Mageslayer Ch. 02

"Maddie does not speak truth. Hasn't she heard Neko smell lies?" she asked with a small flash of her teeth, it was partially true, but only for those with more powerful auras who couldn't control them. Still, a useful myth to keep alive. This caused Maddie to look away, slightly frightened as it seemed she considered running. It was now that her aura flared again, as if she was about to try tapping into her nonexistent reserve to cast something. It was only now that Lori caught the proper smell of her magic. Lilac. Lori grinned at this, gripping the woman's hand and dragging her along before speaking again.

"Lori understands. She know circle magic. Very weak aura though, Lori not know how she even do magic, but that doesn't matter. Maddie will help Lori, and Lori will keep secret, secret." The neko spoke with confidence she knew the young druid lacked. The mystery of how she was capable of any magic when her aura was so weak, perhaps even weaker than the average human's, was still there, but that could wait. She had a second caster, no need to risk Eter.

Of course anyone who studied circle magic would know that the ritual they would end up casting required two. Good thing such studies were illegal, even for the council. Their fears of allowing druidic magic to influence their own arcane, to dampen it, would end up being their downfall. Not understanding what they sought to destroy. Of course, Lori already assumed the girl would agree to help, the penalty for studying, let alone practicing circle magic brought upon death, and eternal servitude in unlife. Her assumption proved true.

"I'll help you then, you don't leave me much choice... But... What do you need?" she asked nervously, looking around as the two of them walked slightly away from the manor, free from curious ears. Lori heard the somewhat distant sounds of Gabrial's voice, explaining to the groundskeeper, Alexander, that the Lord's mistress was eccentric, and to tread carefully. Lori resisted the urge to laugh, instead answering the girl before turning away to meet the two men.

"Lori and Maddie will perform ritual to restore unbound dryad. Meet Lori at the time of first moonlight, on forest edge nearest stables." she spoke swiftly, trusting that if the girl truly did study circle magic, she'd know the timing of the moonlights, and probably tracked the moon cycles. There was a full moon tonight, Lori was pretty sure of it, which was lucky for them. With a magic circle and full moon, perhaps even with the girl's pathetic magical reserve, they may manage to bind the dryad.

Maddie didn't manage to choke out a reply, instead walking away back towards whatever gardening duties she had. Where were the gardens actually? Lori didn't see them anywhere, unless they were indoors. But she didn't correct her when called a gardener. She'd ask the grounds keeper then, after finding a good tree. Gabriel noticed the approaching form of Lori, and pointed Alexander to her, walking away after a bow to attend to other duties.

"So you're the lord's Mistress? Name's Alexander, ya can call me Ale though. I'm the grounds keeper round here, but ya' ready knew that from what Gabe told me." He was a large man, both tall and stout, his skin was tanned by sun, and his face was weathered with the effects of manual labor and time spent outdoors. He must have been hands on and personal in his duties, and looked like he could arm wrestle an orc and win as a result. He had an obvious dialect, but she couldn't quite place it, a small amount of effort spent on her part making sense of his speech, Lori tilted her head up to meet his eyes before replying.

"Ale correct. Lori needs Ale to show her biggest tree on property. Biggest and oldest." she didn't waste time, telling him why she called for him as he seemed to think for a few moments before shrugging. If he was curious about why she needed a big tree, he didn't show it, stroking his surprisingly well kept, thick beard of black hair with one of his hands, humming to himself.

"There is a big'un near not that deep in the woods over yonder. I can lead ya. Big ole' iron oak, some of the woodsmen tried nabbing its lumber while ago. Waste o' good axes." He answered after several seconds, laughing to himself at his last comment. More good news and good luck. An iron oak would serve perfectly, they grew big and had their name for a reason. Beyond their resilience, they also were magically and alchemically potent, cold iron could only be smelted in the flames of its wood, some other rare metals too. Made the wood valuable, probably made that tree the most valuable thing on the estate, counting Lord Eter, and everyone else for that matter.

Lori obliged his offer, allowing him to lead her for a few miles, past the farmland and away from the manor. He talked the entire way, telling stories of the estate, pointing out features of the landscape, talking about some rumors, and anything else that crossed his mind. On her part, Lori simply asked the occasional question, figuring out that there was a garden kept in the forest, and Maddie was its caretaker.

No one quite remembers who built it or anything else, was there before anyone currently on the estate was alive at least. Regardless, it was part of the estate, and maintained as such. Occasionally Lord Eter entertained guests there. After around an hour though, now walking down a poorly defined footpath Lori saw the tree. Ale pointing towards it.

The grey colored tree stood at least 80 feet tall, and with a thick enough trunk to carve a room into. It stood alone in a small clearing of trees in the otherwise dense forest, its nearby peers dwarfed in comparison. A twisted web of roots spread throughout the clearing, no doubt having killed any other trees that dared grow next to the behemoth. Despite the bright afternoon sun, the clearing was well shaded by the crown of the tree. Lori didn't need to do any other inspection, she knew this giant would do fine to bind the dryad.

The base of the trunk had occasional gashes, likely from those previous attempts to cut it down. "Lori thanks Ale, that will be all. Lori can find own way back." she silenced the grounds keeper before he could begin regaling her with another story, and brought him to once more shrug, not seeming interested in arguing with the neko as he turned and left, returning to his typical duties.

The forest, and this clearing especially, smelled of good magic, lilac and sweet fruit. Lori approached the tree, her skin tingling slightly as her fur raised, a smokey, maple scent hit her, and she couldn't help but sigh as the sweet scent hit her. This tree was old, old enough to have a spirit, old enough to house a dryad. Now that she had a second caster, and a tree, she needed a magic circle.

The magic of this forest was stronger than most, she suspected at one point at least there was one near here. But to find it would be another matter. She stripped out of her simple dress, it was comfortable as far as human clothing went, but it still restricted her movement, and her shoes then followed. She understood the concept behind shoes, but she much preferred feeling the crunch of the ground underfoot, especially when running free. Lori closed her eyes, and perked her ears, allowing the sounds and smells of the forest to come freely to her.

It took awhile, the occasional sound of a bird chirping or rustle of movement off in the distance preventing any true silence from setting in. Lori couldn't tell how much time passed, it could have been a few minutes, or maybe an hour or two, she felt calmer than normal, at peace and calmed by the forest, until finally a strong scent of lilac came from her right. She didn't open her eyes, instead allowing her body to move freely, how it felt natural. She was only slightly aware of her own footfalls, stepping aside trees she didn't see, brushing past foliage she didn't feel.

Once more, she couldn't tell how much time passed, minutes, hours, seconds they melded together as she ran free through the forest, allowing herself to be overtaken by nature. Finally, she knew she was where she needed to be, and opened her eyes, looking around. Vibrant flowers of red and white spotted her surroundings, and past them a simply built stone fence, the plants were well maintained and the shrubs around her were groomed. This was the garden then, built on a place of power, unknowingly or not.

"Uh...." The sound of a stammering human interrupted Lori's thoughts, and she quickly turned, facing a blushing Maddie. It took Lori a few moments to remember she was essentially nude, bringing a sly grin to her face as she realized that the gardener was attracted to her. She noticed she could tell more about the girl's emotions, her aura was present, not flickering like before. This definitely was a place of power then. Lori waved a hand, not trying at all to retain some modesty as she spoke to the girl.

"Lori try finding magic circle, smell led her here. Place of power, but no magic circle. Makes things harder. Lori will have to build one." she explained, trying to think of how exactly she could figure out how to build one. This left Maddie thinking for a few moments, an expression of confusion crossing her face before she replied.

"This.... Is a magic circle. I built the garden into one awhile ago, when I first began practicing." Maddie replied slowly, carefully, as if she was being tested. This time it was Lori's turn to be confused, and she tilted her head, looking around once more. It didn't look like what she expected a magic circle to look like. She always thought they had big rocks stacked on top of each other, in well, a circle. But this garden was a square, not even a circle. And did she say she built it into a magic circle? But even in this place of power her magic seemed weak, how could she have built it? Wasn't that the work of archdruids and ancient shamans?

"Maddie lies to Lori? How could this be magic circle, even if was, how could Maddie make it?" she asked, a tad aggressively, which caused Maddie to smile as she realized something. This actually made Lori a tad nervous. She had assumed Maddie was weak, maybe at best a pawn and body for ritual casting, but now she seemed different. She had been so nervous, so easily pushed earlier. Was the garden giving her confidence?

"So Neko can't smell lies afterall. Otherwise, you'd know I was being honest." she replied with a mild air of smugness. Shit. Lori had given that away without realizing it, this girl was cleverer than she thought, and it caused her to silence herself for a few moments, looking away. She wasn't scared of her exactly, even if she secretly was a powerful druid, her magic couldn't hurt Lori, but she had misjudged the girl, and Lori didn't like being surprised.

"Anyway, I'm surprised you didn't realize this was a magic circle. The rose bushes are arranged to form the constellation Esrias, intersecting with the lavender bushes forming Ternia, the phases of the moon inscribed within the walls, with some trees having been carved to allow the light of the moon to activate the sigils of power. The four centerpoints of the walls are the circle's edges, marked with some quartz stone." The gardener explained to the neko, her tongue fluidly pronouncing the names of the ancient star patterns, and describing the magic circle using some terms Lori only barely recognized.

She knew the two constellations, vaguely, as patterns of druidic energy, and could make enough sense of what the girl was saying to notice most of the details now that they were pointed out, but she'd be lying if she said it made much sense to her. Even with her instinctive knowledge of circle magic, she was far from a master of it, and she could tell she knew little compared to the girl she assumed at most knew a few words of primordial

"I had assumed you already knew I had access to a magic circle. If you didn't, why not ask?" Maddie then added quizzically, bringing a small bit of fluster to Lori. She had assumed the girl incompetent, and that she'd probably not even know about them. Lori's ears flattened as her tail coiled around her leg, her aura was springing up, enhanced by the place of power. She felt like a kitten being scolded, when she should have been in her element. It wasn't a feeling she enjoyed, and she shook herself out of her state of submission. She may have assumed the girl wasn't as skilled as she seemed to be, but that didn't mean she was inferior.

"Lori apologizes, assumed Maddie have weak mind since have weak aura." she admitted honestly, raising her ears and unwrapping her tail, taking a few steps forward as she once more allowed a smile to cross her face, confidence returning to her movements. She had been unbalanced by Maddie's revelation, but she didn't allow it to last, a mistake to be learned from, nothing more. Maddie seemed confused for a moment before letting out a small giggle, realizing just how much she had thrown the catgirl off her stride, even if only for a moment.

She must have quickly gotten used to seeing Lori as nature intended, but Lori could tell she was still attracted. That was good, gave her more power over the girl, and Lori would be lying if she said she didn't find her cute, in her own, human way. She was like Lori in some ways, physically and mentally. Lori's mind came back to how she stood up for her brother, and her stance softened. She would be a useful tool when needed, but Lori thought she may make a good companion as well.

"Oh, well... Alright I guess. So, do you still want to meet at the forest edge, or just wait here? Moon should rise in about an hour anyway." The girl pointed out, allowing her eyes to drift over Lori's form, consciously or not. Lori only then realized how far the sun had drifted. It seems it had been hours where she opened herself to the forest. Her master would be concerned if he was aware, but it did make more sense now to wait. She could calm him if it came to it, she planned on bedding him again soon anyway.

So Lori nodded, spending the hour speaking with the young druid, getting to know more about her and her position in the estate. Learning some about how she had been scrounging books and tomes written on circle magic and reading them here in this garden for some years now. How she took care of her younger brother, both of them without mother nor father to look after them. Lori enjoyed the conversation more than she thought she would, here, in the garden, the girl seemed more confident, and much more at ease. She was attracted to Lori even more so by the end, and as moonlight began to come, allowing Lori's skin to tingle as the primordial magic in the garden surged, Lori realized one thing that would be an issue.

Maddie's aura was still too weak. Even empowered by the circle, moonlight, and place of power, it still was only barely steady. Even with the power of the ritual, her aura would not be strong enough to restore the dryad, if the ritual went through regardless, she would die. "Maddie too weak. Need to borrow Lori aura to perform ritual." As a half fae, it wasn't too challenging to share her strength, it didn't take any complex spell or such, but as a neko, Maddie blushed deeply.

She knew what it required, and Lori didn't need to explain herself as she pushed the girl back to sit on a stone bench. Her hands slowly, meticulously unbuttoned and unlaced the gardener's own stuffy clothing before kneeling in front of her, soon revealing tanned skin free of most blemishes. Her hands were slightly rough, but delicate, as a gardener's should be. The skin normally covered was a shade paler than what was exposed, unsurprising given her work outdoors. She was almost entirely free of hair, shaven even above her crotch, unusual in Lori's eyes, but unimportant. Her bust was a tad more sizable than Lori's own, and while they didn't sag, they weren't as firm and perked as her own either.

Lori drank in the sight of her, noticing the details she ignored before, the spotting of freckles on her face, contrasting her ginger hair and sapphire eyes. She enjoyed the appearance, and was momentarily curious as to why the girl seemed single with an appearance like this, but then realized she must have had a genuine preference for women. Not unheard of or illegal within the magocracy, but still frowned on by many, and it was rare for one to be open about such. Lori purred as she understood the nature of the girl, leaning her head forward to feast on the scent of her sex. Lilac was present, but so was a hint of peppermint, causing Lori's nose to twitch. The girl was already spreading her legs some, making room for her head, but Lori gripped her thighs, gently spreading them a tad further, as Maddie's face was dusted with crimson, biting her lower lip. "Maddie smells good, is nice change of pace. Lori will make sure Maddie enjoys herself, all she has to do is relax."

The neko spoke softly, before allowing her rough tongue to lap against the girl's lower lips, engorging her hood and drawing a slight tremble of pleasure and soft moan from her lips. To Lori's non-human senses, she tasted similar to how she smelled, the sharp taste of mint stinging her tongue as she gripped her thighs, allowing the bumps and barbs of her tongue to tug just slightly on the girl's sensitive lower flesh, blurring the line slightly between pleasure and pain, but gentle enough to ensure she enjoyed it. Lori continued this simple motion for some time, wetting the outer folds of the gardener's womanhood, occasionally letting the tip of her tongue push against her hood as it reached the top, each time drawing a small gasp from the girl.

Lori felt the gardener's legs clench, trying to close themselves around her head, though she didn't allow them to yet, exerting her own strength to keep the woman splayed. Soon hands clutched onto the back of her head, delicate fingers tangling themselves with soft and thick golden hair. Lori noted with pleasure and a purr that she avoided her ears. She knew at least some things about nekos then.

Soon though, Lori could feel the growing impatience and desire of her partner, and indulged her, moving her face forwards and piercing her entrance with her tongue. The tingling of mint teased her own tongue, and eager to get more of the taste, Lori rasped the walls of the gardener's insides, encouraged by the high-pitched moans her actions brought. She felt the soft, slightly flexible stretch of thin skin that some believed marked a woman's maidenhood.

Lori had no interest in tasting blood or bringing pain, and so moved her tongue gently, avoiding tugging at it with barbs or pushing against it, keeping it intact as she curled her tongue up, running it along Maddie's roof before knowing she found her spot as a more intense moan came from the gardener, causing Lori to gently use her tongue to thrust against the slightly hardened part of her roof, slightly tugging at flesh with barbs and bumps that coated her tongue. The scent and taste of mint and lilac only strengthened, and Lori moved a hand off of one of Maddie's thighs, using a thumb to rub around her now engorged sex, teasing her hood every now and then with a light prod of her thumb. "Y~you seem.... Good a~at this.... Ke~keep going!"

As if Lori needed the encouragement, Maddie screamed out for more, pulling the neko's face flush against her crotch, as much as she could manage, and Lori made no effort to resist. It was at this point she moved her other hand away from Maddie, towards her own crotch. It was important that the reached their peaks around the same time. Lori of course would have preferred mutual service, but the girl was inexperienced, and they only had so much time. Her throat reverbated with a purr as she wasted little time in pushing two fingers into herself, as Maddie wrapped her legs around Lori's head. Lori knew her own body well, and her hand was ruthlessly efficient as a result, thrusting fingers into her as each pressed or pinched in all the ways needed to bring her closer to a climax.