Training
#21 of Old Works
Next Chapter. Have fun. Do it. Now.
Not 18, blah blee blah
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The two swords clashed, sending up a shower of sparks. The two combatants leaped away from each other. They faced each other over a circular area of cleared ground. Suddenly they leaped forewards, swords clashing, again. The blades flashed unbelievably fast, and it was clear the shorter of the two combatants was winning. Until the larger twisted his sword around his hand and smacked the shorter on the head with the flat of the blade.
Arzhi landed heavily on his rump, rubbing his head.
"Better!" The large Pegasus said. Walking over to Arzhi and hoisting him to his feet.
"Yeah...thanks..." Arzhi said, wincing slightly.
The big Pagasus laughed and picked up the training sword Arzhi had dropped. His name was Carell, the swordmaster. His fur was a leafy green, with a long flowing mane and bright eyes. Large green wings protruded from his back, and his build was massive. Arzi had been in the village for almost two months now, and had still not managed to beat the larger being. He had learned how to shoot in three days, The bowmistress Vivey saying that he was a natural. But the sword fighting was proving more difficult.
"You've improved! Your better than any human, thats for sure. But until you can beat me, I won't be satisfide!"
"Am I ever likely to beat you?"
"Of course not! But it's nice to have something to work towards."
"Great..."
A little later, Arzhi was lying on his bed, with a wet cloth on his face. He felt something large land heavily next to him. Raising a corner of the flannel he looked at Tochi.
"Why do you have a wet cloth on your face?" He asked
"Because I have a splitting headache, thats why."
"Did Carell smack you on the head again?"
"Yes...yes he did." Arzhi said with a sigh.
Sometimes he wondered how this was going to help him find Natasla and Yslien. It was fairly obvious really though. He was learning how to defend himself, and was becoming stronger in the process. Unfortunatly no one in the village knew any Demon magic. Apparently it was a closely guarded art, known only to the follows of Demons, Demonblessed, and the Demons themselves. Cadfael had said this would be a problem as it would be a great asset to him. Arzhi also suspected there was something else he wasn't being told. He had heard Gillgalain, the villages head magician talking about someone outside the forest in the valley. Arzhi had spied on the conversation between Llewelyn and the older master. Apparently there was an outcast of the village. She was both Unicorn and Pegasus and hailed as a blessed child, because she had powers that were not of the celestials. But, she had been exiled from the village when she had been caught practicing Demonic magic. Apparently she had built herself an underground temple to worship the "Vile snake Demon". Gillgalain had said the she could possibly help Arzhi, but Llewelyn had told him "I'd rather cut off my own horn than have anything to do with that witch."
As Arzhi lay on his bed, mulling that conversation over in his mind, he came to a conclusion. He would find this person and seek their help. If the Unicorn did not want anything to do with her, then Arzhi would not involve them.
The next day he rode Tochi out of the woods and into the wide grassy valley. Large tors and heather bushes forse all around him. Large areas of short springy grass held colonies of sheep and goats. It was like a small moorland, with a series of streams and rivers runing through it. Tochi leaped up one of the tors to the very top, so they could overlook the valley. Arzhi was amazed at how large it actually was. Ten miles long by five miles wide, he reckoned, maybe more. It was amazing no one had discovered it before now. He could see a sparkling river, leaving the suprisingly large woods that housed the village.
"Do you see anything?" He hissed to Tochi
"No...I doubt it'd be up here though...I think she might've built it below ground."
"That might have just been the single most sensible thing you've ever said."
"Awwww! Again!?"
They combed the Valley but found no sight of any sort of hidden temple or entrance to one.
"This is hopeless!we'll never find it unless we comb the entire valley!" Arzhi snapped after a day of fruitless searching.
"Maybe you could ask someone where it is?"
"I doubt they'd tell me. Ah well...we'll look in the next section tomorrow. We should be getting baaAACK!" Arzhi's sentence ended in a suprised shout as Tochi slipped on a rock coveredin slimey moss. Arzhi tumbled from Tochi's back and smacked his head against a rock.
"ARZSSSI!" Tochi shouted
"G-go back to the vilaggeee...gtt...help..." Arzhi moaned, he could feel something hot and wet, running down his face.
"I'll take you back!"
"No...get help...you be faster without....meh..."
"Okay! Hang on Arzhi!" Tochi said, before sprinting as fast as he could, back towards the village.
Arzhi found that he couldn't move. He could also feel blood running down his face and back. He didn't know if he could heal a wound that made him bleed so much. As his vision become blurry he thought
'Well...I wonder what happens now?'
*
When he awoke, he expected to find himself staring at his own ceiling. Instead he was looking at an earthen one. He was lying on a bed that felt like a blanket over a pile of Heather. It was suprisingly comfortable. It was also very warm and humid, Arzhi found himself sweating in his baggy clothing.
"Finally awake...I sssee."
Arzhi started at the voice and sat up suddenly, regretting it a few seconds later when his head exploded into pain and brightly colourd blobs. He clutched his head and groaned.
"Aaargh!"
"You...bassshed your head...bad. Good thing, you are the ssson...of Her."
Arzhi looked blearily in the direction of the voice and saw a fire. On the otherside of that fire he saw a figure. His eyes widened when his eyesight cleared a bit and he saw the figure in detail. It had glistening green, scaly skin. It had slitted yellow eyes, and a long flexible tail. It was also female. This was obvious because of the bare, creamy white breasts. The figures belly and chest were made up of what seemed to be ultra fine creamy white scales.
"Who are..."
"I am the one you were...looking for." She said
"Wait...you knew I was looking for you? How...wait a second, I thought you were half Unicorn and Half pegasus?" He asked
The figure laughed and stood, the firelight illuminating her naked form. Her belly, chest, inner thighs and underside of her tail were a creamy white. The rest of here was dark green. In the better light, Arzhi relised that she had no scales, but smooth skin that reflected the light and looked like scales. Her head was long and snakelike, like Yslien.
"My name isss, Ciarán...An you are Arzhi."
"How do you know my name!? Who are you?!"
Ciarán laughed and walked over to Arzhi, her walk was suggestive, her tail swaying from side to side. She seated herself on the bed next to Arzhi and gazed at him with her peircing yellow eyes.
"I know about you...you are My misstressess ssson."
"Wait...You worship moth...Yslien?"
"Yesss...that iss ssshe. I ussed to pray to her....offer myself to her...and ssshe ssspoke back...sshe made me one of her blessed...thiss is why...I no longer am furry and weak! I am ssstrong, like my Misstresss."
Arzhi couldn't help but stare at the creture before him. She was stunningly beautiful to him, and she exuded a wonderful scent.
"But then Misstresss ssstopss sspeaking to mee...ssshe disssapearsss...ssso I wonder what I did wrong. Then my ssspiess...they tell me of you in village. They tell me what happened. Ssso I will help you." Ciarán hissed, leaning forewards and resting her hands on Arzhi's shoulders. Her actions were seductive and erotic, Arzhi found himself becoming aroused.
"How did you know?" he asked
"I am in the sservice of the sssnake godsss..." she said, and then Arzhi saw the snakes.
There were hundreds of them in this room with it's low ceiling. There were many different types, small ones and large ones, thin ones and fat ones. They were coiled around the roots that poked through the roof and walls of the room. As Arzhi looked, he saw the rest of the room. Improvised shelves with a whole manner of scrolls and archaic equipment placed upon them. Several doors led out of the room, it seemed like this room was only a small part of a larger underground burrow. There wer snakes every where, but there was one that caught his eye the most. It was coiled up near the rear of this room. It could have been at least twenty feet long, with a gold and red colouration. It seemed to be sleeping.
"The ssnakess...they tell me thessse thingss. In return, I take care of them, let them have me, feed them."
"I see...but you said you could help me?"
"Yessss...all thossse who ssserve the Missstresss, we will all help you...all her followersss, her servantss...all help you. I can teach you Magic, teach you to control it. But it require ritual...ritual can be painful. You must do whatever I sssay...not quesstion it. You mussst commit...hundred percsssent to the ritual." Ciarán replied, pulling herself against Arzhi, wrapping her tail about him.
"I'll...uhh...have to....think about it..."
"Mmmm...I give you one day...one day to think...come back at dussk time tomorrow...I will sssend a messenger to ssshow you the way...but you musst come alone...no mount sssteed...no persssonss...alone!"
"Very well. I'll give you my reply tomorrow."
"Very well good...now you musst go."
"How do I...."
There was a small flash and a quiet bang.
"...get out?" Arzhi finished
"ARZHIIIIIIII!"
Something loud and heavy smacked into him and sent him barreling across the floor
_"Arzhiii! Your baaaaack! I came back with help but you had gone so we looked for you but couldn't find you and then Cadfael said that they should go back and scry for you whatever that means but they had no luck 'cos you were in a place that was shilded and Gurf! Mmmmbleeemmemmfmmmm!"
Arzhi had clamped his hand around Tochi's mouth to stem the tirade of saurian that was exploding from his friend
"Arzhi?"
Arzhi turned and Saw Cadfael looking at him
"Cadfael, what..."
"We need to talk...now."
A little while later, Arzhi was sitting in Cadfael's home, Llewelyn was there as usual.
"What the hell were you thinking!" He exclaimed "You left the village without telling anyone, You get injured and then totally vanish! Where did you go!?"
"I didn't go anywhere. I was found by Ciarán..."
"You what!?" Llewelyn gasped "You actually went to find that...that...witch!?"
The room suddenly became very quiet. It was like the temperature had suddenly dropped a few degrees. Cadfael shivered, and looked at Arzhi. Arzhi had his head tilted forewards so that his hair cast his eyes in shadow. He seemed to radiate a terrifying prescence.
"What...Did you jusst call...her?" he said, his voice had taken on a very dangerous edge.
"I called her a witch! You and your vile abilities do not scare me! I was against you even coming to this village from the start!" Llewelyn snapped
"Llewelyn! That is enough!" Cadfael shouted "Why are you being like this? You were the one to give me that speech about how similar we are and that I should help Arzhi!"
"That was different! Ever since he started training I've sensed his change. He's evil, just like the rest of them! Inside him is a foul creature...Just like that witch..."
Arzhi moved so fast he practically teleported. A few papers swirled in his wake, and Llewelyn found himself pinned against the wall._
Arzhi was only five feet eleven inches tall, but he had the six foot three inch Llewelyn pinned against the wall, with his hooves good six inches of the ground. Arzhi's feminine fetures didn't look so girly now. His black eyes blazed with a dark fire, his pupils had become slitted.
"If you inssult some one who worsshipss my mother...then you inssult me ass well!" he snarled
Llewlyn gave a small squeak and wriggled against Arzhi's tight grip
"Arzhi! Stop this!" Cadfael said with a shocked look on his face
"Sshut up! Now listen, and lissten carefully, for I will ssay thiss only once! Ciarán can teach me how to usse my Demon magic! You people have taught me many things, but not thiss. You are incapable of thiss! Ssshe is! I do not recall you having the right or the power to keep me here against my will! Thiss iss the final part of my training, After thiss I will resssume my sssearch. Try and stop me and I ssshall rip out your eyes and feed them to Tochi!...Now...Iss, that clear?"
Llewelyn nodded. Arzhi grinned and let go of the Unicorn, watching him slump to the ground.
"Arzhi...." Cadfael started
"What is it...Cadfael?"
"A-are you sure about this?"
"Oh yess...I will go to her tomorrow and I will complete my training...then I shall leave. But I sstill thank you for all the help and hospitality you have given me." With that, he turned and left.
Cadfael stood there for a few moments, before rushing to Llewelyn and helping him up.
"I think I may have gone a little far..." He gasped, clutching his neck
"Maybe...or maybe this is what he needed to strengthen his resolve."
"I doubt it was his resolve that needed strengthening...."
Arzhi opened the curtain to his house and stepped inside. Tochi was sleeping on his back with his legs in the air. One foot twitched slightly and his tounge lolled out the side of his mouth. Arzhi snorted and removed his clothes, laying down next to his friend, pulling up a blanket to cover himself, before resting his head on his pillow and falling asleep.
At some point that night, he felt something slide up his naked body. He wriggled a bit and then sat up. Throwing off his blanket he saw the huge gold and red snake he had seen in Ciarán's home.
"It isss time for you to make your decisssion." it hissed
"I accept." Arzhi replied
There was a flash and a small bang.
Arzhi blinked and looked around. He was back in Ciarán's home. He felt a soft, smooth had tounch his shoulder. Looking round he saw Ciarán's yellow eyes staring at him.
"Are you ready?" She asked
"As ready as I'll ever be." Arzhi replied.
Ciarán smiled and beckoned Arzhi to follow her. He got up and did so, heading after her as she moved swiftly through the complex series of tunnels that made up her home. It was swealteringly hot and humid, sweat condensed on Arzhi's naked body. There were snakes everywhere, their glittering eyes watching him. Ciarán lead him to a stone door set at the end of a passageway, and pushed it open. Arzhi followed her though and gasped. The door led to a large temple, made totally of an od grey stone. A large altar at the head of the room had a huge statue of Yslien above it. The Altar itself was like a huge bowl, filled with an viscous opaque white substance filling it. It over-flowed into a channel that ran along the floor and through a pentagram that had been carved into the floor. The roof was supported by six large colums, shaped like rearing Cobra. There were huge Braziers with flaming coals, producing plenty of light to see clearly by. It was very hot in this room too. Like a Sauna turned up to full. There were snakes everywhere here as well.
"Come." Ciarán said, beckoning for Arzhi to follow again.
Arzhi followed her down to the pentagram, the multitude of snakes watching them as they passed.
"Lay...in the pentagram.." Ciarán instructed.
Arzhi did as he was told, laying himself gingerly down, expecting the stone floor to be cold against his naked body. It was suprisingly warm, he found. The odd whiteish liquid washing over his shoulders and around him as he disrupted the flow of it.
"Now what?" he asked
"Now...now we begin!" Ciarán said
Arzhi suddenly gasped and arched his back as he felt a surge of power go through him. The outline of the pentagram blazed into life, the lines glowing with a green fire. Ciarán bent down and picked up a wooden bowl. Stepping into the pentagram, she dipped her fingers into the bowl. She bent down and straddled Arzhi's waist, bringing her fingers out of the bowl. They dripped with red paint, which she applied to Arzhi's skin. She drew swirling spiralling patterns across his body, and as she drew them, they began to glow with the same green light that the pentagram burnt with. Ciarán began to chant in the demon speech as she painted Arzhi. She covered his body with strange sigils, and Arzhi gasped as each new sigil blazed into life with green fire. Ciarán began to sway backwards and forwards, painting the Sigils up her own body now. They didn't burn with green fire though, they began to glow with a gentle blue. Arzhi gasped when he felt something warm and wet slide over his penis, and reslised that Ciarán had slid her pussy over him. As she chanted and swayed, she began to slowly fuck him, sliding up and down his hard cock. The strange white fluid that was flowing around them began to glow with a bright yellow light. Wisps of green and blue mist began to flow around Arzhi and Ciarán. The lines of the Pentagram began to shift and writhe, breaking up from the ground and twisting together. They reared up above the two love makers and formed a giant green and blue serpent. It opened it's mouth and let out a hissing roar.
Arzhi shut his eyes tight and then...
He was standing in a strange dark room. A small shaft of light shone through a gap in the wall. Arzhi, not knowing what to do or where he was, walked towards it. It turned out to be a hole, just large enough for him to crawl through. He did so. He came out into a brightly lit room, the light coming from a large cage in the middle. He walked over to it and peered inside. A large white serpent was coiled inside. It had red eyes and a large purple crest that framed it's head like a cobra's hood.
"Finally made it have we?" the serpent said
"Who are you? Where am I?" Arzhi asked
"I'd have thought you'd have recognised me...me being you...well...the real you that is." The serpent said
"What?! Your me?!...then...this place is..."
"Thats right...your soul. We are deep down in the very heart of your soul."
"Why are you...am I in a cage?"
"Heh...this cage is whats keeping the real me from coming out. I am all of our power and will. At the moment, I am imprisoned by a seal placed upon us by a certain slave trader. That, and your own fear of never being reunited with our mate and mother."
"Wait...Jerek? The slave trader? He placed this seal on yo...me?"
"Yess he did. He knew what we are, what we would become and he sought to stop us."
"And what about my fear..."
"That is something we must dispell ourselves. But you can release me from this prison. Release the seals and we can be joined together as we were ment to be."
Arzhi looked at the cage and saw glowing symbols on the corners and the lock on the door.
"How do I undo them?" he asked
The serpent looked at him
"I have no idea, we need each other...I cannot live without you and you cannot live without me."
"If I release you...I'll be able to find Natasla and Mother?"
"Yess...I am your power...I am the power that has been denied to you. Likewise, you are my power, you are the power I have been denied."
Arzhi smiled and reached out, his hand passing through the bars of the cage.
"I think we already broke the seals...I think we are already one..." he said
The serpent leaned forwards and sank it's fangs into Arzhi's hand.
"Yess...we were always together..."
Arzhi opened his eyes and screamed. Ciarán moaned and orgasmed around Arzhi as he arched up into her. Black and red light swirled around them, the lights of the pentagram had gone. Ciarán slid away from Arzhi, cum dribbling from her wet pussy. She watched with awe as Arzhi's power exploded from him. His eyes burnt with a fierce light, he writhed on the gound as he was reunited with himself. Then, the light was gone. Arzhi lay in the middle of a pentagram carved in stone. The whiteish liquid once again flowed around him. He sat up, his arms loose by his sides, hair partially obscuring his face.
"Are you....Arzhi?" Ciarán asked, crawling forwards
Arzhi tunred his head to her. The red markings that had adorned one half of his body now covered his entire body. The skull like design on his face now completely covered it. The red of the markings standing out starkly against the whiteness of his skin. He stood. His eyes were the same though. The cornea was black, the iris was bright red, and the pupil was black. The skull shaped markings combined with his eyes gave him a look that would terrify even the most hardened of warriors. That was until his face split into a bright smile. He ran over to Ciarán and hugged her.
"Thank you so much...You have given me the strength I need t find them."
Ciarán returned the embrace
"I do what I musst to aid the misstress and her family." She said.
"I think you are the most wonderful of all her servants." Arzhi said, and kissed the snake on the lips
Ciarán leaned into the kiss, before breaking it.
"Not here...back to my home..." she said softly.
Arzhi dropped down onto the bed, Ciarán landing softly on top of him. Arzhi stroked along her smooth scaly thigh, and up to her breasts. He could feel other scales moving against him. The large red and gold snake slid along side him, tipping him onto his side. Arzhi gasped as he felt something long and hard press against his hole. He clenched his butt cheeks around the serpents long wet member, causing the creature to hiss in his ear. Ciarán licked his neck and teased his cock, rubbing it gently to get it nice and hard.
"I want you insside me again...and it sseems Sshissstor wantss to be insside you..." she hissed into his ear.
Arzhi gasped as he felt her hot wet lips slip over his cock head and swallow up the rest of his shaft. He arched his back into her, his eyes opening wide as Sshissstor's cock slowly entered him, aided by a slick layer of natural lubricants. Arzhi moaned as he was pleasured from both sides, giving a small sigh as he felt the serpent to his rear coil his massive lengths around Arzhi and Ciarán. Arzhi closed his eyes as Sshissstor gently thrust into him from behind, whilst Ciarán ground against him from the front. He could barely focus on anything except the pleasure he was receiving. He could feel himself being lulled to a peacful sleep when he felt his body shudder. He moaned and arched himself into Ciarán, his orgasm was soft but powerful, his cum filling Ciarán's wet tunnel. He could feel the two snakes climaxing along with him, warmth filling him from behind and hot tightness at the front. He gasped and writhed until he was basking in the after glow of his orgasm. His eyes stayed closed as he drifted off to sleep.
Tochonoki was woken up by a quiet bang and a gentle thud next to him. He rolled over and saw Arzhi laying beside him. There was a smile on Arzhi's face.
"Ooooh...I know what you've been doooinnnggg...." Tochi whispered, curing around Arzhi and closing his eyes again.
"Cadfael is gonna freak..."
*
"I can't believe you actually agreed to go with her!"
Arzhi sighed. He and Cadfael had been told that the Elders wanted to see them. On the way up to the lift that would take them to the Elders hall, Arzhi had told Cadfael what had transpired the night before.
"She is a dangerous outcast from this village! The fact that she has become one of the demonblessed is appaling! We shall have to exterminate her as soon as..."
"No...you will not do anything to her." Arzhi said
Cadfael spluttered, but then saw the look Arzhi was giving him. Cadfael felt uneasy around Arzhi now, the tattoos were unsettling. He also noticed how alike they both were now. They both had tattoos covering their bodies, they were both blessed by higher powers, but they were also polar opposites. One was blessed by the Celestials, the other by the Demons.
"She is under the protection of my Mother...something bad might happen to the people that disturb her..." Arzhi continued. Cadfael doubted he was joking.
They acended in the lift in silence, and proceeded to enter the Elders hall. Caradec was waiting for them in the spacious area in the center of the building.
"Ahhh....Cadfael...Arzhi...so good of you to come by." He said softly
"Elder." Cadfael said with a bow
"Hello there." Arzhi said with a wink, Cadfael glared at him.
"Heh...calm down Cadfael." Caradec said with a small laugh. "I gather you have completed your training with us?" Caradec continued
"Yes...I am truly grateful." Arzhi said with a small bow
"Please...it was the least I could do to help the sone of a friend."
"Wait? You know his mother!?" Cadfael said, astonished "What do the other Elders make of this?!"
"They don't. I am the last."
"What!??"
"Calm down Cadfael, I did not call you both here for this. I know that Arzhi will be leaving us soon. And I want you to go with him."
"Wait...what?" Cadfael said, taking a step back
"I want you to accompany Arzhi on his journy. You have lived here since the age of ten. You must see the rest of the world and learn more about it...Just like Arzhi is doing."
"But I am needed here!" Cadfael argued "I cannot just leave!"
"We have healers a-plenty Cadfael." Caradec said "I am not banishing you. I simply ask that you head out into the world and see what it is really like. You will not be alone, Arzhi will be with you. You will be the calm to his storm."
"Oh thanks..." Arzhi muttered
"But...but..." Cadfael stammered, knowing he had lost. No matter how much he complained, he would never be able to say no to Caradec.
"Fine..." He said sullenly
"Wonderful! I wish you two the best of luck on your journy!" Caradec said with a smile.
"Sir? Before we go there is something I must ask." Caradec said
"Yes?"
"What happened to the other Elders?"
"Ah..."
A little while later, Arzhi and Cadfael were in Cadfael's home. Cadfael was bent over his bed, backing a leather backpack.
"It'll be nice to have someone to travel with." Arzhi said
"For you maybe...I don't want to leave."
"If you really don't want to...then why are you?"
Cadfael paused, then carried on packing
"I...I want to see the world...but I do not want to leave...and at the same time, I do not want to go against the wishes of the Elders...Elder."
He walked over to a cabinet and took out several thick glass bottles. One was filled with an odd silver substance that was strangely heavy.
"Woah...what is this?" Arzhi asked, picking up the bottle
"Quicksilver. It's very valuable...and quite useful too."
"Oh really? In what way."
Cadfael straightened and rubbed his eyes.
"My natural magical abilities are all healing based...I cannot defend myself with those. I have been trained to use other spells...but I require physical components to cast them. Quicksilver is the most effective."
"I see...how d'you get it?"
"Cinnabar. Grind Cinnabar into a powder and then heat it. The quicksilver seperates from the dust and you can collect it...but you have to be careful...the fumes are deadly."
"Deadly to who?" Arzhi said with a grin
Soon they were both packed. Arzhi had been given a special saddle for Tochi. It was very comfertable for Arzhi and Tochi. It had plenty of pouches and weapon holders. His bow was strapped to the saddle and he wore his sword on his back. Both he and Cadfael had many provisions tied to their saddles. Cadfael was riding a large dappled grey mare with an oddly intelligent look in it's eyes. He had a shortsword and a fighting dagger by his hips, and the long slender bows used by the Unicorns and the Pegasi strapped to his back. Arzhi was already mounted, but Cadfael was still saying goodbye to Llewelyn.
"I shall miss you Cadfael." The unicorn said, hugging the human "Return to us soon."
"I'll do my best." Cadfael replied, breaking away and smiling.
He headed to his horse and mounted, Arzhi turned Tochi towards the edge of the forest and waved back
"Thank you for all you have done for me!" he called
Vivey, Carell and all his other tutors were there to see him off. They waved back and wished him luck.
Cadfael took one final look back at his home, before turning and riding out of the wood.
Ciarán watched as the two figures left the wood and headed towards the far end of the valley.
"Bring misstress home ssafe..." She whispered