Reina the Warlock Pt. 06

Orhomal the twice killed. Bugolam the heretic son. Tohrokash born of flame. Ylgaleth the pale wanderer. Jhoghoton everlaughing. The slick sounds of Daemon flesh around obsidian and deep moans threatened to set her aflame. But the pattern was becoming clear. As if her mind had broken and left her possessed by something otherworldly she connected the dots without thinking. Among scattered tomes and papers the truth was revealed. As Beleeza's moans became more and more ecstatic, she felt herself cracking at the seams. Time became a blur where she had no idea whether she was actually in control of herself anymore. Her hands scribbled things she barely comprehended, things that were beyond both words and explanations. Suddenly, a ripple of heat cut through her as Beleeza cried out, and in a delirium Telitha looked up without thinking. The room was drowned in a red, pulsating haze that flickered in tune with Beleeza's movements. And as the Daemon's cry reached a crescendo it almost seemed as if everything came ablaze and she came in thick, hot spurts all over herself, covering her breasts and abdomen in ropes of cum that seemed as if they would never stop. Telitha watched in stunned silence, no longer in control of herself. Her entire body screamed in desire, begging for release that she wasn't capable of giving. She had lost her grip on reality. Her hand kept writing even as she didn't watch. Instead her eyes were locked on Beleeza who sighed in pleasure, slid out the obsidian toy, stood up, and walked with a tempting sway of the hips towards her. The Daemon's cock hung half-erect, ready to be put to use with little work, and thick cum ran down her body as she walked. Then, she bent over the table in front of Telitha and leaned forward to whisper.

"Come now pet...won't you play with me...?" the Daemon purred as she put a tempting finger to Telitha's lower lip and caressed her.

"I... I'm working." Telitha mumbled without even thinking. She could barely feel her own body anymore. Her eyes returned to the papers and suddenly felt as she if had been plunged into deep water. Beleeza said something, far, far away. Words from another world. Her fingers bled as she wrote and her eyes seared with pain as she looked upon her own writing. She knew something was terribly wrong - that she had fallen into deep, dangerous magic. But she no longer had any control. She was lost. Dying. Dead. About to-

The door to the workshop closed with a slam. Telitha looked around in a daze, unsure if she could trust her senses. The light was the dim amber of early desert afternoon again. Reina was dusting off her sand cloak with a pair of cliffhares in one hand, while Beleeza sat with a cryptic smile in her corner. There was no trace of her play. Suddenly Telitha was acutely aware of the agonizing heat between her legs again. Every little movement in her chair sent sparks of pleasure rippling through her abdomen. Never had she needed to come as badly as she did right now. She looked down on the papers before her, half expecting to see nothing more than insane scribbles. But to her amazement, the absurd hoard of notes made some arcane sense. And there, at the very end, a clear sequence of sigils, matching those on the puzzle box. Cold tendrils of some unknown fear wrapped around her heart and wondered whether opening it would not be a grave mistake.

"Telitha?"

Suddenly, she realized that Reina was speaking to her, and stared back with bleary eyes.

"I said, are you alright?" Reina asked again, now with some concern.

Telitha simply nodded slightly, gathered up her papers, and handed them over. Then, she stood up on shaky legs, and with an even shakier voice, said:

"Please excuse me."

Then, she made her way to the privacy room without another word.

Reina had no idea what to make of it. Her assistant looked as if she had been working for seven years straight, and the notes she had given would have needed days, if not weeks of work. She had been gone less than an hour, but it certainly felt like more. She looked over at Beleeza, who just sat in her corner and smiled. But there was something hidden beyond her smile, a look in her eye that Reina hadn't seen before. The Daemon almost looked worried.

"What happened?" Reina finally asked, "Did she actually do all this work while I was away?"

"Oh yes, she certainly did. Quite a ferocious worker that one," the Daemon said, arching her eyebrows.

"Did you...?"

"Oh, I did. But she didn't buckle." Beleeza feigned a look of hurt. Though Reina guessed that there was some actual disappointment there, deep inside.

"Do you think she's alright?"

Beleeza didn't answer at first, and simply stared towards the privacy room as if she was looking through the walls.

"I'm no sure what came over her. All of a sudden she simply... Phased out. Stopped responding and wrote like mad." Then the Daemon turned to face her bondmate with a lecherous smile. "But I wouldn't worry too much. Right now she's in there, covering her mouth so as not to scream as she fingers herself to madness. I can feel her heat all the way from here..."

Reina suffocated a giggle, but could help feel just a little bit excited herself. Telitha had more than paid for her transgression by now.

* * *

Just like Beleeza said, Telitha had locked herself in, torn off her clothing and was now lying spread eagle, fingering herself like possessed. She had never been this wet before, so scorching hot that she felt like she was going to melt away. Her fingers were almost numb from her frantic work but she was so incredibly close to release. She wanted to scream, to cry, to just roar out the orgasm but managed nothing more than desperate whimpers and moans as she worked her most sensitive places.

Then, finally, she felt the tide rising violently inside her. With the last ounce of her strength, she rubbed herself more and more roughly, felt as her hips rose by themselves and her whole body became tense as a bowstring. For a moment, the world froze and the air was forced out of her lungs. Everything stood still. And then, in an explosion of rippling pleasure and shuddering muscles, she came in a wet gush, spasming over and over as her pussy erupted in delight. She lost herself in that delirium, unable to do anything but hold on to herself as the waves ebbed out. Exhausted beyond words, she couldn't help laughing to herself with tears in her eyes. She had passed the test. She wasn't sure she hadn't gone a bit mad in the process, but she had passed.

* * *

Once Telitha rejoined them again, Reina had almost finished preparing the cliff hares. Beleeza, while not a skilled cook by any measure, certainly had a knack for chopping things. No one said anything, though some rather ill-disguised smiles were exchanged. Once again, Reina realized how much she had missed Telitha's presence in the house. Even though the assistant hadn't been gone long, the mood had shifted considerably without her. One could only hope that she and Idina would get along. It was rare for a Warlock of Reina's status to have two assistants, but most were hesitant to challenge her. Her bond to Beleeza had given her a certain status among the other Warlocks in the city. And if it became a problem, she would choose Telitha any day. She would have to find more suitable work for the less experienced Idina however. The girl was useless at most research. She pondered this as the clinking of pots and the smell of food filled the little house.

When they finally got down to eating, Reina was relieved to see her assistant regain some life and strength. As entertaining as Beleezas temptations were, she felt like there was something else that had taken a toll on the girl. Telitha was no stranger to hard work and long hours of research, and it really seemed like those mere minutes had severely worn her out. But at least now she was chatting nicely, filling them in on what she had done work during her absence. Still a bit nervous about her place in the house, but far less tense than before. Whatever hesitations Reina had had about letting her back had withered away, and in its place was a gentle joy that their bond had survived.

* * *

"So, this sequence should open the box?"

Reina was examining the notes Telitha had produced and considered the puzzle box before her. There was something menacing about all this, some unpleasant unknown that scratched at her awareness.

"As best as I can tell - yes," Telitha said, not without apprehension. "Though I'm not sure whether what is inside is worth the risk. There is something... Eerie about it."

"What do you think?" Reina asked, with a glance at Beleeza who leaned across the table in a pose that offered her ample cleavage to Telitha.

"I can't feel anything bad from the box, if that is what you are asking. It could be empty - or it could have some sort of containment. Hard to say until you open it up," the Daemon added with a smirk.

Reina considered her options. Beleeza was right - it was impossible to say for certain what they were dealing with until they opened it. More research might yield an answer but that might mean days, weeks, months of basically aimless searching. Searching which might not yield any results at all.

"Damn it," she finally sighed. "Here goes."

One by one, she pressed the bronze sigils corresponding to old constellations and dead gods. Lithe musical twangs sang out as the markings clicked into place. When there was but one sigil left to press, Reina looked at the others with a nervous smile.

"Ready for anything?"

Beleeza smirked and stepped behind her bond mate. Telitha nodded, but took cover behind a book shelf, just to be safe. With a deep breath, Reina readied herself. Then, she pressed the last sigil. Another sweet twang rang out, followed by a short alien melody as the box unfolded itself in her hands. She could hardly believe the craftsmanship at play before her eyes, twisting and turning like a flower opening itself to the sun. That's when she saw what the box had hid. She recognized it immediately.

"Oh shit," she muttered under her breath.

"Now that is a heap of trouble if I ever saw one," Beleeza added with little of her usual mirth.

Telitha dared out from her hiding place to look. Within the box was a sickly green-black thing, about as big as a fist. At first it looked like little more than a molten piece of rock or warped piece of metal. But the closer you looked, the more its grotesque designs appeared - jagged forms swirling around a black jewel, making it appear like a grisly eye plucked from some nightmarish beast. It was impossible to say what its purpose was, but whatever it was it looked plenty sinister. Just looking at the thing put the mind slightly askew.

"Of course it would be Enutian," Reina sighed. "We need to get rid of this immediately or the Bluebloods will sniff it out." She closed the box again, hoping that the box would conceal its prize well enough for them to get rid of it.

"Care to fill me in a bit?" Telitha tried. "I've only ever heard the name, but never-"

"Later. First we get this out of here," Reina said absentmindedly before turning to Beleeza. "Any bright ideas?"

"I could bring it to the Nethers easily," Beleeza said, fiddling with the box. "But then you never know if the House of Paradoxes will come looking. They can be quite an unpredictable bunch of miserable fun-haters."

"I think I'd rather avoid that." Reina's brow furrowed with concern. This was far more than she had bargained for.

"But how about that old coot with the knick-knack obsession?"

Reina was blank for a moment before her face lit up. "Of course! That sour dog will gladly take it, and we might even get something valuable in return!"

Telitha felt unusually lost, and simply watched as her instructor took the puzzle box and once more got out her sandcloak.

"Come on! I think it's time you meet the last living Artificer in Robeka."

* * *

A little while later the three of them were stalking the depths of the southern part of the city - a tangled web of back streets and alleys where mostly beggars and poor people made their homes. If you could call them homes. Bundled up in cloaks and covering their faces, they did their best not to attract attention. The Wizard's Guard and the Bluebloods was one thing, but even a common mugger or sickly beggars could be troublesome. While Beleeza could certainly deal with most problems, having her shift out of human form would just bring about other, worse problems.

For almost an hour they trekked back and forth, trying to discern which of all the anonymous stone houses was the right one. Finally, they ended up in front of a shadowclad wall that had no features besides an old wooden door, scarred by decades of sandstorms. Not a single mark hinted that there was anything special inside, yet Reina and Beleeza shared a confident nod. As soon as they were sure that no one had followed them, Reina went up to the door, performed a rhythmic five-step knock, and waited. Waited. Waited. She had just raised her hand to try again, when suddenly there was another rhythmic knock from the other side of the door. Before the sequence had even finished, Reina walked away and around a corner into an alley, with Beleeza closely behind and Telitha trailing after. From the alley they went down into what was little more than a crevice, veiled in darkness, and then down a steep set of stairs that might as well have been a death trap for would-be intruders. At the bottom of the stairs waited another door, just as worn as the first one. But this one had two small openings, covered in metal. They positioned themselves outside, and waited. Finally, Telitha couldn't keep all her questions inside anymore.

"So... This man has a temper I take it?" she asked in a low voice, still keeping her face covered.

"Something of the sort," Reina replied without letting her eyes off the door. "Something about Artificers makes them into hermits. Paranoid. Though this guy has his reasons - the Bluebloods really have it in for him, and would probably do just about anything to get their hands on his creations."

"I'm not quite sure what to make of this..." Telitha knew many things, but only now did she realize how sheltered her studies had made her. There was a great many things she didn't understand about this city yet.

Just then, the lower hatch in the door slid open and out came a strange brass device made up of layered plates with strange little icons. Reina hesitated - suddenly not fully sure of the sequence. But before she could try her hand, Beleeza stepped up and rotated the plates with nimble fingers until she was satisfied. Reina arched an eyebrow at her bond mate, who only winked playfully in return. The device was pulled back inside, and mere moments later the other hatch slid open to reveal a pair of deeply set brown eyes that stared out suspiciously. Reina pulled down her covers to show her face.

"I hope you remember me, Podresh," she said with a smile. "I have something that might catch even your interest."

A low grunt could be heard from the other side of the door. "We'll see about that. You're the apprentice of that stuck up Warlock aren't you? The one with the lust beast? Who are the other two?"

Reina gave signal to the other two to reveal themselves.

"This is my own assistant, Telitha, and-"

"The lust beast," Beleeza filled in with a grin.

The man on the other side of the door scoffed. "And just why should I let you in with someone I have no reason to trust? What could you possibly have that is worth the risk?"

Reina suffocated a sigh. Everything always had to be a negotiation with this man.

"Because the longer this thing is not in capable hands, the bigger the risk that the Bluebloods will sniff it out instead."

That caught the Artificer's attention, and his eyes twitched involuntarily. The hatch slammed shut, followed by the sound of locks and mechanisms being undone. Then, the door slowly opened to reveal the way into a shady cellar. After a final look behind them to be safe, Reina led the way inside.

As the door closed behind them, Telitha could finally get a good look at their strange host. He was a man who might as well have been forty summers as he might have been sixty. Black, greystreaked hair and a unkempt beard emphasized the creases in his face, and Telitha was unsure whether they were marks of age or stress. He wore sturdy yet simple clothes, laden with pouches and pockets, with uncountable tools dangling from belts and straps. Silently, she remarked to herself that it looked like he'd worn the clothes so long he had become fused with them. Only then did she really catch sight of their surroundings - a massive workshop quite unlike any she had seen before. Shelves and tables groaned from the weight of thousands, if not millions of parts and pieces made of every material imaginable. It was impossible to tell what was finished and what was half-finished, and even the ceiling was so full of hanging relics it was a small wonder they hadn't pulled the entire house down.

"Well then, let's not dilly-dally," Podresh said, seating himself at a table that was just a little less cluttered than the others. "Show me."

Reina brought out the old canvas bag they had hid the puzzle box in, and placed both the puzzle box and Telitha's notes on the table.

"I do hope that this box is not the most interesting thing?" the old man grumbled, though he looked at the notes with some interest.

"No, I decided it was best to keep the thing inside the box, as it seems to be built to conceal whatever is hidden inside. My assistant managed to solve the code, and we found something of Enutian origin inside."

Podresh nodded absentmindedly. "Perhaps you're not as wet behind the ears as I thought. But let's see if this thing is actually of such dark origin." He picked up the stack of notes and rifled through them, brows furrowing as he read. "You solved this cryptogram?" he finally said, looking at Telitha with incredulous eyes.

"I did," Telitha replied with slight uncertainty. She wasn't actually sure exactly how she had solved it, or whether it even had been she that had done the solving.

"She's a great translator," Reina filled in with some pride. "I wish I had her knack for seeing patterns."

"Hmmm-mm," was the only reply from the old man.

He put down the notes and slowly started opening the puzzle box. He considered every sigil carefully, examining the box with meticulous precision along every step, until finally, he pressed the last sigil and the box did its melodic opening dance just as it had before. Once more, the grim thing at its heart revealed itself. Podresh paused to consider the relic for a moment. Then, with utmost care, he picked it up.

"It is indeed Enutian," he mumbled, turning the thing over in his hands. "It's been a while since I came across one so undamaged, let alone so potent."

"Potent?" Reina asked, stepping a bit closer to look.

"You should not think of it in terms of ordinary magical potency. Enutian things have a quite unique potency. Something like the opposite pole of a magnet. I can only guess at what such a thing might have been used for."

"I take it you want to keep it then?" Reina prodded. She had no desire to keep the thing herself, but she had no intention of leaving empty-handed either.

The old man gave her a grim stare. "Trust me, this thing would only bring you misfortune. Not to mention the rancid curse that is the Bluebloods' attention.", Then, he caught Reina's drift. "Ah. You want something in exchange. Some reward for your find, is that it?"

"Fair is fair, after all."

"Rooting out these things from the world is an act of survival, not some mere business transaction," Podresh spat out. "This isn't just some little trinket, but a malice that is just waiting to be exploited by the wrong hands."