Tablet Master Ch. 13

"Fetch as many guards as you can," Kellia heard the man whisper to his alleged cousin. "I'll keep the girls in that room for as long as I can, but I'm not sure if I can handle both on my own. There's a bounty on the gray one and probably one on the other kitty too. Hurry and we can share the bounty."

The room was even filthier. The scents of semen, blood, alcohol, urine, and excrements were sickening and poorly masked by a fierce lemon scent.

Kellia pinched her nose and gaged.

"You'll get used to it," Kashmere said, wriggling her nose.

The pain stopped Kellia from talking, so she patted her mistress on the shoulder instead.

"What?"

Kellia pointed at her mouth.

"I don't have time for games, talk to me."

"I couldn't talk," Kellia said with a raspy voice as she held her nose pinched. "Now I can."

"What did you want to tell me then?"

"I wanted to ask how good your hearing is compared to a human."

"About twice as good, why? How's yours?"

"I can hear a whisper from fifty meters in a crowded place. And my sense of smell is just as strong, and I guarantee you this room is filthy."

Kashmere leaned over the bed to take a whiff. "It smells like... lemon."

"By the way," Kellia said, releasing her nose so her own voice would stop annoying her, but continued to breathe through her mouth instead, although it barely helped. "I really don't want to have sex with this man, and especially not in this room."

"You're a magical creature," Kashmere said. "You're not even real and you're supposed to obey me. Why is it such a big deal?"

"I am real. I'm not just some manifestation created by magic. I have memories, I have a past, and I have feelings. I'm from another dimension and I was imprisoned in that Tablet and its magic is constraining. It forces me to obey your orders even if I don't want to and it's really painful."

"Fair enough," Kashmere said. "Let's explore this line of thought. Why are you imprisoned in this Tablet?"

"I don't know."

"I bet you want me to free you."

"Definitely."

"How do I know you're not some kind of super powerful demon that will wreak havoc and destroy cities as soon as I'd do that?"

"You don't, but I'm not."

"Liar," Kashmere said. "You killed four dire wolves and weakened a dire bear enough for me to finish the job. You are powerful."

"I didn't say I was weak, but I won't wreak havoc and destroy cities," Kellia said. "I save people, I don't kill them," she glared at Kashmere, "unless you make me do those things."

"People don't imprison good creatures, especially not powerful ones."

Kellia sighed.

"Here's the deal," Kashmere said. "I will stop giving you orders, so I can make up my mind as to free you or not. How would I free you exactly?"

"I don't know," Kellia said, "but if you stop ordering me around, it's already a huge start."

"Fine," Kashmere said.

"The guard knows about the bounty on your head and he already sent someone to fetch more guards," Kellia said. "Also, he's just a few steps away."

"Kill him when he enters the room."

"You said you'd stop ordering me," Kellia frowned, getting ready to pounce at the guard.

"Okay, don't kill him, just knock him out."

The man walked in.

Kellia grabbed the collar of his armor and slammed the door into his face.

The man groaned as she pulled him into the room and shut the door.

She punched him again, knocking him out cold.

"That was easy," Kashmere said with a grin.

"But it was still an order," Kellia said. "Thanks for that last add-on though, I really hate killing people."

"But I didn't order you, I just said it."

"It looks like I must obey everything you say that sounds like an order," Kellia said. "Maybe you could order me not to obey you."

"Okay... I order you not to do my biddings," Kashmere said. "Does this work?"

"I don't know, tell me to do something."

"Kill him."

"Noooooo!"

"No, stop! Don't kill him."

"What? Wait!"

"Wait for what?"

Kellia took a deep breath. "Ask for something simpler, although I think it may have worked, let's not kill someone by accident, please!"

"Okay then," Kashmere said. "Sit."

Kellia didn't want to sit.

She smiled. "No pain."

Kashmere grinned. "Good. Now kill him!"

Kellia glared.

"See, it works," Kashmere said. "Now, I order you to sit."

Kellia winced and sat before the pain got too intense.

"Now, roll over," Kashmere said.

Kellia didn't move.

"It would seem that when I say -order- you still have to do it," Kashmere said.

"Indeed," Kellia said, standing back up.

"I order you not to obey my orders unless you want to."

They both stared at each other for a moment.

"I order you to sit," Kashmere said.

Kellia sighed deeply, but she didn't sit.

"Now kill him!"

Kellia didn't move.

"I order you to kill him."

Kellia didn't feel any pain.

"Are you free enough now?"

"I believe I am," Kellia said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Kashmere said. "So, your name is Kellia-Millaradÿss?"

"My name is Kellia Heart."

"What's Millaradÿss?"

"I have no idea, but I think we should get the hell out of here."

"Yeah, you're right."

Kellia opened the blinds to look outside and then jumped.

Kashmere climbed down the window ledge before jumping down.

"Lead the way," Kellia said. "I have no idea where to go."

Kashmere took off.

They ran through dark alleys as the sun was setting, avoiding the guards, and keeping a low profile until it was dark.

"You don't have feline hearing or smell, but at least you can see in the dark," Kellia said as she continued to follow Kashmere in the dark.

"Can't have it all, heh," Kashmere said, peering around a corner. "Clear."

They arrived at one of the main gates of the wall surrounding the city. There was also a barrack directly build against the wall and it was swarming with guards.

"We have to find a way to get through that small door," Kashmere said, pointing at a small door within the giant double door.

"Why not jump over the wall anywhere other than here," Kellia said. "You know... where they aren't any guards?"

"I can't jump that high," Kashmere said.

"No, but I can. All we need is a rope and I can help you climb over."

"Why didn't you say that earlier?"

"I had no idea you were leading us out the city," Kellia said. "I also had no idea there was a wall with guards swarming all over it because in my world, there are no walls around the cities."

"How do they defend them from the monsters and from other armies?"

"It would be too long to explain. Let's go."

Kellia ran back for a moment before heading towards another part of the wall where there were no guards. The wall was ten meters high, but she could jump fifteen easily without a running start.

She jumped and hid in the shadows.

"We didn't find a rope yet," Kashmere said from below.

Kellia jumped back. "Oops, sorry. Maybe I can just... lift you up there," she said, investing a fraction of potential to produce one tentacle chain.

Kashmere nodded. "Sounds cool."

Kellia lifted her up on the wall, jumped to join her and then jumped down on the other side before Kashmere slid down the chain to join her.

They crossed the ditch using the same method and ran through the open field, ignoring the guard's calls. Kashmere didn't run as fast as Kellia so she slowed to her pace, but it was too dark for the guards to shoot arrows at them.

They ran through a few farm fields before agreeing on a barn where they could spend the night.

It was small and it was near the forest.

They sneaked inside, counted two ox, five pigs and one cow. The animals didn't seem to mind them climbing up into the attic.

"I need to get some rest," Kashmere said, lying down in the hay. "Tomorrow I'll burry this Tablet and you can go your merry way. You're free."

Kellia half expected those last words to trigger something, but nothing happened. She didn't feel free from the Tablet, but again, maybe she was.

"Thank you Kash," she said, leaning against an opening to stare at the stars.

Kashmere took the Tablet out of her bag and leaned on her side to sleep.

Kellia didn't feel tired. She didn't need to sleep either unless she changed into a full human, which she didn't do often. She had wanted to be human so much and for so long in her past, but when she evolved at some point in her life and discovered her supernatural abilities, she didn't want it anymore.

She remembered her life in perfect details, every second of it, every smell, every sound, every touch, and every pain. She could replay any moment of her life and almost relive it as if she were there again, but she couldn't remember how she'd gotten trapped in that Tablet.

Kashmere was purring softly already.

Kellia tried to take the Tablet, but the pain prevented that.

She grabbed a stick and tried to move it. Same result.

'I'm definitely not free,' she thought.

Kellia watched the sky gradually illuminate as the sun rose, but everything went black all the sudden. She was trapped in the Tablet again and Kashmere was still asleep when it happened. It didn't feel long before she came out again, crumpling from the pain for a moment.

"Were you in the Tablet?" Kashmere asked.

"Yes."

"I wasn't sure if you left during the night, so I read the name again. I thought either you'd pop back here and be mad at me for it or you went back in the Tablet during the night. Willingly?"

"No, I was watching the sun rise."

"I don't think burying the Tablet will help you be free."

"Indeed," Kellia sighed.

"I order you not to obey my orders unless you want to," Kashmere said, handing the Tablet to her.

Kellia shivered from the slight pain. "I can't touch it, not even with a stick."

Kashmere shoved the Tablet back into her sack. "I guess you're stuck with me then. Follow me if you want. Either way, I'll read you name again tomorrow morning to confirm you go back into it every morning and we'll decide what to do with you then." She walked towards the forest.

"I might as well go with you," Kellia said, following her. "Maybe we can help each other."

"If you stick around, you'll become an outlaw, just like me. They sent the bounty to all corners of this continent so I'm trying to find my way to Carapala. I hope they didn't reach this far. Chances are someone else placed a bounty on my head over there, but I have to try."

"Why is there such a huge bounty on your head?"

Kashmer scoffed. "Because I'm the only one left of my kind and I'm a threat to the new council."

"So... not because you're a pirate?"

Kashmere laughed. "Having a bounty for being a pirate rarely fetches higher than a few hundred gold coins, maybe one or two thousand if you stole from someone important. Me and my crew... we saved more people then we killed. We even saved a city from being destroyed, using our boat to sink the enemy's ships before they could reach their port -- Oh and we saved a floating city from the continuous attacks of Shark-People." Kashmere scoffed. "We saved so many people it's funny we kept calling ourselves pirates."

"Why aren't you on a boat anymore... saving people," Kellia said.

"I had to leave," she said, sighing deeply. "A lot of people knew where to find me, well, sort-of. Bounty hunters were all over the place every time we docked. They were looking for the score of a lifetime. It became harder to sell our loots and every time someone recognised me, it placed everyone else at risk and they became a target too. So, I left."

"Why didn't you go to Carapala before you left them?"

"I couldn't," Kashmere said. "We had a bunch of hunters on our tail and I had a decision to make. I was second in command and I told the Captain to leave without me. We didn't even have time to say our goodbye, but I'm confident we'll meet again."

"Why are you a threat to the new Council?" Kellia said.

"I'm the only one left with the ability to ascend as Great-Alpha."

"How does that work?"

Kashmere stopped. "You see those symbols all over my fur?"

"Yes," Kellia said. "It's kind of cute actually."

"I was born with those lines," she said, resuming her walk. "One in a hundred thousand of my kind is born with these symbols. It's a magical bond to the sacred Crystal of The Seven. Every member of a clan would worship someone like me. They'd train us to become great fighters so that one day, we may ascent to replace the Great-Alpha. My clan was destroyed by a rival clan over some ridiculous dispute when I was young. My mother ran into exile to survive and I wasn't trained like the others. Our Great-Alpha was young, and chances were that I'd die before being summoned to the Shan'Arr anyways. I never really cared about Cathorian's politics and hierarchy. I was raised amongst humans in the east, far from Cathorian territory. My mother got sick, I became a thief, then a sailor, then a pirate, and then the Great-Alpha died. He was probably killed by the same people forming the new Council. What I know so far is that everyone like me was killed in the past five years and I'm apparently the only one left. Any newborn with these symbols is to be executed. Some hunters even used magic to find me by tracking the mystical bond that links me to the crystal, but it only works when they are within two kilometers. I tried to let the new Council know I wasn't interested to rule our kind, but I guess they fear our people would fall in line as soon as a new Great-Alpha would ascend."

"What they do is terrible," Kellia said. "They execute babies to stay in power."

"I know, it's horrible, but there's nothing I can do. If I go anywhere near Cathorian territory, they'll kill me long before I get anywhere near the Crystal."

"Not if I help you, they won't!"

"I don't think you're strong enough to protect me," Kashmere said. "They have powerful wizards, they have an army, and they rule a nation. What can only the two of us do against that?"

"I don't know exactly how, but if all you need is to reach that Crystal to ascend... ascend into what exactly? Great-Alpha? Is it just a title or does it have other benefit, other than having you on a leach since you were born?"

Kashmere sat on a large stone near the river. "About five hundred years ago," she said, "All seven species of Cathorian ruled over each their territory. Panthers, Tigers, Servals, Lynxes, Leopards, Jaguars, and Lions. They were always fighting each other, but the Lizardmen of the south, the Orcs to the north, and the Humans to the east, all grew in strength and began attacking also. Each Cathorian dealing with their enemies with pride, but our people being what they are, even within our own species we have clans that fights each other, we were losing. The leaders of all seven species joined forces together before it would be too late. They were powerful wizards and created the Crystal of Seven, which combined their power and enhanced it at the same time. They were able to win the war, but five species disappeared, leaving only the Panthers and the Jaguars. When the last of the seven Alphas died, the Lion, he used his magic to allow the Crystal to bond with one of us. The ones who'd bear the mark of the Crystal would have the power to bond with it and access all its power, as well as access all the knowledge and memories of every Great-Alphas before him. This was many hundred years ago and we had six Great-Alphas after the last Lion."

Kashmere scratched her head. "I guess if I ascend, it'll grant me all their knowledge. Spellcasting, fighting techniques, everything. Stories and tales of the Great-Alphas going into battle are epic and almost unbelievable. They can obliterate armies and fend off a horde of dragons, but a rumor also says the range of their power is limited and that's why Cathorian's territory never grew bigger and their leader never left the capital."

"You won't need to run anymore if you gain access to all this power," Kellia said.

"I know," Kashmere said, taking her boots off before she began putting her gear down. "I'm scared of it and I don't want to lead an entire nation of Cathorian. I'm no leader."

"Says every great leader ever," Kellia said, "but if running away is what makes you happier, then I'm not in a position to tell you otherwise. Follow your heart and desires, that's what I always did."

"Right now, my desire is to swim," Kashmere said, diving into the river.

Kellia looked around. The forest was dense, and it was hard to see more than fifty meters away in any direction. She closed her eyes to inhale deeply in all four directions while she paid attention to all the sounds. She smelled and heard nothing that would worry her.

She took her clothes off, placed her weapon on top and dove to join Kashmere in the water.

"Bummer I don't have any shampoo," Kellia said.

"What's that?"

"It's like soap, but liquid," Kellia said. "It's used to wash hair or fur, and it makes it soft and-"

Kashmere's symbols began to glow all the sudden.

"Fuck," Kashmere said. "Someone's closing in on me. They just used a spell to locate me."

She hurried to shore and geared up.

Kellia did the same.

"Fight or flight?" Kellia asked.

"Both," she said. "Follow me."

Kellia didn't feel pain but followed anyways. They ran for a moment and the intensity of her glowing symbols lessened.

She ran back and after a moment, Kellia could see the luminescence intensified.

"We're closing in on them," Kashmere said, running faster. "What most of these morons don't know is that it works both ways!"

They ran for a few minutes and then Kashmere stopped to take cover behind a mound of fallen trees and bushes.

Kellia ran a few more steps before she stopped on the other side of the mound.

She couldn't see with all the trees, but she heard footsteps and branches cracking.

"I count six," she said over her shoulder. "They just stopped running. They're about two hundred meters ahead. They're splitting in three groups, two heading away on both sides. They want to surround us."

It wasn't long before she saw the first group that kept on going straight.

One was a panther Cathorian wearing light leather armor and wielding two axes. The other was a jaguar and he wore a simple dark green hooded robe with no visible weapon.

Kellia smiled as her gaze met theirs.

"Is this her?" the panther whispered.

"No," the jaguar said, "but she isn't far."

"Hey there," Kellia shouted, waving her hand. "I know your friends are trying to surround us and I'm fairly certain you will all perish here today if you attack us, so why don't you take your weapons away and we can all have a nice little chat about the fact that the person you're trying to kill isn't the bad guy in this story?"

"Kill her," the jaguar said.

The panther dashed forwards.

Kellia switched the safety off as she aimed at his leg. She was about to pull the trigger when another bullet explosion echoed, and her target fell on his back.

She looked over her shoulder and noticed Kashmere's musket was fuming.

"We don't need to kill them," Kellia shouted.

The others all charged at her from both sides. Three panthers and another jaguar. She shot the two panthers coming from the left, one bullet in each their legs and turned to shoot the jaguar in his right leg just before he could reach her.

The last panther swung a two-handed axe at her.

She sidestepped to avoid it and kicked him in the groin.

The power of her kicks was that of ten men and the Panther was lifted a few meters before he fell back down, howling in agony.

Kashmere poked her head out again with her pistol ready and gaped.

"Are you ready to talk now?" Kellia shouted. "I can put a bullet in your head from here."

"How can your gun shoot so many times without recharging," Kashmere said as she walked to her side, looking at all the Cathorians. "You disabled all of them before I could reload once."