Jebidiah's Change Bk. 01 Ch. 02

Hello again and welcome back.

I originally intended to set this series in a terraformed Mars named Barsoom but there may be issues with using that name. Therefore I am reverting back to my original name of Tresolmar, a long running D&D campaign world.

The characters within are all based on that campaign and I've always wanted to bring them to life. As I get the hang of writing through these initial chapters I hope to do justice to their individual personalities. I also hope to get to longer chapters; there is a lot of world building to do but I fear balancing immersion with moving the story along. I should probably find an editor as well.

Once again, multiply ages by roughly two to get earth ages. Everyone is a consenting adult.

update: I've republished the first few chapters to clear out a second storyline and add some more backstory elements.

-- Chapter 2: Tonstar Changing Station --

-- Second Tenday of Antaen 813 AGR --

The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. - Clarke

"What is going on Jeb?" Stern repeated with an added tone of concern.

Jebidiah was still having trouble reconciling the presence of the man in front of him and continued to stare. Stern was a huge man by any human standard. Jeb was on the south end of the six feet and was used to looking over the heads of everyone except the elves. In Stern's case he found himself looking up as the top of Jebidiah's head barely reached Stern's shoulders.

Stern looked like a brute. Regardless of the amount of showering he did, his greenish brown hair was constantly matted and slightly greasy. His nose looked like someone had removed it, deflated it, and then slapped it back on his face slightly offset. His brows were pronounced and his forehead held a distinct slope to it. His eyes were so brown they bordered on black and even when he was calm it made him look intimidating as fuck. When angered those eyes had been known to make his opponents flee without a punch. But when he smiled his whole face would light up and his goofy grin reminded one of a small child's glee.

"Stern, you are our second male. Two human males." Jebidiah finally said, raising his arms and waving them as if that should have explained everything.

By this time the girls had risen and surrounded the two, gabbering wildly. The commotion soon spread as people put two and two together that there were two males in the pod.

"How is this possible?" Dana asked, this time getting through Jebidiah's confusion.

"It's not." he sighed. "Let's all go back to our table so we can talk and Stern can eat."

Moving back to the table, Jebidiah scanned the room again. He spotted nine males among the tables, which was the right number, but there shouldn't be two at the same table. Fifty-nine females, nine males. Divine law stated how many people would be classed Human from twelve pods. Twelve tables, one for each pod. Five females should be at eleven tables, four at the other. Nine males scattered around them all, but only one male could be at each. There were still people missing in the mess hall. Some of the tables only had three or four women.

The Changing Station administrator's voice suddenly filled the rooms and hallways, making Jebidiah start. Instead of calling for Jebidiah's pod as he feared, it was just a general announcement. "This cycle's Change is complete. Please join your pods in the Mess Hall for the final tally. Judgment will commence in two hours. That is all."

When the absent people filtered into the Mess Hall, Joy let out a gasp. "Holy Bora's clit."

Everyone's head turned to the entrance as a tenth male entered, heading to his own pod. Silence descended and when the final male sat, he was looking around in confusion. He started quickly whispering with his pod members who shot furtive glances at Stern and Jebidiah.

The administrator and twelve Artificers entered the room. Each artificer moved to stand at the head of every pod's table. The administrator approached a podium at the far end of the room. Projecting his voice, he started the ceremony. "This cycle's Tally has officially begun. Table One tally."

The artificer at table one began calling out each seated pod member's name, Talent, sex, and date of awakening, finishing with "Five female. Final tally."

The administrator scribbled the results in the ledger before him.

"Table Two tally."

The ceremony continued, finally reaching our table, tenth in line.

"Table Ten tally."

"Dana Stark Tonstar, Warrior Druid, Female, First Day, Second Tenday of the Antaen in the Year of the Divine Eight Hundred and Thirteen". Gasps filled the other tables.

The humans of Tresolmar had many shared cultural norms established. One being children only become adults at the end of their awakening when their Change is established and Judgment is passed. A second one being no child refers to their mother's or father's surname outside of their respective pods, only adults do. The surname Tonstar was central to the shared history of mankind. Thadius Tonstar survived the Great Rendering and established the first new human settlement, kickstarting the rebirth of civilization. His son, Thadius Jr established the Kingdom of Tonstar becoming King Thadius I. The Tonstar dynasty has survived and ruled ever since, making Dana nobility of the first family. Jebidiah knew she was the Queen's niece but she had not revealed if she was in line for the throne.

"Tenner Crag Stockmar, Mage, Female, Third Day, Second Tenday of the Antaen in the Year of the Divine Eight Hundred and Thirteen". More conversations started at the other tables.

House Stockmar, while not as prestigious as House Tonstar, was still one of the ruling houses. That virtue also made Tenner nobility. Having two nobles in a pod was very rare. Jebidiah idly wondered how much hubbub would have happened next if Crys' surname was tallied. He chuckled to himself when he recalled he would soon find out.

"Jebidiah Ryan Overton, Artificer, Male, Fifth Day, Second Tenday of the Antaen in the Year of the Divine Eight Hundred and Thirteen".

Talentless were all classified as Artificer.

"Polly Turner Everstine, Artificer, Female, Sixth Day, Second Tenday of the Antaen in the Year of the Divine Eight Hundred and Thirteen".

"Joy Weller Fortlin, Artificer, Female, Seventh Day, Second Tenday of the Antaen in the Year of the Divine Eight Hundred and Thirteen".

"Charlene Mylar Crag, Mage Rogue, Female, Eighth Day, Second Tenday of the Antaen in the Year of the Divine Eight Hundred and Thirteen". And there it was. This time the excitement and chatter from the other tables rose to the point of distraction. The Administrator was forced to call for order. House Crag was another one of the ruling houses. When the excitement died, our Artificer continued the tally.

"Stern Stark Blackrock, Warrior, Male, Tenth Day, Second Tenday of the Antaen in the Year of the Divine Eight Hundred and Thirteen".

"Five female. Two male. Final Tally."

This time silence filled the room as everyone waited for the response. The Artificer even stumbled at the start of the word 'Male', drawing more attention to his words. The administrator, not looking up from his scribbling, started to call out the next table but stopped mid-sentence. "Repeat tally Table Ten" He raised his head from his ledger to follow the count. Our artificer repeated his listing of our names then looked back at the Administrator, voice faltering as he intoned "Final Tally."

"Table Eleven Tally." The Administrator continued the ceremony, distaste tainting his voice.

The final two tables' tally were more subdued. All the newly Awoken waited to see what would happen at the end of the ceremony. When the time came the Administrator finished as if nothing was different. "Second Tenday of Antaen, First Counting Station, City of Tonstar, in the year of the Divine Eight Hundred and Thirteen. Fifty-Nine Female. Ten Male. Final Tally. This concludes this cycle's Tally. You are dismissed until Judgment."

Dana spoke first in a tense voice. "I don't even know where to begin with this, although I am sure this pod will never be forgotten. A Tonstar, Stark, Stockmar, and Crag in the same pod with two males. Has any of your reading encountered any pod with more than two of the great Houses Jeb? I think we managed to break a law of the Divine if not a law of Nature."

Jebidiah had been shaking his head. "Never in the histories I have had access to in the Keep and the Keep has the largest and oldest known library on Tresolmar. How is this going to affect our Guilding or your Bonding? Will we even be allowed to train or will they just stick us in a lab somewhere? Poke us with a stick every so often. You know the university and temples will never let this go."

By now the other pods had left their tables, talking in groups or leaving the Mess. The people remaining avoided their pod like they had suddenly become Lost Ones. Dana stood and grabbed Jebidiah by the hand. "We need to put our heads together and make a plan. You all should do the same. We will reconvene at the Judgment." Dana set a quick pace, leading him into the hallway and back to the dormitories. When she reached her room she opened the door and pushed him inside, slammed the door closed, and barred it with a chair under the knob.

"I want to hide out here until Judgment in case they want to start separating us. I need to speak to my parents. I think. I am a bit freaked out and this sort of stress makes it hard to make decisions. I have a task for you Overton."

She maneuvered Jebidiah towards her bed and shoved so he lost his balance and fell backwards onto her bed. In a flash she had her panties off and climbed up beside Jeb. Flinging a leg over him she reversed direction then lowered herself over his face, hovering. "Your task, Artificer, should you choose to accept, is to alleviate my stress."

Jebidiah welcomed the distractions of their usual game. With Dana's slightly moist pussy only a couple inches from his face he lifted up slightly, loudly breathing in through his nose. "What wonderful candy you have delivered me. If it tastes as good as it smells I will gladly accept your task." He reached out with his tongue and slowly ran it through her curly red hair to lightly lick the length of her slit stopping short of her clit. Dana moaned loudly and dropped her pussy closer as she started stroking his stiffening cock through the fabric of his pants. "I think I need one more sample here."

This time he scrunched up his tongue and speared her lower lips then widened his tongue with a solid lick, getting a full taste. The stimulus proved too much for Dana. She fully sat on his face. "I accept" he mumbled, causing her to moan and laugh at the same time. Jeb decided to take his time, slowly lapping her entire slit, slightly brushing her clit before sucking on her lips. He got his hands involved, thumbing her folds to either side allowing him to stick his tongue deep into her hole.

Dana, initially lost in the pleasure, recalled what she was supposed to be doing and started sliding Jebidiah's pants down. He helpfully lifted his hips to lower them enough for his cock to spring free. And what a glorious cock it was. Big enough to pass as a baby's limb it was almost too much for her to get her lips around. She often wondered just what it would feel like to swap his tongue for it and there were times she almost gave in. If Jeb would have agreed that is. She knew his moral compass was much more black and white than hers and a Talentless coupling against the rules with a noble required a lot of gray. Probably as much gray as filled the sky in a winter storm.

Instead she did her best to inhale the cock in front of her. She knew what Jeb liked, they had traded favors many times before. She began by sucking on his head, flicking her tongue back and forth, slowly bobbing, taking more of his length with every dip. She kept her lips sealed tight only pulling back enough for her lips to stay in constant contact with the tip of the head. His body began to shudder on each downstroke when she pushed him fully through her lips. She knew he wouldn't last much longer. She wasn't in much better shape.

Jeb's tongue work wasn't quite on par with either Crys or Ten but he was a lot better than the other girls. He knew just the way she liked for someone to lick or blow on her clit, spending more time simply circling her nub. It was too sensitive to handle much direct manipulation. His finger work however was the absolute best within the pod. When he finally pushed one hooked finger in and applied pressure under her clit she almost came. She fought off her orgasm instead and began riding his face, hovering on the edge of bliss.

Jeb knew what her movements meant. He had her now. He inserted a second finger and began to match his finger strokes to her hip movements causing her to increase her thrusting. Then for the coup de grâce he quickly suckled a finger on his other hand and used it to circle her puckered asshole all the while lapping fully on her clit, giving firm pressure with his tongue.

She came then in sensations overload, temporarily stopping her own ministrations to clench and shake above him. He stopped licking, letting her ride it out until she started bobbing her head up and down again. He attacked again, starting a slightly different licking pattern. Her hips immediately resumed bucking. The urgency to cum again transferred to her own efforts as she sucked him harder, increasing speed.

"Finally!", Jeb thought. Let the real fun begin. He wasn't sure if Dana knew what actions she took at this point in their game. Not only lost in the sensation of her next string of orgasms, she lost track of her own actions. As she increased the speed and suction she also went much deeper than normal. To the point he sometimes encountered the resistance of her throat. It was amazing. Dana fully tensed again, pushed her head down as far as she could and screamed against his cock, her next orgasm hitting harder than the first. Jeb thrust his hips up into her just a little bit more pushing into the sleeve of her throat and erupted. Dana coughed him out, choking on the cum in her throat and mouth. She rested, fully laying on him and started to chuckle again.

"That one was a bit much. Fine, you win once again. I better clean up this mess." and proceeded to lick up all the spilled cum, nursing the rest out of him until he went soft.

They lay together, lost in thought. Jeb played with Dana's hair as she rested her head on his chest. Jeb's thoughts were a mess. For once he didn't even know where to start, nor could he come up with an action plan because he wasn't sure of anything he could do. Looking for a viable starting point, he began brainstorming what could realistically improve their situation.

"Maybe they will chalk it up as an anomaly and let us get on with our lives" Dana quietly said.

"Something has happened that has not happened since they put this whole system together, right after they founded the kingdom in 55. We just celebrated the 758th Founding Day. Sixty-six tendays a year, that's at least... fifty thousand and twenty-eight tendays. Half a million name days plus change. How many millions of Humans went through the process and we just now had an outlier? At least twenty million? Sorry love, but this one is bigger than even your aunt."

Dana's body language instantly changed, her hand stopped idly running fingers across his stomach. "What did you say?" she whispered.

"I said this one is bigger than your aunt. Her Majesty won't be able to hold off the hounds that will be yapping at our heels. Something Happened with our pod. Happened with a capital H and probably bold and italics. Underlined twice. I would need a calligraphy course to do it justice."

"That's not what you said."

Something in her voice was off so Jebidiah opted for humor "Well, I admit I added the last bit there. It's possible I embellished some."

"Don't make light of me." Dana raised her head to stare into Jebidiah's eyes. He wasn't sure who had the prettiest eyes between the girls but Dana's steel gray were at the top of the list. Accentuated by long lashes and nestled between thick red eyebrows above and freckled cheeks below, they themselves were worthy of a song. Seeing the confused look on Jeb's face they quickly switched from irritated to saddened. "Oh Jeb, you don't even think these things through, do you. Your brain goes into overdrive, analyzing everything to the nth degree, doing math computations I would need a ream of paper to do and then you offhand say something you shouldn't and you don't even notice!"

"What? Was it your aunt?"

"Arrgh! Jebidiah Ryan Overton, you are a fucking dolt!" She slammed an open hand down on his chest in a painful slap and got up angrily. "Just get dressed. We need to get ready for the Judgment."

"Dana? Can you throw me a rope here? I've never seen you angry enough to say my full name. Hey, how did you even know my father's surname?" He rolled off the bed and made sure his clothes looked like they hadn't just been messing around. With everyone knowing who Dana was, the punishment for his transgressions would be much worse.

"They announced surnames at the Tally, remember? We need to be thinking about Crys. Remember that?" Panties back in place, Dana just slammed open the door and stormed out. "Move your ass Jebidiah."

"Wow, she is pissed."

He hurried to match her long strides as they reached a wide set of stairs. Ascending to the platform above they spotted Stern towering over everyone else. With him as a guidepost they made for the rest of their pod. Drawing close, Jebidiah noticed that, much like the Mess after the tally, there was still a gap of space surrounding the pod. The two joined in with the others leaning against a banister. Below was a square expanse of smooth stone several thousand square feet in size. Directly beneath were the Changing Rooms.

"Anything?" asked Tenner, oblivious to Dana's anger. "Or did you just see if things worked the same now that you're adults?" When Dana just glared back, she finally got the hint. "Oooo, did it not work? Jeb, did you go soft on us?"

"No, Ten," Jeb shrugged. "I just said something wrong. Again. I don't see any diviners yet nor the administrator. Shouldn't they be here by now? I thought we might have been late."

"Seriously though, any idea of a game plan?" asked Polly.

"There's only one starting point I can think of open to me. I will start with the Administrator and preempt the artificers questioning us by questioning him. Try to steer things instead of being steered sort of thing. Dana, Ten, Char, you three can get word to your Houses and see if help is to be found." Not for the first time, Jebidiah noticed just how intently the others listened to him. It unnerved him. Socially, he was the lowest rank to be setting direction but something had to be done. "Unless someone has a better plan."

Stern placed a massive hand on his shoulder. "As always, Jeb, you see clearest. But if you were taller, you would have noticed part of your plan in action." Confused, Jebidiah turned his head towards the entry. The waiting crowd parted before a warrior in fine chainmail adorned with the livery of House Tonstar. The warrior continued through the room, stopping in front of Dana. When the warrior removed their helm the effect was immediate. Everyone watching dropped to a knee in deference. "Your Highness," said Dana, speaking for their pod.

"Rise, cousin. We have much to discuss. Is this your Artificer?" She asked, looking down at Jebidiah. Dana nodded. "Join us Artificer." It was a simple statement but in her voice it was a command to be obeyed. Without waiting for a response, she turned and moved toward a side door already flanked by two of the Royal Guard.