Chapter 61 - Advanced Aura Mechanics
Gwen sat upright at her desk, awaiting the arrival of Professor Soveliss. A few other students were in the room, but it was mostly empty. She wondered if a lot less students decided to continue on this track. Professor Soveliss was far from an easy teacher, but he was kind and fair. The content of the class was just very complicated.
The class wasn't as empty as originally thought; Most of the students were arriving at the last minute. For a moment, Gwendolyn considered getting an extra half-hour of sleep tomorrow, but decided that would be wildly irresponsible. "Do better," her father had written. She could practically hear his voice. She would do better. She would be the best; for father, for mother, for Sir Strand.
For Tess.
Gwendolyn shook the thought from her mind. She didn't have time for distractions right now. She had to focus.
Class began with the Professor handing back their books, where they conducted the pre-exam to see how much information they recalled from the Basics class. Gwendolyn scored slightly above average. She scowled at the thought of it. She missed such obvious questions!
"Overall, I believe the class as a whole is prepared to go through the Advanced lessons, after our recap last week. Due to scoring the highest on the pre-exams, and the highest in the Basics class as a whole, I would like to extend a congratulations to…"
"Please be me," Gwendolyn thought, "Please be me. I need something to write back to father; I need to restore his confidence in me."
"Miss Chaezona."
Gwendolyn's heart ached. She looked over to the recipient of the honor. Lulu Chaezona. Pale as a ghost, hair as black as night and large, amber eyes. She hardly ever spoke. Never asked questions! Gwendolyn always asked questions; always participated. How could Lulu have done so well? How could she have done better than Gwendolyn?
She must've cheated.
Shaking her head, Gwen realized the bitterness in her thoughts. She had let distractions get the better of her in the last class. Lulu didn't. Lulu was better. Gwen frowned, further disappointment weighing her down until she sunk in her seat.
The class applauded for Lulu, whose expression didn't shift. Gwendolyn held at bay her dark thoughts for the dark woman.
"Let's begin," Soveliss announced.
The class moved at a slow pace. Slower than Gwendolyn needed. That was a point of pride, at least. She felt like she could answer some of the other students' questions, but she dared not appear so arrogant. There was still a little bit of review, but it was brief.
"Using your gifts will draw in the light of Thyr that's been trapped within the Black Sun. It attaches to your soul, giving you the smallest fraction of the fury of a blazing star."o
Gwendolyn recalled such events in the Void. They would act and begin to glow. They would burn with light. Gwendolyn could remember the feeling; power, speed, rage. It was an addiction, for sure, but maybe if she knew how to control it, the fight in the swamp would have gone differently. She could only remember bits and pieces; It had gone by so fast. Spider-creatures all around her, a massive, powerhouse of a monster swinging hammerfists her way. The thought gave her chills. The memory of the pain gave her aches in her ribs.
"This is your aura and it can be harnessed. There are ways to draw more of it, to wield it more effectively, and there are some things that a gift can only do when enhanced by an aura," Soveliss explained, "Some exceptional powers are gated until unlocked by the presence of an aura.
"There are varying degrees of auras," Soveliss continued. Gwendolyn was scribbling notes furiously to keep up with the Professor's explanations.
"First there is glowing. This stage is relatively easy to reach. It is unlikely that you have a fight without reaching this stage in aura generation. While it does make you slightly faster, slightly stronger, it doesn't tend to alter your abilities in any way.
"Next is fiery. This occurs after some exceptional uses of gifts, or a great deal of typical use. At this stage, just being near you is going to harm foes. You may find that you are capable of exceptional talent here.
"Radiant is the third stage. This stage is most easily recognized by the eyes turning white. The whole body glows bright. You'll have unlocked new, miraculous, unbelievable abilities. It typically takes pretty special situations or dutiful training to reach this level of control."
Gwendolyn focused on that word: dutiful. That is something that she could do. She was going to train and train and train until she could reach a radiant aura just by sheer force of will.
"Lastly," Soveliss continued.
This drew Gwen's attention once more. She leaned forward in her seat, attentively watching Soveliss for more information.
"And this is not confirmed," Soveliss explained, "But there is a theorized fourth stage. We have labeled it 'incandescent.' There has been one instance of an incandescent aura being attained, but whether this was the case or not, the wielder's aura burst into a catastrophic explosion, like a star undergoing a supernova, destroying much of the void pocket that he was in, and killing himself in the process."
"Professor," one of the other students asked, "Who was that person?"
"A man named Henry Ostmyrr," Soveliss replied, "He used this power to kill the Betrayer."
"Sir," Gwendolyn spoke up, "How do we know that's what happened?"
"There were a few others with him," Soveliss said with a thoughtful sigh, looking up toward the ceiling as he searched his memory, "Maeros the Mad, Krahe, Harkroth St-..."
"The Valkenlord?!" One of the students blurted out, "He was there at the defeat of the Betrayer?"
"He is the only survivor of the battle that is still alive today," Soveliss replied with a nod.
"I thought Elnaril was present?" A few other students spoke up, acknowledging this same sentiment.
Soveliss shook his head, "Elnaril was killed by the Betrayer about ten years before that time."
"Sir," Gwendolyn spoke up once more, "Why don't we hear more about Henry Ostmyrr? I wasn't even aware he was at the battle with the Betrayer, and he was the one who landed the killing blow?"
"Henry's story is complicated, and it doesn't lend a pretty light upon civilization as a whole, or the story of the Betrayer's defeat. When discussing the story to young children, Henry is often excluded. His side of the story is dark, to say the least."
"What is it?" A student asked.
Soveliss waved it away, "You can take a history class for that. Let's get back to Auras."
Chapter 62 - Meditation
For training today, Mairaela was instructed to follow the teacher's assistant, a woman named Filly Morgan. She was cute, but younger than Mairaela by a good deal. She was pretty certain that the girl was only 19 years old and already a TA for Scirocca. She was apparently a natural star mage and a disciplined student in the college. She must be, to have impressed Scirocca enough to learn under her.
Filly was about 5'6", brown hair, blue eyes. She was more cute than beautiful, but Mairaela appreciated that. She seemed to be pretty clumsy and socially awkward, bumping into things and going "Umm" and "Uhh" a whole lot. Mairaela thought it was pretty funny. Still, it made it hard to appreciate her as a wise superior that was supposed to help her learn.
Filly led Mairaela into a small room with a chamber that had a tall, steel chamber that reached from floor to ceiling. On the front of it was a hefty door with two runes engraved on either side of it. They were marked with three layered constellations of vibrantly colored powders encased in glass tubing. Filly brought Mairaela into the room and shut the door behind her. The inside of the room looked like it was covered in oddly shaped pillows. It was quiet here.
"Here we are," Filly said, directing Mairaela to the steel chamber, "You'll want to undress." Mairaela did as required, popping open the buttons of her shirt, which opened up in relief, exposing her bra-covered chest. The undergarments she decided to wear today were of the bare-minimum variety, which Mairaela was grateful for. Anything to get a blush out of Filly; She was just so cute to tease!
Filly began to turn around and Mairaela insisted, "Ma'am, please watch to make sure that I do it right."
"Uhh.. What? You're… you're just undressing. You know how to do that," she said, remaining turned around, but craning her head to the side to glance at Mairaela out of the corner of her eye.
"Well, should I take my bra off? It's pretty small, so can you check to see if it would be okay?" Mairaela spoke in an innocent, naive voice. All she had to do was mimic Tess! Easy.
Filly turned around, her face already as red as a strawberry, highlighting those freckles on her face. "Um.. yes, uh.. You'll want to take that off.." Filly insisted.
"Oh, okay," Mairaela hummed, as though she didn't understand what naked meant. She pulled the cups of the bra up over her chest, letting those heavy breasts spill out of their confines, bouncing and swaying. Filly pinched her lips together, her eyes glued to Mairaela's chest. The Fey was used to that. She had some great tits and she knew it!
"What about my belt?" She asked.
Filly nodded with a dumb smile on her face.
Mairaela pulled the belt apart, wiggling her hips to work those tight pants down over her ass. It was quite the effort, given the big butt she had, but she was used to it. Of course, she had to turn around for it, too. She looked back over her shoulder to see Filly definitely not making eye contact. Mairaela smirked, finally getting those pants down over her hips. It was easier to peel those skin-tight leathers the rest of the way after that.
Turning back around to face Filly, "Even my panties?"
Filly slowly nodded her head, only able to mumble, "Uhh-..."
"Okay," Mairaela said, hooking her thumbs into her underhead, tilting her hips forward a little as she pulled her underwear down. Admittedly, undressing in this way had her a little turned on, so the gusset of her underwear stuck to her wet sex for just a moment while the rest of it lowered. She stood there for a moment, hip thrust to the side, one hand resting upon it and the other tossing her hair back over her shoulder, "Even my earrings?"
Filly just stared, gazing at Mairaela's wonderful form for quite some time before she looked up at the Fey and blurted, "Wh-what?"
"My earrings. Do I take them off, too?"
"Uhm.." Filly started, pausing, glancing down Mairaela's body once more before she had to close her eyes and shake her head clear, "Y-yes."
"Oh, you shook your head but said yes…"
"Y-yes! Take them off. Everything off," Filly replied, taking deep breaths, "Um.. we'll put you in the tank, now."
"Tank? Is it going to fill with water?"
"Oh, no," Filly insisted, keeping her eyes off of Mairaela's body as best she could, "It's already full." She pried the door open to reveal an open chamber full of clear liquid. The runes on the outside of the door glowed for a moment, and the water didn't spill out even a drop.
Mairaela's eyes widened. That was quite the creative ritual there. She wondered how many attempts it took to figure that one out. She reached out to press her hand into the liquid, drawing it back. Her hand came back completely dry. The liquid couldn't escape.
"I assume I'm going to wear something to keep me from drowning? And it's not going to, like… pull out my blood when I step out, is it?" Mairaela asked, "Seems like a painful way to go."
"Oh! There's a rune on the inside, at the bottom, see? That'll let you breathe in it. And no about the blood, but… wow, that's a good point! I never thought of that," Filly replied, stroking her chin.
Mairaela's eyes grew lidded as she stared at Filly in disbelief, "You're kidding me."
"I am," Filly nodded, "So you're going to step in and I'll close the door behind you. It's a sensory deprivation chamber. It's got enough salt in it to keep you afloat, but not so much that you'll bump your head. We had to measure it based on your weight and shape. It's quite the science!"
Mairaela lost interest the moment Filly mentioned salt, "So what do I do?"
"You'll just float. The darkness, the weightlessness, the silence. It'll be peaceful. Meditate. Think about your Void Exercise. Think about your soul. How can you get into harmony with it? How can you find peace so that you can defy more laws of reality while you're in the Void? Things like that, but honestly? I've found more success in just letting your mind take you wherever it goes."
Mairaela nodded her head, "Should I start now?"
"Umm.. yes," Filly replied, "I'll open the door in, uh… a couple hours, okay?"
"Okay, just.. Make sure that I don't come out gasping for air before you lock the door."
"Umm.. sure!"
It was hard to have much confidence in Filly, but Mairaela supposed she would try today, "Scirocca said that we could actually advance by doing this?"
"Mhm," Filly replied, "It's significant, but a lot smaller than an Old Gods' boon. But possible."
Mairaela nodded, stepping toward the tank, firm breasts bouncing as she stepped. She assumed Filly would be staring at her ass as she walked in. The feeling of entering a layer of water in a vertical direction was a little disorienting, but when she did, she found herself floating almost exactly in the middle, and able to breathe. It was a frightening experience, but she grew used to it with some time.
She gave Filly a thumbs-up and the TA shut the door. The moment she did, everything went silent. Everything went dark. She was weightless; floating.
Chapter 63 - Do Better
As far as scores in the classroom, Gwendolyn was still behind Lulu, and that fact drove her crazy. She needed to get top marks, to be the best in the class, so that she could impress her father. She needed to. She needed to do better.
"Could you stop that?" A student asked her. She was garbed in red, with flame tattoos up her arms. A fire witch in training, it looked like. Hadn't earned her goggles yet, though, so pretty new to it.
Gwendolyn realized she was fidgeting with her inkpen, tapping it against the table rapidly, making quite a bit of noise, and biting her lip. She pulled her teeth from her lip and could taste blood. She felt sore, realizing that her whole body was tense. "Do better," she thought, "Do better."
"Right," she said back to the fire witch. She should've apologized. Would apologizing be weak or was it the knightly thing to do? Gwendolyn wasn't sure anymore.
She scored well on her last test, but Lulu just edged out as the winner. Gwendolyn was irritated. She couldn't stop staring at the back of Lulu's head. She should sit in the front. She shouldn't be in the middle. What was she doing? I'm being lazy. Move to the front. Go. Do it now.
Gwendolyn rose from her seat, grabbing her belongings and stepping forward to find a seat at the front. The only one she could get was the seat directly beside Lulu. There was a sense of joy in the thought that no one wanted to sit next to her. Gods, why was she thinking this way? She was a knight.
"Mind if I sit here?" Gwendolyn asked Lulu, gesturing at the seat beside her.
Lulu looked over and nodded her head, "Be my guest, Dame."
So she did know Gwen, or at least she noticed the person who was on her ass when it came to grades. Was she nervous that Gwendolyn would overtake her?
"So," Soveliss began the class, "Last week we discussed the stages of Thyr's aura, and, well… more history than this class needed to talk about. Who can remind the class how one can gain an aura the quickest?"
Gwendolyn shot her hand up. Soveliss picked her and she explained, "Performing feats according to your gift."
Soveliss nodded, "That's the basic method. What's the more difficult method?"
Gwendolyn's mind went blank. Gods, what was it? She could remember discussing it. She began to flip through her notes, scanning through the pages as quickly as she could, before she heard Lulu's voice, "Performing in ways that Uthr would approve of. Self-sacrifice most of all."
"Perfect," Soveliss responded, "That's a difficult one to remember. Thank you both."
Gods, Gwendolyn knew that. Why couldn't she think of the answer in time?! Instead she let Lulu take the answer. Gwendolyn pushed a shaky hand through her hair. Do better. Do better.
Another student raised his hand. Did Gwendolyn miss a question? Stupid!
"Do corrupted lost souls have an aura?" The student asked. Oh, thank the gods, it was just a question that the student had, not a question that the professor asked.
"They do, but not like we have," Soveliss explained, "In fact, theirs is the reason that they are so dangerous. Theirs is composed of the absence of light. When getting close to them, it can pull your own aura away."
One of the students behind Gwendolyn blurted, "Oh, shit."
"Oh, shit is right," Soveliss responded, "They draw their power from the Black Sun, and unfortunately while we're in the void, the Black Sun is all around them. This is why it typically takes an entire team to defeat a singular corrupted soul." Soveliss sighed, "It's recommended that you keep your distance as much as possible so that they cannot drain your aura. Ranged gifts are extremely important against corrupted souls."
Gwendolyn scribbled down in her notebook, marking Mairaela's name beside the rest of what she'd written. She paused for a moment. She slowly wrote down "Tess?"
"Now, what do you expect would happen if two auras merged together?"
Gwendolyn's hand went up, and once called on, she said, "Both auras would be enhanced.
"Not necessarily," Soveliss replied. Gwendolyn's heart dropped. She felt sick. Tears almost welled in her eyes.
"Yes, Lulu?"
Gwen hadn't even seen Lulu's hand go up. Her eyes were down, looking at her notes.
"Both auras would combine into one, stronger aura, but only equivalent to the two added together," Lulu explained, "This is why it isn't necessarily any better to merge auras. It adds up the same, but if you want to hurt something all in one burst, it's good for that."
Soveliss nodded his head, "Good thoughts on the strategy involved. I don't think we've gone over that just yet."
Gwendolyn's stomach was in knots. Do better, Gwen. She needed to fucking do better, that fucking-...
Suddenly, she felt ill. Her insides were all twisted. Her hands were shaking. Her chest hurt. Her throat was tight. She couldn't breathe.
Gwendolyn shot out of her seat and made her way to the back of the room, toward the door. She left her belongings at her desk, pushing the doors open.
Once the door closed, she bent forward and braced herself with her hands upon her knees. Her chest was heaving, her brow was dripping sweat. "What is wrong with me," She thought, "Now I'm skipping class?"
A few students were approaching from down the hallway, so Gwendolyn jogged toward the gardens. Soveliss' classroom wasn't too far from it, so she managed to weave through the bushes and find a spot that was relatively concealed from the outside. Gwendolyn's legs were shaking.
She clumsily dropped to the ground, resting upon her hands and knees. Her chest was hurting so, so much. She couldn't stop breathing heavily; rapidly. Tears dripped from her eyes. She felt like her head was going to explode.
"What are you doing?!" She screamed in her mind, "Get ahold of yourself!"
"Haa.. You're.. haa~.. a knight.. haa," she gasped and wheezed, "Stop-.. Haa.. s-stop.. Do better…" She began to sob, tears dripping into the grass, and she thought, "Do better, you fucking idiot. Do better, do better."
She collapsed forward, remaining on her knees but resting on her forearms and bawling into the grass.
Gwendolyn howled in agony.
Chapter 64 - Fox
The walk to the training yard was a frustrating one. Tess had to wake up before the sun rose just to get to her early start time with Sergeant Howlcrag. She was bitter about the assignment. She hadn't yet worked with Sergeant Howlcrag but she was certain that he was going to be angry with her for not having any prior experience; no gift.
The path to the training yard was outside of the castle and a long walk up one of the mountain trails. There were a few snowcapped trees here or there, but it was mostly just rocks. Especially so when she got into a bit of a gully. It wasn't a tall one, but it was about twice her height. The sides were perfect 90-degree cliffs either. She could climb them if she really had to.
As she walked, a small stone slipped down the side of the gully and fell in her path. Tess looked up toward the top of the gully and saw a white fox with a big, bushy tail. It stared at her with bright, blue eyes.
"Oh," Tess said, stopping in her tracks and looking up at the fox, "Hello. You're not going to attack me, right?" She searched her knowledge of animals and twisted her face up a little, "I'm… pretty sure foxes don't attack humans." The fox cocked its head to the side. "You're a really pretty fox, you know that? Do you want to follow me? Become my companion forever and ever? Maybe I can develop a gift of 'foxes.'"
"There's something weird about that animal," Miri spoke softly, worriedly, in her mind, "I don't think it's a fox."
"What else could it be?" Tess asked, "One of your demon buddies?"
"Tess," Miri said with some seriousness, trying to draw Tess into that same serious state.
"Okay," Tess said, looking up at the fox, "What are you, fox? Can you nod if you're not a fox?"
The fox did not nod, but to Tess' relief. Instead, it turned around and began to trot off and out of sight.
"Follow it," Miri insisted.
"What?" Tess spoke aloud, "I'd be late to training. Howlcrag would kill me for being late on the first day. I'm not doing that."
"Tess," Miri said again, "I'm serious. Follow it, or I'm going to be as annoying as I possibly can during your training. And no more sex!"
"Oh, please," Tess rolled her eyes, "I don't believe that last one at all."
"That obvious, huh?" Miri replied, "Listen, positive reinforcement, or whatever, I'll do something really hot for you tonight if you go after that fox. Okay?"
Tess could feel her pants tightening at the thought of Miri's surprise, "Alright. Deal." Tess turned and began to climb up the side of the gully. She slipped on some loose rocks, but she otherwise managed to get to the top. Sure enough, the fox was waiting for her just ahead, staring at her.
Raising a brow, Tess began to approach, "What the fuck is up with this fox?" She began to walk toward it and the fox trotted off toward a small patch of trees and a large boulder jutting out of the ground. Tess followed, but the fox was faster. Thankfully, it seemed to wait for her every few seconds, stopping and turning to watch Tess slowly approach.
"Sorry, sorry," Tess said, putting her hands up with guilt, "I'm coming."
She rounded the boulder and saw the fox already digging into the snow. Tess slowly approached and dropped to her knees beside the growing hole in the snow. She started digging through it. Eventually, through the snow, appeared a brown lockbox with iron banding. Tess pulled it out and set it into the snow. "How did you know this was here?" She asked the fox.
"Told you it wasn't a fox," Miri spoke in Tess' mind.
Tess tried opening the lockbox but, as expected, it was locked. "I don't have a key," Tess spoke to the fox. It lowered its head, opened its mouth, and out dropped a small key covered in slobber. "Well, that's gross, but thank you," Tess took the key and inserted it into the lockbox. With a twist, it clicked and came open. Within it was a small, yellow, velvet pouch and a pair of brown gloves.
Tess picked out the gloves and looked them over. There was string wrapped around the ring finger on each glove, bound onto it by wrapping around the wrist as well. The strings supported a coin in the palm. The left hand held a gold coin, the other was silver. Both of them were a currency that Tess hadn't seen before.
The fox was watching her inspecting the items.
Picking up and emptying the yellow pouch into her palm yielded a silver chain. The chain held onto it a silver symbol of a fox.
"Don't put it on," Miri whispered, as though the fox might hear her. Sure enough, the fox turned to look at her when Miri planted those words in Tess' mind. The thought gave Tess chills.
"Is this for you?" Tess asked, holding up the chain to the fox. The fox turned around and began to trot away. "Thank you!" Tess called out after it, stuffing the chain and gloves into her belt pouch.
"That was so fuckin' weird…" Tess murmured.
"This isn't good," Miri spoke with a sense of urgency, "Don't put those items on, okay? Not ever."
"What is it?" Tess asked, beginning her walk back to the gully, "What was that fox?"
"I don't know for certain, and I don't want to plant ideas into your head. We need to do some reading. Or, you know, we could just bang Scirocca for an answer," Miri suggested, "I know which one I'd pick."
"Yeah, me too," Tess said, "Besides, we need to talk to Scirocca about what she's found about Pava's ledger. I want to know what the snake-bitch did to me."
Tess sighed, knowing that she was going to be late on her first day with Howlcrag. This was not going to be a good day.
Chapter 65 - Summer Court Training
Mairaela was floating in the tank Filly brought her to.
Or was she?
Honestly, she couldn't remember. Was this just a dream? She was weightless and—if she didn't move a muscle—she felt nothing.
Mormerilon whipped away from Mairaela's jab and swung the haft of his spear at her feet. Before she knew it, Mairaela had a face full of dirt.
"That was a pretty good strike," Mormerilon told her, "I mean, you might not think so, given the outcome." What did he expect? Mairaela was only ten and Mormerilon had hundreds of years of practice! The blond Fey stepped toward her, blue cloak flapping behind him, "Come on." He held his hand out to her. He must've been twice her height. Mairaela grabbed her spear and took his hand. The Fey hefted her up, nearly off her feet, before she planted herself upon the ground and regained her balance.
"Again?" Mairaela asked. She was sweating, her hair matted and damp, her clothes and hands absolutely covered in dirt and mud.
"Insatiable!" Mormerilon laughed, "No way, Mai-Mai." That was always his way of saying no to her. He thought it was hilarious. Mairaela thought differently, but overall she liked Mormerilon. He was like a big brother.
"But you're leaving tomorrow. Who am I going to practice with then?" Mairaela huffed, sticking her spear tip first into the ground and leaning against it.
"Ask Corinn," Mormerilon suggested, "He's always looking for easy wins."
"Ugh," Mairaela groaned, rolling her head back and kicking at the dirt, "Why are you going with the Hundred? You're not even one of them. The Hundred-and-One doesn't ring that well."
"Because it's important and Costentyn asked for my help," Mormerilon reminded her, "And you know how I feel about him."
"Your stupid boy toy."
"Well," Mormerilon looked into the air and shrugged, "Not yet, but hopefully someday. Eh, but not 'boy toy.' Who taught you to say that, by the way?"
"You did," Mairaela groaned, "While talking about Costentyn."
"Right," Mormerilon murmured while squinting his eyes.
"So what are you off to do?"
"Pops didn't tell you?" Mormerilon asked.
"He said I'm too young to understand," Mairaela replied.
Mormerilon nodded his head, "Well, you are."
"Ugh," Mairaela rolled her eyes, "Just tell me, asshole."
"Whoa, hey there," Mormerilon held his hands up, "Who taught you to say-..."
Mairaela smirked.
"Never mind. Not going to ask," Mormerilon said with a shake of his head, "I really need to watch what I say around you, kid. You're sharper than your spear." He let out a huff of breath and shrugged, "Okay, so you know the Primordials right?"
"The gods' helpers? The moon ones?"
"'Moon ones?' That's the best you remember from school? I recant what I said about you being sharp," Mormerilon chuckled. He shook his head, "Yes, each one represents one of the five moons, and yes, each one rules over a certain domain of the world. They help the gods ever since the Old Gods left, since there are so few of them for such a large world."
"That's what I said," Mairaela puffed her cheeks out in irritation.
Mormerilon let out a sigh, "Well, one of them has been acting up. He's out there, leaning against a tree, crying his eyes out. He's never done that before." Mormerilon scratched at his head, "Considering that Kremera just vanished into thin air and Abonoth fell over and crushed a few homes, we're going to go and help this one before something even worse happens."
Mairaela scuffed her boot upon the dirt, "Is it dangerous?"
"No," the Fey explained, "I mean, shouldn't be. Unless he trips and falls on me. Evig has always been a pretty sweet guy. Remember when he cleared that storm that was setting the woods on fire? He's a sweetheart." He gave a little chuckle.
"Can I come?"
"No way, Mai-Mai."
"Ugh," Mairaela rolled her eyes, "Why not, if it's so safe?"
"Because you suck at riding a horse," Mormerilon explained, "And the Hundred travel fast."
"I can just ride with you," Mairaela suggested.
Mormerilon raised a brow and made a gross face, "And make me have to smell your stench the whole way? No thanks. Take a bath, kid."
"I don't smell! You smell!" Mairaela shouted, "I don't want to ride with you because your ass stinks, farter."
"Hey, now," Mormerilon chuckled, looking around, "That is wildly inappropriate, young lady. Don't let your mom hear you say that. She'll run me out of town and force me to live in Warden's Grove or something."
"When are you gonna tell Costentyn you've got a boner for him?" Mairaela asked with a little laugh.
Mormerilon held out his hands for Mairela to stop, eyes wide, "Sorscha above! Shut-.. Shut the hells up, Mai-Mai! I didn't teach you that one!"
"No. Violet did, though," Mairaela held up one hand, and then the other, "And she heard it from Skygge, who heard it from you when you were dating Leanna."
"Gods damn my filthy tongue," Mormerilon sighed, "Tell Skygge to stop spying on me. And I'm definitely not going to tell Cos' that."
"You're gonna make little quarter-Fey babies," Mairaela taunted.
Mormerilon stared at her blankly, "You know it doesn't work like that, right? Your mom's taught you the birds and the bees, right?"
"It was a joke!" Mairaela scowled, though she was a little worried that she didn't actually know all of the details.
Mairaela said, "Well, point is, I'll tell him you want to make babies unless you spar with me for another hour."
Mormerilon groaned, "You're such a pain in the ass." He heaved a heavy breath, "Fine." He lashed out with the staff of his spear again, connecting with Mairaela's ankle and sending her to the ground once more.
That was the last time Mairaela saw Mormerilon. Costentyn and Leanna lived long enough to return home, but they didn't survive the attack on Mytenalenor. It was only by chance that Mairaela left to Amyvelanora the day before Evig showed up. She was one of the few lucky ones; She knew that. She missed Mormerilon; She missed her brother.
"I'll see you again in the Twilight Court, brother," Mairaela thought to herself as she floated weightlessly. She added a few tears to the salted water.
Chapter 66 - Knives
When Tess showed up at the Training Yard, Howlcrag was already packing things up. She must've only been a few minutes late! "Sergeant, I'm here," Tess stated, hurrying to his side.
"You're late," the Sergeant replied, "Let's do this on your time. One a day when you care."
Tess felt the sting of guilt and replied, "Please, Sergeant. Something came up. I'm only a few minutes late."
"From now on, Tess," Howlcrag said, "Whatever time I give you, "I want you to show up fifteen minutes earlier. Understand?"
"Yes, Sergeant," Tess replied, but all she could think about was the sleep she would be missing out on, "Please can we begin today?"
"You understand I'm pissed off, right?" Howlcrag replied.
"Yes, Sergeant. I'm sorry."
"And that if we start today, I'm gonna take that out on you," he replied.
Tess briefly though that she should just take the out. "No," she thought, "I'm going to show them. Kofi and Varon both."
"Yes, Sergeant," she responded.
Howlcrag nodded, "Let me explain to you what the Snowhill is, then. You ever done wolf sprints, Tess?"
"I don't know if I've ever exercised, Sergeant," Tess immediately regretted what she said.
Howlcrag nodded, giving a little chuckle, "Well, you know why we exercise the body when all that matters in the Void is the soul?"
"I don't," Tess replied.
Varon nodded, "Your abilities in the Void are partially controlled by your expectations of your abilities. Gifts help, but they only control one aspect.
"For instance, if you know you're a damn fine sprinter outside of the Void, you'll know you're fast as the hells. You'll expect it. That'll confer some speed in the Void." Howlcrag explained.
"That makes sense," Tess nodded, "That's neat."
"'Neat."" Howlcrag chuckled, "Yeah, we'll see how neat you think this is. Let me teach you a Wolf Sprint."
The training was about as harsh as Howlcrag warned, but a little bit worse. Trying to sprint in ankle deep snow was no easy feat. In fact, Tess couldn't even call it a sprint. More like clumsily falling in a horizontal direction. Snowhill was—as one might expect—a massive hill covered in snow drifts. Howlcrag had Tess running up and down the hill, sprinting up and down the hill, skipping up and down the hill, crab walking, bear crawling, running sideways, frontways, backways, all the ways. It was absolutely miserable, and Tess could barely walk by the end of it. Her arms were dead tired and she felt lightheaded. Howlcrag passed her a waterskin and Tess had it downed in moments.
"That's for being late," Howlcrag grunted, "Don't let it happen again, or it'll be much, much worse."
"Fuuuuck.." Tess groaned, propping her hands up on her knees to be bent forward a little.
"Here. Take this," Howlcrag tossed her a wooden sword, but Tess' arms were so weak that she couldn't get a good grip and it dropped to the ground. She scooped it up and inspected it. It wasn't much more than a smoothed out, thicker stick.
Suddenly, she felt a crack upon her flank, as the Sergeant smacked her with another wooden sword in his grasp.
"Ow! Fuck!" Tess grunted, "What did I do?!"
"If I had to pick one thing, I'd say you didn't parry," Howlcrag replied, "Now defend yourself."
Tess held the sword in two hands, but even she could tell it wasn't a great grip. Howlcrag swung at her a few times. She knew that he was holding back a great deal. The swings were light and slow, but even still, it was difficult to predict his movement. He attacked in angles that Tess wasn't sure how to parry, and that led to a weak block, which Howlcrag pressed through.
All in all, Tess was going to be quite bruised and sore the next day.
Howlcrag gave her a five minute break to drink some water, but he wouldn't let her sit down. He insisted that the moment she sits, she wouldn't be getting up again. Tess could feel the truth of that in her thighs and hips. Okay, no sitting down.
She drink water and groaned, "Fuck, I'm thirsty."
"You need to be drinking water all day, everyday," Varon insisted, "Take that waterskin. Keep it full. You know where the barrels are?"
There were some barrels spread out around the dormitory and the rest of Kravana Hall that are regularly refilled with magic by pulling water out of the air. She nodded to the Sergeant, breathing heavily, "Yeah, I do."
"Five minutes are almost up," he warned, "Grab your sword."
Tess took one more drink of water, only to get a smack on her elbow from Howlcrag's sword. She dropped the waterskin, spilling it on the ground. "Hey, what the fuck?!" She snapped, picking up her sword.
"Calm down," Howlcrag explained, "Anger won't help you."
Despite the advice, Tess charged in and swung her sword chaotically, trying for quick, powerful strikes, rather than thoughtful ones. Howlcrag deflected them before finally parrying with such force that Tess' wooden stick fell from her hands. She received a sharp crack upon the shoulder for it.
"Dead," Howlcrag responded, "I told you."
Tess was fuming.
"You're never going to figure out a sword," Howlcrag sighed, tipping his head back.
Tess held her arms out and shouted, "With all due respect, shut the fuck up!" Howlcrag looked back at her with a furrowed brow. He did not like that. "Why are you being such a hardass? Why did the Captain pair me up with you? Why are you trying to get me to quit and leave the Corps?
"Is it because I'm untrained? Is it because I'm giftless? Why?!" Tess felt tears welling up in her eyes. Don't cry. Don't cry. He won't take Tess seriously if she cries.
"Go ahead," Howlcrag explained, "Get it out."
"Fuck you!" Tess screamed, "Fuck you! I'm sick of people treating me like I'm lesser! Like I can't take care of myself. Like I'm useless, or something! It's bullshit! I saved my team during the Void exercise!"
Howlcrag gestured for more.
"I'm special! I'm not giftless! I've got abilities! I have… I have…"
"Hey, Tess, how about we shut the fuck up now, yeah?" Miri suggested in her mind.
"I have had enough of you," Tess snapped, stomping away. She left the sword, left the waterskin, and trudged toward the gully.
Howlcrag called out to her, "I'm giftless too."
That made Tess pause. She turned around, "What?"
"I said I'm giftless too," Varon repeated, "You didn't think you were the only one at Kravana, did you?"
Tess felt terrible almost immediately as she processed this information. There was an ache in her stomach. "I'm sorry," Tess replied.
"Is that pity or platitude? Either way, I don't need it," Varon explained, "Do you know why Captain Maupoissant paired you with me? Because I know the shit you're going through. Because I know that people like you and I have to work harder than the others to earn our place here. We don't get a free pass, Tess."
"Just…" Tess started, unable to look the Sergeant in the eye after her embarrassment, "Don't tell me I'm never going to learn something. I'm in this so long as the person walking me through it at least believes in me. The moment that's gone, I don't see the point in learning from that person."
"When did I say I don't believe in you?
"About the sword. You said I'll never get it," Tess explained.
"But it's true," Howlcrag explained, holding his arms out and letting them flop to his sides, "But hells, Tess, there's more weapons than a longsword out there. I'm going to bring you a different weapon next time. Something more your style. You're a whole lot better at dodging than parrying. I'll get you something smaller. Faster."
"Like what?"
"I'm thinkin' knives."
Chapter 67 - What He Would've Done
Mairaela sat atop the tree bridges in Amyvelanora, swinging her short legs back and forth. Her hair, cut short around her ears, shifted like the leaves in the treetops when a breeze rolled by. A shortspear sat at her side.
"There you are, little one," came a familiar voice. It was mama, who walked halfway across the bridge to sit down next to her. They held onto the ropes, especially since the bridge rocked with a shift in weight, "You look down. What's the matter? I have a few minutes if you need to talk before I head back to the Astrantia."
"Why did Evig do that?" Mairaela asked, "Killed the Hundred. Mormerilon. Destroyed so much of Mytenalenor." She shook her head, "Evig is a primordial. They're supposed to be the gods' helpers."
"Mai-Mai-..."
"Don't," Mairaela snapped, "Don't call me that." She pointed a finger at her and explained, "Never again."
Her mother leaned back a little, brow raised, "I'm sorry, I didn't know it offended you so much. I'll make sure to remember that."
Mairaela let out a sigh, hanging her head a bit while her arms were reaching upward and holding onto the rope supporting the bridge. "I don't get it," Mairaela said, "You've explained it, but I just don't get it."
"Birel said…"
"I know what she said!" Mairaela shouted, "I know it's the Black Sun. I know. But why does it make them crazy? Why is it here? What does it want? I hate it! It took Mormerilon from me! Costentyn, Leanna… Daz, even."
"I think we all hate it, little bug," her mother replied, "It's a threat to our very existence."
"Why aren't we all fighting it?" Mairaela asked.
"Some are. But it's not that easy. It's way up there and we're way down here. We can't exactly shoot arrows, and even if we could, how would that help?"
"I need to do something. For Mormerilon, mom. For them," Mairaela said, gripping the ropes so tightly that her hands started to ache, "I can't just sit around and watch it eat Thyr, hoping someone is going to stop it."
"Bug," her mother replied, "It isn't your job. The best thing you can do get a good education and-..."
"No! I'm going to fight!"
"Mairaela, be reasonable. It isn't what your father and I want for you. It's not what Mormerilon would want from you."
"I'm going to fight. I have to."
"No you are not," her mother responded sternly, "You are never going to do such a thing." Her mother let out a soft sigh spoke softly, "I will make sure of it, with all of the clout that I have, Mairaela."
"You're an asshole," Mairaela spat.
Her mother's words caught in her throat. She finally managed to say, "Where did you learn to talk like that?"
"Fuck you."
"Mairaela!"
"I fucking hate you!" Mairaela screamed, getting up from her place on the bridge and trudging away.
"Mairaela, come back. Let's talk."
Mairaela only started to run, leaving the words of her mother behind.
As she ran, the world began to shift. The tree platform began to fall away from her feet. The canopy unraveled and the ground fell away. She was falling, before crashing into a dark lake. It was difficult to tell which way was up, but she swam as best she could, until she was upright and managed to get her head out of the surface. Treading water, she caught her breath and looked around. There was no shore that she could spot in the darkness, but she began to hear a very light splash, like someone stepping through a puddle.
She spun around to see a woman approaching, walking across the same water surface that held her neck deep. The woman was tall. She had Mairaela's auburn hair, but it was longer. She was dressed in leathers with a bow strung across her back. She had a kind face, and she leaned forward to offer Mairaela a hand. Mairaela took it, lifting her into the air before she managed to stand atop the water just like the stranger was.
"Who are you?" Mairaela asked, "Are you me?"
"Not exactly," the adult Mairaela spoke softly with a gentle smile, "But close enough. It's probably easier to think of it that way."
"Where are we?"
The adult looked around herself and replied, "Somewhere. Not exactly sure. But it's just for us."
"Are we supposed to talk about something? Are you going to give me some wisdom?" Mairaela asked.
"Of a sort," The taller Mairaela replied, "But first, a question: Why do you want to fight the Black Sun?"
"It has killed so many. It's ruined so much, and it keeps doing it again and again," Mairaela explained, "I've heard all of the stories! It has to be stopped."
"Alright, good start," the older one explained with a thoughtful nod, "So you want to fight it because it's bad."
"Well… yeah, I guess so," Mairaela replied.
"Why else?"
"What do you mean, why else?" The young one replied, "What other reason do I need?"
"None that you need, but you have other reasons."
Mairaela thought about this rather deeply. She kicked a bit of water off to the side when she tried scuffing her boots upon the ground, "It's what Mormerilon would've done."
"Hey, kiddo."
Mairaela spun around. She spotted that blond Fey, his blue cloak and his black spear. The older Mairaela was no longer there. It was just her, looking up at Mormerilon just like when they were training not too long ago.
"Don't cry," she thought, but saying that to herself drew the tears to the forefront. She began to sniffle, tear up, and then it turned to full on sobbing.
"It's okay, Mai-Mai," Mormerilon crouched down upon the surface of the lake, holding his arms out. Mairaela ran into them, embracing the blond Fey around the neck. "It's okay," he repeated, holding the back of her head to keep her pressed against his shoulder.
"Why did you go?!" She screamed, muffled against his cloak.
"I had to," Mormerilon replied, "If I hadn't, Cos' and Leanna would have died."
"They did die."
"They died during Evig's attack on Mytenalenor, and they were essential in the effort to repel him," Mormerilon replied, "If I hadn't died for them, who knows how many more would've died in Mytenalenor. They wouldn't have wanted it any other way, besides, and neither would I."
"I can't forgive you," Mairaela bawled, "I can't. You abandoned me."
Mormerilon squeezed her tighter, "I know, kid. I'm sorry, though. Sometimes we have to do things that others don't want us to do, because it's the right thing."
"I'm going to join the Corps and fight against the Black Sun," Mairaela replied.
Mormerilon frowned. She could hear it in his voice, "Don't do that, Mai-Mai." He let out a sigh before pulling back. He held either side of her head, locking eyes, "You can do so much more than die on some fruitless expedition. Just enjoy your life. The Black Sun might not be going anywhere, you can have a really good life before it drains Thyr.. Just choose your time to enter the Twilight Court and escape it."
"You just said that sometimes we have to do things that others don't want us to do, because it's right," Mairaela explained, "So that's what I'm doing, whether you like it or not. Whether my mom likes it or not. Not everyone can enter the Twilight Court like we can. They'll die when Thyr's energy runs out. They'll die in horrible ways, and what afterlife would they have?"
Mairaela stood her ground, "It's the right thing to do by you, besides."
"Mai-Mai, I wouldn't have wanted you to do this."
"Then you should've thought about that before you left," Mairaela replied, "The Black Sun killed you, so I'm going to kill it. It's as simple as that."
Mormerilon looked doubtful, but he said, "Alright. I'll help then, if you absolutely need to."
"How? You're dead."
"Oh right," Mormerilon laughed, "How silly am I, I completely forgot!"
"You're such a dick," Mairaela stared at him, unamused.
"Okay, I remember saying that one," Mormerilon sighed, "I'm such a shitty teacher. But.. listen, I'll be there with you. You'll know it, I promise."
"Mormerilon?"
"Yeah, Mai-Mai?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, Mai-Mai."
Chapter 68 - Stress
"So, Sergeant Howlcrag brought a pair of practice knives to the training yard this morning," Tess exclaimed enthusiastically, "And I did so much better! I'm-... I don't know, it felt so natural! He was really impressed."
The others focused on their food, occasionally nodding at Tess' story.
"It feels really good to impress him. He's such a hardass otherwise," she explained, stirring her spoon through the simple broth they'd been given for dinner, "I still haven't been able to hit him yet, though. He's so good."
The others didn't reply, instead keeping their heads down and looking at their food. Tess looked around at them. Each one was deep in their own thoughts. Even Joyona wasn't eating like she usually did.
"And then he grew wings and revealed himself as the God of Storms before smiting me, and I died," Tess said. The others just nodded.
"What is wrong with all of you?" Tess exclaimed, breaking up their separate reveries, "I don't have to talk about this. We can talk about something else, but all of you seem so… I don't know, preoccupied? Distracted, at least."
"Sorry, Tess," Mairaela replied, "Just been a weird day. This new class is… bizarre, I guess? It left me thinking a lot."
"What about?"
"I-..." Mairaela paused, shaking her head, "I don't think I'm ready to talk about it yet."
Tess frowned, nodding her head. She looked to Joyona, "What about you?"
"I failed our first exam," Joyona said, straight-faced, as she stared at her soup, "Not a good start to the class."
Tess felt her hair stand on end, "Joyona! How? You… you're more than capable."
"I've skipped some classes," Joyona explained.
Tess' eyes widened, "How many?"
"Six."
"Joyona!" Tess blurted, "That's more than half of the classes so far!"
Joyona bobbed her head, "Yep."
"What have you been doing?" Tess asked, almost like an accusatory parent.
"Going out," the Evigkin replied.
"Where to?" Tess asked.
"Oar's Rest," Joyona replied.
"Joyona, that's hours away! How are you getting there and back?"
"Carriage."
"That's got to be…" Tess thought for a moment, "Gods, how much would that cost, by now?"
"I'm almost out of coin," Joyona confirmed.
"Joyona-..." Worry grew in Tess' heart, "What is so important in Oar's Rest?"
"It's personal."
Tess frowned. She wanted to help Joyona, but she didn't know how without understanding what the problem was. "Please talk to us about it when you're ready," Tess requested, "We can't have you fail this class. We need you in the Void with us." Tess felt like somewhat of an imposter, talking to these three gifted about what they need in the Void. She had to become useful. She knew it.
Tess looked to Gwen and asked, "And what about you, grumpy?"
Gwendolyn didn't reply, instead pushing her tray away a few inches.
"Gwen?"
"It's Gwendolyn," she replied, "Dame Gwendolyn, okay? Stop calling me Gwen. That isn't my proper name and I've told you all a hundred times."
This even drew Mairaela and Joyona's attention.
"What's the matter?" Tess asked, "We're here for you."
"I'm fine."
Are you sure?"
"I am fine!" Gwendolyn shouted, rising to her feet and picking up her tray.
"Gwen…" Tess started, choking on her words and trying to correct them immediately before anyone noticed, but she couldn't take it back.
"Dame Gwendolyn!" the knight screamed, "You will treat me with the proper respect that I am owed, Tess!"
"I'm sorry!" Tess replied with a raised voice. They were drawing the attention of those around them, "I didn't mean to."
Gwendolyn looked conflicted. Tess could only imagine what was going on in her mind. Why was she behaving this way? How could Tess help? Gwendolyn did not appear to be like herself at all.
All at once, Gwendolyn slammed her tray onto the table, splashing broth across the bench. Most of it got on Joyona, but the giantess didn't seem offended. She seemed more concerned about Gwendolyn than anything else. They all were. All three of the others watched Gwendolyn with confusion, but didn't manage to say anything before the knight stormed off, abandoning her food for others to clean up.
Joyona frowned at her damp sleeve, "I suppose today will be laundry day."
Miri chuckled in Tess' mind, "Guess that stick found its way back home."
"What is going on with all of you?" Tess asked, holding her hands out and looking for answers.
"Sorry, Tess," Mairaela replied, "Maybe today just isn't a good day. Not every day has to be." Mairaela rose to her feet, collecting her tray. She looked to Joyona and asked, "Hey, do you still have that Naporian wine?"
Joyona bobbed her head, "Help yourself." She handed a key to Mairaela, "Just leave it under the pillow."
Mairaela thanked the giantess before walking away to dispose of her remaining food.
"I don't understand what's going on with them," Tess said to Joyona once the others have left, "We need to do something."
"Not everything requires interference," Joyona replied.
Tess felt a sting, but only because she knew it was true, "We can't go into the Void like this."
"It's good that we can't get any assignments, then," Joyona replied with a deep grunt, "I'm going to go catch up on class."
Soon enough, Tess was left to sit alone at the table. Even her mood had dampened, absorbing the stress and sadness of her teammates. Sympathy tugged at her heart until it was all that she could focus on. She let out a deep sigh.
"Little mouse," came a sultry voice before that Winter Fey—the one that she met from the Post Office a few days ago—sat down across from her.
There was something about her presence—the scrutinizing stare of those pink eyes—that put Tess on edge. "Oh. Hi," she replied.
The Fey leaned forward until her elbows were on the table and her upper body resting against her forearms. "Figured I'd head over. You look lonely.," she expressed with a faux frown, "Having a little tiff with your friends?"
"No," Tess shook her head, "Nothing like that."
"Ah, right," the ash-skinned Fey nodded, "People usually slam their food on the table when they're happy among their friends."
"Yeah," Tess sighed, propping her cheek upon her palm, "I'm not sure what's up with them."
The Fey leaned forward, tilting her head down so that she could catch Tess' gaze, "Let them cool off then. Maybe we could get to know one another in the meantime."
"Oh, damn!" Miri exclaimed, "Let's fuck her! Tess, please! I don't ask for much!" Tess had to keep from rolling her eyes for snapping back at Miri for being so distracting.
However, the Fey's comment did cause Tess to perk up and narrow her eyes suspiciously. She turned her head a little and hesitantly asked, "Are… you hitting on me?"
"I just said we could get to know one another," she replied, "I'm not quite so easy to bed as that Summer Fey friend of yours." She looked Tess over and added, "Besides, you aren't ready for me, little mouse."
There was a slight bit of irritation at the Winter Fey's mockery of Mairaela, but she supposed that Mairaela had also been pretty rude to her in return. It was hard to side with either of them. They were so mean to one another. Is this how all Summer and Winter Fey behaved around one another? She knew that there were wider, more political differences, but do they, as a people, really despise one another?
"I don't even know your name, anyway," Tess replied.
"Well, that's an easy fix," she replied with a smirk, "Call me Ylla."
Chapter 69 - Nice
Tess awoke to ropes around her wrists and ankles, a blindfold over her eyes. She gave the ropes a firm tug, but whoever tied them knew what they were doing. There was a blue glow that showed just past the blindfold. "What.." Tess started, before she felt a tongue drawing its way up the underside of her cock, "Whhoaagods, wh-what.." Her hips jerked, before she felt some lips wrap around the crown of her cock, giving a firm suckle.
"Who.." Tess whimpered, "Who is that?"
"Mm-.." she heard someone moan, taking several more inches of her length and keeping her tongue along the underside. That same mouth began bobbing up and down on her cock, causing Tess to tug on her bindings as her whole body lit up with pleasure.
"Oh, gods, don't stop," Tess begged, and whoever it was only picked up the pace. Wet, sucking noises filled the room as efforts doubled and speed increased. Tess began to pant and pant. There was something about not being able to see this mystery person, not being able to move, that drove her wild.
Suddenly, those lips slipped away from her length, leaving Tess to gasp and breathe heavily as she recuperated.
A body crawled up hers, until lips pressed against Tess'.
Mairaela. Tess could recognize that kiss—the Fey's flowery scent—anywhere; that passion. When it broke, Tess whispered, "Hey, Mai."
"Hey, cutie," Mairaela whispered back. Tess could smell the wine on her breath. Uh oh.
"I thought you weren't too happy today?
"Maybe not, but I'm drunk and horny and I'm feeling extra nice as of this moment, so who cares?" The Fey replied. She pulled the blindfold from Tess' eyes. The first thing Tess noticed was Mairaela's naked body atop her own mostly naked body. The Fey's heavy breasts were squished against Tess', her rump sticking up behind her, to be seen just over the curve of Mairaela's shoulder.
Mairaela adjusted her legs so that Tess' cock slipped in between the Fey's thighs. Tess couldn't help but begin moving her hips between that soft, lovely flesh.
"How did you do this without me waking up?"
"Maybe I'm just that good!" Mairaela replied, "Or you were super sleepy. Are you drunk, too?"
"Actually," Miri whispered between Tess' ears, "I may have leaned on that little sleepy lever in your mind until she had your pants down. Sorry! Accident!"
Tess doubted how accidental it was.
"No, not drunk," Tess assured her, "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, I don't want to take advan-..."
"Tess," Mairaela interrupted, "I'm the one that snuck into your room and started sucking your cock. You are currently tied to the bed. You're worried about you taking advantage of me? I should be asking you that question."
"Well, I consent?" Tess said with a chuckle.
"Ditto," Mairaela replied, leaning in for another kiss. When it broke, she whispered, "I have an idea. Care to try something?"
"Say yes, say yes, say yes!" Miri squealed excitedly in Tess' mind.
"Yes," Tess replied after the onslaught of words in her mind.
"Great!" Mairaela giggled, leaning in for another kiss, "So excited! You won't regret it!"
Mairaela lifted a knee to shift over to Tess' side. It was only then that Tess looked over and saw that Gwendolyn wasn't in bed. It was plenty late enough. Where was she? She thought to ask about that, but didn't want to spoil things for Mairaela.
The thought drifted from her mind when she saw Mairaela's knee shifting over her face. Soon enough, the Fey's thighs were on either side of her head, the curves of her plump butt just above. Even more alluring was the sight of Mairaela's pussy just above her, soaking wet and pink with need. Tess could feel the heat coming off of it.
"Oh, Mairaela, you poor dear," Tess cooed, "Let me help with th-.. Aat~!" Mairaela's mouth enveloped Tess' cock once more, but from a new angle. Now her tongue caressed the upper side of Tess' length, and the new angle allowed Mairaela to take her even deeper. Tess couldn't keep herself still, pulling at the ties on her ankles to try and find some purchase in order to thrust into the Fey's mouth, but she had no luck.
"Oh g-gods~," Tess whimpered, only to have her voice muffled as Mairaela lowered her hips and smothered Tess face with her soft body. Mairaela's flowery scent filled Tess' nose, and as Tess' lips met Mairaela's she opened her mouth to slide a gentle tongue through the Fey's hot, dripping slit.
Both girls were moaning into their respective tasks, but it was Tess that found herself twitching, little jolts of electric pleasure pushing through her body; She couldn't help not keeping still. There was something about being tied up—being helpless—yet being with someone she was so comfortable with, like Mairaela, that drove Tess wild.
This was especially the case when Mairaela began to grind her hips, not content with just Tess' tongue, but using the contours of her face to pleasure herself. Tess held her breath as Mairaela rubbed her cunt up and down Tess' face, using her chin, lips and nose as little ridges to brush through her lips and stroke along her clit. All the while Tess had Mairaela's lips bobbing up and down on her length, suckling on the upstroke to the point that her hips had to lift off of the bed to follow. "What a fucking talent," Tess thought.
Tess stuck her tongue out to provide Mairaela with another surface to rub against, and once the Fey stilled her hips again, Tess took the opportunity to press her tongue deep into Mairaela's pussy.
Almost immediately she could feel Mairaela moaning around her cock, drool dribbling down her length. The Fey rubbed a hand over her balls, massaging them as she so perfectly worked Tess' dick with her tongue. Mairaela's free hand wrapped around the base of Tess' cock, stroking what portion she couldn't reach with her lips. Tess was floating through the clouds of euphoria, likely aided by how little air Mairaela was giving her. She loved being the Fey's toy, as much as Tess has done the same to her.
"Can I join in?" Miri asked, but Tess' lips were preoccupied, "Tess! Please, I want to join in! Can I? Do you think Mairaela would mind? I want to join in, can I?"
At the same time, Mairaela pulled her lips from Tess' cock, sitting up and really working her hips to pleasure herself on Tess' mouth and tongue. "Do you like it?" The Fey asked, "I'm still trying to think of a name for this position…"
Tess could only moan and make incoherent, muffled words between Mairaela's thighs. "Hmm? What was that?" The Fey said, lifting her hips.
"Does it feel good, Tess?"
"Can I join in, Tess?"
"Uuhn~!" Tess whimpered as her cock was throbbing and she was finally able to breathe again. To no one and everyone, Tess shouted, "Y-yes!"
"Good," replied both Miri and Mairaela at once.
Chapter 70 - Debts Paid
When Miri appeared beside them, it became apparent that she was once again visible to others. Mairaela squeaked and flipped off Tess' body, staring at the demoness and asking, "Who is that?!"
"That's Miri," Tess spoke in deep breaths, "She can do that sometimes. We think it's just whenever I get horny." Tess shook her head sadly, "Which is… weird."
"It's still only happened at night," Miri replied. In truth, Miri wasn't sure which way it could be. Given her powers, she wouldn't be surprised if it was related to Tess' libido, but it certainly made more sense for the truth to be shown under the moonlight, right? Still, it isn't like the moonlight was actually showing in here.
"That's Miri?" Mairaela gasped.
Tess nodded her head, but Miri explained, "You've only seen me in the Void when I take over our body. Back there, I basically just look like Tess if she was a badass."
"Hey…" Tess interjected.
Miri continued, "But this is the real Miri. The me me. Like what you see, pointy-ears?"
"Definitely less threatening than in the Void," Mairaela nodded. Miri could only imagine that her appearance was quite sobering to the Fey, "But you're so short and cute!"
Miri scowled furiously. She was certain that her face was turning red.
Both Mairaela and Miri turned to look at Tess. The poor woman had a sweat on her brow, her mouth and cheeks covered in Mairaela's arousal, and one of the biggest hardons they've ever seen her have. Her hips were still twitching and jerking, even though there was nothing within reach.
Mairaela looked to Miri and said, "I made a promise to Tess to give her a blowjob every night for a week. So… sorry, but this one's mine."
"Well, I made a promise to do something real special for her," Miri retaliated, "So she's mine. Not sorry."
"I thought you said you wanted to join in?" Tess gasped.
"Not helping!" Miri scoffed, crossing her arms, "I was going to before little miss drunk-off-her-rocker tried to keep you all to herself."
"Like I'd share the stage with you," Mairaela huffed, looking a little wobbly in her inebriated state, "You… horny bitch."
The comment was funnier with her drunken speech. Miri laughed, "Did you mean horned?"
Mairaela shrugged and replied, "Either way works."
Tess whined, "Please, someone just do something!" She squirmed, "I just want to cum!"
Miri rubbed her chin and then looked to Mairaela, "A blowjob, huh?"
"Yep," Mairaela replied, making a crude gesture by pumping her fist in front of her open mouth, "And there's no way you're taking the first load from me."
Miri pondered for a moment, looking at Tess, Tess' cock, and then to Mairaela. "Okay, we can do this," Miri nodded, floating into the air and hovering over Tess' lower body. The poor girl was writhing in her bindings, jerking her hips for some—any—kind of touch. The black, shifting material that covered Miri's form came undone like shadows, fading into nothingness and leaving every inch of her body bare.
She lowered just a little, parting her tits and squeezing them around Tess' cock. A few inches still stuck up, threatening to poke Miri's chin if she dipped her head too low. Tess gave a tortured whimper, closing her eyes and tipping her head back.
"Nuh uh," Miri purred, "I'm not going to do anything unless you're watching, Tessy."
"Nnh~.." Tess whined, opening her eyes and looking back down at the demoness. Her hips rolled up and down, pushing through those large, soft orbs.
Mairaela shook her head, "Your boobs are insane, Miri."
"Look who's talking, busty," Miri rolled her eyes, lifting a hand and rubbing two fingers together. It took a bit of her blood magic to do, but she managed to conjure some lubricating fluid that dribbled from her fingertips and into her cleavage. She took a moment to spread it around with her chest, which cause Tess to moan.
"Isn't she cute?" Mairaela whispered with her bottom lip caught between her teeth, "Okay, let's get started."
"Yes, ma'am," Miri replied, looking back to Tess, "Remember, you have to keep watching, or else we're stopping for the whole night."
"Oh, gods, Miri, what the fuck," Tess groaned, "That's cruel!"
"Doesn't have to be, just keep your eyes open, silly," Miri replied, beginning to massage Tess' cock with her tits. In no time at all, Mairaela leaned forward and stuffed the few revealed inches of Tess' cock into her mouth, moaning and drooling in time with the pumping of Miri's bust.
"H-holy.. F-fuck," Tess whined, her body quivering like a wire, toes curling, all of her limbs pulling on those restraints. Miri began to lean Tess' cock into one breast while using the other to massage it into that soft, pillowy flesh, swapping sides every few seconds.
Miri looked down at Mairaela's bobbing head. Miri tilted her own head out of the way, squeezing her chest together to get as much pressure on Tess' cock as she could. She loved the feeling of Tess thrusting between her tits, so desperate for a release; so desperate to pump into Mairaela's mouth. She looked up to see Tess watching, but her eyes were glazed over, lidded, unfocused. Miri supposed she couldn't fault her for it. Besides, how could she stop now? This was too much fun!
Mairaela sunk her face deep into Miri's bust, sucking as much of Tess' cock as she could. Miri smiled down at her, bouncing her tits to bump into Mairaela's face. When the Fey came up for air, she whispered to Miri, "Help me take it all, okay?" Miri nodded with an excited grin, pulling back from Tess' length. She looked down to see her chest—her cleavage especially-covered in a mixture of precum, lubricant and saliva.
Miri began to rub it all into her breasts, pinching her nipples, spreading that slick, shiny fluid over all of that plump, firm skin. She looked up to see Tess watching. She was definitely focused now. Miri got a thrill out of seeing Tess' reaction, and she continued to tease her own nipples, squeeze her own breasts, and make a show of it to Tess.
"Mmmh~! Mmh!" Mairaela made a few attention-grabbing moans that directed Miri's eyes down toward her. The poor dear was struggling to take Tess into her throat. Miri knew that difficulty well. Mairaela was still bobbing her head up and down on Tess' cock when Miri grabbed her head and shoved her down. With a gag, Mairaela struggled against the pressure. Tess was still humping, and at one point one of those thrusts perfectly lined up with one of Mairaela's gulps and that fat cock squeezed inside of the Fey's throat.
Tess rocked her head back and let out a sharp moan, jutting her hips upward to squeeze Mairaela's lips down to the base of her cock. The Fey had her tongue stuck out past her lips, stretching further than her lips could ever possibly reach. Miri held the Fey's head down with a good bit of pressure. She was pretty sure she could tell when Mairaela was actually needing air and when it was just a reflex. Besides, the two of them had a little bad blood left over from the Void that needed solving. What better way to take it out on someone than to literally have them choke on a dick?
She could see that Tess was out of her mind with lust. She couldn't be that far from cumming, Miri realized. She let Mairaela up. Just in time too it seemed, since the poor Fey started hitching and spasming a little. Mairaela came up with a gasp, sucking in air. Little lines of spittle and precum still bridged the gap between her lips and Tess' cock. She looked like a complete mess, eyes lidded and face red; completely cock-drunk.
"My turn," Miri said, opening her mouth wide and taking Tess deep into it. She bobbed her head for a while, getting her lips and tongue all nice and slick with the juices already on her new, delectable treat. She liked to take her time, but she didn't want to torture Tess anymore than necessary. Poor girl has gotten so built up, she deserves a nice release!
Miri was moaning on Tess' cock—her tits squeezed between the woman's thighs—when she felt her head tugged by the horns. Miri glanced up to see Mairaela with an evil little grin, holding her horns with both hands. With sudden force, Miri's face was driven into Tess' pelvis, that entire, thick cock stuffed down her tight throat. Those ringed muscles squeezed and squeezed on Tess cock as her throat spasmed and tried to work that thickness up or down.
Mairaela slowly pulled her head up, but just when she thought she'd get some relief, the Fey started lifting and pushing her head up and down. "Haah~! Aaahn~! Nnh~!" Tess was crying out with utter joy, writhing beneath Miri as she repeatedly had her nose pressed up against Tess' pubic area.
After what felt like an eternity, Mairaela pushed Miri off Tess' dick, leaving her feeling dizzy and disoriented. Her vision was blurred, her throat was sore, and she could taste and smell Tess' cock all throughout her mouth and nose. It was delicious.
"Mmmh~!" Mairaela moaned, and Miri's heart plummeted. She looked down at the Fey as Tess' hips were quivering with delight. Tess was moaning and crying aloud, and Miri noticed the thick, cloying cream spilling from Mairaela's lips.
That bitch! She took Tess' cum! Miri pouted, sitting upon the bed, on her knees, waiting for it all to end. And gods, did that take a while. Mairaela was swallowing so, so much, her throat working down as much of that cream as she could. Tess looked like she was about to pass out.
Finally, it ended, and Mairaela slipped her lips off of Tess' softening cock, coming up to show Miri the absolute mouthful that she still had sloshing around on her tongue. Miri was fuming, and she was about to say something when Mairaela leaned in and pressed her messy, cumsoaked lips upon Miri's. Miri was surprised for a while, before her eyes fluttered closed, right about the time that Mairaela tongued her lips apart and started kissing all of that cum straight into Miri's mouth.
Miri quivered, until she felt Mairaela's hand on her ass, squeezing with Tess' cum as a lubricant.
It was then that Miri decided she liked Mairaela.