FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

A search for an ancient artifact.

The discovery of the century.

A quest for boundless knowledge.

He threw every pitch in the book. Adélie couldn't have cared less about any of that nonsense; she wouldn't take a job if the pay wasn't worth the risk. The other, Enki, a high-strung mage and a wolf much like herself, was quick on the uptake. Despite his feverous pitch, which to Adélie made it seem like he wanted to get her help pro bono, he was quick to cough up the money.

Diving through ancient ruins wasn't her thing. Adélie made it a point to stay clear of places that even had a hint of wild magic in them. But a heavy bag of gold went a long way at convincing her - and it went without saying, Enki had a sort of naïve charm that she found oddly endearing. One way or another, that mage was going to go into those ruins. Better to have someone competent looking over his shoulder.

The ruins were tucked away deep into a cave, just a few days of travel away from Fort Hill, the town she currently took up as home. Deep in the mountains, where nature presided as the dominant force. These were her stomping grounds, so it came to no surprise that Enki had hired her as his guide. Even if she'd never seen the cave that they would be exploring, she wagered it wouldn't be much different from some other jobs she'd taken.

All Adélie had to do was get him in and get him out. Whatever he found, if_he found anything,_ was his for the taking.

But she knew how these things always went; mages and scholars full of excited optimism out on their first romp on the field, only to come back as empty-handed as they were disappointed. Had she not been a mute, Adélie would have warned him. Instead she shrugged her shoulders and figured that the mage could experience it all firsthand.

The wolf brought the full weight of her body down as she slammed the heel of her boot against a heavy metal pin. The midday sun bore down high over their heads. She was starting to work up a sweat. Adélie gave a sideways glance at her companion and grunted in frustration. If he wasn't going to help, then at last he could back off a few feet.

Enki didn't get the message. He'd been watching with that curious gaze he always carried around, a half-smile adorning his otherwise thin black lips. How he wasn't burning up under that thick coat of red fur was beyond her understanding - magic, it had to be. His pointed ears were adorned with a row of ornate silver earrings that matched the color of his eyes, doubtlessly more valuable than anything she'd ever carried on herself. He cleared his throat to get her attention, and nonetheless spoke up when she didn't stop to look at him.

"I don't think it will stick, Adélie," he spoke after a moment of chilling silence. Enki was surprisingly soft spoken and well natured. Clearly from deep within the Empire, where everyone kept cooler heads. The mage leaned forward a bit with hands tied behind his back, and offered up more of his unwelcome advice, "Perhaps somewhere else? The ground over there seems more pliable."

Adélie shook her head, grunting in frustration as she turned her body and began stamping down with her other foot. A couple of short kicks later, and the metal pin satisfyingly sank into the ground. She glanced up at her companion and shot him a cheeky grin as the pin further anchored itself with every successive kick, until only a thick metal loop was left visible, though thoroughly dented.

"Well, that's one way of doing it." Enki watched as she grinded the sole of her boot against the pin. "Will it hold?" She nudged the pin with the tip of her boot. It didn't so much as move an inch. Enki frowned. "That is not going to hold, Adélie." She squinted at him and again kicked the pin, harder this time, to prove the point. It was going to hold. "Gods above..."

No gods here to help him, only herself.

Adélie ignored the mage's baseless complaints and brought to her hands a long and tightly-wound rope she had looped around her shoulder. One end tied off easily into the anchor's loop, the other end of it she nonchalantly tossed into the cavern's entrance.

A suddenly distraught Enki peered over the edge of the precipice. She could tell that he was judging the distance of the drop. A solid 25 feet, by her estimate; a straight drop of jagged rocks and dark crevices all the way down to solid stone.

"Was that not supposed to go around our waist?" His face twisted up nervously. "You know, for safety."

A few sharp tugs on the end of the rope tied to the anchor ensured her that everything was as secure as it was going to be. As for the question of safety? Adélie looked to her companion, and after locking eyes with the wolf, bluntly shook her head. This was as safe as things got. Unless he had a better idea.

Enki sighed, defeated with the understanding that there were no better alternatives. After all, this was why he brought her along.

Adélie walked to the edge of the hole and stared into the abyss. From her perch, the wolf could hardly make out the end of the drop. She glanced to the side, paced back a couple of steps, and tipped a rock into the cavern's entrance, mentally counting down the seconds right up to the moment when she heard the feint _clack­_of rock striking against rock.

"Yes," muttered Enki with some concern as he moved to stand beside her, one hand perched thoughtfully under his bony chin. His well-groomed fur bristled under a gust of wind. Their closeness didn't bother her, but she quickly moved away from the edge when the red fur of his arm brushed up against hers. "That's a drop, alright. I must ask again: you're sure that the rope is going to hold?"

She nodded again, turning her back to him so she could roll her eyes without him noticing. Wordlessly, though not by choice, Adélie began to strip - first her black leather jerkin, then the thin wool tunic underneath, and finally her boots - until all that was left was a rather thin wrapping of soft fabric that concealed her groin, and a small scabbard of boiled leather strapped around her waist to sheath her dagger in.

"A-Adélie." Enki struggled to form words. Even as he turned away, the young mage still peeked a glance in her direction. "Wha - What are you doing?"

She sighed, turned around midway through kicking off trousers, and glanced pointedly at the cavern's entrance. He got the message, and quickly looked to where she was staring. A series of pointed, jagged rocks. Only a blind man could have missed them, or an utter fool. When he looked back at her, she had already kicked one foot free from the leather pants.

Adélie noted some confusion in his eyes and was quick to clarify by hooking a claw into the fabric of her clothes and tugging hard, until it almost looked like she was going to rip a hole into it.

It took Enki a couple of seconds. His large silver eyes seemed to cloud over as they quickly darted from her hands, to her face, and back to her hands. She tilted her head toward him and again tugged on the fabric of her clothes with her claw - she would have ripped them apart if she had to - just to prove the point. The realization of what she was trying to say slowly dawned on him.

"Your clothing will get caught in the rocks?"

She gave him a half nod. It wasn't all she was trying to tell him. She waved her hand in the air and gestured with her head, trying to tell him that there was more to it than what he got. She wasn't one to go into caves dressed up the way she was. In case of an emergency, she didn't want the extra layers weighing her down. And... in truth, she did enjoy walking around bare, even in the presence of others.

Enki blinked, somewhat unsure at her display. What came as natural to her wasn't for him.

Adélie gave up on him, grunting her frustration as she finished stripping out of her trousers. The cool Autumn air felt good against her bare body. The wolf stretched her arms high over her head, giving Enki plenty enough to look at, and stared him down as he took in her form. Unlike him, she had a wild coat of dirty brown fur, her toned and scar-riddled body exemplifying the kind of lifestyle that she led.

"I... I guess you're right."

Whether it be out of shame or embarrassment, Adélie didn't know, but it caused the mage to look away now that she was standing mostly nude in front of him. Nothing to be ashamed about, she figured, but then she wasn't from the city.

He didn't have to strip if he didn't want to. She wasn't about to force him to do anything. But she did gesture at his rather form-fitting silk tunic, which glowed with a feint aura of strange magics. If it was halfway as valuable as it looked, he was better off leaving it up here.

Adélie turned away, arms crossed under her breasts, mostly out of respect for how uncomfortable Enki looked as he stripped. Although that was all he was getting out of her. Surprisingly enough, he went a step further and cleared himself of his trousers as well, all without her prompt. Adélie smirked to herself and shook her head in disbelief. Once had removed everything short of his briefs and a leather pouch that hung tight against his waist, she finally gestured to the rope.

At last, they were ready to descend - as much as they'd ever be.

Her thoughts went to the ruins that lay hidden under the surface. Enki hadn't given her much to go off on. In fact, as he'd pitched this whole expedition to her, he seemed unsure about the specifics of what he was talking about. A lot of conjecture, and not enough facts.

The things she did for money...

"Ready?" he asked, and the Adélie nodded as she grabbed on tight to one end of the rope and braced her bare feet against the edge chasm. She pulled, and pulled, until the line was taut between the anchor and her hands. The wolf turned herself around so that she was facing the rockface, and glanced at Enki. With her eyes she gestured down to herself, silently instructing her observant companion on how he should mimic what she was doing. He studied her much like a scholar would an ancient tome. "Do be careful, Adélie. It's a long way down."

He spoke with a surprising amount of concern and compassion, even for a hired hand like herself. Adélie nodded and flashed her companion a quick and confident smile that put his tense nerves at ease. Things would be alright, it said, as long as he copied what she did.

As such, the wolf decided to take things slow. If he was learning through observation, then she wanted him to do it right. She slowly eased her body back, sliding one hand after the other along the length of the rope, until she mostly hung over the cavern's entrance. She looked up to make sure he was still watching and then began her descent downward.

It was hardly a difficult task. But the added strain of clearing a path for the inexperienced wolf left her breathless; kicking away loose rocks that would have tripped up his footholds and being sure to proceed slowly so that he could copy her movements were normally things she wouldn't have done. By the time the pads of her feet made contact with the damp and cold stone underneath, the wolf had worked up a sweat. She brushed the back of her hand against her forehead and shielded her eyes from the light overhead as she looked up at him. He was now nothing but a dark silhouette against the bright background of a clear sky.

"You did well!" he called out from above with a tense excitement. His voice reverberated across the moist walls of the cavern, carrying and amplifying it to the point that it almost sounded like he was screaming into her ears. She rolled her eyes, shook her head, and waved him over with an exaggerated gesture. "Oh - Alright then. My turn, right?!"

She repeated her gesture, some added frustration showing through her sudden, jerking motions. He couldn't have gone any slower.

"Very well. I... ah..." His silhouette disappeared from sight. It only dawned on her now, as the seconds ticked by, that he could very easily back out of this endeavor. Not that it would matter much to her - payment had been upfront - but to come all this way for nothing? She sighed and waited, feeling her anxiety flare up just moments before she caught his shadow moving against the backdrop of the sky. His nervous and stuttering voice came through clear. "I-I-I'm coming down now! Just... Give me a moment, please!"

Easy now, she thought to herself as Enki braced his legs against the edge of the cavern's entrance much like she had done. If he took it one step at a time, slow and steady, then there'd be nothing to worry about.

As if he were reading her thoughts, the mage began a painfully slow descent down the sheer rockface. His eyes were glued up to the sky, his body as stiff as the stone it brushed up against. Enki was fighting every instinct he had to freeze up on the spot.

"Oh - Gods above, what am I doing." He held tight to the rope that burned against his palms. With a wide-eyed stare, he glanced down and then quickly shot his gaze back up. Adélie could make out the mad mutterings of a terrified man. "I - Fu - How much farther?!"

She held her arms out wide in the air and maintained a toothy grin, doing her best to gesticulate a welcoming and encouraging sign whenever he spared a downward glance over his shoulder. Not much farther now. She waved her arms toward herself, then quickly braced her foot against the face of the wall, into a small crevice that held the weight of her foot in place.

"R-Right. Right." He turned his attention back up, squirmed a little, and braced one foot against the side of the wall. The other, as hard as he tried to find it a proper perch, simply dangled uselessly in the air as he inched another couple of feet downward. It was only when he found a proper foothold for both his legs that Enki stopped to press his body right up against the jagged edges of the wall. The rock pushed past his red fur and into his skin, but he dared not move.

In between heavy pants, he quickly blurted out, "Have to catch my breath!" She noted the exhaustion already taking hold on him: his legs shook under him, and there was a visible tension throughout his body. Adélie patted a hand against the moist surface of the rock wall and forced out a snarl to catch his attention. They'd be at this all day if he didn't hurry along.

Those last couple of meters were the easiest. With only a couple of feet left, he dropped from the rope and stumbled into a clumsy landing.

His relief and excitement were almost palpable as he exclaimed a shaky, "Fantastic!" Her companion pressed his hands against his soft fur, as if to rub away some of the rope burn, and glanced upward at the now-imposing entrance which towered over the two of them. His tail slunk between his legs. He was already thinking of the climb back up.

Unwilling to let such a trivial matter dampen his spirits, Adélie did the best she could do: she got in front of him, called his attention to her with a small and friendly growl, and gestured a thumbs up and a toothy smile.

For being inexperienced, he'd done surprisingly well.

Enki laughed, nodding and bowing his appreciation as he stammered out a shaky thanks. His voice had finally regained its composure just as he once more caught his breath. Then, instinctively, his eyes travelled downward as his large wet nose rapidly twitched at a strange scent. "Adélie! Your leg!"

Adélie blinked and glanced to where he was staring. Sure enough, just below her left thigh, a trail of crimson blood had matted to her dirty brown fur. She pricked at the wound and blankly stared her finger, then shrugged to say, 'Oh well,' and began to turn. The other reached for her shoulder, stopping just short of grabbing her when she shot him a dangerous glare.

"Please," he whispered, suddenly aware of how easily his voice carried down here, "allow me, Adélie. You know I can help." He gave a sideways glance toward where the cavern opened up and sank deeper into the earth. "There's no need for you to carry on with such a needless injury. Especially with where we're going"

She gestured with her arms - a slight shake to either side of her body - and shook her head. This really wasn't necessary.

"Well it won't take long," he reassured, and raised a clawed hand to the side of his muzzle. An aura of magic flared to life like a white flame as he twirled his fingers in the air. She took a step back away from him, brow furrowed, and with her hands clenched into a tight fist. The other quickly lowered his hand, yet nonetheless continued. "I promise, it won't hurt. You helped me..." his eyes darted to the rope. "Allow me to help you."

If he was so adamant about helping her, then so be it. Adélie raised her leg and rested it against a nearby rock just as the other got to his knees and sat back on his heels. She wanted to keep a weary eye on him, but when his fingers flared up with the white flames of magic, the wolf was forced to look away. A tight ball formed at the back of her throat as she felt the tips of his icy fingers encircle around her bleeding wound. She struggled to swallow, and her breathing came short and raspy.

"Relax," muttered the other. She felt a chill running down her leg, as if ice had been injected into her veins. Out of impulse, she tried pulling her leg away. Enki braced his other hand around her ankle and stopped her from doing so. "Blood is a precious thing - ours, especially. Did they ever teach you that in -" He glanced up at her and noted the way she refused to watch. Her whole body was all wound up, like a cobra ready to strike. "Well, I suppose you must have, living in our Empire."

He closed his eyes and pressed his hand flat against her wound. She flinched, not from pain but from the sudden sensation that surged through her leg. It was an aura of invigorating energy that made her feel as if she could tackle the climb back up to the surface twice over.

Adélie opened her eyes and spared a quick and dubious glance at his work. It was a silent affair - her only visual clue of magic at play was the feint blue and white glow that emanated from the gaps between his fingers. After a few minutes of an equally tense and contemplative silence, Enki finally pulled away. He clasped his hands together and warmly smiled up at her, rather pleased with himself and his work.

"Done!"

She instantly touched at where the wound had been and found nothing but skin and fur. No blood, or pain, or even a scar to add to the collection. Adélie thought to herself about how unnatural it all was, these strange magics that she didn't think she'd ever truly understand, and a shiver rightly rushed down her spine. But the wolf couldn't deny the fact that it also felt right. She was frightened by the thought of how addictive that sensation was. With a wide-eyed stare she looked to him, who had been watching with an expectant look in his eyes, and nodded.

That was... different. Not as unwelcome as she had expected, but Adélie wasn't willing to put herself through it again.

"It was the least I could do, Ranger." He said that with a modicum of respect as he gracefully shot back up to his feet. The wolf stepped away, her thoughts still lingering on what he had done, and turned her back to him. As far as thanks went, the best she could do was give him another thumbs up. He took it in stride and smiled at her compliment. "Well then... long way to go, right?"

She nodded. From where they stood, the cavern opened up into a chamber that sank inward the further on it went. Stalactites and stalagmites lines the cavern's ceiling and floor; a visual representation of this place's age. Further inward she knew that the cavern would close up into a narrow cave - whatever was beyond that was anyone's guess. At least they still had enough light to walk around without much trouble.

With a small wave of her hand the wolf guided the other deeper into the cavern, down to where it opened up overhead as it began to sink into the ground. The air was chock-full of an indescribable scent - like stagnant water and wet stone, and something else...

Even as she trailed on with clear purpose, the other seemed to lag behind. She had to turn around a couple of times to wave him along.

"... must be centuries old." He'd been muttering to himself, pausing every so often to stare at a rock or sniff the air. She couldn't possibly understand what he found so fascinating, but it wasn't her place to judge. "And the aura here..." He raised his voice and called out to her. "Can you feel it, Adélie?"

She glanced back, bluntly shook her head, and pressed on. He quickly followed behind and inched closer to her back when the world around them considerably darkened. The two of them had ventured deep enough into the cavern that light barely illuminated their path, and gazing on toward a cave up ahead, it was all darkness.

All over her arms and across the back of her head, the wolf's fur stood on end. She looked to the mage as if looking for answers, who looked back at her with a knowing and worried look. He'd felt it too - the odd sensation that something was out of place.

Wild magic.

"I'll..." he struggled to form words as his eyes fell to the dark cave ahead of him. "... Light. We need a light."

Without missing a beat, the mage raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. The sudden flicker of light caused her to take one large step away from him as she shielded her eyes from the ethereal flame that now burned at the tip of his index finger. It cast off a white light, far too bright for the size of the flame, and it didn't seem to burn his finger at all. Their shadows bounced and danced across the rocks as the two continued along.

Adélie led him out of the cavern and into the considerably smaller cave, which had been separated by a short and incredibly narrow tunnel. The rock underfoot had been smoothed out by centuries' worth of erosion. Only the sound of their own breathing kept them company as they followed the path lit by the mage's ethereal flame. He no longer ventured off or lagged behind, opting rather to stick close by her side, perhaps finding some solace in her steadfast resilience in the face of the unknown.

Although she wasn't one to admit it, she felt glad to have him tagging along too. Not for his knowledge of magic, no. Even the most experienced mage could be a complete idiot. Rather, she found comfort in his presence - it alleviated the otherwise oppressive nature of her surroundings.

Thoughts of treasure lingered in her mind. That's what he was looking for, right? Or so she thought. From the start, Enki had never been quite clear on what exactly he had been searching for. Ancient artefacts could have been anything. But then again, Adélie had nobody to blame but herself; she never asked. He needed a guide; she needed the money. But now, the wolf couldn't help but feel like she _should_have asked for more information.

The father they ventured underground, the more the walls seemed to close in around them. She couldn't tell how long they'd been at it - minutes or hours, none of it seemed to matter. Time had lost its meaning. Despite there only being one clear though winding path, the wolf still felt like she'd been walking through a maze.

It wasn't long until the cave opened up. She stood straight and glanced around, uncertain at what she was looking at. Enki, who now stood beside her with a look of dumb awe, muttered silently to himself.

"Incredible."

Nature had given way to the machined precision of a manmade structure. In an almost seamless transition that took even the ranger a couple of seconds to fully grasp, the natural aesthetic of jagged rocks and winding paths had shifted into one long hallway of carved rock that stretched further into the depths. Rusted and empty iron sconces lined each wall to either side of them, which after years of neglect had mostly lost what once had been intricately designed patterns.

"The ruins of an ancient civilization," explained Enki as he began to explore further into the hallway. She glanced back over her shoulder, a small frown playing at her lips, as she looked along the path they'd taken. Nowhere for her to go but forward, it seemed. She had to stick this one out. "Perhaps dating as far back as..." she watched him press one hand against the wall with some uncertainty, "the early founding of the Empire? We're talking... I mean..." he shook his head in disbelief, "since the Age of Expansion, I'd say."

She didn't give much of an answer. This was all far beyond her understanding. Instead, the wolf focused her attention on an opening at the far end of the hall. A doorway, though the stone slab that had once concealed the entrance had long since tumbled and shattered into pieces. The mage brought his magical light to bear and revealed an antechamber with a low-hung ceiling and closely fitted walls.

A dead end at first glance, until Adélie noticed the cramped stairway that spiraled even further into the earth. The room was lit up in a wonderous blue light that lured Enki in by sheer curiosity but kept Adélie at bay. The walls themselves pulsed with life as unnerving veins of magical energy surged upward along the cracks. While she refused to take another step into the antechamber, the ranger also found it impossible to move away. Like bricks had been tied around her ankles.

"Fascinating," hummed Enki with obvious excitement. He reached for one of the veins of light, stopping himself just short of grazing the magic when Adélie growled her disapproval. "It - No need worry. This is... It's almost like - AH!"

She kicked off the ground and pounced into the antechamber in a rush as her companion stumbled back from the wall, falling hard on his rump while cradling his hand close to his chest. "D-Don't touch the walls!" he snarled out. She looked at the spot he'd touched and saw a slight flame emanating from the vein of magic. It flitted and fluttered for a few seconds, then died out in a wisp of smoke.

She got on her knees and grabbed his arm. With a hard tug, Adélie pulled his hand away from his chest and had a good look at the superficial damaged. Besides the prominent burn, there wasn't anything out of place. He still had all his digits. Lucky him. She sighed and shot him a dirty glare with a disapproving shake of her head.

Even she knew better than to carelessly handle wild magic.

"Sorry," he muttered, ears flat over his head. Enki blankly stared at the wall, watching as arcs of energy thrummed along the cracks. His eyes regained their focus. "I don't know what came over me. But I'm okay now. I..."

If he was trying to convince himself, then he wasn't doing a very good job. Adélie pressed her hand against his shoulder, lightly so, and finally let go of his arm. She made the effort of trying to comfort the mage; even if he did deserve a proper scolding, she wasn't the one to do it. She met his watery silver eyes and nudged her head in the direction of the stairwell.

"Onwards?" he asked, disbelief threaded in his words. "You still want to continue?"

No, she didn't want to continue, and shook her head accordingly. But, at the same time, she'd made him a promise, and thus she once again nudged her head at the stairs. If he wanted to continue, then she'd stick by his side. That's what he paid her for, after all.

"Very well," spoke Enki. With his smile back and the confidence returning, he helped himself back up on his feet, all the while keeping a careful distance from the walls. "Onward. I... I know we're close now. I can feel it." The two ventured toward the stairs and peeked down into the depths. Something down there glowed in otherworldly light. "Whatever's down there, that's as far as we go. Alright?"

She nodded at the mage, holding her arm out ahead of him to keep Enki from venturing on without her. She stepped in front of him, took the lead, and waved her hand for him to follow close behind. They were practically pressed tight against one another now, with his chest to her back and his breath constantly threading around her neck. It set the ranger's nerves on fire, but she swallowed them down like she did the lump in her throat.

The spiral staircase went on for far longer than the two had initially realized. More wild magic. It had to be. She could swear that the stairs expanded further downward with every step they took, and a glance back at her companion's dumbfounded expression only further proved her suspicions.

Wild magic. Knowing firsthand what it could do, Adélie considered herself lucky that it hadn't decided to tear them apart by the very fabric that held them together. Even that might have been a quick and painless mercy. She gritted her teeth and fought back those stray and distracting thoughts, instead focusing on the task at hand.

At their constant yet slow pace, it took the two wolves ten minutes to reach the landing. The silent ranger treaded carefully, her eyes locked to the adjacent room where a pulsing glow of orange and blue emanated from. The walls around them were cramped, and neither one of them wanted to risk touching them again. She gestured for him to follow, and with careful steps walked into the adjacent room.

"Here we are," he said with an airy sigh as they came upon a small chamber bathed in otherworldly light. He pointed to an altar, upon which sat a chalice that bubbled with a frothy substance. "That... That's it."

Enki no longer had that restrained excitement that had followed her through their trek around the ruins. Exhaustion had taken hold, physically and maybe even emotionally. She glared back at him. He looked unsure. Did he know what he was getting himself into?

"Be at ease," continued Enki after a moment of silence. Even he was doubting himself; his silent tells spoke more than his words. The way he hunched his back and closed his arms into himself, and how he nipped and nibbled on his bottom lip. "I... I read about this. I know what I'm -"

She grabbed him by his arm, tearing his attention away from the altar, and snarled at his face. He read about this? Had he no firsthand experience? Adélie bared her fangs at him and shook him.

"Please! Trust me!" He didn't try pulling away, rather finding the closeness of another comforting in his strange surroundings. "I'll be quick, and then we can leave. We'll put this whole thing behind us." Surprisingly enough, he flashed her a nervous smile. "I'll pay you extra. Please. Just... stay."

All she could do was glare, and shake her head twice over. This was a bad idea. It shouldn't take a mute to tell him that. A blind man could have read the room better than Enki was. With a hard shrug she threw his arm aside and pointed at the stairs.

They needed to leave. Wild magic was nothing to be trifled with, and the room _reeked_of the stuff. The very smell of it burned her sinuses.

His mouth went agape, gesturing silent words as he struggled to clear his throat. "Ah - I can't. Not now, when we're so close." Enki turned his eyes from her to look at the chalice; surprisingly simple in design, for something that was bubbling with wild magic. He took a step away from Adélie before she could stop him, and she in turn was drawn toward him.

Everything in her screamed to get away. Adélie felt as if she were submerging herself into a pool of viscous water with every step that she took toward the chalice. The muscles on her legs had grown sore, and her mind had become weary by the time they'd made it to just a few feet from the altar.

The thought of forcefully stopping Enki and dragging his ass back to the surface didn't cross her mind until it was too late. By that point, Adélie couldn't have stopped him, as desperately as she wanted to.

With one last step, the weight of the world came crushing down on her shoulders. Adélie fell to her knees and helplessly watched as Enki grabbed the chalice with the tips of his fingers. Liquid magic bubbled over and spilled onto his hands, melting and burning into his skin. She swore that she could hear him screams, but they weren't his own. They echoed in her head, like a thousand copies all shouting seconds after the other. Yet despite the horrid damage he was doing to himself, Enki still brought the chalice up to his face.

He tipped the rim against his lips and drank deeply from the well of wild magic.

The last thing Adélie saw was a bright flash of light that burned her eyes scalded her skin.

*~*~*

"Hey." The strange voice came from within her head. Its echo confused her. Although it was predominantly a woman, devious and sultry, she couldn't help but make out the panicked cries of a man somewhere afar.

Adélie stirred. Her movements were sluggish, and she couldn't see anything. A piercing cold enveloped itself around her, setting her skin alight as she shivered to stay warm. The wolf struggled to get a good breath. There was a load on her chest, and it shifted as if it had known that she'd become aware of it.

Something jabbed itself between her ribs, shooting arcs of pain deep into her core. She couldn't even flinch.

"Hey!" She called out more loudly. "I know you can hear me, tongueless one. Just because you can't talk doesn't mean that you can ignore me." The load baring down on her chest shifted. Even with her eyes closed, Adélie could sense that something was leaning closer to her face. Her brow furrowed, and she tightened her jaw, but there was nothing she could do about turning her head away. The sense of panic that briefly overcame her was shot down by another wave of piercing cold. "Come on, tongueless one. Or, do you prefer to go by your name? That is your name, right? Adélie. Rolls off the tongue. But you wouldn't know about that, would you Adélie?"

She giggled maliciously. Adélie felt a finger trace itself along the sharp curves of her jaw, defined by years of outdoors experience. She grunted and again tried to turn away, but her body refused to respond to her commands.

"Be a good girl and open your eyes. There..." Adélie had no choice in the matter. Something else, a force not her own, pried her eyelids open. She only knew because she could feel it happen, and yet, Adélie couldn't see anything. The world, though slightly clearer now, was still nothing more than a mass of darkness. "That's it. My, you are a beautiful specimen, aren't you? Like pools of chocolate and honey. If only you could see them..."

She laughed. Adélie could feel the other's finger trace a path along her chin before caressing her slender lips. "To think that he would bring me such a wonderous creature. Ah - a thanks are in order, aren't they? After all, you guided him to me. Who knows how long it would have taken had he been up to his own devices." The wolf grunted as the finger pushed in between her lips. It was trying to pry her mouth apart and slip between her teeth. "A shame _you_didn't drink from the cup. With a body like this, I could do... well, that's best left to the imagination."

The finger forced itself past her teeth and sank deeper into her maw until a bitter sweetness dripped unto the back of her throat. A foreign instinct overrode the mild disgust that Adélie felt, and without a thought she gently sucked on the length of the finger. The person on top of her giggled and withdrew the digit from her snout, being careful to wipe away the slobber on Adélie's brown fur.

"You were right to be weary of magic, you know? Such a strange force of nature. The hubris of your people! Thinking they can control it." She leaned in closer yet. Adélie could taste her breath. "Well, Enki found out firsthand. You didn't really try that hard to stop him, did you? Let him learn his lesson firsthand, right? And now here you are, with a lesson of your own to swallow down."

Hands pressed themselves against her shoulders, then traveled up the sides of her neck. They only stopped once each cupped the sides of her head, cradling her in a cold grasp. A soft moan escaped her as the chill travelled downward to a pressure that was building up at the pit of her stomach. It felt... good.

She had to get away.

"A shame about your sight, but that's what happens when you blindly follow somebody that doesn't know how to deal with wild magic. Oh, but how could you have known, right? And, the pay was good." Her mocking tone didn't fall on deaf ears. "But all is good in the end. Enki got his wish, I found myself a new vessel, and you?" She sighed against the Adélie's lips and whispered into her ears. "You would be dead, had I not intervened. A new lease on life - it can't get better than that!"

Her hands wrapped themselves around Adélie's neck, first massaging gently, before squeezing down with a strength that didn't befit the small hands. Adélie couldn't breathe. Every short gasp was met with further resistance while she frantically searched through the darkness for anything that might help. She was helpless to stop it.

The demon, it had to be a demon, withdrew her hands from Adélie's neck and punctuated her staggered gasp of air with a tender kiss against her lips. "Behave yourself, pup. Else I decide to stake my claim on your life. Do we have an understanding?"

Adélie whimpered, coming to a realization on the impossible situation she was in. A demon - one that had taken an interest in her, at that. She never thought they'd be real. Seeing no way out, and knowing that she wouldn't be able to fight, Adélie finally acquiesced. Being unable to nod her head in agreement, the wolf instead relaxed under the weight of the demon for the first time since she was wakened.

"No tears, Adélie. It doesn't befit you." The demon traced her slender finger along the edge of Adélie's eye, gathering up that small tear that had stained her cheek. "You're a good, smart girl. I knew you were a reasonable one."

A pair of hands delicately cupped her breasts. Adélie squirmed underneath the body as a sudden surge of unnatural pleasure shot out from where the hands touched her skin. The demon giggled at her display and hummed her approval.

"You won't mind if I indulge a little, right?" A long, thin tongue unexpectedly flicked against her bottom lip. "It's been a long time. And I do want to see what this new body can do. Oh, but... you can't see it." Again, the demon mocked her, but Adélie was helpless to protest as her fingers teased around the wolf's nipples. The pair of pink buds hardened as the demon rolled them between fingers in a torturingly slow back and forth motion, ever so gently tugging every few seconds until they ached with unnatural need. "How about I paint you a picture, Adélie?"

Her lip quivered as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to indulge in the sensation. This was wrong. So very wrong. But it felt so good. Adélie briefly thought about Enki, and how she felt when he used his magic to heal her wound. It was just like that, only instead of a rejuvenating energy, Adélie was consumed by waves of sexual pleasure that numbed her thoughts and stilled her breath.

"Remember him?" asked the demon, and in her mind's eye Adélie pictured Enki. She nodded - or more accurately - she was finally allowed to nod. Adélie had to fight back a whimper even as droplets of drool dribbled from the corners of her lips. The demon's hands were pure ecstasy. Shivers wracked her body as one hand squeezed her breasts while the other traced its way downward along her tight stomach. "I took his body, and I made some changes. Feminine changes. I'm sure you can appreciate that, right?"

Again, Adélie nodded, though not by her own volition.

A hard gasp escaped her as the demon's fingers reached down between her legs. She gave her a slight touch, nowhere near her labia, but it focused the wolf's attention on that area and made it impossible to ignore how aroused she had become.

A smattering of sleek juices coated her now swollen lips and liberally matted itself into the fur of her thighs. Adélie twitched with need, moaning her unwilling desire as the demon teased her fingers around the wolf's needy sex. Even though Adélie couldn't see, she could vividly picture the thick strands of girlcum collecting against the demon's curious fingers.

One after the other, each finger would dip closer and closer to her lips. Her body arched, pushing her hips upward against the hand. The demon giggled, and with a gentle click of her tongue she slipped two of her slender fingers between the wolf's soaked lips.

Unwilling to let her new plaything get accustomed to the chilly sensation, the demon began to gently massage with the tips of her fingers. She held a hand still against the wolf's breast, tweaking her tight nipple with an ever-increasing amount of strength, while her other hand worked to diligently tease Adélie's small clit and to gently press in against her tight entrance.

It was WRONG. Adélie mouthed the words, having no other means to speak, and all she got in response from the demon was a chilling laugh that set dread in her heart. Her lips quivered, and embarrassingly enough, she felt her own hips twitching in an ever excited fervor. Her body, above all else, wanted more of the pleasure that the demon had to offer. But it was wrong... She couldn't believe that she'd be...

"Is it really so wrong?" she asked, having clearly read her mind. She completely stopped everything she was doing. No longer feeling those fingers pressing down against her clit and teasing her opening drew out a frustrated groan from Adélie. She felt the demon's weight shifting around atop of her, and before long sensed a cold breath against one of her nipples. Adélie moaned, throwing her head to the side and burying her nose into the dirt, fighting temptation even as her nipples ached and her pussy visibly throbbed.

"How is it so different from having one of your species do this to you?" The demon breathed closer to Adélie's nipple. She could almost feel it tighten with anticipation. Now openly panting, the best Adélie could do was slightly shake her head and whimper. "It must feel like a lifetime ago by now, right? We share that in common. Is it really so wrong to feel good?"

Adélie wasn't given the time to answer. The demon pressed her lips right up against the wolf's breast, kissing and nipping at an unnaturally sensitive flesh, until her lips curled around Adélie's erect nipple. In one sudden and toe-curling motion, the demon's icy tongue slobbered hard over her nipple while she noisily sucked on Adélie's breast.

"Isn't that wonderful?" teased the demon as she brought Adélie to a silent scream. She spoke clearly even though her mouth was preoccupied, invading her head and burying into her thoughts. The wolf twitched, her back arching and her limbs tensing up as she pressed harder against the demon's mouth. Her fists slammed against the ground in a fruitless struggle, and once feeling came back to her legs, she helplessly kicked at nothing but dirt and rock.

Adélie wanted it out of her head.

"Relax, beautiful." The demon spoke in her mind, her voice low and collected. Her tongue circled around her areola while teeth pinched at her nipple. "Just ride it out."

When the wolf had least expected it, the demon pushed two of fingers knuckle deep into her quivering pussy. She further buried her face into the dirt, struggling to keep up with the myriad of sensations that now overtook her body like poison.

Her nipples were wrought in a controlled pain as the demon's teeth found their mark, over and over again, around each tight bud. She'd tug with sharp canines and then lap the pain away with that icy tongue that left them slathered in a thick coating of saliva that almost hummed upon contact with her skin. And further below? She couldn't stop herself from clamping around those curious fingers as they pushed in and out of her snatch. The unsteady rhythm of the finger fucking almost felt to Adélie like it was done deliberately, to further confuse an already overwhelmed body.

Adélie's face flushed hot as the demon's finger pushed deeper into her pussy, spreading themselves and forcing her to feel every inch of them exploring the soaked folds within. She finally turned her head upward and struggled to contain a moan as the fingers curled upward and rubbed up against her innermost walls. The audible sounds of how wet she was, that sickening squelch and the repeated smack of skin against skin, was impossible to ignore.

Desperately as she tried, Adélie couldn't fight it. She couldn't get the demon off her body. She couldn't stop herself from feeling so good.

It must have gone on for minutes, and those minutes dragged on as slowly as they possibly could have. Adélie felt herself slipping away with every forceful pump of the demon's fingers up into her depths. She struggled less, and found herself embracing the sensations all the more.

Each time those fingers dragged themselves out of her, she almost made it her mission to clench her walls as tightly as she could. Even if she wasn't aware of it at first, Adélie wanted truly to feel every little bit pressing against her tight tunnel just as much as she didn't want to be left with an empty feeling inside her.

The demon, in turn, was relentless in her treatment. She audibly savoured the sight of a drooling and broken wolf squirming under her whenever she pulled back from Adélie's chest. The wolf could feel the demon's own juices liberally dripping unto her, and rather than disgust she only felt a thrilling wave swell within her chest.

Unlike Adélie, the demon had no qualms in audibly expressing her own desires, nor was there any shame with the way she slid up against Adélie's body. The demon straddled one of her legs and slid back and forth along it, grinding her pussy up against Adélie's fur, leaving clear trails of viscous girlcum that seeped into the fur and slathered against skin.

"My, you really needed this." The demon finally pulled away from Adélie's nipples, leaving them swollen and twitching from the minutes she had spent suckling and nibbling on each one. Adélie nodded, heavily panting like a dog now, as she endlessly thrusted up against the demon's hand with a clumsy roll of her hips, and clamped her quivering thighs tight against one another, effectively trapping the hand against her scalding nethers.

She'd lost track of how many times the demon had brought her to the edge, only to have it whisked away before Adélie could truly revel in her orgasm. What first was an annoyance quickly became a mind-tearing sensation that left her wanting nothing more than to seek her own climax. But no matter how desperately Adélie clamped down on that hand or how hard she focused on her own pleasure to try and nudge herself just over the edge, it never came.

The demon knew this. It had to know. Adélie whimpered, tears breaking from the corners of her eyes, as she felt her climax coming again. No longer a slow progression, like the first couple of times, but rather a quick and aggressive buildup of lust and desire that hammered deep inside her desperately clenching tunnel and nearly left her frothing at the mouth.

She knew what was coming, and yet Adélie couldn't stop herself from trying to get her climax. Hips desperately pushed upward, pulling in the demon's fingers deeper into her pussy, her successive whimpers almost sounding like a plea for the demon to finally let her have what she wanted.

It never came. Right at the edge, when all she needed was one last inward push of her fingers to finally break the dam, the demon stopped it from happening. Whether it was from magic or pure skill, she couldn't tell. The wolf threw her head back, her body trembling, as she screamed out loud to the heavens in desperation. Her voice was rough and hoarse, like the sound of a boot scraping against gravel. It mocked her, just as much as the demon's chiding tone did overhead.

"Amazing how easy it is to turn you into an animal." Adélie cried out as she felt the other's fingers slick out of her pussy with an upward flicked that massaged _all_the right spots inside her. No matter how tightly she clenched her thighs into herself and tightened her groin, or how roughly she pinched groped her breasts and pinched her own nipples, the pleasure wasn't enough to get her anywhere near what the demon had done. The demon above her loudly slurped on her fingers. "And such a wonderful taste too! Enki really outdid himself, bringing you to me."

It wasn't fair. It was torture.

The demon moaned with ecstasy as she pressed her clit right up against Adélie's thigh. She patted a gentle hand between the wolf's breasts, which caused a series of short yet intense trembles, and nudged Adélie's drool-slickened chin up until her blind gaze met the demon's own.

"I could make you spend the rest of your life like this. Teetering on the edge, starved for the climax you'd never get. Picture it, Adélie." Unwelcome images forced themselves into the wolf's head. Thoughts of seeing herself desperately pumping her fingers in and out of her pussy, feeling an indescribably pressure building up in her core yet being unable to get the release she craved. She saw herself on her knees, a clear pool of her cum forming underneath as she liberally leaked from her own heightened and never-ending arousal. She whimpered and begged and moaned, drooling at the mouth and gasping for not unlike what she was doing now.

Despite the nature of the images that the demon placed in her head, the wolf still felt herself clenching tight as a fresh surge of her excitement gushed from between her sensitive and swollen lips. Adélie whimpered, yet couldn't help herself as she nuzzled into the demon's touch. The foreboding dread was overpowered by a lustful animal need that dominated her thoughts.

"Oh, come now. No pouting." The demon giggled and rubbed her hand across the wolf's cheek, not unlike a master would her pet. "Relationships are built on trust, right? I trust you to behave and obey, and you can trust me to tend to _all_your needs." To further emphasize her point, the demon pressed the tip of her finger against Adélie's clit. She felt herself throb under the touch, her tunnel hopelessly clenching at nothing as the demon drew circles around Adélie's tight clit. It was almost enough to push her over the edge.

Almost.

"Tell me that you understand."

Adélie nodded hard.

"Good girl. Now..." With no warning, the demon pushed those two fingers back as deep as she could get them into Adélie's quivering depths, forcibly drawing out a prolonged moan out of the wolf, who savoured the feeling of having something so magically pleasing inside her. Even with how hard she clamped down around them, the demon still spread her fingers to stretch Adélie out while easily sliding back and forth along her sodden depths. Every backstroke brought with it a wave of juices that liberally spilled onto the ground and soaked into Adélie's thighs. A wave of embarrassment washed over her, but the wolf's lust-addled mind easily pushed back those thoughts.

It didn't take Adélie long. The combination of her having been brought to the edge so many times and the demon's own forceful fingerfucking practically shoved Adélie's orgasm down her throat. The pressure that'd been building for so long finally spilled over in gushing streaks of cum that soaked the demon's hand and sprayed out to pool under the wolf's ass.

"Not yet, little pup!" exclaimed the demon as Adélie rode out her high. She felt her breath hitch against her throat, and a tightness form in her chest, as a second wave of overwhelming pressure quickly built up and exploded out of her. Adélie struggled to grasp what was happening, but knew that the demon was savouring every moment of her squirming and moment. Eyes rolled back and fluttered closed as a third orgasm was forced out of Adélie.

She doubled over reclined into a trembling and twitching fetal position, gurgling and almost choking on her own saliva, while squirting out her lust from around the demon's fingers. Even after she'd been left empty inside, Adélie couldn't stop her body from continuously spraying out ever-longer streaks of her juices all across the cavern floor.

The demon towered over the wolf's broken body and laughed at the display. "So obscene!" she called out, drawing out a broken whimper out of Adélie, whose nether lips throbbed as she gushed weaker streams of her honey. "Oh, but look at you..." The demon clicked her tongue. Adélie could feel her presence crouching down beside her head. Without sparing a thought, she raised her face off the ground and nestled her nose onto the demon's foot and gave it a slight kiss. She smelled like Enki, but also reeked of wild magic. "There, there, little pup. You're alright now. See, I told you, didn't I? I'll take care of all your needs."

Adélie still trembled in the aftershocks of her repeated orgasms. She welcomed the relief that came from finally riding off that orgasmic high.

It was... wonderful.

It was terrifying.

With a final and defeated gasp, she raised her head up to the sound of the demon's voice. Fresh tears streamed along the contours of her cheeks as she thought about everything she'd done, and everything she'd disregarded. To humiliate herself like this... to stoop so low.

And Enki. Her charge. He was gone.

Even if she had wanted to cry out, Adélie would have found it impossible. The demon wouldn't let her, not when she pressed a finger against Adélie's lips.

"No shame, Adélie," spoke the demon, who then grasped her gently by her jaw. "You've gone through something that very few people throughout history have ever experienced before. This is a happy moment! Now, come. On your feet. I know you can do it."

Adélie's uncertainty was disregarded. With a forceful tug, the demon drew her back up on her trembling legs. The wolf had to support herself against the other's body, both afraid of its presence and relieved to have it by her side. She couldn't stand on her own two legs, not now. Her pussy still clenched and throbbed with need - the demon's scent wasn't making it any easier on her.

"I'll even do you one better. A gift, hm? From me, to you. Don't ever say demons can't be kind." Adélie flinched when the demon's fingers pressed against her forehead, though froze up when a cold chill enveloped her head.

Like dawn breaking over the horizon, little beams of light filled her vision. It felt like her eyes had frozen over, yet it never hurt. With every successive blink, more and more of her vision started coming back to her. She glanced down at her hands, then looked around herself at the cavern.

She could see - not as well as she had before, but she could see again.

The demon stepped around and entered her vision, a milk smirk playing at her lips. Adélie froze, taking her in, feeling like a deer would when it stared down a hunter.

It was Enki, in every way except his gender. A little smaller than the wolf had been, and with sharper features that made her stand out from the rest of Adélie's species. It was just enough of a difference that Adélie could tell something was wrong. Her eyes glowed feint with swirls of blue magic, and every breath she took was punctuated with the condensation of air around her nose. But, besides that? She wasn't so strange. The demon could have blended in well wherever it went.

"See?" she said while curling a finger under Adélie's chin. "I'm not so scary, right?"

Adélie shook her head, though she was still unsure. She glanced down at herself and noted how slick her fur was, matted with her own juices. Her labia had swollen up considerably, lips rubbing up against one another whenever she shifted from side to side. It had hard to ignore how good it felt, but Adélie made the effort.

She made it a point to keep her eyes away from the mess of cum she'd sprayed all across the ground. Adélie didn't need to see that.

The wolf moved back when the demon took a step toward her. Instinct. She held on to herself as her tail slunk between her legs and her ears fell flat over her head. Her whole demeanor asked simply one question.

What now?

"A good enough question, little pup," spoke the demon.

Adélie couldn't stop looking at her body. Small breasts with an equally smaller pair of icy blue nipples, a toned midsection, a palmable ass, and slender hips. A dangerous beauty, enticing, alluring, and deceptively innocent.

"I think it's high time I had a look at the world. A lot can change in eight hundred years, hm?" The demon turned, flicking her slender tail against Adélie's thigh, shooting up a slight shiver into the wolf. "And who better to show me around than you? Come, then. There's much to see!"

She watched the demon disappear from sight, up the staircase Adélie had previously descended from, and surprisingly enough leaving her alone in the chamber where it all happened. The wolf glanced back to the altar - the chalice was nowhere to be found, nor any trance of Enki. A part of her hoped... but now, she knew, whatever was left of him was in his possessed body.

Adélie would have cursed his name, had she not felt pity for the poor bastard. Mages... wild magic... it was all trouble. She shouldn't have taken this job.

"Adélie!" Her ears perked up, and she found her mouth watering when her name was called out. Adélie caught herself reacting in such a way, but couldn't stop it. Her body had a mind of its own. "Quickly now! There's much for us to do!"

She stepped forward toward the staircase that ascended up to the antechamber, resigned to the fate life had bestowed on her. A demon's pet? A guide? A plaything? There were no words to describe this relationship - if it could even be called that.

This was her life, now. Adélie sighed, content with knowing that, at the very least, she was still alive. She prayed that this wouldn't be a fate worse than death.