mugen91 said: emeraldtryst said: Oh, just how I imagined fragments of the old dragon clans, how at least a few of them get around being outlawed, how some of them would have adapted. Just good stuff all around =) Ah yes. Maybe someday we'll find out how the Sunwrath managed to keep themselves together :) I imagine the surviving dragon clans have agreements to keep their territories spread out far away from each other. They can't get "lake of glassed" if they're not concentrated in one area. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
tygertyger said: mugen91 said: Ah yes. Maybe someday we'll find out how the Sunwrath managed to keep themselves together :) I imagine the surviving dragon clans have agreements to keep their territories spread out far away from each other. They can't get "lake of glassed" if they're not concentrated in one area. True, I suppose. Then again, they never were glassed, so they probably always were spread out :) |
venomwolf said: Caught up, has been a good read so far, can't wait to see where it goes Yeah, the story is more or less done, but a co-op begun a long time ago is making the wait necessary. Maybe I'll become a bit more active again once that happens :) |
venomwolf said: Nodnod Makes sense Oh, I can't see some of the h scenes, like the first one with cleo and sone of the others I looked through the first couple pages, but couldn't find an issue. Can you specify which ones don't work? Some, like the first one with Cleo, just have multiple spoiler buttons. |
mugen91Dec 11, 2019 1:25 PM
venomwolf said: Yeah, the first scene with cleo doesn't work, but it may be because I'm on mobile, will check on my laptop when I can. I can see the warning, there's just nothing after You mean this one? https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=1644653&show=50#msg52868747 It works for me no problem, maybe someone else can try |
| Yeah works fine for me. Am on a desktop PC though, dunno if it works on a mobile. |
Chapter 55 After the excursion to the dryadic healer, things had been somewhat awkward between Kasumi and I. While I understood where she came from, I still felt hurt. Or was I angry? It was difficult to tell, even for myself. We arrived back in our inn sometime in the early afternoon under a somewhat strained silence. Vela was nowhere to be seen, but Daena could be seen having a drink. When she spied us coming in she excused herself from her table and quickly made her way over to us. If she took note of the strained mood, she made no mention of it. “How’d it go?” She wondered instead. In response, I mustered a weak smile, but flexed the fingers on my right hand. “Missing finger is obviously not coming back, but otherwise it’s almost like new.” “That’s great news!” She said jubilantly and wrapped her arms around me to give me a pleasant face-full of cleavage. Kasumi watched the exchange with her usual unreadable expression. “I’ll give you a little time to get your thoughts in order then,” she then said. She pulled me over to place a chaste kiss on my cheek when Daena released my face from her tits. “I’ll see you later.” She quickly moved away, before I could object. Or before I could decide whether I wanted to object. Daena raised an eyebrow at the exchange, but still didn’t make a comment. “Looks like I have you to myself for now, eh?” I looked after Kasumi’s quickly disappearing silhouette, feeling conflicted still. Not content with being ignored, Daena grasped my chin and turned my face up towards her, giving me a kiss of her own. “Wanna join me for a little errand?” Since I didn’t have any plans anyway, I saw no reason to object and so I nodded. Daena went back to her table to upend the remaining contents of her mug down her throat before we headed out of the Prancing Centaur. “Not using the ‘underground paths’?” I wondered. “Honestly, I’m not too fond of those, much prefer walking the real distances and knowing where I am,” Daena admitted with a shrug. “Hmmmm,” I muttered. “I know what you mean. Feels strange to take a couple steps down there and come out somewhere much further away. So where did Vela take off to?” Daena shrugged. ”She headed out pretty soon after you two left. Only said that she had an idea and that she’d be back later.” “Hmmmm,” I mused, not sure what more to say for the moment. As we continued walking towards the massive heart-tree in the center of Westholm, Daena once more broke the silence. “Wanna tell me what happened?” “Not particularly,” I replied honestly. “Just something I need to think about for a bit. Although it’s nothing consequential. I think.” “If it’s not consequential, you sure you can’t tell me about it?” She asked and placed a hand on my shoulder to stroke my neck with her thumb. “Hmmm,” I grumbled. Then I heaved a sigh and finally relented. I told her what had transpired after Melindra finished putting my hand back together. “Like I said, it’s nothing really, I’m probably just overreacting.” Daena remained quiet for a moment as she considered her answer with pursed lips. “I honestly can’t say I have too much experience with trauma and such. I guess I can see your point, but on the other hand, I understand the need to help my husband very well.” She shot me a sidelong glance. “I may not be your wife yet , but I also feel the need to look after you.” “And I appreciate that, but…” “But you’re not satisfied being the one everyone only feels the need to protect,” she finished my thought. “Can you really blame her though. After everything that happened?” I sighed. That was the crux of the whole issue, wasn’t it? “No, I don’t suppose I can. But that doesn’t make it any less frustrating. Like I said, it’s something I need to think about for a bit.” As we walked and talked, I noted that we had arrived at the university. “What are we doing here anyway?” “We’re meeting a friend. I usually visit her at least once whenever I’m in town. She lives and works here at the university.” She led me through the humongous insides of the heart-tree with confident steps and we soon found ourselves in front of a door and, upon knocking, we were quickly asked inside by a soft spoken, female voice. “Daena, it’s good to see you again,” An olive-skinned, black haired woman greeted us when we entered. After enthusiastically greeting the amazon, the woman turned to me and added, with a little less enthusiasm. “And I don’t think I know you. You may call me Lakshmi.” She offered me her hand, rather than the hug she’d given Daena. “I’m Sönke,” I said, taking the offered hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” We exchanged some pleasantries and the woman offered us tea, which we both accepted. I mostly stayed out of the conversation for the time being. I still had other things gnawing at my mind. And for some reason Lakshmi didn’t seem all that enthusiastic about me, which was refreshing in a way. Maybe she was married? Instead of talking, I sipped on the tasty brew and considered what manner of mamono she might be. She wore a loose fitting, dark green Sari of modest cut and I saw no horns, ears, claws, wings or tails that gave it away. She seemed to catch on to my musing quite quickly, as she soon asked, a smirk on her face. “Trying to figure out what I am, are we?” “Kind of,” I admitted, taking another sip of the tea. It really was quite good. “It’s usually pretty easy to find some identifying features.” She nodded. “Then I shall enlighten you. My kind are called Vishakanya.” She smirked, as if she expected a certain reaction from me, but I was drawing a blank. I couldn’t recall anyone having told me about her kind. Seeing that, Daena sighed. “Vishakanya are quite rare. For their maybe most notable attribute they are sometimes called ‘poison maidens’.” “Hmmm,” I mused, trying, and failing, not to unhappily consider the mug in my hands. Both Lakshmi and Daena broke into laughter, clearly this wasn’t the first time they had observed this reaction. “Don’t worry, if I wanted to poison you, I’d have done it when you shook my hand,” Lakshmi chuckled. “It’s amusing how most people react like that the first time.” “Sorry,” I said, torn between embarrassment and a discomfort I knew was irrational, but was hard to dispel nonetheless. “I didn’t mean to offend.” She shook her head. “Don’t worry. You’re not the first, and you won’t be the last.” “So how do you two know each other?” I wondered, keen on changing the topic. “Ahhh, that…” Daena said with a strained smile. With a bit more seriousness, Lakshmi told me the story of how Daena managed to piss off the daughter of a rich merchant from Alnor who, allegedly, had her poisoned with a rare alchemic poison. Lakshmi, having encountered that particular poison and the associated antidote before, was able to identify it and cure her. Unfortunately, the merchant’s daughter had left Westholm by then, and with no tangible evidence being found, she’d never been brought to justice. “And since then we’ve kept in contact, “ Lakshmi concluded, laying a hand high up Daena’s thigh and giving her a meaningful look. “Well then,” Daena grinned, putting an arm over each of our shoulders. “Why don’t we take this a bit further?” Lakshmi looked a bit perplexed, then said. “You do remember I’m… not inclined that way, right?” Daena blinked a few times, then she did, in fact, remember. Though she had always assumed that Lakshmi simply couldn’t be bothered to look for a man and was content to enjoy herself with women. The notion seemed to boggle her mind for a moment, but then she just shrugged and moved on. “So, Daena, what brings you to Westholm this time? It’s rare for you to visit again so soon.” “Ah, yes,” Daena shot me a sidelong glance. “Actually one of the reasons we’re here is that we’ll be participating in this upcoming expedition business and I was thinking that...” she was interrupted by someone rapping the door rapidly before opening it without awaiting for a reply. “Miss Nandi, this assignment… oh.” I turned to see two succubi entering the room. One with chin length black hair, the other with long, violet-grayish hair and quite radiant yellow eyes. The second one was looking at me with wide eyes. “Oraya, I’m afraid I have guests right now so I would appreciate it if you… Oraya? Oraya!,” she finally raised her voice, causing the yellow-eyed succubus to avert her gaze from me. Instead of her, the other succubus was the one to address her. “I apologize, miss Nandi, but we have some questions about this assignment you gave us.” Lakshmi sighed. “As you can see, I have guests right now, so please wait outside. It should not take too long.” The two woman took a moment longer, then finally closed the door behind them once more. The yellow eyed one in particular was staring with a mixture of arousal and hesitation. “I suppose I should see it as a victory that these girls at least seem to show some interest in their assignments for once,” Lakshmi sighed after the two had closed the door behind them. “Anyway, it looks like I will need to provide some guidance to these two, so what were you saying?” “We’ll be going on an expedition into an unexplored tunnel system soon and I was hoping you could supply us with some of your wares that might come in handy,” Daena quickly described her request. “Expedition?” Lakshmi raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. “You wouldn’t happen to mean the one organized by the illustrious intrepid trailblazers society?” “Yep, that’s the one,” I confirmed. “You’ve heard of it?” “Heard of it? I’m part of it,” Lakshmi laughed. “So you’ll have my services, at no cost even. Well, at no cost to yourselves, at least.” “That’s reassuring,” Daena said with a broad smile. With the purpose of our trip fulfilled and, one might say, eclipsed even, Daena and I soon said our goodbyes so that Lakshmi could do her job with the two succubi. Though I still wasn’t sure exactly what Daena had intended to achieve, I would just have to ask Daena how exactly she intended to make use of the services of the Vishakanya. While we departed, I once more felt two yellow orbs glued onto my back, but I didn’t let it bother me too much. I had become well accustomed to staring, though most mamono were not quite as obtrusive as this one was. With nothing further left to do at the university, we started to make our way back towards the exit. Then, as we crossed the entrance hall, someone called out.” Hey you, the man, please wait!” I halted and looked around me, but I seemed to be the only man around at that time. “Yes, you,” the woman added and I finally turned to face her. She had a deathly pale complexion, silver-blonde hair and wore a low cut dress. She hurried over to us as Daena and I exchanged a look and she took up position at my side. “Thank you for waiting. I have a big favor to ask you,” she said when she reached us. I raised an eyebrow at this, but it was Daena that answered first. “What can we do for you Manina?” Recognition flashed over her face as her glaze briefly flashed across to Daena and she smiled at her. “I am supposed to direct my art class shortly, but I just received a message that one of my models is bailing on me. I saw you and your man and thought, well, why not?” “You want me to model?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “Will you do it?” She asked hopefully. “You’ve seen my face right?” I wondered. “Why would you want to paint that?” “Your face is fine. Please, I could really use the help?” “Why not do it? It won’t take too long right?” Daena suggested. “No, just two or three hours all said,” the woman promised. Then, seeing my still doubting expression, she added. “Come now, please. It’s nothing too suggestive and you won’t even have to get naked if you don’t want to.” “Have you done this before, Daena?” This caused both of them to chuckle and, after brief consideration and some more encouragement from Daena, I sighed. “Ok sure, but only if Daena joins in.” “Hmmm,” Manina mused. “I’ll have to see if my other model is fine with it, but I don’t see why not. Let us go then, I truly, truly appreciate it.” She seemed in quite the hurry. Maybe her class was starting soon? We made our way to a fairly large room with canvas stands arranged in a half crescent around a slightly raised dais, upon which waited a skimpily clothed dark elf. “You found one, splendid,” she said, offering the back of her hand for me to kiss. I considered for a moment, then shrugged, grasped it and breathed a kiss onto her hand, which prompted a superior smile onto her features. “You may call me Alicia, Alicia of Aendrithor. Make sure to remember it.” I nodded and Daena and I introduced ourselves in turn. Alicia seemed unenthusiastic about sharing the spotlight, but agreed when I made it clear I would only join along with Daena. Manina, having gone into an adjoining room, meanwhile seemed to have been musing about what scene to arrange with her new models and returned to us with a handful of props. She handed me a collar with an attached leash. I wasn’t sure I liked the optics, but at that point I decided to just go with the flow. She had us try out a few poses, until her students started filing into the room. Finally satisfied with the pose she came up with, she said. “Ok, that looks good. Why don’t you go into the next room and get undressed, I’ll call you in when we’re ready for you.” The three of us went into the adjoining room, where Alicia quickly took off her clothes, confidently flaunting her, admittedly, nice curves. Daena quickly followed suit, causing Alicia’s eyes to go a bit wide when she unveiled her surprise. Both then turned to me and looked expectant. “Didn’t she say I didn’t have to get naked?” I wondered. Alicia scoffed. “Come now,” she prompted with a pout. “Surely you do not wish to disappoint me, right?” “I’m sure it’ll be fun,” Daena promised and laid a hand reassuringly on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, if someone gets too riled up, I can take care of them.” I sighed, which I seemed to be doing a lot lately, and nodded. “Fine then.” I quickly shrugged out of my cloak, tunic, pants and underclothes. As I did, I mused on how strange it was that undressing in semi- and even fully public spaces had gotten so easy, almost natural, over the preceding months. Alicia let out a little gasp and ran a finger over the distinct scars on my chest. “Those are all over, huh?” I flinched a bit. “Yeah, they are.” Daena meanwhile took Alicia’s hand and whispered. ”Don’t mind the scars, bit of a touchy subject.” I appreciated her attempts at keeping her words quiet, though they weren’t quiet enough for me not to hear. “Oh, of course,” Alicia seemed a bit embarrassed. “You don’t need to be self-conscious. It gives you a kind of… rugged charm.” I couldn’t help but cringe a bit and Daena put a hand on my shoulder, pulled me close and kissed my forehead. Alicia seemed to wise up a little and stopped talking about them. A few minutes later, Manina came in and asked us to come over, seeming quite pleased I’d chosen to go without clothing after all. I counted about two dozen aspiring artists seated or standing each behind their own canvas stands. We stepped up to the raised dais and, like we agreed beforehand, I kneeled down. Alicia took position at my right side and grasped the leash to my collar. Meanwhile Daena stepped up to my right side, grasping Alicia’s chin in her hand and tilting her head up to her. She also draped her tail around my shoulder. I was supposed to wistfully gaze up at the two. Overall it wasn’t as big a deal as I thought it might’ve been. Of course, there were the obligatory invitations and inquiries as the women began their work, but Manina quickly put a stop to it. Perhaps not harassing the models was part of the condition for taking part in her course. It would make sense, if she hoped to find male models willing to work with her. As the minutes passed by, I occasionally let my gaze drift across the different artists using a variety of brushes, but also their own claws or paws to paint while Manina stepped around and advised them. I was quite curious to see how their work would turn out. As I considered that, I became increasingly aware of the heady aroma wafting over to me from both sides. Alicia’s thighs were glistening with obvious excitement. Turning my head slightly to the left, Daena’s budding excitement was even readily apparent. Noticing my peeking and with a wink, she maneuvered her half-hardness to lie across my shoulder. I raised an eyebrow, but did not comment. Rather I resumed wistfully gazing up at the two women, hoping that my own half-chub would remain hidden between my thighs. No need to give too much encouragement for future exhibitionist adventures. “Why don’t you two come join me after this? I’d love to tie you two up,” Alicia suggested after a while. I exchanged a glance with Daena, who winked with a smirk. Unsure what she was up to, I gave her a hesitant nod nonetheless. “You want us to join you? Maybe something can be arranged, “ she finally purred at the dark elf, who smirked confidently in response. The rest of the session went by quickly and, to my annoyance, I had little opportunity to observe the paintings that had been produced, as the two of them seemed quite eager to get going. As we departed, Manina herself seemed somewhat disappointed, perhaps having entertained some ideas of her own. Alicia led us out of the university and towards a small house. She explained to me that many of the students at the university were hosted by residents of Westholm, rather than having some kind of dorm. She herself lived in the home of a honeybee, whom she explained was currently on a trip away from Westholm, giving us privacy. Arriving at the abode and subsequently, the dark elf’s small room, Daena wasted no time and quickly undressed once more. “Let me just get my ropes and I’ll get you piggies all tied up, “ Alicia said with a smirk. “Rope?” Daena asked innocently. “Who said anything about rope?” “What are you talking about? Clearly, we agreed I would tie you up and have my way with you?” Alicia demanded with a consternated expression. Taking my cue from Daena’s pretense at ignorance, I added. “I don’t remember agreeing to anything involving ropes.” “What? But… I thought.... Well, what did you think we were gonna do?” “I thought we were gonna give this virgin an unforgettable first time,” Daena mused. “I’m not a virgin,” the elf protested, unconvincingly. “Do you really want to miss out on this chance? It’s not like we’ll be telling anyone. You could always tell people you did this or that with us.” Alicia squirmed for a moment, clearly torn between her desire to be the dom and wanting to get laid. As Daena shrugged and reached out for her discarded skirts, Alicia finally yelled. “Oh fine then. What would you have me do?” Daena smirked once more and gestured between her legs. “Why don’t you show me what those lips can do?” Alicia scoffed, but when Daena did not relent, she reluctantly got on her knees. Daena gestured for me to get undressed as well. When I was naked, she leaned back and had me straddle her waist above her pelvis, so the dark elf had two dicks pointed her way. “Can’t you at least make your man lick my ass or something?” Alicia complained. “I’d like you to suck my man off, but he can really decide for himself.” I made a show out of mulling it over, but finally declared. “I think I’d like to feel what those lips can do.” Grumbling a bit, she started alternatingly sucking us off. Though she made no show of it, after a few minutes she seemed to warm up to the task as she slowly showed more enthusiasm. Daena meanwhile had me bent backwards and to the side to aggressively punch her tongue past my lips and moaning into my mouth. “You like it?” She whispered in my ear when she broke the kiss. I nodded, prompting her to say. “Why don’t we move this on to the next stage?” She moved me off of her and shuffled across the bed, until she was leaning against the headboard. Then she gestured for the dark elf with a grin. “Why don’t you have a seat?” Alicia nervously licked her lips, her gaze shifting between Daena and me. Then she straddled Daena’s hips, grasped her rod and rubbed the tip against her drenched entrance. ”Don’t be shy,” Daena purred and Alicia finally lowered her hips, biting her lips and suppressing a moan all the way until she came to rest on Daena’s thighs. She remained stationary there for a few moments, but then slowly started rocking her hips. I was beginning to feel left out, so I moved behind Alicia and ran my hand along her back, settling on her shapely butt and gently probing at her ring with my thumb. “You’re not putting it in my ass,” the elf protested. “What would you have me do then?” I asked playfully. “Just join me in here,” Daena slapped Alicia’s thighs for emphasis. I hesitated, but then, as no more protest was forthcoming from the elf, shrugged. Don’t mind if I do. Daena held the elf in place, while I pressed my hand down on her lower back to give me good access. I pressed my tip between Alicia’s sodden pussy and Daena’s slick shaft, slowly sinking in. When I had entered her as deeply as I would go, Daena started slowly pulling out and pushing back in, building a slow but steady rhythm. I followed suit, matching my own rhythm to that of the amazon. Alicia meanwhile seemed to enjoy herself tremendously, even if she was fighting hard not to show it. Though things became quite clear when she collapsed onto Daena’s tits and was moaning unreservedly. I reached out and grasped one of her ears, then stroked and squeezed it and was quickly rewarded as the elf squealed in mortified delight. Her flower tightened and relaxed rhythmically, drawing moans from Daena and myself in turn. We continued screwing her as she rode through the waves of her orgasm. I was slowly coming to quite appreciate the distinct sensations of Alicia’s hot and wet pussy contrasting against the equally hot and hard rod thrusting into her along with mine. Barely more than a minute after her first orgasm, the elf transitioned into her second. “Fuuuck, “ Daena moaned and I felt her unload a great deal of additional lubricant into the elf’s eager pussy. She left herself buried deep as I continued to thrust, now chasing my own orgasm. --- “Now, that was refreshing, wasn’t it?” Daena asked as we were making our way towards the prancing Centaur about an hour later. “It was certainly an experience,” I chuckled. “But weren’t you being a bit mean?” “Don’t think so. I figured she’d enjoy it. Besides, don’t you think she needed to be taken down a peg? Thinking she can just tie us up?” Daena grinned. “Yeah, she sure enjoyed herself, but this way she probably won’t be able to brag about it. Well, unless she lies about it, I guess.” “Does it matter? She can tell whatever story she wants anyway, whether she got laid or not. Besides, I always feel better after I get laid. Don’t you feel better?” “Sure do,” I confirmed after a moment's consideration. “But I think if we had some fun with the two of us, it would have had the same effect.” “Ooh, you’re adorable,” Daena squeezed me in a hug and kissed my forehead. “Don’t get me wrong, I love screwing your brains out, but I also think that with the, eh, opportunities we have, wouldn’t it be a waste not to give different things a go? Variety being the spice of life and all that?” “Hmmm,” I mused. “Maybe you’re right.” |
mugen91Jan 18, 11:28 AM
| 31 months sinde the last post already? Man time flies. Starting off with introducing a new species from the HMG. I like it. And we'll be seeing more of her in the future? Bonus! I'll be looking forward to that. Now I do have to mention that the MC should train his amazon wife some patience. Not letting him see the artwork? That's just rude. Lastly, good to see some of the students of the university being introduced here. I especially liked the delf mentioning she came from one of the other cities in Elizabeth. All in all good to see this being rekindled and lets hope that it does not take another 31 months before that COOP finally gets off the ground. |
Yeah, Chapter 55 was posted in february 2019 :D MetallumOperatur said: All in all good to see this being rekindled and lets hope that it does not take another 31 months before that COOP finally gets off the ground. I am very hopeful that it won't be quite as long, but lets wait and see. There's still 1-2 more chapters coming before anyway and I'll probably take my time with posting those. MetallumOperatur said: Now I do have to mention that the MC should train his amazon wife some patience. Not letting him see the artwork? That's just rude. Patience seems to be a rare virtue when the horny is strong with this amazon :P |
| Art class... now that's a situation I have never considered for this world. Kudos for that -- not everything is about adventure, after all. I'm with Sönke in regards to not getting to see the paintings, though. And we have an official use of an honorary monstergirl in an ongoing story -- up until now I believe they've only appeared in vignettes and one-shots! So yay! |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
tygertyger said: Art class... now that's a situation I have never considered for this world. Kudos for that -- not everything is about adventure, after all. I'm with Sönke in regards to not getting to see the paintings, though. I figured the university couldn't be exclusively about science (and it's magically associated counterparts) :P tygertyger said: And we have an official use of an honorary monstergirl in an ongoing story -- up until now I believe they've only appeared in vignettes and one-shots! So yay! We do have various angelic HMG entries featured in Venom's story, but I think other than that, this is the second use in an ongoing story :) |
Maku_The_Blue said: Kudos on getting back to it Mugen! I'll have to kick my arse into gear at some point as well, so it's nice to have some more examples to go by. Next chapter next week then? :P Maku_The_Blue said: Nice to see his luck turning around a little bit. Would be even better to see more. Especially if he's going to be rather liberal with the things he's willing to try, and the people he's willing to try them with. He's certainly had enough troubles and probably deserves some lighter times ahead :) |
Animeweeb113 said: Hello Hello Hope you are enjoying the club :) |
Chapter 56 Waking to the pleasant sensation of the bodies of two beautiful women nestled close to either side of me was something I had not gotten used to, even after all this time. And I sort of hoped that I never would, as it was exceedingly pleasant. “Good morning,” Kasumi, who was unsurprisingly already awake, greeted me quietly. I shifted and shot a bleary look to my right, where Daena was still snoring lightly before turning to the Kunoichi. “Good morning to you too,” I whispered with a yawn. She gazed deep into my eye for a moment, while I was slowly coming fully awake. “How are you feeling today?” She wondered. “Hmmm,” I grumbled. “Better, I think. But you probably know all about that already, “ I added with a wry smirk. “What do you mean?” She pondered. “You arrived back here less than ten minutes after Daena and I did. You’re not really trying to tell me you weren’t following us?” She pouted for a moment. “Have I become that transparent?” She asked with a teasing note to her voice. “Or maybe I’m becoming less oblivious?” I wondered quietly. There was a brief moment of silence, then she wondered. “How’d you like the nude modeling?” I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m honestly not sure. So where were you watching that from?” “From inside the room of course,” she replied matter of factly. “I didn’t see you at all,” I admitted, causing her to smirk mischievously. “Of course you didn’t.” “What are you two whispering about in the early morning?” Daena asked sleepily before proceeding to yawn and stretch in a way that made her back pop. As we got up and dressed, I told her that Kasumi had been following us the previous evening and Daena had to admit that she too had failed to notice the stealthy Kunoichi. After looking somewhat presentable, we made our way down to the common rooms of the inn, where we discovered Vela already waiting for us, seeming somewhat impatient. When she spied us, she quickly made her way over to us and declared that I would be spending the day with her. Since Kasumi and Daena had had me to themselves the previous day, they didn’t argue the point. Part of me wondered whether protestations from their side would have had any effect. Somehow I also wondered whether protestations coming from myself would have any effect. I decided not to test the point. I didn’t exactly have an issue with it, after all. “Are we going to speak to the trailblazer people?” I asked. “That can wait for tomorrow, we have some other business today.” I raised an eyebrow, wondering what business she was referring to. Still, there was something else on my mind first. “Ok, I guess. Should we get some breakfast then? Before we head out?” Vela shook her head. “We’ll eat something where we’re going.” I noticed the tip of her tail swaying back and forth erratically, usually a fair indication that she was excited, so I decided to once more go with the flow. I turned to the other two women and asked. “Are you two ok with that?” They both nodded and Vela quickly scooped my hand into one of her big claws, then eagerly pulled me towards the exit. I waved goodbye to my other two lovers, then turned towards the dragon. “So, where are we going then?” “You’ll see,” she said in good humor. As soon as we stepped outside, I was pulled into Vela’s strong embrace and she took off. With it being day and facing outward this time, I was given the opportunity to really appreciate the unfiltered birds eye view of the town as it quickly grew smaller beneath us. It was impressive how it blended in quite nicely with the forest. Some distance away, I could see the massive shape of the Nightshroud mansion doing its very best to not blend into the landscape. We did not head towards the Nightshroud mansion though. Instead, we flew a few kilometers further outside the city and over forest proper until a lake came into view. In the center of the lake, I spotted a large pagoda and expansive gardens. The island was connected to the shore by a wooden bridge. More gardens and pagodas populated the shore of the lake and eventually bled into the forest. Vela made a beeline directly for the large pagoda at the center of the island. I imagined the well maintained gardens would be quite beautiful to behold in spring or summer. Despite the fall weather, a fair number of visitors could be seen roaming the gardens. As Vela landed, a dark haired Shirohebi came slithering down the steps of the large, central pagoda. It was interesting to see one of her kind that did not have the typical white hair. She bowed respectfully and asked us to follow her. We did as she asked and as we walked, I admired the nicely appointed interior. Beautifully crafted wood carvings depicting a variety of, surprisingly, non-sexy scenes, precious looking clothes and paintings adorned the walls. She led us through a number of hallways and up a few stairways. She finally stopped in front of a sliding door. She did not do or say anything, but from inside I could hear a woman say. “Please, show them in.” The Shirohebi pulled the door to the side, lowered her head and waited for us to pass. Vela stepped through first and I followed after. The door was pulled close behind us. Inside the room, we were greeted by Rigel and a Ryu I hadn’t met before. The Ryu had strawberry blonde hair, wearing a red kimono with gold linings showing plenty of cleavage. The serpentine portion of her body had a gold-brownish hue and she had a green magatama embedded in her skin between her collarbones and above her cleavage. “You made it,” Rigel greeted us, scooping first Vela, then me into a hug. I noted that she was dressed much more loosely compared to when I had met her at the Nightshroud mansion a few days earlier. “Welcome to my temple,” the Ryu greeted me. “Please call me Yayoi.” I introduced myself in turn and Yayoi asked us to sit with them. Vela and I sat down at the low table, which seemed designed to be used without chairs. Though, since I was a fair bit shorter than the others, it still stood easily just below chest height for me when sitting down. “So, Yayoi, I take it you are the one that has been eh… hatching these dragon eggs I’ve heard of? Together with Rigel?” “So I am indeed,” she smiled pleasantly and I noted how Rigel grasped her hand and squeezed it affectionately. “Would you like to see them?” “Yeah, I would.” I admitted with a sheepish smile. What would a dragon’s egg look like? A loot to the side showed a smile on Vela’s face. Yayoi drew herself up from the table and uncoiled her serpentine half she’d been resting on to reveal the eggs. They were quite large, perhaps as much as half a meter in length. They looked like opaque crystals of deep, dark purple color. Veins of bright red ran throughout both eggs and they seemed to almost be glowing with a faint light. “Soo… to hatch them, you literally just sit on them like a chicken?” I asked after admiring them for a moment, before realizing that my words might be interpreted as an insult. “Sorry. Bad choice of words, I meant no insult.” Rigel chuckled. “You’d better not use that language around my mother or the other members of the family, but you’re quite safe here. To answer your question though, no, it’s not the same as a chicken. To hatch a dragon egg, we must keep it close to us, so that it can absorb our mana. Occasionally, we also pour our mana into it more directly.” “So they absorb the energy that you give off naturally?” I asked. “And how do you pour energy in more directly?” Rigel and Yayoi exchanged a glance. “Shall we show him?” Yayoi then asked. Rigel nodded and was handed one of the heavy looking eggs. She held it out in front of herself and took a deep breath. She then breathed out a dark mist. I flinched away, but the mist did not spread out, but gently swirled around the egg, slowly being absorbed until it was fully gone. Next, Yayoi held out the other egg and mirrored Rigel’s action, only she breathed out a dark plume that settled around the egg like a cloud. Electric current arced through the cloud and a few drops of water dripped down onto the table. Like the dark mist before, the cloud was absorbed by the egg over the course of several minutes. After the treatment, the bright red veins on both eggs pulsed a little more intently than before. “So that was… dragon’s breath?” I asked. “Correct,” Yayoi answered. “You have not seen it before?” She looked at Vela when she asked the question. “He hasn’t seen my breath yet,” Vela confirmed, then added. “All species of higher dragon have their own variety of breath. As you could see from Yayoi, a ryu’s breath consists of thunderclouds or even just powerful lightning. Black dragons like myself on the other hand have an acid breath.” Presented with the opportunity, I decided to ask for some more information from these three and they explained about the different draconic species that existed on Arcadia, as well as the different sub-varieties that existed for some of these species, such as the different colors of dragons and how they differed from one another. I had heard some of this already from Aneksi, but they were able to give me much more detailed insights. “So, what kind of dragons will be hatching from these eggs?” I wondered. “Or is that maybe not possible to tell at this point?” “No, we know,” Yayoi said. “These are two genuine Jabberwock eggs.” “Then I suppose they are especially valuable,” I mused. “Since there are barely any Jabberwocks left, it would be fair to say so,” Rigel concurred. “And some people just found them?” “Well, it was a little more complicated than that,” Rigel mused, “but you can ask those people themselves. Given that I hear you’ll be joining their expedition.” “Oh, so it was this trailblazer society.” I made a mental note to ask one of them to tell the story later on. At some point, the dark-haired Shirohebi returned, bearing a large tray laden with various foods, including rice, pickled vegetables, some soup and fish, both cooked and raw. Everyone started eating and, since I had missed out on breakfast, I dug in. It was quite good. Light and fresh. “Now, Sönke, I’m quite curious. How did you meet my lovely niece?” Rigel asked when she finished eating. “Hmmm.You haven’t told her yet?” I asked Vela. “I haven’t asked. I thought it would be more fun to ask when the both of you were here,” Rigel answered instead. “Well then, I guess we first met around four or is it five? Well, four or five months ago in Bestallion,” I entered into the story. I described how we first met and Vela’s utter lack of apparent interest, left out some embarrassing episodes like the puke incident. When we got to the portion with Marchesa, I wasn’t sure if I should continue. Vela then took over and briefly summarized what we were meant to do. She skipped most of our trip through Elizabeth, then emphasized how she saved me from the harpy in the mountains on the border of Kaori. Though just after, she was a bit uncomfortable telling them that we’d had sex for the first time following that incident. When she got to THAT event, she paused and looked at me. I appreciated the consideration and thought about it for a moment. But in the end I saw no reason not to tell them. Since I didn’t feel like repeating the story myself, I asked Vela to continue. She pursed her lips and nodded before she continued. She didn’t go into too much detail, but by the time she was done, the good cheer that had built over the course of telling the story was gone. I was a bit relieved when I saw anger on our host's faces, rather than pity. “So that’s why you wanted to postpone your quest for revenge?” Rigel asked. Vela seemed to consider for a moment, but then nodded. Clearly not ready to share that both matters might be intertwined. “I suppose this story sheds some light on your request then.” “What request?” I asked. “You remember, when we met the other day, Vela said I was studying rune magic?” I nodded and she continued. “Essentially, with rune magic, it is possible to imbue objects with magic.” “So, like an enchantment?” I asked. “Something like that,” Rigel nodded. “Vela has asked me to provide you with some protection.” “I asked her to make you something to make sure you’ll be unharmed if something goes wrong and you’re attacked,” Vela explained. “Unfortunately, keeping someone absolutely safe from harm is far outside the realm of possibility, even for a master. And I am far from a master. But what I can do would be to enchant your clothing to make it more resistant to being slashed open or stabbed through.” “Are you sure?” I asked. “That sounds pretty difficult. I’m very grateful for any help, but I wouldn’t want to impose.” “Don’t worry about that,” Vela scolded. “No, it’s ok,” Rigel interjected. “I appreciate your concern, but I can assure you that while we’re keeping the eggs company, Yayoi and I have a fair bit of time to spend. It would also be good practice for me.” I was a bit torn. Given that I had not come across much in the way of rune-enchanted items, it clearly had to be something rare and expensive. But if she was offering, I’d be a fool to turn her down. “Well, in that case, I would be very grateful,” I said sincerely. “Do you think it would be possible to use my cloak? Also, how exactly should I imagine the protective effect?” Rigel considered for a moment before answering. “Well, the effect that can be achieved will be determined by the ability of the practitioner. Since I am not a master of the craft, you can probably expect the effect to be something akin to wearing very light armour. So, by no means should you expose yourself to danger, expecting to be safe.” “That makes sense.” I got up and removed the cloak I’d had with me since leaving Umbra and handed it over to Rigel, who briefly examined it. “This is of fine make. Another gift from my niece?” She winked at Vela. “No, actually,” I corrected. “I’ve had this since a few weeks after arriving in Arcadia.” “One of the other girls I’ve heard about?” Yayoi interrupted. “No, someone who helped me out when I just arrived here. Without her, Ayanna, I’d probably never have left Ahmose.” This prompted the two to demand I tell the rest of the story from before I arrived in Bestallion and met Vela for the first time. I considered for a moment, then launched into the story of how I’d first arrived in the endless sands of Ahmose’s deserts. I told them how Lea and Amunta, on patrol from Umbra, had found me on the cusp of giving up on life. I told them of the deal I made with Ayanna, the Anubis lieutenant of Umbra’s guard and my first, rather mixed, impressions of Arcadia. I continued with my seemingly hopeless search for a safe way out of the desert and how I believed that Ayanna had ultimately been involved in getting me a space with Kohaku’s merry band of peddlers. I went over how I learned more about Arcadia and her inhabitants at Grey Gardens and the bandit ambush that had necessitated our visit there. At the mention of Tony, the Darkstar, Yayoi demanded more details. It seemed like she had heard of him before. Concluding that part of my early stay, I kept the rest of the trip short, since nothing much of note happened until our arrival in Bestallion. I finished the story by describing how and why I’d turned down Kohaku’s offer to keep traveling with them, at which point I arrived at the part where I met Vela for the first time, which I had talked about earlier. Though I didn’t go into great detail, Vela, who had also only heard part of this before, seemed a little bit torn, judging by the expressions that played across her face. I imagined she might be bothered by the seemingly endless list of lays I’d had, or perhaps she was wondering if there were more feelings than pure lust involved with any of these women. If that was indeed her concern, I couldn’t even fully deny it. Had it not been for my concerns of the consequences for staying in Ahmose too long, I might have stayed in Umbra, or perhaps in Grey Gardens. I also couldn’t help but feel like I’d have saved myself a great deal of pain. Still though, I wouldn’t want to not have met Kasumi or Vela or even Daena. With that little bit of introspection done and since I'd been talking for a while, I decided to ask some more questions of my own. “How come the two of you are hatching these eggs at this temple anyway, rather than the Nightshroud mansion?” “These eggs were first brought to me,” Yayoi explained. “And the matron did not demand you hand them over to her?” Vela asked. “No, though if she had, I would have complied. She simply demanded that Rigel and I work to hatch them together.” “Any idea why?” I wondered. “I’m not completely sure,” Rigel admitted. “I think it might have something to do with her still wanting me to act more appropriately. Pridefully. Not that I mind.” Once more I saw the Ryu and Dragon affectionately squeeze each other's hands and throw palpable gazes at one another. Ahh, I see. I thought to myself. “And is her plan working out?” Vela asked, her tone amused. “Well….,” Rigel said with a grin, prompting a similar expression to appear on Vela’s face. “So, she doesn’t like that you’re a bit nicer and more approachable?” I asked. “Not quite,” Rigel agreed. “Although even Mother won’t deny that my way can be beneficial for the family’s reputation. Well, she might still deny it to those that don’t belong to the family,” she added with a wink. “You certainly were more approachable at our first meeting than anyone else from your family,” I said with a sidelong glance at Vela, who gave me a reproachful look. “It’s important that we maintain a certain appearance,” she said defensively. “Besides, you yourself said that you were struck with me the moment you saw me, so you obviously thought I was making a good first impression!” “Right,” I said and I put a hand on her thigh and stroked it softly, before turning once more to Yayoi. “I was also wondering what the deal is with this temple. It’s certainly very ehhh… Kiokan? And aren’t Ryu also mostly from Kioko?” “Fair enough,” she answered. “I am from Kioko actually, so you’re not totally off the mark, though certainly not all Ryu live there, far from it.” “What brought you here then?” She sighed. “It’s mostly because my family traditionally tends to temples such as this one. My mother is actually responsible for three temples in the very north of Kioko. Each of my elder sisters lives and tends to one of these. As my hundredth birthday approached, she made plans to add another temple, which I would be taking over and I convinced her it was a good idea to perform a… well, you could call it a cultural exchange.” “Your hundredth birthday? Is that number special in your family? Also, how did you then decide to come here to Westholm?” “Many of the traditionally minded dragons would consider a hundred years to be around the time that one can be considered an adult and given some proper responsibilities,” Rigel explained. “Right,” Yayoi agreed. “So as an adult it was my time to take over a temple of my own. As for why we chose Westholm, my mother maintains good relations with the matron. I stayed here for a few years when I was younger and likewise, Rigel has spent time at our temples when she was younger.” “Oh, I see. But why build the temple so far outside the city then?” “This temple, Shizukesa, was built at some distance to Westholm to make sure that those seeking to escape the city can experience calm and tranquility here. The lake is, of course, a bonus.” “And what exactly do you do here?” I wondered. “Oh, many things. People come here to seek guidance and advice, to soothe their minds, some wish to experience a Kiokan style bonding, as you yourself have.” I felt at my shoulder and chest where, below my clothes, were the markings that were proof of Kasumi’s and my marriage. Somehow Yayoi seemed to have sensed that. “The Lord Elizabeth has also deemed it fit to grant me with the ability to provide minor blessings of fertility, so married couples will also come here to seek those. I suppose my duties here, which prevent me from being away for long periods of time, are another reason the eggs are being hatched here, as opposed to the mansion.” “Speaking of the temple, have you had a chance to have a proper look at it?” Rigel interjected. “Just from the air. We flew directly over to the entrance to this building.” “How about having a little tour around then? You might enjoy it.” We agreed and the four of us made our way back out of the big pagoda. Rigel and Yayoi both carried one of the eggs with them. Did hatching them mean that they had to be with them at all times? On our way out, we passed the dark-haired Shirohebi, whom Yayoi informed that we’d be making a tour of the temple complex. As we passed through the expansive garden I’d seen on our approach earlier, Yayoi explained. “This garden and the others further out are quite popular to visit among Westholm’s residents. They are tended to by the dryads that accompanied me here from Kioko.” “How many are living here at the temple?” I wondered. “Currently it is I, Rigel, four shirohebi, twelve inari, and twelve dryads living here,” Yayoi explained. “Did your mother ask them to accompany you? Or did you look for them yourself?” “You want to know if they wanted to come here?” She asked and I nodded. “They all served my family at one of our temples. As happened for my elder sisters, they all volunteered to accompany me here. As far as I can tell they like it here, especially since we have been welcomed quite warmly.” The gardens were maintained immaculately. There wasn’t much to be seen in the way of flowers, considering it was autumn already, but there were still a variety of fruit bearing trees arranged so as to compliment each other and occasionally form the paths through the gardens. Their colorful leaves more than made up for the lack of flowers and reminded me of those cliché depictions of autumn from ads back home. Once I thought I caught a glimpse of one of the dryads observing us from behind an apple tree burgeoning with fruit. After a while, we exited the garden and found the bridge I’d observed earlier. Reaching the shore of the lake, we started passing by more, albeit smaller, pagodas and through further gardens. Yayoi occasionally pointed out a building of note or an arrangement of plants or trees in a garden she found especially noteworthy, but otherwise we walked mostly in silence. As we walked, I caught the occasional glance of more of the temple’s attendants attending to one of their tasks, but also the occasional visitor, such as a man sitting on a bench with a honeybee to each side or a werecat and kobold strolling by and giving us a respectful greeting. Eventually, we reached the point where the temple complex started to blend into the forest. There, we found the start to a winding path through the forest. “You might want to consider walking back to Westholm,” Rigel suggested to Vela. “I suppose,” Vela agreed. “Any particular reason?” I wondered. “You’ll see,” Rigel answered with a grin. “And now, please do visit again before you head out for the expedition. Feel free to bring the other two with you, I’d like to meet them as well.” “Hmmm,” Vela grumbled. “I’ll pass on the invitation,” I added. “I’m sure they’ll be happy to come.” “Good to hear. And now, do enjoy the walk back.” With that, Rigel and Yayoi waved us goodbye and took off into the air. “Well then, shall we?” I asked Vela, who nodded in response. Along the way, which seemed to have been created to snake through the forest to create an idyllic and calming atmosphere, I soon had my arm wrapped around Vela’s waist, while she had curled one of her wings around my shoulder. Walking at a relaxed pace, we arrived back in Westholm after about two hours. |
mugen91Jan 24, 4:45 AM
| Nice to see the next chapter. I liked the subtle keeping up appearances for the matron skit all the "younger" dragons are admitting to doing. Also, must have been an impressive sight for those visitors: a man being escorted by three friggin dragons. Really looking forward to learning who these "trailblazer people" are :-) |
MetallumOperatur said: Nice to see the next chapter. I liked the subtle keeping up appearances for the matron skit all the "younger" dragons are admitting to doing. Also, must have been an impressive sight for those visitors: a man being escorted by three friggin dragons. Really looking forward to learning who these "trailblazer people" are :-) Better come up with some interesting charaters then ;) There is definitely some keeping up appearances going on, though it would probably be fair to consider that there will still be some nuance between them being in a private setting and how they might act with outsiders :) |
mugen91 said: There is definitely some keeping up appearances going on, though it would probably be fair to consider that there will still be some nuance between them being in a private setting and how they might act with outsiders. I suspect the typical dragonkin haughtiness would also ramp down a notch or two when in the company of others whom they considered equals (or at least worthy opponents) when no one else was around. Arrogance is generally the wrong approach to take with a pharaoh, for example, and I don't see it being the smartest move when dealing with an apophis or the eldest of those breeds that grow much more powerful with age (i.e. vampires, wights, and dark mages). Even with a "lesser" breed like a lizardman, any individual who manages to make it past a millennium of life without hiding in a hole for most of it is no one to be trifled with. And when confronted with a dragon zombie, I imagine that most dragons would do a passable job of concealing their fear... but they would definitely be afraid. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
tygertyger said: mugen91 said: There is definitely some keeping up appearances going on, though it would probably be fair to consider that there will still be some nuance between them being in a private setting and how they might act with outsiders. I suspect the typical dragonkin haughtiness would also ramp down a notch or two when in the company of others whom they considered equals (or at least worthy opponents) when no one else was around. Arrogance is generally the wrong approach to take with a pharaoh, for example, and I don't see it being the smartest move when dealing with an apophis or the eldest of those breeds that grow much more powerful with age (i.e. vampires, wights, and dark mages). Even with a "lesser" breed like a lizardman, any individual who manages to make it past a millennium of life without hiding in a hole for most of it is no one to be trifled with. And when confronted with a dragon zombie, I imagine that most dragons would do a passable job of concealing their fear... but they would definitely be afraid. That's definitely a fair point. I think we can agree that overall social interaction is a complex topic on earth and would probably also be on Arcadia :) |
Chapter 57 - PoV: Vela When they arrived back in Westholm, Sönke and Vela were walking closely intertwined. She had one of her wings draped over his shoulder and the tip of her tail wrapped around his wrist, keeping him pressed close against herself. Meanwhile, he had his arm draped around her hip and rested his head against her side. Rigel’s suggestion to walk back instead of flying was pretty good. Having him all to myself, without the other’s interference. The autumn colored forest was pretty enough and since he gave up his cloak, he quickly got very close, Vela thought to herself. The walk had put her in an exceedingly good mood. And it wasn’t as if she had been in a bad mood before. Still, now that they were back in Westholm, she chose to let her tail sway behind her once more. She had no intention of looking like too much of a lovesick lizard. Still, she left her wing where it was. She did not want him to get cold. Sönke’s response was to run the tips of his fingers over her side, forcing her to barely suppress a shiver and a moan. She glanced down at the man and saw he was glancing right back at her with an eyebrow raised. Had he noticed her apprehension? Sometimes he was quite astute at noticing these things, but other times he seemed so very oblivious. He didn’t say anything, just smiled up at Vela before turning his eye forward once more. She felt the familiar tingle in her stomach that often accompanied a look, a touch or even an intimate word. Vela turned her own eyes forward again and started to keep an eye out for her surroundings. The majority of the mamono in Westholm had the good sense not to lust after him while she was at his side, but it was better to be watchful. “So, do we introduce ourselves to that trailblazer society now?” Sönke asked after a moment of silence. “Hmmm,” Vela grumbled. She did not feel enthusiastic to have their time alone interrupted. “Grumbling is not an answer,” he replied teasingly. Why did he have to be so insolent? She poked at him with one of the spines protruding from her wing in reprimand. “We can do that tomorrow,” Vela declared somewhat imperiously. “Did you have something else in mind then?” He asked, putting her on the spot. She did not, in fact, have something in mind and so she looked around in an attempt to think of a good answer. Why couldn’t they just keep walking around the city? While trying to quickly come up with a compelling answer, Vela’s eyes locked onto a figure gazing their way from half hidden behind a tree. It was that damned goat woman again. She was even licking her lips as she stared at her man. Vela felt her temper flaring at the disrespect. “What’s wrong?” Sönke asked as he seemed to sense the shift in her mood. “Nothing,” Vela lied, while considering the man at her side. Am I really in love with such a promiscuous man? Of course I am. How else would a simple look, smile, touch or even just a word fill me with passion and desire? And why else would I be so jealous of these lesser mamono? What’s happened to the old, proud, me who had nothing but sneers for puny humans? If only I could have him to myself and make sure no other woman gets to look at him again. I could just grab him and take off. Who would be able to find us? Who would be able to stop me? But of course, he would protest, might even hate me for it. And what good would it be to have him to myself then? She thought to herself with a frown. And it’s not like the Kunoichi doesn’t have her uses. If only she were normal in the head. For all I know, she’s following us right now and I have no way of knowing. With a soft harrumph, Vela shot another hostile glare at the Krampus and resolved to warn Kasumi against letting her anywhere near Sönke. “Soooo…?” Sönke wondered, forcing her to focus once more on her current conundrum. “Let’s eat something,” she finally suggested. The suggestion sounded weak to her, but she had not come up with anything better, even after thinking on it for a few moments. “Didn’t we have a pretty big meal a couple of hours ago?” He asked. “Fish and rice,” Vela snorted derisively, then added. “You don’t want to?” “I didn’t say that,” he chuckled. “Lead the way.” She huffed in mild satisfaction. At least he had the good sense to agree to her proposal. But where would they go? She could always take him to the mansion. The matron certainly had only the best of cooks. But she decided against the thought. Vela did not want him thinking she was too dependent on her family. Finally her lips curled into a smile as she thought of just the right place. A few minutes walk later, they arrived at an inconspicuous, medium sized eatery. A well-built, but somewhat aged man came up to them and bowed before Vela with appropriate deference. “A pleasure to see you, My Lady. Are you looking to dine in?” “Yes, send in your wife,” she answered dismissively and strolled past him and to the back. “My Lady?” Sönke asked as he followed her into a private backroom. “It’s also a term for addressing nobility in your world, isn’t it?” “Well, I suppose. Not much nobility left though. Not the kind you’d show deference to, anyway.” He shrugged. “Though I guess considering your family's position in this city, it seems appropriate enough.” Of course it’s appropriate for a dragon to be addressed as nobility. If anything, it’s not good enough, she thought as her lips turned into a thin line for a moment. Then she relaxed. She could not blame him for still being ignorant to many of the ways of this world. He had only been here for months, after all. “So, I’m guessing this room is not for regular guests?” “What makes you say that?” Vela wondered with a twinge of excitement. Did he notice the exquisite furnishings? The expensive tableware? The delectable liquor on display? “Well, this furniture seems a bit… oversized?” She considered the room and, from a human’s perspective, furniture fitted to dragonkind would seem oversized. After all, the throne-like chair that stood at the head of the majestic table stood tall even to her. “The matron favors this place and since the owner was in her debt, she has this room for her exclusive use.” “Her exclusive use? Or the whole family’s?” Annoyance welled up in Vela, both at his insolence and her own misplaced choice of words. She couldn’t give vent to it though, as the proprietor arrived just then. “Lady Vela, a pleasure to see you.” She turned to face the Salamander. Her words were courteous enough, but unlike her husband, she did not bow. Vela decided to overlook that for now. “Are you looking to have the usual special? For you and your… companion?” The Salamander’s eyes briefly scanned up and down Sönke’s form as she considered what to refer to him as. Vela nodded and the woman left, closing the door behind her. “So, what kind of favor do you need to be owed to get a private back room with these kinds of benefits?” Sönke swept his arms across the room as if to indicate the whole place. She sat down on the expensive divan and motioned for him to join her. “She helped her get a suitable husband from what I heard. In a way, at least. It happened before I was born.” “How so?” She considered the question for a moment and tried to recall the whole story. “My aunt and my mother had an argument about who was the better fighter among them. The matron was quite annoyed with them and their argument and the Heart suggested they should settle the argument publicly.” “The Heart?” He interrupted. “The matron’s husband,” she explained. “It’s a title that’s been used for the Clan leader's husband since long before the war of the ancients. Anyway, he thought it was a good idea to hold a public tournament to decide the argument and put on a bit of a spectacle for the town. The prizes were quite generous, so it attracted a lot of attention even from the outside. Then there was also a side event where humans could test their merits against one another. The Salamander and her husband both came to Westholm to compete.” “So she opened a restaurant here as tribute to having found her husband? And why have them fight it out in public? Make sure the result is clad in stone?” He wondered. “Something like that I think, but I don’t know for sure. As for the Salamander, she already had a famous restaurant in Elewyr, but moved it here afterwards.” “Who finally won the tournament then? Your mother or your aunt?” “Neither, actually,” she admitted with a soft frown. “The brackets were set up for them to meet in the final match, but my aunt lost in the semi-finals, and my mother in the final match. The winner forswore her winnings and instead asked the matron for a chance to earn the right to one day call herself a Nightshroud. She’s been the matron’s seneschal ever since.” “The red dragon?” “Treva, yes,” Vela nodded. “Should’ve stacked the brackets to make sure they meet earlier then, I guess.” “It wouldn’t have done to have a member of the family lose early in the competition,” Vela explained. Especially not when the matron had had everything set up to put that argument to rest. “And no one else from the family participated?” Vela shrugged. “If the matron or my grand-aunts had participated as well, there wouldn’t have been much hope for lesser contestants to win any of the lesser prizes.” He remained quiet for a moment, then asked. “Why did Treva want to carry the Nightshroud name though? Doesn’t she have her own?” Now it was her turn to remain quiet for a moment as she considered whether it was appropriate to share such intimate knowledge. But one day he would be a part of the family and so Vela believed it was probably alright. “Not all Dragons are naturally born,” she explained. “Or can look back to a heritage like mine.” She paused for a few moments to give him a chance to arrive at the correct conclusion, but clearly she had not spelt it out clearly enough. “In very rare cases a mamono called an Echidna may bear a dragon.” “Ahh,” he murmured as understanding showed in his one eye. “I see. I didn’t think about that. Would that be considered bad? Not being of ‘real’ draconic origin?” Vela pursed her lips as she carefully considered the question. “There aren’t that many of us true dragons left. There is a debate of sorts about whether that means we have to be even more selective when choosing a mate, be more strict with our daughters, or be more wary of outside influences. In the old days, not being born of a draconic mother would have been reason enough to be an outsider to our society and most clans would not have admitted those to their ranks that were not of their bloodline in any case.” “So the matron has other ideas today?” He prompted. Vela gave an involuntary snort. “I think we dragons are known well enough for being very particular about our mates.” She paused as she realized what that might say about her, being willing to share hers. Then she shook her head and pressed on. “What good would it do us to become even more selective when even now there are those who do not choose a mate for thousands of years because no man appears worthy? As for Treva? I think the matron recognized her as a powerful and capable dragon and decided it would be a waste not to give her the opportunity to prove herself just because her scales don’t match our name.” “Makes sense, I guess,” he said thoughtfully and a moment of silence entered the room. Then he shifted and laid down on the divan, resting his head on her thighs. “What are you doing now?” “Just enjoying the view,” he said with a wink. There it was again. A wink, a mischievous smile, him blatantly putting himself fully in her power. Vela’s heartbeat quickened. In spite of his statement, he had closed his one eye and she felt an impulse to tear his shirt and trousers and ravage him until he was a mewling mess. Her claw hovered over his chest, but before she could come to a decision, a knock came from the door. “Looks like the food’s here,” his one eye opened again and there was a glimmer in it that seemed to say: Too slow. The Salamander came in, bearing a platter with a large piece of charred meat atop it. Vela felt the saliva collect in her mouth as the scent wafted into her nose. The platter was set down on the table beside the divan and the woman quickly vacated the room once more after giving her a none-too deferential nod. “Let’s eat then,” Vela declared eagerly. Sönke tried to rise, but she pushed him down into her lap once more with gentle force. “Shouldn’t we move to the table?” He wondered, but did not fight against her ministrations. She shook her head. “Close your eye again,” Vela ordered and he did as she told him. She reached for the platter to set it down on the divan beside herself. Then she ripped a piece from the incredibly tender meat and fed it to him. Heat welled in her loins as his tongue glided across her hard claw. “Fuck me,” he exclaimed. “How’d she get it so… so… I don’t even know how to describe it.” She snickered softly. “It’s a secret she won’t share. Her other cooking’s nothing special, but this meat is worthy even of a dragon.” Vela’s own reaction, the first time she’d tasted the Salamander’s special, had not been all that dissimilar. Reminiscing about that day, she ripped off another piece and fed it to him. “So what did I do to deserve this service?” He asked cheekily. “Shut up,” she retorted as she started eating some of the food herself. She alternated between feeding him and herself. For a weak little human he could eat a sizable portion. It should help him put on some weight again. Though he looked much better than he had, she vividly recalled her shock at seeing him in his diminished and sickly state after all that had been done to him. Before long, they had finished the sizable portion and though Sönke had eaten with gusto, the majority of the portion had still gone to Vela herself. He was still resting his head on her thighs and sighed contentedly. Now, to collect my reward for spoiling him, she thought to herself with eager anticipation. “Sing something for me,” she demanded. And just for me, she added in her thoughts. “What?” He wondered. “I want you to sing,” Vela repeated. “I’m really not that great,” he tried to deflect, looking a bit… embarrassed? “I know you can, I heard it. In Bestallion,” Vela insisted. He remained quiet for a moment, looking somewhat pensive. “What do you want to hear?” He finally asked. “You know, the one you sang in Bestallion.” He chuckled as his earlier apprehension seemed to fall away. “I sang a lot of songs in Bestallion. You’ll have to give me a bit more than that,” he prompted. Vela harrumphed. How was she to know what these human songs were called? “The one about dragon tears,” she finally said. “Dragon tears? Do I know a song like that?” He wondered, looking slightly puzzled. “Can you remember some of the lyrics?” Now she was getting a bit annoyed. How could he not remember? “The tears of the dragon for us both. Or something like that. Facing your fears?” She couldn’t quite remember the lyrics, but to her luck, recognition flashed in his eyes. “Ohh, yeah... That song’s not really about dragon tears though. That’s just the title.” “Whatever, just sing it,” Vela retorted, getting somewhat annoyed at his obtuseness. “I don’t have a guitar though,” he complained. “Then do it without one,” Vela shrugged. Sure, it would be nice to have the music accompanying him, but she would settle for only his voice. He sighed dramatically and pushed himself up, scooting closer to lean against her. For too long now There were secrets in my mind For too long now There were things I should’ve said Vela closed her eyes and enjoyed the sound of his voice. Even back in Bestallion, she had started to enjoy his singing, though she wouldn't have admitted to it if asked. Had she been a bit more open-minded, maybe she would have him to herself now? Maybe he wouldn’t have gone through all that he had experienced? Though she knew the futility of such thoughts, she could not help but chide herself for her past stubbornness. Perhaps it was a good thing she could chide herself at least, since she could allow none other to do so. Waiting for the winter sun And the cold light of day “Wait, stop,” Vela demanded and he stopped singing to give her a puzzled look. “What is it?” “I didn’t pay attention. Start over.” “...” “...” “...” “...” “Really?” “Yes, now start over.” He sighed. “Alright.” --- [b]The tears of the dragon for you and for me [/b] He finished the song without much flourish, though there was scarce need for it in her eyes. As he had sung, she had put her arm around his chest and softly brushed along the side of his face with one of her claws. A comfortable warmth suffused Vela’s entire body as she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his neck. “You know what I want next?” She asked as she felt the need rising. Her voice came out nearly as a growl. “I may have an idea or two,” he replied cheekily. She exerted a careful amount of pressure against chest to bend him back slightly and turn his head towards her. Her lips met his and she wasted no time pushing her tongue past his lips and intertwining it with his own. Humans have such small tongues, hopelessly outmatched against a dragon’s, she thought with some satisfaction. As he surrendered to her touch, she felt her own grave need grow greater yet. She tightened her grip around his chest and rose from the divan, pulling him up with her. Then she set him down and took her proper position atop him. Given their difference in stature, having him on top would have been more comfortable on this particular piece of furniture, but there was a proper order to these things that should not be set aside too often. She freed her breasts from their confines of cloth and was satisfied to see his eyes drawn to them with great interest. “Don’t mind if I do,” he mouthed with a smile. He brushed one of her breasts with his palm, then squeezed the nipple between his thumb and index finger, all while setting to task on the other with his lips, tongue and teeth. A happy grumble rumbled through her chest as she pulled up his shirt and caressed his scarred back. Vela let him continue for a while, tempering her own impatience until she finally pulled him off her breasts, bent his head back and stuck her tongue in his mouth again. Her still rising need made her more forceful this time and he squirmed in her grasp. Even as he tried to pull back, she maintained the kiss. Trapped as he was between her and the backrest, he was left with no choice but to acquiesce to her passions. When she finally let him go, he heaved in great breaths. A human’s lung capacity was no match for that of a dragon either, after all. Vela’s need having now reached near its peak, she decided that the time for foreplay was past and, judging by the hardness between his legs, Sönke concurred with her thoughts on the matter. She lifted herself slightly off of him to allow him to remove his bothersome trousers but, strangely enough, he froze while trying to shuffle out of them and stared past her. “We don’t need anymore,” Vela said impatiently without turning towards the door. With that business taken care of, she gave Sönke a look to let him know to get on with it, but he was still looking past her. Vela huffed in annoyance. She turned and prepared to throw a choice insult at the lizard-woman, but then she froze herself. Standing in the door frame, an eyebrow raised in what might be anything ranging from surprise to mild mockery, stood the Heart. Then, just as she swallowed the words she had been just about to spit, the matron rounded the corner. “Too slow yet again,” she heard Sönke mumble beneath her as he attempted to quickly pull up his trousers. |
mugen91Jan 31, 6:04 AM
| It was nice to get a chapter from Vela's perspective and get a bit of a glimpse into how she fell for Sönke. And that sure ended with a doozie. Looking forward to learn how grandma dragon is going to react catching her grand daughter and her street mutt red cheeked. |
| Oh wow, I remember that song! It dates back to about the time my son was born. For those who'd like to hear the official version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQWNoIteCF8 |
tygertygerApr 24, 2022 4:54 PM
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
tygertyger said: Oh wow, I remember that song! It dates back to about the time my son was born. For those who like to hear the official version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQWNoIteCF8 That's it indeed! MetallumOperatur said: It was nice to get a chapter from Vela's perspective and get a bit of a glimpse into how she fell for Sönke. And that sure ended with a doozie. Looking forward to learn how grandma dragon is going to react catching her grand daughter and her street mutt red cheeked. It could go any number of ways :P |
| Chapter 58 Could this whole situation be any more awkward? I slowly let my gaze wander from the Heart to the Matron and finally to Vela, who was seated beside me. It wasn’t as if acts of sexual deviancy were anything new to me after my time spent in Arcadia. I had obviously seen a fair amount of it. But the matron telling Vela, her granddaughter to ride me to completion while she and her partner observed and talked, probably discussing our performance, was pretty high up there in my estimation. Not like I had been in a position to pay much or any attention to what they were talking about. I had enough on my plate just keeping my erection with the judging audience present. As I scrutinized Vela, I was under the distinct impression that she did not seem particularly bothered by all this. Perhaps she was just masking how she felt? I let my eye wander back over to the Matron, who was methodically ripping into her food. Aside from a few hard looks, she hadn’t paid me much attention after the act had been completed and she seemed somewhat less intimidating now compared to when I met her in the audience chamber. Perhaps this merited some consideration to the value of performative coitus as a way to break down interpersonal barriers? Still, her sheer physical presence and size was disquieting nonetheless. I could not help but idly wonder whether dragons kept on growing for as long as they lived. Would Vela eventually grow to her grandmother’s size if she lived long enough? Though that certainly was a long time away. Much longer than I was going to be around. Why did the Matron have Vela go through with fucking me anyway? Had it been a simple power play? Did she not want to interrupt us? Was it, in a strange way, her being considerate of Vela’s desires? I had to admit to myself that I still knew very little about the Matron Nightshroud or of her values. Did she approve of me after all, like Vela had hinted and in spite of my shortcomings? I imagined it would be easy enough for her to separate Vela and I, if she so chose. She did not strike me as a woman who would let Vela’s resulting animosity hinder her. And I was even less under the impression that my concerns would merit her attention in such a case. With these thoughts stewing in my head, I shifted my gaze back to where I started, the Heart. Before, in the throne room, I had been unable to get a good look at the man, but that posed no issue now. Up close, there was no doubt about the fact that, at the very least in body, he had left his humanity behind. Hearing about incubization and seeing it up close were really two quite different things. I had wondered about it when I first heard about it. What it might look and feel like. Given he was the first I had ever met, of course I had no way to be sure that he was a typical specimen. His features were sharp and enviably handsome. Red, almost reptilian-like eyes and midnight-black scales that partly replaced his gray skin around the collar and the lower half of his face were very reminiscent of his wife. He also sported a pair of horns that sprouted from his hair, though they were far more delicate than Vela’s or the Matron’s. “You look like you have questions on your mind,” he said while considering me with a faint smile. I mentally chided myself. I had been staring. And been, apparently, very transparent. “It’s nothing, really. It’s just that you’re the first incubus I’ve met since I came to Arcadia.” The side of his lip lifted into a hint of a smile. “I see. That is reasonable enough,” he said amiably. “We are in short supply, you might say.” “You are?” I asked. Of course, given that he was the first I had met, it was a reasonable assumption, yet I was still eager to have him confirm the point. “Why is that? I mean, given how few men there are around, it seems incubization would be the go-to move.” He chuckled and his gaze turned introspective for just a moment. “There is some truth to that. At least…,” he let his gaze wander from the Matron to Vela, “... if a man were to be shared among a variety of partners.” He let the words hang in the room for a moment before he continued. “Still, in spite of the upsides, even among the men for whom that path is open, there are many, if not most, who decide against it.” I pursed my lips and drew in my brows. “Why would someone decide against that?” “Would you be willing to become an incubus?” He asked, rather than answer my question. “Hmmm,” I mused and thought it over. On paper, it sounded like a good deal. A much longer life span. Becoming stronger and more durable - and yet. “I honestly don’t know,” I finally replied. I could almost feel Vela’s gaze lingering heavily on me. “I don’t really have all the information, I think.” The Heart closed his eyes and nodded before returning to scrutinize me closely. “And even if you did; some things that appear a boon may prove themselves far more of a burden than you first anticipated.” As he said that, I noted his face and eyes showing a deep tiredness. But only for a mere moment. Just as quickly as the change came over him, the faint smile returned to his face, leaving me to wonder. Was that a slip of the mask? Some kind of manipulation on his part? His eyes betrayed nothing then. “Such as?” I prompted, though I had an idea or two of my own on what he might be talking about. He regarded me calmly for a moment before speaking. “Things can feel differently after the change. Some men that held low opinions of the limits of their human bodies have come to miss them dearly after they were gone. Others fear the change and loss of their humanity and so they would sooner not undergo the change at all. It’s a question that requires much-” “Enough,” Vela demanded angrily and struck the table hard enough to make the wood vibrate. “No need to poison him against the idea already.” “Vela!” The matron snapped sharply, her interest swapped from her plate to her granddaughter’s outburst. “What? He did it with my father! Why should I let him do the same with Sönke?” Vela snapped right back, anger flaring hotly in her eyes. The two dragons exchanged stares for a moment before the Heart spoke up calmly once more. “I simply answered his questions, Vela. The decision was his alone.” Vela’s tail swiped back and forth in anger as she sprang up from her chair and raked her claws through the hard wood of the table in the process. The matron rose much more deliberately than Vela, yet the movement still appeared, to me at least, far more threatening. “Whether or not he is offered the rite and becomes a part of the family is my decision, not yours. A whelp of nineteen years certainly deserves no incubized mate of her own. If my Heart wishes him to know, it is not your place to object. You’d do well to remember your place.” The matron’s voice remained perfectly even, yet the cold threat of violence was impossible to miss. I sat with bated breath as Vela spat her reply. “A whelp of nineteen years, but with a mate at least. If my mother had followed your vision of what a proper mate must be like, there would still be no new Nightshroud except the ones you hatched. You’d sooner see seven thousand year old virgins that will turn into dragon zombies than accept that times have changed, you’d-.” In one fluent motion, the matron stepped forward, wrapped her claws around Vela’s neck and smashed her through the table. I shot to my feet, but before I could do anything unwise, my shoulder was grasped from behind. The Heart, who seemed to have rounded the table while I was preoccupied with the quickly escalating exchange, shook his head and kept hold of my shoulder to make sure I did not intercede. Not that my intercession would have made any appreciable difference. And not like I felt reasonably able to intercede now that I had had a moment to consider my actions. I wasn’t sure exactly what I might have done. Or tried to, anyway. Meanwhile, Vela and the Matron were engaged in a silent staring match among the splintered remainders of the table. While Vela continued to glare defiantly, she made no attempt to dislodge the matron’s hold on her neck. The standoff lasted for perhaps a minute or even two. Then it was Vela who finally averted her eyes and another minute until the matron released her hold on her neck. She swiped a stray splinter of wood off her dress and turned to leave. As she stepped towards the door, I wasn’t quite certain, but thought that a slight smile played around her lips. The Heart released my shoulder and moved after the matron with calm steps. Before he disappeared, he turned around at the door. “The decision, if it should be offered to you, is one every man needs to make for himself. The council of your wifes or partners cannot be seen as impartial when it comes to this matter. My wish is not to predispose you either way, but it is something worth thinking about if you are serious about being with my granddaughter,” he said calmly, like his wife hadn’t just smashed his granddaughter through the table. Having said his piece, he turned and closed the door behind him. I stepped over to Vela, feeling quite glad I had not had my legs under the table when she got smashed through it. “You alright?” I asked, knowing the most hurt part was likely her pride. She didn’t answer and was refusing to meet my eye. I squatted down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder, in what I hoped she would see as a soothing gesture. “Come on. Talk to me.” “I’m fine. I’m not as fragile as you,” she said with a dismissive claw-gesture. “Do you really have to rub it in though?” I wondered in an attempt to introduce a little bit of levity. She remained quiet for another moment before mumbling, barely audible. “Sorry.” I resisted the urge to ask her to repeat herself just a little bit louder and instead squeezed her shoulder a little tighter to show my appreciation. Then I offered her my hand. She looked at it with a raised brow and I thought she might ignore the offered help, but then wrapped her large claw around my wrist and allowed me to help her get up. When she was standing upright, I dropped onto the divan, covered my eye and loudly blew air out through my mouth, releasing the tension that had built at the unexpected conflict. I peeked out through the hand covering my face and saw that Vela had sat down on my chair, arms crossed before her chest and a distinctly unhappy look on her face. She was quiet as she stared into space. Now, how to do this delicately? I wondered quietly. “Do you want to talk about it?” “No.”The response was not exactly unexpected, but a little disheartening nonetheless. “Are you sure? It seemed pretty important to you.” Silence. “I mean, you seem to have hit a nerve with the matron as well.” “I spoke out of turn, that’s all,” she said dismissively. But I had a feeling that her dismissive tone wasn’t sincere. “But did you mean what you said?” Silence once more. I ignored the urge to coax some more words out of her and waited to let her answer at her own pace. It took a moment, but eventually, she said. “I did. I’m proud of my family’s, no, my kind’s heritage, but… it’s obvious some things have to change.” Surprised, I couldn’t help but sit up and shoot her a curious look. “Are you saying that because you believe it or are you saying that because you think you have to believe it?” She narrowed her eyes at that. “What do you mean?” “I mean, everything you told me so far indicated that you thought it was only right that dragons only choose ‘worthy’ partners and that they stand above everyone else and all that.” “That’s right,” she nodded. “So what? What actually has to change then?” “Well… I mean…Maybe it’s worth it to think more seriously about sharing in the future. Perhaps we should take another look at our standards. Something like that. If I still insisted on the standards the matron likes to preach, I wouldn’t have you.” She still looked quite conflicted as she said that, then quickly added. “It doesn’t mean we should mate with the rabble off the street!” “And you think that the matron and the Heart see me as rabble off the street? That you developed a crush on me and are now stuck with me? Is that why you think they’re trying to poison me against the idea of incubization? Make sure they’ll be rid of me in a century at the latest?” Vela frowned and shrugged. “If the matron doesn’t see you as worthwhile, you’ll never be offered the rite of incubization in the first place. Though there are other ways to incubize, you’d never be recognized as part of the family.” “What is the big issue then?” Once more she took her time to answer. “My age,” she finally said, looking rather unhappy. “And maybe your… sluttiness.” “You being only nineteen then? Is that why she calls you a whelp all the time?” “In the old days, most clans would not consider a dragon a full adult until she reached at least one hundred years of life. Sometimes, if she accomplished something worthwhile, the status might be achieved earlier. The clans are no more, of course, but a lot of the dragons that remain are… fond of tradition. Especially those that still live in organized family or clan-like groups like the Nightshrouds.” “And a dragon that is not yet an adult would not be granted the right of an incubized partner? Meaning it would take at least another eighty-one years, if at all?” Vela shrugged in response. “How dire, do you think, is the whole sluttiness issue?” “Given it’s not likely to change…” She shot me a questioning glance, leaving me to shrug my shoulders this time. “I expect she would prefer you were not one, like I would. But I think if I can live with it by the time I’m an adult… She might be fine with it. Or not. I don’t know.“ I let that sink in for a moment. In the end, it seemed I could not know whether the offer would ever come, regardless of what I did. It seemed to me there was little point in fretting over something that may or may not happen eighty years from now. Who knew if I would even be alive at that point? Of course I knew that Vela was not necessarily dancing with joy when I had sex with other women, but it also seemed like her objections to the issue were becoming less severe. After all, she had just indicated an openness to sharing. Perhaps they would fade entirely eventually? Of course, I could commit myself to being faithful. I enjoyed the attention of many women, but I had three of them with me now, didn’t I? But that was part of the issue, wasn’t it? Vela had already committed herself to sharing with Kasumi. And it seemed unlikely, at least to me, that things would significantly change. Or was it? I knew the kunoichi’s preferences on the matter, but would it really be an issue for her? If she wanted to watch, there was Vela now and Daena as well. Maybe it was better to have that talk and see where things stood? With that thought, I decided to drop the topic for the moment and instead address the other big question that was left from the heated exchange earlier. “So, what was that whole thing with your father and his incubization then?” Once more, Vela took her sweet time answering. And once more she looked very contemplative. Finally she spoke up, but said only. “Sorry. But I don’t think I’m ready to speak about that.” I was not happy about the answer. But her tone and the pre-emptive apology, which Vela tended to not hand out easily, made me decide to drop the issue for the time being. It was clear to me that there was much that I did not know. That there was a great deal of information that I should have before I came to a decision. If that decision was ever offered to me, that is. “Well then. What do you say we get out of here then?” I asked instead. The dragon let out a slight sigh and nodded. I heaved myself from the divan and, as I made my way toward the door, took stock of the damage to the room one more time. The previously immaculate table lay in splinters, along with two of the big chairs. Where she had crashed down, Vela had left cracks and a sizeable indentation in the polished flooring as well. Glass splinters and splotches of liquid from bottles that had bounced off the shelving when Vela impacted the ground were strewn about the room and the smell of potent spirits permeated the air. As we stepped through the door, I hoped fervently that the bill for this altercation would stay far away from me. |
mugen91Feb 3, 2:15 PM
| Man, 7 days since the upload and still no comments. Let me be the first then. Let me start with stating that I, for one, am just as curious to learn the reason the Matron had to make Vela and him continue their copulation in front of her, as the MC is. Furthermore, I really liked the interaction your MC had with the heart, especially his advise that he cannot consider his companions as impartial when it comes to the decision wither or not to go for incubisation. That remark alone shows that there are plenty of downsides to incubisation too. I guess the process resulting in losing their humanity, sure can trigger a serious identity crisis. Lastly, it must be quite frighting to see a full fledged dragon get smashed through a table like a rag-doll. That matron boasts some serious strength. Looking forward to learn what happened to Vela's dad for her to react this way and get her arse kicked. |
MetallumOperatur said: Furthermore, I really liked the interaction your MC had with the heart, especially his advise that he cannot consider his companions as impartial when it comes to the decision wither or not to go for incubisation. That remark alone shows that there are plenty of downsides to incubisation too. I guess the process resulting in losing their humanity, sure can trigger a serious identity crisis. I figure that there would have to be some downsides to the deal and in the context of what we have seen in all the stories yet, there hasn't been much presence of (or mention of) incubi, so I thought it reasonable that they are not very numerous. MetallumOperatur said: Lastly, it must be quite frighting to see a full fledged dragon get smashed through a table like a rag-doll. That matron boasts some serious strength. Looking forward to learn what happened to Vela's dad for her to react this way and get her arse kicked. Unfortunately it seems she is not quite ready to discuss that. But who knows, maybe it will be revealed later on? :P |
Maku_The_Blue said: Had to catch up from chapter 57. I liked the lore of different types of dragons having different breaths, D&D inspired by chance? That's my bet seeing as how Vela has acid breath. Chapter 58 with Vela's point of view was interesting, that's what I'll be mainly going for with my next story. The shift in writing to show 'her' side of things with her inner thoughts being on full display was nicely done. Her feeding Sönke was an especially good idea for a cute intimate moment. Chapter 59: Fucking what? Voyeurism from the Heart and the Matron? I never would have expected any grandmother to want to watch their granddaughter going at it, even for Arcadia that's gotta be pretty up there with the rarest kinks ever. And nice exploration of the incubization process and it's effects, I'm not much of a RE fan/player, but your story kind of made me liken it to some of the mutations in those games. Damn near immortal and impossible to kill, but could also affect your psychology and mutate you into an unrecognizable monster. A complete roll of the dice, don't know if I'd risk it. -That was indeed the inspiration. So much more interesting if it's not everyone just breathing fire :) -Changing the PoV seemed like a good way to mix things up a little. I might add that in again in the future. -Was it voyeurism though, or just a power play? Who can tell? :P If it is though, that is certainly a strange kind of kink, presumably even on Arcadia -Given that incubi hadn't really been explored in the setting too much and there happened to be one in the story, I thought it would be interesting, glad you liked it. I think that there would have to be some side effects to a human living that long (along with all of the physical and presumably also mental changes incubization might entail) |
| Wow Sönke really got around. I went into this completely blind so the beginning parts were like a game of guessing who the companions were gonna be. When Vela first showed up, my mind kept thinking Queen Velverosa. I wonder how does Rigel's less-draconic-looking form works. Like is it magic or innate ability. Also nice to see a futa enjoyer. |
Reply to YummyLunches
Wow Sönke really got around. I went into this completely blind so the beginning parts were like a game of guessing who the companions were gonna be. When Vela first showed up, my mind kept thinking Queen Velverosa. I wonder how does Rigel's less-draconic-looking form works. Like is it magic or innate ability. Also nice to see a futa enjoyer.
| @YummyLunches Damn, coming back to so many comments! Did you slowly read all of the stories / updates that occured in the time you were gone? Rigel's more slight build compared to the others in her family is just a natural quirk, although how scaly she is is something she can actually incfluence herself. I imagined that mamono with the ability to transform, in this case dragons with their ancient form, probably have some degree of control over such things even without "going all the way". Vela also did something similar when they were alone in the subterranean bath under the Nightshroud mansion by making her claws into hands. So basically Rigel is a bit less "dragon-y" because she chooses to be and feels most comfortable like that. |
| Yeah I'm basically in the process of slowly going through all of the stories. Last I remember, all of the stories were cordoned off into the vault, and it seems everything returned to the main club now. How much control the mamono have over their biology has always been something I've wondered about. For example in the original MSG, the mermaid entry gave her the ability to walk around on human-like legs for free, and without any mention to the MGE's anthropomorphosis spell, though I'm not sure if the anthropomorphosis spell had been codified by Cross at that time. Also the MGE entry for mermaids talk about using magic to clear the scales that normally cover their genitals. Now I'm not really sure whether to interpret that as "a magic spell that I cast" or as "the magic that guided our evolution allows me to do this." Anthropomorphosis spell in the MGE is clearly "a spell that I cast" and seems to come with a lot of caveats that depend on the skill of the caster. For the MSG I lean towards having transformation-type abilities as innate abilities that don't require constant effort to maintain, but I'm not sure if we have any agreement on how this works. Yeah being able to soften and slenderize the hands is a no-brainer for any beastly mamono looking to get intimate with humans, and you wouldn't want that to inadvertently revert when you're excited or distracted. I just haven't seen much of this yet in the MSG stories that I've read so far so it really piqued my interest. |
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