{"sf1_id":649319,"sf2_id":null,"title":"A Blackened Soul","author":"StGeorgesHorse","words":6387,"posted_at":"2014-01-15T21:49:00.000Z","tags":["Human","Implied rape","M/F","Opossum","Thylacine","fossa","hatred","orangutan"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/649319-a-blackened-soul","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/649319","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=649319\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#28 of Robbin Red","content":"They took the poor creature to the\nhealer's guild, were he was placed in the capable hands of Pollwac. He promised\nto report as soon as the patient made any progress towards the realm of the\nconscious. Jon-Tom snuck in a tiny bit more healing before he left. He had\nnothing against this person, whoever he was, and wanted to know what he was\nabout before he passed a judgment on him. For some reason, Jon-Tom had an\nuneasy feeling about this situation.It turned out he had a week to\nwait. Apparently the creature, now identified by Pollwac as a very rare\nthylacine, had been as close to death as he had ever seen someone. Jon-Tom\ncontemplated what a thylacine was. He knew he had heard the term back in his\ncollege days, but that was a long time ago. It took him a full three hours of\napplying his brain to the problem before he came up with an answer. That\ncreature had died out on his own world but he remembered film footage of one.\nIt was a Tasmanian Wolf. Of course here, there was no Tasmania so that name was\nmoot. Besides, it wasn't really a wolf.The next question was where he had\ncome from. It wasn't until he was awake that that question could be posed. His\neyes were still sunken in, and he coughed and wheezed a little, but he was\nhappy to answer any question thrown at him. \"My name is Doteroll, from the\nwalled city of Cottia. I barely escaped with my life.\"Those first words alarmed the\nvarious guild leaders who were gathered around his sick bed. Cottia was many\nmiles up the coast. It was nice as towns went, though it had built walls to\ndiscourage pirates. But walls could keep people in as well as keep them out. It\nsounded like a coup had taken place. Doteroll confirmed their worse fears.\"Yes, our city has been overrun.\nThe leader is a one-eyed mongoose who goes by the name of Slash. He and his\narmy of henchmen took over not long ago. They do what they like; killing,\nrobbing and worse.\" He sniffed back a tear. \"We were happy once, but misery has\ncome and taken us.\" He then lapsed into a depressed silence.Jon-Tom put a reassuring hand on\nhis shoulder. \"If what you say is true, then it cannot remain in such a state\nwhile I live.\" He found it pointless to tell him he was pretty much stuck being\nimmortal. He figured it wouldn't be too hard rout out the occupying forces,\nthough he hoped to it under the radar.  He\ndidn't need heroic tales being told of Jon-Tom the savior. It therefore meant\nhe was going to be using his new alias again. Aiden Drake to the rescue!Sybeele wanted to go along. \"You\nneed someone to look after you!\"\"Absolutely not! You have the tendency\nto rush in where wise men fear to tread. You claim you need to horde my power\nfor the baby you're carrying, but at the same time you have no difficulty in\nusing it at your every whim. I get it, really I do, but doing things that way,\nyou might as well remove free will from this world and put it the way you personally\nwant it.\" Then he got that look on his face again. It was enough to worry his\nwife.\"Alright. You've got more\nexperience than I do in matters like this. And maybe you're right. Maybe I do\nget a little carried away. Can you blame me?\"He kissed her deeply and soundly.\n\"No, I don't. But there is a measure to all things. A good man wishes to rid\nhimself of power and a bad one craves more. Be careful what you ask for in this\nworld, because once in a while, you just might get it.\" They walked the rest of\nthe way home in silence.                He\ndressed for travel, which meant he opted for his old familiar cloak, pants,\nboots and staff. The only thing he chose not to take was his duar. Sybeele was\nfurious. \"You don't have any magic without it now. How do you intend to defeat\nthis Slash person sans magic?\"                He just\nshrugged. \"I guess I'll figure that out when I get there.\" He explained what he\nintended to do to Doteroll. \"I don't know how I'll do it, but trust me when I\nsay I will release your city.\" The poor creature broke down in tears. \"Thank\nyou sir, oh thank you. I only hope my poor daughter is still alive. I have no\nidea how long I was adrift.\"He set off on foot. A boat and crew\nwas at his disposal, but he wanted to keep a low profile. Better to come\nunannounced than in a full display of force. A nasty group like the one now\ninside the city just might burn it down rather than lose it in a fight.'The walk was pleasant enough. He\nhad not taken the time to explore much past the city boundaries. He spotted\nplants and trees that he was familiar with, and a few he wasn't. The same went\nfor bugs and reptiles. There were numerous small varieties scurrying underfoot.\nHe was almost tempted to keep walking past his destination due to these interesting\ndistractions. But after a few days, trails became paths which connected with roads.\nThese lead to Cottia. The city loomed out of the forest, sitting astride a\nhilltop overlooking the ocean. It had all the earmarks of a seaside resort. The\nonly thing that damped that effect was the nearly ten foot high stone\nwall.  He approached at a leisurely pace,\nnoting archers on the wall and the closed gates leading to the city proper. He\nambled up and bellowed to no one in particular. \"Anyone home?\" For an answer he\ngot silence.When it was apparent he wasn't going\nto leave, an ugly face peered over the rampart. \"Who the fuck are you and why\nare you here? We ain't entertaining no visitors right now!\" For emphasis, the\nugly little possum threw a rock down, just missing the tall human's head.                \"Now\nthat's not very nice! Here I came all this way from Hobarrow to visit the mayor\nof Cottia and this is the greeting I get?\"                The\npossum was startled out of his nastiness. \"Hobarrow you say? We don't see much\nof you bastards around here. You got a name stranger?\"                \"Jon-Tom\nsmiled. \"They call me Aiden Drake.\"                The\npossum suddenly shivered. \"That so? What's your purpose here, human? Like I\nsaid, we ain't up to playing host to nobody right now.\"                \"Like I\nsaid, I came to see the mayor, and exchange greetings.\"                The\nugly gray head disappeared from view for a few moments. When he popped back, he\nwas trembling with glee. \"OK stranger. I checked and the mayor will see you.\nYou'll be escorted to his location right away.\" A creak emanated from the huge\ngates as the doors were pushed open. He stepped inside.                It was\nas he figured. A knot of rough looking thugs surrounded him. They were made up\nof everything from possums and jackals to one large cat. That one was missing\nsome fur, but he had to be a panther. Most of them looked like they were rejects\nfrom a pirate ship. One of them stabbed a pike int front of his face.                \"Look 'ere\nnow you stinking asshole. We've got orders to take ya to the mayor. Me, I\nthinks we should just take ya to the brig.\"                Another\none opened his mouth. \"But Ardy, ain't that where the mayor is?\"                The\nfirst one turned and backhanded him. \"Ya goddamn idiot, of course that's where\nthe mayor is. I swear, yer so stupid you musta came outta your mum's arse! Now\ntake this piece of crap human to see the mayor!\"                As one,\nthe group marched off, brandished weapons in a reckless manner. Jon-Tom paid\nclose attention to their actions. They were hardly an organized bunch. Their\nleader must have some kind of control over them though, or else the town's\npeople would have thrown them out on their own. Weapons alone would not have\nsufficed in keeping their hold over the populace.                The\njail was a nasty looking piece of work, complete with carved heads of former\ninmates later put to death decorating the outside wall. This was definitely a\nno-nonsense town. Still, that attitude had done them little good in the present\nsituation. Jon-Tom was literally kicked down the stairs into the dark recesses\nwhere the holding cells were. A door was opened up and with a shove he was sent\nsprawling down onto the hard stone floor. \nThis was followed by rough laughter. \"Enjoy your stay!\"                Jon-Tom\npicked himself up and brushed off the dirt. It was dimly lit, but he could make\nout a few distinct cells from the light filtering in from the narrow windows. A\nvoice called from an adjacent cell. \"So my friend, what did you do? Look cross-eyed\nat their leader, or did you have the nerve to speak out against them?\"                He\nturned to find the source of the voice. It belonged to a much abused simian.\nHis fur was matted and discolored, but from the patches of orange Jon-Tom new\nit was an orangutan. \"I came to visit with the local mayor, but I seem to have\nsaid something wrong. I ended up down here.\"                The ape\nstretched an incredibly long arm through the bars. \"I am he; Malco. I've been\ndown here for weeks. Some days I just wish they'd kill me and get it over with.\nInstead, I suffer through torture every day. But you sir; where are you from,\nfor now that I see you, I know I do not recognize you.\"                \"I'm\ncalled Aiden Drake. I'm the mayor of Hobarrow.\"                The ape\ngrunted. \"You were the mayor of\nHobarrow. They might as well elect a new one. You'll die in here just as easily\nas will I. I don't know how this came to pass, but these ruffians intend to\nruin the town before they're done. They're disgusting in what they do. If I had\nmy strength, I'd throttle them one by one.\" The old orang told of the depravity\nof the thugs. Jon-Tom winced now and again, but he had been through a lot of\nhis own trials and tribulations. What these creeps were doing was hardly new.                \"Anyway,\nI guess you might as well resign yourself for an ugly demise, my friend. I\nfully expect to be dead within a fortnight. I'd prefer to be dead now, but they\ntook anything from me that I could use to end my life. They seem to enjoy pain\nand suffering others.\"                He\nagreed. \"The weak often do. But turn it upon themselves and they cower. A\nstrong person has no need for such cruelness. But perhaps I can help.\"The orang laughed. \"YOU? You're\nstuck in here, just like me. You may be big, but you have nothing that will\nhelp you escape. A small person might fit between the bars, like the girls, but\nthen what? Where would they go? There's still the door to get through. The\njailer sits on the other side and he isn't going to open the door just because\nyou ask nicely.\"                \"Girls?\nWhat girls?\"                The\norang pointed to the cell next to the human's. It was separated only by the\niron bars. Jon-Tom had failed to notice that hidden under the straw was a group\nof frightened cubs. There was about six of them; all of various species.\"                \"What\nare they doing down here?\"                The\norang sighed. \"They are here to keep their parents in line. They all belong to\nwell-to-do families. You see, these girls were kidnapped and brought here under\nthreat of death should their parents try any tricks, such as leading a revolt\nagainst the invaders. Sadly, I don't think the thugs have any intention of\nkeeping them alive, leastwise not forever. Maybe once they're done with them I\nsuppose.\"                Jon-Tom\ngot the gist of what he meant. \"They're raping them, aren't they?\"                \"Yes,\nthough that's only the half of it. You see, sometimes, when they think it'll\namuse them, they'll bring one in here and make me do it.\" He rolled up his\nshirt and showed his back. It was a field of welts. \"They whip me until I\ncomply. It breaks my heart.\"                 Jon-Tom's\nblood began to boil. If he had had his full power, there would be no question\nas to what he would do to them. As he seethed, one of the girls crept towards\nthe bars separating their cell. \"Sir, are you going to save us? It's so awful\nhere. Those filthy males do the nastiest things to us.\" She shot glance at the\nother prisoner. \"And they make him do it too. Though sometimes he just acts like\nit and we play along. They like it when we scream.\"                Jon-Tom's\nheart sank. He hated cruelty. He hated war, he hated treachery, and he hated\nthese people like he had no other. It was hard to think of them as people,\nrather, they were lowly beasts. He would do something or de trying. If he\ncouldn't help, dying would be his only other choice. He couldn't live with\nhimself if he didn't do something.                He\ndidn't have long to wait. He heard the keys jingling and figured he was about\nto meet up with this Slash. But his newcomer had both of his eyes intact. He\nwas also the wrong species. He was fossa. Jon-Tom had had experience with one\nof these in the past...well, the future. Roseroar had warned him that they\nweren't to be trusted. This one looked particularly rotten. He rattled the\nkeys.                \"Well,\nwell, well. The boss has been waiting on you. I've been told I can do what I\nwant until you're called for. Any ideas to help me pass the time?\"                Jon-Tom\ngripped the bars of his cell. \"Come a little closer and I'll whisper in your\near.\"                The\nfossa chuckled. \"Oh no! I've been warned to watch out for this Aiden Drake, the\ngreat mayor of Hobarrow! I've been told he's as slippery as an eel and twice as\nwise as the oldest sage. I ain't that smart, but you're behind the bars and I'm\nnot. I intend to keep it that way.\"                He\nwalked along the cells until he came to the girls. He struck the bars with a\nclub. The cubs shrieked in terror. \"What's the matter? Don't yeh like yer old\nfriend Pooly?\" His laugh was disgusting. He opened the door and grabbed one of\nthe girls by the scruff of their neck. \"Come 'ere yeh little piece of meat!\nI've got plans fer yeh!\"                He\ndragged the poor girl to stand in front of Jon-Tom's cell. \"Yeh see here, Mr.\nDrake sir, we have a fine piece of female for your entertainment. Should I have\nher perform for you...or on you? Either one would be a sight to see, don't yeh\nthink?\"                What\nhJon-Tom thought was wisely unspoken for the moment. The girl he was holding by\nthe neck was familiar in a recent sort of way. She had stripes just like the\nperson he found in the boat. It could hardly be coincidence that they weren't\nfather and daughter. His mind raced for a solution. \"I suppose she might as\nwell come on in,\" he said after a moment.                The\nfossa's eyes lit up. \"Just like that? I was under the impression yeh were a\nnoble sort. I guess it takes all kinds.\" He turned to the orang. \"See here, Malco,\nyou could learn a thing or two from this hairless cousin of yours. When yer\noffered a fine piece of tender meat, yeh don't turn it down. It's bad table\nmanners!\" He pulled out a wicked looking knife and held it to the girl's\nthroat.                 \"See\nhere human; I'm opening this here door and letting her in, but don't go getting\nno brilliant ideas about escaping. You try anything and I'll slit her throat.\nYeh be a good boy and no one gets hurt.\" He clicked the key in the lock and\nshoved the girl inside. He slammed the door shut again with a bang. \"I ain't\nnever seen a human fuck nobody before. Little Lashana here has experience, so\ndon't go thinking you'll be doing her no harm. Still, depends on what yeh got\nhidden in yer pants. Either way this will prove promising.\"                The\ngirl was cowering on the floor. Jon-Tom didn't make a move towards her. \"I said\nshe could come in. I never said I was going to touch her. I figured she'd have\nhalf a chance in here with me, and none out there with you, you no-good, filthy\nbastard.\"                The\nfossa growled deep in his throat. \"Yeh think yer so smart, dontcha? Well deal\nwith this, wise guy.\" With a mighty throw, he whipped the knife between the\nbars and right at the human's stomach. It hit with a sickening thud, point\nfirst. The girl screamed. Jon-Tom just looked at the creep on the other side of\nthe bars and smiled before collapsing to the floor.                Suddenly\nrealizing what he had done, he ran back up the stairs as fast as he could. The\ngirl knelt by her newfound savior. \"Sir, you should not have provoked him. Now\nyou're going to die on account of me!\"                He said\nnothing for a moment. Then he opened his eyes and looked around. \"Is he gone?\"                The\ngirl yelped out of surprise and fear. \"Yes, he's gone. But, but, but...what are\nyou?\"                He sat\nup and pulled the knife out from its home in his abdomen. \"Here, keep this for\nme, will you? You never know when it might come in handy.\" He contemplated his\nshirt. \"Damn! I'm always fixing this poor thing. One of these days I should\njust spell my clothing to be self repairing.\" There was a patch of crimson staining\nit.                \"But\nsir,\" said the girl,\" what are you?\"                He\npulled her close and automatically gave her a dose of healing, the only magic\nhe really had right now. \"I'm just what I said I was; I'm the mayor of\nHobarrow. And one way or another, I'm going to free you from these assholes. I\ndon't like killing, but these interlopers have made up my mind for me. They all\nneed to die!\"                The\norang gave him a slow, measured applause. \"Good for you, my friend, but how? As\nyou already know, there is a massive door blocking the way. I see you have some\nsmall magic, which I am not disparaging, but don't see how it will help us\nescape.\"                               \"Shut\nup for the moment, will you? I'd like to have a conversation with the little\nmiss here.\" He turned to her. \"This will go faster if I can carry this\nconversation on in private. Would you mind?\"                She\nlooked around their enclosure. \"Sir, I don't think that will be possible.\"                He\ntouched her head gently with his. She heard a voice in her head and jerked\naway. Her eyes were full of wonder. \"Yes sir, I think that will be fine\" She\ntouched his head again. They remained together this way for nearly ten minutes.\nWhen they were done, she had a genuine smile on her face. \"I'll do as you say\nsir. It can't be any worse than staying down here like this!\"                He\npatted her head. \"Good girl. And remember to not forget your friends if things\nchange. I want you to go tell them the plan. I'll have a conversation with your\nown mayor.\"                But\nbefore he got that far, the door to the cell block could be heard screeching on\nits hinges. A double pair of footsteps came down. One was the fossa, missing an\near. The other was a mongoose wearing an eye patch. He looked at Jon-Tom\nthoughtfully before speaking. \"It's just as well the boss had already told me\nthis guy was indestructible, or else I would have had your head. You had no\nright trying to kill him just because he spoke the truth. You're a stupid\nbastard alright. Now get the hell out of here and go clean a latrine or something.\"\nHe kicked the fossa square in the nuts.                \"I'm\nsorry about my associate here. He's not too smart, but for some reason, he's as\nloyal as he is stupid. Since you're here, I assume you know who I am. Everyone\ncalls me Slash.\" The reason was fairly evident. Outside of the boundaries of\nthe eye patch a long sinister-looking scar was showing. \"I took a sword to the\nface a few years ago. Should have killed me, but for some reason it didn't.\nHaven't cared much about life since then until the boss came along. Now I got\nmyself my own town and everything in it. Happiest I've been in years.\"                Jon-Tom\ncame forward. \"I thought you were the boss.\"                The\nmongoose shrugged. \"Nah. I answer to a higher authority, you see. The boss ain't\ninterested in the details or ruling, just in getting you here. Now that you're\nhere, I have no idea what's going to happen. From the sounds of it, you and the\nboss are going to leave. I guess that will make me king of my own little\nempire. To the victor go the spoils of war.\" He was looking at Lashana. \"I\nguess we can thank your poppa for bringing this fine human to us. Leastwise,\nthat was the plan.\"                Jon-Tom\nwas stunned. The mongoose sensed it. \"Not that it matters to me much, but it\nwas the boss who let him escape. It was the boss who had the boat ready. The\nstupid dope thought he did it all on his own. The only catch was whether he\nwould make it and be found alive. I see he did.\"                \"Who\nthe hell is this boss you keep talking about? I'd like to meet him. I have a\nfew choice words he might like to hear.\"                The\nmongoose bowed. \"As you wish. The boss only had an interest in getting you\nhere. If you'll please follow me, I'll show you the way. But understand this;\nif you try to escape, I have orders to kill everyone in this town. The boss has\ngiven me the means of doing it. I'd hate to lose my kingdom, but easy come,\neasy go. So do us both a favor and don't cause no trouble.\"                This\nreminded Jo-Tom of the magician, Markus\nthe Ineluctable, from his own world who had gotten pulled over here in\nan unplanned act of cheating death. He had thugs working for him in much the\nsame manner as this. But the man hadn't known Jon-Tom in any way, shape or form.\nTis person apparently did. His mind was racing in an attempt to identify\nwho this could possibly be. Eve was at the forefront, but she would never have\nallowed her own people to come to harm in such a way. She might not stop\nviolence, but she wouldn't promote it. Very few people knew him in any capacity\nhere and now. So who could this person be? Who could he have pissed off so\nbadly that they would torture an entire town just to get his attention? The mongoose walked him to a sturdy\nwooden door decorated with a dragon. It was a common enough motif since dragons\nwere rare and rather beautiful. What stood out about it was the freshness of\nthe carving. The door was old; the engraved form recent. Before he could evaluate\nit further the door was pushed open and he was shoved inside. Slash had parting\nwords which seemed to be directed at Jon-Tom and the \"boss\". \"You all have fun\nnow, you here? Let me know if you need any refreshments, or maybe a nice whip\nor club.\" He laughed at his poor humor and slammed the door shut.Jon-Tom looked around the room,\nsearching for the \"boss\". The furniture was covered in sheets to keep off the\ndust, identifying the place as a store room. As he peered around the premises,\nhis eyes caught the movement of one of the sheets. It grew taller as whoever\nwas under it stood up. The voice that came from it was calm, yet distinctly\nsinister. It sounded hoarse and tired too, like whoever it was was old beyond\nbelief. It also sounded vaguely familiar.\"It's about time. This meeting has\nbeen in the works for centuries. Now that you're here, I don't feel quite so\nangry with you. Oh, I'm angry, but I'm so very glad to see you again Jon-Tom\"Whoever this was knew his real\nname! He felt a shiver run up his spine. He also noticed that the person wasn't\nwearing a sheet, but a white robe. As they approached him, he could feel a wave\nof hatred pouring off like a waterfall. \"Who the hell are you?\" he asked.The voice crackled like a fire pit.\n\"It's been a long time for both of us, but I think maybe mine has been longer.\"He stood his ground. Whoever this\nwas, he had no idea what they were talking about. It was then that he saw a\nstrand of pure white hair fall from the folds of the hood.\"Alma?\"She threw back her hood and glared\nat him with blazing eyes. \"Yes my wonderful little man. Here I am, back in my\nown world, and you gone from yours. It was an interesting time. But you see, I\nran into a problem.\"He was too stunned to respond. \"You\nsee Jon-Tom, I found out that like you, I couldn't die. I figured that by tying\nyour soul to your body you'd eventually get saved. I see I was right. But no\nmatter what I did, I couldn't get my soul free of this body. I don't know what\nhappened but I really, truly can't rid myself of this existence. I blame you.\nSo, I brought you here for one reason. Either you kill me, or I'll kill you.\nOne way or another, I'll get to escape my bonds.\"He found his voice. \"Alma, what the\nhell? I thought you had died back on Earth. I thought you had married Pike and\nhad settled down?\"She smiled with more dread than\nmirth. \"Yes, I did. He was wonderful in so many ways. But something happened to\nme when Arthur grew up. He must have absorbed some of the magic we placed\ninside that sword. I became enthralled by him, and him of me. It ruined\neverything he had built up. But he was a wonderful lover. That alone doesn't\nmake up for the problems our affair caused, but what can I say? I tried to\nbanish myself from your world without success. In desperation I broke into your\ntomb, intent on using the sword to impale myself. But instead of killing me, it\nthrew back here. I was tempted to interfere with our first meeting, but that\ncarried too many fond memories for me. So I chose this route instead.\"Jon-Tom was aghast. \"You chose to\ntorture a whole town? What's the sense in that?\"                She purred\nout her answer. \"I want to die Jon-Tom, probably worse than you do. After\nCamelot I wandered your world for ages before I came back to your grave. I\nbarely have a mind to call my own anymore. The things that I did, the people I\nruined. The longer I lived, the more desperate I became. You wanted to die back\nthen too. Don't deny it. But you see, you're too kind hearted to grant me the\ndeath I deserve. The only way you'd comply was if you hated me first. If you\ndon't hate me yet, trust me, I can push a few more of your buttons. I learned\nsome wonderfully horrid things on your home planet. Everything from splinters\nunder your finger nails to hot coals up your...\"He cut her off. \"I'm well aware of\nthe terrible things my species has done Alma. I thought that was why we worked\ntogether to build that sword. To make the world a better place!\"She sniffed in distain. \"It never\nlasts Jon-Tom. Evil will always triumph. The darkness will always follow the\nlight. Mix one drop of black into white and it will be stained forever. You\ngave me hope once, now so long ago our time, but centuries have passed since\nthen. I've come to hate my life and anyone who has a good one too. I found this\nragtag army of misfits and brought them here. It makes me feel me at home. You know\nthe old saying, misery loves company. So, if you want to give these people a\nchance at their old lives again, you need to kill me to do it.\"He had no idea if he could do this.\nIt hardly seemed like the same person he had once made love to. But if they\nwere linked, he had to find a way of severing the link. \"Alma, right now I'd\nlove to tear you to shreds for the things that you've done, but I need to find\nout first what is holding you together.\"Her response was to drop her robe.\nShe still had a great figure, unlike him during his sojourn in his stony tomb.\nHe had aged and grown a long beard. She was still perfect on the outside.\nPerhaps it was the rotting of her soul that had taken the brunt of the aging\nprocess.She smiled. \"I see you approve. So\nhave so many others. But they are long gone, remaining only in my memory. But I\nwish to divest myself of everything. I want to be free. So either you'll kill\nme, or I'll wipe out everything you love on this world. I can do it, given\nenough time. All I need to do is to divert events before they happen. I'll ruin\nthe entire timeline. Even your precious goddess won't be able to fix the damage\nI can cause!\"He reached out and touched her. He\nnearly recoiled. She felt hot to the touch, but he quickly realized this was a\nmental image, not a physical one. She had so much anger and hated bottled up\nhad she been a volcano he would have named her Krakatau. If left unchecked,\nthis maelstrom of emotions would consume her entirely, leaving nothing but a\nglowing demon. He felt around for some sort of link. It was like looking for a\nstraw in a bonfire. Whatever was left of it was smoldering ash amongst this sea\nof lava-like feelings.He touched on some cooler spots,\nplaces where her fonder memories still held sway. But nowhere could he find anything\nthat connected them. Then he stumbled over it. It was a thin line that lay\nacross his path like a trip wire. She felt it too. \"What the hell is that?\" she\nscreeched.He plucked it, making both of their\nhearts quaver. \"It's a love line Alma. I'm so sorry. I had no idea that one had\nform between us. You were a really great person, but I had no idea we shared\nanything like this. It often happens when I'm involved, but I really had no\nidea you felt anything more than gratitude towards me. Love is the thing that\nkeeps me going after all of these years. I'm afraid however, that you've\nallowed hate to take control of your life, what's left of it that is.\"She screeched like a harpy. \"DO YOU\nTHINK I'M NOT AWARE OF THAT?!\" Then she calmed down a bit. \"It's why I want to\ndie. I'm too far gone to be saved. I wasn't kidding when I said I'd do whatever\nit took.\"He was getting undressed. She eyed\nhim with intense curiosity. She soon felt a different heat build up inside her.\nShe had no idea what he was up to, but she liked where it was heading. \"Alma, the only way to severe that\nline is to isolate it from the rest of your emotions. To do that, we need to\nstrengthen it first so that I can get a good hold on it. After that, I hope to\nbreak the connection once and for all. With any luck, it will grant your final\nwish.\"Inside, she was a seething mass of\nwreck and ruin. But when he struck that chord, that one little line that held\nthem together, she shuddered. It was one ray of light in an otherwise blackened\nand ruined soul. She had expected him to wield devastating magic upon her. She\nhad not expected kindness. So far had she fallen and given up hope that the\nidea had never occurred to her.They had never made love as human\nand human. It was a fitting end to their relationship, such as it was. Dragon\nand unicorn and man, but never man and woman. She had been cursed with never\nhaving children. Now the longings were back, like an old ghost refusing to give\nhis haunt. When he touched her again, there was fire in his soul as well. She\nwas surprised by the strength of his own dark emotions. She could sense his\ndisappointment, and it was directed at her. She tried to muster up the courage\nto fight off his encroaching feelings, but she hardly had the strength. She had\nused it up on hating. It was easier to do that than to continue on with hope.\nNow she saw her fatal mistake.He was taking the lead in their\nphysical connection as well. He picked her up and carried her to one of the\nmany pieces of furniture. One was obviously a bed. He lay her down and climbed\non top. She actually shivered at the thought of the punishment he would\ninflict. It would be well deserved, regardless of its severity. But he was as\ngentle as a lamb. All she had wanted for ages was to meet up with him in a\nterrible battle of wills. Now she longed to be held, loved and forgiven.He didn't do anything kinky or\nexotic. He gently slid her legs apart and lay between them like a true lover\nwould. She hadn't had a man between them in ages; so long in fact she had\nforgotten how it felt. The fires of her rage began to switch alliances,\ndefecting to her once bright desires. As they did, her heart both lightened and\nat the same time weighed down with sorry. She had to confront the memories of\nall those she had wronged. The depravity of her actions made her cry, at the\nsame time tears of joy ran down her cheeks. She had been so foolish and\nselfish!Jon-Tom knew what was going on\ninside her. He didn't interfere. She was once a good person. If he had only\nknown what had happened, he would have tried going back for her. He knew the\nravages of time. He knew how your soul could be compromised by your decisions.\nHe knew fatigue better than anyone. But through it all, he kept to his morals,\nsuch as they were anymore. Sometimes he felt like a physician; above all, do no\nharm.He entered her as softly and\npassionately as he could. He had to fight down the urge to strangle her right\nthen and there. He was so angry with her right now, he was afraid of turning\ninto what she had become. He had to concentrate on the positive aspects and\ndisregard any negative feelings right now. I both of them released their darker\npassions right now, the planet might go super nova. It wasn't a joke. Even\nwithout his great power, Jon-Tom was filled with more emotion than this whole\nworld combined. Coupled with the length of his life, it was enough to ignite a\nstar, or halt M'nemaxa\nin his tracks. She was warm inside, not unnaturally so, but just like any\nother ordinary being. It meant that he had touched the right spot inside her.\nHe pushed in deep until his progress a halted by the limits of her body. Her\nhands locked behind his neck and her legs wrapped themselves around his hips.\nDespite his anger with her, he couldn't help but feel passion for her as well.\nHe liked to think the best of everyone unless they went out of their way to\npiss him off. She had done just that and there would be a price to pay, but he\nreally wanted to bring her back first. He had no idea if he could. But he would\ntry.She was tight for such an old thing, he mused. She had not\nbeen in bed with anyone in a long time. He wasn't even bothering to make any\nadjustments to his own size. Most of the time it felt like cheating anyway. He\nreveled in the feel of her dampness, and she in his size and hardness. The memories\nreturned to her of their one day together here on this world, before she\naccidentally blasted them both back to his planet's past. She remembered a\npromise and at once broke down crying.He let her. She had needed someone strong beside her this\nwhole time and there had been no one. He had always had someone, often, many\nsomeones with him. Loneliness was an awful thing. He was torn as to what to do.\nFor the time, what he was doing seemed the best solution.As she released her anger, waves of it radiated outwards\nlike ripples from a stone in a pond. They were palpable. She kissed him with\nsuch ferocity he thought he might need to heal his lips. She was suddenly aware\nof her hunger, not for food, but for love. She had filled the void with the\nonly other emotion she could deal with, and it had not satisfied like this did.\nShe tightened her grip on him and did her best to find absolution in his arms. She\nknew she had sins to pay for, but that would come later."}