A very frosty day...
#109 of Exploration
After my initiation in April, Alduin was very complimentary on my progress in both using a pistol and rifle, and also my skill as a swordsman. He would often duel me, using his bionic form so I wouldn't accidentally hack one of his limbs off and using a rapier himself.I thought the man was absolutely brilliant, so friendly and nice. But two months and two weeks after my first Central New Year, I saw Alduin on a bad day, and I got the shivers.
It was a Sunday, and I had just got back from a new world. We had visited this Avian planet that a team had previously visited, and the Avians certainly recognised us as off worlders.
"Ah, the brave explorers." An avian called Falcous commented.
"You honour us, Falcous." Doran gave a short bow, and the avian came forwards. We had gone through this village of the avians, and Felicia and Doran had engaged what they called a nest, and what we would call a council, in conversation. Orion and myself hung back, the former because of his very noticeable weaponry, and me because all the avians backed away.
This was strange, I had never been here before, and yet they all backed as if they had seen me before. I kept my distance as Felicia discussed things, and we did some tramping to a lake to talk other Avians from other tribes, and on Sunday we teleported back to Central with quite a lot of information.I still didn't know my way around, which was a bit of a shame, because the other three weren't aware of it, and by the time I had recovered from the teleport, they were already walking down a corridor with a glower.
I ran down a different corridor to try and short cut, and promptly got hopelessly lost. This was absolutely typical of Central, I don't know how people get about without getting lost in these identical corridors.
"This is not that good." I said to myself, looking at several doors, and listened at them in case there was someone inside. Someone could surely lead me back to my quarters, or at least to Alduin's, he would be always able to lend a hand. After about ten minutes of walking, I heard a voice through a door.
"Someone get me out of these!"
It sounded like Alduin, and he did not sound happy. I tried the door, it was unlocked. So I walked in, and saw something that gave me the chills.
Alduin was sitting in a corner, completely naked, his hands and feet in manacles. He was heaving at them, and alternating between that and cursing. His ass was dripping with cum, as was the floor, and he looked up as he heard the door open.His face broke into a smile of surprising warmth.
"Ah Ryan, be so good to hand me the octo bonder on the table."
"What the hell happened, Alduin?" I said, rushing forwards, grabbing the implement and passing it to the chained human. He immediately began unseparating the bonds from the wall.
"This is Draco, Silverine and Propani all deciding I need some time in submission." Alduin got one hand free and began on the second.
"They did this to you?" I looked aghast, but Alduin was smiling. Evilly, yes, but smiling.
"Not just them, about fifteen of the best looking on Central. If they wanted to fuck me, they didn't have to bondage me."
He got his other arm free and began on his legs, while I rushed into his room to get him some clothes. There was a glint in his eye, and I felt very afraid that if I didn't do what I was told, I would suffer some revenge that Alduin was cooking up. He took the clothes from me with a thank you, he was still polite at least, and got dressed. He regained his composure, and went back into his room. He came out carrying his RPG, his rifle, and his backpack.I looked at the rocket launcher with some trepidation, but Alduin didn't spot my glance.
"So what did you want?" he asked me, loading a bullet into his rifle, and walking towards the door.
"I was lost, and wanted someone to direct me to the food store." I said, nervously, and Alduin smiled yet again. This new smile was really starting to get to me.It reminded me of an irrational fear, or a suitably villanous character in a movie.
"I certainly will, I just need to pay Ryan Viper a visit."
We headed ten minutes down several side corridors, and I noticed he was glowing faintly.
"Are you still merged with the glower?"
"I am, two weeks, still going strong."
"Why didn't you use his powers to get you out?" I suggested.
"Because Keen wanted me to spend a week without using his powers, so he could see us work things out the normal way." Alduin replied.
"I see." I replied cautiously. Obviously neither Alduin nor the glower knew what the others had in plan, otherwise Alduin would have said no. But because the glower asked, Alduin had been completely trapped until someone came and freed him.
Alduin went into Ryan Viper's quarters, and came out two minutes later with a small box. The tiger wasn't there.
"What did you get?"
"I borrowed some US gear from him. If he leaves it on the table, it's mine." he said with a straight face. I raised both eyebrows at him for that.
"Interesting rule."
"It's the one I'm currently using. Besides the next time you get raped by fifteen creatures, you see how much temper you have left."
We walked directly at the food store, and we came to the door. Alduin levelled the RPG at the woodwork, and we both stood about twenty metres away.I watched as he systematically loaded a round into the weapon, and lifted a finger in an interrupting way.
"Ah, Alduin, could we say you are over reacting a bit?" I suggested.
There was a huge bang, as the rocket exploded forwards, and the door was disintegrated. Flame flashed everywhere, and heavy, greasy smoke filled the corridor.
"No, this is me, being mildly annoyed." he replied, and stalked forwards into the smoke. Oh dear.
I jogged after him, as he walked straight across the door wreckage and into the food store. People were still under their tables, or hiding behind things. Draco and Silverine had leaned away but hadn't left their seats, and they turned to face the pair of us.Then I saw something astonshing, Draco's face lost all it's colour. In fact there were several in the food store who were looking rather pale. Everyone, even Silverine, was looking terrified of him. Alduin looked around, the place was fairly packed, it was Sunday after all.
"Oh." Draco began, looking at the smoking RPG.
There was a bang of a teleporter, and Simba vanished.Sunrise and his brothers followed suit.
"Morning chaps." Alduin said the first word sweetly, and in stark contrast to the second, as he grabbed two things from the box. With a fluid motion he threw both into either end of the store. Draco and Silverine threw themselves backwards on their chairs as the grenade landed right next to them, and I dived back out the food store as there was a double explosion.
There was a huge white light, and even through my hands I felt the glare. There was a deafening report, and my eardrums trembled in protests. The thick smoke made me cough, and as I hacked up air, I counted to ten before looking up.
Alduin was standing where he had been, his face unreadable behind his glasses, and he was looking at a group of deafened and blinded scouts. Propani had been talking to Draco, and all three of them were on the floor. Silverine was faking unconsciousness,his legs were trembling, I could see, and poor Kodey was shaking in a heap under the table. Alduin looked around the food store.
"I think that makes my point." he said clearly, and then walked out and picked me up by one arm.
"HRT stun grenades, they should be alright in a few minutes." he said, teleporting us both back to our planet. With uncanny precision we landed in our living room, and Gareth came out of his bedroom hearing our arrival.
"How are you Alduin?"
"I've been better." he replied, going into his room to remove his weaponry, and came back out with only Veronica's dagger and his blaster on his belt. He put on a trench coat, and nodded at me.
"I'm going out, if anyone comes here, tell them to fuck off." he said, and Gareth looked between the two of us, not understanding the reasons for the surprisingly strong language from the human. Alduin walked around the bar to get something, and I noticed he was carrying his blaster in his hands again, in fact he was constantly fiddling with it. Not good.
Gareth asked the question."What happened?"
"Think what everyone does to Kodey, and then imagine it was done to me fifteen times." Alduin replied sweetly, drinking a glass of water in one skull. He set it down heavily, as Gareth began to back away.
"I'm not here!" Gareth shrieked in panic, and ran for his room.The fox moved like a blur, he dived through the door at breath taking speed. There was the sound of the door being locked and something heavy being placed against the wood.It sounded like a bed. He was so scared of Alduin right now, and I couldn't blame him. Couldn't blame Alduin either, though. Alduin moved over to the bookshelf, and grabbed a book. As he turned to go, someone teleported in.
Alduin turned, and a phaser blast seared past my ear and struck the arrival. I jumped, and turned, as Draco crashed to the ground, out cold.
That did it for me. I clapped loudly, and then jumped onto the ladder that came down, clapping again. I dived for underneath my bed in the attic, and heard the homicidal human leaving the house.I had my sword in my hands for comfort, it was reassuringly heavy and weighted. Alduin had fired his blaster at Draco without a second thought, he really must be furious. He had no car, but he must have caught the bus, because I heard a bus coming to a halt just up the road. As I heard it rev and drive off, there was another bang from downstairs, and I listened to the trap door.
"What the..." Blake began.
"Draco! Is he, dead?" Ryan Viper asked.
"No, he's breathing, he's been pulse blasted." Simba said.
"Draco, knocked out by a blaster? Only Alduin and Ryan have those on this planet."
"Then three guesses who did it." Simba replied. The lion sounded annoyed, but not at anyone in particular. Then the Lupogriff spoke, Silverine was down there.
"This has gone too far, first tries to knock us out with a stun grenade, then stuns Draco."
"On the other hand, you did tie him down and rape him." Simba replied, and I could hear Draco moan as he stirred.
"Careful Draco, not too fast. Why did you have to make him submit?" Simba asked.
"My head..." Draco managed,"Where is Alduin and Ryan?"
I remained motionless.Not with a barge pole would I go down there.
"I rather hoped you could tell us." Silverine replied.
"All I remember is landing, facing the computer desk, and then blackness. He hit me from behind, just as I arrived."
"Is that you up there, Alduin?" Simba shouted. I remained silent.
"Come on, my scanner's telling me someone human is up there, do I have to come up and check?"
I clapped, and the trapdoor opened. As the ladder descended, Silverine spoke.
"Hm, he's been doing the place up."
I stuck my head out and looked down. Val was there too, looking deeply uncomfortable. Draco was still outstretched on the ground. Everyone relaxed when they saw it was me.
Of course, they would. I wasn't the human that they had bondaged. Right, time for me to vent some of my anger. I slid down the ladder, and looked Simba directly in the eye.
"Which of you did it?" I demanded, my voice getting louder.
"If you mean tying Alduin up, that was Draco." Val nodded at the dragon.
"And Silverine." Draco added."He fought like the devil."
"Oh, and you wonder why he's so racked off? You pulled a stunt like that on a psychopathic human with a penchant for weapons and an evil sense of humour, and you just happened to think he wouldn't react badly?" I was shouting.
Simba took a cautious step backwards. Draco had collapsed on the couch and was holding a hand over his eyes. Silverine was the only one who wasn't looking slightly nervous about my anger.I was still holding my sword in one hand, and the way it was quivering seemed to convey the ferocity I was feeling.
"I think I can safely say that all of us have been bondaged before."
"With the exception of Draco." I retaliated.
"He doesn't count." the Lupogriff replied.
"Oh, and Alduin does? You do know he's still merged."
THIS got a reaction.
"We just forced a glower into submission?" Silverine backed away physically. Now he looked scared. Val took several steps backwards, crashing into the book case. Simba looked frightened, and Ryan Viper stood behind the bar, making sure he was behind something heavy, as if that would help. Draco looked aghast.
"Why didn't he use his powers to break free?"
"He was showing Keen what it was like not to." I shot back,"So god help you when he decides that he's had enough."
"Speaking of which, where is the nuclear Armageddon?" Ryan asked.
"Caught a bus into town, carrying his blaster and his dagger in his belt."
"Where's Gareth, and was he smiling?" Draco asked tentatively.
"He was!" Gareth shouted."I am not coming out, not if all of you threatened to rape me. Alduin's gone absolutely thermal!"
Everyone looked at the fox's door.
"O.K." Simba began," Even Alduin's sensible enough not to use any of our tech in the city centre. He won't stun anyone there. Draco, try and reason with him, please?"
"I'm not approaching him with a net!" the dragon roared," That's Alduin with full use of the glower's powers. I will not, and you cannot make me!"
"You started it." the Lupogriff squared up to the dragon.
"You wanted to get involved as well." the dragon snarled.
"In fact everyone here except me and Ryan did it with him." Simba replied, standing between the two seven foot creatures. I could hold my anger, but I wasn't sure I wanted to be near when this came to blows.
"Fifteen last count." I said, leaning against the wall, trying to make sure everyone still knew I was here.
"Fifteen?" Draco turned in confusion." There was only five. Me, Silverine, Propani, Ryan and Val." he looked at me in thought.
"And this is Central. Everyone enjoys a bit of sex, and Alduin is popular and good looking. So when people heard about it..." Simba added.
"Oh hell." Draco pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking deeply, and then spoke again in a very weary sounding voice.
"Silverine, we'd better look for him. I have my genetic scanner, it shouldn't take too long."
Some how I had a feeling that it wouldn't be all as easy as walking up to him. Not at all. But I volunteered to come with them.
So within ten minutes, with both Draco and Silverine in convincing disguises, we walked out and caught a bus into town. There were no fires or police sirens, so Alduin hadn't blown up, as yet.
I felt intolerably scared. Draco and Silverine didn't say a word on the bus. Both of them were receiving a lot of attention due to their height, and they just looked out the windows. Both of them possibly felt worse than I did, they were on a planet looking for a hostile target in his own environment. If Alduin kicked up a riot, then they would have to teleport or take on an angry mob, neither of which held good news.
I was worried for Alduin's safety as much as mine. He looked reckless as he left, and reckless people could hurt themselves. We got off in the city centre, and as Draco held up his genetic scanner up, it looked like a long thin camera with a small display, he started walking forwards.
We followed it for about five minutes down the packed street, and finally Draco looked away from it, and pointed.
"There he is."
Sitting there,on a bench looking away, was Alduin. He was being very still, though I couldn't see his hands. Besides him was a lamp post, and Draco made follow me motions to both of us. Draco, in his disguise, pulled up a seat to the human, and set down his scanner on the bench between him and Alduin. Silverine stood behind the human, and I behind Draco, looking sideways at Alduin's face. He was looking dejectedly at his book.
"Alduin?" Draco asked.
There was a blur of movement. Alduin's left hand shot past Draco's shoulder towards the lamp post, and his right went for the scanner, holding something in his hand. The nearby walkers turned at this blast of movement, and Alduin sprung away through the crowd. Draco cursed, and stood up, meeting resistance. Alduin had cuffed his shoulder to the post. Silverine ran after the fugitive, who had dived into the Meridian. Draco had to bodily rip the chain off, and then grabbed his scanner, when he realised there was something wrong there too.The crowd were looking around in confusion at Draco, at me, and at where Silverine and Alduin had run off to.
Veronica's dagger had impaled the device through the screen. It fizzed and died with a pathetic noise, and Draco cursed again, pulling out the dagger and giving it to me.
"I'm beginning to regret making him a scout." he began running, and I kept up with him.
"I'm beginning to regret you bondaged him. Surely someone apart from me noticed he's got prone to losing his temper."
"He's got a short fuse, so what?" Draco stood at the entrance to the Meridian. Neither of us knew where he or Silverine had gone.
"He hasn't got a short fuse, but when he gets angry, he gets absolutely ballistic. I heard what he did to that village when you got shot."
"I know, I shouldn't have tied him up, but with the exception of me, everyone's been in that situation. Even Silverine, I know, I did it."
"You bondaged Silverine? When?"
"A couple of years ago. Me, Devlin and Propani did it on a bet, and we won."
"Well, you've done it on Alduin, and look what happened."
"Some people cannot take a joke."
That really annoyed me."You call it a joke? I call it stupid! That does it. In my opinion, go find him yourself." I stormed off. Honestly, that dragon had no idea.
Draco was standing in a very curious crowd, and he rushed up the escalators.One man walked along side me.
"Your friend annoyed you?" the bearded man asked.
"He does not understand the morals of a decent person." I replied, storming past an ATM.
"He does occasionally, but right now Draco just does not have the sense he was born with." the man replied, and I stopped.
"Alduin, is that you?" I looked at the bearded man. God he looked about fifty. Alduin nodded, and made motions to continue walking. I had snatched the dagger from the dragon earlier, and gave it back to him, which he pocketed.
"Thank you." Alduin said graciously,"I mean I know that that sort of thing is done with a certain way of humour, but I object to being tied down and raped. Furthermore, this isn't me really angry, I'm just sad that they had to go and do something like that."
"You mean you're not furious?"
"Not really." Alduin shrugged, the old man looking at me," Anger is such a disadvantage when you need to think."
"But why the destruction and carnage? Why the grenades?"
"I always did have my own strange way of making a point." Alduin shrugged again,"That was basically a reminder that I don't enjoy that sort of thing. If it makes you any better, I regret having to stun the others, but nothing like a full warning."
"You call that a warning?" I asked, surprised.
"I do.It's an explicit message saying I will not tolerate that sort of thing again, and that I'm not prepared to be choosy about targets."
"That's not comforting me."
"It shouldn't be. By the way, I'm recording all this, for future reference."
"When you said you were a criminal mastermind you weren't kidding."
"I frequently do kid, but that is a very accurate description of me. You saw the video of me dropping the solinium nuke, and also of me acting against the harpies."
"That was some good acting, you terrified me."
"Terrified a lot of people." Alduin shrugged. At this point, Silverine came sprinting out of an elevator, and Alduin stopped to look at a necklace.
"Haven't found him, god this will take all week." Silverine wheezed.
I tried not to look at Alduin, and spoke to Silverine.
"It's kind of hard to find one person that doesn't want to be found here."
"If you see him, tell him I'm sorry." Silverine looked around again.
"That won't be necessary." Alduin said, not looking from the ruby necklace. Silverine turned like he was dragged, and Alduin dropped his disguise. His great coat meant it was difficult to tell much difference.
"Alduin, I swear I'm sorry about what happened."
"I know, but nobody realises it until it's done.It's called a learning curve, and you've just found out.Now, do I have to scream monster, or are you prepared to let this pass without ever referring to it again?"
"I thought that was agreed.No!, don't expose me, I want to listen." Alduin made to fill his lungs, and then relaxed.Of Draco there was still no sign.
"Alduin, I will never ever talk about this again, just can we stop causing havoc among the scouts. You stunned Kodey, I didn't like that."
"Right, you didn't like that, I didn't like having my best friends string me up and fifteen of them take my ass for an hour and a half." Alduin replied," But lesson learnt.What was so wrong with normal sex anyway?"
"Ah, we wanted you to submit for once." Silverine looked slightly red.
"Do I care if I top or bottom?"
"Not usually, but when you do you never let us."
"I would have thought for the eighty percent I don't care was enough. I have no objection to you taking me anally, Silverine, but I do mind being hog tied and abused.All sorted."
"Yes." Silverine said quickly.
Alduin, you really are a pain in the ass to work with sometimes. He's got Silverine practically begging with him. Alduin smiled.
"I trust you are aware that I am still merged?"
"Ryan did inform me, Alduin." the Lupogriff replied.
"Did he?" Alduin smiled warmly at me,"I think Keen was impressed with your manhood, but also impressed with my restrained way of not using his power to take your head off. End of story." now that was just vicious.
Silverine flushed, and Draco ran up. Alduin glared at him.
"Quite finished being an over dominant fool?" the human asked.
"I'm..." Draco began, but Alduin cut him off.
"I heard, I do not need to again.Now, shall we get back to Central? I feel strangely sexual after that little display."
Draco looked at Alduin."You haven't fucked me while merged, have you?"
"No, but I intend to make up for that."
"Just go gentle, please?" Draco asked.
"I'll be as considerate to you as you are to me." and Draco sighed, his shoulders slumping. Alduin turned on his heel and walked out of the Meridian. Silverine looked at me.
"By the glowers, he reminds me of a younger me."
"How old are you, Silverine?"
"Your reckoning? Eighty seven years. Barely an middle aged adult."
"Any further questions?" I asked innocently, and Silverine rolled his eyes.
"Lewis, can you do something for me?"
"Depends." I said cautiously.
"Tell Alduin me and you are going to the tech planet, and we're going to go on a boating trip."
"Boating?"
"Abigail's got several power boats, ion powered wave piercers, and I think it's about time I went on one of them. You should come with me."
"Who runs this joint?" I looked heavenwards as we walked out of the Meridian.
Silverine looked at me."Would you care to repeat that?"
"I said who runs this joint?" Silverine sighed, I was being slightly cheeky.
"Right now, Alduin. He's a great heart, brilliant tactician, and reckless, and I am going to go for a boating trip. Are you coming, or would you prefer to spend time around Alduin, in this mood?"
He had a point. Normally I would easily go for Alduin before Silverine, but Alduin's insane behaviour suggested what he needed was time to cool off, and before then, maybe the Lupogriff was the gentler option.
Suffice it to say we went cruising around the lake on Abigail's tech planet and down the river on an ion wave piercer. Silverine was fairly quiet for the afternoon, but we both discussed technology, and especially Central's technology.