"Hungry?" I then ended up asking her, just so I had something to get my mind off of what just happened.
"I am... But are you? You come first!" she said to me as she walked away and stopped. Her eyes looking at me with anticipation. Her body just as eager to go and do something.
"I'm fine..." I said to her with a mutter, "Let's just get you something."
"We don't have to do anything, the underlings, your lessers can do it." she explained before she began to guide me elsewhere. Towards what must have been closer to the entrance as the air felt stronger this way. Or, as I was soon to find out, no. It was because the underlings were fighting.
Something that infuriated Salahma but not enough to make her shout so close to my ear. So, instead, I had to stay quiet as a burning sensation went over me. Her aura was doing the shouting for her and I was now wishing she had just shouted. As I was in a lot of pain right now while I was in this aura...
I felt like I was being cooked alive! Yet, all this behaviour I had seen from Salahma made me keep my shouts in. I did not want to be perceived as weak in a place where the weak were clearly killed off! Something that would happen to me if I did not clearly show myself as strong...
But how was I going to show myself as strong when I was currently struggling to stand!? How can I even act strong when my body is covered in burn scars and melted carapace!? The best it seems that I could do was just not react to the pain. But even then, I was still twitching and raring to swear to the orbital-halo above.
"Now! Bring us some food!" Salahma then said with a booming voice before she turned to me with a smile. Her aura having died down in intensity before she then brought us to a... I don't know what it was. Some of those underlings seemed to have shaped themselves into a piece of furniture.
And I was quiet the entire time I was forced to sit down on it. Trying my best to ignore the growls coming from the underlings before I was then sat on. Or, rather, sprawled out on as she wanted to cover each bit of me. I also hope it was not to annoy the underlings under me.
I did not want any part in these power struggles, I just wanted to get out of here and go on home. Of course, how I would get home now was an issue... I saved the airship, I must have. But, how would I even get back to it...?
My body is in no position to handle the strain of a long journey now. If I come across more valley-riders, I am dead. If I find another earth shaman, I am dead. To say nothing of getting away from this place!
What was I even going to do...? Seriously, what was I going to do? I guess I could pray for help, but how would the gods hear me? They can only clearly hear you near a shrine or a holy artefact...
"Right..." I then let out as my head went down slightly. Unintentionally, putting it directly before Salahma's face as she looked up at me. Her face doing all the expressions I have seen Rose try before. I was even having to put up with some erotic grinding from her.
She was really relentless in this, wasn't she...? She might have been even more eager than Rose was back in her flower... Which was probably a bad thing. My body was not strong enough to resist.
At least with Rose, I could gently force her away. Salahma, however, would roughly force me as close as she could. She'd probably snap my back in two in the process as restraint doesn't seem to be something she knows. Let alone understands.
"I wonder what you want to do with that arm?" I was asked suggestively as I was forced to pull it out from under her breast. Her lips being chewed on as I had to exert myself just to slide it on through. And I was just going to pretend I never heard that squeak she made when it just went past her. Having caught on one of those scale bra things as I got it out.
"There you are..." I mumbled while looking at my bracelet which was thankfully fine. Even if the arm around it was all messed up by my prior fight with Salahma.
"What's that little thing?" I was asked by Salahma as she carelessly prodded away at it with her tongue.
"It's a gift from a friend." I answered with before she then moved to take it off of me. Her eyes narrowing as she looked at it more intensely. Something that left me uncomfortable as that was mine... It was a gift from Motrtha, she said it would protect me...
And I really would like some divine protection right now...
"These are symbols for the Goddess of Mothers... Why would you have something like this?" she then asked me as her face showed her anger. And I most dearly hoped it was not anger directed at me.
"I just said it was a gift from a fri-"
"More like a lover." she interrupted as she rose up. Her chest becoming clear for me to see before her claws rested themselves on my chest. Steadily pressing down on them to the point it began to hurt in and of itself.
"No, it was just a fri-"
"No she isn't, if she gave you this she wants to be a mother." she quietly told me before leaning down.
"You don't know what you're talking about..." I quietly said while looking away. My left eye watching those teeth of hers carefully as they got closer.
"Possibly, but, in the event that I am right. I will give you all the reason in the world and beyond to want me instead." I was told before her tongue came out and went over my face. A thin trail of saliva having been left by it before she smiled. Her mouth soon gently suckling on my carapace. A grand contrast of how we felt, she wanted to have sex, and I was terrified and scared for my life.
"Can I have the bracelet back?" I asked her, mostly thinking she was going to say no.
"I suppose, you do seem a lot better with it on." she whispered into my ear. A frown forming shortly after when she said that. Another time that has been said by someone. Maybe I needed to look into this more seriously...
It can't be coincidental that another woman has said these kind of things with the bracelet on. But, if what I was thinking about was correct, then... Why did most people I come across hate me so badly? Or did it only do something to those who had a positive view of me...?
But then why did Rose abandon me if that was the case? Why did Einervaene before Lari spoke to her? Was I just overthinking this? Did they just think I looked better with it on...?
I probably was overthinking this but I would rather overthink than think on my current problems. Even still, knowing what Einervaene had said to me, maybe I should look into it. See if I can ward off the problem of her opening up to me by... Just proving it was because of magic or something.
But what would I do if she kept up with it? What if these feelings existed despite the bracelet? What would I do then? Would I just have to take it head-on and unfortunately have to tell her the bad news?
Lari was the one who I had my eyes on. And, while Einervaene was a loving, beautiful, sexy woman in her own right... She just did not make me feel the same way as Lari did. Lari was there for me at my worst and made me better, I can't just ignore that.
Can I...? Can I ignore it and just let my feelings for Lari slide just so I can leave Einervaene happy? But why did I have to compromise myself just for someone else? Hadn't I done enough sacrifices for two lifetimes!?
"Undwote find me already..." I then moaned out against Salahma's face.
"You won't need him to find you, but these lot might!" she said to me with a purr before she turned around to snap her jaws. A large portion of meat quickly being flown in before Salahma snatched it. That same meat being offered up to me tenderly the next moment just afterwards.
"Thank you..." I said to Salahma quietly before I went to take off a strip. Something that made her look at me with confusion before she then just bit into it. A bloody chunk coming off as she moved her head back. A sight that made me uncomfortable as while I knew cooked meat was easier to tear...
It was just very nauseating to see it eaten so viciously. Especially when the spilt blood was being licked off of me and her face with blissful moans. And, if I was honest, the sounds following the death of her son... Well, they had put me off of meat if I was honest.
But, I was hungry, very hungry, so I ignored it and ate. Taking slow bites while also tearing off little strips while she kept taking chunks. A relaxed expression on her face before she began to suckle the bone with a blush. It was clear what she was alluding to, but I just could not enjoy the thought of it.
Even if she did not quite pick up on that. Instead, she just brought the bone closer to my ear so I could hear it more clearly. The way her wet lips smacked together and the way her tongue went about it all. And, of course, the pop at the end when she took it out of her mouth.
"Tasty..." she whispered into my ear just after she was done with that bone. And following that she began to look down with a smirk and move a claw down. Her body paying close attention to the envy our chair was letting out. A knowing smile being directed at me that I wish she did not.
I was doing that a lot recently, wishing. Wishing for so much but I really should know by now it would get me nowhere. I just had to do it myself. So maybe for now I should try that.
"Excuse me." I wheezed out in pain as I got up, her body clinging on to me for most of the way.
"Where are you going, Nin? You haven't eaten much! Nin?" she began to say as I hobbled towards where the entrance must have been. A disappointed expression on my face once I got there. This cave we were in was at the top of a mountain just in line with the clouds. I could not see a way out and I could not test a way out either...
"Someone, please..." I muttered before I collapsed to the ground. My eyes flinching and twitching as the pain just felt much worse now. It hurt a lot and so much of it would just not go away. I needed a strong magic source...
Like when I reached the top of the mountain Thrurstradtur is on... Or like how when Vapooliar or Einervaene healed me after a fight. Practice or to the death... I just needed someone or something that could heal me...
"Why are you out here? Stay close to me in future." Salahma said to me. None of her care being directed towards my injuries but rather if I was near her or not... A detail that infuriated me to no end. Yet, I could not let it out as I was too scared.
Too scared of a potential death and further injury, "Can you take me higher, please?" I then just sort of asked her while I laid on the floor.
"Okay? Yes, I can!" she answered unsure at first before she became confident. Her claws quickly holding on to me before her wings took us up. Relaxing winds in my face before she then put us down on some water. Or, well, melted snow by the looks of it.
"Thank you." I said to her once I was in a somewhat comfortable position. My claws did need to dig in, though. She wasn't just melting the snow, the stone was becoming sloppy as well. Something that surprised me if I was honest. I was putting up with that kind of heat when she hugged me...?
Magic really has changed my body, hasn't it? There once was a time a heated pan made my skin burn and scar. But now, now I needed to be hit by someone who casually made stone start to melt slightly. That is what it took for me to be burned nowadays.
But enough on burns, that seemed to make my injuries hurt more. Instead, I wanted to focus on the clouds I saw. Unfortunately, it was nothing but clouds and I could see no land beyond some more mountain tips. Or, they just soared straight past the mountain.
I did find some enjoyment from this, though, if I looked carefully, I could just make out Thrurstradtur. And, of course, the big mountain whose name I can never remember. Now if only the winds coming from it reached here. I needed some strong magic near me to heal and it seems like Salahma didn't want to help...
"So why did you want to come up here?" my attacker asked me as she tightened her grip on me. Her head soon resting on my upper chest while one of her claws fiddled with one of mine.
"To get away from them." I somewhat lied with a quiet voice. My eyes focusing on the smoke that left her mouth after she laughed. A hearty cloud of smoke from a hearty laugh, great.
"Why? You are so much stronger than them. My horns being broken by your strength is proof of that."
"Last I checked they aren't covered in burn marks and melted bug shell." I bitterly commented. Her response making me particularly angry. She looked at me to roll her eyes...
"These injuries will heal, don't worry about them. I haven't spent so long with a fine set of horns just to lose the one who broke them."
"Ignoring the pain itself, it is very difficult to move because I have fused together body parts... This won't heal on its own."
"It will, now quit your moaning or I will treat you like an underling if you want?" she said with a slight growl. My silence satisfying her to the point she rewarded me with a nose rub. If I wasn't scared for my life, I'd probably have been sarcastic about it. But, well, I was very much scared for it.
I then sighed and loosened my grip on the stone, "Why did you attack us?" I asked her as I slid down.
She tightened her grip on me and pulled me closer, "Those hwardgon on your machine. They had stolen something valuable from me. But, I have put it aside because I now have something so much greater." she explained as her tongue licked at me again.
A very slight sneer on my face as she did so, "And what did they take from you?"
"An underling of mine, proof of my power. An attack on my draconic pride."
"Draconic?"
She then suddenly got embarrassed, "Yes, I know I am a wyvern... Not a dragon. But that's just the word for it, okay!?" her tone getting increasingly defensive.
"I can't say the difference matters much to me." I said to her as I genuinely did not understand the finer aspects of it.
"It matters to me, though... It matters a lot... I am strong, I know I am. But... I am just strong amongst the weak..." she then said to me as she put her mouth next to my carapace. Her ember-filled breath feeling particularly warm.
"I think I get you." I commented after some thought. Memories of how easily I was beaten in that arena coming back. When that fight first started, I thought I might have been able to win. I was so disproportionately strong up to that point...
With the exception of Brewbrt, of course. But he was an exceptional, exceptional exception in my life at that point. So was Vapooliar, I suppose. I never bested her in anything regarding strength.
Unless I wanted to be dishonest regarding what happened when I escaped the hive. When I beat that earth shaman by driving a broken leg into his eye. Of course, I couldn't be dishonest about it, it mattered too much to me. I knew full well I only won because it lost its staff on the way down the mountain.
Yet, now that magic was on my mind again, "So how come you never let your magic calm down?" I asked her.
"Undraconic. I am strong... We who descend from Jaadagroen are strong... We must make sure our strength is always present. And you will need to learn that, too." she explained before she stared intently at me.
"You want me to just let my magic flow uncontrollably?" I asked her as I returned the stare. Moving my head back slightly when she pressed her near-human face on my osibindah one.
Her warm breath going over me before she said anything, "Yes, please do so. Let me get used to your strength." she said with anticipatory excitement. A ghost of a smile forming as I thought on it. I had been working for nearly a year to not do that...
But, fine, "This better?" I asked as I felt my body relax in a non-physical manner. And, it felt odd, I had gotten used to having a finer sense of control with my magic. But now I was just letting it all out. It was odd and out of place.
"I am surprised you broke my horns if I am being honest." she said to me with disappointment. Just before she transitioned from a pout to an eager smile.
"Maybe I am just keeping some of it in? Just letting it out isn't what I have been taught to do."
"Then I guess that your mate will have to teach you the right way of doing things." she said before she licked from my chin to the tip of my snout.
But, I could see this being useful indeed, "I implore you to teach me well, then." I told her while I focused on the others. Would this help them find me easier? If I just let my magic flow they might find me? Were they familiar enough with my magic, though?
"There is a lot I will have to teach you, some of it you will learn on your own, though." she said to me as she moved my claw closer to her breast. Forcing it to take its weight and squeeze it.
"That sounds more like a learning experience for us both." I replied with before I tried to move my hand off of her breast. A mixture of reasons in my head as to why I wanted to do so. Yet, interestingly enough for me... I just felt uncomfortable touching such a place with an osibindah's claw...
"Why are you not eager to have your way with me? I am pure-skinned, voluptuous, fertile, busty... And, as some humans have said, sexy. So what is holding you back? I have already made it clear I want you, and that you can do, anything to me." she said as she pressed herself tighter against me. As if to emphasise her willingness to have sex with me.
"I just have things on my mind." was what I said to her as I did not want to say what it actually was. Just because I was not close to her, she had no right to know. I did not know her or care for her. I hated her.
"When we were fighting, before I left you under the assumption you were weak, I was attacked." she began to say, something that made me want to snort in annoyance.
"When the lightning struck you?" I said, knowing she was probably on about Einervaene.
"Yes, she was desperate to help you. Just like I would be if you were defending me. Are you perhaps still thinking of her? Have I not won you over?" she asked me while frowning. Those questions made me want to frown, too. Mostly because it made me think of Einervaene's confession.
"No, you have not won me over. I did not break your horns intentionally."
"Wether or not you broke them intentionally is of no concern. It just matters to me that you did, but, if that is the case, then, I have some work to do, don't I?"
"What are you planning?" a slight glare forming in my eyes.
"Nothing, admittedly, I am just curious. If she is keeping your mind off of me, then, well, I guess we will have to make it obvious where you are?"
"You want to fight her?"
"Not just fight her, I want her to submit to me. If you want more mates, that is your right, but I will have your attention, not her." Salahma declared to me with confidence.
I looked off in the distance after she said that, then I looked at my aura, "Well, let's hope she comes then." I commented for different reasons. Maybe, just maybe, I could be the one saved this time. I didn't have to save myself or save another, they can save me.
Einervane and her majestic lightning that boomed across the sky to strike Salahma down. Vadei and her snappy barbs to distract this wyvern and gash open her pride. Lari to douse all her fires and make the burns go away... I wanted that to happen so bad.
So I looked at the confident wyvern who looked at me with lust. And I made what should be my final wish for the day. I wished she would die a horrible death at their hands. That I could finally be on my way home again.