Quest of the Twiceborn

[Edit: Feb 18 2011: I've proofread and edited this, the most notable thing changed was that the main character isn't getting called "Feign" throughout the story. In hindsight, it was silly to have his normal-earth-human companions calling him by the name he had while he was a monster, and for the dridders to not suspect him while walking around with a naga-sounding name. If it's your first time reading, then enjoy the story!]

Well, I still can't think of a good name for my story, but I feel it's just too much of a teaser to keep talking about it and not post any of it. So here's the first chapter, just to get suggestions for a name.

EDIT: Name acquired! "Quest of the Twiceborn" is a go!

---Quest of the Twiceborn
Chapter 1 - Setup and Fall


It wasn't necessarily in Elrich Carter's plans to be risking his life, though of the expedition, he was certainly the one least afraid of death. Since arriving, the group had come across two new species both big enough to eat a man whole and violently eager to do so. Their current pursuer could only be described as a 30 ft praying mantis with horns. There may have been more features to it, and there may have been more than one mantis, but none of the group felt like staying to look, and the one foolish enough to hesitate in running was long since bug food.

He remembered the guy's face, knew that he was skilled at little more than swinging a machete and lugging a backpack. Aside from that, didn't know or care a thing for his devoured comrade. The same could be said for the entire party, except of course for their client, 'Mr. Benedict'. The old man was clearly enjoying himself, Even in the face of life-threatening danger, he seemed little more concerned than a runner out on a cross country jog.

The old man jumped into a narrow opening in the underbrush with the agility of someone a quarter his age. If Elrich weren't looking, he would have easily missed it. "This way! to heavier cover!" With a dive, he grabbed a large chunk of dead wood. As he spun, he struck the useless chunk of wood with the end of some kind of short wand. It immediately twisted and straightened into a crudely crafted spear. As he threw the new spear, he caught a good look at the beast that was chasing them. While it's upper body and head were of a demonic looking mantis, the lower half was more akin to a huge centipede, stretching into the forest beyond sight.

several of the party members dove through the opening as he watched the spear get swatted out of the air by a clawed arms. As more of the party members scurried through the brambles, the creature slunk back and suddenly turned away. Something about the grove they were going into was threatening to it. Not a good sign, but at least they were temporarily safe.

---

Two weeks earlier:

"You understand, even if I can get you into Felarya, getting back out is beyond my capabilities." Elrich's small , stuffy room was more of a container than an office. His job was really to act as more of a curiosity, though he did teach a class or two, and write some reports from his undersized desk.

"I have a *hkk* plan for that. *hkk* You get us *hkk* there and when I'm *hkk* healthy, I can *hkk* get us back." Mr. Benedict had so many tubes and pipes entering and exiting his body that he could barely be distinguished from the machines keeping him alive. "There is a *hkk* city of mages. *hkk* They have perfected *hkk* the use of portals *hkk* out of Felarya."

The old man made a gesture, and his assistant strode forward. The assist and pulled a map from a heavy-duty envelope he was carrying. Hand drawn on a chunk of leather, but remarkably detailed. "This is where we believe you'll arrive, in Miragia Forest," The assistant's voice was nasal and a little grating. "From there, we predict a three week journey due south and along the river, to Ur-Sagol."

"If this map is even right. All we know about Felaryia is from the word of a few half-mad hikers and thousand year old myths." This was, of course, a lie. Elrich had sources of information beyond what a human could know. As he thought, he ran his hand through his headfeathers. The deep iridescent black feathers that replaced his hair and provided the only evidence that he was something other than human.

"Mr. Carter *hkk* It took me a *hkk* long time to *hkk* find you. A long *hkk* time to accept magic. *hkk* And an even longer *hkk* time to find this." With a few more machine assisted breaths, he managed to summon the strength to pull a silk wrapped item. out from beneith the arm of his wheelchair.

As the silk fell away it was like a door opened to a furnace, but the relic radiated pure magic rather than simple heat. The hilt and guard of a sword, intricately wrapped in deep green and red patterned leather and jade. On the guard was a symbol of Trejal, one of the Guardians of Felarya.

"All this *hkk* time I've spent. *hkk* I cannot waste time *hkk* waiting for you to *hkk* make up your mind."

The words fall on deaf ears for a moment, but he is able to pull himself out of the trance the broken sword had placed upon him. "Absolutely. For this, I think I could go anywhere."

---

The team slowly trudged forward, hacking its way through the dense foliage. One of the group, a bespectacled man with a heavy British accent stopped and looked confused. Considering that he held the compass and the map, this was a bad sign. "Must be a magnet directly a'neith us. Mistah Carter, can you do that... thing with the bird and point us to West?"

He had always hated his mundane name, even though his family was fairly wealthy and he practically owned a quarter of the Miskatonic University by inheritance. He rejected them for their complete dismissal of the paranormal, and they dismissed him for being a walking proof of the paranormal. Reluctantly, he took out the sword hilt again, "Be prepared to carry me, and don't drop me like last time."

Within seconds of closing his eyes, an astral projection shot out and upwards from the sword hilt. The manifested soul took the shape of a small black bird. It soared up through trees, bursting through the canopy and into the sudden afternoon daylight. Quickly, it found the mountains to the southeast and one of the other landmarks they had spotted to the south earlier. With those in mind, it flew back down, landing on a tree branch near the group.

"This way, this way! Follow, follow!" It's words were harsh and high, like those of a parrot.

Once out of the magnetic patch, the group set up their camp.

The Felarian jungle's sounds made sleeping difficult, even with the double watch. For every magical bird song or peaceful swaying of the jungle trees, there was also an undertone of insectoid hiss or distant animal scream that reminded the party of the viciousness and violence of this place. Carter imagined that there were lands of peace or safety on this plane, but the group was far away from those places.

Through the night, much worse than the noise or their haunting experiences, there was also a feeling of being watched...

I think this start nice ^_^
I am curious to see where it will go

-_-; It looks like the only one interested in this is Karbo, and I still have no idea what to call this story... Anyway, this part does have the first little bit of vore. I realize I took longer than most stories to get to it.

------

Quest of the Twiceborn
Chapter 2 - All Around the Tree


The next morning, Elrich awoke to the snoring of several of his fellow party members. The deep shade of the canopy made it impossible to tell the time, though from his state of rest, he knew he had been asleep too long, and nobody had awoken the others to start the day. He burst from the door to his tent, looking around quickly. As he expected, nobody was keeping watch. His keen eyes darted around, looking for traces of a predator, signs of an attack, even footprints that the two might have made while leaving.

In a slight panic, he cast a spell on the wind to quietly wake his teammates, suddenly, a harsh whisper of "wake up!" sounded in each of their heads.

Of course, they didn't wake up quietly as he had planned. Several jumped in shock, scattering their gear around the tents, some screamed a bit as they awoke, one even knocked his tent down around himself. As the scene played out, Elrich could only stand there palm-on-face in disappointment. the first two out of their tents he recognized as the first shift of the night watch, followed by Mr. benedict from his own tent and several others. The midnight shift were some of the last out, but the morning shift were gone. "We've lost two more. Did anyone hear a disturbance last night?"

"Lost? what?" One of the other machete swingers looked around groggily. "Pete and Jack? Where'd they get lost to?"

"prob'ly some big bug's shitpile, Eddie." The Brooklyn guy piped in, sneering at the look of pale horror on Eddie's face.

"I doubt it was another bug. Whatever took them was smart enough to only take what it could handle. It was also skilled enough to cover its tracks... So well even I can't begin to pick it up." It hurt Elrich's pride just a little to admit his tracking skills weren't quite flawless.

"We keep going. Nothing around here is even going to leave a body to bury. Besides, every night we aren't in the safety of a city, our chances drop..." Mr. Benedict looked around at the dozen remaining party members. "Apparently, they drop by fifteen percent."

"Agreed, we get moving ASAP. You all know the drill on dividing up their supplies... and you." He shot a spine-chilling glare at the man with the Brooklyn accent. "Have some respect for the dead, or bugs will be the least of your worries."

---

The team marched in silence for the better part of the day. Every now and then, the familiarity of the jungle was apparent, like a sense of deja'vu. Noone wanted to say it, but the feeling was like a shroud of dread.

"Wait! did you hear that?" Eddie looked around, like some bloodhound that might have caught a scent. "I think I heard Jack!" Without waiting, he bolted to the side, franticly running deeper into the jungle.

Several of the party took off after him. Reluctantly, Elrich decided to follow as well. No use splitting up for one obvious trap, after all. He almost caught up to the first group as he heard Eddie call out again. "Over here! He's in this hollow somewhere!" ...Make that a stupidly obvious trap. At least he would get there in time to fight off the ambush that was clearly waiting.

As he broke through to another clearing, he paused in shock. The illusion was brilliantly constructed, so that even to his magic-attuned sight, it kept fading in and out. The image of a cavern-like hollow in the foleage faded and intertwined with the giant woman's face. Eddie was already in her gaping mouth, with another of the group close behind him. Thankfully, most of the others were further behind.

In a panic, he slammed his hands down against the mat of dead leaves covering the forest floor. The leaves suddenly sprung to life, pulling under the group like a rug. The whole party fell forward and was quickly pulled back, except for the two near the gaintess' mouth. "Get out of there you idiots!" but his scream was much too late.

The giant tongue wrapped its way around Eddie and knocked him into her throat before he could even turn around. As she stood, her hand snatched the other explorer off the ground.

With another surge of magic, the carpet of leaves shot upward between the giantess and the party. It quickly formed into a set of thick wooden bars arcing up over them.

The man in the giantess' grasp seemed in a bit of a daze. He couldn't help but look in awe at her figure, even though her body blended into the trunk of a huge tree just below the waist. His eyes followed upwards, lingering just a bit at her breasts, until he was literally looking into her eyes.

A surprisingly warm smile made it's way across her freckled face, along with a little surprised and curious chuckle. "Usually, you humans scream a lot more." She tossed him into her mouth just as reality dawned on him. His much belated scream was muffled as her lips closed around his upper body. She worked at him a little with her tongue before finally tilting her head back and pushing him the rest of the way into her throat with a finger. With a gulp and a satisfied sigh, she looked down at the rest of the group. They just looked back at her. Some in shock and some in awe. "Usually they try to run, too." Of them, only Elrich looks calm, his magic still at work reinforcing the wooden cage that is now protecting them. "Today's just full of surprises."

"I am Elrich Carter, Feign of the Serpent Valley, Twiceborn of the Stormcrow. You have taken four of us and we have nothing in exchange, I now ask your guidance as repayment." He bowed politely as he introduced himself.

"Ooh, I haven't met a twiceborn in ages." In fact, she had never met a Twiceborn at all, but something about his confidence intrigued her and the aura of faerie magic on him was at least enough to keep her from simply downing him. If he belonged to one of her fairy friends, treating him as a snack would be a mistake. "I'm Drayla, Felaryan dryad, at your service, I guess."

---

"I mean yeah, sucks t'be him and shit, but damn, when that tree chick got Jim... I dunno, it was almost like watchin some chick swallow a monyshot, yanno?"

Two other explorers look over at the man with the Brooklyn accent, who just made his unusual observation. "No... No we don't know. Fuck, I dun think we wanna know, actually... Though this jungle does do somethin to ya, I dunno, makes ya feel a bit more..."

"Feral." The second man chimed in. "Hell, the eat or be eaten thing is pretty much the only constant around here. Stay in the madhouse long enough and you'll go mad yourself."

"'ey now, I ain't saying I'm turnin inta a cannibal er nuthin..." Brooklyn guy looked out of the bars that now held them in as much as they held the Dryad out. "Jus' sayin the tree bitch is hot. Not half as creepy as our own magic guy, really."

"Uugh, amen to that... What the fuck did he just call himself? Fang of the Stormcrow?"

"Twiceborn." Another man, sitting away from the group corrected, this one looking a little bit latino, but speaking without a hint of accent. "I've heard a story about someone called the Twiceborn of the Coyote before. A man who loved pranks so much that the totem Coyote looked down and decided he was competition. He sent a pack of every dog you could think to track him down. He watched the man evade everything that came for him, eventually cutting off his own arm to keep running. After the man finally died, Coyote was so impressed that he wished to adopt him as a son. So after the pack that was hunting him dispersed, one coyote bitch left pregnant with the man's soul." The man took a little bit of chewing tobacco out of his pocket as he paused in the story. "They say he lives to plague Vegas, Making millionaires only to ruin them. And no matter who he swindles, he never gets caught."

"Huh. Storytime with Padre ain' a dud fo a change."

"Okay, so one guy gets Coyote's mojo and turns into... What, the super gambler?"

"Coyote's thing is luck, so the guy became the master of luck." the second man shrugged, but looked a little confused. "So what's this Stormcrow's thing? I don't see our guy making rain."

The Latino man looked out at the Dryad, more specifically at the human perched on her shoulder, as he talked. "Stormcrow is one of the reapers of souls. Its 'thing' is death."

Interesting thing with Twiceborn. So Feign is part eagle or hawk or something?

Sean Okotami wrote:

Interesting thing with Twiceborn. So Feign is part eagle or hawk or something?

Crow, actually...

Still do need ideas on a name, though. I've got a block on thinking one up myself and it's a block a mile wide...

How about you base the title on Twiceborn? Usually the title is the main subject of your story.

Sean Okotami wrote:

How about you base the title on Twiceborn? Usually the title is the main subject of your story.

Hmm... Journy of the Twiceborn?
Flight of the Twiceborn?

Hmm, maybe Quest of the Twiceborn...

I LIKE IT!

This was a great chapter ^_^
I loved your descriptions and this situation with the cage is interesting and rather unusual

And "quest of the twiceborn" sound just fine I think XD

Err, I'm not quite sure if I got Drayla's personality right, chalk it up to curiosity and Feign's faery aura throwing her off a little bit.

---

Quest of the Twiceborn
Chapter 3 - Make a Deal


Drayla still didn't know what to make of this "Feign" thing. Despite the fey aura on him, he didn't seem to have any personal magic. Though the artifact on his belt practically glowed with it and had a symbol of Trejal, which was more than a little frightening to realize. Despite that, he seemed to have no fear of the dryad despite the fact she was more than twenty times his size. The way he manipulated her own fallen leaves also puzzled her. Was it him or the artifact that powered that? Does this make him some kind of druid?

"Hmm, so the sorcerers moved to Nagav. This grove of carnivorous plants... It extends all the way to the river?" He had the courtesy to keep his voice low, since he was perched on Drayla's shoulder fairly close to her sensitive ear.

She looked over to where he held the map. "Not quite, I'm pretty much at the eastern corner of the grove. You would have to travel north for a day or so, but that puts you right back at the Tonorion nest." Though there is a path through a narrow portion of the grove. It goes right between here and the faerie's pond."

"A faerie pond? Would that be this one right here?" he pointed at a small unlabeled pond on the map, He tried to mask the enthusiasm in his voice. If this was as good as it sounded, he might be done with his own quest much sooner than he thought.

"Don't get too excited, the pond is treacherous itself, even though the faeries are starting to come back in. They are still fighting off the insect hoards, with help from the plants of the grove, of course." Suddenly she noticed that she was practically whispering as a courtesy to the little human on her shoulder. Somehow, she wanted to be nice to him though he was clearly no more than food... right? "Err, Anyway, I could show you the way to the path, but I don't think our little deal covers that much."

"I do suppose I have a few things to trade..."

"If I get your meaning... five of your people. One is my snack for each one that goes free." This time she was sure to keep her voice down to keep the other humans from hearing of the bargaining.

"Five of us hardly have a chance of survival, even on a path. I couldn't possibly spare more than two."

"Aww, that's hardly enough to justify my effort, three at the very least."

"How about two and I restrain them so that you may eat them at your leasure. And you may choose choose them... With the exception of the old man or myself, of course."

Drayla raised a thin leafy eyebrow "I could always just pluck you each up as you run from me, you know."

Elrich's eyes narrow in response "And I could just turn every leaf to tinder an have them start using their grenades to set the whole place on fire. I have a feeling they wouldn't be too opposed to the idea, they're just too dense to think of it on their own."

A look of horror passed over Drayla's face for just a second before she regained her composure. While she herself could survive fire, the idea of her forest burning was still frightening. "Hmmph, Fine, there's two I've had my eye on anyway."

"We'll talk again after the others are asleep, For now the humans will be thrilled that our little misunderstanding has been cleared up."

Drayla barely felt him jump off of her shoulder, even though the jump propelled him twienty feet to another tree branch. From there, he bounded off again, seemingly weightless. Suddenly she realized that he wasn't really bargaining for his survival, or even for the survival of the group. He wanted the rest to himself. For an instant, she could feel a familiar magic on him, an aura that seemed to cling close to his skin. He may have been disguised, but he was a predator just as much as she.

---

"Yes, actually, she had us confused for poachers out to take back some of her prized little pets. She really just wanted to scare us off as quickly as possible." Perhaps if he hadn't found his calling in magic, Elrich may have made a good salesman, for a moment, even Mr. Benedict believed the lie. Though when he figured out what was actually going on, he found it too amusing and beneficial to break the truth to the hapless peons. Silently, he wondered just how many got bargained away for the group's survival.

"So I guess she can point the way to a landmark? I mean, she wants us outta here quickly as possible, right?"

"She knows the way to a trail leading straight to the river. And it gets better. Ur-Sagol was devistated about two hundred years ago by some hopped up supermage. All the surviving mages from there moved to this side of the river in a city just south of this little neko villaige."

Brooklyn spit a wad of tobacco before talking. "Well shit, dat's four more days hike to get these wonderful wizzads. Weah's da good in dat?"

Already, ideas were brewing in some of the members before one spoke up. "Biggest city in the land is a ruin, I bet those old farts haven't mustered the balls to go back and salvage everything."

"Bingo. From this pond here, we exit both the bug territory and the carnivorous plant territory. Plus to that, it's right on the opposite bank from the ruins. Either to the neko villaige or to the ruins is a cakewalk compared to what we've done so far. To spell it out for the slow of you, those ruins are moderate risk and very high reward." Elrich looked across the faces of the party, all of whom were absolutely hooked on the idea of treasure hunting. "Even better, the dimensional gate there is still operational."

Behind the group, Mr. Benedict felt a pang of suspicion, "I thought you said you couldn't do dimensional magic out of here." He had his misgivings about this treasure hunt. Whether it was the mage's own greed or some other reason, he was selling this idea a little too hard.

"I didn't say it's just in working condition... It's still operational. Meaning it is still open." He grinned like he knew a funny secret, "An untamed gate like that will literally take you anywhere you want to go."

---

The next morning dawned slowly, though the night watch was still alive to wake everyone, which was a good sign. The group packed up without noticing anything wrong, though there was a strange feeling among them as if they were forgetting something.

Drayla leaned her serpent-like tree body low to the ground, traveling along side the group of eight. Somehow, Elrich had completely erased the two missing members from the memories of the group. Ever since he threatened to use fire against her, she wanted to get as much space as possible between herself and the shaman. "There, this is as far as I can go, but the path starts just ahead." with a wave of her hand, the trees leaned slightly away, making the direction very clear.

As soon as she was confident the humans were gone for good, she disappeared into the surroundings. moving quickly to the little gifts he left for her.

Well you maybe made her a bit twisted, trading with Feign like that. She is usually more "natural" and straight-forward
But well this is a detail and the chapter flowed well I am curious to see what will happens next ^_^

Karbo wrote:

Well you maybe made her a bit twisted, trading with Feign like that. She is usually more "natural" and straight-forward
But well this is a detail and the chapter flowed well I am curious to see what will happens next ^_^

I was afraid that was gonna be the the case, I guess it's because I didn't really know how she would act around someone that may be a fairy or some other fairy-level predator (due to his displayed magic). I'm working on fixing a thing or two about the next chapter... I think I may have put too much of Crisis' personality into her in the next scene.

Quest of the Twiceborn
Chapter 4 - Paths and Partings


As she lifted up the first tent, she saw what Elrich had meant by restraining the prey. The man with a Brooklyn accent was still sleeping, completely oblivious to the ivory and bone manacles that had formed around his arms and legs. His clothes were in a heap next to him, though he was still wearing some boxer shorts covered with little red hearts.

She giggled a little at the sight and opened up the second tent. The British man she had been toying with on the trail wasn't resting quite so peacefully. By the look of things, he was caught outside and dragged back into his tent. There were the same restraints on him, though these were latched together behind his back, essentially hogtying him. Additionally, there was a mask over his nose and mouth that completely silenced him, somehow without stopping his breathing. The look on his face was abject terror, staring up at the Dryad's smiling face.

"Aww, he wrapped you two up nicely." She picked up the squirming Englishman carefully, plucking off his restraints with her other hand, but making sure to keep a good grip on him as he flailed about. "Don't be mad at me, though. You were all dead the moment you came here with that twiceborn."

Finally he had the presence of mind to stop trying to get out of the giantess' grip and focused on tearing off the muzzle that had been used on him. "'EEEELP! THE BIRD BASTARD LIED SHE'S 'BOUT TA EA-" Suddenly, his screams were cut off as she pressed a single fingertip to his mouth, covering most of his face, but the damage was done. Below them, Brooklyn was groggily waking up and trying to process why his arms were stuck together.

"Hmph, I wanted him to wake up in my mouth... But if he's that much of a slow waker, I guess it wouldn't be as fun anyway." She pouted as she looked down at the confused little human. "Now he gets to watch you go down though, so I guess it's a special treat for him. Of course, you can both feel free to scream, you're the last two anyway."

The last sentence sunk into the Englishman's mind, as well as being the first words Brooklyn could understand as he reached full consciousness. it had the effect she wanted, causing them to lose enough hope to not try to get help. She felt unusually playful and didn't want them to pass out anytime soon.

As soon as she removed her finger from his mouth, though, the Englishman resumed his screaming and struggling, though Brooklyn just looked up in awe at the Dryad looming over him. After rolling her eyes at the Englishman's incoherent screaming, she quickly closed her lips around his head and shoulders, once again hushing his yelling. As she ran her tongue around the man's torso, she looked down at the Brooklyn man. He in turn simply stared up at the giant female form that loomed above him as she gave a little giggle. Suddenly she tossed her head back, making short work of swallowing the Englishman.

She finished her gulp with a deep satisfied sigh. After a moment, she leaned down with her hands on her hips, looking closely at Brooklyn with a grin, "You won't feel a thing, but you can struggle if you like."

---

"Y'know, Benedict told us this would be dangerous... Didn't think it'd get down to a six way split..." One of the machete swingers muttered to his comrade, though at the moment the path was more than clear enough, making the machetes somewhat redundant.

"Never know, by the end of this it could get down to a one way split. Anybody's guess who might get it." The other man at the head of the group was wearing a dark grin, somehow just smart enough to realize that he probably won't live much longer, but just cracked enough to not care. "High stakes Russian roulette we got here."

The rest of the group lagged behind the first two by a good margin, leaving them in a horribly precarious position with only their machetes and assault rifles to defend themselves. They didn't give any thought to the two rear guard who, while better armed with two guns each and grenades, were still in a worse position for an ambush. Just knowing the dangers was enough to drive most of the remaining group a little crazy, though there hadn't been an attack since getting on the path that Drayla set before them.

"Didn't sign up for Russian roulette, Turk. You still have some of that jerky?" Turk pulled some thin strips of smoked meat from a pouch on his belt. The rations had run out on the second day of the path, though somehow, Elrich was able to bring back more than enough slaughtered meat for the whole group every time he vanished into the woods. Even so, none of the other group members would dare set foot off the path.

"So, what were you in for, Frank?" Turk asked around his mouthful of jerky. "I've asked all the others, we're all at least lifers, and Padre was on death row about a day from the chair when Benedict got him out."

Frank grinned a little, "Not me. Never got caught in twenty years workin for the Marcone family. Benedict hired me as a free man. But I got more notches on my rifle than you do on yer bedpost, sure a dat," He seemed to punctuate his assertion with some especially effective swipes of the machete. "I figgya'd he wanted a clear conscience, but get this..." He took a bite of jerky before continuing, "It was that mage that hand-picked the team. And somethin tells me he's got more in mind than a clear conscience."

"Hey... Is that a clearing up ahead?" Turk didn't dare get excited or run ahead... or even stare ahead at the bright patches up ahead. If anything, the promising sign made him more paranoid of an ambush. There was even a little shimmer of water.

Frank already had the radio in his hand, "Looks like we've got our pond. Less than half a klick ahead."

"Good job on not rushing it, you guys actually have half a brain." Elrich's voice came from directly above them, causing them both to jump a bit, "It sure isn't an illusion though, and this path is too obscure to be trapped."

---

Elrich looked over the crew, now they had whittled down as predicted to the members with the best instincts. "Okay, we're about to enter fairy territory. There are things to remember. First, even if they look small and cute, they have magic that will skullfuck you sideways, give them respect like they each have a flamethrower and a hair trigger. Second, they are fighting those same bugs that have killed four of our team so far, which I know are immune to magic, so they have other methods, possibly other combatants. Third, the only thing they'll kill quicker than an enemy is a coward, if you run you will get shot in the back. Fourth, you've seen how big the bugs are, chances are the fish are proportional, and we didn't pack rafts. They'll know they are our only way across the river, so they have us by the short hairs when it comes to negotiations." The looks on their faces are grim, but determined. More than that, they look ready for a war. "Questions?"

"Are we having fun yet?" Turk's sarcastic phrase seemed to break the tension, but the look on his face was dead serious.

Elrich opened his mouth to talk, having thought of several ways to talk the impudent member into the ground. Before any words could escape, a spear crafted from some kind of green wood hit the ground between them. The group jumped back in unison, several of them almost reached for their guns but thought better of it at the last second. Elrich's own hands went up, though the look on his face hadn't changed. "We mean you no harm, we only wish to trade goods or services for passage across the river."

"That was a nice speech you gave." The female voice came from beyond sight, though as it's source appeared, it was as if she had drifted through the foliage like a mist. The fairy was tall even in human terms, almost seven feet. As she appeared, many others came out of their hiding places, ranging in size from a few inches to a few feet. Moving in the background was even a hint of a giant, fifty feet or taller. Each of its movements disturbing the trees like a breeze. "Especially that part about your negotiating situation."

nice.keep up the good work

Nice chapter ^_^
Always good to see Drayla not starving XD
And also crazy cliffhanger you pulled here

Yeah, the cliffhanger and the changes to Drayla's scene (so that she isn't nearly as playful with her prey) took longer than the rest fo the chapter. >_<

Even though I'm not nearly ready with the next chapter, I figured I'd share some class doodles that have a thing or two to do with the future plans of the story. I won't explain too much about them because it could get a bit spoilerish. Also, they're a bit of a mix of art from the Felarya fic and one that I'm doing for the Blame! universe (which is pretty much the antithesis of Felarya).

Doodles! 1
Doodles! 2
Doodles! 3
... Yeah, I have some trouble with studying Dimensional Analysis, the test was today... I probably just barely passed if at all.

Mhh nice doodles ! Nice job on the poses and you choose interesting ( and not easy ) angles for the portraits

that really means a lot, Karbo considering you're one of my big art inspirations.

If I worked half as hard at engineering as I did at art, I'd probably be graduated by now.

Wooooow, it took me a long time to get back into this story. Real life nearly squished it there for a while.
Anyway, lots of new characters! Strange alliances! ...different kind of cliffhanger?

Quest of the Twiceborn
Chapter 5 - Awkward Situations

Frank had to admit to himself that the situation could be worse... The fairies had only taken their weapons, supplies and clothing, but hadn't tied them up or tossed them into a stew just yet. They were currently being held under guard rather than in a cage, and to be honest, he hadn't seen one fairy yet that wasn't an amazingly attractive female. Granted, since their encounter with Dryla, the slightly hungry looks a few of them had given the group were starting to worry him a little bit.

More worrisome was that Elrich had been stripped and kept with the rest of the group, rather than being hauled off to negotiate like he did with Drayla. Somehow, the guy looked outright pathetic without his clothes, unhealthy and weak despite everything that the group had seen him do so far.

In the distance, in the direction of the other side of the pond, there was a series of loud roars that that were nightmarishly familiar. They reverberated with the sound of the giant insects that attacked as soon as they entered Felarya. Something major had happened, an ambush or trap, clearly the end of the battle rather than the beginning from the brief nature of the roars. Many of the fairies exchanged glances, the optimistic looks indicating that the attack was indeed theirs.

"Isn't he gonna ask for their leader?" Frank mumbled low enough to not be heard by the captors.

"I dunno, maybe the leader is keeping us waiting to see if we do something stupid." Turk was a little louder, though the guards still didn't seem to care.

"More likely," Elrich chimed in, not trying to keep his voice low at all, "The leader is with the active combat group. We're a lower priority, so we get to sit in line."

---

Thyne floated back towards camp over the shoreline. To her right, the fragile gerridi who was her strategist and favored bard, Etone darted in quick bursts on the surface of the water. His six long legs riding firmly on the surface tension of the pond. To her left, the much heavier form of her dridder second in command and head warrior, Berg, marched along. His heavy tarantula-like lower body leaving deep footprints in the sand.

Behind each of the three, the survivors of the day's battle all moved along. though there was some chatter amongst the ranks of each group, the mood was less than cheerful. Etone and Berg occasionally exchanged disdained glances, but neither spoke. Thyne herself was silent and thinking, almost oblivious to the world around her.

A human sized fairy rushed up the shore towards the group, finally fluttering up to keep pace with Thyne. "Mistress, A group of travelers walked into camp, they're offering help... Eight humans with-"

Thyne shot the girl an icy look that silenced her. "Spies, Sent to sabotage the garrison as we battled, of course. Did you kill them, Mila?"

"What? No, of course not! They were sent by Drayla, the messenger just got back confirming it. Besides, they all surrendered their weapons..." She lowered her voice to continue, "And their leader had something I think you need to see."

"If Drayla sent them... Perhaps I was hasty, though their timing is very suspicious, considering our new situation."

They flew in silence for a moment before Mila asked, "News of the battle?"

A little more silence before Thyne sighed and spoke, "The insects are being coordinated by humans now. Somehow, these humans have found a way to control them. More than that, they seem to have some way of their own to nullify magic. This whole war has just changed drastically."

---

"Hey, I think I see some boats... Wait... What the hell are those?" One of the captives looked out over the water, though the incoming gerridi were still too distant to see clearly.

"Where are they, Dylan? I can't... Oh, what the heck?" Turk's confirmation brought the rest of the group's attention to the water, where there were now about ten of them approaching. In the fading light, they looked somewhat like people on small jetskis riding several feet above the water.

"There was a piece of lore about the swamps of Felarya..." Elrich tried to remember more of it, "I can't remember the name of the race, but they're creatures with humanoid torsos and the lower body of a giant water strider. Similar to a dridder, though less warlike"

"Driders?" Another of the group, this one with glasses seemed to have his interest piqued, "Like Forgotten Realms driders?"

Turk looked back to the man, "Geez, Richie, You play Dungeons and Dragons? You get geekier and geekier."

Richie seemed to take offense, "I only liked the novels. Besides, I think you just gave yourself away there, killer."

By this point, the group of gerridi were close enough to clearly see their blend of elven and insect features, though their delicate legs were moving too quickly to be seen. The whole group looked lightly armored, with large blowguns across their backs and a set of pan flutes worn like pendants. Though they were approaching, their movements were more towards the banks that were out of the group's sight, to join with the rest of the fighting force that the group still couldn't see.

"I don't think they're enemies... The guards don't seem worried." Frank was noticing how their fairy captors had clearly seen them approaching and actually had a little bit of a smile.

"More coming, all kinds." Elrich looked like he was concentrating a bit more than before. "Lots of the striders and a whole group of dridders, too. I think there are a group of fairies with them as well, but I can't tell their numbers." Though frankly, Feign was surprised that he could feel anything at all without his magic... Almost as if the realm itself was tuning him in to the presence of other beings.

The fairies looked a little confused at Feign's prediction, staring at him directly. Though it didn't last long, before Thyne and Berg came into view, looking deadly serious. The rest of the force walked or flew behind them, and the gerridi were congregating at the water's edge to talk with the guarding fairies. The fairy that they recognized as their first contact was just behind Thyne herself.

When Thyne spoke, her voice was serious and a little grim, but somehow also commanding and inspiring, "Despite our losses, today was a victory. We struck a great blow to the insect's fighting force, and the losses are more than tripled on their side. We should celebrate, even if in the memories of the fallen." She paused to look directly at the group and then back at the guarding fairies, "It seems the insects have gotten human allies, though I know not how. We need to be even further vigilant in guarding the territory we have won." The news brought some shocked murmuring in the others, but it was quickly hushed. "The insects have technology on their side, it is now completely essential that we gain technology to fight back against them. Fortune smiles on us in this regard, and we will win back this land soon."

As she flew down and towards the group of captured humans, Elrich got his first look at her face. The eye-shaped markings one above and two below each of her actual eyes. Also the patterns on her wings, two segmented lines sharply angled up and two angled down on each side. The spider imagery seemed ingrained all over her body. Her attitude and confidence seemed much more like the dridders than her fellow fairys.

Along with that, the head dridder seemed to be her shadow. He was easily fifteen feet tall, with armor that looked like it barely contained the bodybuilder's frame beneath it and seemed to blend into the chitinous plates of his tarantula-like lower body. He was the only male drider Feign had seen of the whole dridder force. His silent presence added to the intimidation factor of Thyne's glide toward the group, "The spiky headed one comes with us. He will speak to Lady Thyne now."

Elrich nodded and walked from the group... Though the fairies don't make any motion to bring him his equipment... Or clothes. As he walked, it slowly got clearer that he's going to have to negotiate while naked, though that itself raised a curiosity at just what negotiation would entail.

"You're dismissed, Berg. I don't think this one will give me any trouble." As she opened her tent, she mumbled, "Nothing needing a warrior, anyway."

Mhh things are getting spicy ^^

This new fairy character looks interesting, albeit rather scary XD

Holy crap! It's a fast chapter! And oh yes Karbo, there's spice! Though I tried not to make it too overwhelming...

And yeah, Thyne is pretty scary. Though she's one of the few who hasn't eaten any humans by the end of the chapter.


Quest of the Twiceborn
Chapter 6 - Awkward Introductions


Something about Thyne seemed primal despite her cold self discipline. Like a whirlwind caught in a steel box. Elrich imagined that when she opened herself up in battle, that she would devastate her foes. Though he also imagined that if she lost control, that she might be a danger to her friends as well.

She wasted no time with words before removing her clothes, almost like it were matter-of fact beginnings of a conversation. Her body was perfect, even glowing in the dim light of the tent. the markings of her wings continued onto her back and wrapped around her ribs, framing a set of glyph-like markings in a line from just under her pert breasts to just above her bald pubic region.

She walked up close to Elrich's body, her hands going to work immediately on his groin as she licked his collarbone hungrily.

"Woah! Hey don't you thin-" he was cut off by her shoving him onto the pile of pillows in the corner of the tent with much more than human strength.

She practically pounced on him, positioning herself over him with a look more of determination than lust. When she finally determined that he was hard enough and thrust herself onto his shaft, her determination suddenly became mixed with relief. She only broke her silence with a small gasp. She began heavily breathing in time with her rhythm as she started riding back and forth, but she seemed determined not to let her voice be heard during sex.

Elrich also took the hint and did his best to remain silent, though the occasional moan almost escaped him. As he reached up to hold her hips, she reacted suddenly, grabbing his wrists and slamming his hands down into the ground to either side of his head, pinning him effortlessly to the ground as she rode up and down his manhood faster. The wet sounds of him plunging into her being the only sound either of them made.

---

"Well don't feel so special. we're not allies yet." Mila smiled as she danced closely to Frank. All of the humans, even Benedict, were enjoying themselves to the tune of the gerridis' upbeat music. Even a few of the dridder women were celebrating, although they were more interested in the wine than the dancing.

"Well, in human society, dancing naked with a beautiful woman is pretty damn special, no matter the circumstances," Frank... Couldn't dance, though the chaotic nature of the whole event saved him from embarrassment in his trying, "Besides. Friend today, foe tomorrow. Sometimes it just happens."

"Hah! You don't sound very human," As she spoke, another item of clothing seemed to vanish in her dance... Most of the fairys dancing were in varying state of undress, in fact. "I thought humans were 'one for all' and all that."

"Nothing wrong with that! We've been in the klink so long, it's hard to group us with the rest of humanity. After all that time, even the giant tree babe looked sexy."

"Klink? What is that, some kind of exile?" Mila looked a little confused, though she knew instantly that he was referring to Drayla.

"Forced confinement. It's for people humanity doesn't think are human enough." He looks over to the Padre, who is laughing about something with one of the dridders, "With the Padre and Azif, though, they were right... Those guys are a whole other kind of inhuman."

The thought of jail wasn't completely foreign to Mila, though it seemed to her more frightening than death. She looked troubled, but she didn't skip a beat in her dance, "It must have been awful, How long did they have you in this 'klink'?"

"Let's just say I haven't seen a human woman in over ten years." His reaction below the belt as Mila's top finally came completely off pretty well evidenced that, He decided to change the subject, as he was a little embarrassed. "How about you? You all are more mature than I'd expect for fairies," He realized that he may have just made a big mistake, though Mila didn't seem to mind the question.

In fact, Mila smiled a little, "We're more like runaways. It's been decades out here. Even though we've been under open sky the whole time, exile in this world is a sobering lifestyle." She smiled a little awkwardly as she continued, "You could say I haven't seen a fairy man in over five years. So we're kind of the same."

---

"Wait Essie, So you're telling me that you're ALL banished?" Turk looked a little confused. "Seems more like an exodus than a banishment, what happened?"

"The name is Esile, with an 'L'... Anyway, not all of us were banished. Originally it was a group of fifty. Men and women. By the time we found a place to settle, our numbers were closer to twenty. Though when we settled, we bred like nethalas." she stops to sigh and remember, "When our settlement was attacked, we had been there for almost fifteen years. Our numbers just before the attack were just over two hundred."

"Woah, that's like ten kids to a parent! You folks'r crazy!" Turk had guessed 'nethalas' must be something that breeds like rabbits, but even so, it seemed a little ridiculous.

"Heh, well, we mature pretty quickly. Also, social restrictions... Well, they were kind of out of style. So by the time of the attack, we all had grandkids."

"Ah, well, I guess that's cool. I can think of some places where humans do that kind of thing, too." Turk took a sip of wine and looked confused, "Wait, you say that like you're a grandma yourself. You look waaay too young."

"Huh? Though I guess everyone looks young when you've been traveling with that guy..." She pointed her own mostly empty glass toward Mr. Benedict, "How old was he before you got here? For a human, he looks about two to three hundred, older than any I've ever seen."

"What? No he's o-" turk was cut off as the prodigiously drunk Padre stumbles into him.

"Hey man! A hunting party found these little tiny people thingys! they're delicious!" He handed a small cage to Turk and headed back towards where some fairies are gathered up.

Turk looks at the little person in the cage, barely able to make out the cries for help over the music, "Oh jeez, that's kind of messed up... What are they anyway?"

"Now would be a good time to mention that we fairies specialize in size manipulation magic." Esile finished off her drink as Turk stared at her in terror, "Oh, don't worry! We don't eat our allies. They're probably just some settlers."

Then he looks over at where Padre and a few others were drunkenly gulping them down like over-sized goldfish at a frat party, complete with some of the dridders and fairies cheering them on... "Oooookay, I think I'm gonna be a little sick," he put the cage down onto the table, much to the shrunken human's joy.

Esile snatched the cage up with a giggle, "Hehe! More for me!" She popped open the cage and rattled the human out into her mouth. She savored her meal for a second before swallowing him whole... "Sorry for the trick, but you humans are delicious."

---

In the dark of the tent, Elrich silently wondered if he was going to get his head ripped off now... The limp body of Thyne laid against him, feeling impossibly lightweight for the strength she used earlier. Her light breathing was clearer to his ears than the music outside. The shadows of dancing humans and fairies flickered by, projected on the tent by the light of the magical lanterns outside. The whole thing was so sudden, a shock to the system after the tedium of his mundane scholastic job and the frantic fear of the past few days' survival.

Sleep came and went like a shadow, as if the lanterns light and muffled music outside were snuffed out in a blink. Thyne was still asleep with him inside her, her hands still loosely around his wrists. Before he could move, she started to squirm and murmur, apparently locked in some nightmare. For the first time, the thought crossed his mind that he might have goten her pregnant, though the reality of his situation resurfaced. To be a Twiceborn meant giving up any other family, meaning any future family as well, sterility was part of the deal.

Very carefully, he started to slide his hand out from under hers, though her eyes shot open the moment he did so. She looked him directly in the eyes, though the only light to see him by was her own cold glow. For a split second, there was fear in her eyes as her nightmare left her but it quickly faded, and the look on her face became unreadable and expressionless.

She sat back with another little wet noise. Though it was only for a second before she stood back up, releasing his wrists and finally releasing his manhood with a long sucking sensation.

Elrich remained laying amongst the pillows while Thyne walked over to a table in the middle of the large tent, lighting several floating lanterns as she went. She put on a simple wrap top and skirt, and threw some clothes to Feign as he began to sit back up.

"Now, I believe we can negotiate"

haha strange fairy custom XD

Karbo wrote:

haha strange fairy custom XD

Heh, more like Thyne's own personal quirk... Well, Thyne's own huge bundle pack of mental issues that became one big quirk.

Unless you meant them sharing some humans as food with the human guests at the party... Well, it was the first think I could think of that fairies and dridders would agree is hilarious.

Keeping the humans naked the whole time... That will be explained later.

Okay, maybe keeping the humans naked never came up in context... Basically, the dridders know well enough that weapons can be concealed anywhere in clothing. Even with new garments, an improvised weapon could still be concealed. Of course, most of the fairies just think it's funny, so they play along.


Quest of the Twiceborn
Chapter 7 - Deals and Diversions

"Mila told me you have a good grasp of your situation here. Though I'm sure you heard my speech the other day, so you know that there is something you can do for us." Thyne's voice was still cool and calm, but now seemed softer, more level headed and less icy.

"You need technology, specifically guns and human armor." Suddenly it dawned on him why they were negotiating at all. "But twienty guns aren't enough to even mount a skirmish. If you had just wanted our guns, you would have just taken them."

"Exactly. What we want from you is twofold. To purchase guns from one of the more well defended towns to the west, and to train us in their use." She tapped on the metal rod that Elrich has been using to cast his magic. It seemed to have taken her gaze away from Elrich altogether. "That should be enough to secure you passage across the river."

"You're a good negotiator, those terms are fair." Elrich could feel that he was getting off easy on this bargain, though he didn't quite know why.

"The other terms you won't like as much." Her tapping stopped and she looked directly into his eyes. "You personally have another need. Some kind of curse is on you, and you need a powerful mage, a fey mage in particular, to fix it."

"You're also observant... I'm bound to a form somewhat diminished from my true self. If I were restored to my true form, I would be a great asset in combat." He smiled, "And I would gladly come back to assist your fight when that form is restored to me."

She grabbed the rod on the table, and nearly jumped at the shaman, holding it so that he could clearly see the sigil on it. "Do you know what the dridders would do to you if they knew you had this? This is the symbol of the naga Guardian. They would tear you to pieces without a chance to even explain yourself." She dropped the rod in his hand and turned to sit back down. "If your true form is that of a naga, then you can't help us fight in any way but as more food for my troops."

"My apologies, I didn't know. I assume there a feud going on between the nagas and dridders?"

She sat with a sigh, "A blood feud that started between their Guardians centuries ago. Just by openly carrying that symbol, you're a part of that feud."

"It seems my grasp of our negotiation was more slippery than I had thought. What are your terms for my restoration, then?"

"A year of service from all of your men. Not in combat, the dridders are far superior in the arts of war." At this point she started choosing her words diplomatically, with effort. "We need go-betweens to the human villages, and I know the other fairies have been... In need of male companionship that... Isn't tainted by the ignorance of the locals."

"I don't know if I can get them to agree to that. They are contracted to me, but contracts mean little to them. It would go over better if it were more like six months."

"Perhaps I wasn't making myself clear... I intend to start a growing civilization here, and for that we need males. I'm obviously not looking down on humans for the job at this point. Besides, from what I understand, human couplings have an even chance of producing male offspring, whereas pure fairy couplings are somewhat less balanced in ratio. Unfortunately, the natives have certain fears and superstitions that render them unwilling to preform." Apparently diplomatic wording only went on so far with Thyne.

"Well, if the others are as impressive as you, I'd say that enthusiasm won't be a problem on their part. But I can safely assume their parental skills are pretty reptilian, they won't want to stick around for long after children are in the picture. Eight months, so they don't get too jittery about being daddies."

"Very well, I wasn't planning on us raising them under a human society anyway. Still, I'd need them around for at least long enough to get a good second round out of them, ten months. And the ones who are convinced to stay are free to do so." Thyne gave the last offer with a sly smile, knowing that the other fairies could be very convincing.

"Sure, the only one I absolutely need to cross the river with me after the transformation is the elder. I am under a soul contract to get him safely to the gate at Ur-Sagol." Elrich knew it was the final offer, and that he would likely be completely on his own after returning to his true form anyway.

---

Frank opened his eyes with some difficulty, feeling the beginnings of a mild hangover. He could see flecks of blue sky from between the canopy leaves. His thoughts drifted in ways that he couldn't quite catch. Memories of his teenage years, his first lover, the forest behind his parents' house... In fact, it felt as if he were in that memory all over again. He expected to roll his head to the side and see the sleeping face of Suzie Inkins. Instead, there was Mila, groggily waking up herself.

"Did... Did that all really happen? I'm hoping it wasn't all just a dream." There was a little smile on his face, betraying his obvious flattery.

"Mmm, the sex? Yeah, the sex all definitely happened." She sat up a little to look over him to the rest of the clearing. "With me... And her... And her over there too, after you passed out."

"Oh... wow..." Somewhere it crossed his mind that something to check off a list somewhere, "So, does this mean we're allies now?"

Mila had to think a little, "I hope so, It'd be a shame to have to kill you."

Almost on cue, there was a soft thup just behind him, and the voice of one of the dridders he had talked to the night before, though without the effects of the wine, she was all business. "Here's your clothes, we meet in the amphitheatre in ten minutes."

---

Dylan wasn't the first to notice when Elrich and Thyne arrived at the amphitheatre, though he was the only one to say something out loud. "Only five of us, where's the Padre?" the question went unanswered before the fairies started filing in and sitting down, many of them looking cheerful thanks to the night's festivities.

"Ladies... And now some gentlemen. Today's announcement is finally some good news." Despite her attempt at a joke, Thyne's voice was as serious as always. "It could not have come at a better time, that Drayla has indeed sent us some allies. Elrich Carter has agreed to convince his pack to stay here for an extended period of time, during which they will act as representatives in our effort to gain the human weapons and the training in their use that we need to win this war."

The five remaining of the group looked at each other in silence... Though not one of them was unhappy about staying for a bit, the phrase 'extended period of time' was vague enough to cause worry.

"In exchange, we are to make their stay with us as comfortable as reasonably possible. Though I think in one case we may be starting off on shaky ground. Anyone care to explain why one of them is missing?"

One of the fairies near the back stood up, "The one they called 'Padre' was attempting to kill Celene. He was killed in the fight that followed, and Celene is badly injured."

All five of the men felt a little tinge of panic. Hoping that this didn't change Thyne's mind instantly. Indeed, it merited thyne shooting a glance to Elrich, prompting him to speak, "I think this is a good lesson to us humans. What the Padre did was inexcusable, and I think we all agree that his death was a just punishment. Not only for his crime on the face of it, but also for the stupidity he demonstrated in attempting it."

The rest of the group nodded and gave a murmuring of confirmation.

Thyne cleared her throat, "First, I will be setting up a training cycle immediately, and Carter will choose which part of his pack will focus on training and which will focus on trade."

---

"That went well," the sarcasm practically dripped from Elrich's voice as they walked back from the small ampatheatre. "I think my people are afraid of the laws here, and your people are afraid mine might be psycho killers."

"Are they? Your men didn't seem all that surprised at the Padre's behavior." Thyne's voice was back into the ice-cold region.

"He had demonstrated that he was smart, I wouldn't think that he would have gone back to the kinds of things that nearly got him killed on Earth." Elrich was clearly regretting not warning her about him first, or even for not just killing the guy himself, "I can vouch that the rest of the team is far from the level of depravity of the Padre."

"The other five are all criminals from your world, though? And they have killed their own kind?"

"Yes, all but one have done so in cold blood, for their own gain or their own survival. They all have little regard for human life, though all of the remaining five value their lives too highly to risk harming anyone here."

"And the old man?" She looked to Elrich again, "Is he smart enough to act in accordance to the rules here?"

"Heh, he's probably already planned an end to this war just to pass the time."

Great chapter ^_^
I feel Thyne is up to something toward the group. I would watch my back if I were them ^^;

It occurred to me in Chapter 7 that Richie's awesomeness hadn't been demonstrated... So I decided to fix that. Also, a good bit of character interaction, and finally some words from the mysterious final party member, Azif. There will definitely be more of the sexings, and possibly the eatings too in the next chapter to make up for this one.

Quest of the Twiceborn
Chapter 8 - Cultural Exchange

"So this town has a what? Some kinda psychic or something?" Richie was kind of confused at Feign's wording.

"A truth seer, I don't know if it's a magic or psychic thing, but they can tell if you're lying." Elrich was speaking casually, but he was also keep an eye out for extra listeners. "apparently, they can tell if you're speaking the technical truth, not lies by omission. So choose your words carefully, it's the whole reason you're here with us this time, and why I can't set foot in eyeshot of the town."

"Okay, okay... Omission and word tricks. And I gotta be cool about it, no theatrics..." He thinks for a bit through all the cons he's played... He needed something that could stand before congress and have the people cheering. "Okay, okay. I got the tune, rhythm's cool, they'll set the beat. It's go time."

---

"Well, ya see, we've got a party here hunting for some fairies. We've got a pretty sound plan of attack, we just need guns." No need to ask the definition of 'for', of course. The blindfolded and heavily robed mage sat silently, which so far indicated truth.

"We've been tryin' that fer years. Guns ain't worked yet. Hell, long as they don't even bother destroyin em, we got more guns den people anymore." the elder of the town seemed to have all te charm and enthusiasm of a basset hound, and a face to match.

"Ah, but it's different this time, there's a whole party up at the pond with some kind of crazy anti-magic artifact, but no guns. If we have guns, we can re-take the whole lake without any trouble at all." Take it from whom? Is 'we' the party with the anti-magic? No question, of course. Everything still true.

"Hmm, Well, I heard they've taken to defendin the dridders up there, so if you drive off the fairies, we'll have less problems with the spiderfolk... Asides, there's been too many people vanishin' on account o them fairy bitches anyway. How many do ya need?"

"Hmm, at least a hundred rifles, as many of them automatic as possible. And at least a few high-powered guns, big enough to put a good hole in a giant. All with ammo for a long fight, of course." Richie had a smug grin on his face at the elder's sudden jaw-dropped shock. almost like keeping a beat, he tapped the side of the large gold bag hanging from the side of his belt.

"Well, we'll see what we can do, but you'll prolly be goin back with more o that gold than we'd like to see leave, if ya really have enough to buy that much." The guards looked at each other with a little smirk at the implication.

"Oh, I didn't know this was a thieves' town. My associates would have to spread the word so others don't repeat my mistake... Unless I'm mistaken, of course." Richie's grin is more than a little unnerving in the light of the thinly veiled threat. "We have plenty of places to buy guns, but you're the only one where we know for sure we won't get some rusted out Delurian pieces of crap. Hate for a town with such a good reputation to get it tarnished."

The elder thought a minute, then sighed. "Aight, we can sell ya about fifty rifles of our own make, and another Twenny two Miratan automatics... We got one big boomer. The baby's Earth made and pretty damn new, the bastard'll put a hole in Drayla if yer so inclined."

Richie raised an eyebrow, "Most excellent, and ammo?"

"Plenty of it fer our own rifles, And lots o saved brass for the automatics... Ain't never seen a bullet big 'nuff fer the big boomer, but they's a brass in the chamber, so ya can get someone to make ya a bullet for it fer a price."

"Fine, fine, We'll have it all. You're right to think that I'll be leaving with some gold in tow as well, though."

---

"So? Do we have non-Delurian guns?" Elrich wasn't quite able to read the look on Richie's face.

"Guns yes, like a coal mine in a blackout has dark... Ammo, not so much. But we can go to Biggs Folly or Pellindale for gunpowder, and we've got plenty of brass to make reloads." As he talked, the small donkey-drawn wagon rounded the corner, guided by an annoyed Dylan.

"Seriously, did we have to get a friggin donky?" Dylan was only marginally succeeding in coaxing the animal to travel on the poorly kept road. "You got tha gold left to buy a friggin car."

Elrich pulled out the rod and taps it to the donkey's head, immediately calming it down. The rod had been re-wrapped in leather to cover up the sigil of Trejal, though the re-wrapping was skillful enough to look intentional, like a simple magic focus. "There. It now sees a carrot ahead on the road. Let's go."

"Also, Berg is gonna absolutely love us..." Richie pulls the burlap tarp back, revealing none other than a Barrett Light Fifty anti-vehicular rifle, complete with three empty magazines. "The old man overestimates its firepower, but it's still a Barrett. When we get some ammo made for this baby, and have 'Berg the Iron Mountain' behind its sights, those barbarians will think a god is shooting at em."

Elrich grinned knowing it wasn't hyperbole in Richie's words. Even with his other skills, Berg was the only one in thyne's forces that took naturally to shooting, though the gun would need some modification to fit the massive dridder's hands. With some practice, the massive dridder could shoot on the run as accurately as Turk could from prone. "good work, Richie, very good work."

---

"Well, even if they're so loud and confusing, these things are cool... I mean, all of the little things on here seem like their own little magics, but without having to put them together." A younger looking fairy was looking at various trees and objects through one of the rifles. "I mean, even with my piddly magic this little 'scope' thing can see right into your eye."

Of course, as Turk realized the girl had the rifle pointed right at his eye, he ducked down on instinct, "No! No! No! First rule! Never point it at something you don't want holes in!" He sighed, now outside of the firing line, able to calm down a little, "The first thing to remember is that even if it's unlikely. Any gun can fire unintentionally. Even when pointed at people you like, okay. So the only way to be safe with them is to never point them at someone you like, okay?"

The fairy looked a little hurt, but not outright sad at Turk's panic. "That's how Ellie got hurt, right?" Unfortunately, there had indeed already been a training accident. Ellie was much more of an adult in appearance, but ended up shooting her foot while jumping in joy that she hit a target for the first time.

"Yeah, It's a good thing she's got Esile for a healer. She'll be okay and back good as new in a few days, but she'll never forget the first rule. It could have been a lot worse if her gun was accidentally pointed at someone else." Turk's voice was theatrically grim, to drive the point home.

"I don't think I like these things so much, Mr. Turk."

"That's okay. Liking is for playing and toys, this is a tool that's as serious as you can find. You don't have to like it, but you do have to respect it."

"Kinda like Mistress Thyne?"

"Exactly, though she's a whole different kind of dangerous." Turk smiled in the hope that Thyne couldn't hear him, wherever she was...

---

"I still think Padre got a raw deal, not that any of the rest of the guys who died went any better. I mean, did you see what they did to him?" One of the men, the darkest skinned of them looked at Benedict grimly, "You can feel it, can't you? The animals are lovely here, but we're still in the jungle."

"Azif, you and the Padre were both on a bad footing even coming into this deal. I only even considered you two because Feign insisted on it." He stopped, giving a little laugh, "Though between the two of you, I'm more glad he died... The thought of a serial rapist like the Padre finding peace on this journey... It almost made me sick."

"And me? Do you feel sick that a monster like me could have a place in this monster's paradise?" He smiled, feeling Benedict's hatred almost fueled him, "You think the souls of the people I've killed are crying or laughing right now?"

"I don't think you're staying as long as you think... They'll find you out, and they'll put you down like a dog, 'Machete' Sherazif."

"Don't be so sure, old man. I may even break my contract and stay longer." He starts walking back toward the village, still wearing his Cheshire grin. "They eat people here, old man. Shrink em with their magic and swallow em whole just like the tree woman did before. I should know, Me and Padre had a few at last night's party."

Benedict gritted his teeth a little at this new information... Once again, something that Mr. Carter was trying to hide from him, "What else should I know?"

"What else? Well, I should say, I've had human before, but here it's different. Like some kind of instinct suddenly fulfilled." with that, he holds up a hand, as if observing some invisible trinket in his palm. After a second of concentration, a faint glow began to emanate, visible even in the dappled shade of the day, "This place is changing us. I think if we stay long enough, even you might end up getting a taste for human flesh."