Arcanum - Of Steamwork and Magic Ch. 13

Kneeling down, I yanked his gag off and Virginia began to cut the bindings. The gnome – Cyrus, I presumed – coughed and spluttered once his mouth was free. "Thank the gods!" he gasped out, his eyes wide. "That bastard finally went and did it!"

"Who did what?" I asked as Virginia cut his feet free. Cyrus stood, then immediately fell. I caught him before he could crash face first into the ground and stood, helping him keep his feet. His face was a mask of pain, and I could see why: His fingers and his feet had turned nearly black with the loss of circulation. Virginia began to press her hands to his side, and healing magick flowed through his body. As the magick did its work, Cyrus explained his predicament.

"The ogre – Orok Black Tusk," Cyrus said. "He's been living in this cave for years, never hurt anyone. But he gets so very hungry, and sometimes, he comes about my house, rattles the windows. I've scared him off before, but this time..." He shook his head. "He carried me off, and has been working for the right time to eat me whole."

"A half-ogre!?" Virginia asked, her eyes wide.

"No, a full ogre!" Cyrus hissed.

"And you didn't tell anyone?" I asked.

"I didn't need help!" Cyrus snapped.

"Fee...fi...foe...fum..." A bass voice rumbled from the front of the cave. "Who has freed the gnomish one?"

I stepped away from Cyrus, lifting my pistol. The shape filling the end of the cave was everything I had seen in Sally, exaggerated to a grotesque extreme. I had had no idea how much human blood was expressed within a half-ogre until I saw the lack. Black Tusk was nearly twice the height of Sally, and even more muscular. Lit by the pale glow of Virginia's cantrip, his face was hideously broad and squashed. He looked almost malformed. I did not quite aim my weapon at him. Instead, I called out to him.

"Black Tusk...this does not need to end in bloodshed," I said.

Black Tusk considered these words. Then he roared and charged at me. His feet hammered into the ground and the ceiling shook with the weight of him. Dust pattered down as I fired two shots into his chest. The accelerator pistol bucked in my arm and slammed into his chest, staggering the ogre as he sprinted forward. Blood painted the walls and ceiling behind him. But rather than falling, despite the massive holes ripped through his body by the hyper-accelerated bullets, Black Tusk merely roared and swung at my head. Virginia's blade passed through the air with a darting swiftness, hewing him to the wrist bone before her blade caught.

Black Tusk jerked his hand back and roared, the blade sticking from his arm like a splinter. I dove to the side, firing round after round at him. Two missed, but one struck his belly, staggering the beast as he shook himself. Virginia, once my firing had ceased, leaped forward and took hold on the hilt of her blade. She jerked it free with a scream of fury and then brought it slamming into Black Tusk's thigh. When she ripped the tip free, blood poured into the floor in great, gouting spurts. Black Tusk backhanded her, but the blow lacked strength and merely sent her rolling away with a groan.

I fired two more shots into his chest, centered around his left lung. Black Tusk opened his maw and black blood dripped along his chin and pattered to the floor – before he wobbled, then at last, fell face first to the ground.

"Virginia!" I shouted over the ringing in my ears.

"Quite all right, sir!" she shouted back.

I turned to face Cyrus, smiling at hi. "Are you able to walk, sir?"

He nodded, slightly.

In the ringing silence, he said: "Remind me to never anger any of you adventuring sorts."

***

Leeks held out the sheathed blade to me and I took it, feeling the lightness and grace of the weapon, even with the weight of leather bearing it down. I smiled. "I believe I know a gentlewoman who will find this of great use," I said, thinking of Gillian.

"I'm just glad the old bugger is all right," Leeks said, his voice gruff. "And...thank you." He nodded. "What's your name boy?"

"Rayburn Cog," I said inclining my head to him. Leeks nodded his head back to me and I turned to go. Virginia had headed back to the tavern to drop off the loot we had found within the ogre's cave – while he had clearly withstood the impulse to eat the gnomish wizard, he had not restrained himself when it came to predating on other travelers. The number of humanoid bones we found, mixed with the odds and ends that were salable, made my heart sick. Not only at the loss of life, but on...a haunting reminder that sometimes, bigots were right.

But...not about me.

And not about Sally.

No. Not about anyone. I shook my head. I had to believe that. If I didn't, then...what was I doing any of this for?

So absorbed was I in this thought that I barely noticed that I was about to walk into another person before I did. I started backwards as the other individual flailed brightly clad limbs and let out a squawk of surprise. I caught their wrist and stopped their fall before they plunged into the dirt – then blinked in surprise. For the person I had bumped into was a woman. And as she tossed her head to send her hood skirting back behind her head, I realized that she was a beautiful woman. Her face was heart shaped and welcoming, while her hair was luxuriously thick and curly and the same hue as a golden dawn. Her eyes were the blue of her robes, and...those robes, now that I could actually take them in, were cut...

Sheer.

Extremely sheer.

Which meant it was quite easy for me to see that her breasts were nearly the size of Sally's – and quite a bit more perky. Her rump was thick and heart shaped and taut like a drum, while her thighs and her shoulders both formed the base and the top of an hourglass, the center being her belly. She was, in a word, the ideal put forth by magazines and dock workers as the perfect woman. I liked to say that I had a broader mind than most of the human race – but even I had to admit...

Damn.

"I beg your pardon," I said, bowing to her.

She beamed at me with the force and dazzling brilliance of the noon day sun. "Oh, do not worry about it, brother," she said, her voice a cheerful one. "How are you enjoying Stillwater, the home of peace and harmony?"

I chuckled, softly. "Isn't it famous for its swords?"

The blond girl laughed. "Oh, but those swords are made with love, aren't they Leeks?" She called this to the blacksmith, who looked at her. His expression was sour – but it was the playful sourness of a man trying to seem gruff to impress a girl. She looked back to me, her smile growing wider. "And they are used to smite evil, are they not?"

I inclined my head. "That's a fair point, my lady."

"Oh! Please!" She laughed. "Call me Bridgette. Come with me, brother!" She took my hand and suddenly, I found myself dragged after her – heading towards a large, broad building that had the look of a church. Though, unlike the Panarii temples I had seen, this was not made of stone. Rather, it had been recently fashioned of wood, and as we came through the front doors, I saw that the interior of the building was decorated with braziers for heat and a faintly musky incense, broad pillows, cushions, and silken sheets.

"You do seem to be in a cheerful mood," I said, a bit nervously. What was this place?

Bridgette stopped as if she had been slapped. Her voice breathed out in a slow sigh and she shook her head. "Your words are very kind, stranger," she said.

"Ray. Rayburn Cog," I said, quietly as she turned to face me. Her eyes brightened and once more, that huge smile was beamed in my direction.

"What a lovely name!" she said, happily. "But...I'm sorry I'm so down and depressed..." Her smile went from sun like in its brightness to merely incandescent. "I am trying my best to stay happy and joyful, as stated in the teachings of my goddess, Geshtianna. But...I am filled with sorrow instead." her smile actually faded to nearly nothing. She turned, then opened a door at the back of the temple, showing me a beautiful garden – containing a large stone altar that seemed more like a bed than a religious structure. Behind the alter was a circular plinth that looked strangely barren. She pointed to the plinth, and her voice grew soft. "The statue of our goddess has been stolen."

I admit.

I had a hard time noticing any of these details, for Bridgette had stepped forward enough that I could easily see the perfect form of her rump, which was clearly outlined by the incredibly sheer, thin fabric of her robes.

I coughed. "I believe I, uh, can find this statue for-"

Bridgette tackled me. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders and squeezed me tightly as she molded her breasts to my chest, nuzzling her nose against my neck. She murmured against me, her voice a breathy promise of things to come. "Oh thank you, Rayburn Cog. Thank you thank you thank you..." She drew back, her hands sliding along my chest as she beamed at me. "If you do, the goddess will bless you. Of that I can promise you." Her eyes became quite...deep as they met mine.

"Oh." I coughed. "Uh, how?"

She beamed. "By filling your heart with such joy that all others will find you as beautiful as I do!"

I nodded, a bit awkwardly. "Which is...everyone. Right? You find everyone beautiful?"

"Of course!" she said.

I grinned, somewhat ruefully. "Let me go hunting for the statue." I paused. "Does it have any properties? Anything that might make it easy to track?"

"Oh, no, none," Bridgette said, shaking her head. I frowned, slightly. Well, that made my job somewhat harder. "Well, other than making any who have it in their possession unbelievably beautiful thanks to the blessings of our goddess!"

"Ah!" I said.

"And you want us here to help why?" Virginia asked me as I took my seat on the edge of the Stillwater Giant statue's base. She, Sally, 'Magnus' and Gillian were all seated in similar ways, all of them looking out at the villagers who were walking by. It seemed taking a constitutional upon the statue's broad, granite base was quite normal, for none gave us more than a passing glance.

"This statue's magic is unclear to me," I said. "Does it work on only the members of the opposite sex? If so, I'd want women here to see the effect if it was stolen by a man. If it was stolen by a woman, then I and Magnus can spot the change. If it effects both equally, then more eyes are better than just mine. And, finally, if it is magickal in nature, having magickal eyes – such as yours – would do a high sight better than just my pair." I smiled at Virginia.

She nodded. Then, faux jealousy: "So, how did this Bridgette woman look."

I coughed. "Ah, look, more farmers in from the field!"

We sat there as the sun slowly drifted by, clouds coming and clouds parting. People came and went, and the time seemed to drag on its hands and knees. I considered the events of the past few months – juggling together pieces and clues, trying to find some coherent picture. But none yet had come to form. And so, I simply thought of the adventures I'd had...and realized that I would not trade them for the world. While my life had been in danger many times, my life had been in danger before. But before, I had been merely a half-orc living on the edge of society, by my wits and by my gun. But now? Now I was someone.

That was worth it all, really.

"Oh my," 'Magnus' squeaked, her voice nearly breaking with excitement. Sally snapped her head up and let out a very wolfish whistle. Gillian's brow furrowed and she looked like she was ready to reprimand the sailor ogre for her crassness – but then Gillian squeaked and her green skin turned nearly black with a flush. Virginia simply gaped. Even Dogmeat – who was sprawled on his belly beneath our feet – lifted his head, then started to pant excitedly. I followed their sightlines and saw...

Uh...

Oh my.

I had only been tempted by the crime of sodomy once before – unlike my old friend Don Throgg, who had been a complete reprobate when it came to such things. In fact, the man who had tempted me such had been Don, something I had never had the courage to admit to before he had been shot and left for dead. But this man? This man did far more than tempt me to sodomy. He tempted me to be the victim, so to speak. It was hard to place my finger on exactly why he was so mouth-wateringly desirable. It was not the face, which was potato shaped and squat nosed. It was not his eyes, those were watery and indecisive. Nor was it his chest, which was neither muscled nor lean.

In fact...it was nothing about his person.

"He's just hot," Sally said, quietly.

"Yeah," Virginia said, coughing. "S-Sir, you can watch if..." her finger went to the collar of her chain-mail suit.

"He's got," I said.

Each woman blinked.

The transformation on their faces was as stark and sudden as their initial expression had been, though each showed differently. 'Magnus' practically vanished into her faux-beard and started to grumble as gruffly and in as masculine a manner as she could contrive. Virginia scowled. Sally looked faintly wistful, as if she was trying to recapture the wanton feelings she had felt before and was somewhat loathe to admit that she couldn't. Gillian, meanwhile, assembled an expression of pure haughty disdain.

"What are we going to do to him?" she asked, her voice as chill as Stillwater during the winter.

"Nothing," I said. "Well. Talk. We're going to talk to him."

I stood, brushing my hands along the seat of my pants.

"Talk?" Sally asked, miming a masturbatory gesture. "Or...talk?" she punched her knuckles into her palm with a sound more similar to a meat cleaver plunging into a chunk of beef.

"Just talk," I said.

Sally frowned.

I smiled. "If he proves to be an uncouth lout in person, then you may..." I slammed knuckle to palm.

Sally beamed.

Together, we followed the mysteriously attractive gentleman through the town of Stillwater to his house, which was situated at the edge of town on nearly the direct opposite edge from the unlucky gnome Cyrus. I waited until he had entered before I darted out from the alleyway I had stopped in. I stepped up to the door and rapped on it with my knuckles and a short moment later, the door opened and I found myself face to face with the unsightly beauty. Breaking the line of sight and seeing him once more had proved to be a tactically poor decision, for it allowed the beautiful blessing around him to smite me as fiercely as it had before.

However, the expression of sudden terror on his face helped to jar me out of my sudden infatuation. Seeing fright on the face of someone I was about to seduce was never arousing. He started to close the door, but instead I slid my foot forward, catching the door before it fully shut.

"We must talk, sir," I said. "About the statute."

His face fell...but I smiled at him, holding up my hands. "I'm not here to fight you about it. I just want to talk."

The man's eyes wavered...and then he opened the door. "Come in," he said, his voice a husky groan. I stepped inside, glancing over my shoulder at my women, who waited at a safe distance. I shot Virginia a look that she immediately grasped and she held out her hand to stop Sally from charging in after me. The door shut and I saw the interior of the house had little to recommend it: The walls were simple wood, and the bed was only barely large enough for the man himself. There was, however, a door to a room in the back which looked like...well, the most fuckable door in the history of Arcanum. I could imagine myself sliding my tongue along every inch of that splintery surface, grinding my hard green member against the knots and the gnarls in the frame...I...

I shook my head.

Seeing my look, he smiled sheepishly. "Y-Yeah. It's back there."

I sighed. "Well, lets begin with introductions then." I held my hand out to him. "Rayburn. Rayburn Cog."

The man looked at my hand as if it were a threat. Then he took it. "Marley," he sad. "Marley Jacobson."

I nodded. "So, why did you steal the statue, Marley."

He gestured to his face. "Look at me, Mr. Cog. I'm less likely to woo the lassies than you are – and you're a greenskin!" He shook his head slightly. "For my whole life, I've been mocked and scorned and spat at. I've never had any chance. Any luck. Nothing at all! I've never had any love before I stole the statue."

"That's a sorry story, old boy," I said, shaking my head. "Rejection is a heavy weight to bear."

Marley blinked. "Oh. Uh. Yeah." He looked slightly shifty.

My brow furrowed. "You...you did ask women, yes? To go for walks in the park, or to take them to the tavern?"

Marley's voice contained an edge of a whine. "They'd never have said yes."

"They never say yes if you never ask!" I said, shaking my head. "Marley, old boy, women are never going to be interested in a man who is full of wheedling, whining and recriminations. Even men who are less handsome can win by on personality, conversation, wit! Confidence can carry the day farther and more surely than good looks."

"Easy for you to say..." he muttered. Then, quietly. "The Geshtiannaites want their statue back, don't they?"

I took his shoulder, squeezing. "Aye, they do, Marley. But this need not be a grim end for you." I smiled. "Bridgette said she would bless me for returning the statue. A blessing that will make me seem more beautiful than before. She's a generous and kind soul – I wager if I ask her to bless you, she'll do just that."

Marley's eyes widened. "Really?"

"And!" I said. "I can show you some tips and advice-"

"To gain the hearts of women!?" Marley gasped.

I shook my head. "No, Marley." I squeezed his shoulder again. "The only person who can give you the heart of a woman is the woman in question." I grinned. "Rather, I'll try and show you how I carry myself with confidence – that and a blessing should get you lucky at least once."

Marley smiled at me. "Really?"

"I swear upon it as a man of honor," I said.

Marley sniffed, then threw his arms about me, hugging me tightly. I sagged slightly under his weight as he buried his face into my shoulders, weeping openly. I held him gently, then patted his back, smiling slightly. "It's okay, let it out, let it out."

Once Marley had wept out several years of frustration and humiliation, he opened the back door of his house and there, I beheld the statue of Geshtianna. I and Marley stood there, looking at the brilliant golden formation of carved muscle and flesh, forming into an echo of the hourglass perfection of Bridgette, with long tresses of golden hair spilling along her back, silver-capped nipples carved to be perfectly erect, a golden labia carved with an elven purity. I coughed softly, feeling a curious mixture of emotions roiling inside of me.

"...yeah..." Marley said quietly. "It's, uh, actually quite pleasant too-"

"You cleaned it, right?" I asked, my voice tight.

"E-Every time!" Marley said.

Marley had stolen the statue via a small cart and a wooden box. Loading the golden statue into said box and then dragging the statue out made things easy – but as I emerged from the house, I was nearly immediately mobbed by my entire party. Sally pressed against my left, Virginia to my right, while Maggie and Gillian crowded up to my front. Sally's breasts nearly enveloped my head as Virginia purred in my ear. "Hello, sir," she said, her voice freighting the honorific with a kind of submissive warmth that set my ears nearly aflame – especially when paired with Sally's finger coiling through my hair.