Tauli Ch. 03

Reenhalla landed in the square and snapped his wings over himself, feeling the first volley of spears shatter against his new scales. The wings flicked backwards and he charged towards them. The ground tearing with every step, as he kept his tail poised and lowered one shoulder.

Spear and arrow were thrown, but not a single one as much as scratched the dragon king's new hide. Serving only to justify the death of these fragile weaklings that had stolen his mate from him.

Salmon's laughing face crossed through his mind. The gentle catgirl, always on the verge of nervousness, always just looking to play.

Her Reeni seized the throat of the first soldier to attempt to charge him, spinning before throwing the human hard enough to wrench his shoulder. The steel crumpled as the man was embedded into the palace wall, cracks spidering out in every direction, a puff of dust shaking loose from the wall under the impact.

Salmon, sitting cross-legged and trying to sneakily snag a piece of chicken out of Reenhalla's porcelain takeaway bowl. No guilt at being caught, just a little bit of embarassment. Her hungry grin as the dragon fed it to her, all the same.

Reenhalla crushed a soldier beneath his foot, pulverising them and removing any possibility of identifying the body. His tail turned a bellowing tauran into a wheezing ruin, fallen to their knees. The dragon grabbed them by both horns, snarled, and then hefted the gigantic beast, whirling to release them.

The flying creature yelled a moment before the impact. Striking the last thrown soldier, the two corpses bursting through as the wall was shattered. The bridge over the hole collapsed, dropping a single archer forward and into the square.

A dozen spears jabbed at Reenhalla, now surrounded by the coordinating soldiers. Every blade slipped as they failed to gain purchase against his scales. The weapons notched where the struck him, the steel a weaker metal than the natural defenses of his body.

His black eyes glowed from within, bursting with the deep well of magic he now found to be his own. The flames surrounding him flared outwards briefly, and the brave soldiers fell backwards, little more than ashen statues, even their bones barbecued in an instant.

The dragon continued his march towards the palace walls, when he saw an elf leap upwards and over the sealed gates. Her eyes were a vibrant green, and her hair was in a long blonde plait. She wore no armour, only the lightweight blue and white robes of the temple.

In her hand was a broken staff, made of an old and faded bone. A thighbone of a neko, if Reenhalla had to guess.

The mage spun the weapon and then thrust it into the air.

The dragon roared as he was immediately blinded. The entire world washed away in a agonising white light. The king closed his eyes against the onslaught. He screamed, digging in his feet and bracing himself as the light began to take on physical form, pushing back.

He bellowed out his flames, scorching his throat with the unfamiliar heat. Yet he could feel it as the fire struck the light, and curled backwards against it. Reenhalla channeled his magic into the attack, thrusting his will against reality, and demanding that it curve and bend to his desire. Demanding satisfaction for the death of his mate.

The light seemed to draw back for a moment, before bursting out even more fiercely. Reenhalla felt some of his scales beginning to be pushed flat as the mage's trickery began to overcome his new strength. In a battle of bruteforce, he might actually lose this one. It was a question of which of them would lose first.

Yet, this was only the first line of defense of the palace.

He knew that dead or not, Toofy would never have left her home undefended. The soldiers remaining might be scattered and broken, still hurt by whatever battle had happened before the empress fell, but the enemy would still be able to fight back.

Reenhalla snapped out his wings and closed his jaws, flying backwards and back into the tunnel he had dug beneath the square, disappearing into the darkness. The lizard ran through the darkness, flicking his tongue to lead him on as he silently vanished beneath the city.

He ducked into one of the many food storehouses, and went still. His breathing reduced near to nothingness, as he lowered his heartbeat.

A few moments later he heard the footsteps of running soldiers. Two broke off to examine his hiding place. He heard them muttering to each other nervously, as he stood as still as any statue, a mere arm's length away from them.

"By the empress... That fucking thing..." One of them whispered to the other, "What are we supposed to do, if it's actually in here?"

"Scream." The other whispered back, "Not like we'll do anything but die, is it? Toofy's red gaze... That's what a black salamander is like? And the last emperor actually fought and killed one?"

They both shivered, poking quietly around the boxes with their spears, "Irrlichdan. Fuck. I thought it was just a story. You know, how he burned down the entire Golden Mountain? A story to scare kids. But... It isn't, is it?"

"I'm retiring. Soon as we get back. I can't do this shit. Not against that."

"Empress isn't letting us." The other whispered, "Only way out of the guards is desertion or death. They said it was just until we could prove our loyalty. Made sense, what with... Toofy's cultists still around."

"Gods, I hope she's not really dead." The soldier whispered, "She's the only thing that could save us from a new black. Fuck."

"Ink could. If they didn't kill her." The soldier didn't sound like they believed it.

The other shook his head, "No. Well, maybe she could. But as far as the princess is concerned, we just killed her mother. You ever met a neko on a blood hunt?"

"Fuck. The empress never reached out to her tribe, but..."

"Dragon is only the beginning." The other replied grimly, "Desertion. We have to, I'm telling you. Once word reaches the nekan tribes that we butchered every cat in the city... They'll come for us. It'll be a new war."

"Oh gods, I never thought of that. They'll siege us. Lock us in here with the pissed off dragon."

Reenhalla opened his eyes slowly, blinking painfully in the darkness, and growled quietly, "Want go? Then go. Or die."

---

She glared sideways at the man idly sitting beside her. He was leaning back on his wrists, swinging his legs above the long drop to the waters running through the city. His face was as impassive as ever, but to Millie he may as well have been screaming in anguish.

He had refused to lie to her, remaining true to himself, and so she'd lashed out at him. Frightened beyond belief, terrified that the entire city was about to collapse around her ears.

Millie crawled over and sat beside Lawrence, looking down at her hands, "He kept us safe."

"Nowhere's safe." He replied tiredly, "The ascension of a king salamander during a rebellion is about as unlikely as they come. We are tools of the divine, right now. The war between things greater than ourselves is resuming. Blood will flow through these streets."

She kissed his cheek and purred, "She agrees, master. She knows. But she doesn't like living... Afraid. She has her Lorry. Some books and gadgets. We should go somewhere we can forget about all of them. Just be us, even if world burns."

"I would, were it an option." He said tiredly, and handed a book towards her, that he had been keeping out of sight.

Millie took it carefully, opening to a bookmark'd page. She squealed and nearly dropped it when she saw Toofy's elegant and spidery writing on the 'mark. The empress had left her a final note. Of course, the bitch had seen it coming. She always did.

"Does Lorry know who Baoel is? Millie doesn't."

He shook his head, "I've done my best not to learn who lives in this city. They're not interesting to me. I prefer history books to conversation."

"Baoel... Baoel... She knows that name." Millie pondered, screwing up her face in concentration. "Not any of the lords or ladies, that she knows... Maybe she remembers them from the marketplace?"

Lawrence sighed heavily, "So we will be doing as the empress wishes? Not just leaving?"

"Toofy might be dead, but it still stupid to avoid doing what she want." Millie said and pushed her glasses up her nose. "She might have pretended to hide him, but empress knew. Millie almost certain empress intended it. The two of them, together. Toofy was... She was nekan empress. Empire or not, she the scariest of us."

"Don't fuck with Toofy." He said without emotion, looking into the sewers.

Millie tried again, putting aside the book and purring. Rubbing her face into his neck. He gave a small and confused smile at her. Even after all this time, he really did struggle to read her emotions.

She rolled her golden eyes, "Master. Millie's sorry for being cold. She's scared."

"I could light a fire?"

She blinked innocently, "She already has fire. Want to help her douse it?"

"Huh?"

"Wanna fuck master!" She hissed and shoved him onto his back. "Sometimes... Millie seriously wonders if anything in his stupid human head."

"Not alone." He smiled up at her, as his shadows came crawling in to surround the two of them.

Millie kissed him, relaxing as he kissed her back. No matter what was happening in the world, she knew that she could have this. Whatever inquisitors were hunting them, she had L by her side. Protecting her.

"Loves her master." She whispered, kissing his chin with a deep and hungry purr. "He's hers?"

"Always. Always and forever." He cupped one of her cheeks in his hand.

Her clumsy hands found his belt, and slipped it free with the assistance of one of his many black tendrils. She cooed excitedly, and freed him. As usual, he didn't need any foreplay. She probably could have done with some, but her emotions were already everywhere.

She tried to force him to fit, working her hips until she stopped clinging to him and he slid all the way into her. She let out a weak gasp, and then tapped his nose, "No... Destroying her clothes. Not this time."

"Aw." He made a faeux-sad face.

She glared, "She means it! She is not running naked in sewers just for master's entertainment!"

"It would be highly entertaining." He smirked.

Her retort was lost as he thrust up into her. The catgirl practically collapsed onto his chest, panting and moaning. This was exactly what she needed, right now. To be filled with thoughts of her master, and nobody else.

Millie lost herself completely. Panting and mewling, tugging at him and begging for her master to give her more, to take her faster and rougher. She growled for him, demanding he speak to her, call her as he always did.

"Millie." He groaned beneath her frantic hips.

Her golden eyes lit up furiously, knowing that he knew what she wanted him to do. Her Lorry smiled at her, before groaning more, embedded deep within her.

Her teeth played over the edge of the scar running along his shoulders, before she bit him hungrily. She felt him swelling within her, adoring her, trying to hold off so that she could enjoy herself longer.

Millie purred, "Master. Make her, his... Master!"

He never could resist it when she said that.

The neko's eyes lit up like lamplights in the dark, and she moaned loudly. She felt him thrusting deeply into her, "I'm..."

She wrapped herself tightly around him, pressing down against him to catch it all. She cooed weakly into his chest, grinning to herself. Enjoying the flooding sensation deep enside her.

She kissed his cheek tiredly, "She's sorry she was mean, before."

"I like the way you apologise." He said breathlessly.

She giggled and traced a claw in a spiral on his chest, marvelling at the way his skin healed over behind it. "She likes the way he fucks her."

"What now, Millie?"

She sighed, "Sleep. In your arms. Then... Then they go find Baoel."

---

"She's serious about this, isn't she?" The silver-haired neko snarled, rising from her throne and glaring at the guest she'd invited into her palace with expectations of a polite, albeit tense, conversation.

The fox poked curiously at one of the statues, looking down and admiring the artist's dedication to realism. "Of course I am. I'm always serious. That's one of the benefits of being me. I'm serious even when I'm not. Especially when I'm not."

"If she challenges Luna, then the entire world may plunge into the darkness! We may never unite the others enough to make a new one, again." The neko snarled.

Nine-tails fanned out, glowing golden, and the statue shuddered into life. The kitsune knelt down in front of it and started kissing at the newly forged soul's groin. "I don't really have a problem with that, little sister. The world was only ever meant to be a battlefield, and honestly, it's been a bit boring, lately. They don't even remember us. The real us. Before we let the threat of total annhiliation bind our hands. Made us agree to the... Rules."

"Stop fucking her statuary and talk to her!" Luna snapped angrily, "The axomander is yours. You really don't care if she dies!?"

Mischief replied around a mouthful of cock, "Na."

The moon goddess snapped her fingers, killing and reverting the statue, "Fucking fox! If you stand in her way, then you die, too!"

"Lighten up." The kitsune rolled her eyes and ressurected the confused creature with a wag of her tails, "Death this, death that. I got more than a lifetime's darkness out of Efina and Tamma. If there is one thing I will always do, it is fuck around. Speaking of... "

Mischief stood up and pressed the bewildered stone creature into sitting, before mounting him and letting out a kitsune's satisfied shriek. "Far too long... Since I made a new species... Mmm... How about you name this one? You're the one who thinks things need to be done the proper way."

"A... Species? This isn't just a once off?" Luna stared in horror.

The kitsune rocked her hips gently, "Mmm... Nope. I think I'll spread them... To the south."

"Weapons, for your war." Luna snarled bitterly.

The orange-eyed woman smiled at her, "You could always join me. Like we used to. Birth the species, together. I miss the sweet taste of you."

"If I knew what you planned with the Crucible, I never would have helped you!" She snapped, "You sealed away the others to buy yourself time to prepare to attack! The damage you've done to our realms since... The Green Goddess is so badly burned that her bounty can no longer sustain the numbers in the world! People are dying!"

"Good, good." Mischief murmured, ignoring her and encouraging the living stone to thrust harder inside her. The fox squeezed her eyes shut, "Mmm... Nearly... A bit..."

Another shriek echoed through Luna's palace.

"I will not show you mercy. Sister, lover, it means nothing." The nekan goddess declared, "I will kill your emmisaries. I will torch your creations. I will massacre your armies."

The fox laughed coldly, "With what? A bubble, waiting to be popped?"

"With a halfelf darkling." She replied with equal arrogance.

The kitsune put a hand to the statue's chest, pausing them both, "A darkling? A cursed beast? You would break the rules, sister? You, of all people? The cursed are for mortals. We agreed that the darklings were too dangerous. Didn't we? That's why we let Eratigan save the cat, last time."

"You agreed. I never said nothing." Luna sneered in rage, "My darkling is already in position. All Luna needs to do, is lift the veil, and allow their sanity to flee. Everything that the Mischief has worked for will disappear before her eyes."

"You wouldn't."

Luna strode away, leaving the kitsune trapped by her cunt's bond to the statue, "Enjoy becoming a mother! She's going to win a war, and steal a dragon's soul."

"Luna!" Mischief screamed after her.