Breaking the Rules Pt. 02

"You're a better woman than I," Nuru said.

"Damn right," she giggled. "I just have this one weakness called Nuru to get rid of... Now hush."

The gentle breeze tore away the nearly-inaudible heavy breaths they were both taking, and the wet sounds of their skin contact below the waist. A party of two, both rangers, walked by having their own quiet conversation. They looked over, eyebrows raised in curiosity, but turned away and said nothing. Minutes later, a raucous party of Level Elevens walked by in the other direction, apparently not even noticing. They might have been fresh out of the gate from Home Town, just like Nuru - they were absorbed enough in their sharing of lore that they might have missed an entire pack of direwolves, had there been one.

"Hnng... goddess, that's good," Nuru said, as the voices faded away.

"I really am the best, aren't I?" Katlego gloated, squeezing him hard inside, making him curl his fingers into the dirt. "Quiet, now."

A squad of Blue Sun paladins came by, in matching armor sets.

"Caught a runner, eh?" one of them said. "Need any help?"

"I've got it," Katlego said, waving her hand dismissively.

"You sure? He's bigger than you are."

"And I'm twice his level. You're not going anywhere, are you, miserable little creep."

"Come on, I'll get you the money, just let me go!" Nuru said, trying to play along.

"You know it's not about money!" Katlego growled, reaching over a pinching a pressure point on the side of his knee.

"Yipe!" Nuru squeaked, squirming uncomfortably.

"What do you think, should we stay and watch?" another of the paladins said.

"This does look amusing," a third said.

"Guys, I hate to be a downer, but relishing in pain is unbecoming of a holy warrior," a fourth said.

The rest of the squad groaned.

"Why you always gotta be wise so *quickly*, Cayman?"

"I swear, the lot of you would be carousing in a whorehouse before the day was out if I weren't around to remind you not to," Cayman said.

"Hey now, watch your language. There's a lady present."

"A lady? She's a thief," Cayman said.

"That may be, but she's got Nyala's House emblem. Like it or not, she's on our side."

"Gentlemen, don't make me add you to my dishonor list. I'll have to come _find_ you when I'm done punishing this one here," Katlego said, giving them a thousand-yard stare.

"Er, uh, beggin' your pardon miss!"

"Yeah! Meant no offense, honest."

"We'll just leave you to your business," Cayman said.

"Damn, Cayman, you're supposed to be the polite one..."

"Hey, it's not impossible but it's an uncommon faction-class combination," Cayman said, looking over his shoulder defensively at her.

They double-timed it out of earshot.

Katlego bubbled over with laughter once they were gone, every movement of her chest clenching her around Nuru's penis and bouncing her up and down just enough to put him over the edge.

"Nrgh...grah!"

This sent her into even harder peals of laughter, and finally sent her into a deep shuddering climax as well.

"Admit it, your life would be so boring without me," Katlego whispered at him sideways.

"I've never said otherwise," Nuru said with a heavy exhale.

"Mm... it is good to be appreciated, sometimes. So maybe I've give you one more before I go - if you can be quick about it."

"Quick the second time? I dunno..."

"I think I hear someone coming. Once they reach us, I'm leaving."

"Faster, then. Please!?"

"Since you ask so nicely..." she turned and faced him directly, straddling him with one knee up at her chest and the other curled in his armpit.

She churned him harder and harder, and he passed the point of no return just as he was hearing the voices of people approaching nearby.

"Urgh... yes!" he choked out. "I'm-!"

Katlego stood up quickly and vanished, leaving the second through sixth spurts to fall on his shirt and what was left of his pants.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Nuru whispered to himself, furiously stroking himself to milk that orgasm for all it was worth.

He'd hoped to be able to get up and leave before whoever it was reached him. The clank of heavy armor told him it was too late, though. He turned away from the road so that at least they wouldn't see the state of his clothing in the front.

"Hey... is that a body?"

"No, he's still breathing."

"Yo, you OK man?"

"I'm alright," he called out. "Just... overexerted myself. I'll be fine in a minute."

One of them snorted.

"Git good, noob!"

"I know, I know..."

They passed by laughing and probably pointing, clearly making fun of him under their breath. Once he'd calmed a bit, he got up, dusted himself off, and went just far enough away from the road to be able to change his clothes. He'd not changed into his gift pants from Makena just yet, hoping to find some matches for it first; now he had no choice but to use them. Oddly, that wasn't what bothered him the most.

"Dammit, woman. What is your real name!?"

/Relax. Let her have that secret. If you start calling her by her faction-familiar name, this fantasy I'm building for her might fall apart. She'll think you're gonna rat her out to her bosses./

(I don't need to call her by it - I just want to know it. I feel like I'll know her better.)

/That knowledge may cost you dearly, though I'll concede the potential blackmail value./

*****

The road to Sapphire City started off mundane. This did not stop Nuru from relishing the simple change in scenery; he'd been looking forward to seeing new places, and there were new kinds of trees and bushes, though similar to that which he saw in Home Town where he'd grown up, the joy of simply seeing different terrain made him giddy with excitement. Some distance down the road, he was overtaken by a wagon.

"Hey there," a man said.

"Good day," Nuru replied.

"Headed to Sapphire City?"

"That's right."

"Need a lift?"

"Oh, I'm sure I'm fine."

"Really? Level Eleven travelling all by yourself? Come on, why don't you hop in? I'd hate for you to hit a Random Encounter without any backup."

"Well... alright."

"Name's Jaz."

"Nuru."

"I'm Chiamaka!" a voice from the back called out.

"And I'm Monifa!" a younger voice added.

Nuru waved over his shoulder at the two girls.

"My... daughters," Jaz said, shushing them. "Don't get too excited girls, he's not coming back with us."

"Why not? We never have visitors-" Monifa said, but her father cut her off.

"No. My apologies, it is not that we are inhospitable - it is just that our household is a bit... overwhelming."

"Father, he carries a drum. Perhaps he could help you with-"

"Girls! Chiamaka! What have I told you about discussing family business in front of strangers!"

"Sorry, daddy."

"I... ah... that is a lovely drum. Do you play it?" Jaz asked, trying to fill the awkward silence.

"I do. I'm a bit low on my skills and spells, but I've got a decent start," Nuru said.

"Play us a road song!" Monifa squealed.

"Yes, will you please?" Chiamaka said more softly.

Jaz sighed. "If you wish, it might calm their poor grace for a bit."

"It does make the road go by," Nuru agreed.

He played a simple beat for the mules. Not much happened until he cast his spell.

"!Tasiri motsin zuciyarmu!" he whispered.

The change was subtle, but noticeable over time. The mules all moved in tandem, and the rocking of the cart diminished as they all started pulling smoothly together. The pace may have picked up just slightly, but Jaz reined them in without comment and perhaps even notice. A mile down the road, however, and Monifa just couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Daddy, he's fixed the mules!"

"Dearest, they weren't broken," Jaz said.

"You can't deny they're better though," Chiamaka said.

"That's what I mean," Monifa groused. "I just didn't have the right word!"

They all fell silent for a minute.

"All right. All right! Quit thinking like that at me," Jaz said.

Nuru looked askance at him over the outburst. "I assure you-" he started.

Jaz waved him away. "Look. I'll never hear the end of it if I don't at least ask. Heavens know these two will have the whole house in an uproar. I have - this problem. Well, an opportunity, really. I don't want to mess it up."

"Go on," Nuru said encouragingly.

"It's my wife. She has a special request for me. We're trying to have a child. Another."

"Oh, good for you!"

"Yes, well, you see... she wants me to- to dance for her. As part of the ritual. The problem is, I'm terrible with rhythms. I can do the moves, but I just don't have my own beat. It just ends up looking bad, and then I feel bad, and then I get self conscious and I- I can't perform. You know, where it counts."

"In bed," Nuru said.

The girls groaned from the back. Jaz ignored them.

"Yes. I - I thought about getting a clock, something with a nice loud ticking sound, but they're so expensive, and I'm really not sure it would be loud enough. I don't suppose..."

"That sounds like a sensitive matter. If you're thinking I could attend, and help you with your dance - have you talked to your wife about it?" Nuru asked.

"Ah, yes, we've discussed some options. I think she would be OK with it, but she'd have to meet you. And that's where it gets tricky. You see our household is... ehm... well, it's complicated."

"Is it dangerous?" Nuru said, scratching his head.

"No, just... confusing, perhaps. Overwhelming, frequently."

"Lots of kids?" Nuru hazarded a guess.

"Among other things."

"Well, as long as it's safe, then I have a simple solution. I simply won't ask questions."

"Truly? In that case, we are headed back home - stopping for a few additional supplies in Sapphire City, and then on the morrow we return. Perhaps if all goes well you will accompany us back. I would pay you for your services of course, although we are not a family of great means. We have much EXP though, for a Level Eleven at least."

"Throw in a meal and I'm your man," Nuru said.

"Hah hah! Yes, that we can do."

"Yayyy!" Monifa squealed again. "Thank you mister Nuru!"

"Hush, child," Chiamaka said.

"Oh you hush yourself," Monifa retorted. "You're not eighteen yet either."

"But I'm your elder, so stuff a sock in it. We've got what we want, don't scare him away now."

"I can be quieter than you. Just watch. I won't say a word until we reach town!"

Nuru and Jaz shared a look, and laughed.

"So tell me about your travels," Nuru said. "I'd share mine but I'm afraid I've hardly been anywhere."

(And I really, really can't talk about it,) he thought to himself.

"We travel by wagon and road because the travel service tarriffs are expensive, particularly for the wagon-friendly passageways, and we return to Way Station for the low-level prices of goods. You would think that would make me well-travelled - but no. In fact, it's usually these same routes, maybe to Ruby City by the bay for seashells and other materials - I'm a carpenter by trade. Those decorative finishes need special parts to really give them that extra something."

"I know what you mean. My father was a carpenter, aspiring to reach master status. He was always going off on those trips, trying to make deals with traveling merchants and other craftsmen. Wanted Blue Sun to sponsor his work. I never got to go with him."

"Oh. It sounds like... how did he...?"

"Zombie outbreak," Nuru said with a wan smile. "My mother, too."

"I'm sorry."

"It was years ago. It's alright," Nuru said. "At least they went together."

"Well, now. Why don't we talk about something lighter? Chiamaka, you're going to be coming with just you and your father to Home Town very soon, taking your class. Have you decided which one yet?" Jaz said.

"We've talked about this, daddy. I think I want to be a ranger."

"And why is that? I mean, at least you've got the sense to stay way back out of the fight, right?"

"Daddy! Rangers get close combat too! They're more DEX than STR is all."

"Alright, but the smart ones get in as many hits from a distance as they can before switching to melee."

"Unless they take the stealth bonuses for their initiative."

"Well, sure. But you can crit from a distance too, you know."

"Daddy, how am I going to get a husband if nobody ever sees me kicking ass?"

"Don't be in too much of a hurry, baby girl. Besides, the battlefield is no place to get a man. Wait 'til you get back to town with your loot, safe and sound."

"But daddy, what about all those stories, the lore you read to Monifa and the others before bed? Olufemi and Nakato met each other in a goblin invasion! They defeated the Salamader Squad all by themselves and lived happily ever after!"

"Those two turned out well, but they needed to choose their party better before the whole quest began, which is how they found each other. Don't take chances like that honey, we only hear the stories of it working out. We never tell you the stories of the people who didn't make it. Maybe we should start."

"Oh daddy, you're so unromantic."

"Your mother won't agree after tomorrow night. Nuru, I just want this to go well. I- it sounds terribly unmanly of me, but it's a big point of personal pride I suppose, after the first few times didn't go the right way. Besides which, we only get to be together like this once every few weeks because- well, never mind why."

"No, I get it, you really want to connect with her, and have something special. I'll see what I can do."

"Right, right."

They all chit-chatted about everything and nothing for the rest of the trip. Nuru hopped off at Sapphire City gates, and promised to meet them there the next day.

"Alright, Chibuzo, where are you?" Nuru muttered to himself. "Let's see, northern outskirts..."

He wandered a bit, then found a roped-off area not far from another road leading North. In the middle a figure sat, in plain robe and wide straw hat.

"Come to see The Guru?" a man asked.

"Is his name Chibuzo?" Nuru asked.

"Well, yes, I suppose, but you're to address him as Guru. Or, preferably, not speak at all, and receive whatever wisdom he wishes to bequeath you, lest he withold his wisdom for a more receptive seeker."

"But what if the burning questions I have are not the burning questions he answers?"

"Perhaps come back another day. If you're short on time, he can sometimes be persuaded to plumb the depths of his grand intellect to address your questions, with a donation in advance."

"Hm, a donation. Which is-"

"No refunds."

"Ah... sure. Well, what about questions he might find interesting?"

"What, like the meaning of life? Please, we're past all that trivial nonsense. He's a proper scholar, tackling concepts you've never heard of."

"Meaning of life, eh? Well, if it's so trivial, what is it then?"

"A seeker who's done any of his fundamental inquiries will know that it is a heuristic drawing from the layer of self known as the id. It is foolish to ask after a logical fallacy such as 'personal philosophy for all men'. It cannot, and does not, exist; to know purpose is to know oneself, rather than a truth of the multiverse."

"Aha. Perhaps I have come to the right place after all," Nuru said, perking up a bit.

"OMMTraveller, approach The Guru," a quiet voice carried across the grass.

"Be brief! The Guru's time is immensely valuable," the man in front of Nuru whispered forcefully.

He walked over to the man sitting on a lavish spread of blankets and cushions, a bowl of food to one side and a pile of clothes and gifts on the other. The Guru sat straight-backed, but relaxed; his eyes were squinted and he stared off into the distance, unseeing.

"OMMWhat... is your name." The man's voice carried an odd manner, not conforming to the usual cadence and tone of conversational questions or statements.

"Nuru."

"Mm. Much like 'Guru.' This pleases us. What... is your quest."

"I seek to know if I have made my faction choice correctly."

"OMMIt hardly matters. Once done, it can very rarely be changed. Why would you question it now."

"My road ahead is hard. I fear I will sleep badly unless I am more sure than my decision was the right one."

"OMMYou seek inner peace. The oldest story, after 'boy meets girl'."

"You do too, do you not?"

"OMMWhy do you say this."

"You sit and ponder. Your peace has not come fully either, else why continue to sit and meditate all day? Why consider the questions of others, instead of doing something more rewarding, like start a family?"

"OMMPerhaps it is because that is my purpose now, having already learned all I need for my own peace. But your question will not be found by examining my historical musings."

"Then, how-"

"Reality comprises many layers. I entreat you to answer an inquiry, with another inquiry. How warm will a bowl of clam chowder be if you bring it to me at dawn tomorrow."

"...I see," Nuru said.

"OMMMMMMM," The Guru hummed.

The man at the edge of the rope barrier hissed and waved him over.

"He has informed you of the donation he wishes," he said. "This is a good sign. Do not overstay your welcome."

"I guess I'll be back tomorrow then. With, uh, some chowder."

Being a little short of money, he helped a blacksmith sweep out his sweltering shop to pay for it.

*****

Next morning, Nuru got up and hurried to the market, where he got a bowl of clam chowder. He ate it, then bought another, and took it with him. It steamed in the cold morning air, making Nuru's face warmer as he pondered the wisdom of having skipped a roof over his head for feeding a stranger. A small crowd had gathered.

"Ah, good, you've come. These others wish to hear The Guru's wisdom, and have heard tell of your coming," the man at the rope said. "Go on, take it to him. But let him take it as he is ready; do not disturb his repose."

Nuru stepped up to The Guru, who was still sleeping.

"Uh... wise one, I have answered your inquiry," Nuru said, shaking him gently.

"OMMMIs it late, or early. Ah, that smells good."

"I dared to judge this answer more pleasing than after letting you continue to sleep while it became cold," Nuru said.

"OMMYes, we agree. Mmm. Yes, yes."

Nuru gave the man at the rope a cool look, and got dagger-eyes in return.

"Your, ah, friend there did not seem to agree."

"OMMMNever you mind my apprentice! Wisdom is wisdom, no matter whence it comes. Let me finish this in silence."

Nuru waited, trying valiantly to hide his impatience. The Guru took his time about it.

"OMMy answer to your question is thusly. The particulars of your satisfaction rely on the facts of your situation. Disposition, you see, must match the inherencies of the subject of your alignment. If one's Sun shines Blue, the highest aspirational value is finding heirarchical equanimity. Should you, however be in Mamad's favor, one's greatest possession is the collected multitude which is seen only with the eye within. There is no question for one of Imamu's for if he wants your answer, he will provide it to you, thus clearly you are not his. D'shemil will encourage you to pursue the inquiry 'til its natural conclusion, though it necessitate replacing The Guru's apprentice himself."

"Another one of those... heuristics," Nuru suggested.

"OMMMNuru hears and understands. He may inquire again tomorrow."

"Well, ok, but- my question is not answered."

"OMMThe answer is there, if one but exercises diligence."

"But now, surely- look, what faction do you think I am?" Nuru protested.

"Hey! Time's up, buddy, get a move on," The Guru's apprentice said from the sideline. "He said come back later."

"OMMy skeptic sense whispers. He thinks The Guru's wisdom little more than simple word games."

"Well, I didn't want to say so directly, but- maybe."

The onlookers gasped.

"OMLet us confer then, privately. The Guru's record is honored to be undefeated." He motioned Nuru closer, speaking in a soft croak only Nuru could hear. "I want a whole chicken, a basket of eggs, and a bottle of the Drowning Willow's finest."