but if this keeps happening, you tell me everytime it happens. No exceptions. Brain damage is a serious matter, and not something I'm equipped to deal with." Ashton nodded, fully in agreeance. "Speaking of which, I booked you in for a check-up tomorrow at the clinic just down the way to speak to someone. I'll add this to the list of things for them to check over." "To speak to someone? About what?" "I'm a surgeon first and foremost, palliaturgist second, and faunamancer third. I'm familiar with psychology and therapy, but they're not my area of focus. I want you to see someone." It was Ashton's turn to frown. "So you just signed me up without my knowledge?" "I was planning on taking you with me after breakfast, but you were a little busy, weren't you?" "...hehe...." "Seph, I'm fine. I don't need to see anyone." "As far as I recall, you were never given a clean bill of health. You're still in my care as far as your physical well-being goes, and now that I know you're suffering memory loss, that also includes areas outside my purview. You're going, and that's final. Are we clear?" "Fine, fine, I'll go. Happy?" Persephone looked him over, slowly nodding. "Good. Now can we talk about maybe getting some privacy? Your daughter is kinda—" "Kinda hot?" Hua said, cutting him off. She swam towards the little coffee table in front of the sofa and set down an actual silver platter, complete with a cloche overtop, probably to help keep the food contained while in transit. "Cause I have nothing on you, big guy." Persephone winced a little, mouthing the words "Sorry" to Ashton. "Hold on... your hands are all over him. You're standing kinda close. Is he your new boyfriend? Oh no. Mom. Mom, please tell me I wasn't just hitting on my new step-dad. Please." Persephone spun around, and looked like she was about to start denying the allegations, but Ashton found a perfect opportunity to get back at the good doctor for doing something behind his back. Maybe he was a little petty, but what was the harm, right? He stepped beside her, took her hand in his, and locked their fingers together just like they had yesterday. "Yeah, you were. A little crass talking to your step-dad like that, wasn't it?" He said, bringing Persephone's hand up to his lips and planting a kiss on the back. Persephone turned to look at him, stunned. "You're serious? Gah! MOM. Why didn't you say anything?! Is this what you were doing while you were away? Wise Lord, I was drooling over his... ew. Just... no. No. Sorry, I'm gonna go. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little." And just like that, Hua was gone. Persephone continued to stare up at him, speechless. "...now touch her butt..." "Zoe!" Persephone scolded her, before turning to do the same to Ashton. "I know my daughter has a big mouth, but that was uncalled for." "Was it?" He challenged. "What's that supposed to mean?" Ashton was about to tell her he didn't appreciate her going to sign him up for things without his knowledge or consent, but he bit his tongue. Persephone was just trying to help, and she was going out of her way to do so. "Sorry. I'm just a little hungry, maybe." "I think you're more than just a little hungry. This doesn't seem like you at all." "Doesn't it? We've known each other for how long now? Two days?" "Ashton, I'm concerned." "Can we just drop it for now?" They stared at each other for a few moments longer, and the nereid's features eventually softened. Wordlessly she nodded, and with her hand still linked with his, pulled him along to the sofa, sitting him down and pulling the lid off the platter in front of him. "Eat." She pulled her hand away from his, and watched him as he looked down at the meal. As predicted, it consisted of a lot of seafood. Oysters, mussels, and strips of eel centered around a deep bowl containing some sort of jelly. He started with the mussels, grabbing onto one between his fingers, and popped it into his mouth. "Looks like your motor functions have improved. How's your sense of touch?" "Better. The tips of my fingers are a little numb, but I can feel everything now." "...he sure can..." "Still enjoying your post-virginal, post-coitus bliss?" Persephone asked the undine. "...yes..." "Mmm." She looked back to Ashton. "What brought this on? Not that I'm not excited for the both of you, but this is a little unexpected, to put it lightly." "He loves me, Sephy. Look, you can see how much he loves me." Zoe said, leaning back from Ashton and pointing to her midsection. She was more translucent at that point than she was transparent. "Yes, I can see that. Quite the volume. It would explain why you took so long." "He came inside me six times." Ashton spit the food out of his mouth. "He made me do that too." She said, pointing up at him. "I can spit some up in your mouth if you want to taste." There's no way she was this devious back on the ship. Persephone didn't respond directly to Zoe, and instead looked to Ashton. "What?" He asked, wiping bits of mussel from his mouth. "Ashton, I might be your doctor and primary caretaker right now, but I'm not really all that different from the rest of the crew on the ship. Where my husband came from, it was part of his moral training to never have relations with any of his patients outside of a professional environment. I suffer no such obligations, nor do most other health professionals in Michiko or beyond. Your well-being right now is my first and foremost concern, but I have other needs that I'd like to take care of from time to time. I'll understand if you say no, and I'll respect your wishes either way, but I would much rather have joined you this morning than visited a brothel." Ashton chewed on his lip as he stared at her. "You'd be alright with that?" He asked. "I would." She stated demurely. Ashton considered her words for a few moments, Zoe watching on in eager anticipation. "I think... I think I could swing that, yeah." "Wooooo!" Zoe exclaimed, her arms shooting into the air and her legs kicking out. Ashton clamped a hand over her mouth. "Just not right now. Or the rest of the day, even. I almost died, I'm pretty sure, and I'm as dry as a desert." Persephone considered his words for a few moments, before turning to look at Zoe. "Did you enjoy how much he gave you?" Zoe pushed Ashton's hand away. "Uh, yeah?" She looked back at Ashton. "As I mentioned before, I'm a faunamancer. My eromancy is exceptionally bad for a nereid, but I made up for it with a faunamancy spell I developed myself. I only ever used it on my husband, but if you would like, I can make future 'sessions' with Zoe a little easier on you with its use." "How so?" "The spell, 'dans vitam largiter' as my husband liked to call it, allowed him to produce five times the volume per ejaculation, while also allowing him to continue to ejaculate for two to three times as long. Effectively, it multiplied the amount of sperm he was able to produce by a factor of ten most days. It unfortunately doesn't modify the amount of spirit energy very much, but it doesn't add any extra fatigue either." "And you'd have to cast this repeatedly, like the water-breathing spell?" Ashton asked, sounding curious. "No. Faunamancy spells are long-term and occasionally permanent modifications to existing biology. I can make this permanent if you would like." "Thaaaaat's a little weird." "No, dummy, the word you're looking for is awesome." Zoe said intently. "You think so, but I thinks it's a bit weird." "Are you kidding? If she does this for us, you won't have to carry me around. There'll be so much of you inside me all the time I won't know what to do with it." "I, ah... I guess?" "I still want to be carried around though. Like this. Not all the time. But a lot of the time." "Okaaaaaaaaay, straying a little far off topic. Seph, just one more question before I make my decision." "Yes?" "Are you asking just for Zoe, or are you also asking for yourself?" Persephone opened her mouth as if she were going to deliver another clinical explanation, but when she finally registered the question, she started to turn beet red. She had to clear her throat one more time to collect herself. "I happen to enjoy intercourse with an excess of fluids involved, especially those of the sticky, slimy variety. I would be remiss to propose that I'd be offering this spell solely for Zoe's benefit." As Ashton considered the idea, Zoe gazed up at him with hopeful eyes. "I think..." "I want sex every day." Zoe said, trying to guide him towards what she clearly considered to be the correct choice. "I think I'll take it." Ashton confirmed, her tactic having worked. "Very well. The spell takes time to prepare, so I'll have to cast it tomorrow. For now, please continue eating. There are a few things I'd like to discuss now that you're both up." With a gesture for him to continue eating, Ashton nodded and resumed stuffing his face with the finger-food. "Zoe, while Ashton is with the therapist tomorrow, I want you to come with me." "Where to?" "I'd like to take you to the Academy, where the sorcerers train. There's are a few instructors there with whom I've worked alongside and trained under in the past, and I'd like them to appraise your abilities." "But why? You've seen what I can do." Persephone shook her head. "None of what I've seen or heard explains the discrepancy between your stores of mana and your usage of it. Let me ask you something, Zoe. What's your mastery?" "My what?" "What level is your spellcasting ability." "...um... really high?" Persephone stared at Zoe, trying to discern whether she was hiding something. "Who trained you?" "Georgina." "Georgina trained you in hydromancy?" "No. She trained me how to fight. Hand-to-hand combat. How to tap into my natural abilities. How to channel my mana. That sort of stuff." "And that's it?" "Yeah." "So who taught you hydromancy?" "...nobody?" The look on Persephone's face told Ashton that he didn't believe her whatsoever. "How old are you?" "Ummm... I don't remember. I've been with Lam Dezas for fifteen years, and I was old enough to walk and talk when Georgina found me. I dunno... maybe, twenty? Twenty one?" "Hmm." Persephone rubbed her chin, thinking deeply about something as she considered the undine. "It might be worth it to put in a request to see the Liminal as well. Ula could put some feelers out to help check into your background." Beat. "Then there's also the case of what happened in Frosthaven. You have to make an official report." Zoe didn't seem too enthused, and hid her face against Ashton's chest. "I'd rather just forget about it." "Zoe, if someone finds out before you put in your testimony, things could turn out bad for you. Worse than just living with the constant fear of having to look over your shoulder, like you described. It wouldn't just be Lam Dezas after you. It would be bounty hunters, other mercenaries, maybe even law enforcement. If we bring your testimony to Ula, Michiko might be able to grant you asylum in an official capacity." Zoe sighed, rubbing her forehead against Ashton. "I know." "Then that's settled." She turned to Ashton, who was just finishing his meal. "If you're going to be living down here, you can't continue to rely on Zoe to cast the water-breathing spell on you. There is a permanent version of the spell that can be cast, but it requires some commitment on your part." "How so?" "Well... to put it delicately, it requires the power of someone able to grant a blessing." "Aaaaand?" "You love Zoe, right?" Ashton narrowed his eyes. "Yes. Why?" "Blessings like a permanent water-breathing spell are great investments. It's not at all like the alteration magic of faunamancy, and it's taken rather seriously here." "You're dancing around the subject, Seph. It can't be that bad. Just tell me what I have to do." "I'm trying to look out for your well-being. Just remember that I'm not trying to push this onto you at all." Persephone took a deep breath. She took Zoe's hand into her own, smiling at her. Zoe smiled back. "Ashton Oakley," Persephone looked up to Ashton. "Will you marry us?" |
AeroscorchSep 20, 6:11 PM
Mar 28, 1:52 AM
#37
| Wow I see the part where you asked about purses and stuff like that. While reading, a few ideas for the underwater setting came to me. The sex scene seemed really intense. It seems like there's so much to do in order to fit in with the setting, and three-way marriage yipee. |
Mar 28, 6:59 AM
#38
Reply to YummyLunches
Wow I see the part where you asked about purses and stuff like that. While reading, a few ideas for the underwater setting came to me. The sex scene seemed really intense. It seems like there's so much to do in order to fit in with the setting, and three-way marriage yipee.
| @YummyLunches Yeah. I wanted to describe everything in more detail, but as I was writing I found I was drawn more to the interactions between the characters than I was to any of the room descriptions. I tried to pepper a little here and there, and there's a bunch of stuff I had written that didn't make it in, like the other light sources, the layout of Persephone's home, the approach to Michiko at night, etc. Like the bags she was using? You'll probably see those in more detail next chapter too. :3 Glad to hear you have more ideas now! I can't wait to see what you have in store. (Ant hints? :3) (Honestly, I had a lot of trouble writing that scene, but I'm glad it came across as intended, "intense" being what I was going for.) When you say there's so much to do to fit in with the setting, do you mean in general? Or was there anything in specific you were hoping to see? |
Mar 28, 10:31 AM
#39
Aeroscorch said: "What's a K-a'arr?" Oh, man... my poor kid had to look over and wonder what was wrong with Daddy when I read this! Nice h-scene there, brief as it was. Clearly Zoe way beyond ready. And all the pillow-plumping from Seph was chef's kiss. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
Mar 28, 7:46 PM
#40
Reply to Aeroscorch
@YummyLunches Yeah. I wanted to describe everything in more detail, but as I was writing I found I was drawn more to the interactions between the characters than I was to any of the room descriptions. I tried to pepper a little here and there, and there's a bunch of stuff I had written that didn't make it in, like the other light sources, the layout of Persephone's home, the approach to Michiko at night, etc. Like the bags she was using? You'll probably see those in more detail next chapter too. :3
Glad to hear you have more ideas now! I can't wait to see what you have in store. (Ant hints? :3)
(Honestly, I had a lot of trouble writing that scene, but I'm glad it came across as intended, "intense" being what I was going for.)
When you say there's so much to do to fit in with the setting, do you mean in general? Or was there anything in specific you were hoping to see?
Glad to hear you have more ideas now! I can't wait to see what you have in store. (Ant hints? :3)
(Honestly, I had a lot of trouble writing that scene, but I'm glad it came across as intended, "intense" being what I was going for.)
When you say there's so much to do to fit in with the setting, do you mean in general? Or was there anything in specific you were hoping to see?
| @Aeroscorch I just meant in terms of getting settled, like the shopping, checkup, and marriage... |
Mar 28, 7:56 PM
#41
Reply to YummyLunches
@Aeroscorch I just meant in terms of getting settled, like the shopping, checkup, and marriage...
| @YummyLunches Oh! Haha, yes. Lots to do! Poor Ashton just wants to have an easygoing life. XD |
Mar 28, 7:57 PM
#42
Reply to tygertyger
Aeroscorch said:
"What's a K-a'arr?"
"What's a K-a'arr?"
Oh, man... my poor kid had to look over and wonder what was wrong with Daddy when I read this!
Nice h-scene there, brief as it was. Clearly Zoe way beyond ready. And all the pillow-plumping from Seph was chef's kiss.
| @tygertyger Glad you could get a few chuckles out of it. I actually got the idea from you, believe it or not. XD |
Mar 29, 11:13 AM
#43
| Yay, shotgun wedding! I suppose some elements of Ashton's behavior are changing rather quickly. Now, whether that means something is wrong or not is another question. The recurring memory loss is certainly tricky. Otherwise, lots of fun stuff in this chapter. Zoe being quite clingy was cute. Had a bit of a chuckle at Persephone being perturbed about having her hand held in front of her daughter, only to propose 10 minutes later :D |
Apr 2, 12:10 PM
#44
| Chapter 10 "Will you marry us?" The words echoed in Ashton's mind, and he started to feel sick. Those words didn't seem real. Slow to react, he blinked a few times and turned to look down at Zoe, who was bubbling over with excitement. Ashton wrapped his hands under Zoe's arms and pulled her away from him, set her beside him, and stood up. What am I doing? He stared ahead at the archway leading into the corridor he'd come from, and took a deep breath. Even that act was starting to feel a little unreal. He was under. Water. "Ashton?" Zoe asked, equal parts concerned and eager. "I, uhh... think I need to take a walk." He replied, making his way to the corridor. There were clothes there, upstairs, right? He remembered Persephone mentioned something about them. He heard some commotion behind him, Persephone saying something to Zoe, but whatever it was didn't reach his ears. He navigated the corridor, which didn't have any stairs. Only a flat incline designed for three-dimensional travel by someone who could swim. The surface of the stone was smooth, but Ashton discovered handholds every so often, and he used them to help propel him forward through the tunnel. Kicking off the wall opposite the archway and torpedoing through it towards the bed, he'd found the clothes Persephone had laid out for him and Zoe. This isn't very much at all. Ashton thought as he glanced down at what was supposed to be for him. A skirt? Really? That's it? He held it up in front of him. It looked like it was woven with fine silks, and had a somewhat pearlescent sheen to its dark purple hue. There was a belt he could cinch built in to the waist, as well as a thick shoulder strap he could hoist across his left shoulder. The material was light and smooth, but left much to be desired for keeping his bits from being exposed. Setting the skirt aside, he opened the wardrobe to see if there was anything better inside. He'd pulled out pretty much every item Persephone had stuffed inside, unsprung them, and laid them out to see what he could find that was a little more reasonable. He wasn't going to swim around outside naked, or wearing anything as ridiculous as that first piece Persephone laid out for him, and thankfully she'd purchased quite the gamut of items. There were what appeared to be clothes more typical to the surface, including fancy tuxedos and thick cloaks. There were also more "Atlantean" styles, stuff like what he'd expect from the Aquaman movie. Quite a few items made of a material he was unfamiliar with, though there were a fair few items made of specially treated hemps, linens, or leathers. Most of the clothes had what he presumed to be the local style; lots of shells as accessories, images of sharks and tridents and kraken sewn or dyed into things, and more often than not they were of a plain, smooth cut. In the end, Ashton chose a couple stretchy items he figured were the closest thing to skin-tight underarmor, and threw on a pair of loose-fitting blue boarding shorts stylized with the image of an anglerfish covering his left leg. His gold chain still remained around his neck, and he ran his fingers over the links as he looked on to all the items strewn out on the bed. I'll put this all away later. Seph will have to show me how she managed to put all of this in that small closet. He kicked off the edge of the bed, and made his way back down the corridor to the study where Persephone and Zoe were still sitting. Zoe was clinging to Persephone's side, her face buried into her chest, almost the same way she'd been stuck to Ashton. The nereid was petting Zoe's head, whispering comforting words to the undine. Persephone noticed him enter the room, and gave him that polite smile she typically wore. Ashton averted his eyes in favor of swimming over the couch and past them, where he'd seen Hua disappear earlier. Beyond the study was another corridor area, one that split the study off from what Ashton guessed was probably a kitchen area, based on what he could see beyond the second archway. To his right was an archway that featured an actual door, one made of several vertical round metal bars. Thick beads hung from the top of the door and were tethered to a small horizontal bar along the bottom of the bar, holding the strings in place and providing a semblance of privacy. To his left was an alcove, somewhat closed off by a similar section of floor to ceiling beads, though those strings were attached to hooks in the stone, rather than a hinged door. Behind it was a small window, and what he could only guess was some sort of underwater toilet, barely visible past the privacy beads, a barely perceptible current pulling him in that direction. Between the study and the kitchen area was a hole in the floor that led down into a space Ashton couldn't quite see from where he was standing. His intention had been to find the exit, and as he turned towards the door, Persephone swam in front of him, blocking his exit. "I see you found the rest of the clothes I bought for you. This looks good on you." She said, smiling. "Yeah, thanks. I'm gonna go get some air." Ashton said, making to swim past Persephone. She moved herself in the way, wincing slightly. "There's still quite a bit you should know before going out." She said, and gestured to the study. "Come back and sit with us, and I can help inform you more about—" "About marriage?" He asked rather aggressively. Persephone clasped her hands together, and took on a sympathetic tone. "About what you should expect. You haven't really been given a moment to breathe and take things in, and I'm here to remedy that situation." "By proposing to me?" Ashton shook his head. "You know what? I don't even know what I was thinking when I agreed for you to cast that weird magic on me. I don't even know why I did what I did this morning. I barely even know you people! I met you yesterday. I've known Ava my whole life, and not once have I ever thought about other women. And now? I can't fucking explain it, but I feel just as strongly about her!" He thrust a finger towards the study. "More, even. But that's not me, and I know that's not me. Adjusting to the circumstances is one thing, but this? This is just too far." He tried to make another move to get past Persephone, and as he pushed forwards, she moved backwards and intercepted him once more. "I know you're upset, Ashton, but I can guarantee you that this is a matter of your personal safety. I cannot let you go outside for a swim on your own." "A matter of safety? You mean like how it was a matter of safety to abduct me so you could have me all to yourself? Hide me away in your little underwater castle?" He said, his anger starting to get the better of him. He tried for a fourth time to swim towards the door, and was once again body-blocked by Persephone. "I'm not hiding you away, nor do I live in a castle. Nothing I have done so far has been to your detriment, has it?" She asked, challenging him. "I can't be alone for two fucking minutes?" He challenged right back. "If you swim outside in this city without an escort, you are going to be assaulted worse than you would have been on the ship. You might even be killed." She stated outright, as plainly as she could make it. "Excuse me?" Rather than try to swim past her, Ashton swam up to her, a few inches from her face. "You said you wanted to bring me somewhere safe, and you brought me somewhere worse?" "I can assure you, once you know all there is to know, you won't think to say that. The Sunken City is by and far the much safer option for both you and Zoe. You are not a prisoner here, and I am not your jailer." "No, you're just some fish woman desperate for dick, aren't you?" He tried to brush past her, but discovered with great surprise that Persephone was quite strong, and quite fast. She grabbed his arm and swung him into the wall, pressing her hand against his chest to keep him there, wearing an expression that said she was done with his disrespect. "Calm. Down." Persephone said sternly. Ashton tried to push off the wall, but found her strength to be more impressive than he imagined it would have been. She was clearly straining against his efforts to escape, but she was proving to be the stronger of the two, not something very many people back on Earth would have ever been able to say. He eventually stopped struggling, and just stared at her with an angry expression. She continued. "I am weak both physically and magically compared to most women of my species, let alone in comparison to other mamono. You, as far as I'm aware, are the peak physical specimen of your world, and I can hold you here like this." Ashton wasn't fighting for his life or trying his best, he knew, but he could also see that if he did decide to make a concerted effort, the odds of overpowering her would be far more troublesome than he'd originally presumed. Where had such strength come from when she was so frail not long ago? "If you go out there right now, as you are, you will be utterly unable to defend yourself from women many, many times stronger than myself. Women who have no qualms about doing whatever is necessary to secure you for their own ends, which may not end up being in your best interest. I'm not forcing you to stay here long-term, but it's important you're equipped for your new reality. Do you understand?" Ashton glared at her, but the longer he did, the more he started to wonder where his own outburst came from. His behavior was definitely out of place. Quick to indulge his lust, quick to anger, quick to feel jealous. None of those things were like him. When he started to come to the realization, he began to relax, and took a deep breath in through his nose. "Alright." He put his hands up to indicate he was surrendering. "You got me doc." Persephone's expression softened once more, and she let her hands drop away. "I apologize if my approach was not as... delicate as it should have been. You've been through much in a brief amount of time, and when I saw you and Zoe, I was hopeful that..." She closed her eyes, and just like Ashton, also took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she was just as composed as before. "Well. Nevermind that. Are you well enough to come and sit with us to go over a few more things, or would you like some time alone first?" Ashton took the time within a few more breaths to settle on what he was going to do. Sitting around and moping isn't going to do anything for me. I don't have my bike, and I don't have any trails to carve right now. As frustrating as it is to be continuously bombarded with one thing after another, maybe I'll be able to find a proper rhythm for myself after this. "There's no time like the present." Ashton said, shrugging his shoulders. He kicked off the wall and made his way back to the study, where he saw Zoe peeking over the couch like some sort of meerkat. It was clear from the look in her eyes that she was worried, and had probably been on the verge of tears. This girl really lives all her emotions on the surface, doesn't she? He thought, swimming straight to her. Both her hands were resting on the back of the couch, and he placed his hands overtop her own on instinct. Even if the earlier proposal was a bit outrageous, he still felt that sense of lingering peace with her touch. "How do I look?" "Really handsome." She answered meekly. "Cool. Let's revisit the marriage thing later, yeah? Ask me again when I'm a little more settled. I have more stuff to learn about first." "You won't leave me?" Zoe asked. Ashton shook his head. "No." The change in her attitude was instant, and she kissed the back of Ashton's hands, smiling up at him brightly. "Can I still sit in your lap?" She asked. "Once you have some clothes on, sure." "But I never wear clothes..." She began to pout. Ashton didn't budge, and when she realized it, she brightened back up. "I'll be right back." She slipped out from underneath Ashton's hands and sped upstairs. "Now that that's settled, care to start at why I shouldn't be alone in this city?" Ashton asked Persephone as he hopped effortlessly over the back of the sofa, settling back in and making himself comfortable. She took her seat right next to him, crossing her legs as she turned to face him. Before she could get any words out, however, Zoe came zipping back down the corridor and cannonballed into Ashton's lap. Miraculously, her touchdown carried almost no momentum whatsoever, though he did feel a large current taking water past the sofa. "I'm dressed!" Zoe said, wearing what looked like it was supposed to be a dress meant to reveal as much as possible. Fabric was draped down her breasts and converged in the middle to flow down between her legs as a thin strip of cloth down both her front and back, and it looked like something reminiscent of those slutty party dresses women wore out to the clubs. The funny thing was, she still had those two straps she tore out of the bed looped around her wrists. Zoe once more wrapped herself around Ashton, burying her face into his chest. "Mmmm..." He wrapped his one arm around her, and turned to face Persephone, his other arm draped over the back of the sofa. With his mind once more in an even state, he nodded to Persephone, who smiled back in response. "Where to start..." The rest of the evening was spent learning about the world at large, as well as living in the Sunken City. Persephone was able to expand in great detail upon everything he'd learned on the Scuffed Hoof, as well as many new things that Persephone would likely have taught him early on to ease him into his new life had Brorna not interrupted their first few minutes together. The Lords, their domains, mamono types, what life was like for humans (both men and women), as well as what it was like in The Sunken City specifically. Taking the time to sit and listen to Persephone painted a vivid image for Ashton about what would have happened to him had he ventured beyond Persephone's home by himself. The term "Feeding Frenzy" wasn't one he was unfamiliar with, though it wasn't exactly what he would have expected from a place described as the most progressive and welcoming metropolitan area in all of Arcadia. He also learned why Persephone's marriage proposal was preceeded with several reassurances; apparently, it wasn't just a normal ceremony, but one that would have granted him the permanent ability to function underwater. Well now I just feel like a fool. Ashton thought to himself when he learned about that portion of the local culture. These two have done nothing but help me gain my footing and protect me from danger, and they're still doing it. He looked down to the cute undine girl in his lap. She looked up at him, and he felt nothing but warmth and safety in her eyes. Ruffling her hair, he continued to listen to Persephone's tales late into the night, Zoe re-casting the spell on him again at some point in the conversation. Questions from Ashton were plentiful. What level of technology existed, what each region was like, how common the Outlander phenomenon was, how money worked, and most importantly during one segment of the conversation: how humans and mamomo "went to the bathroom" in the city. Turns out the thing he spied earlier behind the beaded curtain in the main hall was exactly what he thought it was on first sight; an actual toilet. Apparently, they worked through extensive use of pressure differentials creating currents of variable strength in different portions of the plumbing network. The suction prevented anything from escaping into people's homes, and served to ensure all waste was carried to a processing area beneath the sea mount itself, where it was recycled and repurposed. Ashton was a little reluctant to use the toilet at first considering it had a bunch of soft, round tentacle-like things covering its opening, but found it worked just as well as Persephone suggested it would. As night crept up to them, evidenced by the lack of sunlight filtering in through the open windows, the trio became more reliant on the biological lights generated by the jellyfish spread throughout Persephone's home to see. The conversation began to stray from the broader, more encompassing topics to those specific to what lay ahead of Ashton in his near future. After learning about the world and the city, a question formed in his mind that he was surprised hadn't been one of the first ones asked. Maybe without constant threats his mind finally had time to settle, and he could focus on something beyond his immediate survival and freedom. "Is there a way to get back home?" Was the question that caused Zoe to finally join in. "Back home? But you are home." She said, looking up at him. Thankfully Persephone saved him the trouble of explaining things. "My first husband asked that same question not long after he arrived." Persephone patted Zoe's head. "As did Hua's first husband. Many women who encounter men from beyond and who are kind enough to them help them regardless of their own desires try to answer that question." "...and?" Ashton urged. "I did not find the answer. Neither did Hua, nor did anyone else we've encountered. This city is host to the world's largest library, and there was no information pertaining to returning Outlanders to their place of origin. Thusly, I traveled with my husband to places far from here in search of answers. For twelve years we ventured abroad, from place to place, in search of that esoteric knowledge which may not have even existed. In the end, he chose to stay after hundreds of fruitless leads. My daughter experienced much the same. I imagine there were many others with not so dissimilar stories." "So you're telling me to give up?" "No, no. What I am saying is that if such a thing did exist, it would undoubtedly take a human's lifetime, maybe more, to uncover. By the time that happens, how would you have changed? How would everyone you knew back on Earth have changed? Would they have moved on? Would they be alive? Would you even return to the Earth you knew?" Persephone took Ashton's hand in her own. "I'm helping you understand what to expect if you should so desire to tread upon that heavily traveled path. I would much rather see you enjoy your life, wherever you live it, than see you despair at the enormity of a task whose end result is completely unknown and may not even give you what you've been hoping for in the end." On an intellectual level, he understood what she was saying. He still wasn't quite ready to accept it, but thankfully he had the time and the peace to mull it over in his own time. He looked at Zoe, who had a fearful look in her eyes, and back up to Persephone. "I think it's a bit late to be thinking about that sort of stuff. I'll need at least a few nights to sleep on the information and explore my surroundings, let things sink in." Persephone nodded. "It was quite a bit of information to take in. Shall we retire for the night?" The nereid asked. "You won't leave, right?" Zoe quickly added. "Not tonight I won't. Come on." He said, picking her up and saddling her under one arm by her waist. "I want to be well-rested for tomorrow, and I don't think I could get a good night's sleep without you." Zoe failed her arms and legs around in protest. It was likely all for show considering she could have effortlessly escaped if she wanted to. "I'm not imposing if I keep sleeping in your bed with you both, am I?" Ashton asked, turning back to Persephone. She rose up with a grin, swimming up to the pair. "I would prefer that you continued to do so. It will allow me to keep a closer eye on your condition." She said, though Ashton was sure that wasn't the only thing she wanted to keep an eye on, especially as she brushed her fingers across his shoulders. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get some shut-eye." |
AeroscorchApr 3, 7:37 AM
Apr 2, 5:46 PM
#45
| You won't leave. |
Apr 4, 10:44 AM
#46
| Chapter 11 [POV - Persephone] "Soooooooo? How was it?" Zoe asked, darting around Persephone with the frenzied energy of a sick koi. "Tell meeeee, I wanna knooooooow!" The undine said, swimming up behind Persephone to rapidly pat her hands against the nereid's butt cheeks. She swatted the elemental away, barely able to hide her smirk at the girl's antics. "Hush. A lady never kisses and tells." Persephone responded, causing further frustration to build up in the elemental. She didn't really mean that, but it was fun for her to watch Zoe get all riled up. It was almost like playing with with Melody, Edna, or any of the mice girls back on the Scuffed Hoof. "Aw, come on! I promised I wouldn't peek, and I didn't! I didn't even try to sense what you were doing, even though you were loud about it." Zoe huffed disapprovingly, her arms crossed over her chest and her cheeks puffed out in an exaggerated fashion. "Perhaps the next time you wish to inveigle Ashton with the allure of your womanly wiles for a whole day, you'll consider the time and obligations of others beyond yourself, hmm? A small price to pay, I'd wager." Persephone had, earlier in the day before dropping Ashton off in Marina's care, spent the morning getting to experience the bliss of a private tangle with her patient. Zoey insisted that she have a turn to feel special, and went out of her way to ensure the two of them had the privacy to enjoy each other's bodies. Though reluctant at first, Ashton ultimately agreed with the proposal, and together they enjoyed each other's company for far longer than Persephone expected. "Ohhh foey! I didn't mean to take so long. It just happened." Zoe retorted. "Tell you what," Persephone said, nudging Zoey as they swam through one of the bazaars that spanned the thoroughfare encircling one of the upper rings, "if you tell me what you did to him the other night, I might be so inclined as to share with you some of what happened between us." She had to admit, she was curious as to what had kept them busy for so long, and decided to investigate what Zoey was capable of from a more "academic" standpoint. For research purposes, of course. "Deal!" Zoe said without hesitation. She twirled around in front of Persephone like a dancer, sighing as she began to immerse herself in the memory of their entanglement. "As you can see," She started, lifting up her arms to show that she was still wearing those broken kelp-straps around her wrists, "he's into some kinky stuff! He tied me down and absolutely ravaged me!" She exclaimed loudly, attracting some attention from others nearby. "The way he told the story to me this morning, it was quite the opposite." Persephone remarked. "No, he definitely ravaged me. He needed a little encouragement at first. I think he was worried he would hurt me, which is a little silly. Oh, do you know any magic that could make him even bigger?! I wanna know what it would feel like if his thing came out of my mouth when he spears me with his thing." Others swimming nearby occasionally swam a little slower, bending their ears to the conversation. A few others stopped completely, not caring for the art of subtlety whatsoever. "I think perhaps you might want to hold onto those sorts of dreams until he's adjusted a little more. Asking him for the increased sperm production so early was a bit of a miscalculation on my part." "Pffft, he loves me. He'll come around. But wait, if he gets that big, then he won't be cumming inside me anymore. Hmm... oh! I know, give him two dicks instead!" Casual listeners were starting to turn their heads to listen in to the show. A nearby merrow even shouted her approval of the undine's idea with no small amount of exuberance, much to Persephone's amusement. "As empirically satisfying as such an augmentation might be, I am not so skilled a faunamancer to accomplish such fantastical changes. That aside, perhaps some consideration of what Ashton might want or like for himself to satisfy some of his urges ought to be something you consider before trying to turn him into some sort of living dildo." "Hey, that's mean! I'd never do that to him!" Zoe said, sticking a finger in Persephone's face. Once more the nereid swatted the elemental away, snickering a little under her breath. "Then I acquiesce; nevertheless, you still haven't answered my question. What did you do to him that he'd describe himself as having nearly died?" Persephone asked. "Yeah!" A nearby scylla added in. "That sounds intense!" Persephone looked over her shoulder and noticed a couple other citizens were swimming along at a casual pace. Whether they were following the pair to hear the juicy bits, or they were traveling along the same path and it was just a coincidence, Persephone couldn't rightly say. "Like I said, he tied me up. He was worried he'd hurt me. Which, you know, kinda cute, but then he got super rough, and when he entered me, it was like I was split in half down the middle, but at the same time not. I felt whole. Complete. He's so big and strong..." Zoe began to drool, and while the details of her recounting were more than a little lackluster as far as any pertinent information Persephone could properly glean, it did have the effect of causing a few passerbys to swoon. The story continued for some time as the pair and their growing entourage navigated through the busy pathways, their eventual destination situated only a few spires away from Persephone's home. Though they could have taken the quick route to Marina's clinic and back via the primary towers and their magically sped up currents, Persephone wanted to both enjoy the familiar sights and sounds the Sunken City had to offer, and to help familiarize Zoe to the city's many nuances. So far, the bulging, clothing-filled whale-stomach bags Persephone carried in the crooks of her elbows were a solid indication of success. At least, as far as she was concerned. "Looks like we're on campus now. Do you see that large spire over there? The big crystalline one, free from coral and plants?" Persephone asked Zoe, pointing towards the large, purplish tower. Of the many spires that dotted the seamount, the one she pointed to was of a completely different make and appearance from most of the other towers, being that it was composed of a singular, massive crystal. "That's the Mambo Obia De Lɛn Academy, where the best sorcerers in Michiko's realm are trained." "Wow. So pretty..." Zoe stared up at the big crystal, having long since abandoned her story of her night with Ashton in favor of fantasizing about the dirty things he could do to her and everyone else she saw following them. It was no wonder to Persephone that they'd drawn a crowd. "That giant pink quartz crystal was grown out of the seamount itself as part of a ritual enacted by the first instructors of the academy. It stores massive amounts of mana, and is one of the three primary mana sinks in the upper ring that helps regulate many of the city's magical needs. As the only magically grown crystal in The Sunken City, it's the pride of every sorcerer who attends the university." With many of the other mamono who tagged along 'ooing' and 'ahhing' at the marvelous structure, Persephone felt the lingering sensation of her days as an instructor for the academy invigorate her intellectual spirit. Some of her early days spent in Michiko were as a tour guide before she landed her position with the university, which helped develop the oratory skills required to wrangle the attention of her students. The nereid turned to the gathered crowd. "My friend and I have an appointment therein. Thank you for your delightful company." She stated to the others, nodding her head and performing a curtsey before she spun around and grabbed onto Zoey's hand. "If you think the outside is pretty, wait until you see the inside." — The halls of the Academy were polished smooth, carved to shift through hexagonal open spaces and octagonal corridors, the majority of which was painted over with a black, light-absorbing tar. Persephone explained to Zoe as they swam that the tar was alchemically treated to bond to the latent energy within the tower, ensuring that it didn't degrade over time, like it would have otherwise. The crystal tower itself had a faint pinkish glow, and the geometric, angular designs left unpainted along the interior allowed the ambient light from the crystal to illuminate all the spaces within. It was a much more distinctive feeling swimming through such halls in comparison to the more organic coral towers, roughly hewn stone towers, or any of the other amalgamated towers of concrete, bone, cobble, or mycelium. It gave the sense of being in some far away advanced civilization, dignified and proper, with more than a little mystery behind each corner. Benches expertly carved from the crystal tower itself lined the halls with potted plants growing beside them. Large scrimshaw portraits carved in whale bones adorned the blank spaces above each of the benches, and when framed by the kelp and backlit by the octarine glow of the tower, provided an almost aristocratic, empowered feeling to those who swam the halls. "This place is so cool!" Zoe exclaimed as she was carried along by her hand, more or less entirely limp in Persephone's grip as she glanced around at the interior. The nereid just smiled as she navigated the halls with a practiced ease. It was as if she'd never left. After a few twists and turns, the pair found themselves standing in front of one of the few private areas of the tower, sealed away behind semi-transparent crystalline doors bearing a gold-embossed placard that read "Premye Bòkòz: Kanina Adebayo". "Louvri." Persephone said, waving her hand in front of the crystal doors. They shimmered for a moment, before appearing to dissipate entirely as if they'd been nothing more than thick panes of solidified smoke. Beyond the doors was a wood panelled office with five equilateral walls of deep cherry wood stain, the floor and ceiling of which was similarly panelled. The wood held massive, intricately carved reliefs depicting the Sunken City and several major historical events and legends, all of which was delicately stained and lacquered to give the reliefs more 'pop'. The surface of each wall rippled with a faint magical energy, as if the reliefs were holding some secret power within. The idea that wood was used for the interior of the office, rather than other more feasible materials, was easily a testament to the wealth and skill of the sorcerers employed there, something Persephone noticed immediately when she first entered the office hundreds of years ago. A central portion of the ceiling was given way for a small hemisphere of the quartz tower to bulge out of, providing most of the room's illumination. In the center of the room was a large doughnut-shaped desk of dark mahogany, plain and without intricate adornment as possessed by the reliefs in the walls, more purpose-built than for any sense of flair. A number of spongey beanbag-like seats dotted the circumference of the desk, a much larger seat of similar fashion dominating the central space of the desk upon which rested the sole resident of the room. "Welcome to the lead sorcerer's office." Persephone said to the wide-eyed undine. At the sound of her voice, the figure behind the desk turned to face the pair. "Perseverance!" The deep, rich baritone of Kanina's voice reverberated through the room, filled with the vivacious laughter of someone reuniting with a long-lost friend. Seated atop the large sponge chair within the inner portion of the desk was a rotund, generously proportioned kraken with an affable, effusive temperament. Her arms opened wide, the woman wore a puffy, oversized smile on her face, clearly excited to see Persephone. "Whatcha doin standin there, come in, come in! Give Big Mama a hug now." Ushering Zoe inside, Persephone quickly turned to the opening behind her. "fèmen." At her utterance, the doors reappeared in much the same manner as they had disappeared, smoke congealing into solid, crystalline form. With the doors closed, the nereid swam towards Kanina. She was grabbed by a tentacle before she made it even halfway, pulled into a tight hug by the big woman. "Ooooh, it feels like ages since I last saw ya." Kanina said, nearly smothering the nereid in her bulk. "Ya ain't been messin' round with them thugs out in Freebooty tha whole time ya been gone now have ya?" She said, moving Persephone out to arm's length, examining her from head to toe. "Look at ya, girl. Ya lost weight! An what's that I smell? A man! Ya done pran fil with another man, have ya? Or ye still fiddlin' with them mawozo in the Seamen's Swordfish?" "I'm glad to see you too, Kanina." Persephone said, Kanina's infectious smile making its way to her own face. Zoe slowly made her way into the room, looking around with wonder in her eyes. "Tch, dun be callin me so formal like that, ya hear? Ta ya I'm Big Mama, I dun care what tha dean say." As she was speaking, Kanina's tentacles were stripping Persephone of her whale-stomach bags, pulling them away and setting them atop the desk evenly spaced from one another. "Ya bring me any presents from ya trip?" "I bought you some oven-fired pastries from that specialty shop in the air pocket, Sunken Doughnuts. You know, the chocolate glazed ones with cream filling." "Tsss, ya spoilin' me girl." She said, moving Persephone to the side as she leaned over to see Zoe. "An who's this precious little one ya brought?" Zoe was casually floating around the perimeter of the room, eyes glued to the reliefs. "Her name is Zoe. She's a friend of mine that I met while I was traveling. Zoe," Persephone said, calling out to the undine. "Come meet Kanina Adebayo. She's the head of faculty for magical studies and the practice of esoteric arts here at the academy." "Tch! Ya always so formal, Perseverance." Kanina chided. Zoe pulled away from the reliefs with a little reluctance, turning to face Kanina as she settled with her toes on the desk. "Ohhhh, ain't you just a precious little..." There was a distinct pause in Kanina's words and mannerisms, her tentacles each stopping their movements in tandem as she focused her gaze on the undine. Persephone laughed as Kanina set her down in one of the spongey chairs. "Ye ain't yon moun tou senp, now are ya girl?" She uttered with a mystified breath. "Hi hi. I'm Zoe. Nice to meet you, Big Mama Kanina Adebayo. You say a lot of funny words." Zoe replied, her hands clasped behind her back as she smiled brightly. Kanina continued to marvel at Zoe's appearance, bringing a few tentacles over to press against her body, slithering beneath her fancy dress and tracing around parts of her body. "Hehe, that tickles." Zoe giggled as Kanina groped around her body. "My my my, I dun say I ain't neva seen this before. Ain't no undine I eva met been so..." "Solid?" Persephone said, finishing the kraken's sentence. "Lè ti poul fè dan... yes, exactly." She continued to probe the undine, much to Zoe's amusement. "Where are the others?" Persephone asked. "They'll be here soon. Kala just finishin' up her class for tha day, an Ngiri should be here any moment." There was the sound of a command word being spoken on the other side of the doors, and Persephone turned to look over her shoulder. "Speak of the devilfish, and she shall arrive." Persephone said, seeing her old friends and colleagues pass through the entrance, using another command word to seal the doors. Kala was a curvaceous succubus of middling height and pastel blue skin, her wings shimmering with a gossamer transparency akin to those belonging to pixies. Ngiri was an undine, like Zoe, though she stood twice as tall, and had a body far more mature and voluptuous than Persephone's smaller, more petite friend. "Still a vision as always, Percy." Kala said, her voice like crushed velvet to the ears. Though she was a capable seductress like many of her kind, her passion lay more with the theoretical side of magic, often times influenced by Outlander science. Persephone went to her for advice in dealing with her late husband's desire to return to Earth, and the succubus ended up joining her and Samuel for their journey across the Arcadia. "Oh, spare me. She's lost weight since we last saw her. She's practically a skeleton!" Ngiri said, still as observant and lively as ever. She was the head hydromancy instructor, and had a wide breadth of technical knowledge regarding the broader spectrum of elemental magics. Persephone met her at the university after Samuel passed away, and the two became fast friends over lunchroom gossip, the undine doing much to help her re-acclimate to a world without Samuel. The two of them swam towards Persephone as she rose from her seat, the three of them embracing each other tightly. "It hasn't even been two decades, girls." Persephone said, laughing. "Knowing you, who knows how many adventures you've had in that time. And how many men." Kala said, lightly nipping Persephone's earlobe as she spoke. "Smells like she hasn't stopped having them either." Ngiri said, poking the nereid in her belly. "You've been pumped into today, even." "That's Ashton's work!" Zoe piped up irreverently from her position on the desk. "He's our husband. Well. Soon to be." There were gasps all around the room. Celebratory cheers and congratulations roused spirits all around, as well as a few more pats on Persephone's bum. "You'll have to tell us all about him once we're finished here." Kala said, winking pointedly at Ngiri. "Maybe introduce us, even." It was pretty clear to Persephone what Kala was intending, and she laughed along. She could picture the succubus enjoying Ashton's stamina, just the same as she had that morning. "Speaking of introductions," Ngiri said, swimming over to Zoe with a hand outstretched. "I'm Ngiri, and this is Kala. We're both instructors here at the..." When she got closer to Zoe, she too began to notice the same thing Kanina had. Zoe grabbed her hand in both of hers and shook it vigorously. "Hi. I'm Zoe. I'm awesome." "That you are." Ngiri uttered, just as perplexed by Zoe's state as Kanina was. Kala swam over and, just like the kraken had before, began to slide her hands and tail around Zoe's body, squeezing her in places that elicited a far more sensual response than Kanina had. "Wow. Firm. Much more firm than you, Ngiri." "Girls, girls, leave that precious girl alone for now. Plenty a time to get frisky later. Now that we all here, let's get settled in. Perseverance here brought us some treats from Sunken Doughnuts! It's been some time since I had any a them specialty surface pastries." Kanina exclaimed, wrapping her tentacles around everyone and moving them to their seats. Once she'd distributed all the snacks that Persephone bought for the occasion, the kraken addressed Zoe directly. "Ya know why ya here, precious girl?" She asked. "Sephy wanted to have my magic tested. She said it was weird, which is wrong, cause it's super awesome." "An I'm sure it is." Kanina said, putting Zoe's head with one of her tentacles. "Would ya mind startin' off answerin' some questions for us?" "Sure!" "Zoe, do you know the four levels of mastery in regards to spellcasting?" Kala asked, left leg crossed over the right, looking all the part of an amused aristocrat. At least, that was until she started stuffing her face with the cream-filled pastries. Persephone couldn't help but imagine the pastries being filled with Ashton's cream instead, causing her to lick her lips as she refocused her attention on the matters at hand, mouth still watering. "Ummm... bad, good, better, and awesome?" Ngiri and Kala gave each other an uncertain look, with Kanina laughing at Zoe's quick and definitely incorrect answer. Ngiri spoke up. "Novice, Apprentice, Master, and Grandmaster are the categories of mastery over areas of magic, with novice level being introductory, and grandmaster requiring centuries of experience. Many mamono end up in the novice category without any formal training simply due to experience or natural innate talent. Many spirits, like ourselves, tend to quickly advance in natural magics related to our elements, but it does require a great deal of effort, study, and practice to attain higher masteries no matter our background or species." The taller undine corrected. "Persephone told us your hydromancy is rather impressive, and that you felled a small forest with what appeared at first to be a master-level combat spell. Do you know the name of the spell you used?" "...um... no?" Again, there were perplexed looks shared amongst the sorcerers. "Did ya have a hydromancy teacher?" Kanina asked. "Nope!" "So ya was always as good as ya are now?" "Yup! That's right!" Zoe said happily. "Zoe, what is the most powerful spell you've ever cast, and what did it do?" Kala inquired, her tail swishing around in anticipation, licking the glaze from her lips. "Umm... I uhh... I don't cast a lot of different spells? I guess the most powerful spell I've ever cast was my lance. I had to punch through a wyvern's scales once, and that was probably the toughest thing I've done, but it was still pretty easy." The faculty members all took a moment of silence to run the simulation in their own minds, each of them glancing at Persephone once with look that she took as them taking the situation more seriously than they had when she contacted them initially. "...are you certain she was a wyvern?" Ngiri asked. "She was like, really tall and muscular and had a bunch of red scales all over her wings and feet and tail, and she breathed fire. That's a wyvern, right?" "Yeah. Yeah, that's a wyvern. You say you 'punched through her scales with your lance'. As in, what, you managed to cleave to muscle? Cleave to skin?" "Umm... no. I punched a hole straight through her. Well, I guess it was more like three holes, since her wings were in the way. I wasn't careful that time though, and I punched through all the buildings behind her too." That time the silence that followed her statement was born of disbelief. "Was she in ancient form?" Kala asked, breaking the silence, taking care to get all the facts to inform her further questions. "Nope, but it wouldn't have made a difference." Zoe said with confidence, which had the instructors giving her a vexed expression each. "Precious girl, would ya mind givin' us a demonstration of tha spell ya used if we was to take ya somewhere for it?" "Sure!" With an appreciative pat to Zoe's head with a tentacle, Kanina turned to Kala. "Kala, go get ya tools for us. The five of us gonna head out to Harbinger Deep. We gonna see if this precious girl be fibbin' us or not." The succubus quickly rose from her seat and sped out of the room through the enchanted doors. Kanina turned to one of the reliefs and spat a blob of black ink towards it. Once the ink connected, it began to trail along the deeper recesses of the relief, expanding like oil between the crevices. "Harbinger Deep?" Zoe asked. "Think of it as a provin' ground. It's a place where seniors go to practice their more volatile spells safely away from tha mana sinks, an without disturbance. It's a day's swim down into some underground caverns, as deep as the abyss, far from tha city. Usually we have trips planned, but I've a quicker way to get there." She up-nodded towards the relief she inked, which was slowly enveloping the carvings. "It's an entrance leadin' to some special currents regulated by tha tower, same as them bigger ones around tha city. Door's a bit slow to open, but it works wonders savin' time swimmin'." Eventually the ink came to encompasses the entirety of the wall, looking for all intents and purposes like a void for a few moments until the image of a plain black room rippled into view, illuminated by phosphorescent paints and glowing crystals. It was almost as large as the office they were currently in, though it was sparsely decorated. The opening in the floor was wide enough to fit each of the mamono present rather comfortably, though any more might have made for a tight fit. "Tha chamber further down is pressurized to tha same level here, an we can make adjustments to tha speed an direction of tha current from that panel there." Kanina said, pointing to a floating orb on one side of the room. "There's more a these chambers on the otha side, but we'll be headed to tha biggest one deeper in. That's where we let tha students do tha heavy-duty testin'. Most a tha students that practice there either part a tha military, lookin' to join, or be retired ex-military like Ngiri, an so it's designed for testin' combat magic." Kala returned with her own whale-stomach purse in hand, waving the door closed. "Aight, everyone ready?" Kanina asked. With everyone nodding in agreement, the group passed through the relief and into the current, down to Harbinger Deep. |
AeroscorchSep 20, 6:41 PM
Apr 4, 10:44 AM
#47
| Chapter 12 [POV - Persephone] Persephone had never been down to Harbinger Deep, as she herself had never progressed past master-level in either of her magical studies, neither of which required special precautions of any sort. When they had arrived, she was a little disappointed; she was expecting something a little more grandiose, like what was on display at the academy, the castle, or even the barracks, but the room was just a big grey hemisphere bereft of even the slightest bit of artistry. "This place is huge. You could fill hundreds of orgies in here." Kala commented once they'd arrived to the combat magic chamber Kanina described, swimming a ways out so she could spin around and observe the interior. Since her studies also didn't coincide with the purpose of the room, she hadn't been in the space before either. "That's Kala for you, always thinking with her coochie." Ngiri jabbed, smirking as she followed along with the rest of the group. "Ahhh, brings back memories being here. The smell of greatness. The scent of success." Ngiri boasted, having been the only other person in their group aside from Kanina to have been to the room prior to the group's excursion. "Oh hush now girl. Ya ain't been here for naught but half a century, stop actin' like it didn't take ya five times that to get here in tha first place." Kanina chided. She looked down to Zoe, who rather than swim, elected to squish herself in-between Kanina's breasts and be carried. "We here now, precious girl. Come on out." Zoe's head popped out from between Kanina massive mammaries, and looked around. "This place is pretty big, Big Mama Kanina." She said, leaving the comfort of Kanina's breasts behind. "Kinda boring too. It's just a big empty space." "Ahhhh, looks can be deceivin', I know ya know what I mean. Kala, get set up. Ngiri, show her where to go. Zoe, go with the girls now an follow their instructions. Perseverance an I gonna be right behind ya." Following Ngiri's lead, the smaller undine and the succubus made their way to the center of the room. Kanina, meanwhile, remained where she was and gave Persephone a knowing look. "Husband, huh?" Persephone quirked a brow. "Perhaps. He still needs to consider his options." "Oh come now girl, don't gimme that kaka. How long ya been together?" "We've been 'together', as you say, for just over a week now. We had our first time together this morning. He was... different, than Samuel." "Each time it's usually different, ya dun be tellin' me ya dun know that was gonna happen. An a week? Girl, dun tell me twas cause ya was feelin' considerate. I know ya got an appetite." Persephone chewed on her bottom lip as she watched Kala produce a number of instruments and foci from her bag, Ngiri explaining a few things to the younger, shorter undine. "I'm not used to it anymore. Not as greedy as I used to be. But when I saw him, it was like he lit a fire back up inside me I didn't know I still had, but I also didn't want to hurt him like I hurt Samuel when we first met." "They tend ta be doin' all sorts a things to ya, don't they?" Kanina chuckled heartily. "My third husband, he keeps me goin'. I wouldn't still be runnin' things if he wasn't around." "Does it ever stop hurting?" Persephone asked, turning to look at Kanina. "I know he's been gone for a long time, but I still remember Samuel like it was yesterday. Feel his hand in mine. Ashton is younger, and he's more energetic. More immature, but he's really dashing. It's like night and day, the difference, but I still can't help but feel drawn to him." "Hah! Sounds like ya finally found tha right man. About time too, if ya be askin' me. Ya always spent way too much time in an outta them whorehouses, wallowin' in yer sorrows." Persephone lightly slapped Kanina's shoulder with the back of her hand. "Oh come on, you make it sound like I'm as bad as Kala." "Girl, she was tellin' me stories about how you were before ya met Samuel. Don't be pullin' my chain now, cause I—" Both Kanina and Persephone hit the floor hard, struck by a pressure wave that sent the two of them sprawling dozens of body lengths back towards the entrance. Kanina caught Persephone in one of her tentacles, using the other nine to anchor her to the ground with her suckers. "By Michiko's fat tits, what in tha deep was that?" Kanina gasped, looking over to see Kala and Ngiri sprawled out against opposite walls from each other. In the center of the room was a nervous-looking Zoe, rubbing the back of her head, standing at the epicenter of a spiderweb of cracks in the ground. "Sorry! I was just following instructions!" She called out. Ngiri groaned, pulling herself out of an indent in the wall with a long hiss. "Fuck! Percy, get over here! I think my wings are broken!" Kala called out. Kanina released Persephone, who swam directly over to administer first aid to the succubus. "What happened?" The healer asked as she started running through her first scan of Kala's body. "Aaahhh, that's tender." Kala yelped as Persephone inspected her wings. "I just asked her to do a standard mana transfer test on my keystone to measure her base output rate and efficiency. She touched her hand to it and it fucking exploded." "This was the result of a standard measurement?" Persephone asked, setting Kala's bones and casting mending spells. The succubus hissed through the pain as she continued to re-set her bones. "I'm really sorry!" Zoe shouted from the center of the room, afraid to move. "There. All your bones are set. They'll be good as new in a hundred heartbeats." Persephone said, patting Kala on the shoulder, thankful Ashton agreed to top her up earlier that morning. "Come, let's collect your tools back up." Once the commotion had settled and all of Kala's tools were gathered back up, everyone reconvened in the center of the room. Kala explained what happened once more, which was of great surprise to Kanina. "What do ya mean it exploded? Them keystones were meant to handle enormous amounts a mana." Kanina asked Kala, who could only shrug. "I don't know what else to say, boss. She grabbed it, and it just went pfffwoof!" Kala said, mimicking an explosive gesture with her hands. "Precious girl, how much demonic energy didja pour into tha stone?" "Um... I dunno?" Kanina stared at the undine, rubbing her chin as she considered things. "It doesn't make sense, right?" Ngiri said, scratching her head. "Her ambient level is pretty high, like that of a proficient master-level spellcaster of the first degree, but that level of demonic energy transference doesn't match up at all." "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, ya? We didn't even get ta anything interesting. Zoe, girl. That lance ya told us about, could ya show us that spell?" "Sure! Where should I aim? Do you want to give me a target?" "Ngiri, could ya make some hot ice against the floor?" "Certainly. How thick?" "Thick as ya can make it, ten stacks. Zoe, float up above', an when I say 'now', use ya lance on tha target." "Okay!" She said, swimming upwards. "We gonna measure penetration depth a her spell. Based on what Perseverance told us, it should be a basic high-pressure water jet. Ya can tell the parameters for tha spell, right Ngiri?" "Definitely. I'll know exactly what it is when I see it, as well as her magical proficiency." "Good. Kala, ya measure everythin' else. I wanna know how much demonic energy that little girl dun use, how much energy she's wastin' on inefficiencies, tha rate a loss, everythin'." "You got it, boss." "Perseverance, ya remain on standby in case anythin' else happens that's cause for a medic." The nereid nodded. "Alright, everyone float back. This is going to take some energy." Ngiri said, everyone else swimming up to meet with Zoe. Ngiri closed her eyes, raised both her hands, and began speaking a prayer to the water around her, giving thanks to the Sea Mother as she chanted. As she did, water began to draw towards the center of the room at high speeds, pulled from tiny vents that lined the chamber's walls, floor, and ceiling. It started to condense into thick square blocks of ice, compressing till the ice was scalding hot to the touch, each block as wide and as long as Ngiri herself, and half as thick. Block after block began to form, towering a total of ten-blocks tall. By the time the tenth block was created, Ngiri looked like she was strained heavily, her demonic energy having been greatly depleted by the task. "Whew, that was way harder than I thought it would be. Been a while since I did that." She commented, swimming back towards the others, who had made their way close to Zoe, a few feet above the tenth block. "Everyone ready?" Kanina asked. Everyone nodded. "Zoe?" "Yeah?" "I want ya ta sustain the spell for as long as ya can, or until I say stop. Ready?" "Yup!" Zoe said, her finger pointed at the center of the ice blocks. "Good. Three... two... one... Now!" The same painfully high-pitched whine Persephone heard twice before pierced her ears once again, even though her hands were already cupping her ears. She warned everyone else to do the same, but it didn't seem to matter regardless. The pain of the sound was bad enough, but then she bore witness to the sheer power Zoe unleashed. In an instant she blew through two blocks, and in less than a second she had cut through half the stack. Several more seconds passed for her to cut through the rest of the stack, and a few seconds later bits of rock dust began to kick up out from beneath the blocks and up from between the cracks, a thick grey-black fog of silt beginning to cloud the floor of the arena. "STOP!" Kanina yelled, her hands also covering her ears. Zoe stopped, and silence filled the room, a droning pitch still ringing through Persephone's ears. "Ngiri, how hard didja make them blocks?" "All of them were ice ten, hardness ten. They were basically diamond blocks." "The spell?" "That was not a water jet." Ngiri said, staring at the smaller undine with wonder filling her curious eyes. "That wasn't a spell I've ever seen before. It just looks like she's spraying a thin beam. The power, the precision, it was unlike anything I've ever seen, easily grandmaster level in every category. Her control over the spell was absolute, and the power was... well, you can see for yourself. She definitely wasn't lying about the wyvern." "So what did she actually do then?" Persephone asked. "And why was it so loud?" "She extended a thin filament, almost like a lance, just like she said. Only, it was moving all over at a high rate of speed. It was like it had tiny blades twirling and rotating all over it. Not only that, the whole thing was spinning. That spell had more moving parts than any dwarven machine I've encountered." "Fascinating. Kala?" "That was ten heartbeats." Kala uttered, staring at the destroyed ice blocks cracking apart and tumbling to the ground. "Kala, focus. What're tha numbers?" "Right, sorry boss. The calculations..." She checked her crystals, astrolabe, and compass. "My calculations say there was zero waste energy. Perfect precision, like Ngiri says. As for mana output..." Kala frowned, tapping her devices with her nails. "That's not right." "Kala, use ya words." "She's off the scales." "What in the abyss does that even mean, off the scales?" Ngiri asked. "It means exactly what I said! You see my mana crystals? The ones meant to measure density of demonic energy? All of them are cracked and broken!" "They woulda had to, her gettin' penetration like that so fast. Ngiri, how deep into tha floor did she go?" Ngiri closed her eyes, and frowned. "She punched a hole so far into the crust I can't even see the end of it." "How far can ya sense?" "Roughly the length of the academy's height." "I can tell you!" Zoe chimed in. "My spirit sense goes waaaaay farther than Ngiri's. The hole is about as deep as two of those towers." The silence that fell between the gathered academics was filled only with nervous stares punctuated by the occasional sound of one of the ice blocks cracking and impacting the ground as they fell over. Nobody spoke, unsure of what to say in the wake of an absurd statement like that. Everyone except Zoe. "See? I'm pretty awesome, right?" "...Zoe," Ngiri asked, "how far does your spirit sight extend?" "Mmm, when we were swimming the other day, that was the most I'd ever had to extend my sight. About three times the distance of the horizon in every direction?" Ngiri blinked, staring blankly at Zoe. "That's... that's over a hundred million tons of water to observe." Kala said. "No, Kala. That's closer to a billion tons of water." Ngiri corrected. "To sense so much water is beyond anything I've tried. I can't even comprehend an amount like that." Quicker to recover her composure than everyone else, Kanina started asking Zoe more pointed questions. "How ya feelin', precious girl?" "I'm fine." "Ya not tired?" "Not at all." "If I asked ya to, could ya do that again?" "Yup!" "How many times?" "I dunno. I've never had to do that more than once at any given time." "I dun doubt that, girl. So no fatigue at all?" "Nope!" "Hmm. Ya was right, Perseverance. This precious little one is an anomaly. I ain't sensed any fluctuations in her reserves. A spell like that shoulda lasted only an instant, but tha mana output woulda completely drained most master level casters after one heartbeat with that sorta constant power, let alone ten." Kanina said, studying Zoe, who was looking right proud of herself. "Yet, it only feels like she a normal master. Like she ain't nothin' special." The kraken ran a tentacle over the undine's head, eliciting a pleased hum from the girl. "Zoe, how many spells can ya cast?" "Um... not many? Like six?" Ngiri shook her head and did a double-take. "Six?! I know sixty-two, and I'm a first degree grandmaster hydromancer." Ngiri exclaimed. "Between Percy and I, we're able to cast well over one hundred different spells. Any first degree master of any school should know dozens of spells, let alone grandmasters, which this girl clearly is." Kala added on. "Well... I don't really need to know more than six spells, do I?" "No, I s'pose ya don't. What spells ya know?" "Well, I have my piercing lance, then I can make simulacrums, I have my spirit sight if you want to call that a spell, I can purify water in my body, I can harden my body, and I have the Ashton-Pleaser-One-Thousand I made up yesterday." She paused, tapping her lip with a finger. "Oh, I guess I was wrong. I have seven spells now." "What do you mean by 'now'?" Kala asked. "I just watched Ngiri make those funny blocks of ice out of water. Ashton said I might be able to do something like that with my hydromancy, and after watching Ngiri do it, I think I can too." "W-what? What do you mean you think you can do that too? That took me ten years to learn how to cast, and another ten to master. Those aren't run of the mill normal ice blocks. That's a grandmaster level spell. There's no way you can just look at something like that and learn it so quickly." Zoe shrugged. "I dunno. I just think I can." The group was skeptical, but with some encouragement, Kanina gestured for Zoe to show them. The smaller undine looked down to the scattered ice blocks, closed her eyes, and aimed her hand towards them. In similar fashion to Ngiri, Zoe uttered some words, though they were far from the prayers of request to the Sea Mother Ngiri spoke. "Hear me. You are my strength, my arm, and my will made manifest." Currents twice as strong as those caused by Ngiri spiraled violently towards the center of the room as she finished speaking. The silt dust obscured the scene for only a few moments, being completely swept away by the currents to show the scene of the broken pieces of hot ice mending together. The blocks reconstituted themselves fully, stacked as high as they were originally. It didn't appear like Zoe struggled with the spell like the taller undine had either, having accomplished the same feat in half the time. Ngiri looked utterly destroyed. "Twenty... years..." She whimpered. "Remarkable. Truly remarkable." Kanina said, beyond impressed. "Where didja say ya was from?" "Kaori. It's the first place I remember." "Where in Kaori, sweetie?" Persephone asked. "Umm... South. I was on a beach, I think. Washed ashore. I was staring up at the sky. I think it was southeast of the second legion's citadel?" "Close to the Demon Gate." Kala offered. "What were you doing so close to that horrid wasteland?" "I don't remember. I was just there." "What about your mother? Or your father? Where were they from?" "I... um... I don't think I have parents?" "What do you mean you don't 'think'? We know whether or not we were born or created." Ngiri said, finally pulling herself out of her short-lived despondency. "I mean I don't know. I don't remember that far back. Everything before the beach is gone." "Gone, ya say?" Kanina pondered, rubbing her chin. "There's too many things that dun add up about ya, precious girl. Ya power an precision too damn high for ya lack a knowledge an trainin', an ya age don't match up with ya proficiency. Ya lack a spells don't match up with ya acuity, an ya ambient demonic aura hella dun match up with what ya just did ta my floor. Ya really dun have no memory a nothin'?" "Nothing past two decades." After a few moments more of consideration, Kanina clapped her hands together. "Ngiri, Kala, keep runnin' tests with tha girl. See if ya can tire her out. I'm gonna go speak with Perseverance here in private." She said, wrapping a tentacle around Persephone before she started to swim away with the nereid. "Sure thing, boss. Hey Zoe, you said you made up a spell called the Ashton-Pleaser-One-Thousand. What's that all about?" Kala asked. "Seriously? We just watched this girl copy a spell in seconds that took me twenty years to be able to cast, and you want to know about a sex spell she made up yesterday?" Ngiri asked. "Are you telling me you don't want to learn something like that? Quit acting like an elf Ngiri. We're scientists. This is for science." The bickering pair faded into the distance as Kanina and Persephone swam away, Zoe giggling along the whole time, turning to wave at Persephone and Kanina as they left the chamber. — The kraken guided Persephone only a short ways past the blast door that separated the room they were in from the rest of the facility. The corridor that connected to all of the different chambers was as plain as the chambers, and as they were the only ones in the whole facility at present, all the rooms and halls were equally pressurized. Kanina released Persephone from her tentacle, turning to her with a concerned expression. "Who is that girl? Ya dun find someone like that just out an about like everyone else. She yon bagay gwo. Ain't none a my students eva come close to what I just saw." Persephone shrugged, looking back at the pressure doors. When she imagined Zoe, she saw her as a happy-go-lucky girl, carefree and irreverent. Not as a killer. "She was originally part of a mercenary group. You ever hear of Lam Dezas?" If it were possible for color to drain from the kraken's face, it would have. "Tell me ya dun just say what I think ya said, girl." "You know them?" Kanina shook her head. "More like I know of em. A bad group, them folk. I ain't neva had no reason to come in contact with em, but some a my old students, ones still in the military, they come back home on leave an they pay me visits. I hear stories from some a them 'bout some group based out a Teremir doin' lots a work in Kaori an Charisse. One or two woman units hired for special combat duties to supplement bigger operations." Persephone nodded. It sounded on par with what Zoe had told her and Ashton so far. "She was part of that group for around fifteen years, and recently defected. She seems terrified of them." "Terrified?" Kanina asked, sounding ever more curious. "Stories 'bout them sadists paint them as wicked souls, tha lot a them. But terrified? I find that hard to believe after what I just saw in there. If tha stories be true, they good at what they do, but they ain't nowhere near that good." Persephone turned back to face Kanina, and shrugged. "The only times I've seen her do anything harmful, or threaten harm, was when Ashton himself was threatened. It was almost like she became a completely different person during those moments, but I don't think she actually enjoys the violence. As perspicacious as she is with her magic, I believe she's genuinely a kind soul. The way she spoke of Lam Dezas, especially that Georgina woman, made it sound like she was afraid to even encounter them, let alone fight them. She said it didn't have anything to do with power, and everything to do with ability." "I'ma call toro kaka on that. There's more to tha story than what she sayin', even if tha ability thing is tha case. What ya know about that Georgina woman?" "Not much, admittedly. She's a glacies that Zoe says raised her after she found her. She wears this scary-looking armor covered in runes that amplify some sort of danger sense. She also taught Zoe hand-to-hand combat which I witnessed first hand when she put a friend of mine into some sort of choke hold with her elbow and squeezed her unconscious." "Hold on. Ya said tha Georgina woman wore armor? Covered in runes?" "According to Zoe, yes. She showed me a depiction of her with a simulacrum." "Hmm. Did she ever mention tha name 'Blackheart'?" A cold shiver ran up Persephone's spine, a lurking dread she couldn't quite place causing her to feel uncomfortable at the mention of the name. "No. Is that supposed to be Georgina's title? Zoe said they all had titles, like descriptive poetry meant to inspire fear." Kanina rubbed her chin for a few moments, a contemplative expression on her face as she searched her memories, debating over something for some time before she spoke. "Tha girls that come visit me that dun been patrollin' near Nahoko's island talk war tales 'bout things they see an hear. Crazy stories, like them about Chiro tha Undying, tha Green Shadow, or tha exodus of New Tarraco. One a them names they talk 'bout be someone they called 'Blackheart'. Spooky campfire stories mostly 'bout a cold woman in big black armor carryin' around a bigger, blacker axe." "Campfire stories? I'm not a doe-eyed child, Big Mama. The exodus of New Tarraco isn't just some lazy military mamono telling tall tales because she's bored. The Undying, the Green Shadow, they're legends in Kaori I've heard about. You just grouped Georgina with big names. If you know something, tell me." Kanina looked like she was debating on whether or not to say more, her expression doing little to inspire confidence. Just before Persephone was about to implore her further, Kanina sighed, shaking her head like what she was about to do was a bad idea. "Remember, take them stories with a grain a sea salt. Not all legends live up to tha name." Kanina cautioned, before she started sharing some of the spooky stories she's heard. "Blackheart tha Frozen Night, she that hunted Elizabethan troops under cloud-covered moons till there weren't none left to hunt. Blackheart tha Empty Killer, tha mercenary that took Sanguinea swords to tha heart during tha failed assault on Sadom an Gomarra, hired by Narantuuya as a contingency for stragglers that survived them poison-tipped hwatcha arrows. Blackheart tha Chilling Void, she that froze them intangible Michikona ghosts hiding in Zarom solid, shatterin' them with her axe like she could cleave souls." Kanina shrugged. "All tha stories like this. Blackheart tha Boogeyman they say, laughin' 'bout her hidin' under Elizabethan beds." Persephone discovered that as Kanina spoke, she was rubbing her arms close to her body because she felt cold. Maybe some legends carried more truth than others. "Kanina, that sounds exactly like someone Zoe would be terrified of. Fighting millenia old angels? Freezing ghosts solid? Picking off whole squads of soldiers one-by-one at night? She told me Gerogina is the captain of Lam Dezas. I don't think there's any sea salt here." "Calm, Persephone, calm." Kanina said, wrapping her tentacles gingerly around the nereid. Persephone felt a much-needed warmth spread back into her body. Whether it was physical warmth or the simple comfort her mentor provided mentally, she wasn't too sure. "Listen my girl. I don't know none a that business with Lam Dezas, but it makes sense Zoe was a part a some outfit like them. Makes sense that she wouldn't wanna deal with that glacies either. What dun make sense, is she usin' too much demonic energy, more than she can even hold, like she pullin' it outta thin water. Only time I eva heard a anythin' like that are tha stories about old times, when tha world itself spoke. Could be she's much older than she knows, an that she already knew all them spells. Could be she an experiment by some mad witch gone haywire. Could be some weird artifact at play, or even that she came out a tha Demon Gate. Too many things we don't know, but what we do know, is Georgina dun found tha girl an raised her. That's what ya said, right?" As Kanina continued to rub her tentacles against the nereid, Persephone felt the anxiety that crept in to her body begin to dissipate. The kraken's words helped her anchor her mind in the present. Helped her slip into problem-solving mode. Her happy place. "That's what she told me. Why? You think she has something to do with Zoe's amnesia?" "Maybe. It's convenient that she dun remember nothin' before a certain point, an that Georgina just so happens to be the one to find her and recruit her. There's a reason she dun remember nothin'. What ya gonna do 'bout it?" "I put in a petition to see Ula yesterday. She might know something, but the offical request is going to take time to process." "Wise plan. An in tha meantime?" Persephone looked up at the big kraken with a confused expression. "The meantime?" Kanina laughed, and the sight of her big smile helped melt away the rest of the bad tension she'd built up. "Yes! Ya ain't gonna solve a mystery like that girl overnight. Ya always worryin' bout somethin', but ya got other things ya can give ya attention to. That girl smiles real big like when she see ya. Heard the way she was excited about that Ashton boy, talkin' about how he filled ya up like one a them Sunken Doughnuts ya bought me. She was talkin' marriage like tha three of ya some fairytale. Not ta mention ya little project ya left tha university for, if ya still got that goin' on. Plus ya need ta find a job now that ya back in town, right?" Kanina gave Persephone a big shake and then pulled her into a great big hug. "Ya got so much more ta think about than some far off legend." The sudden switch in the topic seemed abrupt at first, but the longer Persephone was held in that motherly embrace, the more she felt like Kanina had the right of things. She'd do what she could to help Zoe, but it wouldn't help if she worried overmuch. There were things to celebrate, and there were obligations she had to fulfill that existed before Ashton and Zoe came into her life. "What would I ever do without you?" Persephone sighed contentedly, hugging her old mentor right back. "Ya would keep on persevering, like ya always do." Kanina answered, filling the corridor with her laughter. "Come now, let's see what tha girls been up to, an then we can head back to tha city." Persephone smiled as Kanina released the hug, and swam towards the blast door. She watched the kraken swim ahead of her as she floated in the hall to steal a personal moment for herself, inwardly thanking the kraken. Kanina helped her stay grounded and live her life when she thought all was lost many centuries ago, and when she was having doubts fill her mind earlier in the current day, the kraken worked her magic and cleared them out. She brought Zoe to the academy to learn more about the undine, but ended up coming away with more certainty about her own situation. Funny how that worked. "Thanks again, Big Mama." |
AeroscorchApr 6, 4:04 PM
Apr 4, 8:07 PM
#48
| Gotta say, I really like the use of setting-specific figures of speech in these chapters. As a worldbuilder I love seeing little touches like that. And now we wait to see if Zoe is an amnesiac or a hydromancy savant. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
Apr 5, 1:59 PM
#49
| Wow, three for the price of one (basically) The mystery around Zoe certainly is thickening. Georgina certainly sounds like a nasty piece of work. I quite liked all the references to other stories, shorts and events you made. Ashton is certainly behaving a little strangely, let's see if he gets better (or gets some insight) through his therapy session. The use of portal / instantaneous travel magic is a little problematic within the setting, especially if it seems such an effortless and convenient thing. I wrote you a PM on discord about that. |
Apr 5, 4:28 PM
#50
Reply to mugen91
Wow, three for the price of one (basically)
The mystery around Zoe certainly is thickening. Georgina certainly sounds like a nasty piece of work.
I quite liked all the references to other stories, shorts and events you made.
Ashton is certainly behaving a little strangely, let's see if he gets better (or gets some insight) through his therapy session.
The use of portal / instantaneous travel magic is a little problematic within the setting, especially if it seems such an effortless and convenient thing. I wrote you a PM on discord about that.
The mystery around Zoe certainly is thickening. Georgina certainly sounds like a nasty piece of work.
I quite liked all the references to other stories, shorts and events you made.
Ashton is certainly behaving a little strangely, let's see if he gets better (or gets some insight) through his therapy session.
The use of portal / instantaneous travel magic is a little problematic within the setting, especially if it seems such an effortless and convenient thing. I wrote you a PM on discord about that.
| After speaking with Mugen behind the scenes, I've found myself to agree with his assertion! In an effort to keep internal consistency a thing, I've decided to make an edit to my posts: Pre-Edit: The relief(s?) in Premye Bòkòz Kanina's office are linked portals. While potentially feasible given the person, the position, and the place of power, the situation doesn't really call for the use of something that has thus far been demonstrated to be something rather exceptional, typically relegated to the Lords themselves. Post-Edit: The relief(s?) are instead doorways that lead to passages with magically enhanced currents, as those have already been introduced to the setting (first mentioned in dcw2021's story, found in this post: https://myanimelist.net/forum/?goto=post&topicid=1203203&id=41577705 ) and are a little more feasible in regards to what the situation warrants. The changes will be put into effect shortly. Worry not! The end result is still the same, and the changes being made will still lead to the final result, but in a more lore-friendly way. @YummyLunches YummyLunches said: You won't leave. Would be pretty funny if he did though, right? Talk about a twist! XD @tygertyger tygertyger said: Gotta say, I really like the use of setting-specific figures of speech in these chapters. As a worldbuilder I love seeing little touches like that. Which one was your favorite so far? :3 @mugen91 mugen91 said: Wow, three for the price of one (basically) The mystery around Zoe certainly is thickening. Georgina certainly sounds like a nasty piece of work. I quite liked all the references to other stories, shorts and events you made. Ashton is certainly behaving a little strangely, let's see if he gets better (or gets some insight) through his therapy session. Nasty indeed. Maybe taken with a grain of sea salt though. :P It's always fun to reference or build on established lore, and I'm glad you enjoyed that. Which one was your favorite reference? :3 Let's keep our fingers crossed for poor Ashton. XD |
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