Zion: Light of the New Moon Part 2, Ch 1.2 Shrad
Zion - Light of the New Moon, Part 2 Chapter 1.2
Shrad Through the Bahn
Since Tolen and Shadow and Nori and Gaerid got the focus of the last post, we will shift to the remaining three party members and see what they're up to. Despite initial reservations about sticking with the Highway, Nori does manage to convince the party to keep with it. The current modifiers for this Event Arc are as follows: + Delay, and - Favor, This is still subject to change based on future decisions.
The travel since the dragon attack had been surprisingly uneventful, and Loric found it both comforting and distracting all at once. Considering the difficulty they had in their first weeks of travel it seemed almost out of sorts for such a simple and straight forward journey. While he had his reservations about continuing along the Highway, it turned out to be a very good decision... one, he reminded himself, he would consider finding a way to take credit for.
Wrapping an evening robe around himself, the arctic fox ran his thumb claw along the edge of the old, warn clothing chest his new wagon held. He was pleased when he discovered the chest was divided into sections thanks to removable, adjustable wooden slats, and, with a little work he had even managed to find room for the box Guthrey had rescued for him; in this case, however, all he was after was a pair of sandals. Closing the container, Loric slid his paws into the footwear and exited the wagon.
The wind outside was as strong as it had sounded from within the wagon and, while nothing compared to the wind storm they had faced during their first few days of travel, Loric found it inconvenient. Wrapping his robe tighter around himself, the fox put up with the weather as he strolled several feet to Tollie's carriage. Raising his paw to provide a polite knock, the fox paused in surprise as the door opened before he had the chance.
"Lord Kriabnish." Tollie noted, standing in the doorway dressed in nothing but a pair of long underwear, "You really should not be out in the weather."
"I know... thank you, your Eminence." the fox bowed, using the hyena's comment as an invitation to enter. Loric walked through the open door, sliding past Tollie's slight form, "And please... unless you require it otherwise, please call me Loric." he took a seat on one of the cushioned benches, bowing deeply with the motion, "You never need call me Lord, my Lord."
"It is your title." Tollie answered, closing the door before making his way over to sit across from the fox, "Is it not?"
"It is, of course." Loric bowed his head again, "But you need not address me by it... High Priest Tenge certainly did not, unless it was in a formal capacity."
"But I am not a High Priest." Tollie reminded him.
Loric smiled at that, "But you could be." he spoke in as sweet a tone as he could manage, voice smoothly flowing out of his ingratiating muzzle like honeyed milk, "I believe that you are destined to be recorded in history."
"No..." Tollie shook his head, "Nobody will remember the name 'Tollie'." he explained with an eerie confidence about it, "Many will remember Majh, but not Tollie."
"You could change that." Loric offered, sliding from the bench down to his knees, gazing up at the hyena, "I would help you, Your Grace."
Tollie shook his head, "No... my place is not in the spotlight... it never was."
Loric inched closer on his knees, "Why not? You have the power. You have the greatness. I am astonished that the only thing you lack is the drive." he rested his paws on the hyena's knees.
"The world will continue without my interference." the hyena answered, looking down at the fox, ears drooping slightly.
"But you could change it... you could turn it into what you desire, my Lord." Loric slowly stood, "I would help you."
"Why?" Tollie asked.
"Because you can." Loric crooned softly, reaching out his right paw to caress the side of the hyena's muzzle.
"No." Tollie answered, reaching up to take hold of the fox by his wrist, "I mean why would you help me?"
"I've learned not to question the Goddess' will, Your Grace... and I know what she desires." the fox lowered his left paw to undo the belt of his robe.
"What is it she wants?" the hyena asked, letting go of the fox's wrist.
"Exactly what I do." Loric answered, sliding his tongue across his muzzle as he let his robe fall to the ground. Something about standing before the powerful hyena made the fox feel drunk with satisfaction, especially because of how intimidated the poor, meek boy looked. Pressing the advantage, Loric slid himself into Tollie's lap, "You wouldn't deny my pledge to you, would you... my Master?" the title slid out of his muzzle with all the practiced grace of a dagger emerging from a hidden holster.
"I'm not anyone's master." Tollie objected, squirming beneath Loric's ministrations.
"Because you lack..." and he pressed his hips down against the soft bulge in the hyena's lap, "drive."
"What...." Tollie swallowed hard, "...are you doing?"
"Deferring to you... as everyone should." the fox murmured, leaning forward to nibble on the hyena's exposed shoulder, brushing his tongue through his spotted fur.
"I... do not... want you to." Tollie mumbled.
"Not all of you agrees." Loric smirked knowingly, brushing his tail across the not-so-soft bump beneath Tollie's underwear, "You know what this is about... don't you?" he chuckled seductively.
Tollie squirmed, trying to slide out from beneath the fox, "This isn't like it was with Lord Flandry?"
"What?" Loric froze in surprise at the mention of the name; he wasn't able to recover before Tollie slid out from beneath him.
"Lord Flandry." Tollie repeated, "Your guild was given a contract to 'handle things' with him and you chose to do it yourself."
The fox felt the fur all of his body begin to stand on end; he didn't like where the discussion was going.
"You knew that Lord Flandry had a 'special like' of foxes and, even though the elephant did nt trust you, he would not pass up on a chance to... enjoy you."
Loric felt the panic start to grow within him; he knew that the hyena was a Diviner, but he had no idea that-- no, he realized, the more chaotic his thoughts became the easier it was for Tollie to see what he wanted. The fox closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and opened his eyes anew, smiling at the hyena's confusion, "Better?" he asked casually.
"You know how to stop Divination." Tollie answered; the hyena didn't speak with concern, rather, it was more confusion. The difference intrigued Loric.
"I have no secrets to hide from you, Master." the fox noted, "But I thought you would appreciate hearing it from me directly."
Tollie slowly sat back down, "You have many secrets." the hyena acknowledged, and Loric only smiled wider.
"I won't keep any from you." Loric vowed, slowly reaching down to the hyena's undergarments. With a curl of his fingers, "and I hope you won't keep any from me." Loric tore cleanly through the cloth.
"You... killed him, did you not?" Tollie asked, backing all the way against the wall as Loric slid into his lap again.
"I did, your Grace." Loric admitted, flexing his tail as he felt the cowed hyena's groin fur against his own.
"How?" Tollie squeaked.
"I'm immune to certain kinds of contact poison... and he wasn't." the fox smiled, leaning forward to nibble on the hyena's cheek fur.
"You poisoned him?"
Loric laughed, the sound straining for only a moment as he found the right angle, and he let out a content sigh as he felt Tollie's flesh enter into him, "I did." the fox crooned, "He was a big elephant and I had to have SOMETHING to make him slide in easier, after all..."
"You had the poison..." the hyena murmured, "In the lotion..."
"You're so perceptive, even without your magic, my Lord." the fox crooned, undulating his hips against Tollie, who still sat unmoving, stunned stiff. Loric chuckled, sliding his rump back down against the hyena's groin... stiff indeed.
"And he died?" Tollie asked.
"He didn't even get a chance to finish." Loric chuckled, leaning forward to whisper softly into the hyena's ear, "but I did." the admission came out as a warbling moan as the fox emptied himself all over Tollie's abdomen, reveling in the fact that, as always, he had more power as the servant than as the lord. He stood, letting Tollie slide out of him, and didn't miss the fact that the hyena hadn't shared in his release. Loric Kriabnish fell to his knees once again, mrring softly in the afterglow, 'obediently' licking his own mess from Tollie's body; his newest 'Master' was going to be the best one yet.
Guardsman Sten turned away from the carriage, scowling at what he had witnessed. The Captain had kept her brother under her protection for years, so sheltered in fact that Sten himself had never met him... and now he was beginning to see why. Even if the otter had never met Loric Kriabnish he was easily able to tell that the fox meant nothing good for the hyena.
Moving quickly back to his wagon, Sten angrily threw his fur cloak into the corner. With both the High Priest and Majh Blackpaw gone it was only a matter of time until the group fell apart; there was no doubt in the otter's mind that Loric had no intention of going to Zion with peace on his mind-- the fox had far too much to gain from war.
Even with the sound of the wind, Guardsman Sten didn't miss the sound of the door to Tollie's carriage opening and closing; whether he imagined the sound of Loric's sycophantic goodbye or not it made no difference-- the damage had already been done. The otter didn't know how susceptible to manipulation the hyena was but either way it was apparent that Loric's plans were already underway, and that meant nothing good for the innocent Tollie.
"Damn it, woman..." Sten growled, taking a seat on his bunk, "You have no idea how bad your timing was." he chuckled at the comment, which sounded insane. "As if you had any choice." he added. The otter let out a deep sigh and flopped back onto his bed, kicking off his boots as he stared up at the low-hanging ceiling. Majh had been his captain and, on more than one occasion his bedmate. As the former she was demanding and cruel, insistent and always quick with a sharp critique... but as the latter, she seemed so complaint... so eager. Strangely, he missed both versions of her.
Guardsman Sten let out another deep breath, "You didn't do him any favors, Majh... he's just as much in danger here as he was back in Shrad." the otter undid his sword belt and dropped it on the floor, "He left a den of vipers to travel in a basket full of cobras." Inching himself up the mattress, Sten laid his head down on the pillow, "And now that you're gone, who's going to protect him from them, huh?"
The guard unbuttoned his tunic, reaching into it to pull out a small silver locket. The necklace was slight and delicate, hardly suitable for a man but, then again, Sten hadn't purchased it for himself. Ever since he was first under Majh's command there was something about the hyena that he found intoxicating. He put his head down and weathered through two years of her abuse, outlasting all of his fellows before she even showed any sign that she approved of his work. Four months later, she approved of his performance in bed.
Sten chuckled, looking down at the heart pendant that dangled from the silver chain; he had purchased it for her the following day, only to have her throw it back in his face, "What is this supposed to be?" she demanded.
"A gift." he had told her.
"Keep it." she countered, "I'd rather be caught in a dress than wearing some little spider-web trinket." She also turned down his next three attempts and, once, she even taught him the meaning fo the word 'decussate'; he smiled to himself, running his thumb across the furless scarred x on his chest. Despite all of the times he tried to give her something, the first was the one he elected to keep... and that meant something. He noticed that she saw it every time they were intimate and once he could have sworn he even once saw her smile.
But, he realized, he would never see those rare smiles again. There was a soft side to Majh even if she tried to hide it-- her brother was proof of that. She obviously loved her brother enough to keep him protected, and that meant something to Sten. Letting out a deep breath, the otter pulled the chain from his neck and dropped it atop the pile of his clothes. She had hated all his gifts, so decided he had one more to give.
"You're not getting Tollie, Loric." the otter vowed, "He's not yours to have."
* * * * *
Welcome to the second post of Chapter 1 for the Shradian party!
Since Tolen, Shadow, Nori, and Gaerid had the spotlight last post it's only fair that Tollie, Loric, and Sten all get a little face time... and wow, do they ever!
It is time again for Contributing Readers to make a choice about what upcoming event disrupts the party's "peaceful" travel. You may vote among the following options:
1) Earthquake splits the land. (Skill) 2) The caravan is attacked by brigands. (Combat) 3) The party encounters a random group of travelers, (Presence)
Contributing Readers have until Thursday, November 10th at midnight to make their votes known.