Induced Lunacy Ch. 01

"I just got back from there," Riela said. "Are you sure you haven't seen him?"

"I been smokin' all morning over here and saw no one."

"Ah, I see..."

Dejected, she went and huddled herself inside the village's inn to escape the compounding snow. She looked out of the window of the attic room and pouted, disappointed that her plans to investigate the watchtower needed to be pushed back to tomorrow. She kept herself busy for the rest of the day by burying herself into her journal at the small desk in her room, writing down the current events and what she saw while in Klin.

She took a break from writing to lie down in bed and read one of the novels from her knapsack. After reaching the fifth chapter, she ended up dozing off with the book falling flat on her face. She eventually woke up in a hurry, and looked over to see it was dusk, and that the snow had stopped. Her stomach grumbled and so she went downstairs to sate her appetite.

There, she finally saw the distinct figure of Khadi sitting at the island counter talking to the innkeeper. His ears perked up as he heard her approach, and she smiled and lightly waved at him before sitting down next to him. She ordered herself some glass-berry wine, and savored the overly sweet taste of the clear liquid that hit her tongue. She put down her glass to look over at him.

"How was Klin?" she asked.

"I always find something new there," he said excitedly, pressing his hands onto the edge of the counter. "But... it's too busy. I like the quiet here."

"Hmm, you'd hate it at Evergleam," she said with a laugh.

"Is that where you're from?" he asked inquisitively.

"Oh no, my blood isn't that rich," she said, waving a dismissal hand. "I'm actually from outside of Eribus. Kvannu."

"Like where your family lives?"

"Mhmm. I moved to Eribus to become a mage, you see."

His ears flattened and raised with uncertainty when there was silence between them, but eventually with enough drinks he started chatting her up more, learning more about her; she was around 246 years old and had served the queen's court for about 15 of them after growing weary of her family's merchantry. In turn she learned more about him, which wasn't much; his amnesia was terrible, and he still hadn't found a cure for it, but he claimed that he didn't mind since he's fine with the new life he's made for himself in Gil.

She sat closer to him as they both now had one too many drinks in them, and she was smiling and obviously flirting with him. She'd giggle and twirl a tuft of her hair as he went into detail about his errands in Klin. He paused and looked into her eyes, then looked away as she smiled serenely. The innkeeper had his back turned to them the whole time, and she took that opportunity to smooth a hand across his thigh. He flinched at her invitation and could barely hide the smile that crept across his face as he obscured it with his beer stein. They both looked at each other knowingly, then paid their tabs and left the inn.

His home was warm and cozy despite the fireplace not running, but it was well-lit with lanterns placed on the shelves near the windows. The walls were well-decorated with all kinds of colorful weaved art, and the floors were covered in lush, handmade rugs. He closed the door and then finally they closed the space between them. Her face flushed as she felt his strong arms, letting his just-as-strong hands explore her wide hips. She kissed his collarbones and he nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent while removing her cloak to reveal her voluptuous figure. She giggled at the cold snout pressed against her neck, then she put her soft hands on his muzzle and kissed him. He hummed pleasantly and then led her to his bedroom where she kicked off her boots as they both fell onto the bed.

She was on top of him, grinding against his clothed groin, getting the bed to creak under their combined weight. She undid the small bun in her hair, letting her silky black hair fall in front of her like a waterfall. He undulated back against her, letting out a guttural moan as they both grew hot and heavy. She moaned and panted as the hot friction further flushed her face, and he ran his hand across her shapely backside accentuated by the leather pants she wore. She reached down to kiss him again and she squealed delightfully as he firmly squeezed her ass. She then leaned back while pressing a hand against his chest, grinding against his clothed cock with her own clothed, warm, wet, tingling pussy. She moaned and grabbed one of her large breasts as she continued, biting her lower lip as she tweaked a nipple through the thick, white knit top.

He grew hotter, and she undid his loose, green tunic to reveal his furry chest, smoothing her hand up to his mane then further up to caress his muzzle. He exhaled shakily, breathing in her aromatic scent, turning his head to the side as she then bounced against his cock, the friction further pronouncing the growing bulge. He watched her large breasts pleasantly bounce along with her, and he hummed in his throat again. Warmth ebbed throughout her body as the sound of the creaking bed further turned her on, and with every contact of his bulge she grew hotter and more wet with desire. She stopped as he started to breathe more pronounced, circling a finger across his chest as she giggled and he smiled.

She was just about to remove her knit top when she noticed his expression had changed and he was going soft.

"Oh... Are you nervous?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Is this your first time?"

"... Not that I can remember."

She hummed lowly. "Do you want to keep going?"

There was a long pause from him. His ears flattened and his brow creased.

"No... sorry."

"Don't be, it's okay."

The alcohol was getting to her and she frowned, but she climbed off of him then laid by his side. She kissed his muzzle but his mind seemed to be elsewhere. He let out a deep sigh. He looked at her as if he were about to say something, and he reached out to her face with his right hand, but as one trimmed claw grazed her cheek he sheepishly pulled away. He looked away and changed the subject when she tried to ask what was wrong.

"I'm sorry. I... I can take you back to the inn."

"I'm fine, I'm not that drunk."

"Are you sure?"

She smiled and rubbed his muzzle.

"You're so concerned for me, it's cute."

He smiled, but then his ears flattened again. He frowned and looked away. Obviously there was something on his mind, but she didn't press any further. Instead she patted his chest as she sat up, and then she smiled. She tied her hair back up into a bun, and told him without looking at him, "If you want to try again, you know where to find me."

He nodded, turning onto his side but then sat up and got out of bed. He helped find her boots and kept leaving lingering touches on her, and she knew he wanted what she wanted, but they both separated. She still tried to entice him, however, swaying her hips as she walked away in hopes that it would change his mind, but he remained silent and downtrodden as he handed her her cloak. He helped lead her out of his house, and after bidding her farewell he silently retreated back inside to stave off the cold. She huddled herself under her cloak as the cold bit her face, and then she made her way back to the inn.

She locked the door behind her, pressing herself against it dejectedly. She stooped over, wavering a little, and after kicking off her boots she went to bed. Her dreams were filled with carnal desires as she tossed and turned in her sleep. She awoke in the middle of the night in a heated sweat with her hand down her trousers, but that gut feeling of rejection hit her again. She shifted uncomfortably and then stared at the door.

She crept out of bed to check if it was still locked, and after making sure it was she fell back onto the bed, letting her hand trail back down into her trousers to make its way down between her hot, wet slit. She breathed and quietly moaned as she slowly pumped her fingers to let that pleasant feeling wash over her. She slipped a hand underneath her knit top to massage one of her breasts, mewling and slowly shifting across the sheets to position herself into a more pleasurable position.

After some time, however, she furrowed her brow when she couldn't reach that high she so desperately wanted. She needed more, she needed that fullness feeling inside of her. She tried to think about that moment between her and Khadi and pumped her fingers faster, but a pit feeling formed in her stomach. She sighed and eventually gave up, turning to her side to sleep.

Riela woke up with a headache, and she chastised herself for not drinking any water that night. She sat up in bed and pouted realizing she was alone. She sighed deeply from her nose and removed the covers, sitting at the edge of her bed feeling cold inside. Her body still tingled with desire, but she had to set those thoughts aside in order to prepare for her day.

She was greeted with the warm, fragrant smell of apple pie as she went downstairs, and she couldn't help but order herself a slice along with two large steins of water. She nursed her headache with one hand on the table, taking a large swig of the water before diving into the pie. The innkeeper paid no mind to her, but hearing the glint of coin he finally turned around and added it to his reserves. He grumbled a little, then finally spoke.

"Long night?"

"Yeah."

"Goin' to the watchtower today?"

"Yeah."

"Be careful."

"Thank you."

He grumbled again, and then finally left her alone. Once the headache subsided, she went back to her room to put on her cloak then left. She noticed it had snowed again when she stepped outside of the inn, and the villagers were out shoveling snow from the main roads and out from their crops. She was greeted by some of them, and she quietly greeted them back. She looked over at the mill by the creek and saw Khadi in his straw hat lifting lumber over to a pile and she sighed. She looked away, and then made her way to the black forest of thin trees at the edge of the village. She looked through her journal at the map one of the villagers drew for her, and headed southeast.

The forest was vast and largely quiet, with the black, thin trees huddled tight in some places and opening into a few clearings where tree stumps lay. She came across a small, frozen pond with a few deer digging their faces through the snow for food, but then she grew puzzled when she realized the deer were covered in leopard spots and had long, swishing tails of an ox. She wanted to further investigate them, but soon as she drew too close they fled. She looked back down at the crude map and followed the landmarks of large boulders covered in ancient runes, then finally she spotted the path lined with stacked stones.

After half an hour of traveling the path, she finally came across a small clearing where she saw the dilapidated stone watchtower. She cautiously approached the tower, preparing to recite spells of wards in case someone attempted to attack her, but everything around her remained eerily still. The only sounds she heard were the crunching of the snow under her leather boots. She stopped and squinted, lowering her hood to get a better look at the top of the watchtower, but still, she saw no signs of life. With a small, foggy breath, she made her way inside.

The first thing to hit her was the pungent smell of decaying flesh; it was so strong that she had to cover her nose with her cloak. There was no light within the tower, and so she summoned up a ball of light to shine the chaos surrounding her.

It was a laboratory of sorts in shambles, with all sorts of glass instruments smashed across the ground, and chairs, tables and straw beds left overturned. It was the sign of a very large struggle, with slashes of dried blood and magical burns blasted across the walls. She eventually found the source of the stench: all sorts of organic mounds of rotten, gray flesh floating in purple and green liquids on desks and other wooden surfaces; various animal skeletons in all kinds of barbaric iron cages hung up on the walls, and finally, three rotting skeletons in slashed up robes lying across the floor.

They were in poses of agony, with one of them separated at the hip, with bits of frost covering the faded blue robes, lying in pools of long-dried blood. As disgusting as the sights were, it was something she had grown accustomed to as a court mage, and so she silently pressed on to find any signs of life within the watchtower, but all she found were more decaying, bloodied skeletons sprawled across the floor and more decomposing experiments in cages and liquids.

She touched nothing as she counted five torn up bodies and 16 animals on the first floor alone, and as she made her way up the stone steps she counted three more mages on the second floor, with deaths just as violent as the ones on the first floor. There, she also encountered 10 bizarre animal skeletons in various states of decay, showing signs of something she finally recognized. Strewn about the tables and cobblestone floor were papers and scrolls detailing all sorts of scientific research. She knelt down to shine her ethereal light on one of the papers and her suspicions were confirmed.

Now, chimera research wasn't illegal within the queen's territories, nor were creating them, but it required the queen's permission, and it was very obvious that these mages were crude novices. Riela pressed on to check the final, third floor. She thought to herself about the villagers' stories, and how they claimed these mages threatened them to keep quiet about their research, but how long ago did that happen? The struggle that took place here looked as if it happened years ago, what with the level of decay and frost building up. The higher she climbed up the steps, the colder the place grew, and so she held herself with her free arm underneath her bosom.

The third floor was where the struggle seemed to begin. Old blood was splattered across the diagram-covered walls, and in the center of the area was a mage's skeletal remains in pieces, with one hand clutching the ladder leading to the outside. Further forward were the splintered remains of a large, wooden door a few feet away from where it was hinged, revealing a room where light shone in. She entered the room and the smell of decay was finally faint enough for her to put her cloak down.

As she surveyed the room, she found what looked like the signs of a makeshift prison; on the walls were broken shackles and latches, to her left was a table of long, decomposed food, to her right was a foul-smelling bucket of unmentionable matter, and in the center was a shoddy bed of straw and animal skins. Her heart sank at the sight. She bit her gloved thumb and knit her brow, turning on her heel to leave this abominable place, but something caught her eye.

There, covered in brown blood, was a scroll glued to the wall with wax. She peered in closer, shining her ball of light over it to make out what looked like formulas and notes surrounding an elaborate illustration of the moon and several animal species. Her eyes widened as she looked in further, finally realizing just what they were researching once she looked up through the opening in the prison. She then went through the papers on a desk below the scroll and finally found a journal. She opened it up and skimmed through the elaborate entries, but then her stomach sank as she finally found the identity of the prisoner. She turned on her heel once more, and then headed back to the village to tell them of her findings.

When she approached the village, Riza approached her.

"Ho, thank the gods you're in one piece!' she said warmly. "What did you find?"

"A lot that I would rather remain unmentioned," Riela replied with a bubble in her gut. "But first I must ask you something."

"Ho?"

"About the mages— how long ago was it that they threatened your village?"

"Hrmm, well, it was actually a few years ago," she said. "We never once bothered them after that, 'specially when the werewolf started appearing 'round the same time."

"I see," Riela furrowed her brow. "I must tell you what we're actually dealing with."

"Eh? What did you find in there?"

"The mages were experimenting with chimeras," she pursed her lips. "And... one of them might actually be your 'werewolf'."

Riza puffed her pipe in a fervor. She hurriedly looked over her shoulder then pulled Riela out further away from the village. She leaned in close to her, and Riela could smell the tobacco on her breath.

"So what you're sayin' is it's a were-chimera?" she asked quietly.

Riela nodded. Riza leaned back and put a bony hand on her hip.

"A were-chimera... I've never heard of anything like that."

"This would be the very first case of one," she bit her thumb again. "But..."

"But?"

"I don't know," Riela admitted while lowering her head, grimacing. "What I found... I can't help but sympathize with them. I know who it is, and I have a feeling that you do, too."

Riza furrowed her brow and sighed with a grimace.

"And," she said while lowering her head. "I understand if the village would want me to put them down. It's my job to answer the call of the queen's people."

Riza paused, looking over to her right. Riela looked over to where her snout pointed but saw no one. The elder tapped her foot, mulling around, then sighed.

"Now I'm no village chief, but what I say tends to go with them," she said as she crossed her arms. "And, well, from what they been sayin' is just, we don't want any more trouble."

"But," she continued, leaning further in. "D'you think wolfsbane'll work?"

Riela paused, thinking hard to herself, but she then furrowed her brow and put a hand to her face. "I don't know. This is all new territory."

"Well," Riza grumbled out. "If they're aware of what they're doin', maybe you can reason with 'em. Tell 'em not to go around killin' our cattle anymore."

"I'll try."

That night, Riela laid in her bed, arms crossed, thinking to herself. Her mind was fully preoccupied with thoughts of the gruesome scene within the watchtower and the diagrams across the walls, but what really remained etched into her mind was the prison and its absent prisoner. Her mind raced and her stomach sank even lower. She covered her eyes with an arm, shut her eyes tight and sighed.

She needed a drink. She sat up and moved to the edge of her bed, leaning forward to stare at her feet before standing up. She delicately opened the door, closing it behind her before descending down the stairs. The innkeeper greeted her before he even saw her, and Riela found him wiping down an already-clean mug to serve his only customer— a tired, brown-skinned elf in black robes wearing a messenger bag. The elf largely ignored her and was almost falling asleep at the table. Riela greeted the innkeeper back and sat down at the bar, ordering herself a pint of ale, water and some freshly-roasted mutton. He was normally the silent type, but, like the rest of the village, he was curious about what she found at the mage's watchtower.

She took a swig of her drink before she spoke, giving him a short summary of what she found, and he was quick to piece together what she also thought. Even though the elf wasn't paying any attention to them, the innkeeper leaned in closer to her, speaking lowly.

"So what you're saying is that we've been dealing with a chimera all this time, huh."

"That is the conclusion I've drawn so far, yes."

He looked from side to side, leaning in closer.

"D'you think it could blend in as one of us?"

Riela solemnly nodded. He rested an arm onto the counter and leaned in even closer, his yellow eyes staring directly into hers.

"Then... do you think...?"

She closed her eyes, sighed and nodded again. He grumbled a little, then pulled away from her and went on to serve his other sleepy customer. She finally touched her mutton as she spoke to the innkeeper again.