Tauli Ch. 05

Terrified and vibrant purple eyes looked at the nervous human, or whatever he was, when he wasn't pretending. Tauli took a deep breath, before interlacing her fingers into Skip's, hoping that he could be a little understanding as they arrived at the entrance to Xeitau.

The capital city of Lytia, technically, wasn't the city. Rather it was this expansive city-within-a-city. This sealed place, where only royalty and theirs were permitted to walk, or even breathe. Servants seen as a necessary evil, as they sat on thrones above the world.

Her own fears were mostly about introducing her new friend to her grandfather. The man was not precisely known for his calm and rational outlook on the world. That she was being called to speak to him, for overriding his authority, was probably going to involve few words, and many claws.

Not exactly the visage of her family that she wanted to give Skip. Not that she wanted him to meet them at all.

The guards with the two of them, greeted those guarding the only entrance into the city. The royal guards responded by drawing weapons, and sneering, "Halt! Come no further. None may enter -"

"I real sick of dis shit." Tauli said tiredly, "Dis is ma city, and ya ma guards 'n shit, so shut da fuck up, and gets outta ma way, 'fore I eat someone. Even if it be pissin' on granddaddy if I dids. I don't take kindly ta people takin' what mine. Ma name, ya fookin' cunts, is Tauli!"

The royal guards looking at each other curiously, before suddenly all of them raised shields and aimed their spears at the axomander.

She groaned tiredly, and squeezed Skip's hand, "Sorry, 'bout dis. Aints much like no one be meetin' o' ma. Not on the regular."

She rolled her shoulders and gave a small yawn, before the small ivory horns ascended through her hair. The crown encircling her skull, before her pupils widened to fill her eyes with blackness.

Tauli glared at the guards in her partial transformation, "Last chance, fuckers. Lower dem weapons, 'n stop threatenin' ma Skip, or I fucks ya up. Not like I needin' ta enter my own fookin' city tru da gate. Could just be walkin' tru any damn wall. But dey ma walls."

"I think they're threatening you. Not me." Skip whispered nervously.

She giggled, "Threatenin' ma? Nah. Spear or no shit, dat not 'nuf ta hurts on ma. Ya shoulda picked up on dat one, by noaw. Ya the only one in danger. Oh, 'n I s'pose da assholes who escortin' ma. But I don't give no shit or nothin' 'bout dem."

"You dare to claim to be our princess?" The leader of the guards sneered, and stepped forward, driving the spear through Tauli's shoulder and out the other side. Her skin rippled with a rainbow sheen as it pierced her, and she hissed in pain.

She turned her eyes to the attacker, and a black smoke began to escape from the corners of her mouth. "I... Done... Fookin' had it! Skip! Shut ya fookin' eyes!"

The world was weak and fragile.

Nothing but papyrus.

Metal and bone fell aside as her teeth moved through them. Broken into shards even before her jaws closed down. Crushed flat against the roof of her mouth. The voices of the damned soothing to the rage that filled her heavy hearts, as she granted their stupidity the reprieve of death.

Her pink feelers defied the pull of gravity, ignored the commands of the wind, as she danced through the idiots faster than the pupils in their eyes could widen. They couldn't even register their surprise before they found themselves halfway into her gurgling stomach.

She wasn't going to be taking a solid shit for a week. The bones and metal weren't so bad. However, she'd already indulged by eating the fried chicken with Skip. Adding a whole heap of raw flesh to that, and her intestines were going to issue their complaint, loud and clear.

She might have been born as a child of a salamander, she might carry the moniker of the Pink Dragon, but she was not a carnivore. People might call the poorly-trained fools of the world, diamonds in the rough, but her digestive system knew the difference, and it only wanted the real thing.

The guards who had accompanied them stood frozen, most too terrified to consider fleeing. She ignored those. She had no issues with them, she had a problem with the idiots who had threatened the things that were hers. She had a problem with the disrespect.

She had a problem being told she was lying when she gave her own damned name.

Tauli ripped a shirt from one of the nearby guards who wasn't covered in the grime of her outrage. She groaned and dragged it through her hair, making a face as she did. "I just fookin' had a bath, 'n all. Fuck's sake. I needs a real swim 'n shit, ta cleans up dis mess."

"I don't want to open my eyes, do I?" Skip breathed.

She glanced over at him and winced at the skattering of brains across his own clothing. She hadn't been able to spare him from the chaos of it all. Her tantrums never were... Tidy.

She pointed at another guard, "Swap clothes 'n shit wit' 'im."

"Y-y-your grace?"

She rolled her eyes, "He done meetin' ma granddaddy. Give 'im ya bitchin' clothes! Or does ya want 'im frontin' da bitchin' king in fookin' gore 'n shit?"

---

It had been so long since Aetauin had thought about the Pink Dragon, and everything that she owed to that one.

She had devoted herself to Regius, in the years since the creation of the Pale, when Tauli had attempted to obliterate her and everyone else. When the woman had been forced to actually take a stand against those seeking to bring harm against her.

The saltwater toxic stretched herself up the side of the tower. Her fluids running through the cracks in the mortar, carrying her up smoothly like a viral infection attempting to penetrate the living mess of an oblivious mortal.

She blobbed for a moment at the top and almost fell over backwards. She giggled to herself, and then stepped forward, leaving little wet footprints behind her. Guiltily shuffling, trying to keep quiet as she walked into the nest of the axomander, uninvited.

Aetauin put one hand up against the water tank, before flattening her face into the glass. She stared into the place where her progenitor swam on a daily basis, and shivered in excitement.

Her nose popped out as she pulled herself back, and she walked over to what turned out to be a wardrobe of clothing. Dust had settled on the fancier dresses, though there were recent handprints on those. There were also several military uniforms, probably stolen by their differing sizes.

Aetauin considered slipping into some of the more regularly worn clothes, but figured that would be pushing her luck. Tauli was a possessive individual.

As much as the toxic loved her lord, she knew that she felt more for the one who had tried to kill her. It was natural, of course. Aetauin had been created to try and wipe out Tauli, and she had failed. She was released from that duty, now.

There was an opportunity here, to let the two of them connect.

She didn't doubt that Tauli would be unhappy to find her in her home, when the axomander returned. She had hoped the nest would be occupied, when she had climbed the tower. Still, she wouldn't be leaving.

Aetauin was making the decision to insert herself into Tauli's life. If not as a lover, then as an acquaintance. No one else could understand her as well as the one who had birthed her. She was the tears of the Pink Dragon.

The toxic shivered and found her hand creeping down between her legs as she thought about Tauli. Anger or laughter, both fantasies were beginning to play out inside her head. Imagining getting stretched thin by Tauli roaring at her, or nuzzling their faces together until Tauli's mouth was inside her, breathing out little bubbles.

She moaned and slipped a fist inside her permanently wet existence.

Her knees shook as she dripped lewdly onto the ground, slowly pumping back and forth against the sopping entrance that was more of a hint than a requirement. Soft and smooth in every direction, but malleable at the smallest of thoughts.

She wanted to feel the axomander's feelers stroking at her cheeks, her teeth biting down softly and delicately into her shoulder. Groaning as the dragon took back what had always belonged to her, mages and their rituals be damned.

Her arm moved the position of her elbow, so that she could push in deeper, harder. Enjoying the thickness of her wrist, as she dreamed of Tauli's loving bite. The three rows of gorgeous diamond teeth pressing down into her softness.

Picturing her progenitor throwing her against the ground with a messy splat. Growling wordless desire into her ear, into all of her as the growl became a roar. A worldwide declaration of ownership by the king herself.

The true heir, of Meirakeillian, fallen.

Aetauin moaned, her face swelling up in focus. Picturing those gorgeous tanzanite eyes, looking deep into her own. Not seeing a monster, forced to be born just to fight her, but seeing a piece of her own soul.

Looking at her toxic form, not as an abomination that could eat and burn anything within this fragile world. Not seeing an assassin who could take on any shape. But truly seeing her for what she truly was. A fragment of the king.

She dreamt of her name reaching out into the air. All three syllables of it, an homage to the one who ruled. The meaning of her name discarded, as the only one with any right gifted her with a new one.

"Your name means the Death of the Endless." A voice interrupted her, a warm handing sliding down one thigh to where her fist lay inside her. Warm lips kissed her neck, "I tried that once, before. Called them the taurans. In my defence... I am the spirit of madness. Of chaos. I must have loved myself too much to believe she could be killed so easily."

Aetauin's fist popped out of her, and she swung it blindly, scattering tear drops, at... Nothing.

She was still alone.

"Oh, Little Tauli. So very much like her namesake." The voice continued, as Aetauin felt fingers sliding down her stomach. "She's taking sides, before she even knows that there is a war. Poor little dragon. Poor... Weak... Little dragon."

Aetauin shivered, speaking breathlessly. "Who... Are you?"

"I already told you." Two orange eyes glowed, from near her waist. "I, am Chaos."

Horror ran through her, like bubbles in a stream. Popping and rising into a cascading torrent of white foam that threatened to drown the innocent, and lead the foolish into death.

A golden mane of hair sparkled in the air, as the kitsune between her legs came into sight. The woman smiled at her, fangs on full display. The goddess gave a little chuckle, "I know you well, Aetauin. Death to the Endless."

"Fuuuuuck." She breathed out slowly, vibrating and shaking in absolute terror.

"And you... Little traitor... Are going to help me to save Tauli."

---

Skip felt incredibly uncertain as Tauli held his hand firmly. He had no desire to ever meet any of the royal family, let alone be invited into their fortress, this city within a city.

There were hundreds of buildings in this place, some housing servants, others were apparently places of industry. Chainmakers and tailors, tea houses and wineries. All of them devoted to the mastery of their craft, producing the best of the best, solely for the dragons that ruled them all.

Rhoenlytara.

Skip felt physically ill at the thought that he was about to come before the king of Lytia. He had met royalty, in the past. He was the son of a lord, back in his own kingdom. Yet he had also run away from that place, for damned good reason.

He knew that Tauli had claimed him as a friend, out of seemingly nowhere, and he was grateful. However, it just wasn't... Safe. That was why he had hesitated with her, and being in this place made him feel like he was about to make the same mistakes as the past.

There was no possibility that Rhoenlytara would not notice that Skip was wearing a glamour, no matter how hard he had tried to hide it. It was also probable that the man's bodyguards would shatter it and reveal Skip as he really was.

When that happened, he doubted that even Tauli would be able to save him - and he doubted she would want to.

"Stops ya frettin' 'n shit." She squeezed his hand, "Ma granddaddy be all pissin' on ma, not yas. Be doubtin' he even takin' a glance ya way. He don't much t'ink dat shit outside his walls be o' da 'appenin'."

"I'm... Not human." He whispered.

She rolled her eyes, "Yah, yah. Pfff. Me granddaddy a fookin' racist. Ya ain't no dragon, so ya ain't worth spit. Not lookin' twice."

"My... Glamour?"

She blinked, "What's about it?"

"Won't the guards... Break it? In case I'm an enemy of the throne?"

"Skip." Tauli said seriously, "Der ain't no enemies o' da thone. If dey were, den granddaddy be eatin' dem. He don't let none live. And not none escape. Nots never. He leave ya be. 'Sides, ya mine. He won't be pissin' on whats mine. Or I be pissin' on 'im."

"Somehow, the thought of the king and yourself engaging in battle, is not that reassuring." Skip gave a nervous laugh.

They reached a palace of some kind. It was golden, every surface covered. Towering structures decorated with illustrations of battle, between a salamander and a neko. Everywhere, there was imagery of an egg. Sometimes cracking, sometimes just in the background. Now and then showing a tail, or gemstones.

"Dis ma place." She announced and squeezed his hand, "I mean, da whole city is kinda mine, but dis da place I used ta sleep, 'fore I gots sick o' bein' all isolated. Fook bein' alone."

A detachment of guards were arrayed on the stairs as they ascended, each of them saluting stiffly as they passed by. One of them ran off as Tauli headed towards the door at the top, presumably to notify her family of her return.

The door opened as they arrived at it, showing a hallway where the walls were actual polished silver. A servant curtsying from beside the entrance. It felt slightly disorienting to walk down the hall, more gold and silver on display than he had known existed. Skip could see the Tauli's brows furrowing more and more as they moved deeper. She didn't like being here, or the display of wealth.

He could understand why she had run away.

The two entered another hallway, silent servants grasping the doors for them. A glance backwards informed Skip that they had picked up about a dozen more in entourage, as well. Almost all of them were elven, which was a little surprising. He would have figured that they would be human, considering that most of the kingdom was.

The room did feature a throne, but as Tauli laughed and let go of him, the woman ran and jumped towards a larger feature. She apparently had a copper pool, large enough to do laps in.

She grabbed her knees before landing into it with a splash, without shedding her rather expensive looking dress. The axomander swirled around in the water, moving easily as she shot back and forth.

Tauli came up and sprayed a fountain in his direction, giggling at his attempt to dodge. "Da water's nice! Wanna join?"

"Not if we are meeting your family, no."

The axomander rested on the edge of the pool, eyes twinkling happily as she looked up at him. "Gots a confession ta make, Skip. While back, der was some weirdness. Middle o' da summer."

He crouched in front of her, "Nothing I noticed. Though... I was busy crossing... Weirdness is how to describe the Pale. There's too much magic in that place."

"Don'ts talk ta ma 'bout da fookin' Pale!" She flashed into rage, her teeth momentarily appearing. The woman winced, and her gums reappeared with a soft pop. "Sorz. Pale gots memories. Da worst kind."

Skip barely resisted patting her head, "Sorry. You were choosing this moment, before we meet your grandfather, to confess some secret?"

"Mmm. Granddaddy be vexin' if I don'ts be talkin' ta 'im." She shrugged it off, "So, summer? I was doin' ma usual crap 'n shit. I hid da guard captain's helm on a pirate ship, dat I didnae like havin' in ma city. Then there was da weirdness."

She pushed off the side of the wall, floating on her back. Her pink feelers and arms drifted out around her in perfect symmetry, as she stared up at the ceiling. Concern on her face, rather than the peace he might have expected.

Tauli closed her eyes, "I hads a vision. Donnae where it came from. Might just be magic bein' bitchin' magic. I saw... I saw a girl gettin' laid. One o' her eyes were a cross, and da other was a heart. Fooked up. But... When I saw her gettin' laid, I saw somet'in' else."

"That's... Weird."

"Saw ya, Skip." Tauli said guiltily, "Saw ya face, den. Dat's bein' why I followed ya. I knew ya, from a dream dat weren't no dream."

He felt his stomach twisting up into knots, "You... Saw me? In a vision?"

"Did dat." She sat up, floating and staring at him with terrified purple eyes. She smiled weakly, "I... I wanna be ya friend, Skip. But I had... Had ta tell ya. Even if it make ya hate me 'n shit."

"What did you see?" He said, feeling sick.

"Ya face. Nuttin' else." She shook her head, "Barely saw it. T'ing came 'n went 'n shit. Just a flash. Dunno where came from. Dunno what it means. Jus' means ya gots ma attention, moment I saw ya. Runnin' 'n shit."

Skipper nodded quietly, uncertain what precisely he was supposed to think about that. He walked through a magic place, and someone magically attuned had seen him. It could mean nothing whatsoever.

On the other hand, it could mean that what he had attempted in the Pale, what he had achieved in the Pale, had been noticed.

He knew the description of the woman that Tauli had mentioned. He knew who Eratigan was, and he knew that she was supposedly a woman who could never die. A woman who came from a time when dragons ruled the entire world. Sentenced to death, for refusing to bow and scrape.

There were other stories, conflicting stories. Always were, with myths. There was no agreement about who she was, or what she had done. However, every tale agreed that she was immortal. That even the gods had failed to kill her.

"The White Witch was an accident." A voice whispered into his ear, "That's... That's got shit-all to do with you, arrogant fuck. But... The kitsune is annoying me. So... I'm sorry, Skip."

His glamour crumbled into dust.

Tauli's eyes went wide.

---

"M'lady." Dia curtsied, "I have a delivery from your father. If I may, your grace, I would consider this to be... A message, from him. Of approval, and admiration for the way you have taken to your role."

Chanda was still reeling from the attempted assassination, and wondering if her father might have been behind it. Or worse, whether Lord Sai was the cause. He certainly had reason to hate her, and boundless opportunities with the way he could apparently slip unnoticed throughout the palace grounds.

She was unprepared for the presentation of a broken and bloodstained crown. Created from bone, it was the object that belonged to the previous empress. Real teeth, belonging to the salamander who had died in battle with the Traitor Emperor, sat firmly, despite the break in the circlet.

The teeth were stained with the empress' blood. Not fresh, but repeatedly. Lines upon lines, showing where the empress had forced the objects beneath her skin, upon every morn. Suffering every single day, for the loss of a singular soul.

Chanda could never hope to match that kind of dedication. She didn't even have the bravery to bed one of her own servants. She could not imagine what would happen if she were to see battle, but the result would not be allowing her rage to drive her into power, as it had been for the nekan empress.

She could never measure up, to that legend lost.

The empress flinched as her handmaiden carefully laid the object upon the table. The teeth didn't look like anything... Mystical. They were the teeth of a salamander. She had met many, known many. There were salamanders in the guards, in the servants.