Living Inferno
#15 of Business Venture in Seeds
Cried when I wrote this, it was worse when I dreamt it.
The girl in front of me wiggled a bit, it didn't phase me, I could build this picture of her now without her even there, but she was extremely easy on the eyes.
"Ok Phillip, I have this one, do you have the paper?" I called out to the mage, who appeared carrying the easel with the cleanest of paper on it.
Slowly I eased the magic down, reducing its size without interrupting its pattern, it took a lot of concentration before finally I had it just before the paper, a perfect reproduction of the girl, now standing beside me, the heavy metal collar removed from her neck.
I began working the spell of binding, I couldn't believe I had never thought of working this spell on my art before. The girl would have the most amazing view of course, for her it would appear that an image of herself, living, breathing, suddenly appeared on the paper.
Panting a little at the concentration, I finally tied off and finalised the flow of magic and let it settle onto its new medium. "Thank you Flinta," the older mage said, "for every one I free I want one of these done. Are you still up to it?"
I looked down the long wall, already well covered with pictures of similar matter.
Chuckling, I told him, "I told you I would, but I am taking a journey, to visit the old ferret's grave one last time, can you hold up shop without me until then?"
"Of course little sister, of course." he replied.
-
I travelled with a caravan heading to the next city over, as I had with my old master all those years ago, they had tried to demand a payment from me for the journey but when I advised them I was a member of the Council of Magi they relented and welcomed me along, if not with open arms then at least without hostility.
The journey out was slow and lonely, my little fox had lived a long life, but short compared to a mage, who aged much slower than a normal human.
Paying my respects, I crafted a moving picture of the old man, gave it more life and movement than any I had ever done before, finally embedding it into the headstone of his grave, before wrapping that rock in spells so potent no mage would risk the effort to untangle them just for the sake of grave robbing.
I found a caravan heading back, but was informed it was not travelling all the way. Laughing at this I secured extra rations and told them to take me as far as they could.
"Are you sure you don't want to go on with us to Harista? You could find a caravan from there, these lands are not safe for a lone traveller, even a mage." the chief merchants wife said to me, trying to coax me to stay with them. They had been exceedingly friendly and I actually felt for the first time to belong to a family-like unit.
"No, I need to get back, my brother has a task for me that I don't want to shirk out on." I said ruefully, "Thank you for all you have done, its been a wonderful trip."
We kissed chastely and I shouldered my pack and headed out, cutting through the forest would cut days from my trek.
-
The third day of travel saw me deep in the forest, making my way on foot, admiring the world around me as though for the first time.
My only warning, as much of a warning as it was, was a sharp sting to my leg that rendered it instantly weak and began a heat that gathered within me.
I cried out as I fell to my side, struggling to get out of the pack even as I felt another sting on my arm.
Again and again the wasp circled me, now that I could see it, stinging any limb that moved until I was laying on my back panting, only my head still free to move.
Even as I thought it the thing darted down and stabbed its sharp stinger into the side of my muzzle and I felt my face slacken ever as the heat continued to build within me.
I could still feel everything, particularly when the largish wasp landed on my belly, and poked around, walking lower down my body.
Without warning it began stinging around my groin, again and again it stabbed down, causing the heat of its sting to begin an inferno in my sex.
Catching scent of my arousal it seemed different, odd somehow, not quite right.
Memories of the teachings of my old master came back now, of some of the unusual creatures of the land. If I could scream then I would have as I recalled what this wasp was doing now was using my bodies scent, tainted with its poison, to call its mate to us.
It wasn't long, no more than ten minutes, when I felt another wasp alight on me, moving closer to the first one before I felt the combined weight of them for a few moments.
Trying to yell, scream or even just whimper, I could not get out the words, 'Someone, please save me.'
The female advanced up me now, buzzing its wings occasionally before finally alighting on my muzzle. I could see it, a nasty angry red colour with white banded stripes, just like the picture I had seen in that book.
It raised its rear then, over my left eye which I could do nothing but scrunch shut.
Softly, almost lovingly, four of its legs made contact with my eye lids, slowly angling them apart, leaving me staring upwards at its raised rear.
I couldn't look away as it descended, I saw then the small lump near the end of it as it got closer and closer. Just before it made contact I wrenched my eye ball to the side, not wanting to lose my sight immediately to its incursion.
Pain lanced from my eye ball, I managed a slight gasping wheeze, the best scream I could under its powerful muscle relaxant. It pushed its ovipositor deeper, getting into the jelly like mass within, depositing its load. As it withdrew I felt it squirt something around the hole it made, seeming to fill it.
Without warning the thing buzzed away, leaving me screaming in my own private hell, the pain in my eye unbearable, still paralysed by its toxins.
After no more than a thirty second of the day later my muscles finally started to respond and I managed to begin to move again, moment by moment I became more able to walk.
Without thinking, without any feeling of sorrow at all, I summoned my most powerful element, scorching the land for a mile around me, screaming my anger into every strand of the spell, letting it have its way with every tree, every blade of grass, scorching a circle of death down to the dirt, then burning even that.
Slowly, the scream and anger flowed from me as I realised there was nothing I could do, any attempt to remove the egg from my eye would result in a lot more pain and me losing the eye.
Growling I reached down for my pack, intending to go on when I realised it was gone, along with every stitch of my clothing. I was the only thing not vaporised within that circle of devastation.
I set off at a march, growling and cursing under my breath.
I lived off the land for three days, it put life back in perspective, even as the sight in my left eye slowly diminished, growing darker and darker as the larval wasp grew.
Promises of the agony and death I would bring to the wasp as it hatched from my eye died on my lips as I felt another sting, again in my leg.
Screaming this time, bringing my power out immediately, I tried to lance out at the thing but it was too quick, sticking me in my shoulders, causing my arms to go limp.
Again it performed its horrid mating ritual, calling its mate, again it laid an egg, this time in my good eye.
As the toxin wore off, it wasn't anger that took me, but sorrow. I would lose everything soon.
Onward I stalked, ever closer to the city, ever nearer to blindness.
Two days after that, I felt the almost constant movement in my left eye became frantic and with a lot of pain I felt the wasp tear its way free, dancing from my flailing arms. I drew my power then but realised one thing, I could not wield it, with my right eyes vision reduced down to barely seeing shadows I was unable to grasp and form the threads of magic.
I lay there, crying and whining, growing weaker, days passing as the world became a black emptiness.
The pain of the second wasp tearing free was expected now, and couldn't make me feel any worse.
Not sure how, I sensed something behind me, hunting me. Rising to my feet I began to run, as fast as I could, fear my companion for the first time since my teacher had purchased me from the slave pens.
I felt its claws dig into my shoulder even as its teeth came down on the other as I tumbled to the ground.
It didn't kill me, it had paused, the forest was not just quiet with the wariness of a predator present, it was dead silent, something was really wrong.
Hearing the wheezing chuckle of a troll, I suddenly knew why, trolls don't hunt alone, they hunt in packs.
The big cat, its touch suddenly identifying it as such, pressed close to me, the bond of predator and prey suddenly broken and replaced with that of two prey caught in the same trap.
Which of us reached out first, I am unsure, but all of a sudden, I felt the cats mind press against mine in a union that was only possible with the amount of magic that continually passed through me.
Darkness exploded into sight as my mind reached out desperately, and I found myself seeing my own face, a slight swirling aura of magic around it.
I gasped then, I had never heard of a bond forged like this, the cats mind felt smug, his thoughts reaching out to me, ~"That is because no one has ever bonded with me before."~ he told me with pride, his mind only conveying the thought.
I laughed, saying out loud, "Well great fighter, if you would just keep your head steady I will deal with these annoyances and we can explore this link a bit further." the cat looked at my curiously.
~"If you can kill them my pet then please do so, they smell terrible."~ his mind, closer now, told me.
I just smiled.
The power poured into my hands, I could see it clearly with the cats assistance, I wrought it into death and heat, then set it lose.
~"My my, such a good little pet you are too my puppy, I think I shall definitely keep you around."~ he told me, sounding happy with what I had done.
I was tired and hungry, as was he, so he purred, ~"I will be back with meat for you my little puppy, just wait here pet."~
I know I shouldn't have let him treat me like that, but I also knew I needed him more than he needed me, so I submitted to his mental jibes with good grace.
As I lay down I realised I could still see through him and with a laugh I drew magic not to myself, but into him. ~"What is this? What are you doing?"~ he sounded more intrigued than worried.
"I am making your life easier, since you hunt to feed me, I will help you in the hunt." I told him, feeling around with the power. It was his senses that found the deer first though, and as he took off after it I struck, wrapping the deer's legs in a snaring spell.
~"My little pup, that is most useful, but it is nowhere near as much fun. Next time at least let them run a bit further before doing that."~ he said to me, teeth digging tightly into the poor creatures neck.
-
I am not sure the date, I know I have been with him a while, I try and steer him toward the city, but he doesn't like it, says, 'there is not enough game there.' I don't have much say in it.
We hunted together now, all the time, he had gotten the hang of keeping me in his sight and I had learned just how much chasing he liked to do before he captured his prey, but every time, no matter if I let it go on and on or cut it short, there was always something to grouse about to me. ~"The problem is my pup, you are not a cat, its as simple as that." he told me one day, none the less we curled up together every evening, his purrs the greatest comfort I could ever have.
I smelled them first, furrs, ahead in a large clearing, but there was more to it.
~"That is a bad place, females can't go there, its bad."~ the cat told me.
I pressed my muzzle to him, "Indulge me." I replied.
He sighed. I had learnt cats could get very good at sighing, particularly when you gave them no choice in a matter.
Getting closer I felt magic in the air, not strong, certainly nothing like what I had put on my old masters grave, but it was there and it would keep out most small pests, like the wasps for instance.
Weaving a 'pierce', I leaned my power through it, pushing in, but not disturbing the web of its creation and as we passed it didn't even register our presence. I removed the gap behind me, leaving the web pristine again. 'A spider couldn't do as fine a job of repair as that' I thought to myself.
Creeping closer in the grass I eventually saw them and couldn't believe my eyes. In the clearing, a bunch female furs were hard at work, grinding down small rock like things, while others sat on a bench, their backs to us, talking. All were naked.
Suddenly, one of the ones on the bench, a skunk, rose to her feet, stretched and took a large milk jug over to where the others were grinding, doing something with the contents before heading to the other side of the clearing, only to walk into a bush that seemed to come alive and started...
I blushed, "Is that why?" I asked the cat.
No words, just a feeling of assent from him.
"Nothing for it then, you wait here my brother." I whispered to him, "Be my eyes, in case anything happens."
Again, that feeling, but combined with one that I knew meant he would not let me down. I tried to radiate the same back to him.
Crawling forward, seeing myself move away from my vision spot, I stood, thankfully the vertigo I had first felt at such optically odd situations was no longer a problem.
The ones working the grinding machine were first to raise the alarm but the response was fast and focused.
One of them, a serval, started drawing power and as I watched I tried not to laugh, she was obviously the one who had set the web, and it was likely the most powerful spell she could cast.
"I don't mean any harm, I was ju-" I began when one of them, a youngish fox, cut me off.
"By the Goddess what happened to your eyes?" she exclaimed.
Reaching a paw to the side of my muzzle, but not wanting to touch the spot, I replied, "Eyebane wasps. Got both of them." I sighed, "I don't suppose any of you is a healer? It could probably do with some attention."
Suddenly my vision faltered and swung around, a large, wild wolf was looking right at my brother.
"Come out, they know you're there now." I said, seeing his movement in the first person as he padded over to me.
"Over here, sit down. Kren, get some water and that bottle of number six juice." the bigger fox said, "My names Krix by the way." she held out a paw, not thinking of my blindness until it was already proffered.
I smiled, "Flinta, my name's Flinta." I said, taking her paw to her surprise. It was then I felt it, deep within her. "Krix, you're a Mod?" I asked.
She instantly went defensive, "I, uh, how..." she tried to reply, taken off guard.
"It's ok, I am too. Eight years under a collar." I smiled to her, "It's good to have it gone isn't it?"
Smiling now, "Yeah, it is good." the young Kren returned with a jug of fruit juice and a big bowl of water. "Drink this, a mouthful should do." she offered me the juice.
I took a swig from the jug and handed it back, instantly feeling my head start to fuzz, "Wa... wahts in dat shtuff?" I slurred.
The big fox just smiled, "Ren, love, can you and Jen hold her down while I do this?"
I would like to say I gritted my teeth and had control of the pain, but it would be a lie, I screamed and whined and whimpered and screamed some more.
Eventually, the effect of the juice wearing off, the pain fading slowly now, the nerves it had originated from were severed but my brain still insisted that the pain was there. Kren leaned in and lifted the jug to my lips, pouring a lot more than a mouthful into me.
-
As I woke, I saw the sun was up. 'Still or again?' my mind asked silently.
~"That would be again little pup."~ a voice purred into my mind.
He shifted then, beside me, and I felt his eyes open. He was so close our muzzles were almost touching.
I lay there a while yet, just letting the warmth of the day soak into us. I heard soft happy sounds coming from the women, hard at work again, although the sounds came not from those working but from those giving themselves to the bushes.
Feeling my curiosity rise, similar to his own, my brother wandered over to watch them, letting me find out covertly what was happening.
I must admit, it looked pretty fun, at least everyone in the embrace of the plants seemed pretty happy about it. As we watched, one by one they were set back on shaky legs by the bushes to wander over to the bench, sit down and, to my astonishment, let their bodies spit the seeds the plant had obviously stuffed into them into the milk cans.
Begging my brother to look closer, I noticed the cans were enchanted slightly and I was busy examining them when I overheard the conversation.
"... we going to do with her? She can't go loose, she knows far too much Krest and I just wouldn't feel right killing her. Do you think she would be willing to work?" the sable asked the skunk.
"Give her a day or two Zoe, let her get sorted with her eyes. Did you notice she seems to be able to see ok most of the time? She shook Kren's paw and everything, other tim... its the cat!" she spun and looked at my brother.
I sighed, this would take explaining, "Brother, please watch me." I spoke out loud, instantly his vision was on me. "Yes, it is him," I said loud enough for them to hear, "I was blinded, he was about to make me his meal when he was interrupted by a tribe of trolls. Needless to say our changed roles made us a little closer and..." I saw they disbelieved that was the whole story, "Ok, this might help." I brought power to me then, wrapping it around myself in a dress of flame, a flame that didn't even brown the grass I was standing in. "Believe me now?"
"Crest, that's more power than I have ever seen someone draw, she is not just a student she must be a member of the Council." the sable said.
I nodded, "Correct on all counts." I admitted, "As to your offer, what exactly is it you are doing here?" I asked.
Crest smiled broadly, "Harvesting Bliss." she said with a big grin.
I gawked, Bliss, the most harmless, most expensive drug on the market was harvested like this? "The seeds, you grind them down to the powder, but..." I ran some sums quickly, "That wouldn't be enough, the last wave of that stuff to hit the city was a monstrous quantity, more than you could gather here in a year."
Crest nodded, "There's an alchemist who makes a little go a long way, over nine tenths of the stuff on the street is castor sugar. If they actually sold the raw stuff there would be nothing left of the city but sore groins."
Thinking about it I asked, "When do you head back to the city?"
"Two weeks we will be done here, why?" the sable asked back.
"I need to get back and my brother here" I scritched the big cats ears, "cannot be persuaded to go anywhere near it, and I am helpless without him."
"Tell you what, you work here, two weeks. You can have a hundred gold and a free ride back. How does that sound?" Crest asked me.
"Sounds like," I said, turning my head at the muffled cries of several of their companions, already in the plants embrace, "fun."
I am confused, is what the wasp did considered sex? I think I may have just made the first 'clean' rated Oviposition story ever...