The campsite is well hidden, with tents huddled against what walls remain from an ancient keep. Beyond those walls is a realm of muffled senses where sound does not always behave properly and light plays tricks - at least, one hopes so, because the shadows and sounds that move through the haze are ominous.
Several Eeee huddle around a pit of warm coals dug into the ground, fully armed and uniformed - although the uniforms represent various noble and royal houses. Despite the guards posted on the walls, they seem nervous. Gotrekis bar Drelickus is one of them, poking at the embers with a long green stick.
"What'll you think she'll do to you, Treki?" one of the other men asks in a casually familiar way.
"I serve her well, she will understand," Gotrekis says, sounding as if he's trying to convince himself more than the men.
"Yes, I'm sure she'll understand," one of the lower-ranked guards from one of the smaller houses, a solid black and imposing figure, says and shrugs. "It's not as if you did anything wrong, correct? What is the worst that could happen?"
"I don't know, and that is what makes me hesitate," Gotrekis notes, and then stands. "I can't put it off, however. Who will come with me along the black path?"
The veteran Eeee pointedly look into the embers rather than answering.
"I think I'd rather walk the black path than sit around a campfire in this misty muck," The black Eeee remarks as he sheaths his dagger back into his belt. He uses the butt of his makeshift spear to stand. "If we're going to die, may as well face it head on and spit in its eye than cower around a fire, eh?"
"Youth," one of the veterans (who is maybe only thirty years old) mutters, but nobody stops the new recruit. "Follow me, and be on guard," Gotrekis tells him, and heads deeper into the ruins with Skedat-sword at the ready.
Apparently sure of his strength, the dark Eeee rests his spear behind his neck, then both wrists upon its length. "I'm all ears," he remarks as he follows after Gotrekis into the ruins. It's ironic that in a dream he gets more of a chance to be an Eeee than in actuality anymore. He always misses the hearing after a shift.
The sounds of the ruins are.. disturbing. The walls are clearly stone, but sound as if they were wood, with Vermites nesting between the studs. At other times, the walls seem to shimmer or ripple out of the corner of the eye, and the angles are strange and dread-inspiring. But Gotrekis seems to ignore it all, as he finds a set of ancient, moss-crusted stairs leading down into darkness. He pauses to light a lantern.
"Ayerden," the dark Eeee remarks as he lifts his spear from his shoulder and now uses the butt-end as a makeshift walking stick as he ways for the lantern to be lit. "I take it you have met her before, correct? You know what we're looking for?"
"I know the path," Gotrekis claims. "It is also a test. Follow closely, or you may become lost." With that warning, he descends the stairs, the lantern looking dimmer with each step.
"Right, lost," the guard remarks as he follows closely behind Gotrekis. "Your heart is beating faster than normal," he remarks idly as they descend. Nevermind his own is as well, frankylu.
"Don't lose track of it, or your own," Gotrekis cautions. The stairs descend for some time, before they level off into a worked-stone corridor. Even with the lantern, visibility is only a few feet - the darkness is palpable, and as they press on, and the lantern gets dimmer and dimmer, a sense of deja-vu overcomes the young guard: he's been through something like this before, when penetrating the lair of a certain dark sorcerer, with a frightened Sphynx by his side. As before, the darkness exerts a pressure, dulling the senses. The lantern becomes a speck, as if it were a hundred yards away instead of a few feet. Disturbing, wet noises - or the sensation of noises - intrude from the sides every so often, and the path is not straight: Gotrekis pauses and makes blind turns every so often.
"Shadow magic. A lot of shadow magic. Perhaps a bit of mind as well. Good protections for those who don't know that they're deliberate illusions for protection," Ayerden (aka Alptraum), thinks as he follows after Gotrekis. He keeps the light in view and his eyes focused forward. In addition to that, he feels out the pressure as best he can; trying to place the feel of this strange aura ... if it feels draconic at all.
It's certainly there; a familiar sense of dread, growing stronger as they progress. A weight on the spirit, telling it to give up, to not resist. The aura of a dragon - but not with exactly the same flavor. More of a copy, a shadow of the real thing.
"If this is Amena ... she learned to copy Muravian's feel," Ayerden thinks to himself ... and focuses on if it feels like that aura specifically. Of course, who knows if a dream replicates everything Gotrekis has felt before or not. "Still there?" he calls out ahead to the other Eeee.
"Not much farther," Gotrekis says. He sounds distant, but can't be more than a few paces ahead. The light of the lantern is becoming brighter, as the exit the shadow maze and come before a double gate of iron bars, left open. There are no guards. Gotrekis pauses here.. and Ayerden is sure he hears a quick prayer to Sunala from the man before he pushes on.
"Curious he would pray to Sunala, the one his Mistress wishes to overthrow," Ayerden thinks to himself. He also realizes the iron bars will be ... a complication if he has to come here later and this is an accurate replica. It may also help him, too, as he could follow the feeling of heat. As he passes between the doors, he loots to them to see what marks, if any, they bear.
Whatever language is inscribed into the bars of the gate is long dead.. and thankfully so. The sigils hurt to look at. Beyond is a giant underground chamber however, reaching both up and down. The path becomes a bridge, and somewhere up ahead are pinpricks of light.
"More of Aztepa, I guess," Ayerden thinks as he walks. More confirmation that this is a creature of that nightmare isle. "So, tell me ... what are you hoping for?" he asks Gotrekis as they continue to walk.
"What?" Gotrekis asks as they cross the bridge. The chamber echoes weirdly, and there is something moving deep below.
"From her," Ayerden says, "What are you hoping for?" His pace does not slow, but he does take a moment to peer over the bridge.
"One does not hope for anything in the presence of the General," Gotrekis recites. "One must have certainty that her cause will prevail." He quickens his step, almost marching ahead now.
"There has to be something in it for you, for all of us, though," Ayerden remarks as he continues on, the butt of his spear thumping along the ground below. "Me? I want to see the sky islands burn."
"Pray to Rephath," Gotrekis advises, as they approach the end of the bridge. There are open braziers here, burning noisily at either side of a very steep staircase and stone walls. At the bottom of the stair is a shriveled form: a Skreek, black-headed and white furred, although now just an empty sack of skin and bone, as if all soft tissue had been extracted. Gotrekis pauses only a second, then steps over the remains and begins climbing the stair.
The shriveled corpse catches Ayerden's eye. "That happen a lot?" he asks as he prods the corpse with his spear as they pass it by. "Looks like some creepy magic; everything sucked out of it."
"I wouldn't worry about it if I were you," Gotrekis notes, climbing further. They're scaling some sort of stepped pyramid. When they reach the top, there is a stained stone altar, and a raised stone throne of sorts beyond it. A dark, cloaked figure sits in it.
"You disturb my meditation, Gotrekis," the figure says, and reaches out an armored hand to make a come-hither gesture. "With good news, I hope."
"Didn't say I was worried about me," Ayerden remarks a bit dryly. He goes silent for the remainder of the climb, his eyes and ears taking in the bizarre scene. Up closer to the creature on the throne, he is dead silent, figuratively speaking. "You're on stud," he thinks wryly when Gotrekis is summoned, "May you be treated as well as the rat."
"Wait by the altar," Gotrekis whispers to Ayerden, before he approaches and kneels before the seated figure. "My General, I did manage to uncover evidence of the dragon having been on Rephidim years ago, and that it had left for Bosch," he reports, not looking up. "As for the weapon.. I could find nothing beyond a report that a strange human woman with night-black skin and white hair had possibly been seeking the same information a year ago. Those I bribed at the Temple could find nothing in their Exile artifacts resembling the dagger.."
Ayerden steps over to stand next to the altar and lean heavily on his makeshift spear as he watches the exchange. "Looking for the Shadow of Amena, eh? Too late, it has a new master," he thinks, inwardly rather pleased with that fact. The comment about the dagger also interests him immensely. What dagger?
"Then it is lost or never exist.." the General begins to say, and then the hood shifts, until Ayerden can feel.. not exactly a gaze, since it seems to be looking through him, but it isn't an unfamiliar feeling. He felt it during the memories of the Mage who witnessed the clash of Light and Shadow in Tizhar generations ago. And again during the telling of Muriavan's death. The phrase 'someone walking over your grave' isn't too far off as descriptions go.
Ayerden suddenly realizes what dagger and why ... given what he knows of her plans. BEfore that thought can go very far, though, his attention is broken by that feeling and he looks towards the figure on the throne.
"The Exile was found in Lamu, supposedly, so the artifact may still be there.." Gotrekis explains, not noticing his master's shift in attention.
"She either wants it because it could sever her tie to that host ... or could sever Sunala's tie to the Srinala," Ayerden thinks as he holds his ground, eying the creature sitting upon that throne. "Over my dead body."
The seated figure pulls back its hood, revealing a helmeted visage with only the lower jaw visible. "How very interesting," it says, smiling grimly. "And no, Barsunala, I'm certain you do not grasp what I seek.."
The dark aura intensifies and tries to push Ayerden away.. and not just off the pyramid, but completely out of Gotrekis's mind.
Ayerden actually smiles as for a moment he fights the push to force him out. "I don't have to know your intentions, I just have to stop you," he remarks as color bleeds from his black mane into hair of pure white. Features shift in subtle ways as Ayerden becomes Alptraum and is still leaning on his spear for the time being. And as the push begins, he raises one hand and makes a 'tut-tut' gesture with his finger. "And I already have. The both the weapon and the dagger are beyond your reach. And soon, I'll see you sent to Oblivion where you belong. To quote a charming little Mortal phrase; the game has begun." And has he willingly begins to leave the mind of the Guardian, he adds in a hiissy-whisper of a voice, "And as for you, Gotrekis ... the torments in store for you for your betrayal will be exquisite."
"What.. Rikat?" Gotrekis starts to say.. and then fear forces him to wake up, causing the world around them to crumble away.
There's a cry that easily passes through the walls of the Shadowdrake, causing Nicorina to stir from her sleep, as well as Tulani above her. It's short, however, as the Captain quickly calms Gotrekis in their shared cabin.
And as Nicorina wakes, a shudder runs through her body, followed by a short burst of euphora as her current blessing seems to draw from the excitement of the dream and well ... she feels like she was just with Orca! When she collects her sanity enough, she sits up in the bed and rubs at her right arm absently. "Well, this trip is certainly going to be ... interesting. Why do I feel so excited to be standing against her? Some sort of perverse validation?" she wonders.
"Did you cause that?" Tulani blearily asks from the top bunk.
"There is a small possibility, but I'm a good, sweet little rattie, right?" Nicorina says in a disturbingly sugary tone.
Tulani just stares without expression for a moment. "So, you did do it then," she whispers. "Did you learn anything?"
"He was looking for the Shadow of Amena and tracked some of it to Ravenia; but the trail died there," Nicorina whispers as she interlaces her fingers to keep them from wandering where her body is urging them to wander right now. "And a dagger; which I suspect is the one I found. and oh ... the General is visiting him in his dreams. We exchanged a few words..."
"How would they know about.. wait, you didn't give yourself away to the enemy, did you?" the Sphynx asks, a bit more awake now.
The General knew I was in Gotrekis' mind. She has no idea where, how, or why," Nicorina notes, "She addressed me as Barsunala before I said anything. All I said ... should hopefully get them to make a mistake."
"What how is Ravenia tied in to this, exactly?" Tulani asks, her brows wrinkled in confusion.
"She was looking for a weapon; a dagger of some sort. Gotrekis encountered her. Unless you happen to know another black skinned human with pointed ears," Nicorina remarks as she lays back on the bunk. "Now I just have to decide what to do next."
"But.. she's in Draco now. How could he have met her?" Tulani asks. "This.. oh.. wait.. was it from before we fought Vorgulremik? Wasn't she just coming back from some mission he sent her on?"
"Right. This was a while ago," Nikky remarks and wiggles her bare toes. "I'm pondering if it would be worthwhile to draw Gotrekis into a new ... dream and have a little fun with him to see what he admits to."
"I have a stupider suggestion," Tulani notes, before yawning.
Nicorina ends up checking some 'protection' she's currently wearing ... and finds she needs to change it. This blessing is turning out to be ... very awkward. "I'm all for stupid," Nikky claims and grins toothily.
"Well, why not just ask Vorgy what he sent Raven out to find?" Tulani offers. "Might help, or not."
"But if I ask Vorg he'll demand that I sleep with him," Nicorina complains, and her body respond to the very idea ... how annoying that is! "But I guess it is one option."
"It'd probably piss off Kaira though," the Sphynx notes, one arm hanging down over the side of the bunk, along with her tail.
"I do that daily," Nicorina claims and reaches up to grab Tulani's arm! She doesn't pull, at least. "If I can get back to sleep, I guess I'll go check with Vorg on what he was looking for."
"You don't need me for that right?" Tulani asks. "I've seen enough of him to last me the rest of my life."
"There goes my plan to have him sleep with you instead," Nikky teases.
"Thanks, now I'll be dreaming of dragon-sex the rest of the night," Tulani grumbles. "Can't transform out here in private.."
"I'll reward you with plenty of it at the next opportunity," Nicorina promises as she finally sits up and slides out of her bunk. "and ... I need to go release some tension myself if I have any hope of sleeping more tonight and visiting ol' Vorg. This blessing is also a curse, I tell you..."
"Your own fault," Tulani mutters, half-asleep again.
"LEast I'm getting some," Nikky counters with a grin. She pulls on the barest amount of clothing she can ... and heads out to the main ship for some 'night duty' ... and to see who is up and about too.
The night air is chilly, even though they're barely skimming the water now. It makes Nicorina 'perk up' in certain ways though, easily visible through the thin nightshirt. The deck isn't deserted, either: two Skreeks keep watch at the bow, looking down at the water and the drag-buoys for the most part. The wheel is manned as well, and there's likely someone up in the Korv's nest watching the skies.
"Ey boys," Nikky says to the two skreeks manning the buoys at the bow. "Quiet night? Everyt'ing all good? Need anyt'ing froom de Tail?"
This gets everyone's attention, and beady eyes glitter.. but nobody leaves their posts. "Quiet nights are the best, Nikky," the wheelman says - a Skreek Nikky vaguely recognizes from her initial 'interview' back at the docks. He's wearing a red-and-white striped shirt with a red bandana. "We's all on duty though, and tempting as you are.. well, we don't wanna get chucked overboard or set to mucking out the Ptera cages, y'know?"
Nikky grins toothily and places her hand on her hips, cocking them slightly to the side. "Can't blame a skreek fer tryin', no? I guess I should no bother de guy up in de nest, either, eh?"
"You can make sure he's awake, if'n you like," the man replies with a gap-toothed grin.
Nikky grins wickedly. "I t'ink I do jus' dat!" she claims as she heads for the ladder to the nest. Her hips and tail sway in her wake, advertising to the crew just what they're missing.
"I know what I'm gonna do off-shift," one rat says to the other, peaking at the climbing Skreekette. The ladder leads up.. and up.. through the envelope, with it's layers of gas bladders and plumbing. The darkness gives way to the light of the Procession - seen more clearly than Nikky has usually seen. The black envelope seems invisible against the dark sea as well. A few more rungs, and she finds herself in the Korv's nest, much to the surprise of the lookout.
"What.. er.. who?" the Eeee lookout asks. He seems young, about the same age as Gar and Gil, but in the Procession like his fur looks a bit yellow. Still, his exposed shoulder has the familiar shaved-in mark of a Guardian of the Tower. It must be Wiggles.
"Well, hello dere sailor," Nikky teases the lookout and leans forward a bit to show off her cold-excited assets. "I jus' doin a tour of de ship t' see if anyone has need of de tail t'night. "Y'must be Wiggles."
"Uh, hello," the bat squeaks. "Who are you? Are you new?" he asks nervously.
"I'm de ship's Tail, Nikky. I ... satisfy de crew," Nikky explains as she straightens up, then looks up at the stars. "Hired fer dis trip."
"What's that mean?" the young man asks, just as clueless as the Eeee brothers. "Aren't you.. cold?"
"I lift me tail and let de guys satisfy demselves inside me," Nikky tries to explain. "Like a Yodhinala, jus ... not religious."
The boy's jaw drops, and he seems to freeze. "Ohhh... I've.. I mean I've never.. uh.." he babbles. At least he seems to recognize that Nikky is a girl, since he's staring fixedly at her chest..
Nikky giggles and reaches over to pat his cheek. "Mebbe I educate you later when you no so busy, eh? Dat way you can focus on learning about women," she offers. "Jus' come down to me nest in de hold and if I around and no occupied ... I occupy meself wit' you!"
"An I promise t' teach you real good, eh?" she adds and licks slowly over her lips.
"Okay!" Wiggles agrees eagerly. Then, in a combination of boldness and please-don't-hit-me timidity, he reaches out and feels up Nikky's chest.. very briefly.
And Nikky, being the devious skreek that she is, reaches over, grabs the back of his neck, then pulls him nose first into her cleavage! She holds him there for a few seconds, then lets him go. "Heheheh," she giggles, waggles her fingers, and goes to climb back down.
The sounds of gasping trail away once she's back into the envelope. Nothing much looks different on the main deck. If not for the sliver of Procession visible on the horizon, the ship may as well have been floating in a black void.
Nikky takes a few minutes to admire the 'skyline' and the stars for a bit before she makes a slow path towards the door to the lower decks. "Dis is really peaceful," she mutters to herself.
Heading past the crew deck to the rear cargo, Nikky comes across her 'office'; a nest of blankets on straw, surrounded by crates. And it's occupied! There in the middle of the nest is a sleeping foxtaur: Temis the navigator. It's probably the only place he can sleep comfortably with his cabin occupied by Mave.
And Nikky slinks over to the nest! She lowers herself down next to the foxtaur and murmurs in his ear, "Ey, dis is a nice surprise, my own cuddle toy in me nest!" In spite of the silliness, she strokes gently along his side, actually glad to see him. He was one of the few who was polite to her.
SNORF goes the Fnerf, flicking his whispered-into ear before opening an eye to see who is next to him. "Oh.. Nikky.. is it morning already?" Temis asks sleepily.
"Oh, no, it be night still. I jus' doing a night patrol t' see iffin anyone wants me company," Nikky claims as she settles down next to Temis, sort of half-laying there with him.
The Fnerf rolls onto his back, and pulls the Skreek on top of his upper torso. "I like your company," he says, and tugs on Nikky's nightie.
And Nikky sheds that nightgown fairly quickly thanks to a very flexible body. "An I like yours a lot. Had much fun last time we spent t'gether," the skreek claims just before she nuzzles under his chin.
Temis doesn't say much after that. There is a lot of licking, nuzzling and suckling, until Nikky finally gets the chance to satisfy her curiosity (and find out how the limits of her new blessing) as she's passed down the Fnerf's body from his hands to his forepaws, and further along his taur-half.
Nikky is a very active participant in the nuzzling and licking as she explores his so very differently built body. With the current urges running through her, she doesn't even stop to feel momentarily ashamed at what she's doing. As she's passed down, she continues to explore with her hands, nose, tongue, and tail. In fact, its bare length is busy tickling the Fnerf in very interesting ways. She doesn't even ask once she's far enough down on his torso ... the skreek reaches back to position things to test just how effective her blessing is by applying steady pressure backwards as she tries to get the fnerf to ... fit her.
As long as she is careful, and doesn't move too quickly, Nikky manages to fit at least half way before running out of room. Temis' eyes are wide at this feat, and he doesn't dare move a muscle!
"Hold very still and ... enjoy. I know I will," Nikky murmurs at the fnerf. And thanks to her system on overdrive, she actually risks it. Her body rolls slow and careful .. while her prehensile tail makes up for the difference of what she can't take. It's actually a challenge to not try and go too fast, like her body wants her to, but the discomfort that comes when she accidentally goes too far or quick very quickly corrects the skreek!
The experience is certain novel - even for Temis, who bites his lip and even paws at the air before he can't help but twitch a bit when he finally can't hold back. A look of total relaxation falls across him soon afterwards.
And Nikky soon follows Temis in feeling very satisfied. Well, she felt very satisfied numerous times during the experience, really! When she slowly eases down from her high ... the sensation of feeling full is ... quite impressive. "Still like me?" she teases the fnerf and plays along his stomach with her fingers. "I coul' get used t' bein yer Tail, dats fer sure."
"If only you were a little bigger," Temis murmurs. "That'd be really fun.."
"Y'want t' try it next time? I gots the crate t' lean over an can guide you in how far you can go," Nikky offers as her fingers continue to explore. "An wish I wuz a little bigger too, I a greedy skreeky; I want yas all the way!"
"Or ... I could jus' use my chest like last time iffin you want," Nikky offers. "I here for you!"
"Temptress! With a taste for danger," Temis notes. "I could really hurt you if I was the one doing the moving.."
"I know, but I also know you be careful," Nikky claims, "But I understand de worry! So, do yous prefer dis way, or me chest and tongue?"
"This was.. very nice," the foxtaur all but purrs. "And much more satisfying.."
"An very filling," Nikky teases Temis as she eases herself off the larger fnerf and settles herself down on his stomach for the moment. "I can save yas a time every night if ya want," she offers. "You be very nice t' me an I like t' return de favor."
"Since I need to sleep here for now.. well, you could certainly make it more comfortable that way," Temis notes. "You can even sleep on top of me if you want."
"Hm, okay, I promise dat every night I come help yas relieve de tension of de day, and most nights mebeb even curl up with yas," Nikky offers. "Mind if I do a bit more prowling before I come and curl up with yas t'night?"
"I don't mind," the Fnerf says, yawning, and probably even more tired now than when Nikky woke him up.
Nikky slides herself off and torments Temis by licking him in a delicate place before she gets to her feet. "I be back in a bit, I promise!" she promises ... and decides to go check the other holsd down here before curling back up for the night. She can at least say hello to the pteras!
The Ptera roost is just next door, in the central section of the hold. A quick peek shows that the creatures are asleep, and a dark form hanging upside-down from a perch may be the Wrangler.
"Hi dere," Nikky says in a soft voice and waves to the pteras as she slinks through the hold to peer out the other side to see if anyone else is active down here.
The Pteras stir slightly, but the old Eeee wrangler does not. He might even be snoring slightly. He also has a lot of bite-shaped scars visible, but no Guardian fur-marks.
Nikky peers at th e wrangler and ponders waking him to introduce herself. "Nah, in de morning," she decides, feeling sated for the moment thanks to Temis. She peers out the other side and finds it as quiet as this room .. and decides she's prowled enough. Time to look in on Vorg and see what Ravenia was hunting for, and if it is what she suspected. She wiggles her fingers to the pteras then the wrangler as she slips out of the hold and makes her way back to Temis. "See? I back," she declares.
Bargorph wakes up enough to reach its head out and sniff at the wiggling fingers, before retreating again into its pen.
Back in the nest, the Fnerf is already sleeping, curled up into a big, fluffy.. secondary nest, really, given the hole in the middle.
And Nikky, never one to give up on a warm snuggly spot, slinks up and over Temis, then slides herself down into that warm coil of fluff. She settles in, grateful that she feels satisfied enough that she should be able to sleep for a bit again. This blessing is going to prove to be bothersome, it seems. Still, it saved her from Gotrekis and made the fnerf happy ... so there is an up side. "Time t' see Kaira and interrogate big scaly and evil ..." she murmurs to herself as she drifts off to sleep now as well.