Legends of Belariath

Kalciane

The Tale of Nine Knives

Her name was Kalciane. She was known by many names: the security angel of Victoria Celas' casino, the angsty angel of Belariath, the insane winged girl, the ruthless murderer. Many of these titles were self-imposed, but all of them applied; despite her claims to the contrary, Kalciane was a walking, flying complexity few have figured out and fewer have cared about. Not that she let what others thought of her distract her; she had far more important things to attend to. Usually they involved either work or training her magical abilities, but that day was an exception--for that day, Kalciane got an idea.

The idea came to her after a bout of long, ponderous contemplation as she walked quietly down the paths towards the entrance of the Inn as she always did sometime after noon. Noontime was her routine lunch break from Victoria Celas' casino, and being that the casino usually was rather empty and boring, she took her time in eating (usually at the Inn) before heading back. She was clad in her usual slitted, armless blue dress (a sure sign that she felt normal), her fiery red-purple hair trailing down behind her to her waist and her eyes glinting a dull green and blue in the light of the sun. The walk was almost always uneventful, so it gave her plenty of time to mull over the various events of the day that had happened thus far. Of particular interest that day was the set of five throwing knives she had recently acquired... Kalciane had come to the conclusion that she was simply abysmal in close combat, and was determined to find some way around such a deficiency.

The idea was so simple that she was mentally cursing herself for not thinking of it sooner, as she rounded a bend to see the familiar shape of the Inn come into sight. Throwing knives were meant to be thrown, preferably at a distance. The magic tower of Unigo was staffed with mages who could enchant weapons in all fashions. All she needed to do was to take the brace of knives over and have them enchanted so they returned to her, and she would have a suitable replacement for actual melee combat. It lacked the potency of her magic, naturally, but it wouldn't be as draining; one notable weakness that Kalciane's overly analytical mind had noticed was that she tended to exert herself far too much in battle casting magics, as she had little other recourse. Everyone seemed to simply outclass her when it came to swords, staves, and what not.

”Brilliant!” she thought to herself, rubbing her hands together as her wings flexed upwards slightly in satisfaction at her little epiphany. “Simply brilliant... now, I'll truly be strong enough to protect my beloved. Maybe I could learn how to kill people from afar, too... no, wait. That would deprive me of the pleasure of watching them die slowly.”

She looked towards the entrance of the Inn once more, then suddenly opened her wings and took the skies. No need to mingle with the crowds today; she had more pressing concerns to attend to. Victoria would just have to wait until she was done. After a rather uneventful flight that lasted a bit over an hour--she hated going to Unigo, the damn place was just so far away--Kalciane found herself at the entrance of the magical tower of Unigo, the outside a pure sparkling white as it always was. Without hesitation, she stepped inside to look for Kytara Sung herself, the rather notorious presiding mage of the tower and the woman whom she knew would be able to help her in the venture.

Although she had met Kytara before, Kalciane knew that the relationship between them was tenuous at best. The woman had managed to both help and harm her inadvertently, and their contact had been sparse given the fact that Kytara hardly ever ventured out of Unigo due to her constant work there. Still, she knew she had little to fear as she meandered quietly inside past the door; if Kytara had wanted to harm her intentionally, she would have sent someone to do so... even though all indications pointed to the possibility that the mage couldn't have cared less if Kalciane lived or died.

As usual, the interior of the tower was silent and forbidding, hinting as to exactly what sort of activities went on deep in the bowels of the magic school. Kalciane found herself wandering aimlessly about as she usually did, waiting for one of the servants (read: Azazial, the strange winged catgirl who seemed to have an unerring fixation on her--or more precisely, her wings) or attendants (read: Zarias, the rather naive subordinate of Kytara) to tend to her. She had a general idea where Kytara's office was; however, past experiences had taught her that Kytara usually disliked being interrupted, especially when she was in the midst of a heated negotiation session.

Left without any sort of guidance, Kalciane began randomly knocking on doors and calling out the names of people she knew to frequent the place, hoping that her disturbances would eventually bring someone around. “Kytara?” she said, loud enough to echo off the stone hallways but hopefully not enough to disturb the studies of some unfortunately high-powered mage lurking behind one of the closed doors. “Zarias? Azazial? Kyrspeth? Hell... even Ehlanna?” Her voice angled upwards in tone as she felt mild annoyance sweep through her. What exactly did people do in here, anyways, so that they couldn't even tend to a customer?

Kalciane turned around and nearly ran into the person standing behind her, a form clad in a white robe with gold trim. It was very obviously female, despite the fact that the robe covered her entire form, obscuring her face so only her dusk-colored chin and her lips could be seen. The woman stepped back calmly, her mouth curling up in amusement. “I thought I heard someone. Did you need some assistance, Kal?”

The winged girl only blanched slightly at the usage of her shortened name. Ever since she arrived at the Inn, everyone (with perhaps two notable exceptions) had taken up the habit of referring to her by that one syllable. It seemed disrespectful and lazy to her, but she wasn't able to stop them... apparently the habit had spread to Unigo as well. “Oh yes,” she said quietly, looking around to make sure no errant mages were aiming at her after her rather inept attempts at attention-gathering. “Just something brief, Kytara... I wanted to know if you could enchant a weapon so that it would return to me if it ever left my hand.”

”Of course,” Kytara murmured, her lips tilting up into a smile. “Like with a thrown weapon?”

Kalciane nodded, suddenly wondering exactly how transparent she was. “Yes, exactly. How much would you say it'd cost?”

The mage tapped her lip thoughtfully with one slender finger. “Hm... well, I could put it on for the small price of--oh, ninety mehrials per weapon.”

Kalciane knew, almost immediately, that the price was too high; she had seen Kytara around with some other people who frequented the magic tower, and she knew of the negotiations--or rather, “negotiations”--that went on in Kytara's office. It was a simple matter of convincing herself--and her beloved--to try and “negotiate” with her, as ninety mehrials was something far too extravagant for her sense of thriftiness to justify. Kalciane had spent much of her life without money, and it was still habit to try and avoid spending whenever possible, or save as much as she could when she did spend. The fact that she was curious as to exactly what Kytara did during these “negotiations” was just a convenient excuse for her to quickly justify the decision in her mind.

For now, she simply nodded in understanding as if nothing was wrong, smiling politely at Kytara. “I'll think about it some, then,” she said. “I don't need it right now... although it could be something I would definitely be able to use in the future.”

The mage nodded in return, her demeanor cool and noncommittal. “Very well, Kalciane. Another time, then.”

Kalciane glided back, still smiling, her mind already working as to the things she could do to the mage. “Yes... another time.”

__________

That night, Kalciane tried to explain her idea. She gesticulated and articulated as she poured every ounce of knowledge and wit she had into demonstrating exactly why the idea of teleporting throwing knives were far superior to melee weaponry--in certain respects concerning her own fighting style, at least. Sure, they lacked the hitting power of something like a zweihander or a great axe, but the idea wasn't to engage the enemy in direct combat. No, rather, the point was to avoid the mess of melee and simply lob annoyances at the enemy from afar, gradually wearing them down until they could be finished off with a simple blast of magic. The principle was wholly obvious--to Kalciane, at least--who had been already thrown around a number of times in the Inn. She had spent quite a while trying to figure out how to get around such a dilemma, and with her new income from working at Victoria's casino, she had finally hit upon a way that sounded perfect in theory.

Sighing a bit, she wound down after a few minutes of lecturing to look at her beloved, the target of her attempts at enlightenment. Her name was Amythyst, much like the precious stone, and she was a short, lavender-haired nymph who had somehow managed to wriggle her way into Kalciane's life after many nights of rather self-indulgent suffering, suicide attempts, and sexual encounters. They were more or less settled in at this point in time, both in their lives and in their cottage, resting comfortably and unclothed on the sheets of their large bed.

”So,” Kalciane said briskly, sitting up on the bed. “Did you listen to all that?”

Amy's gaze was noticeably locked in a location besides Kalciane's face, her mouth curled in a tiny little knowing smile. “Mm hmmm...”

”What do you think? I've been debating whether or not to have the knives return automatically or not; I think it's a possibility that someone could dodge my throw but then I'd have it come back and embed the knife on the return trip. Which brings up another point altogether: do we ask Kytara to enchant the knives so that they teleport to return, or fly back to return? The first means we'll get them back regardless of where they ended up, but the second is an opportunity for more attack options...”

She continued on for another minute or two, debating the various pros and cons of the possible enchantments. All the while, Amy's gaze roamed over the Torian's body appreciatively, smiling as she thought of the various things she loved to do to it to make it quiver in pleasure. Kalciane's words ended up falling mostly on deaf ears as she finally finished another lecture, turning to Amy once more to ask her opinion. “So... what do you think we should do?”

Amy just shrugged nonchalantly, her breasts bouncing. “Whatever you do sounds fine to me,” she said simply.

”Amy, I explained all that for a reason... I want to protect you, and you want to protect yourself. Without proper analysis of a battle plan, there is no way we can be sure that we'll be strong enough when--and yes, I say when--the time comes for us to defend ourselves.”

The nymph smiled brightly, moving closer to her and slipping an arm about her lover's shoulders. Kalciane half-smiled in return, not so much at the gesture as the way it made her own body feel; she could feel a twinge of desire stir deep inside at the mere sight of her, and at the warmth and proximity of her body.

”I'm sure you'll do the right thing, Kal,” she said, her voice lilting and casual as ever.

The winged girl sighed, knowing that trying to get any form of dissent from Amy would be nigh-impossible. Being a rather simple-minded creature, she had decided long ago to devote herself unwaveringly to Kalciane... and now that devotion was coming back to haunt her. That devotion had carried the two of them through many things, and while it came in handy during moments when Kalciane was fretting over whether or not Amy would remain faithful to her, it was just mildly irritating now as it meant she would have little else to offer in way alternate ideas.

”You... have no suggestions?” she said, slipping underneath the covers to warm her skin from the cool air as she felt herself subtly growing more aroused by each passing moment. She smiled faintly as Amy immediately moved under the blankets as well, pressing her body fondly against Kalciane's. “Nothing to say at all?”

Amy only smiled softly as she slowly wrapped her arms around Kalciane, deliberately rubbing her breasts against the Torian's own. A slow, warm haze spread through her body as she felt Amy's stiff nipples brushing against her skin, and Kalciane closed her eyes as she felt the nymph's hands move to her hair to run her fingers through it softly. She had to work to repress a soft sigh of delight, knowing that Amy was most likely doing this to distract from the fact she had nothing more to say.

”You're not going to answer me, are you?” Kalciane mumbled as she felt Amy's hands glide across her breasts, tugging at her nipples with her fingers to tease them erect. It was a familiar touch, one that she had enjoyed many times--and yet, after all this time she was still unable to resist her. She felt a slight twinge of bitterness at that fact; many times, Kalciane had thought herself to be wholly impenetrable, both physically and emotionally. Pain was just a bodily sensation that she was accustomed to, and on the spiritual level nothing bothered her enough for her to actually spend her time caring about. Amy was, of course, the exception to both rules... Kalciane had given her body and mind to her freely, and she had reciprocated--which meant that they knew, more or less, exactly how to get each other to open up.

And Amy was employing the techniques she knew would both serve as a distraction and an answer, as she lowered her mouth down to Kalciane's breasts to suckle lightly on her stiffened nipples. One hand glided down the Torian's thigh to rest comfortably between her legs, just a little bit shy of her sex; another caressed her side smoothly, making its way down to her hip. Kalciane murmured something inaudible under her breath, knowing full well what she was doing... and did nothing to stop it, instead spreading her legs slightly and guiding her hand down towards the nymph's. In some small portion of her mind, Kalciane felt a bit of remorse for the act; she had prided herself, for the longest time, on being above the simple, base sexuality that so many of the Inn's patrons exhibited--in public, no less. And now...

She lifted her other hand up to pull Amy's head close, the warmth of her breath and tongue against her nipple exciting her in a way that she found difficult to articulate. It wasn't the simple act itself, not by a long shot. She had slept with others before, in much the same way; however, the physical pleasure seemed to be only one aspect that she enjoyed. Like pain, she found herself able to dull pleasure to an extent, and once she did so, she discovered that there was another strangely pleasurable sensation coursing through her at the same time... a sort of emotional connection so pure and strong that it made the bodily ecstasy she was feeling pale in comparison. Kalciane opened her eyes and glanced down at the nymph close to her, sighing softly as her tongue worked gradually downwards across her stomach. There were some things she never would understand about her, and she felt that this emotional connection was one of them. For Amy, it seemed it would always be able the pleasure of the body.

The winged one exhaled slowly, mulling the thoughts in her head as she gently guided Amy's hand to stroke at her labia. The pleasure was there, yes... but for her, it would never be so much about the stimulation as the security and happiness in knowing that Amy would be there for her. The pleasure was simply an enjoyable side benefit, she told herself, as she spread her legs further to allow Amy to slide her fingers inside. Kalciane arched her back slightly, gasping softly; even though she knew it was coming, she still wasn't quite prepared for the way it suddenly made her feel. Her body began to grow warmer as Amy slid her fingers further in, lifting her head back upwards to glide her tongue all across her breasts.

The sensations, yes. They were there, and Kalciane knew she treasured them. More than that, however, she loved the feeling of being pleasured by her beloved, as well as the joy of pleasuring her. She enjoyed seeing her body quiver beneath her in utter rapture, trembling and shivering after orgasm. Her mind began to work with the imagery as she closed her eyes once more, envisioning the nymph splayed out on the bed, thighs moist and spread, her head lolled to the side, gasping and mewling in bliss. She moaned softly as she felt the fingers working and spreading inside of her, her own mental imagery serving to arouse her even further.

And all of a sudden, the fingers withdrew from her passage, leaving her feeling cold and empty. Kalciane whimpered slightly as she tilted her head to look down at her pleadingly, silently asking what was wrong--and then the warmth and wetness came back as Amy lowered her mouth to lap at her folds, her tongue dragging itself in slow, sensuous strokes across her labia to gather her wetness. The sensations were palpable. Kalciane suddenly thrusted her hips upwards towards her mouth, desperately wanting to feel the softness of her tongue against her sex, wanting to be loved and adored... finding the act of lovemaking the only true way to reaffirm her bonds with the nymph. Amy herself was all but too willing to comply as she eagerly glided her tongue around Kalciane's clitoris, nibbling on it lightly for a brief moment (and eliciting a faint yelp of pleasure from her) before probing inside, wriggling and pushing.

The fear and doubts slowly began to melt away in a haze of bliss as Kalciane arched her back upwards off of the bed, spurred on by the increasing sensations in her body. Her wings shifted outwards, pressing themselves towards Amy's hands as she continued her oral administrations. A long, lingering cry came from her throat as her pleasure mounted ever higher, her hips and legs tensing as she felt herself gradually escalating upwards... and bare moments later, she screamed as she climaxed, feeling all of the love and desire that her beloved had offer her consummate themselves in a single moment when nothing else in the world seemed to matter.

__________

A few days later, Amythyst and Kalciane found themselves at the front door of Unigo together, more or less ready to have their weapons enchanted. Kalciane had brought along perhaps six hundred mehrials give or take, knowing full well that at the current price the total cost would be over eight hundred. No matter; she had faith in her abilities and her plan. Currently, the idea was that they would approach Kytara and refresh her as to what the deal was; Kytara's spotty memory as well as her constant work in the magic school meant she most likely would've forgotten the specifics. Afterwards, they would coax her into her office where she and Amy would oh-so-gently convince her to lower the prince, ten or twenty mehrials at a time, until she acquiesced to it. It was a rather oversimplified version of the planned events, naturally, but Kalciane had decided to eschew specifics. Both she and Amy knew what they did to each other to arouse, and Kytara's pronounced weakness against such advances only made the task seem easier in their minds.

The Torian hurried up the stairs without waiting for her partner, already anxious to meet Kytara to get the negotiations underway. She hadn't told Amy about her real motivation for wanting to make this deal--which was, of course, that she wanted to taste Kytara's sex on her lips. The poor nymph had been rather easily convinced once Kalciane appealed to her sense of monetary gain, mingling it in with the offer of seducing Kytara... all while she was cooing and writhing beneath Kalciane's touch. As unfair as it was, she knew that she could ask virtually anything of Amy in the midst of lovemaking and have her agree to it, more or less. She simply couldn't make herself say no.

So as it stood, Kalciane's plan was firmly embedded in both their minds, and Kalciane herself began to stroll lazily through the halls of Unigo in a rather futile attempt to find Kytara once again. Amy drew up next to her a few seconds later, glancing around curiously before speaking up rather matter-of-factly. “Kal... you could've waited for me...”

Kalciane flicked her purple wings about in mild contempt, thinking of some other things that had been troubling her as of late: notably, the growing number of people who seemed to be antagonizing her, which only served as another reason for her to obtain the enchantment on her knives. “I've been making some enemies at the Inn,” she explained briefly, knowing full well that Amy would understand her. “I didn't want to wait to see if any of them followed me. Granted, the ten miles from here to the Inn probably would've been a nice put-off.”

Leaving it at that, Kalciane began calling out for Kytara once more, figuring that it was the best way to get her attention. The mage simply seemed to *know* when someone entered Unigo, something that Kalciane found a bit unsettling on its own. Amy joined in a moment later with her own calls, and after only a few minutes' wait the white-robed woman made her way out from behind one of the many doors to greet them, looking not at all perturbed by their voices. She smoothed her robes out and adjusted her hood before turning her face--or what was visible of it--upwards to smile politely at them.

”Yes, Kalciane,” she said, her voice melodic as always. “Was there something you needed from me?”

Pushing aside the more sensual insinuations of that question aside, Kalciane pasted a rather ingratiating smile on her face before replying. “Ah... yes, Kytara. About that enchantment I asked of you a while ago... I'm ready to have it done now.” She gestured to the brace of knives at her hip, something that she had acquired from the local armory at a rather inexpensive price: 15 mehrials per blade and a kiss from Ehlanna for the bandolier. She wasn't quite sure which was the more costly payment yet.

Amy bounced up from behind. “Me too, please. I want mine done too!” she piped up.

”I was also thinking of having them enchanted so they would be unbreakable,” Kalciane continued, her cheesy smile never leaving her face. “After all, it'd be kind of pointless to have them return in two pieces.”

”Mm hmm,” Amy agreed. She began smiling as well, and the two of them suddenly began to look like poster children for Belariath's Save The Unicorns foundation.

Kytara simply nodded in acknowledgment, lifting her head upwards to reveal a bit more of her hooded face. “How many knives are we talking about here?” she said calmly, looking back and forth between the two.

”I have five,” Kalciane said, checking her harness to make sure they were all still there and accounted for. “Amy's got four, which makes nine--I think a price of 75 mehrial would be reasonable for them.” Of course, both Amy and Kalciane knew that the price was lower than it had originally been. Kytara, in addition to being known for her weakness to sexual advances, was also a bit forgetful... something Kalciane felt little remorse in exploiting.

The mage, however, just shook her head and smiled cheerfully at them, rather unexpectedly. “No, actually, for what you have in mind, I think a price of one hundred mehrials would be fine.”

The Torian and the nymph exchanged a brief glance before looking back at Kytara, still smiling away. “That's quite a lot,” Kalciane said slowly. “Maybe we should discuss the specifics of the deal in your office? You know, to get all the kinks worked out.”

”Yes, the office,” Amy chimed in, clutching onto Kalciane's arm.

Kytara nodded, shuddering only a tiny bit as if in acknowledgment of the implications behind their words. “I'll dump Zarias outside, since I think we'll want some... privacy,” she said, her voice suddenly dropping to a low, throaty purr. She glanced briefly at the napping apprentice before moving towards one of the doors past the foyer and unlocking it. After making sure the apprentice was safely placed in a convenient chair, she beckoned the two to come inside, gliding in afterwards and closing the door behind them.

”So, specifics,” Kalciane said briskly as soon as they were inside, looking idly about the room to notice the stacks of papers on the desk and the various books on the shelves. “Is there anything we can... ah, do for you to lower the price?”

Amy nodded in agreement as she quietly slipped behind Kytara, her hands moving towards her shoulders to massage firmly. “Yes, one hundred mehrials is quite steep...”

The mage smirked slightly as she settled into her chair, seemingly not noticing or caring about Amy's efforts for the time being. She pulled out a bottle labeled “Essence of Sakura” from somewhere under her desk and two glasses to go with it, pouring a dollop in each and sliding them over to the two. The amber-colored concoction--whatever it was--had a strange, but not altogether unpleasant scent to it. The two girls peeked at it for just a moment, wondering exactly what sort of poison Kytara was offering them and what it would do to them if they drank it.

”What's this?” Kalciane muttered, drawing closer to Kytara's desk and suddenly noticing that the woman's scent--normally a rather intoxicating mix of jasmine, spices, and musk--was growing stronger. It was the key, she knew, to the mage's weakness... the scent, in her experience, acted as some sort of arousal agent to all those who breathed it in, growing stronger as she became sexually excited. This was the very thing she had planned on using; once stimulated enough, Kytara had little choice but to accept what was done to her, and through fulfilling her bodily desires Kalciane and Amy believed they would be able to convince her to shave a few mehrials off the price. (Or so they believed.)

Kytara didn't directly answer. Instead, she smiled sultrily at the two as her fragrance began to drift around the entire office in a miasma of dizzying aroma. “Mmm... nice try, Amy, but don't... ah... don't think I'll fall for Ehlanna's tricks...” she muttered, groaning only slightly from the nymph's administrations at her shoulders.

Amy managed a very convincing impression of looking hurt as she continued to rub and knead with her hands. “Kytara, I would *never*... I'm just trying to be nice here,” she said, mentally grumbling at being compared to the likes of Ehlanna. “You wound me by comparing my efforts to hers.”

The mage grinned up at her. “My apologies, then; perhaps I assumed too much. Go on and take a sample of this--“ She gestured to the glasses with the amber liquid. “--and then you would understand what I need from you two.”

Kalciane smiled, taking the glass in her hand and swirling the liquid around inside to watch it leave a dark residue against the sides of the cup. “What would that be?” she said, overtly keeping the glass away from her lips--and nearly scowling in disappointment as Amy more or less quaffed her entire portion in one swallow. That was the *last* thing she had wanted her to do; she really should have known better. “You seem quite insistent that we--er, I--drink this, Kytara. All we want to do is see if we can drive the price down a bit.”

”If you trust me to enchant your weapons, then trust me in this... just a sip.” The mage's eyes flashed briefly as her smile widened, watching as Amy suddenly began breathing deeper to inhale copious draughts of the fragrance lingering about the room. “I would need your help... in making it.”

Kalciane blinked, honestly puzzled at the response and unsure what to say in return. She narrowed her eyes briefly, wondering exactly what it was Kytara had planned; there were rumors about the magic tower, and she didn't like what she had heard. “Making what?” she said, abruptly slowing her breathing down so as to not inhale too much of the scent in at once. She was able to control the effects in herself, but only to a certain extent--and with the way things were going, she needed to stall out for as much time as she could.

”This drink, of course,” Kytara replied coolly, indicating the bottle. “Mind you, this is no ordinary liquor...”

Kalciane pressed her lips together tightly as she heard those words, turning to look at Amy--who was already shuddering in need, her eyes half-closed and her mouth wet and open. “Gaea... that tasted *good*...” the nymph murmured, her hands suddenly clutching Kytara as if she wasn't able to stand on her own.

”Let's just say that this bottle is not all fine wine,” Kytara continued, letting Amy lean on her as she wished. “Rather, it is a mixture of it and a woman's essence; when drunk, you would experience the pleasure the woman was going through to produce it. Understand now?”

And Kalciane suddenly realized that she had never been the one in control of the situation, that Kytara had long since grown accustomed to such negotiations and had turned it to her advantage. She had been deluding herself this whole time to think that she could manipulate the mage in her own domain; there was little choice but to listen and obey if she wanted to bargain--and, of course, taste Kytara for herself. She resigned herself to inhale deeply, her head spinning slightly as the arousing scent filled her lungs. “Mm... I see. So how does this all a... affect the price you've s-set up for us?”

”If you help produce some of these bottles,” Kytara said calmly as Amy closed her eyes and continued to work on her shoulders. “Perhaps, say, one per dagger, I will cut down the price to... oh, eighty mehrial.”

Amy shook her head slowly, her hair bouncing about her flushed face. “St-still t-too high,” she groaned, barely able to form words as the drink began work further within her, her body warming all over with a faint, pleasurable tingle that itched for stimulation and release.

”Yes, too high,” Kalciane murmured as she felt that same warmth spread over her body from the nice amount of fragrance she had inhaled in, centering from between her legs and moving out to build in her stomach. “But it *is* an interesting proposition...”

The mage grinned as she sat back in her chair, relaxing into Amy's touch as her hood slipped down from her face further to reveal an angular, shapely nose. “I assure you, you would enjoy the task very much. Seeing as how you two are such good... customers... perhaps I can come down a bit more. Seventy-five mehrial?”

But Amy shook her head again, her hands drifting lower towards Kytara's collarbone for a moment to massage before moving back up to her shoulders. Kalciane shook her head as well as she drew closer towards Kytara, her eyes glittering with awakening desire. “I'm sure you can go lower,” she said, her voice dropping low and throaty.

”Yes... s-sure you can...” Amy echoed faintly, unable to think anymore as her body trembled against Kytara's.

Further response was cut short as an insistent knocking came from the door. None of them really noticed or cared, however; the sound echoed faintly in the back of Kalciane's mind before it was dismissed. She moved ever closer to Kytara, reaching out with her hand to caress the mage's leg through the white fabric of her robe. From some small part of her consciousness, she could see Amy nuzzling closer to Kytara's cheek, her hands straying down to the mage's breasts. Normally the act would have made her livid with rage... but now, it just seemed pleasantly erotic. It seemed like the right thing to do--and indeed, Kytara gave no signs of protest as she leaned against their touches, her lips parting in a soft moan of pleasure.

”N-no... counteroffer?” she managed to get out, as her body squirmed and writhed in the chair, her eyes drifting towards the door lazily as another series of knocks came forth. She groaned and decided that it could wait.

”F-forty... each,” Amy breathed out, as her hands roamed back downwards, slipping beneath the cloth to caress Kytara's breasts. She barely noticed as Kalciane kneeled down on the ground, her face drawing ever closer towards Kytara's legs--or, more accurately, between them, her hand moving to lift the fringe of Kytara's robe up.

The door suddenly flew open as both Zarias, who had finally awakened from his midday nap, and a female elf stormed in. The former looked rather exasperated, as if he knew full well what was going on before he even entered. The latter, on the other hand, simply appeared to be infuriated; her green eyes sparkled as she walked slowly up to the three, her blond ponytailed hair flipping behind her with her steps. A low growl escaped from her throat as she looked back and forth, taking in the sight of the three women who were all over each other at the moment.

”Kyrs...” Zarias muttered helplessly, looking briefly over at the elf before sweeping his gaze around the room helplessly. He glanced back at Kalciane, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Even you, Kalciane... even you...”

”I see I am interrupting,” Kyrspeth hissed at Kytara. She glared angrily at Kalciane and Amy--neither of whom noticed, wholly enfolded in the shrouds of their desire as they continued to work on caressing the mage's squirming body.

Kytara managed to look up at the “intruders”, her face a mask of lust. “Ah... hello, Ky... forty?!” she gasped out, her legs spreading slightly as Kalciane pressed her face in between them. “No, no... too low... seventy...”

That gesture simply angered Kyrspeth even further as she emitted another growl, moving forward across the room to intercept Kalciane. “I see another set of connivers is out to take advantage of Kytara,” she grumbled, reaching out for the Torian's wings to yank her back before deciding on another tack. She turned her head towards Kytara, shouting. “Kytara... snap out of it!”

”Sixty,” Kalciane murmured softly before she dragged her tongue along Kytara's inner thigh, eliciting another moan of pleasure from the woman. Right now, the intervention of others meant little to nothing for her, despite the rather unwelcome attention they seemed to be receiving.

”Sixty... yes... ahhh, that sounds reasonable--“ Kytara groaned, giving no visible sign of having even heard Kyrspeth.

The elf looked angrily at the two “connivers” before raising her voice up to a shout again, her eyes flashing. “KYTARA! Control yourself, damn it!”

”Go away,” Amy grumbled dreamily. “She invited us... invited us for a drink, she did.”

”Invited you to negotiate for her services, *not* take advantage of her!” Kyrspeth retorted. “Get away before I have to drag your asses back!”

Somehow, the words seemed to penetrate the shroud that surrounded Kalciane's mind, reminding her of what she had planned to do in case--no, *when*--this happened. She slowly pulled her knife from its sheath at her leg, as if in a dream, and plunged it into her forearm before she could hesitate. The pain cut through the hazy cloud of bliss in an instant as blood spilled from her arm, dribbling down across her palm and onto the floor. Kalciane gritted her teeth, suppressing a hiss of pain as she staggered back and away from Kytara, quickly moving behind her to pull Amy off as well.

But she never got the chance. Kytara seemed to suddenly snap back to sharp awareness as the Torian's blood spattered on the stone tiles, her eyes widening. “Everyone stop right now!” she shouted, her voice commanding and stern. She waved Kalciane and Amy away as she turned her gaze onto Kyrspeth ominously. “Girl... you overstep your bounds... do you think I am such a fool?”

The elf simply returned Kytara's gaze, her eyes filled with an emotion between anger and jealousy. “At times, yes.”

Kalciane quickly moved back away with Amy in her arms, knowing that things like this were best left between those in dispute. She idly plucked her knife out, licking both the blade and her cut clean before casting a small healing spell to seal the wound. Resheathing the blade, she hefted Amy up--the nymph was still in the throes of sexual desires, trembling and unable to stand on her own--and stroked her hair comfortingly as she turned to watch.

”Idiot,” Kytara was saying, her hood lowered now to reveal her face, which was fringed by curled locks of chestnut-colored hair. “There is a reason I charge so high in prices... I know I'm vulnerable, and I compensate for it.”

The elf simply looked back and forth between Kytara, Kalciane, and Amy, silent for a moment. She thought about what she had gone through with Kytara... all of the negotiations, the pain of knowing she wouldn't be able to help, and the frustration of seeing others exploiting her. Another flicker of anger passed through her eyes. “Then I shall not interfere again, Kyt,” she said briskly, turning around to walk away. “I will leave you to your 'deals' since you're getting paid for it.”

Kytara sighed and raised her hand, indicating for her to stay. “Hold it, Ky... listen to me, please.” She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, still not quite clear from the haze of bliss that had gripped her only seconds ago. “I...”

But Kyrspeth shook her head and quietly moved for the door, the anger in her eyes already fading into muted regret. “Finish your deal with Kal and Amy, and we can talk after.”

”All right,” Kytara said, turning to the two girls in question. “That would be for the best, then... I'm sorry about that, I guess my sister is quite protective of me.”

Kalciane shrugged, wondering exactly what she had gotten herself into and deciding that it would be best if she didn't think about it too much. “No problems. Sixty mehrial each knife, then?” she said calmly, as if nothing had happened at all.

”That's fine... *if* you provide one bottle per knife,” Kytara said, her voice stern once more.

”One bottle?” Kalciane murmured, her mind working. This was far more reasonable than she had imagined. It wasn't as the stuff was hard to acquire from them, and they would have quite a bit of pleasure while doing so. She glanced down at the nymph, who was still trembling and pressing her small form against the taller Torian. A faint smile crept across her lips. “That's quite a lot... but I'm sure we'll manage. In fact, it looks like Amy's ready to give you her share right now.”

”Very well,” Kytara said, nodding. She frowned slightly as something occurred to her, one finger tapping against her lip thoughtfully. “Sixty mehrials per knife, no lower; that includes your guild membership discount *and* you two will give me your full cooperation. Is that clear?”

Kalciane nodded, the smile still playing across her lips. “What do we need to do, then?”

”Follow me,” the mage replied, gathering her robes up and moving out of her chair towards the door. Kalciane looked down at Amy for a moment, shuddering in her arms, before pulling her along to follow Kytara out.

__________

They were led down to a room that seemed to be some sort of esoteric dungeon at first. Torches cast a dull red glow across the walls in circles of flickering light, illuminating rows upon rows of equipment that seemed to be some form of torture devices at first. Upon closer examination, however, Kalciane realized that they were not meant for pain, but pleasure; the various contraptions and protruding devices were wholly foreign to her, and she could only look about in bewilderment as to what any of them were used for. The rack of whips and other unpleasant-looking devices on the wall made her shudder just briefly for a moment--not so much in fear of pain (for that was just a simple bodily sensation, and a familiar one at that) as much as the possibility of seeing Amy get hurt. Kalciane's reputation as the insane winged girl had come after many bouts of spontaneous bloodlust, usually spawned by her beloved getting injured in some fashion, and if something like that happened down here...

Instead of pondering further, she decided to simply let things ride out to see what resulted. She propped Amy onto her feet wobbly, the nymph still moaning and clutching at her, and focused her gaze on Kytara as the mage slipped quietly over to a bench where Kyrspeth was already sitting. Zarias entered the room last, closing the door firmly behind them before slipping his hands back within the folds of his robes to watch in silence.

”I will deal with this slut later,” Kytara said aloud, shaking her head at Kyrspeth as she mentally made a note to figure out exactly what had happened back in the office. She turned to look at Kalciane and Amy, her expression stern. “As for you two: move to that corner over there.” She indicated the corner in question with one hand, the flickering torchlight dimly illuminating what appeared to be a simple wall with a few slots for attaching... something to it. Kalciane had a fairly good idea what it was, although her mind was beginning to reel from the possibilities of what exactly they were expected to do.

She pulled Amy away from her and headed for the wall, leaning against it silently as she watched Zarias methodically help the nymph up besides her. The whole procedure seemed suddenly rather unnecessary to her... why go through all this trouble to do something this simple? She looked up and over at Kytara, who was already rummaging around in a box for something. “There's an easier, quicker way to do this, if you want,” she said, hoping to deflect whatever unusual form of sexual practice that they were planning.

Zarias looked calmly at Kalciane, his face suddenly cold and hostile. “Quick? Easy?” he said, voice sharp. “You have absolutely no such use for such words now, Kalciane.”

”Keep it to yourself,” she snapped back at him, irritated and more than slightly wary of his sudden shift in demeanor. Where was the polite, shy Zarias who tended to Unigo's visitors? The rather cute, if not weak apprentice?

”I'll say what I will, when I will,” the apprentice replied, his expression never wavering from its flat, cold look. “Do not think for a moment that I will obey even the faintest hint of your 'commands' now.”

Kalciane's response was cut short as Kytara moved towards them, holding two knobbed dildos in one hand and a bottle of a strange, faintly glowing greenish substance in another. She grinned as she looked back and forth between the two girls, one completely lost in her desire and the other looking somewhat bored. “Kal, why don't you and Amy work each other up a little? Don't climax, though... it's very important that you don't.”

Puzzled by the request--or, rather, the command, given the way Kytara had spoken--she looked back at Amy briefly before speaking. “She doesn't need to be 'worked up' at all; I know her. Do what you need to do.” With that, Kalciane turned around and lifted her wings up slightly towards Amy's hands. As if through pure instinct, the nymph began stroking them tenderly, her hands and fingers running through the soft purple feathers as she murmured soft words of love under her breath. Kalciane felt her knees buckle--the wings were still her only one true weakness, much like Kytara's fragrance--as the pleasure washed through her in a single powerful wave, spreading across her limbs. She forced herself to remain calm and controlled, only a tiny gasp escaping from her lips as Amy continued her strokes. Nevertheless, she could feel the warmth in her body spreading further, escalating higher as she felt herself growing especially hot between her legs.

The mage nodded in approval as she lathered the greenish substance over the dildos, securing them against the wall and sliding a few stools over beneath each one. “Very well, girls... mount up, but leave your slits free,” she instructed, grinning gleefully once more. “These go up your rears.”

Kalciane looked over at the lubricated dildos with only a dull sense of surprise, the logical portions of her mind already fading into the background as the stimulation of her wings sent her into a state of wanton arousal. She quietly pushed Amy aside and slid herself onto the toy gingerly, slipping her dress off and folding it neatly to set aside. She groaned as the unfamiliar sensation spread through her, both strange and powerfully erotic--more than it really should have been. Her eyes widened slightly, trying to figure out what was going on... before a sudden burst of fresh sensations hit her, nearly causing her to slump over from the sudden ecstasy.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Zarias and Kytara helping Amy up onto the other rod, pulling her clothes off as they did so. Kalciane closed her eyes blearily, trying to filter out the sudden mind-numbing pleasure roaring through her and having only marginal success; it was as if she was on the brink of climax, so close to fulfillment and yet unable to achieve that final push that would send her over the edge. She could hear voices faintly, the torrent of sensations nearly drowning out all else from her consciousness.

”Lady Kytara...” Zarias said quietly. “You may want to have a wind sylph pay extra attention to Kalciane's wings... she's quite sensitive there.”

Kalciane trembled against the wall, feeling all shreds of her resistance dissolve as the strange warmth coursed through her body. “Yes... my wings,” she murmured, her voice inviting them to do as they willed as she spread the wings in question wide.

A sharp cry suddenly cut through her reverie as Amy suddenly arched her back, gasping out loudly as she was lowered onto the dildo. Kalciane barely had the presence of mind to look over at her; the nymph was slumped over against the wall, panting and begging for release as whatever the green substance was worked its way into her as well. An aphrodisiac? No... nothing so simple. Kalciane groaned and shifted her gaze back towards Kytara to see what she would do, trying to block out Amy's pleading as best as she could.

The mage, still grinning widely, moved over to secure Amy to the wall, first lifting her arms above her head to strap them down firmly before securing a strap around her waist as well. She lifted the nymph's leg up, spreading her moist labia wide, and tied a strap around her thigh, knee, and ankle, moving to her other leg afterwards to repeat the process. Amy herself barely resisted; she shook her head from side to side, crying out softly and begging for release even as Kytara finished tying her against the wall with quick, efficient motions.

Kalciane shook her head as if to clear it, watching in muted surprise as Kyrspeth moved towards her to repeat the procedure. Despite her best attempts, she found herself unable to resist; the throbbing ache in her wings was asking for release, and somehow she concluded that if she went along with this, she would be able to acquire it. The elf silently strapped Kalciane down, making sure to leave her wings free to move behind her, before sliding back to examine her handiwork and await further instructions.

”Good, Ky, now--“ Kytara began.

Amy shrieked aloud again, gasping and panting as her body struggled against the restraints. “*Please!*” she cried out. “Make me come, Kal! *PLEASE!*”

Kalciane looked at her sternly, feeling herself flush even more in embarrassment, although she knew her naked body was most likely already flushed all over. “*Cooperate*, Amy.”

”Yes... Kal, oh yes...”

The mage, in the meantime, had gone back to her box of supplies once more and was now returning with two funnels and tall bottles in her hands. Kalciane didn't have to think very much, even in her near-orgasmic state, to realize what they would be used for; the funnels were shaped in a way to fit perfectly between their legs, and the bottles themselves were obvious. She looked at how large they were... mentally calculating exactly how long she would be left here to writhe... and suddenly realized that she did not like this situation, not at all.

But whether she liked it or not no longer mattered. She had bargained for a price, and now she would have to go through with the agreement as planned. Her struggles gradually lessened as she fell mostly still, trembling only slightly as the continuous near-orgasm coursed through her. She closed her eyes as Kytara drew near to fit the funnel and bottle in place, feeling her own wetness run down her thighs. She had to be strong. It was simple sex... there was no reason to lose control over it.

Amy, on the other hand, seemed to lack the control that Kalciane was displaying. Her body quivered and trembled more against the straps, even as Kytara reached over to dab a bit more of the green substance on her nipples and clitoris, eliciting another wave of pleading cries from the nymph. The mage calmly ignored her and moved back towards Kalciane, repeating the procedure before stepping back with another one of her wide grins. “There, that should do it... now...” Kytara turned around towards Zarias as she raised her arm upwards. Energy crackled and spun in the air for a brief moment before fading away to reveal at least one dozen tiny wind sylphs: flitty, small creatures that resembled tiny humans with translucent wings, naked and carrying a small feather in their hands. The sylphs giggled as they darted about, already knowing full well what they would soon be doing, their presence an incongruously cheerful cloud amidst the dim room.

”Zarias, the sylphs are in your control now,” she said, raising one hand to indicate the box she had been rummaging through earlier. “Feel free to assist these two girls in making as much essence as possible; I am sure you will find what you need in there. Now then...”

The apprentice paused briefly in surprise before regaining his composure, gratitude dawning on his face. “I would like nothing better, Lady Kytara,” he said slowly. “I thank you--you are too kind.”

With that, Kytara glided past Zarias to sit next to Kyrspeth, quietly speaking with her regarding other issues as she made herself comfortable on the bench to watch the scene from afar. Zarias himself wasted no time in his assigned duty, moving forward as he muttered a quiet command in a strange language. Six of the sylphs quickly grouped together in an unerringly organized fashion and descended upon Kalciane's outstretched wings. With another command, they all began to simultaneously stroke and rub at her tips and feathers, massaging them beneath their hands.

And the rest of Kalciane's resolve simply melted away as she felt the tiny hands upon her wings, so many of them massaging at once that she felt herself nearly faint from the resulting climax--or, rather, the climax that never came, leaving her body trembling and wriggling against the restraints as she cried aloud over and over for release. For her, at that point in time, there was nothing else; her body burgeoned upon the point of orgasm and was viciously denied each time, leaving her hanging in blissful pain as she felt her excitement trickle down her legs and into the funnel, wetting the sides of the bottle.

Zarias turned his gaze over towards the nymph for a moment, noting that she was beginning to fill her bottle quite nicely as well, before looking back at the winged girl. “She's so sweet, isn't she?” he said, a slow, feral grin spreading across his face. “I think her breasts need more teasing, though.” With that, he snapped his fingers, sending two sylphs down to tickle and tease Amy's nipples with their feathers. The elementals giggled as they worked, not heeding their subject's increasingly loud cries of pleasure and hanging on quite tightly as she began to jerk around in desire, only stimulating herself further from her actions.

Kalciane groaned once more, spreading her wings out further to allow the sylphs better access as she lolled her head downwards, staring dully at the ground. Her vision was already swimming somewhat from the prolonged denial of climax; for the first time, she understood how Amy had felt, that long time ago, when she had slipped her collar onto her. It had been meant to act as an inhibitor for her lust, as Amy had proven herself to be quite the amorous little thing time after time. However, in the end, all it had accomplished as to build up her pleasure to nearly intolerable levels, released in a surge that nearly ended up knocking her unconscious each time. Kalciane had repeatedly scoffed at Amy's inability to cope--only now, she could feel her own desires raging and surging in untold frustration as her essence continued to flow unabated from her sex, seeking desperately for blissful release.

”Kalciane?” From some portion of her mind, she could hear Zarias' voice--only now, it wasn't the usual courteous, calm tone it normally was. It was harsh and demanding, teasing in its relentlessness, knowing her to be helpless and enjoying every moment of it. “Kalciane? Aren't you going to watch little Amythyst? She very much wants you right now, you realize.”

The Torian managed to look up at him, her face wreathed with amusement and lust. “Yes... well, that's just t-too... bad...” she stammered, her voice husky and choked with ecstasy. “Business... i-is business.”

”Yes. Too bad she can't reach you now,” he replied, his smile widening unpleasantly. One hand moved to cup her breast, and had Kalciane been in her right mind she would've recoiled in anger; now, all she could do was moan softly as he ran his fingers across her stiffened nipple, rolling the nub between them firmly. His other hand shifted up and brushed a few of the giggling sylphs aside to stroke at the top of her wing, his touch more firm and assured than it would have usually been. “The sylphs can, however. How do you like them, by the way? They are quite happy to work on your wings, you know.”

She tossed her hair away from her face, trying to smirk down at him. “They're fine,” she mumbled, enunciating each word carefully so as to not trip over the syllables. “Just... fine...” She slumped down again as another wave of unrequited pleasure washed through her, forcing her to gasp and pant raggedly.

”Just fine?” Zarias replied coldly, his fingers tightening on her nipple and twisting. She cried out briefly as the jolt of pain struck her, mingling in with the overriding, consuming pleasure. “They must be slacking... maybe four more are needed.”

”Yes, please... more,” Kalciane gasped, knowing that the sooner they met Kytara's demands, the quicker this would be done with. The need to climax was insanely strong now, blotting out every other sense. It felt as if her taint was unleashed in her, but instead of feeling murderous rage, there was only a raging, unquenched ecstasy. “Hurry it up... please...”

”'Hurry?'” Zarias inquired, arching an eyebrow up whimsically. “My dear Kalciane, were you going to hurry when you had *me* at your mercy?”

She jerked her head up to glare at him, knowing full well what he was referring to: an incident only a few days ago when she had nearly snapped and killed him in a blind rage. “Of course he was going to want to get revenge,” she thought bitterly to herself. “And I set him up perfectly for it...” Unable to really respond to his query, she settled for an irritated groan in his general direction.

”I didn't think so.” Zarias glanced back at Amy once more, noting that she was beginning to scream in pleasure now as she ached for release. “But Amy is lucky... your body is quite luscious. And I see that even without you, she's getting that bottle filled up quickly. We *can't* have that.”

He reached over for the box, which Kytara had left lying close, and pulled out a ball-gag. Leaning forward, he forced it into her mouth and secured it tightly, making sure she could still breathe before pulling back to make a few mystical gestures with one hand. Energy rippled around his body, obscuring him from sight for a brief moment; another burst of magic emitted from the apprentice, further clouding his form. When the swirls of magical residue cleared away, Kalciane looked blearily up to see herself. She blinked her eyes, making questioning noises around the gag in her mouth, and looked once more. No, she wasn't hallucinating. Zarias had used magic to make himself shift into a virtual copy of herself, with the only notable difference being her wings. The glorious purple wings were completely absent.

”Zarias” leaned down to whisper teasingly into her ear, her voice harsh. “It's not perfect,” she admitted, “but do you really think Amy will be able to tell right now?”

Kalciane's response was a weak, muffled groan of protest.

”Of course not,” the apprentice replied smugly. “Don't worry. I'll be gentle with her.”

The words resounded hollowly in Kalciane's pleasure-addled mind, slowly processing... she turned them over and over, trying to find another way to interpret them and coming up with nothing. A sudden, heavy pang of inevitability clamped down upon her, almost enough to drown out her near-orgasmic bliss; she knew what he was going to do. She simply *knew*, and the thought ignited a pure, raw rage within every part of her being. Her eyes slowly closed as if to accept the fact... then reopened, her normal blue and green irises shifting both into a deep, glittering green.

”Zarias” either didn't notice or care about the change, and quickly commanded the rest of the sylphs to “tend” to her. The tiny creatures flitted all over her prone body, tugging and teasing all over with their hands and stroking with their feathers. Two settled upon each breast, laughing merrily as they massaged her erect nipples. Four more nestled down between her legs, pushing and probing at her clitoris while remaining careful not to interrupt the flow of essence that steadily trickled into the bottle. Another four settled upon her outstretched wings, adding to the stroking already being administered by the other sylphs. Kalciane screamed out loud, both in sudden pleasure as she was pushed towards the edge once more--but not over it--and in maddening rage as she turned to look at “Zarias”.

The apprentice stood over Amy's writhing body, smiling as she continued to pant and moan. She--for “Zarias” was female now, as a result of her magic--pulled off her clothes and folded them neatly, setting them on the ground besides them before leaning forward to caress the nymph's cheek delicately. “Amy...?” she said, her voice a near-duplicate of Kalciane's. “Amy?”

Amy jerked her head up in faint recognition, whimpering. “Kal!” she cried out, her eyes glazed from desire. “Please, help me... love me please! I need you!”

”I'm right here, Amy, right here...” “Zarias” murmured softly, pressing her cheek against Amy's warm chest and softly stroking her body with her hands. She moved one hand to tease her nipples, tugging and pulling them gently before running her other downwards between her legs to stroke her hardened clitoris. “Feel good? Like this, Amy?”

”Yes,” she replied, desperately trying to arch her hips upwards towards “Zarias'” hand. “Kal... please! Love me!”

That was all “Zarias” needed to hear. She slowly kneeled down onto the ground, lifting her mouth towards Amy's sex with a gradual smile. “All right, Amy. You deserve it...” With that, she nuzzled the nymph's thighs with her lips briefly before drawing her tongue across her clitoris, up and down in long, loving strokes. She tilted her head to the side, just to make sure Kalciane was watching--which she was, her eyes glittering, her hands flexing and clenching. Satisfied that she had the Torian's full attention, she went back to her oral caresses, each lap eliciting another loud moan from the bound girl, each stroke drawing her closer to an orgasm that would never be achieved.

And as Amy's pleasure mounted towards an intolerable level, Kalciane's rage built similarly until she finally felt it obscuring all else... clouding her judgment, her logic, and almost her pleasure. The sensations were still there, undeniably--but now it was a small trickle of awareness amidst the sudden, overwhelming hatred. All the weeks of control practice she had undergone in order to suppress and wield the taint, the exercises, and mental discipline were destroyed as she continued to watch her obscene, wingless clone pleasure her beloved in a way that left the nymph unaware of the difference. Her hands splayed outwards as she tried to cast a spell, only to discover that the restraints had been enchanted with an aura of anti-magic; the crystals of ice fizzled out on her fingertips before she could even start.

”Zarias” suddenly pulled back, looking quite hurt even though there was very little chance of Amy noticing anything but her own surging need at that point. “What's the matter, Amy?” she said, licking her lips and moving her fingers down to continue rubbing at her clitoris. “Don't hold back... just come... loudly, screaming my name.”

”Kal, please... more... need to come, please make me come!” Amy cried out in response.

”Haven't I given you enough?” “Zarias” said, almost dejectedly. “Can't you come? ... aren't I good enough to make you come?” She lowered her head back between Amy's legs to suckle at her clitoris, her fingers starting to thrust inside of her with increasing speed. The administrations only made Amy whimper louder as she felt herself being blocked from release once more--then, suddenly, she lifted her head and screamed.

”Please, Kal... use it... love me with your cock... PLEEEASSSE!”

”Zarias” grinned and pulled back, halfway on the verge of cancelling his gender swap spell when Kytara's voice suddenly cut through the air. “Zar! Enough!” she called out, looking up from her spot on the bench next to Kyrspeth. “Use the counteragent and let them come already... *then* torture them some more.”

The words seemed to have a magical, unseen effect on “Zarias”. The smile vanished instantly from her face, to be replaced with her usual look of blank courtesy. She quickly cancelled both spells--gender swap and change self--before turning towards Amy, gesturing briefly to center a clean spell upon her body that would evaporate the green substance. Reaching down to pick up his clothing, the restored Zarias quickly slipped back into his clothes and moved away from Amy, heading over towards the screaming Kalciane. He gripped a bunch of hair in his hand and forced her head around to watch the nymph as she began to shudder and writhe with the orgasm that had been denied to her, the waves of sheer sensation coursing through her small body in powerful, nearly unbearable throes. Her head tilted back as she opened her mouth to cry out with a volume that belied her frame, the sound of unbridled ecstasy filling the room and drowning out all else for the space of a few seconds until Amy slumped her head forward onto her heaving chest, gasping to regain her breath.

”Now then, Kalciane,” Zarias said, his voice once more calm and controlled. “Are you ready to release as well? Or do I need to help the sylphs along?”

Kalciane's response was, of course, nothing more than a low growl from around the gag. A trace of spittle ran down her chin as she slumped forward, glaring at him with a smouldering, green gaze.

The apprentice reached forward and pulled the gag away, being careful so she wouldn't be able to snap out at him. “What was that?” he said.

This time, Kalciane's response was far louder. In a singular howl of rage and bloodlust, she thrashed her head back and screamed incoherently upwards at the roof of the dungeon. Pausing to regain her breath, she angled her gaze at Zarias, her eyes flashing with utter hatred, enough so as to completely obscure her near-orgasmic bliss. “Zarias!” she screamed. “I... will... *kill*... yoooouuu!”

Having expected as much, the apprentice gave no visible reaction asides from a brief sigh as he moved behind the screaming winged girl. “Later, Kalciane... later,” he muttered, moving his hands upwards and brushing the frightened sylphs aside to stroke her wings comfortingly. “Shhh... relax... enjoy. I can be Amy, if you want.”

Kalciane growled and screamed again, this time completely incoherently as words of murder and rage intermingled with a guttural cry of raw anger. Her scream was cut short and redirected as Kyrspeth abruptly lifted her hand, eyes almost pitiful upon seeing her, to cast a clean spell. The Torian coughed in surprise--then screamed again as if to sing Zarias' doom, before the pent-up sensations that had been running low-key through her body suddenly rushed to the forefront once more to build and release in an undeniable climax that usurped her murderous rage. The two sensations fought for dominance briefly before intermingling, coursing through her body as she screamed in pleasure and anger. Her hands splayed once more in a weak attempt to cast magic, but again the restraints came into effect and denied her.

Having seen enough, Kyrspeth finally got up and strode quickly over to Kalciane, her face worried. She glared angrily at Zarias for a moment, angling her chin towards the door to indicate that he should get the hell out if he valued his life. Kytara moved up and drew up next to her, still oddly calm in the midst of the screaming and thrashing. “Zar? I think that is enough for now,” the mage said, gesturing for him to leave as well. “Why don't you see to those glowstones I asked you to install in the storeroom?”

Without any hesitation, he nodded in compliance and released Kalciane's wings, nodding his head respectfully to the mage. “At once, Lady Kytara,” he said, before shuffling towards the door and slipping out without another word.

”Now,” Kytara continued, looking back at Kalciane and narrowing her eyes slightly in disapproval at the display. “What should we do with her?”

”Knives,” Kalciane groaned, her voice hoarse and raw from screaming. “Enchanted... strike me down... losing control...” Her bracelets suddenly flared with an angry ochre hue as the taint raged back to life within her, consuming what little was left of her mind after the orgasm. Her hands splayed once more in a futile attempt to cast an energy bolt at the target before her--Kyrspeth, as Zarias had left already--before clenching tightly enough to draw blood from her palms.

Kyrspeth considered briefly and nodded, laying a hand on Kalciane's shoulder and channeling a sleep spell into her. The Torian slumped forward once more, this time unmoving as she crept into merciful unconsciousness. Even still, the bracelets continued to glow angrily, the sheer volume of hatred and murderous rage seething from Kalciane's body and drifting visibly into the room and lingering in the air thickly, almost as if it were a perverted version of Kytara's fragrance.

The mage eyed the bracelets in mild disappointment, making a mental note to herself before moving to unsecure Amy from the wall and collect the filled bottle from between her legs. Guiding the nymph towards Kyrspeth, she moved over and pulled Kalciane's restraints loose as well, grabbing the bottle from under her legs and corking it shut. She looked down at the bracelets, trying to remember exactly what the malady was... it had been quite a while since she had last dealt with the girl's problems, and her inability to recall exactly what it was at the moment only served to make matters worse.

”Anything I should know about these two?” she finally said, giving up after a long moment of thinking.

”Zar stepped over a bit,” Kyrspeth muttered, feeling angry at exactly what he had done and her rather massive understatement of the obvious. After all, it wasn't as if the relationship between Amy and Kal was a secret, which made Zarias' actions all the more inappropriate. “He sent Kal into a suicidal attempt to kill him.”

Kytara blinked. “Shit.”

”Kyt, is there any way you can bleed off the emotions from the bracelets before they break down?” Kyrspeth muttered, eyeing the bracelets warily as well.

”Yes... but I need someone--or something--to put them in,” Kytara murmured, pondering.

Amy looked up from the ground, still naked, her eyes dazed with excess desire. “Kal? Mmm, Kal... need you... love me, please...”

”Amy, focus!” Kyrspeth said in mild exasperation, slapping the nymph lightly across the cheeks. “Kal needs you right now... she needs you coherent! We need to drain that excess emotion from her before it consumes her...”

The nymph recoiled from the blow, groaning as she slowly shook her head to clear it. Then she opened her eyes and snapped her head up as if seeing for the first time since she drank the Essence of Sakura. “Me,” she said, her eyes steeled and determined. “It has to be me. I have to help Kal!”

”No, Amy,” Kyrspeth said, gesturing to try and make her understand. “I am offering because I want to help--“

”NO!” the nymph shouted, shaking her head suddenly in heated protest and growling. “My love... not yours... MINE!”

As the last vestiges of Amy's exclamation faded from the room, Kalciane groaned and slowly lifted herself up off the ground where she had been rather unceremoniously dumped after Kytara had freed her. She looked blearily around, rubbing her head with her hand, her expression dull and rather calm. “Zarias... Zarias?” she said quietly, looking around for the robed apprentice. Upon not seeing him, she staggered to her feet and wiped the excess moisture from her thighs, looking back and forth between the strange faces of the people who seemed to be planning something by the way they were looking at her. “--are we done? I want my knives.”

”You're done,” Kytara said briskly, pulling out three rings and idly carving a rune into each one by one as she kept her gaze firmly locked on Kalciane. “But those bracelets of yours are not.”

”I *want* my *knives,*” Kalciane growled, wobbling unsteadily towards Kytara, her eyes shifting back into a single blue and a single green. “I did not endure watching Zar... Zar... Z--“ She broke off as another feral scream tore out from her throat, hands moving to clutch her head as the bracelets flared up angrily once more. “Nothing to show for it... knives... cut his throat... drink his blood...”

Kytara growled, quickly etching the final rune before tossing the rings to Kyrspeth and Amy. The moment they slipped them on, it was as if a massive conduit suddenly opened in their minds, channelling searing hot anger into their brains. The three of them recoiled simultaneously from the transfer of seething, raw emotion, closing their eyes as it hit before clamping down on the flow with a tight mental grip. Shuddering as the last of the rage seeped in, Kytara gestured briefly to terminate the spell before quickly backing away to a distant corner of the room, a safe distance away from the others.

The spell was completely lost upon Kalciane--who felt little more than a faint sucking sensation inside of her body--as she looked idly back and forth between them, finally settling her gaze upon Kytara's grinning face. “So... anything else you needed, Kytara?” she said, her voice quiet and nearly emotionless. One arm went out to pull Amy in close towards her, just in time as the nymph slumped against her in unconsciousness, the physical and emotional exhaustion of the negotiations finally settling in.

”Kal, don't worry about Zar; I will attend to him, all right?” Kyrspeth said quickly, noticing the sudden change in the Torian's demeanor, not quite sure where it was going to lead.

Kalciane looked calmly at Kyrspeth, her gaze unwavering. “I will settle things with him.”

”No, Kal. It's my fault he did what he did.”

”I will settle things with him.”

”Kal, let it go with Zar...” Kyrspeth tried again. “I will teach him a lesson he will never forget; I owe it to you both.”

”I...” Kalciane repeated, her voice growing slightly colder. “... will settle things with him. Anything else you needed, Kytara?”

The elf threw her arms up in frustration, moving aside. “Kyt, you try.”

Kytara sighed as she looked back and forth, shaking her head slowly. “Only for me to offer my apologies. I did not mean for your experience to be so traumatic.”

”I asked for it,” Kalciane replied brusquely, her eyes wandering towards the set of nine blades lying on the table next to the mage. A final shudder of pleasure ran through her as she thought about what she had gone through to achieve such a simple thing... how their bodies and minds had been bound and tortured in exchange for money. “Now... the knives.”

Kytara nodded and began etching the runes onto the blades for the requested enchantments, falling silent as she worked and resuming her wholly professional demeanor. Kalciane watched distractedly as she slowly began redressing the still-unconscious Amy, one garment at a time, slipping them onto her body with delicate care. When all was said and done, she gathered the blades up in her hands, tucking them away slowly into her harness. She stared quietly as she picked up the ninth knife, her eyes roaming over the intricate carvings and runes. She noted each of the details, thinking silently to herself that they were a written testament to her pride and folly. Then she tucked that away as well and moved towards the stairs with Amy in her arms, the weight of the knives hanging from her hip.

There would be another time.

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