Storythread

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>>53446190

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>>53446341

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>>53446489

>>53446655
>>53446655

"Okay, I just want to be on the record here: I think this is a bad idea."

The intercom crackled for a moment, and then the voice of Tobias Lunt, CEO and chief operating director of ADI Technologies, came through. "We're all well aware of your objections, Ms. Nakamura. However, your colleagues have determined that the risks are minimal. The board of the directors is in full agreement with me on this: the experiment is going ahead.'

"My colleagues are idiots, the board of directors would jump off a cliff if someone told them there was gold at the bottom, and that's /doctor/ Nakamura if you please."

Director Lunt stood motionless for a moment. Amy Nakamura looked up at him, but she couldn't read his expression: his face was hidden in the shadows, the dim lighting of the observation room even more diffuse than the minimally bright test chamber. Two bodyguards flanked him, standing rigidly to attention in their bulky body armour. It may just have been her imagination, but Dr. Nakamura thought that they shifted slightly when she snapped at Lunt, hand tightening around their assault rifles.

Good luck with that, thought Dr. Nakamura. The reinforced polymer glass between her and them was more than capable of stopping a bullet. Though if Lunt thought it would protect him from the consequences if this experiment went wrong he was going to be sorely disappointed. She wasn't exactly sure what would happen if the reaction cascaded, but she was pretty sure she'd prefer to watch the results from another planet.

After a few moments, the intercom crackled again. "If you wish to stand on a point of principle you're more than welcome to resign, Dr. Nakamura." Lunt's voice was so level he seemed almost mechanical. Actually, that was a gross slur on artificial intelligence. Amy actually liked her robots. They didn't do stupid, irrational things all the time, unlike people. They weren't greedy, and when she told them to do something they actually listened.

>>53450401

"And you're more than welcome to fire me, Director. But we both know you're not going to do that, because you know as well as I do that my colleagues are idiots and you need me if you want to have any hope of pulling this off. And we both know I'm not going to resign, because if I left you'd go ahead with the test anyway, and we all have a better chance of surviving if someone competent is at the controls."

"All that being the case, shall we continue? Not that your eschatalogical pronouncements aren't entertaining, but running this company is unfortunately a time consuming business, and I have other appointments today." Dr. Nakamura wondered if Lunt would be able to keep up that chilly facade if they lost control of the experiment and exotic particles started warping the very building blocks of existence around them. She guessed she would just have to wait and see.

"Very well." Dr. Nakamura tapped at her data tablet. "It looks like the generator is providing power at optimum levels. Containment fields in the reaction chamber look stable. All diagnostics on the equipment return normal. Paulo, what's the state of the servo parts." she called to a figure standing a little way off, by the door of the test chamber.

"I replaced anything that has been through more that five test cycles, and manually inspected every centimetre of the device personally." Paolo called back, in his soft Latin-accented voice. He was an engineer, one of the people on her project team not directly responsible for the working out the theory behind the experiment; his job was just to make sure the equipment worked. "And I know Dr. Kaczinsky checked the software again. The equipment is as perfect as we can make it. If something fails, it'll be because the reaction went outside our design limits."

"And wouldn't that be just unthinkable." muttered Dr. Nakamura. She called up to the control room: "Well, seems like we're as good to go as we'll ever be."

>>53450414
>>53446655

"In your own time then, Doctor." replied Lunt. Dr. Nakamura was sure she didn't imagine the almost imperceptible edge of nervousness she heard in his voice.

"Okay, well here goes... starting pre-operational tests." The robot in front of her began to move its manipulator arms as she began to check its responses to her commands. If its movements were even a little off she would have an excuse to call off the experiment. The clacking sound echoed off the walls of the curved test-chamber as its claws snapped open and closed. The test chamber was a torus, with the observation centre in the middle. Under certain circumstances it could be flooded with plasma, controlled by super-conductive magnets in the walls, but that wasn't what was planned for today.

"Amy, come on, we should be in the observation room for this." called Paolo. "It isn't safe down here."

"It isn't safe anywhere if this goes wrong." Dr. Nakamura called back. "Go on. If you find the illusion that two inches of polymer glass will protect you comforting, don't let me stop you."

Paolo shook his head in frustration, and left the test chamber. The door hissed closed behind him. Amy was only slightly surprised that he didn't then appear in the observation room. He was probably waiting just the other side of the armoured door, ready to rush back in as soon as the experiment was over. Maybe he imagined having to drag her radiation soaked body out of the torus - if he did, it would just go to show how little he understood what they were dealing with.

Just you and me now FN672-9, thought Amy, as the robot's arms whirred in front of her. The artificial lab assistant's responses checked out - for the first time, one of Amy's robot's had disappointed her. They experiment would have to go ahead. Oh well, no point in putting this off any longer: she tapped her tablet to activate the program that would start the experiment.

>>53450435

The robot's left arm reached forwards, and the claw pinched closed on the sample case. With mechanical speed and precision it unscrewed the top half and lifted it free.

The sample shone with dark light. Amy wasn't sure how she would describe its appearance to a layman. It was a spacial flecture, a tiny bit of twisted spacetime that had some of the properties of a black hole without the inconvenient gravity. The only visible evidence of it was the way it distorted light that hit it, throwing off radiance at strange angles, while dampening it in places. Amy was never much of a one for words; she'd always preferred maths. The best metaphor she could find was that it looked like a diamond with an anti-twinkle.

The program continued, and the bottom half of the container, which held the field emitters keeping the flecture in place, fanned out like a flower opening. The flecture began to descend into the reactor core. Plasmatic energies danced and sparked within. When they started to hit the flecture, then the real party would begin. Either the flecture would absorb them, in which case they would have discovered a method of power storage that could store a near-infinite amount of energy in an almost infinitesimally small point.

Or the sudden surge of energy would overload the flecture's boson matrix and collapse it. It was anyone's guess what would happen then, although everyone on the research team had speculated. Guesses went from it spitting back all the energy that had been fed into it with enough force to take out the facility and several square miles surrounding it - and that was the optimistic scenario - all the way up to tearing a hole in the very fabric of the universe.

Dr. Amy Nakamura was not an optimist.

>>53450450

Still, she had to admit as the flecture lowered into the chamber that all the readings looked normal. The generator was providing terajoules of power, with an accuracy to within kilojoules of what was specified. There didn't seem to be any unexplained excess within the reaction chamber, which meant that the flecture was absorbing it a peak efficiency.

And then... Amy's fingers whipped across the surface of her tablet as she struggled to confirm what she was seeing. The energy levels in the reaction core were actually dropping, which shouldn't be happening because the generator was still delivering power at the same rate. Either levels inside the chamber should be steady, or if the flecture was failing to absorb what they gave it then energy levels should be rising as it fed the excess back into the chamber. But if power levels were dropping that meant that pumping more power into the flecture actually increased its capacity to absorb energy.

"Is there a problem, Dr. Nakamura?" Lunt's voice was crystal clear. Maybe he is a robot, Amy thought. He must be seeing the same readings I am, and he isn't even raising his voice.

Amy herself was starting to sweat a little.

"Yes, yes there is a fucking problem. I don't know what's happening, but it shouldn't be happening."

"Shall I give the order to cut power to the generator?"

"No! No, don't do that. The flecture has changed somehow... is sucking in far more energy than we ever expected. It's /hungry/. If we cut it off now it may continue to eat up whatever's around it. I'm hoping if I can taper off the power supply its matrix will re-stabilise, settle back down into a more manageable state."

"What's the likelihood of that working?" asked Lunt. /Now/ he sounded nervous. He was probably trying to calculate whether he should be heading for his private helicopter.

>>53450465

"How the fuck should I know?!" Amy screamed back. "The time to ask questions like that was /before/ we dropped a piece of twisted reality into a fusion reactor!"

She was working furiously to try to manage the power levels, manually adjusting the generator's settings in as she tried to match the power output to the conditions in the in the core. She was running through calculations on six-dimensional fluid mechanics as she did so, trying to model how the plasma was acting as it interacted with the event horizon of the flecture, and at the same time creating different equations for the reactions of the flecture's boson matrix, trying to figure out a way to starve it without collapsing it entirely. But it was just too much to do in too short a time, and compounding this was the fact that she didn't really understood what had gone wrong in the first place.

Then the power levels in the reaction core dropped to zero. The light coming from the core ceased as the plasma arcs disintegrated and evaporated.

Uh-oh.

"Is that it?" Lunt's voice appeared again. "Has the reaction stopped."

"No. The generator's still feeding in power. There just doesn't seem to be any in the chamber, and it's got to be going somewhere. I think the flecture has shifted phase again."

"That's it, I'm shutting down the generator."

"No, wait...." it was already too late. He was already pushing the button as she said it.

At first, there didn't seem to be any reaction from inside the reaction core. Then, the casing began to distort.

"Oh shi..." but Amy didn't even have time to finish that thought before there was a 'pop'. Not a bang, not a loud explosion. Just a pop, like someone opening a bottle of champagne.

The reaction chamber disappeared. Just like that, the whole piece of equipment was gone. And in its place was... a hole.

At first Amy thought she was looking in a mirror, albeit one with a slight distortion. Then her 'reflection' raised its hand and waved.

"Ah." said Amy.

>>53450473

"Ah indeed." said the other Amy.

"They forced you to go ahead with the testing?"

"Yep. They said: 'what's the worst that could happen?' " Alternate Amy rolled her eyes. There were some things you just shouldn't say while you're conducting science. Like: 'I'm sure the side-effects are only temporary.', or 'They always leave a margin of error on the safety limits anyway.', or 'Hold my beer and watch what i can do with this particle accelerator.' 'What's the worst that could happen.' is, ironically, just about the worst.

Amy nodded. "Same. I told my lot it could rip a hole in the very fabric of the universe."

"Yep. Me too."

"I guess we were right."

Other Amy shrugged. "Not really very comforting at this point, is it?"

"Not really." Amy realised at that point that the observation room was empty. Lunt and his goons were probably making a beeline for his helicopter. She wondered how many fractions of a second longer they would live if they reached it. Then she turned back to the matter at hand. "How stable do you think this thing is?"

"I don't know. Not very would be my guess, but I'm not really sure what happened. Let me see..." Alternate Amy tapped her tablet a few times, bit her lip and flicked her braid behind her ear. Amy recognised that gesture. It meant: 'I've got squat.'

"Wait a sec, there's two of us now. The available brainpower for figuring it out just increased by one hundred percent. Well, minus one or two percent for everyone else who worked on the project. Come on let's talk this through. I take it your spacial flecture started sucking in more energy than predicted, same as mine."

"Yeah. And then it had its energy supply cut off, and shifted phase. But why..."

"Okay, we were pouring energy into it. But it wasn't just taking the energy and storing it, the energy was actually altering its structure."

>>53450493

"But you can't create sub-gamma-type bosons like that. It must have altered the way the matrix interlinks. Distorting it somehow... or distending it..." Alternate Amy looked at her counterpart for confirmation.

"Like a balloon. That's it!" Amy exclaimed. "The boson matrix was stretched like a rubber balloon being filled with water, creating a larger matrix, necessitating more energy."

"If the rubber was also a sponge at the same time. I guess the bonds that actually hold the matrix together must be mediated by something that would respond to a sudden surge in electrons and photons."

"We never predicted that, but it makes sense. Maybe a gluon pairing. So we pour energy into it, creating a super-matrix that's much, much larger than the original. Not only is the energy level inside the flecture dropping as the matrix eats it up, the actual space inside the flecture is expanding. Dropping density and expanding volume create an energy vacuum, sucking in all available energy around it." Apocalypse or not, Amy still felt a little surge in her chest as she realised she was onto the answer.

"But why the hole between universes? Unless... if the flecture got big enough it would start distorting spacetime on a more macroscopic scale."

"Which is pretty much what we figured might happen from the beginning."

"But if its being drawn towards nearest source of energy and its capable of tunnelling between universes..."

"Then if someone in the universe next door was performing the same experiment, and creating a spacial flecture with massive amounts of energy..."

"Then both flectures would tunnel towards each other!"

"Exactly! I guess this is what having an identical twin is like, because you just finished my thought." Amy, despite herself, was actually enjoying this. However, the next question she'd have to ask was a bit of a downer. "So what's going to happen next?"

>>53450513

"Well, what we're looking at now is each of our two flectures fighting to absorb the other. But when that's done..."

"They'll go looking for energy again. "

"Yep."

"Oh. Okay."

"If it's any consolation I'm pretty sure there's a limit to how far the matrix's bonds can stretch with the same number of bosons."

"Yeah. Eventually the balloon will burst." Amy shrugged. "Who knows, if we're lucky we may not even have destroyed the whole world. Just a rather large segment of it."

"Good. That's good. I'd hate to have been responsible that for wiping out /all/ of humanity." Alternate Amy was looking a little queasy nonetheless.

"Well it was nice meeting you. Really. I don't often get to have a conversation with someone who isn't a total idiot."

"Ditto."

"I'd say we should do this again sometime, but under the circumstances..."

"Yeah. Can I just say I think that dress looks great on you. I know a lot of people may have said it looks a bit tight for a work outfit, but I think it looks professional while still being aesthetic." Alternate Amy smiled. What she was wearing was identical in every respect.

"Thanks. You too. And your hair looks great as well." Not everyone manages to have last words that are both selflessly complimentary to someone you've only just met and shamelessly self-indulgent at the same time.

One flecture having won the battle for supremacy, it shifted phase again. This time the noise was louder that a 'pop'. A lot louder.

But Amy Nakamura didn't hear it. Either of them.

Sorry - /Dr./ Amy Nakamura.


--- End ---

By the way, I don't know if Germanbro is still around but I should have finished translating another chapter of 'Herz aus Licht und Schatten' this evening.

For those of you who haven't been following along already, a German anon wrote a story and wanted to post it here, but didn't have the English skills, so I've been translating it. I recommend reading it from the beginning if you're interested. It starts here:
>>53253917

also, it has nothing to do with >>53450401, that's just some random story I wrote yesterday.

>>53457750

Chapter 5: Heart


'Go wash.' said Roa, pointed to the bubbling river which gurgled along the southern edge of the forest. 'You stink.'

Sana watched as Ikalla hesitated, then finally slid down the grassy slope to the water. She herself had already done so, and she climbed onto a small rock that lay in the grass. She surveyed the hilly landscape, which stretched away to the south and east. In the midday sunlight she watched as Iza hopped after some frogs in the grass, trying to catch them.

I'm not making progress, Sana thought. I still don't know how to control my new arm. She led herself relax on the stone and looked at her arm. She touched her chest and felt her heartbeat. 'Turn around you peeper.' she heard Ikalla say behind her, and Sana had to smile. The girl reminded her of Rait a little. Loose mouth, no respect.

'Hey you.' Rait had said back then, the first time they met in the bushes. She had made fun of Sana because she was crying.

Best friends forever.

And when she was gone, and when I ran away from home, Rait went after... Sana added. Her thoughts wandered to Master Ruven, who had taken her in off the street and given her food and work. He thinks I'm dead, Sana realised. She bit her bottom lip and fought back the tears.

'Don't suppress it.' spoke the voice in her head.

Where were you?

'I'm always here, and I'll always be here as lon as you live. But... I am still weak, and only with great effort is it possible for me to talk to you - and even then I can't do it for long.'

All right then. What do I have to do?

'This.'

In an instant Sana was suddenly in darkness. The only light came from two openings, which showed a meadow, and Iza, who was frozen in the act of moving. When Sana looked down at herself she saw her naked body. Arms of flesh and blood, and a closed chest without a grey heart. She turned, and threw herself into the emptiness.

'What now.' she asked into the blackness.

>>53461895

Behind her she heard wingbeats, and a raven flew around her. It was as big as she was, and landed in front of her on the nothingness. Two large white horns arched backwards from its head. With twitching movements it turned its head and looked at her, first with one eye, then with the other.

'Well that's weird.' said Sana, and just then the raven began to grow. Wings became a long feather cloak, and it's body became that of a man. Only the horns still recalled his unnaturalness. His face was spotless, with fine features, but the eyes were still large and bird-like.

He said: 'We do not have much time.'

The raven spirit pointed behind her, and Sana caught the sound of Rait's voice. 'Best friends forever.' She felt as if something was tensing within her, but she didn't turn around.

'What's going on?' she asked.

Then she heard her younger self say, 'Two years ago it was my twelfth birthday.' Sana turned with a jerk and saw the child.

Rait stood before her. 'What's this? Stop.' Sana said, and saw as Rait nodded to her younger self. The black glow in her hair shimmered in the late evening light. She stood in her old hiding place in the bushes.

Rait said, 'If you hadn't run away from home, I would never have found you here, broken down in tears.'

Insulted, Sana muttered: 'I had something in mind.' Both broke into laughter.

Behind her, the voice of the raven spirit said: 'That is the moment. The core and the knot in your unconscious. And the key.'

'Tomorrow then...' said Rait expectantly, and adult Sana said it in unison.

>>53461916

There were tears in her eyes. The picture faded when Rait disappeared into the bushes. The Raven Spirit hovered by her side and said: 'You have to become one with your feelings. They have to fill you completely, and always be there, in every moment. Remember every suffering, every sadness, every desire, every anger, every rage, every hatred, every fear, and let them fill you. Then you can concentrate the raw forces and direct them against your enemies.

Sana closed her eyes and pressed them together. She groaned, 'I don't want to, it hurts so much, I want to forget.'

'What about your parents?' said the Raven Spirit. Sana heard her mother calling: 'Sana. Where are you? Sana?'

'She probably called for you when you ran away.' said the spirit.

'Damn it, where is she?' Sana head her father cursing, accompanied by her mother's sobbing.

'Stop.' said Sana, crying bitter tears. The Raven Spirit said: 'It doesn't matter how painful or shameful your feelings are. You have to draw them out, you have to have them constatly in your consciousness. Only then can you shape them and direct them.

Sana's whole body ached, pricking, pulling and pushing. She fell to her knees and propped herself up with her arms. Sobbing and crying out into the black stillness.

'I will let you go now, for I am getting weaker.' You know now what to do.'

With a deep pull, Sana gasped and opened her eyes. She still felt the tears on her face and the memories in her. Blackness enveloped her body. She fell to her knees and stared at the steaming earth in front of her. Confused, she looked up and saw nothing but burnt earth. She stood, limbs shaking, and looked for the others.

>>53461940

Behind her, where the burned ground ended, stood Roa, swords drawn. Next to him stood Ikalla, arms crossed with a serious look on her face. There was no trace of Iza. She looked at her arm, and directed the energy back. Immediately the darkness withdrew into her arm. She mentally formed a hand, and the claw transformed. It works, she realised. Sana waved cheerfully and Roa and Ikalla, before looking around for Iza. But there was no sign of her.

Roa came closer, and Sana asked him: 'Where is Iza?'

He sheathed his swords and pointed towards the forest. 'There, between the trees. She fled in fear when you... transformed.

Sana felt guilty. It must have given Iza a big fright, she thought. I'll apologise to her. She jumped down the embankment to the river and waded through the cold water. On the other side she found Iza, who was hiding behind a tree. She looked at Sana shyly.

'Is the Fury gone?' she asked.

'What Fury?' Sana asked, and she sat down on a fallen tree. Iza came out at once, and sat down next to her. In the sunlight the jewelled green of her feathers shone even more.

The harpy said: 'My mother... when she was still around, she told me stories. Of a land far away where harpies live free and wild. Where they sing to the wind and dance in the storm. One of her stories was of the Fury, a storm-monster. She was once a harpy, but one day the Breakers came and took all her flock away on their boats. She was so enraged, so filled with hate, that the wind entered her and made her into a Fury. She is said to have killed the Breakers, but unfortunately in her blindness she also killed her own sisters and brothers. It is said that when she realised this, she threw herself into the waves of the sea.' Iza looked deep into Sana's eyes, and said: 'I was afraid that you had become a Fury.'

Sana stoked her head. 'I'll never become a Fury, I promise. i know how to control it now.' She raised her black arm and smiled cheerfully at the harpy.

>>53461963

'But do you know what that is?' asked Iza. 'You don't even have a name for it. What if you turn into a Fury without even noticing? I don't want you to become a Fury.'

Sana lay an arm around her shoulders and hugged her. 'I promise you I won't become a Fury.' Iza nodded and Sana said. 'Come on, let's go back to Roa and Ikalla.'

'I don't like Ikalla.' With a single sentence, Iza jumped onto Sana's back and took her usual place on her shoulders.

'I'm hungry.' complained Ikalla, as soon as they were back again. Sana too felt a murmur in her stomach.

Roa reached into a pocket on his leather armour and took out two green balls. 'One half for each of us.' he said, and split it with a swordblade.

'What is that?' asked Ikalla, putting it in her mouth and carelessly chewing it.

'Oh yeah, swallow, don't chew.' he added, handing the other halves to Sana and Iza. Meanwhile Ikalla made a retching sound. 'Military rations. It contains everything your body needs, and you feel full for a day. Also, it tastes horrible.'

Sana swallowed her half.

'Let's get moving again.' said Roa. 'Hopefully this time without incident.' He went ahead and Ikalla followed him.

After a few steps, with Sana enjoying the warm sun on her skin, Iza said from up on Sana's shoulders: 'I wish I could be as strong as you.'

Sana answered: 'If you have someone who you'd do anything for, then you can be as strong as me.'

'Yes, but I don't have an arm like yours. I only have wings which can't fly.'

'I'm sure that you can learn to fly, if you put your mind to it and devote all your energy.'

'Do you really think so?'

'Yes.'

They were going down a hill that led to a small valley. At the bottom Iza asked: 'Don't you want to know what that is that you've got on your arm?'

Do I want to?

>>53461978

'Of course.' Sana answered, looking briefly at the greyish surface of the back of her hand. 'When I found it, it looked different. White, with a rainbow-coloured gloss. Then Rait appeared though, and it turned black.'

'Who is Rait?' asked the Harpy.

'Rait is...' Sana sighed. 'Rait is my best friend. We made a vow to be best friends forever.'

'Can I be your best friend too?'

'I don't know. I think there's only ever one person that it can be. That's how it is for me, anyway.

'Hm. What do you want to do with that thing when you finally find Rait?'

Sana looked at her arm again and pondered the question. The Raven Spirit said that without him I would die, she thought. He is my heart now.

'I think I'll keep it. I don't believe that I can take it off so easily. We're so interconnected that I'll die if I don't have it any more. Why do you ask?'

'I don't know it that thing is good for you. With it, you're stronger on the outside, but weaker on the inside.'

Sana was amazed at the degree of wisdom that had just come out of Iza's mouth. Maybe she's right, Sana thought. 'How old are you actually?' asked Sana.

'I don't know.'

Sana had climbed to the other side of the hill, and she now looked out over even more endless hills. Sana wanted to ask Roa something about harpies, but she didn't dare. She wanted to know why intelligent harpies like Iza were bred, but maybe she'd be opening old wounds for her companion.

'How far is it to Akanda?' asked Sana.

Roa, at the front, said: 'Tomorrow evening, around nightfall. And its name is "Iskanda".'

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>>53462093
What gets me most about this is the length. The writer got as far as fifteen chapters in and was still like 'Yeah, this is going well, this is definitely worth the time I'm putting into it. I can get another couple of chapters out of this idea'.

And its well written. I mean, not exactly high literature, but the prose is competent (and doesn't seem to be the product of someone with a serious mental disorder, or someone who's writing by just randomly slapping his dick on the keyboard).

I have written some fucked up things in my time - and I mean like seriously disturbing shit - but I have never put so much effort into being a complete stain on humanity. That's like a quarter of a novel right there.

I want to tell you you're a terrible person for posting that here, but honestly I'm just so horrifically fascinated by it that I can't. Though even if I can't condemn you, you might still have a few things to sort out with God.

Incidentally, where the hell did you find it? (assuming you're not the author)

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>>53467087
/tg/ archives

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>>53450357

Mood music: >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2p3fb0G2Ok

The barmaid, Betha Gethin was doing her usual routine in the tavern she was working in. Take orders, serve food and drinks, and even put up with a few or couple of gropes and fondling from patrons, drunken or sober.

The door of the tavern opened and in came inside another patron whom Betha is very familiar with. A young wizard boy named Benjamin Sokol, Benjamin the wizard boy in question actually used to be an apprentice for a much older and more experienced magic user. But Benjamin's master and tutor unfortunately, died in a break-in and or attempted robbery.

According to what Benjamin would tell to anyone who'd ask him about it. It all started when some thieves broke in to the house Benjamin's previous master owned. And when Benjamin's Master warded and tried to scare off the thieves, the thieves scrambled with get out once they realized the person they were trying to rob was a wizard. But in the chaos of the thieves trying to rush out of sight, they accidently knocked over many shelves containing magic tools, recipes and other volatile concoctions to the ground. The retreating thieves accidently knocked down a soul gem that contained the soul of a rather strong demon. And because of that, the now-freed-demon-soul possessed one of the robbers but Benjamin’s Master acted fast. Benjamin’s Master hurled destructive magics; fireballs and electricity included, to the possessed burglar, because if the host body that the demon possessed is killed or destroyed, the demon’s soul dies aswell.

And before the demon could do anything after possessing a person, Benjamin’s Master effectively killed the demon but the possessed robber aswell in the process. This in turn prompted one of the still surviving burglars to shoot a small crossbow bolt into the head of Benjamin’s Master, killing him instantly. But Benjamin survived the mess as he managed to chase off the burglars.

>will continue

>>53461978
>'What is that?' asked Ikalla, putting it in her mouth and carelessly chewing it.
Worst sex scene ever.

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Quiet weekend. I almost feel like I'm the only one here atm

>>53471847
It's probably 100% more erotic in the original German

>>53470923
And so the young wizard Benjamin Sokol now lives all by himself and provide magical services for hire. Said services he'd provide range from enchanting of items, teleportation services, arcane consultations, and even exorcisms. Despite Benjamin being an orphan basically and with his master being gone, he helped him self up in pulling his boot straps and has made a decent enough living with his current occupation of self-employed magical consultancy. And now he is spending some of his free rest-and-relaxation time by paying a visit to a cozy little tavern, which Betha Gethin works in.

And as Benjamin took his seat, Betha saw him as she turned her head oh so slighty where she saw him in her peripheral vision. And Benjamin saw Betha too in her ever recognizable black corset and furred skirt and knee length boots. But Benjamin did not seem to pleased to see her, and Betha filled a glass with raspberry juice for Benjamin and walked to where he was seated.

"Why hello again Benji my dear." She said somewhat sultrily to Benjamin as she laid down the juice filled glass to Benjamin's table.

"What now Betha? Can't you see I am trying to have some rest and relaxation by having a nice warm meal, a cold drink and with some pleasant tunes from the bards playing right now?" Benjamin said in a somewhat tired and annoyed tone.

"Now now Benji. Is that how you talk to nice lady who's serving you your favorite fruit juice? Didn't your mama teach you manners?" She playfully asked.

"Betha I told you I grew up with no parents, my previous master Andrei adopted me as his apprentice but died in a miserable manner from an attempted robbery. So please quit it with those jokes, or quips."

"Come on Benji, do you always have to act like such a sour-puss? I know you're a self employed young magic boy. But you should lighten up."

>>53489396
Benjamin pinched the bridge of his nose and responded. "You've told me that many times everytime I come here to just have a meal and drink. And I tell you, I'm just a busy person who has clients to work for and keep up with, taxes to pay and the other magical and arcane related things I have to deal with the job I do for a living."

Betha grabbed a chair and took a seat close to Benjamin. "Come on Benji, you should really lighten up more!" Betha said cheerfully with her attempts to cheer up Benjamin. "Seriously Benjamin, you must oughta lighten up more." She said again as she patted Benjamin's shoulder, then held his hand.

"Tell me, you just want to get into my pants do you?" Benjamin asked bluntly to Betha.

"...Huh? What???" Betha asked confused with a light chuckle all while she was still holding Benjamin's hand. As Benjamin said again

"I deduce you're being this friendly and close to me either because you're trying to get something from me. OR you're craving for some young blood and flesh, trying to cozy me up just so you can get into my pants."

Betha was in a pause for a moment taking in to process what ever hyperbolic thing Benjamin just said. Just then Betha let out a hearty laugh and responded.

"Ahahaha, oh my Benji. Seriously? Is that what you think? You obviously never been around women or girls, which also proves another issue with you. You're such a loner, spending so much time all alone by yourself! Thehehe!"

"I am not a loner Betha! I converse with my clients and talk to people in need of magical services and or consultancy, duh!"

"No, no dear boy. Sure you talk to people in your work, but do you talk to people for just... Socializing? Making friends?" Benjamin was in a pause at that question, all while Betha continued. "No Benjamin, I got no plans to sleep with you, yet... But Benji, you spend too much time with being a loner. It makes you all moody, broody, dense and just plain old grumpy."

>>53490092
Betha kept continuing as she moved her hand out of Benjamin's and snaked her arm around Benjamin's neck. "Listen I get you're still young teen who's got no one else close in his life all while having to work in magic and mage related stuff at a young age. And you got other responsibilities to handle at such a young age which should be normally reseverved for adults. But that doesn't mean you gotta act so, well- grumpy and moody as like you do."

And Benjamin finally spoke. "So what do you, tavern maid, suggest then?"

"Easy, socialize. Or at least, have someone close in your life."

"...I get the whole socializing thing... But what do you mean. 'Have someone close in your life?' Huh?"

"Weeell... You're all alone in that big house of your's jsut outside of town right?"

"That 'big and empty house' is, or was my master's. Till he died from the attempted robbery that I've always told, which is now mine to myself."

"Right, what I'm saying is... Me! I can be that close and personal one in your life."

Betha said with cherry smile as Benjamin snickered at that. "Pfft, hah. I knew it, you're just really trying to get on to me are you? And what exactly you're supposed to be? My 'mom?' My 'girlfriend?' 'Maid?' What?"

"Someone who'd not keep you all lonely you dense brooder. Like I said, you need someone close in your life to make you less miserable from all the work and responsibilities you do. And so what if I'd be your lover Benji? I like you, you're a cute young man, and I'd love to be such an experienced and well educated wizard who's a young boy."

"If you're offering to get into my pants when I 'feel like to' with you. May I remind you I'm still young, as in I am of sixteen years of age?"

Betha grinned and leaned in closer to whispered to Benjamin's ear. "So what??? You get to have a pretty girl like me all by yourself. And I can help make you feel more like a man."

>will continue

>>53484879
>I'm gonna get laid tonight!

>>53490361
Normally Benjamin would be disgusted by such a lewd behavior and response. But since he and Betha have known each other for quite some long time now he just chuckles at such of Betha’s humor which he has gotten accustomed to.

"Tch, Good gods. I knew you just wanted to get into my pants. Have you no shame woman? I am but just a youthful teen."

Betha responded back with a light hearted chuckle "Heh, relax Benji. If purity is something you're concerned about, I have not laid any man yet." She said as she leaned closer again to Benjamin to whisper in his ear again. "And besides, just like you I'm a virgin."

Benjamin looked at Betha with a smirk and raised eyebrow. "You're telling me you're still a pure virgin waiting for the 'right man' to be with. Despite the fact you yourself have to deal with lewdness in your line of work."

Betha chuckled. "Benji, are you assuming I'm a whore who's already slept with numerous guys? Come on Benji, you really think I'm like that? It's because I'm dressed like this isn't it?"

Benjamin was in a pause for a couple of seconds looking at Betha and replied. "Well... Yeah that, its because of how scantily dressed you are..." Benjamin said with a hint of shame in his voice. "...Sorry if I assumed you were, well. A whore..."

"Awww, its okay Benji apology accepted. Besides, what I said's true. I've never slept with anyone yet, and I've only put up with a bunch of drunken dolts groping me. And clearly the only 'man' I'm willing and glad to be intimate with is none other than. You." She booped Benjamin on the nose as she said the You.

>>53496233
Plus, Betha saying she never bedded with anyone is true. Betha is indeed a virgin and they only person she'd be ever intimate with is soon-to-be-mature-within-two-years Benjamin. As a matter of fact despite the type of job that Betha has, which would have her deal men wanting to have sex with her. She has never made a deal with such a thing ever since she has met Benjamin Sokol. It was when Betha and Benjamin getting acquainted, accustomed to each other and basically becoming friends did Betha decided to give up her act as a wench. And just work as a barmaid who gets to sit and chat up with the young wizard boy Benjamin Sokol, who frequents the tavern Betha works in as a barmaid. Plus it was very obvious to people that they've noticed local barmaid Betha chatting up and being friendly with the local wizard boy Benjamin. And because of that, patrons, both men and women would not bother hitting on or flirting with Betha. Fearing they might endure whatever arcane wrath Benjamin would bestow upon them.

And so after Betha confessed her honest feeling. Benjamin simply shifted his body while sitting on his seat to easily look at Betha.

"So I guess this means you want to move in with me then?" Benjamin said simply

"Why not? We've already known each other for almost a year and a half. All those times you'd come in here, have a nice meal and drink, all while you'd tell me those fancy wizard jargon and magical spells-stuff you wizards and mages do. And you'd even tell me those stories and legends all about magic, mystical creatures and sorcery. Which I admit kept me entertained."

Benjamin smiled at that. "Well that there is such knowledge and even history taught to me by my master Andrei. And I admit, I do feel gleeful and even joyful having you sit with me at those times and have you listen to me go on and on about such magical related history, tales and legends." Said Benjamin with an even bigger and happier smile.

>>53496853
Betha also replied and smiled. "Thats right and I genuinely enjoy listening to your tales. And you should be more happy and colorful, than being all broody, grumpy and lonely. And smile more while being cheerful, you're more handsome. Even cuter when you're just smiling and being in a more happier mode so don't let adult-like responsibilities weigh you down too much. Start having a life outside your wizarding and job, socialize, make new friends, even if it means attending the the local baron's parties he'd throw out in a good mood."

Benjamin still held his smile, knowing that he now feels more happy and less miserable and even less dull with the weight of such responsibilities in his life.

"I guess you have a point after all Betha. Maybe I could use more rest-and-relaxation from time to time."

"Got that right, and hey. When it comes to that job of your's, there's no shame saying you're not available or your closed during the weekends. Use the weekends to rest and unwind because you did tell me your open for service every whole week right?"

"...Yeah I'm open seven days a week and maybe I can declare myself a new schedule. Open from Breighday to Tramday, closed in in the weekends."

"Good, now you're getting it."

"...So Betha, you sure about it? You really want to move in with me?"

"And be that someone close to you who'll help keep you not alone and less cheerful? Then yes, I'd be glad to be with you my dear Benji boy. You and I can go to my place later, arrange my things to move, and have you do your magic thing with teleporting my stuff to your house."

"Alright, sure. I guess we can do that." Benjamin nodded approval as he took a sip from the glass of raspberry juice served to him by Betha. It was still cool as it refreshed Benjamin's throat. "But first Betha, the reason why I came here as usual. I'm hungry and still thristy, so can I please have a meal first?" He asked cheerily.

"Sure thing Benji. I'll get to it shortly." Betha said with zeal.

>>53454996

White, the colour of death. Black, the colour of duty. Red, for beauty. And green, the colour of life.

These were the colours of a funeral.

Annietta lay in a long red dress beneath boughs of holly and fresh-cut ferns and clusters of beech leaves. The templegrounds were decorated in the most verdant, vibrant greens that could be found. And by Annietta's side stood Rochard, the priest, dressed in the sombre black vestments of his office.

Annietta's face was white as the moon. Still and pale like a marble statue. Her chest did not rise and fall and her closed eyes did not flutter in a dream-disturbed sleep. Annietta was dead.

So young, to be dead. Annietta was only seventeen, and the illness had taken her breath away scarcely before she knew it. It had come upon her as a crescent moon had waned, running so quickly that she was cold and still before the new moon's turn. So young, to be dead. She had not yet found a husband, nor ever born a child. She never would now, at least in this world. The only love she had known was the love of her parents, her sisters and her brother, who wept quietly beneath the dew-soaked greenery. Droplets beaded on the leaves and fell, mixing with the tears of the bereaved.

Today they would say goodbye to her. Not forever, unless they were stricken by unexpected immortality. But they would not see her again in this world. She would be taken away, never to return.

They prepared to greet her death. The templegrounds were set out with food, and the gates adorned with ribbons. The congregation stood ready to welcome the one who would take her into the lands that lay far, far from the lands of mortal men and women. And in this case, there was more than the usual feast, and the congregation were dressed in greens /and/ yellows, and there was laughter in the air as well as sorrow. And Annietta wore red, hot and fiery and beautiful as blood-kissed sunrise, rather than the more usual funerary white.

>>53498950

These were the colours of a funeral and a wedding.

Since Annietta had died without ever taking a husband, it would be a special sort of death that came for her today. There were many deaths - indeed, it was rare that any village would ever see the same one twice - and they came in as many shapes and sizes as mortals themselves. Annietta's great-uncle had died the year before, and the death that had come to take him to his beloved wife and eldest daughter had been a tall man in early middle age, not unlike Rochard. A few months before, and it had been a young girl who had come to bring Old Mother Magareta away, and reunite her with the family she had lost so many years before. It was almost never known which death would come before they appeared at the gate of the templegrounds, but in Annietta's case it was almost certain who would be sent.

A young man, fair of face and strong of limb. A man fit for a husband, who was himself alone and in need of a wife. Bad enough to die, but at least most mortals knew that they would one day be reunited with their loved ones. Annietta, however, although she would see her parents and siblings again, had no husband to reunite with. Bad enough to die, worse still to spend eternity alone without the touch of a lover. And so, in their boundless compassion, not only would the undying lands send one of their own to bring Annietta to them, they would give her a husband to spend eternity with.

So Annietta's long, lustrous brown hair was combed, and she was bathed and dressed in finest red and given golden jewellery. After all, they could hardly present the groom with a bride that wasn't worthy of him, or he might turn around and leave her where she lay. Not everyone got to go to the eternal lands, after all, and when it wasn't just a passenger but a bride they wanted him to take it made sense to make the extra effort.

>>53498984

It was early afternoon when he arrived. The clouds were low and heavy, but they were silvery and misty rather than dark and stormy, and the air was warm and humid. There was not even the hint of a breeze, and the ribbons on the gate hung motionless in the lifeless air. The congregation in their heavy formal clothes were beginning to lose their cheer, and Rochard was having to work hard to draw out conversation in his flock. He himself, dressed all in black, was no more comfortable, but he pressed on nonetheless.

He managed to coax a laugh from Annietta's mother, Isabet, her first since her daughter's heart had stopped, by asking her to recall a time when Annietta had surprised her. It would be Rochard's duty, when death came, to tell him something of his new bride. In fact, his main task was to welcome the deaths when they came to the village, acting as the community's representative to the other world. Until the bridegroom arrived, though, Rochard busied himself in keeping the atmosphere from dragging. Isabet laughed again at a memory Rochard mentioned offhand, of Annietta tricking him into eating a cake seasoned with salt instead of sugar. Many priests did not feel this sort of pastoral work was really part of their duties, but Rochard found it one of the most rewarding . Then he turned, responding to the slight flicker in Isabet's eyes, and saw that death was already at the gate.

>>53499005

Death rode a white horse, as every death did. However, Rochard had scarcely ever seen such a fine specimen before. He might say the same of the rider himself, as well - long white hair cascaded down his back, framing a pale face with fine cheekbones and a strong jaw. Like all deaths he was as white as... well, as white as death itself. Except for his garments, which were black. Like Rochard, he was here on a matter of duty, although rather than Rochard's vestments death wore fine leathers more suited to travel. He was slender rather than heavy-set, and tall. Even Annietta in all her beauty could consider herself fortunate. Seated on his horse he towered over the congregation, and he looked down at them with a calm but kind expression.

Rochard rushed over to the gate, and unbolted it quickly. The gate was always locked during a funeral, to be opened when the true emissary of the eternal lands arrived, rather than some impostor come to steal away the dead. Part of a priest's training was in recognising the types of evil who might impersonate death in order to deny the dead their journey to the undying country, and hence it was Rochard's duty to open the gate.

This was most certainly the genuine death, and Rochard hurried to admit him. The gate opened, and the horse trotted forward. Death looked down at Rochard. The priest gave a short bow, and smiled.

'Welcome, sir. I trust your journey was fair.' Rochard didn't have a script, as such, but he generally gave the same greeting.

'The journey between the eternal lands and here is sometimes peaceful, and sometimes not, but it always ends the same.' Death smiled.

Rochard not quite sure how to respond to that, simply said: 'I hope you know that we are most glad to see you here, sir.'

'It is a strange day for all of us. A time of sorrow...' Death trailed off.

>>53499037

'And also a time of joy.' Rochard completed. This was an odd experience for him - he was more used to being the one leading the conversation. This Death had a commanding aspect to him, and Rochard could feel the keenness of his mind.

Death smiled, and dismounted his horse. Taking hold of his mare's black bridle he began to walk towards the bier. 'Come, tell me of my bride.' he asked Rochard, who strolled along beside him.

'She is beautiful and bright, sir. Not known for being obedient or dutiful, but she brought joy and laughter to every place she ever stepped. We are greatly saddened to lose her, but we rest easy knowing that she is carried away in safe hands.'

The congregation parted as the priest and the groom walked towards where the bride lay. The two talked softly, and the crowd, keeping a respectful distance, couldn't make out what was being said. They saw death smile, though, and at one point Rochard even laughed. It took a minute or two for them to reach the bier, horse placidly walking along by its master. Then they stopped, and stood for a moment and regarded Annietta in all her scarlet glory.

Death looked at Rochard. 'You found the right calling, priest. A minute or two is not long for seventeen years of life, but I feel that you have done Annietta justice.' Death looked up, at the leafy boughs and branches that the villagers had woven together for the occasion. 'And your temple is beautiful. Truly, I could almost be standing in the undying lands right now.'

'You honour us, sir.' replied Rochard, and he meant it, for this was but a simple village and he a simple village priest.

>>53499053

Then Death gestured towards the bier. It was time. Rochard nodded, and beckoned to Annietta's family. It was time to say goodbye for the last time. One by one, Annietta's father, her mother, her two sisters and her brother came forward and said a final psalm for her, kissed her cheek, brushed a strand of hair away from her face. They tried to keep the tears from they eyes, but Annietta's father Alber had to choke back a sob. When this was done, Rochard stepped forward and slipped his arms underneath Annietta's slight form. It was just as well she was so light, for Rochard was not as young as he once was.

In one motion the priest lifted Annietta up. He cradled her in his arms, her red dress flowing down to his knees. Then he turned to her Death.

'Do you give this woman?' Death asked.

'I do. Do you take this woman, as your passenger to the eternal lands, /and/ as your wife?'

'I do.'

Carefully, Rochard handed Annietta's motionless body to her Death. Death looked down at his new bride for a moment, then he leaned forward and his lips touched hers. He gave her a long, deep kiss.

And just like that it was done.

The crowd burst into applause. It wasn't exuberant, for this was still a sombre occasion, but it was heartfelt and with genuine happiness. It was just a shame that Annietta couldn't feel it, Rochard thought - a kiss like that should be one to remember. Then the applause started to die down, and people began to mingle. The party had begun, so that Annietta would leave this world to the sounds of laughter and merriment, and know that her friends and family were happy for her. The celebrations would no doubt continue until the following morn.

'You are welcome to stay and feast with us.' Rochard said to Death. He wouldn't of course, but that did not mean that hospitality should not be offered anyway.

'I thank you for your kindness, priest, but the time has come for our journey together to begin.'

>>53499072

Rochard nodded. No Death ever ate the food of the mortal lands. Nor would any of the congregation speak with Death; that duty was reserved for Rochard alone.

'Then I bid you farewell. May you have a fair journey. Together.'

Death smiled. Then he set Annietta on the saddle of his horse, and the animal stood so firmly that her unconscious form didn't slip as Death mounted beside her. Then Death took the reins in none hand, supporting Annietta with his other arm, and gently spurred his horse. The shining white mare began to trot towards the gate, the guests once again giving the path a wide berth. Death didn't look back as he and Annietta left the templegrounds.

Rochard bolted the gate behind them. This too was part of his ceremonial duties, this time to keep the dead out rather than keep them in, lest they yearn to return to their family and friends. However sorry he was to see Annietta go, she could never come back.

Though, having met her knew husband, Rochard doubted that she would want to.


* * *


Death's horse progressed slowly. Once they left the templegrounds the paths became more stony than the soft, sandy gravel of the temple. Death also noticed how, although there was still plenty of greenery, the landscape was washed with browns and greys. Scrubby, knotted bushes grew by the roadside, and out beyond the wheat fields the hills were rocky and dusty, dotted with small, hardy trees. All though it was still quite light, he found the low, grey skies oppressive. This was not a landscape he felt at home in, and he was glad to be leaving. He looked down at his passenger - his wife - and wondered how she would feel. He thought he knew, but one could never be sure.

>>53499097

They were out of sight of the village sooner that should have been possible, given the white horse's pace. But Death travelled ways that were unknown to mortal men and women. Soon his mare was once again treading proudly the secret paths that led to the eternal lands, and noticeably friskier as they started to leave behind the mortal lands. The foliage was thickening, and the browns and muted greens of the mortal lands began to give way to emerald-bright woods. Points of red and blue glinted, flora peeking through amidst the foliage. Although large branches heavy with rustling leave stretched overhead, something of the sky still made it through the canopy, and Death could see that sunlight was starting to shine through, rays cutting through the gaps in the leaves, so that it was lighter in the forest than it had been in the open ground around the village.

It seemed like a short time, but a long journey, since they had left Annietta's village. The forest was deepening, until it was scarcely possible to leave the path the plants grew so thickly.

They were coming to the eternal lands.

Death, who had been staring ahead bleakly still despondent from his sojourn in the mortals' country, looked down at Annietta in her beautiful red dress. A good colour for her, hot and vivid. It didn't well suit her pale face, but then, he was sure she was a little less pale then she had been.

She moved.

Her arm jolted, only slightly, but it was definitely her, not the swaying motion of the horse or the gentle breeze that whipped playfully between the trees. For a moment she was still again, and then her arm started to move.

Her hand reached up, and her fingers brushed her lips. There was but the merest trace of a sigh, as from someone who had no air left in their lungs.

Then Annietta's eyes snapped open. She gasped. Then she sucked in a long, deep breath of air.

>>53499128

Death let go of the reins and stroked Annietta's hair. Her eyes darted wildly, before meeting his own.

'Hello. I love you, Annietta.' said Death. Annietta stared calmly into his eyes, but didn't react for a moment. Death wondered if she was fully conscious; maybe she hadn't understood what he'd said. Then she opened her mouth. For a second death thought she was going to speak, but she reached up again with her fingers, brushing them against her lips. Her brow furrowed, as if she was trying to work something out.

'I remember...' Annietta started, confused.

Death sighed, and smiled. He leaned forward, and before Annietta could react his lips were pressed against hers. Once again Death kissed her, long and deep. Then he raised his head, and asked: 'Is that what you remember?'

Annietta didn't react for a moment, then her face was lit by a wide smile. 'Yes. Yes, that it.' she said happily 'And there was music, and laughter'. Then a shadow crossed her face, and as realisation dawned she said slowly. 'I'm dead.'

'You're dead, but you're in the lands of the undying now, where death is life and life never ends.'

'My family...' Annietta started softly.

'You'll be parted from them for a while, but you will see them again.' Death explained calmly. 'But there will be people you know in the eternal lands, relatives, friends, anyone you've ever lost. And you will have me.'

'I've never seen you before, yet I feel like I know you.' said Annietta curiously. 'You seem so familiar. Wait,' she exclaimed, 'I died unmarried and unloved.' There was a strain in her voice, a slight panic. There are few things worse that dying alone - there is only so much the love of a parent or a sibling can make up for when there is no soulmate either saying farewell or waiting for you on the other side.

'Yes. But it's okay.'

'You... you're my husband.' said Annietta. And she sighed in relief.

'Yes.'

>>53499150

'Thank you. Thank you so much.' Annietta said earnestly. 'I remember now. In those last hours all I could think of was: what if no one comes for me? What if I'm alone forever?'

'You don't have to worry, Annietta.' Death reassured her. 'I love you.'

'But how? We've never even met? Why would you choose me?'

'Time and space are not the same for me as they are for you. I am Death, and I am boundless. I saw you take your first steps, I saw you take your last breaths, and I saw everything in between. When one of us chooses to wed a mortal, we know better than anyone what we're getting ourselves into.' Death looked deep into Annietta's eyes, and smiled. 'Besides, you're beautiful as the summer flowers in the meadow, as radiant as the golden sun of midday.'

'You know everything about me? And I know so little about you.'

'You know more than you think. Mortals never like to think of death, but the knowledge of me has always been there in your mind. Look at me now.' Death asked her. 'Tell me how you feel.'

'I think...' Annietta started uncertainly. Then she smiled. 'I think I love you.' She shook her head, and laughed. 'You seem so... good. I can't say why, but the way I feel when I look at you... it's love. I've never felt it before, but I just know it.'

Death's hand brushed an errant strand of hair away from her face, and he said, 'You'll be able to fill in the details soon, but that's enough for now. We'll be in the heart of the eternal country soon, and there we'll have all the time we need to... well, do anything we want.' And for the first time since he had left the undying lands, Death laughed. The forest was starting to open up, and beyond he could just see the endless green meadows and trees of his home. 'Just rest now. We're almost there.'

>>53499174

Annietta lay back, letting her husband's arm support her, and nuzzled against his chest. With the gentle rocking of the horse she could almost have fallen asleep, but she wasn't ready to slip back into unconsciousness just yet. Then a thought occurred to her.

'Wait, you saw the time that I... um... you know, with the honey and the old miller.'

'Yes.'

'And you saw the time I went down to the stream... with the dress and the...'

'Yes.'

'And you saw...' but her husband cut her off there.

'Annietta, stop. I saw it all and I still married you. If I don't bring it up, you don't have to either.'

Annietta looked up and saw that her husband was smiling, amused. 'Alright, fine. But I want to know all your embarrassing little secrets as soon as possible.'

'What if I don't have any?' said Death calmly.

Without warning Annietta reached up and pulled her husband down towards her, and kissed him fiercely. They broke apart, and their eyes locked. Annietta's grin sparkled. 'Then I'll just have to make you some, my love. I'm going to do things with you that will make even death blush.'

She kissed him again, and laughed happily, and her husband laughed with her. And their laughter and joy echoed all the way to eternity.


------ The End ------


btw, 'Annietta' is meant to be pronounced with three syllables not four, closer to 'Anyeta' than 'anni-etta'. 'Rochard' should be pronounced 'Roshard'. All other names are pronounced how they're spelt.

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>>53497313
Looking good so far. There are a couple of grammatical mistakes here and there, though.

By the way, what's your native language? And do you ever write in it?

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>>53499276
I'm always amazed how you peoples dish out worldbuilding on the fly more compelling than what I can produce over weeks.
I made a screencap but it seem to be too heavy even for Imgur for some reason...

>>53502506
>I'm always amazed how you peoples dish out worldbuilding on the fly more compelling than what I can produce over weeks.
I have my ups and downs, just like every writer.

I didn't even choose that picture to write about, I just used a random number generator. Then I sat down and wrote about it. To a certain extent, you'll get a lot further if you just sit down and write something, and keep going no matter what. In this case, it worked (well, apparently, I'm never a very good judge of my own work but you seem to like it). In other cases, it doesn't. The more tries you have the more successes you'll end up with.

>>53495577
Can't tell if the one in left's a guy or gal. Dammit, why does such a short tomboy-soft-butch haircut's always gotta be cute but makes it hard to tell traps??

>>53502506
>I'm always amazed how you peoples dish out worldbuilding on the fly more compelling than what I can produce over weeks.
Not him, but here is a general piece of advice that I think most professional writers will agree on:
Don't world-build. Write. It's entirely possible that your worldbuilding will come together as you write, but trying to create a world PRIOR to creating stories to place into that world is a bad, bad idea. Think up a story. Wrap that story into a setting that enhances the story. Add detail that is relevant to the story. Think about humans, about story-related symbolism, about icons and moods: not about structures, systems, maps, histories and time-lines.

If you have some talent, or just do a fuckton of practice, this is really the only way to create good worlds in fiction. Once your story starts to grow, once it catches a life of it's own, then you can start adding depth and more complexity to the world, then you can do some world-building - but DO NOT GET CARRIED AWAY with it. I've seen so many amateur fictions, webcomics and works that were eventually ruined when the author got too bogged down in his world-building and losing track of the original story...

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Safety bump before I go to sleep

>>53461997

Chapter 6: Caves

'We're almost there, but obviously we can't just walk through the gate into the city.' said Roa. 'As Ikalla has already said, I'm a wanted man. Besides, none of you have Imperial papers.'

They now stood on another hill under a darkening evening sky. The first few stars were already visible and the air was enriched by a pleasant coolness.

Ikalla said: 'It was taken away when we were abducted. I can't imagine that someone else out there is running around with the name Ikalla Haveni.'

'Hmm.' murmured Roa. Then he said: 'There are still other ways into the city. Unfortunately, it has to be said that I'm not the only one who knows about them. But at least I know a few ways in which we can use undisturbed.' He pointed downwards. 'We're going in through the caves.'

The walls of the narrow tunnel glistened with moisture. Sana held her oil lamp close. Roa held the second. Both had been hidden in undergrowth near the entrance. The small opening into the underground was nothing more than a hole in craggy bedrock near a small grove.

'Be as quiet as possible.' Roa had said to them. 'We are not the only ones in these caves.'

He had not said anything more specific, but now it was too late to ask questions. The only sound apart from their soft footsteps was the not so soft rattle of the chains on Ikalla's iron fetters.

Something like thunder resounded in the deepness far ahead of them, which moved slowly away underneath them and finally faded. They passed forks and shafts, holes in the black depths and breaks in the ceiling through which the night sky showed. But Roa seemed to know exactly where his path lay. Sana observed him, watching was he examined the walls regularly. As she went past she tried too, but there was nothing to be seen.

>>53514230

At one point he raised his hand and waved at her to douse her lamp. He did the same. They stood for a few moments in the darkness. Sana felt Iza press closer to her neck and grip her chest more firmly with her legs. But Sana heard nothing apart from her own breathing and her own heartbeats. A weak light flickered up and illuminated Roa's hand. It was a small gold crystal, no bigger than a thumbnail. He gave it to Sana, who took it with her free hand. He gestured to her to put the lamp down and put his finger to his lips - or at least, to his mask. Then he bent back, disappearing into the darkness, until a second crystal lit up in his hand. He pointed at Sana's hand and shut his. Then he opening it again and nodded. Sana understood and closed her fist. Sana could now only see the faint glow in Roa's hand.

He led them on again, but he was more cautious this time, Sana realised. And slower. She felt a cold breeze on her arm and goosebumps rose on her skin.

I'd prefer the tunnels in Naberu right now, thought Sana.

Suddenly a distant scream sounded in the darkness ahead of them. Ikalla's chains rattled as she flinched in fear. Sana tensed, and her senses sharpened. Another sound, but Sana couldn't place it. She had the strong desire to turn around and run back. Back into the starlight outside. She thought of the darkness directly at her back, and had the panicky feeling that something was lurking there. But she didn't turn around, just kept watching Roa's back.

Step by step, he moved forwards.

Please let's not go that way, thought Sana. But she did dare even whisper it.

>>53514264

After carrying on a short distance they reached what seemed to be a larger cave, at least Sana thought so since she couldn't make out the walls or ceiling. Around their little shining lights there was only darkness. And continuing silence. She followed Roa onward to a wall, which he groped along until they found another passage. She watched him bend down, illuminating something, and then he stepped into a large hole in the wall.

As she passed by, Sana briefly shone the light from her crystal down to see what it was, and recognised the bright sheen of blood. She froze, and suddenly had the feeling that countless eyes were watching them from the darkness. Iza, who had also noticed the blood now, let out a little whimper. The sound echoed from wall to wall. After the silence had returned, Sana could scarcely bring herself to move. She looked at the crystal in her hand, not daring to glance into the darkness. I want out of here, she thought. Her arm was already visibly changing.

A hand reached out of the darkness and closed around her fist. The light was extinguished, and Sana looked up at Roa, who was looking at her seriously. Sana was now trembling all over, and let Roa drag her along before she once again started following him of her own accord. Stay calm, Sana, she tried to tell herself. Stay calm.

But every sound she heard now seemed like a threat. Ikalla's chains, Roa's purposeful steps, the soft rustle of Iza's feathers. She listened to the darkness behind her. Are caves always so quiet? she asked herself.

>>53514280

Another fork in the tunnel, and Roa seemed to speed up his pace. Without hesitating Sana stepped up her space and overtook Ikalla. She reached Roa, who turned around with his crystal raised. Then he examined the floor. He glanced past Sana, and drew his blade. To Sana's relief he just pushed them into hollow in the floor, in which then opened a creaking trapdoor. The rock was fitted with barely visible bolts. He gestured to Sana to go ahead, looking left and right in the darkness. Sana climbed down the iron rungs which had been hammered into the rocky wall, reaching down into the darkness beneath her. Iza held firmly onto her forehead so as not to fall. When she reached the bottom she stepped aide and waited for Ikalla. The trapdoor creaked again and Roa came down.

'We're there.' he said, his voice a sudden sound amidst the silence. He disappeared into the dark, and suddenly a light flickered into life on one of the walls.

Sana groaned and held up her hand in front of her eyes. In a moment her eyes were accustomed to the light, and she could make out a large cave. Beneath the large crystal on the wall stood a big table, which had all sorts of papers spread out on it. Above the table the were large maps and messages. The rest of the room was filled with partly opened crates and boxes. The ceiling was very high, higher than the entrance through the trapdoor, and there there was a large opening.

'Come on.' said Roa, leading them through a makeshift door in the corner into another room. Here there were all sorts of tools and weapons, leaning against the walls or in open crates. 'Put your arms on this block.' he said to Ikalla, pointing to a round piece of wood, about the thickness of a tree trunk, that stood on the floor.

>>53514308

'Don't you dare cut my arms off.' said the girl, and did as she was told. Roa grabbed and iron hammer, and a chisel, placing it against against the locking mechanism. Two blows, and it was broken. He repeated again with the other joint.

'Free at last.' Ikalla said, stretching her hands.

Sana could clearly see the scarred wrists.

Slavery, thought Sana.

'Come on.' said Roa. 'I should still have rations.'

'So this is your hideout.' said Ikalla, strolling beside Roa.

'You'll not be able to enjoy it for long. Tomorrow we'll take you to the orphanage.'

Ikalla stopped and folded her arms. 'No. I'm not going back to the orphanage.'

Roa turned to her. 'Where else do you want to go? The orphanage will take good care of you.'

'My orphanage sold me.'

'I will pass on this possible criminal activity to the guards, who'll give the information to the guards in Vintal. This case is just an exception. You're safe in Iskanda.'

'An exception?! Why do you think the orphanages always have enough places?'

Sana set Iza down and stepped between them: 'We've been through a lot in the last few days. Maybe we should get some sleep.'

'Oh yeah,' Ikalla snapped at her.'You're really interested in all the suffering that's going on here in the Imperium. The only thing you care about is your Rait. If you had to overthrow the empire instead of those witches you'd be exactly as justified.'

'Just listen to me, kid.' said Sana, raising a finger. 'We have a lot of bad things behind us...'

'You're not really interested in any of that. Why haven't you asked Roa why there are slaves in the Imperium? Or what they do with them? Or why intelligent harpies are bred? Do you have any idea what the Imperium is?' There was cold rage in Ikalla's eyes.

Sana didn't know what she should say. Or whether to say anything at all. I don't only want Rait back, she thought. But she didn't say it. She realised that Ikalla had a point.

>>53514336
Roa reached into one of the smaller crates and took out something wrapped in paper. He opened it and revealed more of the small green balls. 'Eat. There'll be a real lunch tomorrow.'

Sana swallowed, and then in order to change the subject asked them: 'What about the blood and the scream?'

Roa shrugged his shoulders and said. 'The caves undermine the whole Imperium in one vast labyrinth. Who knows who's running around down here? Definitely not normal citizens.' He went to another crate and pulled out a thin mattress that was folded up in it. Then a second. He laid them both out by the desk. 'If you must run off,' he said, pointing to the door to the other room, 'on the right there's a narrow crevice that leads into another shaft with a ladder, and opposite that is a hole. You'll know where to go from there.'

He went to the table and pulled out a crate on rollers. He gave each of them a glass bottle with a reddish liquid inside. 'Acacia juice.' He uncorked his own bottle and turned away rm them. He raised his mask slightly and took a big gulp. Then he turned back to them and said: 'It's late, you should get some sleep.'Unfortunately I only have two mattresses. That means you and Iza sleep on one, and Ikalla...'

'I will not sleep on a mattress with you.' said the girl, looking furious at him.

'That wasn't what I had in mind.' said Roa. 'I was going to say that you can have the second mattress for yourself.'

'Who knows what you've done on these mattresses.'

'You're free to sleep on the rock.'

Ikalla, muttering, sat down on one of the mattresses. She sniffed, disgustedly, and then lay down on it.

>>53514358

Suddenly Sana felt her own exhaustion. Her breathing was deep and her eyes were sore. She opened the bottle in her hand and took a pull. She tasted sweet acidity and tangy fruitiness. But she also realised that she barely had the strength to hold the bottle up. She stopped the cork again and let out a groan as she lay back on her sleeping spot. She glanced at the rungs and the trapdoor that they'd come down from. Then she lay on her side.

I still have the juice in the...

In her dream Sana heard a distant scraping and scratching, and when she looked up her gaze went immediately to the trapdoor. Iza lay next to her, fast asleep, pressed up close to her. The noises died away.

Did I just dream it, or...

She heard a soft shuffling, like fabric being pulled across the floor. It moved away, and then she didn't hear it any more. Blinking, Sana turned her head and looked for Roa. He sat on a chair at the desk, his legs up on a crate. The left side of his head was inclined towards the trapdoor, his chin rested on his chest like he was asleep. Sana watched as his head slowly turned forward again. She listened to the silence for a few moments before she fell asleep again.


--------

I don't know if Germanbro is still around, but I'll keep going with this for now. Not sure if I'll be able to finish it though - it's only about halfway through and it takes a long time to translate. If anyone is reading this, let me know.

So...

Anyone have a good place to find adult (Read: Erotic) stories of /tg/ related stuff?

I find it really hard to find for some reason.

>>53516303
There's a few examples of that sort of thing on the Storythread wiki page (okay, more than a few).

Just off the top of my head I can remember:
https://1d4chan.org/images/3/3d/SubjectPi-rho.png
https://1d4chan.org/images/d/d5/TheGathering.png
https://1d4chan.org/images/f/f1/SandGoddess.png

also, how do you feel about your erotica being violent and disturbing? Because that adds a couple more possibilities.

>>53514395
I'm reading. I'm being patient, I swear.

>>53501602
Well thanks for the feeds, as for my language I'll just say I speak Spanish. But I think I'll try to keep on doing my english in here.

>>53497313

Betha got up her seat and asked. "So Benji, the same preferred and favorite meal?"

"Yep, mashed patatoes, grilled veggies and roasted porkchop." Said Benjamin as he took a long sip of the raspberry juice served to him by Betha and raised the now empty glass. "And another glass of raspberry juice please Beth?"

"Sure thing, coming right up." Said Betha with a wink then walked to the counter to get Benjamin's order. As Betha was off getting the meal, Benjamin was now wondering what lies ahead of him. The current upkeeping and maintenance of master Andrei's house that he inherited, his job as a magic consultancy service provider, him 'socializing' more often and Betha moving in with him. And then Betha came back after about five minutes with a tray that had Benjamin's meal. But it had two plates with meals and two glasses, one with Benjamin's juice and another with milk.

"Dinner's served!" Betha said with a wide grin and set both plates and glasses on the table.

"Uhh Betha, why are there two meals? I just ordered my usual porkchop with grilled veggies mashed potatoes?" Benjamin asked with a confused smile.

"Well I'm having dinner with you too dear boy." Betha said as she took a seat beside Benjamin again. "Besides I'm hungry."

"Ok then, guess you really like me that much?"

"Yep, lets eat." Said Betha as she took a sip of her milk. Then begun talking her meal of grilled fish. And Benjamin also took a sip of his juice and started eating his meal. "Oh and Benji my shift ends about just one more hour. So later on after I'm done, lets talk about my moving in plans. Gotta use that magic skills of your's to help you teleport all the my belongings to my new home." She said with a smirk.

And Benjamin chuckled. "Okay then, I guess discussing about you moving makes sense before you actually move in."

>>53540032
Benjamin gobbled up parts of his meal and drank again his juice then said after swallowing. "I just hope you don't have too much stuff Beth." He finished with a chuckle.

And Betha chuckled at that too. "I swear, it won't be that much." And then she kissed the side of Benjamin's head as both of them continued on eating their meals.

>Fin

>>53509861
I followed you upon this path, daddy
Do not cry for me.

I know you're tired from all the fighting, so I'll take up your burden
Do not fear that you'll lose me, I'll always be right next to you
I don't know how many of your friends you lost, but now it can end
I'm here now, daddy. I can help you now.

I know I don't know much, I just picked up this sword
Hopefully you'll teach me more about how to protect you
Maybe you can finally come home again
Stop looking at me like that, daddy. I know that it's true.

You're the only one I have left, daddy
Mommy won't wake up anymore, the doctor said she fell ill
Our house is gone now, the town just sold it off
The only people left now are you and me

Why are you crying, daddy?
I'm here to help you now
Now we can fight together
I know I'll get better

A bride? My own family?
Nobody wanted me, not the daughter of a crusader
The neighborhood thought it was bad luck that I was alive
Here I don't have to worry about any of that
I just have to protect my daddy

I know I'm no longer a lamb, daddy
Do you still love me?
Even if I'm covered in the blood of bad guys
Do you think I'll still be the same?

>>53540032
>But I think I'll try to keep on doing my english in here.
That's cool, but if you have any stories already written in Spanish you could post a link. I'm not as proficient at Spanish as I am at German, but I could still have a go at it. (though preferably something short. I'm rather busy at the moment)

Actually, it might be helpful to you if you posted the same story in Spanish and English. It would be a lot easier to see what grammar mistakes you commonly make if there was a comparison.

>>53514395
>>53537437
I'm still working on the next chapter. I might even have it finished later tonight, but I'm also putting the finishing touches to another unrelated story of mine right now.

>>53555010
>I'm also putting the finishing touches
I've really got to stop saying shit like this. I might as well go around saying things 'How bad can it be?', or 'I'll be right back.'

Well, once again I have written something that has grown vastly beyond original projections. Hey, maybe I should get a job as a government contractor? Anyway, having been pushed back while I finished my story, the next chapter of >>53514395 will hopefully be ready this evening.

Meanwhile, now that I've finished writing my own story I actually have to post the damn thing, which given the post timer should take half an hour in itself. Don't let my personal annoyance with it put you off though - I do think this story is quite good.


>>53455075

----- Child Of Fire and Frost -----

It was cold. It was always cold, and with winter fast approaching it was about to get colder still. And now the snows were starting to fall.

Äolin wasn't happy about that. She hated the cold, and the soft crystal flakes that were now floating gently down from the granite-grey clouds were an unwelcome sign of things to come. Soon she'd be scarcely able to set foot outside her family's tent without her breath frosting on her lips. She wrapped her arms around her chest and tucked her hands under her armpits. She stared straight down as she trudged along, as if ignoring the cruel, cold clouds would make them give up and go away.

The rest of her clan, nearly seventy individuals in all, marched along around her. They were heading south, towards their winter hunting grounds, trying to outrun the encroaching darkness of winter as it spread like creeping frost across the land. Everything they had, they had to carry with them, either in elk-hide packs or on leviathan-bone sledges. Äolin was only ten years old, though, so she did have to carry much of anything. Except herself of course.

>>53573961

It had been an unusually warm summer. The icy plains had thawed far further north than they usually did, and so Äolin's clan had travelled far further north than they usually did, seeking game in the new territory. Elk, woolly aurochs, mastodon and long-haired rhino had all taken advantage of the vast new feeding grounds as green grasses sprouted across hundreds of miles of land normally buried under permafrost. And Äolin's clan had taken advantage of the sudden increase in elk, woolly aurochs, mastodon and long-haired rhinos.

So had other predators. Äolin had seen long-fanged wolves for the first time this summer, tearing through the guts of a fallen mastodon. One or two of the young men, like Samontuk and his brother Saskuut, had debated trying to kill one. To have one of the white wolves' forearm-long incisors for a spearhead would be a great honour. The heavy-set wolves were almost as tall as Äolin at the shoulder, and probably weighed half as much again as a full-grown man. In the end, all of the tribe had given them a wide berth. There was more than enough prey to go around.

Äolin, however, had been less interested in the animals. It was the weather itself that had caught her senses. Warm winds rose up from the south, lifting the air and Äolin's spirit, high up into the sapphire-blue skies. For the first time in Äolin's memory the plains had shimmered with heat-haze. She had been able to walk around without wearing her normal heavy animal-hide and thick furs. In fact, on some days she had been able to walk around without any clothes on at all, scandalising one or two of the elders (like old Inukti, who had quite possibly never been fully naked in her entire life).

>>53573980

Äolin didn't care. It was just so good to feel the naked heat of the sun on her bare skin, and feel the fire-hot earth beneath her feet. The rest of the clan had ignored this behaviour. Äolin was different, everyone knew it and they'd learned to just let Äolin do whatever she was going to do. Besides, they were enjoying the heat too, if not quite as much as her.

But summer was over now. Definitively. Snow crunched beneath her feet, still only a thin layer but deepening day by day. Soon, everything would be covered in cold, dead snow. The grasses would be smothered, and the ponds and lakes would freeze over. Everything would be locked in winter's frozen embrace.

Soon even the sun itself would be only a dull, pale light hovering near the horizon. Just as the white snows of winter would overtake the land, so the night - with its cold, pale moonlight and starlight - would drive the sun from the sky. The long, light evenings of summer had passed, and the days were almost shorter than the nights now.

Äolin had heard that in the far north, where clans like hers spent the summer, the sun was banished from the sky entirely during winter. Anyone who stayed there rather than migrating south would lose their soul in the endless, black void. That was why everyone had to go south until dawn came again in spring, for nothing could survive the eternal night. Although recently it had occurred to Äolin to ask herself how people knew that staying would cost you your soul if no one had ever survived to spread the story. Then the other stories about the dead that talked, or rather, the dead that whispered in the night had come to mind. Then she'd decided she'd be happier if she didn't keep following that line of thought.

>>53573998

Stories. There were so many stories. The clan had hundreds of stories, about world around them, about the gods above them, and about their own history as a people. Some were long and boring, Äolin thought, like the ones about quarrels between the gods, which went on forever (literally, the quarrels that is, not the stories, even though they might seem to). Like the quarrels themselves those stories never had any real point to them, except to remind everyone how capricious and cruel gods could be. But they got told anyway because they were about the gods and you had to listen to them whether you liked it or not.

Most of the clan's stories were more interesting, though. Some were fun, and some were clever. Some made you think about why the world around you was the way it was, which Äolin seemed to do more than most. A lot of them were scary - mostly because they were told to get people to stop doing something. But some of them were scary because that's just how the story went - which made them a lot scarier than the first sort in Äolin's mind, because it felt like those ones might actually be true. She wasn't particularly worried by talking foxes that burrowed up beneath your tent to take away children who didn't do their chores properly. But there was no reason for elders to make up stories about dead men who whispered secrets from the darkness.

Äolin shivered. She hated that sort of story. Bad enough to feel cold on the outside, but those chilled you in your heart.

>>53574013

With nothing better to do, she started to drift slowly towards Elarin. He was the clan's foremost storyteller, and more or less their official Wise Man now that old Teleon was too feeble to do much more than wave his blessing over the newborns. She moved circumspectly, not wanting to seem as if she was walking towards Elarin, since if she just walked straight up to him and asked him to tell her a story he'd probably just tell her to stop pestering him. Instead, she simply contrived to end up walking next to Elarin as if she had accidentally just happened to stray near him. You never knew - maybe Elarin would just happen to be in the mood to tell a story. He did have the talent, after all, at it wasn't like he had anything better to do either.

Walking was boring. Really, really boring.

For a little while Elarin didn't even seem to notice she was there. Äolin just carried on walking beside him, making no sound except for her boots crunching on the freshly-fallen snow. Then, finally, Elarin sighed.

'You want me to tell you a story, don't you?' He turned his head and looked pointedly at her. Like Äolin herself he had clear, grey eyes, rather than the dark brown that was more common among the clans. He also had a sharper nose than most people, and his face was a little less flat and a little less round than was usual, although these traits weren't anywhere near as noticeable in him as they were in Äolin. That was part of the reason she liked him, other than the stories - she didn't stand out so much when she was standing next to him.

Äolin shrugged. 'Maybe.'

'Well, maybe I'm too tired to talk. You think this pack looks light?' Being a Wise Man had some privileges, but Elarin still had to carry a pack like every other adult.

>>53574038

Äolin just looked up at him innocently. She'd long since found that silence could often accomplish a lot more than arguing with an adult. This had been a hard lesson for her to learn, since she was always more than ready to argue with anyone, which had gained her a reputation for being very headstrong. But there was something about the way she looked at people that made them uncomfortable. Besides, Elarin liked to talk or he wouldn't have become a storyteller in the first place.

It took a moment. But eventually, as they had both known he would, Elarin sighed; 'Ahhh... all right. What do you want? Maybe something about Ykutkut the frost spider. It's that sort of a day.' Elarin spoke in quick, clipped sentences, as if all the words were trying to rush out of his mouth at once and he had to be abrupt to keep too many from escaping together.

Äolin shook her head. The last thing she wanted to hear about was Ykutkut laying his frost webs over the land. Äolin's favourite stories were the ones about the history of her people.

'Ah, I forgot. You're not keen on gods and spirits. You like the past. Why? It's less interesting. People don't get around as much as gods.' He didn't pause to let her speak, but just answered the question on her behalf. 'But it's more likely to have actually happened. Well. Some of it. Yeah?' he winked at Äolin. She nodded, trying not to smile. 'Alright, you like the past? How about the Hunger Trial?'

And each clan had stories of great events in their past, and ordeals they'd overcome, handed down from their elders. The Hunger Trial was about the year the plains stayed frozen even during summer, and everyone had had to eat leather and moss. The elders still shivered at that one, even thought none of them were old enough to remember that year; their parents had always told them that the whole clan had come close to starving.

Äolin shook her head.

'Too depressing, huh? Okay, how about Kepuulik And His Great Catch?'

>>53574062

Each clan had their own heroes, although good stories tended to be swapped around the clans until you couldn't be sure who'd done what. One of the best was about Kepuulik And His Great Catch, which was about the time a great seal-chomping leviathan had come up into one of the inlets which the clan fished in during the winter. A leviathan that was said to be at least twice the size of the carcasses that sometimes washed up on the shore, and more importantly still very much alive. According to legend, Kepuulik had been fishing at the shoreline when the leviathan breached the surface. While the rest of the clan had run to get as far away from the water as possible, Kepuulik had stayed. Not only did he stay, but he walked along the shore a bit, and then actually waded into the water. The rest of the clan, watching from a safe distance, thought he'd gone mad. Then he actually starting splashing around in the water, vigorously beating the sea and thrashing about. It was clear to everyone watching that the sight of such a great beast had caused him to lose his mind, and a few of the clan were just about to go and drag him out of the water when they saw the leviathan again.

Kepuulik had attracted its attention. It was headed towards him.

It was now too late for them to do anything about poor Kepuulik. He was going to get eaten, and all the rest of the clan could do was watch. The great leviathan breached the surface in a shower of salt-spray, propelling itself faster than the wind through the waters of the inlet. Towards its prey. Water glistened on its scaly hide, and its long snout opened to reveal wicked, serrated teeth. The only question now seemed to be whether Kepuulik would disappear down that great maw whole, or whether those horrible teeth would cut him apart first. But then Kepuulik started moving back towards the shore, although he kept splashing. When the water was only up to his knees, he stopped. And waited.

>>53574083

As Kepuulik had realised, the leviathan was far too big for such shallow water, and additionally he had picked a spot where there was a sandbank just offshore. The leviathan, charging down on him, was going to fast to stop when it felt the first grains of sand brush its belly. In fact, its momentum was almost enough to carry it onto the beach itself, causing Kepuulik to have to dive out of the way. He narrowly avoided its snapping jaws - which is a useful lesson: even when you're right you can still be overconfident. But when it finally came to a halt, the leviathan was well and truly beached. It thrashed its long, serpentine body and dug its paddle-like flippers into the sand, but it wouldn't budge. Finally, exhausted, it had given up and died. No one had ever slain a leviathan before, and Kepuulik instantly became one of the clan's greatest heroes. Not least because the leviathan had enough meat to last the whole clan through the winter. And give the Wise Men a story that would last them forever.

Äolin knew it well. It was a good story. She had some doubts about whether it was totally true or not, since she knew several other clans had similar stories. Although Leäos, one of the oldest elders of Äolin's clan, swore that Kepuulik had still been a living member of the clan in his grandparents time, and that one of the great leviathian's bones was still being carried around with the clan when he was a boy, and that the Waterstar clan only got the story after Kepuulik's granddaughter married into them.

Either way, it wasn't the story Äolin wanted to hear. She looked pointedly at Elarin.

Elarin rolled his eyes. 'Again? How many times have I told you that story? You must be able to remember better than me by now.'

'Maybe. But I don't tell it as well as you do.' Which was true, and also shamelessly calculated flattery on Äolin's part.

'Sure you wouldn't like another story? I get bored of doing the same ones over and over again, you know.'

>>53574103

Äolin shook her head vigorously.

'Oh, very well then.' Elarin took a deep breath.

'There once was a Prince from a far off land...'

'How far off?' asked Äolin. She knew the answer, of course, but storytelling was a performance, and it needed a cooperative audience.

'Far, far away, far in the south.' Elarin moved his arm in a broad sweep, vaguely in the direction of the south, indicating the great distances that mere words could scarce do justice. 'So far south that it never snows and the sky-clue seas never freeze.' Elarin spoke totally differently when he was telling a story, delivering each word with a measured and deliberated care. 'The Prince's family ruled the greatest empire in the world.'

'What's an empire?'

'Imagine if one chief ruled all the clans of the north. He would be an emperor, and the northern plains his empire. If you were from the same clan as the emperor you were a prince, so if /I/ ruled the whole north...'

'I would be a prince?'

'Exactly. A small, annoying Prince, but a Prince nonetheless.' Äolin made a mock pout. Elarin's mouth twitched with the hint of a smile, but he carried on without breaking his rhythm. 'But our cold, empty lands would be a poor empire compared to the Great Empire of this Prince.'

'What made it great?'

>>53574117

'Some would say that its lands made it great, for they were bounteous and gentle, and in some places food could even grow all year round. Others would say that its buildings made it great, for in the empire they could stack stone upon stone so tightly that it could stand against the strongest storm, and many people lived in buildings as high as the tallest tree.' Äolin didn't necessarily believe this. She wanted to believe it, she'd even dreamed of towers made of stone the colour of sunshine, stretching up into the sky. But she'd tried stacking stones up into a tower, and they always fell over. Living inside something made of stacked up stones seemed like a good way to get crushed to death. But she let Elarin continue, in his sonorous, musical voice. 'Some would say that its greatness lay in the arts of its craftsmen, who could make the finest jewellery and clothes.'

'Or maybe its word-crafters.' Äolin interjected mischievously, recognising her cue. 'Their storytellers, I remember hearing somewhere, could draw out the deepest sorrow or the greatest joy with only a single turn of phrase, and were famed the world over for being the best word-crafters to ever open their mouths.'

'Perhaps, perhaps.' said Elarin, smiling. 'But storytellers tend to exaggerate their talents - that is, /other/ storytellers tend to exaggerate their talents.'

'But not you.'

'Of course not me. I don't need to. Anyway. Some would say that the empire was made great by its countless warriors. When the Emperor called on his warriors to gather for war, there would be so many of them that they could drink whole rivers dry and light up the night as bright as day with their campfires.'

'Did they fight a lot?'

'Oh yes, they had to fight. They had so many enemies, for the more you have the more there is for others to take.'

'But with all those warriors, who could threaten them?' said Äolin, following the script.

>>53574133

'Many that marched against them they defeated. Many enemies sent their warriors to kill and steal and enslave, but those enemies fell to the might of the Great Empire.' Now Elarin lowered his voice. 'But there are some enemies that weapons cannot defeat, and bravery means nothing against. From beyond the empire's lands came a scourge that the empire's warriors could not defeat. Dark sorcerers, who with their cursèd magic and slave-warriors burned their way into the empire and caused havoc and destruction. But even with witchcraft they could not defeat the empire.'

'But how? If the emperor's warriors could not fight sorcery, how could they resist.'

'There is one other thing that made the empire great. One thing above all others. Dragons.'

'Dragons?' Äolin felt goosebumps rise on her skin as she said it. Even the word itself felt special on her tongue, rich and elegant and totally estranged from harsh, everyday words. As if it had come from another place entirely. Some words were like that, their sounds sounding out of place compared to most other words. Äolin's own name was one of these, as was Elarin's. She'd wondered if anyone else had ever noticed this, but no one had mentioned it. Once or twice she'd tried to bring it up, but people had just shrugged and not been interested. It was just the way words were, some sounded one way and others didn't. If all words sounded the same then they wouldn't mean anything - imagine if the word for 'spear' also meant 'pot' and 'ball' and 'hug'. That was just stupid. Anyway, there were more important things in life to worry about than what words sounded like. But Äolin wondered anyway.

>>53574149

'Yes, dragons!. Elarin exclaimed. 'Massive flying beasts. Much like a leviathan, only with wings instead of fins. The empire had managed to tame some of these beasts, and in times of direst need the empire's greatest warchiefs would ride them into battle. Imagine the tough, scaled hide, the deadly teeth, the serpentine body of a leviathan, but instead of rising up from beneath the waves imagine it diving down from out of the skies!'

'And the fire!' Äolin blurted out, getting ahead of the storyteller in her excitement.

'And the dragonfire.' continued Elarin, scarcely missing a beat. He was used to performing with children. 'A dragon has long claws and powerful teeth, but it has a more dangerous weapon entirely: it can spit fire. Fire hotter than anything made by men. Fire that can burn anything.'

'Even magic?'

'Even magic. When the sorcerers defeated the ordinary warriors of the empire, the warchiefs mounted upon their dragons and rode out.'

'Was the Prince among them.'

'Of course he was. He was the noblest and bravest of all the emperor's family, and he rode one of the greatest dragons of all. A king among dragons, with a crown of horn. Fearlessly, the flew together against the dark sorcerers. And in the face of the searing dragonfire, the sorcerers spells withered. Nothing could withstand dragonfire. Nothing. And no vile witchcraft the sorcerers could conjure was strong enough to kill a dragon. So their evil plans were undone.'

'So the Great Empire won?'


-----------

Okay, this is taking a while so I'm going to take a break (and also, holy wall of text batman). I'll be back to post the rest later. By the way, in this case the two dots above certain vowels are a diaresis (and not an umlaut like they are in German), which means they're meant to be pronounced as their own distinct syllable rather than combined with their neighbour. So 'Äolin' sounds almost like 'Eolin', rather than 'Aulin'.

>>53574265

'The empire won that battle, but the sorcerers still had great power. Neither one could defeat the other entirely, and for many years they fought against each other, each side trying to destroy their foe. Many, many people died.'

'What did the good Prince do?'

'The Prince fought long and hard, but finally he realised that no weapon they had could rid them of the sorcerers. They needed magic of their own to defeat the enemy, but their Wise Men only knew a little magic, and most of it was meant to heal rather than harm. But he could not stand the suffering of the empire's people, and so he begged the head of his family, the Emperor himself, to allow him to begin searching for the greatest source of power in the world. The Starstone.'

'What's that?'

'No one in the Great Empire knew for sure, but it was a legend as old as time itself. It was thought to be a star that had fallen to earth out of the heavens.'

'Did some careless god knock it out of place?' Äolin, unable to stop herself from poking fun at all the stories of careless or stupid gods causing trouble.

Elarin smiled. 'No one knows, but everyone was sure that it was a great source of power. Power great enough, even, to defeat the evil sorcerers once and for all.'

'Where did the Starstone fall?'

'It fell onto the very top of the world - as far north as north goes. The magicians of the empire had a trick, a spell they could perform that would make a needle point straight at the Starstone. So everyone knew where it was. And they knew it must have great power, for the needles always pointed to exactly the same place, and the few people from the empire who had been to the far north had reported magical fire that lit up the night sky. It was just too far away to get to.'

>>53576347

Äolin interrupted out of turn. 'Wait, you mean that there's never nightfire in the south?' It had never occurred to her to think about this before, but if the people in the empire only knew about nightfire from people who'd been north then that meant they didn't have it where they lived. She couldn't imagine never seeing the brilliant, swirling blues, greens and purples dancing across the night sky. It was too beautiful to imagine being without.

Elarin stopped to think for a moment, and shrugged. 'I don't know, I've never been that far south. But the nightfire does lessen as you go south. I've noticed we see it less in winter, and that's when we're furthest south.' Äolin hadn't, which annoyed her because she liked to think she would spot something like that. Elarin continued. 'Anyway, if the Starstone really does lie in the far north and causes nightfire, it would make sense that its power would weaken the further from it you got. Maybe if you go far enough south you really do never see the sky lit up at night.'

'That seems a shame.' Äolin said.

'Maybe, but the empire had a lot of other wonderful things. Where was I? Ah yes - the Prince begged the Emperor to be allowed to go and search for the Starstone, so he could bring it back and use its power to defeat the sorcerers. The emperor thought hard, for the prince was one of his best warriors and if he let him march north with his followers he would have fewer men to fight the sorcerers. But the Prince wouldn't let it go - he had fire in his blood, like all dragon riders. In the end the Prince's eloquence and passion convinced the Emperor, and more than that, the Prince was right that the sorcerers could not be defeated without the magic of the Starstone.'

'So the Prince came north.'

>>53576359

'Yes. He left the empire with a band of his most loyal men, all the supplies that they could carry - and some tame elk, or aurochs or something, which could also carry supplies. And most importantly, the Prince set out with three dragons. The Prince's own, a king among dragons. And two others, less spectacular but each still a beast of awesome power. With all this, the Prince was confident that he would succeed in his quest.'

'And did he?'

'The way was hard. The north is a cruel land, far crueller than the gentle lands of the Great Empire. But the Prince was brave and strong, and he pressed on, leading his band onward through sheer force of will. As they got further north they started to experience weather colder than anything they had seen before, though it was height of summer. Yet still the Prince pressed on. At night his dragon would kept the campfires lit with flames as hot as the sun, in order to keep the men from freezing. And from a distance, clans like ours watched and wondered and the strange men and their fearsome beasts. Fearful, they kept their distance.' Elarin put his arms up to his face, pantomiming the look of shock of a clansman seeing a dragon for the first time. Äolin mimicked him, and stuck out her tongue for good measure.

Elarin continued: 'The Prince marched on, ever further north. Winter came upon them, much earlier that it did in the empire. The snows started to fall, and men started to die. Of frostbite, exhaustion, and despair. This was no land for men, some cried. Worst of all, the dragons started to sicken. Beasts of fire had no place in a land of ice, and soon the pace of the expedition slowed as the dragons had to be rested more and more frequently. The Prince was desperate to carry on, but even he started to see that they were unlikely to even reach the Starstone, let alone survive to bring it back to the empire.'

>>53576380

'But the Prince was not willing to admit defeat yet.' Elarin's voice snapped with a sudden fierceness, so forceful that Äolin almost took a step back, even though she had heard all this before. 'He had to much of the dragon in him, proud and free, to ever bow to fate. There was fire in his blood. So, in one last desperate gambit, the Prince decided to leave his men and fly north on his own. He could move much, much faster without the men on foot, but without the supplies they carried it was more than likely that his dragon would starve to death before he got anywhere near the Starstone. The other two dragons were certainly too weak to make the journey now, but his great dragon was the strongest, and if anyone could do it it would be him.

They found a sheltered spot where the biting winds were less fierce, and the Prince told his men to make camp, and wait for him as long as they could. It would not be long, ten nights at most, before they had to turn back or starve. But there was no other choice. So the Prince set out alone, heading north, knowing that he was almost certainly heading to a lonely death.'

Äolin shivered. Sometimes, in the very hardest years when the clan went hungry and starvation edged its grasping claws towards them, those who were old or sick would walk out into the wilderness alone, away from the bright campfires and the warmth of their family, out into the darkness where they knew they wouldn't come back. Äolin thought that it was the worst way to die that she could think of.

But she also knew how the story went. 'Did the Prince come back?' she asked, already knowing.

>>53576397

'He did!' exclaimed Elarin, voice rising triumphantly. 'On the tenth night, just as the men were getting ready to break camp and head south again. They looked up into the night sky, on a night where nightfire as crimson as blood washed across the heavens, and in the distance they saw a speck of shadow, a silhouette moving across the stars. It was their Prince, and just as the first rays of a red dawn broke the horizon, the Prince brought his dragon crashing down into the camp. It landed heavily, awkwardly. And then it let out of a long, roaring burst of flame, as deep a red as the dawn sky or the nightfire of the previous night.'

Äolin hung her head. She'd heard this many times before, but this part still made her a little bit sad.

Elarin continued sombrely: 'Then the Prince's dragon died. With its final flame extinguished, it collapsed from exhaustion. The Prince's men had to drag him, semi conscious, out of the saddle.'

'They took him to a tent and placed him down, and tried to feed him and get him warm again. For perhaps an hour or two the Prince was too weak to speak. Then, strength returning to his voice, he began to tell them the wondrous tale of his journey. For five whole days he had flown north, never stopping, never slowing down, his dragon pushing itself with tremendous determination as mile after mile of the frozen land flew by beneath them. Soon the land was gone entirely, and all there was as far as the horizon and beyond was an endless field of ice, an empty waste where nothing grew and nothing could survive. When night came, the nightfire was stronger than he'd ever seen it, and the Prince knew that he was getting close to the source of its power. He still had an enchanted needle given to him by one of the wizards in the empire, which always pointed towards the Starstone, and with the needle to guide him he was able to keep his heading true.'

>>53576410

'On the morning of the sixth day he saw it. Sitting in the centre of a vast, icy crater. The Starstone. It shone with a light not of this world, and as the Prince drew closer he could feel his skin tingling as the Starstone's power infused the very air around him. Carefully, he landed his dragon, knowing that after five days of flight it might not have the strength to get up into the air again, and both would be left stranded here to die. But for the moment he thought nothing of that. He was captivated by the Starstone, and examined intently. It was a rough sphere, about as tall as he was, and it sparkled with an inner light as pure and white as the light of the stars that still hang in the night sky.'

'Then he reached out and touched it. Immediately he felt power rip through his body, almost knocking him off his feet. It was barely a moment before he snatched his hand away in shock; had he held on any longer it might have killed him. But he had felt the Starstone's power, and he felt a new sense awaken in him as it coursed through his blood. Magic. He didn't know any spells himself, so he had nothing to test it on, but he could sense the currents of nightfire above him, invisible to the eye during the day, but still up there. If he could get the Starstone to back to the empire, though, and get the empire's wizards to study it... this was power that they could use. And with it they could finally defeat the dark sorcerers and their armies, and free the empire of so much misery and death.'

'But there was one problem: the Starstone was far too big for his dragon to carry. There wasn't the slightest chance that he could bring it back to his expedition, and thence bring it home. However, now that he had found it, now that he knew it was here, the Prince could lead the rest of his men to it.'

>>53576434

'The Prince was under no illusion that this would be easy though. His men might already have turned around when he got back to the campsite. They might not want to continue, for what took five days for a dragon would require weeks on foot; many of them didn't even really believe the Starstone existed, and though they'd been willing to risk their lives out of loyalty to him, they wouldn't march further into the wastes for a legend. He needed proof, something that he could show to them to make them /believe/ in the Starstone and its power. And if the worst came to the worst, and they did abandon him, then he would need something he could take back to the empire.'

'And so, with great difficulty, he chipped a piece off the Starstone - in fact, only the blinding heat of his dragon's flame was able to soften it enough to allow that. He put it in a pouch that hung around his neck for safekeeping. Maybe even this tiny shard would be enough to tip the balance of the fight against the dark sorcerers and save the Great Empire, if he could but get it back home. Then his dragon, with a great burst of effort, heaved itself back into the air.'

Elarin bent his legs and made a small hop to illustrate this. Burdened by his pack, he very nearly overbalanced when he landed. He recovered magnificently though, and Äolin didn't even notice, for she - remembering her cue - had made a mighty leap into the air, arms outstretched like a dragon's wing's. For a moment she felt like she was really flying, like a dragon. Soaring through the sky - it was exhilarating. Then the ground caught up to her again, and the feeling crashed with it. She couldn't see Elarin smiling warmly at her performance. It was nice to tell his stories to someone who would commit to the performance. He continued: 'And back the Prince went, flying back south towards the camp where he had left his followers. He made it, of course - but only barely in time.'

>>53576456

'Once the Prince had finished telling his men all this, he slipped the pouch from around his neck and tipped out the shard of the Starstone onto his palm. And all his chief followers crowded around in wonder, amazed by this tiny sliver of great power. It was real, the thing they had come all this way for. The suffering, the friends they'd lost along their path north, it wasn't for nothing.'

'But the fact remained that they were running out of supplies, and winter was deepening around them. They would certainly never survive if they headed north, onto the ice. The Prince begged them to reconsider, pleaded with them to carry on and retrieve the Starstone itself. Maybe if they could find a way to use the Starstone's power they might just survive the journey back to the empire. But his men wouldn't listen. It was pointless, they said. They'd never make it. Better to head back south - the shard the Prince carried might prove useful to the empire's magicians, and if not at least they would be able to tell the people of the Great Empire that the Starstone was real, and where to find it. Then another expedition, better equipped, might be able to get to the Starstone next time.'

Äolin stomped along in silence. This part always made her angry, though logically she knew it was silly to get upset over a story.

'The Prince tried to argue, tried to order his men to head north. He knew that the Great Empire was very unlikely to be able to send more men north, stretched as they were by the fight against the dark sorcerers. But the journey to the Starstone had taken its toll on him, and he was almost dead of exhaustion like his beloved dragon. As he lay there trying to convince them that the Starstone was the empire's only hope, his voice faded, and he fell into a deep sleep.'

>>53576479

'When he woke again, they were heading south. Once again, he tried to order his men to turn around, but it was futile. Too weak to do anything else, he had no choice but to allow himself to be carried along on a sledge, back towards the empire and the home he missed so dearly. At least, he comforted himself, he had the shard. Maybe it /would/ make a difference. Maybe, just maybe, the empire would be saved.'

'Did the good Prince's men apologise for betraying him?' asked Äolin.

'They regretted having to turn back without completing their mission' said Elarin, shaking his head sadly. 'But they thought they were saving all their lives, his included.'

'Did they even make it back?' asked Äolin, knowing the answer.

'No.' said Elarin, his voice grave. 'No one knows exactly what happened, but none of them ever saw the empire again.'

That was often where the story ended. A suitable, final, ending. But both of them knew that Äolin wouldn't be satisfied with that.

Elarin flexed his shoulders under the pack, which was obviously starting to wear on him. They had been walking for several hours now. But he continued, musing contemplatively: 'There are several different ways this is told. In some versions of the story, a great storm scatters the Prince's force, and they get lost among the snows of the north, unable to find either each other or the way back home. Then there's the version where the men turn on each other as supplies run down. Many ran away, not wanting to go back to the war against the evil sorcerers now that they believed their last chance for victory was lost. They fight over what food is left, and abandon the camp.' Elarin sighed. 'To be honest, that's the version I find easiest to believe.'

'Well I don't.' said Äolin confidently. 'The Prince wouldn't have picked those men to go with him if they were the sort to do that.'

>>53576499

'Maybe.' admitted Elarin. 'Although as you said yourself, they had already betrayed him by turning back. Well, I also heard one version where the Prince's men simply find that they can go no further. They didn't know the land, they couldn't hunt or find the easy paths, and the snows were too deep for them and the days too short. It was just too much, and they gave up and stopped. Either way, all the tales agree: the men of the empire never reached home, and the survivors split up.'

'Did they all die?'

'Not all. Many did, but the Prince had brought hundreds, if not thousands of men with him on his quest.' said Elarin, obviously embellishing a little. Äolin had rarely seen more than a few dozen people together in her entire life. She didn't think thousands of men, all living around each other, was even possible.

Elarin was visibly tiring now, but he drove on with his story. 'The ones that escaped death did so by turning to the clans that lived in the north - survived in the north - and begging them to take them in. Perhaps out of pity for men consigned to such a wretched fate, or perhaps simply out of curiosity, many clans decided to show mercy to the strange-faced foreigners. Incidentally, the men of the Great Empire didn't look like ordinary men.'

'What, did they have five eyes and two noses?' asked Äolin, as she usually did. She came up with different ridiculous features each time.

>>53576511

'I don't know. That's just what the story says. Maybe they all had grey eyes, every one.' Elarin chuckled. He knew Äolin was self-conscious about her eyes, and about all the other bits of her that made her stand out among her peers. 'So, the clans took in the Prince's stranded followers. Though obviously each clan could only shelter a handful of men each, so the survivors ended up spread out all across the our beautiful, frosty home.' Elarin smiled ironically. 'Many didn't live to see the end of their first winter in the north even so, but they were all warriors, tough and brave, and a good number were strong enough to survive. A few of these tried to make their way home after the thaws came the following spring - a harsh journey, even in summer, and since they were on their own rather than in a great band of warriors its unlikely they lived to complete the journey. Certainly, they were never heard from again.'

'Most, though, stayed with the clan that had taken them in. They were tired of fighting. After all that they'd been through, now that they chance to settle down they took it. They married, had children, hunted beside their new brothers, sang their songs and honoured their gods. And that, so it is said, is how the story of the great Prince and his search for the Starstone came down to us. Every so often these men would get homesick for their long-lost empire, and get drunk enough that they would start telling stories of the empire, the dark sorcerers, and their Prince.'

'But what happened to the Prince?' Äolin asked.

>>53576539

'That, too, is uncertain. Some say he died shortly after the party split up, and the Starstone was buried with his body. Others say that he survived for a while, taken in by one of the clans along with his most loyal followers. But the following summer they tried to head for the empire again, and all knowledge of them was lost. Most likely they died on route.' Elarin shrugged. 'Although if they had made it back to the empire I suppose we wouldn't have heard about it.'

'Isn't there any story where the Prince survives?' said Äolin eagerly, knowing there was. This was the version she liked the most.

'There is one. As with the one I just mentioned it says that, after being taken in by one of the clans, the Prince tried to return to the empire, carrying the shard of the Starstone. He suffered many hardships on the way, and saw the last of his faithful companions die. Then, just when he was once again at the brink of death himself, another clan came across him. They gave the job of looking after him to a young woman. This girl nursed him for weeks. Every day, the Prince proclaimed his intention to carry on with his attempt to return home when he was well enough. The girl didn't object, but she didn't want him to go, for she was secretly in love with him. And as the days passed and the girl cared for the Prince, he found himself falling in love with her in turn, for her kindness and her charm.'

Äolin had never thought of herself as particularly nurturing, but even so every time she heard this part she imagined herself being the girl who cared for the Prince. For a moment. She was still more interested in hearing about the Prince himself.

>>53578874

Elarin sighed, as if he too was burdened under misfortune like the Prince, rather than the more literal weight of his pack. 'Finally, the Prince admitted to himself that it was futile to try to return to the Empire alone. His last attempt had killed his companions and almost done for him as well. On his own, he stood no chance.'

'So. he stayed with the girl who had nursed him. Soon, he married her. They had children together, and the Prince lived happily ever after - as much as was possible under the circumstances, at least. For sometimes the Prince still wondered what had become of his homeland, and whether it had survived the dark magic of the sorcerers. He almost drove himself mad wondering whether he could have saved his home if he had managed to return, and wondering whether, by his absence, he had doomed it. But at last he accepted his fate. It is said that it happened on the day his first child was born, when he looked into her bright, grey eyes and realised that there wasn't anywhere in the world he'd rather be at that moment. He named the girl after his long lost sister. And after her, more children followed. The Prince had a long life, and had many children with his beloved wife.'

'The Prince's daughter had grey eyes?' Äolin interrupted.

'Yes, she had grey eyes just like you Äolin.' Elarin rolled his eyes; he sounded like he was getting less willing to humour his listener every time she interrupted. Then he shrugged. 'So the story says, anyway. But heroes always have something that distinguishes that. Like Emmukti and his big feet, or Keppakkak and his ears. It's just a way of helping you remember their stories. If nothing stood out about them they'd be forgotten more quickly.'

'But she might still have had grey eyes?'

'Sure, why not. Maybe. There's always some babies born with grey eyes - I should know. So why not her?' said Elarin, as if he couldn't be bothered to argue about it.

>>53578888

'Okay.' said Äolin, not sounding particularly satisfied. 'But what happened to the shard of the Starstone?' she asked, getting back on track.

'Well, obviously in most versions of the story it just ends up lost somewhere. My guess is it's probably down a rabbit burrow somewhere.' Elarin teased. Äolin playfully shoved him. 'But if you want to know what happened to it in the version where he lived a long and happy life with his northern love... ah, but I'm getting tired of storytelling. Maybe I'll stop here.' He sounded half as if he was teasing, half as if he were really exhausted. Either way, this suggestion was met with a flurry of blows from Äolin's tiny, fur-gloved hands. 'Alright, alright.' said Elarin, laughing with renewed life as he playfully fought off his audience. Äolin backed off, and he continued:

'It is said that the Prince wore the shard around his neck his whole life. Every day he could feel its power, sitting just above his heart. He'd been born with fire in his blood, like a dragon, but now he had nightfire in him as well. It spread through him, allowing him to stay young and healthy for far longer than he should have, especially given what he'd been through. It was in his blood now, ever since he first touched the Starstone; the shard was connected to him and he to it. The power was particularly strong when the nightfire burned bright, and the Prince got a reputation as a powerful Wise Man. Although he never learned to do proper spells, it was said that he had a knack for healing, and a knack for hunting, far beyond anything natural.'

>>53578909

'Finally, as he started coming to the end of his life, he started wondering what he should do with the shard. If he just left it with his clan, anything could happen to it. It might benefit them for a while - or it might harm them somehow - but either way it would eventually get lost, or traded, or stolen. The shard was too dangerous a thing for him to simply leave it with people who had no understanding of its power and how to use it. Besides, he knew that many of his clan were secretly afraid of the thing, and he didn't wish to burden them. He considered telling his clan to bury it with him, but that seemed like a waste considering all the trouble he had gone to to get it. He still hoped, in some small way, that he could get it to the empire, where the Wise Men of the empire might be able to use it to do some good. But he couldn't think of any way to do it.'

'Then he had an idea. He still remembered the spot where his party had made camp when he flew north to the Starstone. It was an out of the way place that had no game, so it wasn't usually visited by the clans, but he had still had his own clan detour past it several times so he could pay his respects. His dragon still lay where it had fallen after bringing him back safely to his companions, and every few years he returned to honour its sacrifice.

>>53578931

'So, one final time, he asked his clan to take him there. If even one of his men had made it back home they would be able to tell the people of the empire of the route he had taken. And the remains of a dragon were hard to mistake for anything but a sign that the Prince had been there. If the empire ever sent another expedition north, the dragon's bones were the clearest marker, the one thing anyone following in his footsteps was likely to find. And that was where he would leave the shard, in the hopes that it might be found again one day. Not by the clans, for they would never normally go to such a place, and if they did they'd be scared off by the dragon's remains. He would leave it there, in the hope that his kin from the empire would find it, and use it to save his people.'

'But he also told his own children to pass on the story of where he left the shard to their children. For it was possible that one day his adopted people would have need of that power for themselves, and so the Prince would leave them the choice of returning to claim the shard if they thought the terrible risks that went with that kind of power were worth it. So his clan, honouring their great Wise Man, took him to the dragon's bones. The Prince sighed when he looked upon the remains once again, and stroked the muzzle of his old companion like he used to do. Then, he took off the Starstone and dropped it into the dragon's mouth. And that very instant he fell down, dead. Some said that he couldn't live without the power of the Starstone, but he had been seen to take it off before, on occasion. Others said it was a combination of his age, the strain of the journey, and the sorrow of seeing his friend's remains again. Others said he had simply done all that he needed to do; he had already said his goodbyes to his beloved wife and children, and the shard was taken care of. He was at the end of his long and eventful life, and he had no reason not to join his dragon in its rest.'

>>53578953
'Either way, his clan buried him next to the great dragon, and moved on. And that was the final part of the Prince And The Starstone.' Elarion concluded. 'The. End.' he added firmly. 'That's it, Äolin. You've gotten all the stories you're going to get out of me for now. And, thank Wise Nunukuu, I think it might finally be time to stop for the night.' He groaned, and shifted the weight of his pack again.

They had been walking for so long that the sun was now low on the horizon. It was time to make camp, while they could still see well enough to put up their tents. Elarin struggled out of his pack and dumped it onto the snow; it landed with a soft /crumpf/. Thus provided with a convenient seat, Elarin gratefully sat down. He didn't look like he was planning on getting up for a while, or doing much of anything.

Äolin had one last question though: 'Elarin... has anyone ever seen a dragon?'

'Well, the Prince did, and all his men did.' Elarin said wearily, knowing where this was going.

'No, I mean... someone not from a story.'

'Ah. In that case, no, not that I know of.' Elarin shrugged apologetically.

'Oh. Okay.'

'What is it with you and this story, anyway. I really have forgotten how many times I've told it to you, it's been so many.'

Äolin bit her lip as if she was thinking whether to say what she wanted to say. 'I don't know. There's just something about it. It's a really good story. And... I've always wondered what it would be like to fly. On a dragon. I've dreamed about it even.'

'It's a good story, the one that stays with you in your dreams.' mused Elarin. 'My dreams... well, I won't say, but I know generally what you mean. I have my favourite stories as well. And I wish I could tell you that dragons are real. But I've never known anyone who's seen one.'

>>53578972

'Is the whole story about the Prince and the Starstone just made up?' asked Äolin. To her horror she felt a little tear welling up in her eye. She blinked firmly, forcing it back down. She wasn't the sort to cry over a story.

'Who knows?' said Elarin. 'Maybe it's totally made up. But I've told a lot of stories in my time,' he said sagaciously, even though he wasn't that old. 'and I've even made one or two up. You get a sense of which ones are real. And the ones that aren't usually have more gods in them.' Äolin smiled. She had worked this out for herself.

Elarin beckoned her close, and whispered to her softly. 'But even if there was some truth to it, it all happened a long, long time ago. You can't really know anything about a time that long passed. People forget, stories change. Maybe there was a great chief from the south. One who led his clan north, long ago. But I've never known anyone who's seen a dragon. Never heard of lands where men live in stone tents. Never seen any proof that nightfire is caused by a Starstone, rather than Paliuk's hearth spilling over, or Summuk the mammoth god pissing all over the sky, or any of the half-a-dozen other stories about it. And then when you really think about it? Well, you start to wonder how something the size of a leviathan could ever fly. Or how one chief could rule over thousands of people in an "empire". It just doesn't stack up, you know - any more than stones stack up to make something you can live in.'

Äolin nodded despondently. She knew, she'd tried it.

>>53578995

Elarin, seeing that his words were having more of an effect than he wanted, tried to recover. 'Ah. What do I know? Maybe it did happen all exactly as the story says it did. Maybe it was all passed down from people who were there at the time. What I meant to say was at some point you have to ask yourself: what does it matter? Stories are good, and so are dreams. But afterwards you have to wake up and go back to sewing elk-hide. Or collecting tindermoss. Or whatever. It's not good to get too wrapped up in dreams. For what it's worth, you've got more fire in your blood than anyone I know.' Äolin smiled at this. 'But if you keep on obsessing over this story I'm going to have to stop telling it to you, for you own good. Not to mention for the sake of my throat.'

'But...'

'No buts. I'm too tired to argue. You ever see a dragon flying across the sky, great, then come back to me and we'll talk this through again. Until then, find something else to take an interest in. I'd tell you to cool off, take things a little less seriously. But that's not your style, is it?'

Äolin shook her head vigorously.

'Well then at least spread your crazy over more than one thing. Maybe you could even learn to do something useful.'

Äolin looked haughtily at him, as if to say it was quite possible that she already had many special skills that she just happened not to be using.

Elarin sighed indulgently. 'Oh, come here, little dragon rider.' He beckoned to her, and when she came close enough he seized her in a hug that lifted her off the ground. Laughing, she fought her way free.

'Thank you for telling me a story, Elarin.' she said when she was at a safe distance.

'No problem. Now get lost. I want to have a minute to myself before I have to start on my tent.' Their grey eyes met, and they nodded to each other. Then Äolin turned and walked away. As the clan began putting up the camp around her, Äolin wandered off between the tents, towards her parents.

>>53579014

The setting sun spread fire-red light across the sky.

* * *

The clan had gone off their normal hunting trail that summer, and the route back to their winter refuge by the sea was not one they'd taken before. It led them up among a line of hills, which only barely failed to qualify as mountains, that had to be crossed in order to get to the coast. The area was sparse, treeless. The rocky highgrounds weren't a place the clan would ever normally go, for nothing much grew on such stony ground, and game animals were almost non-existent. But they were only passing through; it was their quickest route to more familiar territory, and the unusually warm summer meant that the permanent cap of snow across the peaks had melted back much further than normal, making the way easier. Dragging their belongings up the steep, high slopes might be no fun, but as Teleon said sagely, every hill you went up you also came down. And at least when they were on the lee-side of the hills they were sheltered from the growing winter winds.

A week after Äolin's last story from Elarin, the clan climbed what had to be the highest hill in the area. When they reached the summit the sky was clear and the sun was shining. Äolin decided that she had never been so high up in all her life; she could see for miles and miles. Was this what it was like to see the world from a dragon's perspective, she thought to herself. She imagined jumping off and gliding down all the way to the sea, which she could just see sparkling in the distance. The wind whipped her long, night-black hair about her face, and for a moment she blinked her clear, grey eyes as the wind stung them. Imagination was all very well, but this exposed, weather-beaten hilltop wasn't the sort of place to stand around daydreaming for long. She hadn't exactly taken Elarin's advice to heart, but she was starting to be more mindful of the balance between the world inside her head and the world around her.

>>53579034

Äolin was wearing a deer-hide dress that matched her eyes; it only reached to her knees, so she was wearing thick aurochs-leather trousers as well, and sable gloves as black as her hair that came up over her elbows. The only splashes of colour she wore were a simple red band about her head, and a red girdle about her waist. This had been embroidered in sun-yellow thread by her late grandmother, the one from whom she'd also inherited her name, as she had inherited 'Äolin' from her grandmother before her, so it was said.

As the clan started to descend down the far side of the hill, the snow started up again. At first the flakes fell in ones and twos, barely seeming to touch the skin before they melted away. But as the slate-grey clouds marshalled their forces up above the radiant noonday sun was soon smothered, and the day turned from vivid brightness to twilight gloom. An hour later the snow was starting to sprinkle down in a constant white sheet, thick enough to reduce visibility slightly, but the air was calm and the dusting of snow fell gently to the ground rather than flinging itself into people's faces. This was not a storm, just another afternoon in early winter. The clan kept going, winding an oblique trail across the hill as they tried to find the shallowest path downwards.

At first, it looked like an oddly shaped rock formation. A jagged, irregular outline just visible through the falling snow. The clan's path took them slowly towards the mysterious shape; it seemed almost like they were being pulled gently towards it. People started to remark on the odd shape. Elarin told Puuliat, a boisterous seven year old boy, that it was a giant who was sleeping on the hillside - you could see his two heads, his spiky nose, and his arm reaching up as he stretched, ready to wake up. Puuliat ran back to his mother. The clan kept picking their way across the hillside towards it.

>>53579053

It was maybe another hour before they got close enough to see that it was more than just a rock. Even then, it was impossible to tell what it actually was, but concerned voices started to make themselves heard, suggesting that the clan should chose a different path. Someone suggested that it was a mammoth carcass, or maybe several of them lying together given its size. But it didn't look much like that. Still, the clan didn't turn away. Many people were curious, and Elarin argued that they should at least see what it was before they started to panic. They'd been watching it for a while, after all, and it hadn't moved even a little bit. There was probably no danger.

Elarin didn't know what the thing was, but he knew that a part of him really wanted to know, for some reason.

At about a hundred paces away, it was possible to see what the shape was. The men at the leading edge of the group stopped dead, and as the other members of the clan caught up to them one by one they too ground to a halt. Children ran to their parents, and the men gripped their spears. The entire clan fell silent, and in the still air all any of them could hear was the sound of their own breaths and their own beating hearts.

The dragon lay before them. It was dead - very obviously dead. Its skin was blackened by frostbite in patches, and in places the flesh had fallen away entirely, exposing dull-white bone. The eye-sockets of an empty, half-exposed skull stared at them impassively. One wing was crumpled beneath it, half buried by snow, while the other was held stiffly in the air like a sail. The skin of the wing was ragged, torn in several places, but much of it was still intact.

Fangs jutted out from a strong, powerfully-muscled snout. And from its head... from its skull, rose great, jagged antlers. They sat on its brow like a crown.

>>53579095

The leather saddle where the rider had once sat was still intact, fastened to the dragon's back, as were the straps and barding around the dragon's chest, neck and muzzle. They were practical, unornamented, but extremely well-made.

There was no way of knowing how long it had lain there. Most of the exposed bone was on the upper side of the carcass, suggesting that much of it had been buried; it was possible that the majority of it had been covered by snow until the recent summer's thaw. In this environment, the harsh cold would stop decomposition almost entirely - years, decades, maybe even centuries had passed since it fell. Frozen solid as it was, the cold could have preserved it almost indefinitely.

Every person of the clan was utterly still. No one dared move, or even speak. Every one of them at least half-remembered the legend of the Prince who rode a great dragon north, but it was just another story. None of them had ever considered what they would do if they ever encountered a real dragon.

Well, one of them had.

Äolin started walking forward. Not quickly, but purposefully and unhesitatingly. No one stopped her. No one called her back. She paced forwards, leaving footprint behind her in the deepening snow, feeling the stares of everyone she knew on her back. She thought when Elarin had said she had fire in her blood he was just being nice, but her skin tingled as if she was burning from within. Frosty flakes continued to drift down calmly around her.

>>53579114

She came to within a little more than an arm's reach from the dragon, and stopped. Now that she was right next to it the dragon seemed even bigger, even more breathtaking. Its skull was taller than she was, its jaws large enough to swallow her whole. She shivered, suddenly afraid. Suddenly this didn't seem like such a good idea. She half turned, ready to go back to her parents.

But she stopped. Something inside her wouldn't allow that. She had dreamed of dragons for as long as she could remember, and now that she was standing next to one it felt... right. She turned back to face the dragon.

The blood remembers.

She reached out, and placed her hand upon the dragon's muzzle. In that instant, she knew...

Her future was in the south.

----- The End -----

>>53514395

Chapter 7: Plan


'Here's the plan.' said Roa, sitting down at his table. Sana, Iza and Ikalla were standing around him, and he looked from one to the other. Then he pointed at the map behind him.

Sana now had the opportunity to look at it more closely. It showed a land with two rivers, bordered by mountains. One river flowed directly through the middle and into a sea in the west. The second followed the line of a mountain range in the south, and ended in a bay.

Roa pointed at the forest in the southern tip of the map. 'Nightshadow Forest. Home of the witches of the same name, and surrounded by the flying fortresses of the Templars. If we're to get to Lakali, their queen, then we have to enter it. Unfortunately, it's full of witches.

He pointed to the three stars and the hexagon that lay around the map, and said: 'These are the fortresses of the Istanu Templars. We have to get these to attack the forest.'

Ikalla asked: 'Why haven't they done that already? Are they too weak?'

'No, I don't think so, but I don't know either why they've stayed inactive for over nine hundred years.' He crossed his arms in front of his chest and let his eyes wander around the room before he looked at her again. 'What we have to do is collect evidence that the witches are planning something big. Evidence like Sana, for example.'

'Me?'

'Yes. But you're not good enough. I mean, you're not proof enough. We need more. Clear and compelling. I have a contact who can pass this this information directly to the Golden Yye, who can then forward it to the Emperor and the Templars. If they're obliging enough to launch an attack on the witches, we'll have our opportunity. It may even be possible to destroy the witches entirely. We - especially you, Sana - will penetrate the forest, kill the Witch Queen and free your friend.

>>53581427

Kill? Sana only now realised what she actually had to do. It had probably been obvious from the beginning, but she had only just seen it. If she wanted to have Rait back, she would have to kill not just the gunman accompanying her, but probably the Witch Queen as well. Or at least try to.

Ikalla said: 'Didn't you want to dump me back in the orphanage?'

Roa looked at her for a long time before he said: 'You can go anytime. The ladder back there in the tunnel leads straight to the city. But should you want to stay, for whatever reason, then you have to follow my instructions. This could be the decicive moment in history, where we're finally able to defeat the witches. Apart from us, no one knows that the witches' attack is imminent. And I'll need all the help I can get. Even if it's just an orphan girl.' Sana nodded, and Roa asked: 'Any questions?'

'I don't like this plan.' said Ikalla, crossing her arms.

'And the reason is...?'

'That was all. I just don't think much of plans in general.'

'I... understand.' His gaze rested on Ikalla for a moment before he disappeared through the door.

'I wonder where he gets the money from for all this.' said Ikalla. She edged her chair over to the table and looked at the big map. Sana was standing next to the crystal that illuminated room, trying to work out how it functioned. She only knew of glowstones which were mined in the mountains of Akhor, but they quickly lost their luminescence and were also not as strong. Ikalla said to her: 'I hope you don't believe him about the Empire.'

Sana looked aside; now she had blotches in her vision.

'What do you mean?' Sana asked. She saw Iza was sitting on one of the crates on the other end of the cave. The bird-creature was watching her and Ikalla.

'I mean about the Imperium being the 'good' one here.'

'Honestly, I haven't seen a single bit of the Imperium yet, or experienced any of it.'

'But I have. And Iza certainly has too.'

>>53581457

The harpy had her gaze fixed firmly on Sana and Ikalla. Like a bird of prey. Sana had never seen Iza look at her like that before.

Ikalla said: 'I'm sure you'll see /some/ of the Imperium. But under the glittering surface hides a faceless monster. And if you turn your back on it it will fall upon you and drag you into the darkness.'

Sana looked into Ikalla's eyes. Sadness and pain were evident in them.

'You can't trust it. And you can't trust Roa. If he has to choose between the you and the Imperium... his choice would be clear.'

Sana didn't say anything. She looked back at the map. On paper it looks so harmless, she thought. An area with mountains, rivers and cities.

'What exactly does the Imperium need slaves for?' asked Sana, not sure if she wanted to get an answer. But if she wanted to fight against the witches, she should at least know who was on the other side.

Ikalla stood up off the chair, and stood next to Sana, looking at the map.

'Forced labour, sex, torture... with luck, only the former.'

Sana's stomach knotted. The girl next to her was fifteen, and telling her about this stuff without any great emotion, as if it were something commonplace. Sana looked past Ikalla to Iza. She couldn't have overheard that, she thought. Perhaps she doesn't know what it is. At this distance Iza seemed unconcerned, her eyes wide and clear. Sana asked Ikalla in a hesitant voice, 'You saw all that?'

'I experienced it.' She briefly showed her wrists, and then reached for the bottle of juice that was on the table. The cork popped loudly, and Ikalla took several deep sips.

They spent the rest of the time until Roa returned in silence. Sana lay on the mattress and had just closed her eyes when he stepped through the door. Fabric bags in his hand. He put them on the table and said, 'Normally one wears sleeveless clothing in the city, but you both have something to hide, so you'll have to wear yours long. And you also need gloves, Sana.'

>>53581473

Iza came hopping over and looked curiously over the edge of the table.

'And for you I have a collar.' said Roa, pulling it out of the bag.

'A collar?' Sana asked.

Roa held it out to Iza, who looked at him doubtfully. 'Yes, unfortunately. Harpies are pets, and have to be kept on a lead. And because intelligent harpies are banned she can't say a word. Otherwise you'll all land in jail.'

Iza took the simple leather band in her hand and opened the catch. The long line fell to the ground.

'Wait a moment.' asked Ikalla, looking at Roa. 'Aren't you a wanted criminal? Won't everyone recognise you in the street? How can you go shopping in broad daylight?'

Roa answered: 'That's right. I leave shopping to others. An old, retired colleague of mine did it for me.

'Ah.' said Ikalla. 'A colleague from your time with the guard, right? Before the witch blew you up. The story was in all Vintal's newspapers. Was the witch one of your colleagues as well?'

Sana saw the anger surge up in Roa's eyes, but he said nothing. He threw the bag at her chest and pointed to the door. The other he gave to Sana, and then he sat down on the chair.

Ikalla went ahead, and then shut the door behind Sana. 'Should I tell you the story of Roa and the witch? It's full of love, jealousy and betrayal. A true tragedy.'

Sana shook her head and put the bag on a crate. 'If he doesn't want to talk about it, I don't want to hear about it.'

The girl muttered, and pulled out a top. it was sky-blue with gold embroidery, which ran down the sleeves and formed a floral patter around the neckline. 'The colours of the Trimurtian flag. It's only missing the red.' She pulled out the grey trousers; the fabric belt was coloured bright red at the hem. 'Ah, there it is. At least my hair matches my belt.'

>>53581493

Sana pulled out black trousers and a white shirt. Again, there was blue evident at the ends of the long sleeves. A red drawstring held the neckline closed above her chest. There were also gloves of black cloth, which seemed to reach all the way up her forearm. As Sana was about to put her top off, she saw Sana's naked back. Long scars ran all over it. And also branding marks, small and large.

'The truth isn't pretty.' said Ikalla, noticing Sana's stare.

'I'm sorry.' Sana said quickly, pulling the top over her head.

The girl said: 'I'm used goods. My price wasn't very high when they decided to take me to the black market.' She let her gaze wander over Sana's naked upper body. 'My body isn't as beautiful as yours any more. And that's at my age...' She threw on her shirt and then turned around again.

Sana felt a cold rage rising.

She wished she had the men who did this to Ikalla with her now. She looked at her fist in the hope of finding it a claw. Through her greyish arm, black energy shot through invisible veins. Maybe I don't want to help the Imperium, she thought. But for the moment i have to hold back. She breathed deeply, in and out. Her thudding heartbeat calmed. She dropped her trousers and pulled on her new ones. She suddenly felt bad when she thought about how it would probably feel to be in Ikalla's position. Sana said: 'If we ever meet one of the men who did this to you, tell me. I've never killed anyone before, but I'd like one of them to be my first.'

Ikalla looked surprised, then smiled thinly at her. 'I'll do that.' she said, and with Sana she went back to Roa.

He looked them briefly up and down, and said: 'In the day you will be my eyes and ears out there. I'll give you appropriate instructions and you will carry them out, understand?'

'Whatever.' said Ikalla. Sana nodded.

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It's cold and lonely in here.

Where is everyone this week? The thread isn't normally this empty.

Well, don't let it be said that I'm not doing my duty. Here's the translation of the next chapter of 'Heart of Light and Shadow'. To avoid any momentary confusion for those of you who haven't been paying close attention, 'Iskanda' is the name of a fantasy city, not a German word.

----------

>>53581516

Chapter 8: Iskanda


'I thought this would be a lot more strenuous.' said Ikalla, letting herself sink into the steaming bath water. She was sitting in a deep bath by the wall. Sana stood naked in front of the wall with the two water faucets. She had Ikalla watching her as she turned these on and the water began to rain down from the piece of metal with the holes.

This was her first time in a bathhouse. It stood on a street near the well that lay over Roa's hideout. She turned the right faucet, and it began to rain icy water. With a cry of shock she turned the other faucet, and it mixed with hot water. She remembered what the receptionist in the lobby had said: 'First shower, then bathe.'

Sana reached for a small bowl, which stood on a grating in the wall, and poured liquid soap on her breasts. A mild flowery aroma rose from it. Hot water in a big bucket, Sana remembered, thinking back to the washroom above Ruven's shop. This is much better.

When she had washed herself she looked at Iza, who was sitting on a wooden stool under the light crystal, watching her. 'Now it's your turn.' said Sana.

The harpy stood up and hopped over to her. She stretched out her wings and let the water sprinkle over her feathers. 'Warm.' she said, and then she stepped under the shower of water. With her eyes closed she looked up and let the drops of water spray over her face. Then she stepped back from the warm water and said: 'That's enough.' She shook herself vigorously and sprinkled droplets in all directions.

'Hey.' said Ikalla, holding her hand in front of her face.

>>53598890

Sana turned the water off and went to the tiled, rectangular bath, where the girl sat watching her. Ikalla's gaze rested on the grey mass between Sana's breasts that was now her heart. Sana in turn saw, through the greenish water, the scars which were on Ikalla's front as well.

'Like what you see?' Ikalla asked, jiggling her breasts conspicuously in the water. A big grin on her face.

'No.' Sana climbed over the side of the pool and sat down on a step in the bath. Right next to Ikalla.

The girl said. 'Do you mean I can't appreciate myself just because of the scars? The men seem to still like it.'

'I don't think that you should see it like that.'

Ikalla reached for Sana's right arm and lifted it out of the water. 'What exactly is this, really?'

'Something that saved my life.'

Ikalla stood up, wrapped one leg around Sana, and then sat on her lap, face to face. Her thoughtful gaze rested between Sana's breasts.

'What are you doing?' asked Sana. She heard her heartbeat get faster. Then she realised that Ikalla could see straight to her heart, and therefore also see her nervousness.

The girl put her index finger on the spot and asked: 'Do you feel that?'

Sana shook her head.

'What are your feelings, then?' asked Ikalla, looking her in the eyes.

'What do you mean?'

'Feelings are in the heart, aren't they? But your heart is no longer there.

Sana blinked, confused, and said: 'I don't think that feelings are literally in the heart.'

'Where are they then?'

Sana didn't have an answer. My feelings? They are still there. It was only thanks to them that I was able to defeat the Ifrit. Without them I wouldn't really be human.

Ikalla now put her whole palm on Sana's heart. It beat faster again, as she felt Ikalla's touch on her skin.

'I sometimes wished I had no feelings.' said Ikalla, looking at her hand as it lay on Sana. 'No more heart, that gives them a home.'

>>53598912

Sana pulled the girl close and closed her arms around her. I sometimes wished that too, thought Sana. She felt Ikalla relax.

'Who is this Rait, the one you're after?' asked the girl. She slowly pushed away from Sana and sat back on her step.

'Best friends forever.' said Sana, laying her head back. 'That's the oath we made each other. But then she disappeared.'

'Did you look for her?'

'Ha! Idiot that I was, yeah. I ran away from home. Like Rait and I had planned to anyway. We wanted to explore the world. But on the morning that we were going leave she didn't appear. So I ran away alone, without a real plan. I desperately wanted to find her. I almost died.' Sana dipped her head under the surface and waited a moment in the warm water. After she surfaced again, she said, 'But Master Ruven picked me up and took me in. I was only a year younger than you at the time .'

'This is the second time you've searched for her, then. Seems like you really like her.'

'Yeah, I... she was my only friend.'

Sana stared at the shimmering ripples. In them was reflected the rainbow-coloured luster of her arm.


Outside the bathhouse, Sana set Iza on her shoulders again and took the lead in her hand. And she realised that Roa was right. Most women went sleeveless. But in contrast to Ikalla, most of the inhabitants wore a mix of greys or whites. Roa probably intentionally bought these clothes, she though; he knows how much she hates the Imperium. She looked behind her and saw Ikalla, who was closing the door behind her. To the south a bell-tower rang, announcing the midday hour between the flat roofs.

'I'm hungry now.' said the girl, holding her stomach.

>>53598940
Sana pulled the two notes Roa had given her out of her trouser pocket. One showed an almost childlike drawing of a face, with long sideburns and bushy brows. The bald head was shown as a wavy mountain range. The second piece of paper showed a rudimentary plan of the city, with red markings. A circle for the well-shaft nearby. There was also another circle marked 'Bank'. 'Roa's given me a hand-drawn map, but I hope we don't get lost. He's only drawn the big streets.'

'Eh, whatever. Let's go, I've always wanted to see an Imperial City. Vintal can't compete with this.'

They followed the quiet side street, passing bigger and smaller properties. Most of them had a well-kept garden behind iron fences. In the distance the houses rose to high blocks with many floors.

When they reached the large street Sana was at first overwhelmed. The confusion of voice had already began as they drew closer, but now it had became a great hubbub. With a loud road a big carriage glided past them. It had no wheels and didn't touch the ground. At its front sat a man who had a sort of rod in each hand. The carriage itself was two-storey and filled with people, who were looking out of the windows. On the side of the carriage Sana saw narrow steps who led up to the second level.

When the carriage had passed Sana could still feel the warmth that emanated from a round opening, out of which shone a golden light. She had absolutely no idea how this vehicle worked. There were also normal carriages, with wheels. One of these came towards them now, pulled by a powerful beast on whose grey hump sat a rider with a rod. Two pairs of long horns sat on its fleshy forehead, arching forward. When the carriage had passed, Sana looked quickly at her map to make sure where she was, and then followed Ikana, who led her down the road by her hand.

>>53598989

They walked past a shop, at which point Sana abruptly stopped. Ikalla almost fell over. In the window, dozens of harpy chicks frolicked, fluttering back and forth or playing with each other. Their feathers were grey and brown. 'Elokin's Breed' was written in big letters.

'Let's keep going.' Ikalla said, and pulled at her hand. Sana wanted to say something to Iza, but she couldn't answer. There was no reaction from the harpy. Her legs were folded under Sana's armpits, and she quietly rested her wings on her head. Sana let herself be pulled along by Ikalla, and they passed a young girl who was leading a fluttering harpy along on a lead.

'Oh,' said the girl, holding her mother's hand, looking at Sana. 'but you have such a beautiful harpy. I've never seen a green one. I want one that beautiful too.'

Sana smiled at the girl, and her mother said: 'Come, Livi. Those colours are too expensive for us.' She threw Sana an apologetic smile.

After a few steps Sana said, 'She's right, you really are a beautiful harpy.' She felt Iza squirm briefly, before she timidly sighed on Sana's head.

The street ultimately led to a large square, covered with white paving stones. In the middle stood a large statue of a man. Hewn in white stone, it was holding up a hooked sword and standing on a large snake.

'Come on, over there.' said Ikalla. She went up to one of the many stalls that lined the edges of the whole plaza. When she saw the vendor she shrank back at first. A wolf's face looked at her and said in a humming voice: 'Hello young ladies. Finest smoked meats, imported from my homeland.' The fur on his arms, which was not covered by his light-red clothes, was mottled and golden brown. In his display there were long boxes, all of which bore a symbol unknown to Sana.

>>53599020

'I'm offering Arkeb today, for only twenty Tri per strip. Or if you'd like something finer, for three Datta I've got Liran, or - but this is something for gourmets - for fifteen I've got Shii, refined with a perfect mix of exquisite spices.' He grinned, showing his long fangs.

Sana was still not sure if she'd rather run away. The animal form was a big shock to her.

Ikalla said: 'I'll take two strips of Arkeb and a strip of Liran.'

The vendor pulled the meats out of the boxes and reached for little tongs. His paws were humanoid and he had no problem with them. He put the smoked strips on a thin paper and wrapped them up.

Ikalla counted her coins and handed them to him.

'What about you, young lady?' he asked, bearing his teeth in smile that looked more like he was about to tear them apart.

Sana replied hesitantly; 'I'm not sure.'

'Ah.' he said. 'You're not familiar with Sirah's kitchen. That's not a problem. I can really recommend Arkeb to you. It's liked by almost everyone, and the spices are good value.'

'Then I'll take one strip.' said Sana, taking out the small pouch with her coins. 'The Datta are silver and the Tri are copper', Roa had told her. She gave him the Tri, and took her wrapped up strip of smoked meat.

'Thank you for your purchase.' he said, and turned to greet a new customer who jostled in front of Sana. The two of them stepped to the side. Sana watched as Ikalla took a strip out of the paper and bit off a piece.

'I'd already completely forgotten how good Sirah smoked meat can be.' said Ikalla, with a full mouth.

'Was there anything like it in the orphanage?'

'No. I mean, from time to time a Sirah trader would pass through and offer his wares.'

She bit into the next piece and chewed it with pleasure.

Sana grabbed a piece, and smelled it.

>>53599036

Smells like smoked meat, she thought. it was not the first time that she'd eaten smoked meat. In Akhor there you could get it in the butchers, but she didn't know what Arkeb was. The taste was... sobering. It tasted like the smoked meat she knew, it just had a bitter aftertaste. 'Was the vendor a Sirah?' asked Sana, and handed up the other half of the strip. Iza pulled it out of her fingers, and there was a loud chewing sound from her.

'Yes.' said Ikalla. 'I think their homeland lies over the mountains in the east. In Kidana. You don't learn much about the world in the orphanage, sorry.'

I always wanted to explore this new world with Rait, she thought.

Next, Ikalla pulled her over to a large stall with a big barbecue behind it. 'Asuba Grill' was written above it, and huge pieces of meat sizzled over the fire. The air was filled with a delicious roasting smell.

The brawny man with the white coat behind the counter was using a huge spit-fork to turn the pieces; juices dripped into the embers, sizzling. A young woman was handing out large plates in the front, which were laden with pieces of meat with colourful vegetables. Behind the grill there was a wide alley with large benches, and at the end a big keg with another counter in front of it.

'I think we've found our lunch.' said Ikalla, looking greedily at Sana.

Sana had to concede that it looked extremely delicious, and that smoked meat was nothing if not a filling.

A few moments later and they were sitting at the end of the benches in the alley and looking at the big plate in front of them. A long knife was stuck in it and two forks were lying next to it. Sana's mouth was watering. She set Iza next to her on the bench and began to cut the thick joint. Hot, fragrant steam escaped and dark juice spread among the vegetables. A black-haired woman cam to her side and asked: 'An Empire-tankard, or an Imperial?'

'The... little one?' Sana answered.

>>53599056

The woman laughed and then went to the big keg. Before she came back Sana had already bitten into the a big piece of meat. It was so tender it literally disintegrated in her mouth, and filled it with thick, meaty juices and savory flavours. The tankard, which was now set before them, was not as small as Sana had hoped. At least everyone in the world seemed to know what beer was. Whether in the sky or in the world below.

'Are you old enough for that?' asked Sana as Ikalla's hand reached for the beer. The girl answered with a grin: 'Of course. From fourteen everyone in the Imperium can drink whatever he or she wants.'

'You know that I have no idea if that's actually true. Maybe I should ask Roa later.'

Ikalla took a swig and skewered the next piece of meat. She grinned at Sana and chewed it with relish.

Beside them sat a group of men. They wore golden tabards over jangling chain mail, and long swords at their sides. They greeted Sana and Ikalla amicably, watching the guardsmen who were carrying over two large plates.

'Three Imperials!' one of the others shouted past Sana to the dark-haired woman. Just don't get nervous, thought Sana. She picked up a piece of meat with her fork and gave it to Iza, who pulled it hungrily from the fork.

'That's a pretty rare harpy you've got there.' said the guard sitting directly opposite her. The others were talking.

'Yes, she's really pretty.' said Sana. 'I really like her.'

'How much did she cost? I was thinking about buying a colourful one for my daughter. She prefers red, though.'

Don't panic. 'She was a gift from my parents. I don't know what she cost, sorry.'

'Ah, shame. What's its behaviour like? I've never had a harpy. Is she sociable, or does she leave a lot of droppings?'

Sana almost laughed, and said: 'No, she's very sociable and easy to handle, and the droppings aren't a problem.'

'Ah, thanks for clearing that up for me. She seems really friendly. And sorry for disturbing you.'

>>53599073

'No problem.' said Sana, turning back to her plate. Three mighty tankards were placed next to her on the table, and a relieved sigh spread among the men.

After eating, Sana let out a groan from her full stomach. I never want to eat those green balls again, she thought. She saw how Ikalla was resting her head on her hands and observing the guards with a stony look.

'Let's go.' said Sana, and the girl jumped. She smiled, and then stood up with her. Sana nudged Iza, who was nodding off next to her, and sat her on her shoulders. She nodded to the guards in parting, and stepped out again into the loud, bright city. She went through the white urban canyons, on the hunt for a bell-tower. She found one between two blocks, then looked more closely. But there were no pointers on the face. Instead there were three circles, arranged into a triangle.

In a surprisingly cold voice Ikalla said: You're looking at a tower of a Trimurtian church. The bell-tower is over there.

Sana followed Ikalla's finger and saw the big clock at the top of a grey tower. Still two hours, she saw. 'Let's look around a bit.' said Sana. She was now really curious about Iskanda. i always though Akhor was an advanced city, she mused, but this here, this Imperium... it seems more like a dream.

As they left the plaza and plunged into the streets again, they passed a showman. He was an old, half-bald man, who had three harpies dancing together in the air. They changed places in the air and made sudden turns to the sound of a small music box. A family of five stood nearby and the youngest girl clapped happily to the beat. The father put some coins in a basket at the man's feet.

>>53599088

Are these harpies really okay with this, she asked herself. Are those the 'stupid' harpies? Which aren't like Iza? They seem like they're just pets. Sana felt Iza's grip tighten on her neck, and followed after Ikalla. However, they stopped abruptly at the next crossroads. The sound of bells ringing quietly came around the corner, and when Sana looked she saw a long procession.

'Istanu.' rang out in several voices. And the bells were sounded again. The crowds around them became quieter, but didn't fall completely silent. Over Ikalla's head Sana saw a leader clothed in gold who carried a staff in front of him. In a ring at the tip was the same symbol that she had seen on the tower. Chains hung down from it with little bells.

'Istanu.' said the crowd behind him who were following him. There were men and women clothed in white, but they were also wearing the golden symbol, embroidered on their robes.

Istanu, Sana heard herself think. She leaned over to Ikalla and asked, 'Is that the...'. Then she stopped as she saw how tense the girl stood there. Her fists were clenched. When the procession had passed and the masses of people had moved on again, Ikalla still stood there unmoving. Sana didn't dare speak to her. But she lay her hand on her shoulder, which broke her out of her rigid stance.

'I'm sorry.' she said, looking at her with glistening eyes. 'I really can't stand the church.'

She bought a drinking tube with juice in a shop, and took one sip after another. Iza was also strongly affected. Sana looked at her map and said: 'We should slowly walk over in the direction of the bank. Even if we're not in a hurry yet.'

'I'd prefer it if we took the side streets for the moment', said Ikalla, walking silently beside Sana.


----------

>>53475285
I can still remember everything about that day, down to the most minute of details. In my four hundred and thirty-three years, There has never been a doubt that it was the greatest day of my life. That day when I descended into the crypt for the first time.

My family was comprised of a long line of prodigious necromancers, and I was no different. Just as I first learned to read and write, I was able to reanimate the skeletal remains of rodents to do my bidding. By the time I was old enough to undergo formal training, I had already made a dog my thrall. I was so proud of that little monster, shuffling and creaking at my side wherever I went. Something about owning a living thing, having it under my thumb and happy to be there, it gave me contentment.

After fifteen years of training under the great master of the dead, Yorsei Jacbern herself, I could not have been more confident. So impatient I was to show off my power, so eager to cross the line between life and the land of the dead. To finally be allowed to enthrall a human... such a thing was all I had ever wished for. To complete the last tenet of necromancy, and to make a fool of the reaper, the one universal truth.

I threw open the door to the crypt, the peace of the dead be damned. I would not waste another minute. There were mere moments between my old identity of Ras, the red-headed elf and Rasmeroc, Lord of the Dead. I needed only choose my first human thrall.

Unfortunately, the pickings were slim. War was a distant memory, and it had been years since the last riots. The only intact corpses being embalmed by the local priests were a barkeep, a town guard, a whore and a village girl. All humans. All poor and downtrodden.

While the individual didn't matter much for the purposes of the test, I wanted something I could make use of. Having a guard act as a hired blade was tempting. There was money to be made owning a prostitute. For the first time that day, I hesitated.

(cont.)

>>53604710
For some reason or another, my eyes drifted from the guard to the village girl next to him.

My time performing autopsies told me everything about her with a glance. She had died no earlier than that morning, and it was sudden. There were no signs of struggle on her, no festering wounds or broken bones. She seemed frail, but healthy. My best guess was poison. A suicide? It didn't matter. Between the whore full of stab wounds and the guard with the back of his head caved in, her body was in the best condition by far. While I was sure reanimating a mangled corpse would impress the master, failure would mean another year of training. It was wisest to take the path of least resistance.

I pushed back her black locks and used my black chalk to inscribe my personal rune onto her temple. With a drop of my blood to commence the ritual, the warmth seemed to drain from the air.

That was when I first got a look at her soul.

A little wisp of grey light rose from her chest, and wavered in the air just a short distance above. It was so small, so fragile. For the first time, I was wary of how tight I held my grip on the threads of fate inside. They were so thin, so delicate that I felt as though I were tugging on cobwebs. Her hold on the mortal plane was weak. To weave the threads back into life-giving cloth would be a task indeed.

I labored over her corpse for the better part of the day, each thread an agonizing process of knitting and cutting. The threads of her heart, her body, her will and her mind all needed to be woven into the same pattern. If a single thread snapped, her soul would scatter into oblivion. A fate infinitely worse than death.

I held my breath as the last thread of her soul was woven into the cloth and pulled taut. When I finally removed my hands, it was as though the world were ending.

Black wind rushed through the crypt, and the screams of every dead man, woman and child ever cut down by the reaper echoed in the back of my mind.

(cont.)

>>53605051
The girl began thrashing and writhing on the stone table, and she coughed up what must have been half a river. The black wind roared through the crypt as the insignia I drew on her head began shining with an eerie red light. There was a crackling sound as her black hair began forming silver streaks. By the time the wind died down, her hair was pure white.

Then she woke up.

It was as though she were waking from a forgotten dream. Her face showed no fear, no confusion, not even fatigue as she opened her eyes and rose from her bed of stone.

The girl looked down at her hands, and flexed her fingers as if to confirm what she was seeing. She clutched at her throat and began coughing, clearly beginning to experience shock.

"D-no..." She trailed off in a coughing fit, unable to form the words. "what's happe-" A severe coughing spell overtook her again, and the last of the water was ejected from her lungs.

"Calm yourself." I ordered, pressing my will against hers. I felt the threads I had woven stretch, and relented as she finally stopped shaking and looked up at me. While it was faint, I could feel the suppressed fear beginning to pour off of her.

She couldn't have been much older than seventeen or eighteen. Her amber eyes suggested Vashran heritage, a rare sight. Her sitting upright revealed a small patch of dried blood in her hair on the back of her head. It looked like she was knocked out and left to drown in the river.

"Tell me your name." I spoke, doubtful I would need to exert my influence magically.

"Akra." She muttered, rubbing at her eyes. "Akra Tearva."

Through my mark and the threads I had touched, I could feel a great wave of sadness and regret wash over her. It was nothing like I had felt when taking hold of the souls of animals. So much more complex, more vivid. I had arranged bones into moving automatons, but they were not conscious. This girl was, for all intents and purposes, alive.
(cont.)

>>53605380
I was ill prepared for the connection to be so strong. With animals, it was only a matter of braiding a few threads together to make them able to move. After spending so many hours putting all of the pieces of this person back together, however, it was as though her soul were burning me by contact. It had seemed so small and weak when I first saw it. I had raised cats with brighter spirits.

While it was fascinating to examine her newly repaired soul, I still had to return for the final evaluation, and I had not yet enthralled her. I began to focus and expand my will to envelop hers.

"Thank you for rescuing me." Akra whimpered, holding her head in her hands. "It was so dark... I was so scared... that place..."

Images began to bleed over from her, pictures of infinite blackness, cold, millions of unfriendly voices urging her to disappear. With a start I severed the connection and she stiffened, her body entering cardiac arrest.

If I were even to begin to fathom the Dark Reservoir, the resting place for all nomadic souls, the reaper would undoubtedly take notice. The broken, fuzzy images I got from animals were nothing compared to the clarity with which Akra had seen the void. I pushed the images far, far to the back of her mind and hastily ordered her heart to begin beating again.

Rather than having another coughing fit, or clutching at her chest, however, she fell forward from her seat and took hold of the folds of my robe.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you..." She sobbed into my robe, her head pressing into my chest.

In a moment, all of my beliefs about death evaporated. The soul contains the entirety of one's being, not just the basic components. This is why you must wait so long to be able to resurrect intelligent beings. The weight of their souls is so, so much greater than those of beasts, and I was expected to carry all of it.

All of my confidence melted away, and all that was left was a scared young elf with no idea what to do.
(cont.)

>>53605617
"Y-you died. I did not rescue you." I stammered, my mask of indifference finally broken. My mind was racing. more and more of Akra's consciousness was pouring through our connection, to the point where my own thoughts were being overwhelmed by hers running free. "I resurrected you. I'm going to make you a... a thrall... you're my plaything. I..."

There was a moment of surprise as her thoughts and feelings withdrew a little, but nothing more than that. From our connection I felt nothing but honest admiration and gratitude, unwavering.

In all my time studying the dead, I had never had even the slightest notion of what it would feel like to have someone's entire existence in the palm of my hand. How did my master deal with this? This empathy? She must have enslaved and consumed countless souls in her lifetime. Was it always like this?

Honestly, it was terrifying. More so than all of the dissections, the soul harvesting trips on old battlefields, the days spent writing letters to ghosts, the many, many nights spent sleeping among corpses.

The fear began to spread, and my knees became weak. I stumbled, and a cold pair of hands reached out to catch me. Akra looked down at me with a smile, and I could still feel all of her thanking me, so happy to be blessed with unlife.

The fear became panic. I could not bring her to my master. If she saw that I had failed to crush my thrall's will, Akra would have her soul scattered and her body disposed of. I had seen too much of this girl to just tear it all away again.

I focused and sharpened my mind into one hard point and spoke a single word, directly into Akra's soul.

"Run."
(cont.)

>>53605764
All of what I was feeling, all of my intentions and everything that was going through my mind was projected into Akra. In an instant she understood what, how and why.

With nowhere to go but up and out of the crypt, we both burst out the doors and began running. The direction didn't matter. Fifteen years of training and diligent study were screaming in my ear, telling me I was being impulsive, reckless. That I was giving up on everything I had ever wanted. That there was still time to stop this. Black storm clouds began swirling overhead, distant thunder sounding off as if to try and push me back to the shelter and familiarity of the necromancer's tower. I just focused on the sound of my feet striking the ground and kept running.

Akra was able to keep pace fairly well, but it was clear that even in her undead state she was too weak to keep it up for long. She was skinny, frail and wouldn't still be running if she could still feel pain.

My whole body was screaming for me to stop and think, to put an end to this insane dash to nowhere. I had spent my whole life thinking, planning everything through. There was never a time when I needed to act on instinct. If I just stopped and collected myself, if I didn't let some strange human's emotions cloud my own, I could-

My thoughts came to a screeching halt at the same moment I did. We had arrived at the waterfront, just as the rain began pouring down. I got maybe ten seconds to stop arguing with myself and look around before I heard that bone-chilling sound.

The ground at my feet turned black, and I jumped back. Up from the soil rose my master, sheathed in the specters and shadows I had once admired her for dominating.

"And here I thought you were ready." Yorsei spoke, her words dripping with venom. "Was taking your first thrall not what you expected?"
(cont.)

>>53605981
"No, no it wasn't." I choked out between wheezing breaths. "It's sick. You're sick. You're all sick." Yorsei frowned. "How can you do this to people? Making bones and dead animals move is one thing, but THIS?" I pointed to Akra, who was standing just an arm's length away. "How can you feel what they feel and still... and still..."

"I truly thought you had the potential, Rasmer." the master looked up to the sky absentmindedly, the rain splattering against an invisible barrier surrounding her. "You were so cold, so calculating. Unfazed by anything we showed you. I've never seen anyone touch death the way you do and come away unchanged." She sighed and, with a flick of the wrist, surrounded her right hand in sputtering green flame. "I'll give you one chance to crush her spirit. You're not the first to have doubts." Her frown turned back into a smile, as though she already knew how this would end.

I hesitated for one last time. I could just end it and return to how things were. I could go back on the path like nothing happened. What I had seen did not phase any of the other apprentices. I was probably just surprised.

Before I could speak, Akra took hold of my arm and pressed herself close. Once again I was reminded of everything that I had to feel running though us, and how little it took for me to gain an understanding of who she was. Necromancy wasn't what I wanted to dedicate my life to anymore, not since I understood what it meant.

I was done second-guessing myself. Recalling the endless drills in flesh-sculpting, I commanded the bones in my fingers to grow long and pointed, forming grotesque claws on my fingertips. I charged forward and began wildly raking my claws through the air, and a terrible whip of green flame extended form the master's hand.

There was a flash of necromantic flame, and three voices all began screaming.

First was mine as I savagely threw myself at Yorsei, her whip raking across my left cheek. Second was the master's.
(cont.)

>>53606219
Just as my claws began to bite into something soft, the third scream echoed not just over the wind, but through me as well. Akra's voice cried out for one last time as a thunderclap boomed overhead, and her fear that had been bleeding over to me came to a sudden halt.

Just as Yorsei began to crumple to the ground, so too did Akra, rapidly crumbling to ash. I turned and started trying to scoop them up, but the wind and rain washed them through my fingers. I tried to scream, running my claws over my face, but the thunder drowned it out.

With nowhere to go and no idea what to do, it was time for me to run again. I ran, and ran, and kept running until I collapsed and blacked out from exhaustion.

For weeks I traveled at a furious pace, never staying in one place for more than a few hours. Most of my recollection from that time is hazy at best. I just kept moving, nothing more.

I eventually shed my necromancer's robes, and started treating the wounded with my knowledge of anatomy. Without realizing it, I soon found myself taking up residence at a small hamlet in the woods in need of a healer. I've been there under the name of Rios for centuries now.

I've lost many patients. Saved many too.

The day I gave up on the path of necromancy was the greatest day of my life. I've told myself that every single day since.

>>53604710
>>53605051
>>53605380
>>53605617
>>53605764
>>53605981
>>53606219
>>53606522
Hooray! A story!

And a really good one at that. This is really well written. Descriptive, yet concise. This is actually a really compelling portrayal of a necromancer. The only slight problem I have is with the ending - it kind of feel like a master necromancer shouldn't go down that easily. Not really sure how you could rewrite that - you don't really want to have them fight each other either, since making the ending a melodramatic action scene seems kind of cheap given the emotional orientation of the story.

Anyway, overall the story was still excellent.

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>>53446190

>>53452017
"You will tell me where those dissidents have set up their supply caches by pointing them out in this here map." Said Martha Stiglitz, a Police Colonel of the KBN, the King's Bureau Networking. Said government organization takes part of its name from the Chancellor of city state of Ravenhurst: Richter King.

Today is just another day for Police Colonel Martha Stiglitz, authorizing search warrants, arrest warrants, reading about some investigations here and there for petty and smaller crimes. And now here she is facing an arrested person suspected of being affiliated with secessionists in terms of knowing about hidden supply depots.

"Our investigations and sources reveal that you, Dalton Boyd. Have been 'acquiring' unusual amounts of medical items, food stuffs and even outdoorsmen gear? You have said to previous interrogators that you have been just extreme coupon shopping, which would explain the large quantities of items along with the legitimate amounts of coupons that the investigators have gathered with your receipts and purchases.

As I have said, the map infront of you in this here desk shows Sector 5 of the city of Ravenhurst, governed by Richter King and his Chancellery. And with this map provided you will tell us where those supposed hidden supply caches and depots are located which are being used by the National Secessionists Organization. Who has been a very annoying thorn in not only Ravenhurst’s side, but for the rest of this nation and its states and you will tell us where those supply caches are hidden and located. Think of it as a way of no longer associating yourself with those filthy secessionists and criminals, but also as a way of atoning for such an act and if you co-operate with the authorities I can guarantee not only a lesser sentence. But also less harsher punishments; let’s say community service?”
(cont.)

>>53609594
Thanks, I actually wasn't happy with how that one went by the end. I had no idea where to take that one once I started it.

I'm glad to hear that my improvisation is improving, at least. Thanks again for having these threads, Chronicler.

>>53467087
That book is actually published and physical copies have been sold

>>53610006
Police Colonel Stiglitz continued. “So what will it be? Co-operate with the authorities and your government while also having a guaranteed lesser sentence, which I promise of as Police Colonel of the city of Ravenhurst? Or continue associating and considering yourself a member of the National Secessionists while facing not only life sentence but also full criminal charges and harsher punishments? And by harsher punishments, I mean facing enhanced interrogation procedures from my subordinate lieutenant Mark Schmidt.”

Police Colonel Stiglitz said as the nervous person in question the looked at the man beside Martha, who indeed is her assigned subordinate lieutenant Mark Schmidt and at times is her lackey as well. Lieutenant Mark Schmidt gave one single nod with his arms crossed as the person in question looked fearfully at Police Colonel Stiglitz again, then at the map of Sector 5, then at her again. Until the nervous man finally made his decision, he is going to give away the locations of the hidden supply caches used by the National Secessionists to avoid harsher punishments and receive less sentencing. And he decided to co-operate as to not to face whatever crueler punishments or possibly even torture under Lieutenant Mark Schmidt.

Finally after the person in questioning gave all the information he knew of the hidden supplies, Police Colonel Stiglitz spoke.

“I believe that’s everything then? Good, thank you for your co-operation mister Mark Boyd.” Police Colonel Sitglitz then got to a small communications device on her desk to call out some personnel. “The person under questioning is done and has marked the possible locations for this caches those secessionists scum use. Take him to holding, just to make sure in case the locations he gave off turn out false.”

Police Colonel Stiglitz said just as she also gave an intimidating look at the person under question, and to which the person under question gulped in fear.

>>53616198
After a few minutes two KBN officers first knocked on the door to which Police Colonel Stiglitz told them to come in, and inside they came to escort the person under question to holding.

“Take mister Dalton Boyd here into holding in case we might have any further questions we need to ask. Also here is the map with all the possible locations of the supply caches. Take it to the intelligence teams so they can also brief tactical too.”

Said Police Colonel Stiglitz as she handed the marked map to one of the officers and the other officer saluted off with a “Yes mam.” And then both officers proceeded to walk the person under question out of the room along with the marked map to be given to the Intelligence Services. Once everyone else except lieutenant Mark Schmidt were out of Martha Stiglitz’s officer as once one of the officers closed the door to her office while leaving. And Police Colonel Stiglitz sat in a more relax way on her chair and smiled and spoke to Lieutenant Mark Schmidt.

“*sigh* I’d say I did myself another good job Mark.”

Lieutenant Mark Schmidt replied as he eased his stern posture and no longer was crossing his arms and faced Martha. “As you always do Martha, as always. That’s by far the third time you manage to squeeze out enough information from a suspect while also intimidating them, which something reserved to for either both the Intelligence Services and interrogators specialize in.”

Martha said while being more laid back on her chair “I’d say there’s nothing with that. That’s just me doing my part of the job, besides. Before I became Police Colonel I also dealt with having to deal with suspects like that. Either beating or arresting them on the field, or interrogating them while either playing good cop or bad cop.”

(cont.)

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>>53579141
Pretty great !

>>53599141

Part 9 - Founding Family


"Erotic Stories" was written on the door of the shop, in letters that were so extremely small that you could scarcely make them out. But it read 'Open' on a signboard in front of the door.

'All right.' said Sana, setting Iza down, who looked at her questioningly. She pressed the lead into Ikalla's hand. 'You're waiting here.'

'Are you serious?' asked Ikalla.

Who would have thought that such books would be sold so openly here, she thought. In Akhor I had to pay an additional coin to the bookseller before he'd sell me the latest volume of "My Husband's Brother." She entered the shop and was welcomed by the typical smell of books that she remembered from her home. A young woman, probably no older than Sana herself, greeted her from a counter. Sana's heart beat faster, and at once she went to the shelves that stood along the walls. I doubt that they have "My Husband's Brother", she thought to herself, but maybe I'll find something similar. Let's see. No. No. Hmm... no. It must be a blonde hero, and he must have a black-haired girl...

Having skimmed her fingers over the book titles she let them drop. She thought back to "My Husband's Brother", which also dealt with a black-haired woman, who let herself be seduced by her blond brother-in-law. Sana shook her head. She went to the saleswoman and, with burning cheeks, asked haltingly: 'I'm looking for... a book with a black-haired woman.'

'Well, we have lots of books...'

'...and a blond hero who seduces her.' Sana saw how the saleswoman looked up at Sana's golden hair for a brief moment; then she came around the counter. She cleared her throat, and led Sana to a shelf.

>>53619883

'Many of my female customers have bought 'Hero of the Imperium' and been really satisfied with it. It's about a blond naval officer in the air fleet, who's secretly in love with his captain. On the day he finally confesses his love, however, the evil Dynasty of the Black Sun attacks. They crash in enemy territory, and together they have to find their way back home and their love for each other. But I must warn you: many scenes are very graphic and indecent...'

'I'll take it.'

'Great. If you like it I recommend the sequels "Agent of the Imperium" and "God of the Imperium".'


Sana shut the door and relaxed.

'What did you find?' asked Ikalla, pointing at the small bag in Sana's hand.

Sana crouched down and let Iza get back up onto her shoulders. She had a bit of troubled conscience about buying a book like this in front of Ikalla. To be honest she still felt a little bad.

'You can lend it to me when you're finished with it.' said the girl, with a grin on her face.

Sana hesitated, and answered: 'I'm not sure. I mean...'

...you're too young for that. She only finished the sentence in her head. It occurred to her that she really shouldn't make judgement like that about Ikalla. Whatever was in the book was probably harmless in comparison to what she'd experienced. Damn, she thought, how should I deal with her anyway? Do I have any idea who I have here? Fifteen... and she's experienced misfortune that I don't even want to imagine.

'I'm sorry.' Sana gave her heartfelt apology. She looked deep into Ikalla's eyes. 'I think I pity you too much. And I don't take you seriously enough. I'm just a bit of an idiot who doesn't understand of other people. Or myself. But when you need someone... I'll be there.'

Ikalla looked back at her without a visible reaction. Then, after an agonising silence, she said: 'Well that was a surprise. Thank you.' The girl smiled and pursed her lips before saying: 'I'd still like to read the book...'

>>53619897

Five o'clock. The bells were ringing. Sana was really tense. She was sitting with Ikalla on a bench, just below another large statue. A man in simple armour, holding a sword. Around them was another great plaza. The long shadows cast by the sun pointed to the approaching evening, and the air was not so warm anymore. A gentle wind fluttered through Sana's hair and blew thin clouds through the sky.

There was a splashing sound, and next to Sana Ikalla exclaimed, 'Oh no. My chocolate filling.' She looked at the girl and saw a big brown lump lying between her legs. It had slipped straight out of the waffle.

'Why does it suddenly have a hole down there?' complained Ikalla.

Sana couldn't resist a smile, and looked up again at the big building opposite them. A royal-blue flag hung on each of the two flagpoles either side of the glass entrance. They had circle in the middle, with a gold background a red 'T'. The doors of the building opened regularly, and Sana would look at the piece of paper from Roa.

'There he is.' she said, not letting the man out of her sight. Sideburns, bald - although his head was round as normal, which Sana put down to Roa's artistic skills. And he was holding an inconspicuous brown case with a handle in his hand.

' Mhmf mf mff', said Ikalla with a full mouth.

Sana grabbed the bag, which now contained the drinking tube, and started to hurry. She shoved the pice of paper in her pocket and said: 'We can't lose sight of him now. He's the reason why we're here at all, and we can't let down Roa now.' The streets were still full at this time, and Sana could sometimes only make out the brown case instead of the man amongst the crowd or behind the floating carriages. She didn't dare look away to see where they were going, but from the corner of her eye the surroundings seemed familiar. She followed him over a wide square and smelled the Grill that they'd got lunch from.

Ikalla said to her: 'From the direction we came.'

>>53619924

Sana looked up again and realised that she was right. Her eyes fixed on the case again, and she followed him into the quarter where the well lay. However, he turned off a few streets before it. Into a quiet ally. Sana hesitated. They could easily be seen here, but before she could say anything he stepped through the gate of a larger property. It was like most of the buildings here, of older construction and without a flat roof like the rest of the houses in the city, having tiles instead. Sana said to Ikalla: 'We'll go past the house, and you'll read the number and the name.'

'Why me?'

'If anyone sees us it'll seem less suspicious if a young girl reads the signs out of curiosity.'

'Do you think so?'

'I have no idea.'


'Finally, I can say something again.' Iza rejoiced, stretching out her wings demonstratively. She reached into the bag, which Sana had put down on Roa's crates, and took out the drinking tube. She sucked it and sat down on a mattress.

Roa had spread out a large map of the city, and leaned back in his chair. Sana and Ikalla stood on either side of it. 'Noven Elgerst, a simple official of the Imperial Bank, goes into the house of the Founding Family, the Onazis.' said Roa.

Ikalla asked: 'Could there have been money in the suitcase?'

Roa answered: 'I don't think so. The founding families are already rich anyway. The little bit that could fit in that case is almost laughable in comparison. But the question is justified, of course.' He looked up at the map of the Imperium and seemed to be thinking.

'Is he friends with someone from the founding family, perhaps?' asked Sana.

Roa shook his head. 'No, the founding families don't have friends. They all live secluded lives, and only come together among themselves, with other founding families.

'What did they found?' Sana asked. 'The city?'

>>53619944

Roa pointed at the map on the wall and said: 'The Imperium. Well, in part. I don't want to torture you with a long history lesson, but the founding families are the aristocracy left remaining from the Second Akantish War. One of the most brutal wars to have ever shaken Akantir. That was what the Imperium was called before the founding. It was also called Akantir of a Thousand Empires. In any case, the Founding Families, together with the rest of the military leadership, the Trimurtian Church, and with help from the five heroes, founded the Imperium that you see there on the map. In the whole Imperium there are twelve Founding Families who choose the Imperator. Today the families occupy all the key trades and important industries, where most of the money can be made. That's why they don't need money, because they already own most of it already.'

Ikalla said: 'And this is the system you support...'

'The people of the Imperium are doing better than ever before. There will never be a civil war again, and our culture reaches unmatched heights.'

'Whatever. Why do you really think that the banker could have something to do with the witches?'

'His mother was a member of the Witch Cult in Trimur. After her death, due to the 'Golden Eye', he was acquitted of complicity. Shortly afterwards he moved to Iskanda to take up work as a banker.'

'The Golden Eye?' asked Sana.

'The Secret Service of the Imperium. The best defence against all internal enemies.'

'They can't be that good if they can't get someone like you.' Ikalla said snappily.

'I'm pretty sure they know exactly where I am, what I do, and where I go, every moment of the day. But for some reason they leave me alone.' He leaned forward and looked at the map again before he said: 'If you've been in contact with the witches, then that changes you. But nothing could be proven against Elgerst. I've had him under surveillance for a long time. Nevertheless, we should pay him a visit.'


----------

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>>53618607
Thanks!

>>53622326
Sauce of the tumblr art? I keep reverse searching but all I keep on getting is LGBT art this, LGBT art that here and there in the results and could not find the artist's tumblr.

I guess the tumblr artist decided to ditch his/her tumblr because of how much of a blue hellsite it is?

>>53616909

Lieutenant Mark Schmidt then spoke again with a grin as he shook his head. "By the way, from earlier when you were questioning Mister Boyd. Advanced Interrogation procedures, seriously? 'Advanced Interrogation?' Heh, where did you learn that politically correct pundit term from?"

Martha Stiglitz replied with a sly grin. "Well I had to make the younger male officer in his early twenties who stands beside me look and feel, 'intimidating and threatening.' I mean come on I have used your prescence to make certain folk more fearful when they're here in my office before. Why you suddenly feel so bothered babe?"

"Hah! I'm not bothered Martha. It’s just I can't help but think at how much of a fucking politically correct pundit term that is, 'Enhanced Interrogations,' pah! Basically it’s just a fancy sugar covered word for fucking torture... And honestly I could never bring nor see myself doing such a thing, no matter how much of criminal and vile scum the suspect in question is. I'll leave that shit to the actual interrogators and Intelligence Services.”

Martha Stiglitz then cooed in a mother-like voice that is meant to comfort a child. “Awwwww! My baby Lieutenant Marky is far more sensitive than I thought. I know, let’s have some kinky time! Mamma’s feels she needs and wants some loving. So come and sit on mama’s lap.” Said Martha Stiglitz as she then got some alcohol to wash her hands with from a drawer in her desk.

Mark Schmidt smiled to that. “Glad to hear it. And I always look forward to that.”

Mark Schmidt first walked to the door of Police Colonel Martha Stiglitz’s office and locked the door along with locking the deadbolt on the office door as well. Then he walked back to Martha as she was still seated on her seat and patted on her lap, beckoning Mark to sit on her laps. And just like that, Mark sat on Martha’s laps and got her hand with her ring on it. He kissed Martha’s ring first, then he kissed her hand.

>>53628836
Then Mark then got Martha’s thumb and index finger and placed it inside his mouth and begun sucking and suckling on it, gaining giggles from Martha. Mark continued sucking, suckling and licking Martha’s thumb and index finger, coating it with his saliva. It continued on for about five minutes till Martha withdrew her fingers from Mark’s mouth, complete with a thin saliva trial. She chuckled how much of her thumb and index finger is covered in Mark’s saliva and then licked and sucked up her thumb and index finger, taking in Mark’s saliva. Then Mark wrapped his arms around Martha’s neck as Martha in turn wrapped her arms around Mark’s hips and both of them begun kissing and making out passionately.

Both of them held on to each other and kissed with mouth and tongue and both of them moaning into each other’s mouths too. Though Mark seems to be moaning much loudly more than Martha as both of their tongues exploring each other’s mouth and both separating for just a few seconds to get a few breaths of air, then crashing each other’s lips to make out again. This kissing-make-out session continued for about ten minutes till finally both Martha and Mark finally got a bit tired from their making out session as they needed to breathe easy.

Martha spoke all while Mark was still on her lap.

“Phew, you’re starting to improve your kissing Mark. Before we kissed on and on for eight minutes. Now it’s officially ten, a new record I must say?”

Martha said with a grin and chuckle as Mark replied with a euphoric smile while he still has an arm wrapped around Martha’s neck.

“Yep, new personal record for the both of us, and of course I’m sure this is just the appetizer huh?” Mark said with eagerness and eyes wide open.

(cont)

>>53629414
“Yeeeesss.” Martha said with another sly grin as Mark got of her hips and kneeled in front of her crotch.

Martha begun unzipping her pants and pulled it down on knee length. And then her panties and thighs are now visible. And Martha did the same to her panties, by pulling it down to her knees as her womanhood is now visible in front of Mark.

“Mhhhmm. I sure am glad to be permanently assigned to be with you Martha.” Mark Schmidt said with bliss while looking up to her.

“And I’m very, VERY glad and happy AND fortunate to have you, an obedient officer who’s also a nice young man and into being submissive to older women.” She said in such a motherly like manner as she gave Mark soothing head pats, making Mark Schmidt smile in such bliss because of such a feeling. “Now pleasure me my baby Marky.”

“Yes mam.” He simply said with pleasurable bliss and placed his lips on Martha’s womanhood, kissing it. Then he licked her opening, then slid his tongue in her and begun thus begun his assault on Martha’s womanhood. Mark kissed and licked as Martha let out hearty moans all while blissfully uttering: “Good boy, good boy.”

And thus is a day for Police Colonel Martha Stiglitz and her lackey Lieutenant Mark Schmidt.

(Da End.)

There you go, I sure hope I’ve helped contribute and keep this thread alive till its post limit.

>>53610006
>>53616198
>>53616909
>>53628836
>>53629414
>>53629548
Nice story. Although I noticed you got your characters names mixed up at one point (In >>53616198 you call the suspect Mark Boyd, then you call him Dalton Boyd here >>53616909). That confused me for a moment. Also, not sure why you chose to call it the King's Bureau Networking, but have the head of government be a Chancellor named King, rather than just an actual King. That tripped me up for a moment and I had to reread it to work out what you meant.

Good contribution though.

>>53630934
>got your characters names mixed up at one point In >>53616198

Damn, thanks for that heads up. Well I guess could you do me a favor thread OP? Ima copypasta >>53616198 just to fix that one error. So that you can use it as a replace-fixed-one when your gonna crop the posts and make the story into an image.

Thanks, I'll copypasta it after this one.

>>53632573
Police Colonel Stiglitz continued. “So what will it be? Co-operate with the authorities and your government while also having a guaranteed lesser sentence, which I promise of as Police Colonel of the city of Ravenhurst? Or continue associating and considering yourself a member of the National Secessionists while facing not only life sentence but also full criminal charges and harsher punishments? And by harsher punishments, I mean facing enhanced interrogation procedures from my subordinate lieutenant Mark Schmidt.”

Police Colonel Stiglitz said as the nervous person in question the looked at the man beside Martha, who indeed is her assigned subordinate lieutenant Mark Schmidt and at times is her lackey as well. Lieutenant Mark Schmidt gave one single nod with his arms crossed as the person in question looked fearfully at Police Colonel Stiglitz again, then at the map of Sector 5, then at her again. Until the nervous man finally made his decision, he is going to give away the locations of the hidden supply caches used by the National Secessionists to avoid harsher punishments and receive less sentencing. And he decided to co-operate as to not to face whatever crueler punishments or possibly even torture under Lieutenant Mark Schmidt.

Finally after the person in questioning gave all the information he knew of the hidden supplies, Police Colonel Stiglitz spoke.

“I believe that’s everything then? Good, thank you for your co-operation mister Dalton Boyd.” Police Colonel Sitglitz then got to a small communications device on her desk to call out some personnel. “The person under questioning is done and has marked the possible locations for this caches those secessionists scum use. Take him to holding, just to make sure in case the locations he gave off turn out false.”

Police Colonel Stiglitz said just as she also gave an intimidating look at the person under question, and to which the person under question gulped in fear.

>>53632591
There I fixed the typo where I mixed up character names.

Please Chronicler, use this >>53632591 as a replacment of >>53616198 when you're gonna gather the posts and crop them into an image in the storythread wiki page in 1d4chan.

Thanks in advance for doing this favor.

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>>53632573
>>53632591
>>53632629
sure, no problem

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I hope this thread is still here in the morning, because I'm still writing something. Which adds a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Things that go bump in the night'.

Anyway, good night everyone.