The Magus Provectus series Vol. 03

The Magus Provectus series

Vol. 3 -- Another unexciting Hearing

§1

"For those of you who do not know me, allow me to introduce myself before commencing my proposal," the corpulent noble started. I sighed inwardly as the speaker, the honored lord Ingelram, presented himself to the assembled mass of nobility gathered in the large auditorium. His jowls quivered and his mouth seemed to hesitate before bumbling its way through the next pre-rehearsed part of his no doubt lengthy speech.

Of course.... Why wouldn`t you waste a perfectly good afternoon with your inconsequential opinion? I thought wearily. The mere notion that any of the assorted lords and ladies did not know who this self-important fool before them was seemed laughable.

Lord Ingelram had, for the better part of three years, spend each monthly council hearing discussing some seemingly trivial concern, obviously trying to raise his significance in the eyes of his lofty peers.

Fortunately, those same peers hardly seemed impressed by the overweight man`s presumed matters of import. I saw more than a few sighs of exasperation and rolling eyes as I scanned the crowd. Nonetheless, our esteemed king Conrad III graciously granted the asinine nobleman his place in the center of attention.

Being seated at my monarch`s left-hand side, it was hardly fitting I`d make a less than impeccable impression.

To that effect, I leaned forward, narrowed my eyes and stroked my stubbly, unshaven chin, attempting to emanate an air of sagely wisdom beyond my three decades of life. In the corner of my eye I saw the king glancing at me and for the briefest of moments he bared his teeth in a lopsided grin. At least he appreciates my effort at looking interested, I reflected wryly. Good Gods, how is it possible to be bored within four sentences?!

My king trusted me for my astute assessments for the more pressing matters of statecraft, but also enjoyed vexing me by making me attend these tedious assemblies. His way of creating some amusing distraction for himself, I guessed. Not that I can blame him, his sense of humor is one of the many reasons I vowed to serve him.

I internally marveled at the sudden weight of my eyelids, but I swore I could feel them conquering ground; threatening to cover my eyes in short order as they glazed over in sheer tedium. I stifled a yawn as lord Ingelram droned on about his domain`s grain production or something or other. There has to be something interesting I could be doing right now?!

My gaze roamed over the throng of nobility, the vast sea of fine clothes, expensive ornaments and decorative baubles that filled the immense hall dedicated to these proceedings. Most were seated on long benches in the theater-like hall, the more wealthy among their ranks being seated on raised private balconies overlooking the auditorium. Everywhere I looked I saw richly clad dukes, daintily exquisite counts and numerous lesser barons. They seemed monotonous in their perplexing forgettability.

Their women on the other hand... Now there`s something to feast your eyes on.

The primary purpose of any given lady, be she wife, mistress or partner, was apparently to outdo their fellow patricians in a manner that seemed ludicrously centered on either opulence or desirability.

Most of the more mature noblewomen elected to display their wealth with intricately designed garments; gold threaded gowns, diadems inset with precious gems and splendid mink pelts adorned them, ranging from obscenely excessive to subtly elegant.

These, however beautifully dressed, were not who drew my interest today. I couldn`t care less about the boastful finery these women choose to wear. For you see, were the older ladies relied on their riches to relay a sense of superiority, the younger noblewomen had other assets they put their faith in.

Without shame they displayed the gifts that youth granted them. Silken robes fit snuggly around long bared legs, necklines plunged so deep it was barely proper and corsets emphasized breasts of all shapes and sizes. More than one stomach remained uncovered and I began to feel lightheaded as I imagined all the intriguing noises these scantily clad noblewomen would produce if I could have my way.

Mind you, this entire display was expected of them and they all seemed to relish the challenge of dancing dangerously close to the line between decent and scandalous.

While admiring the alluring masses of feminine glamour my curiosity suddenly locked on one particularly beauty...

The lady Ingelram.

§2

Slowly pronouncing her name and title sparked a multitude of sinful desires in the more primitive parts of my mind. And how could they not? Despite her progressing age, 41, if memory serves, she remained one of the most stunning women among the court.

Her private balcony seating, with its high banisters, made her barely visible to the gathered lords and ladies below and beside her. Even the raised dais where I was seated next to my king and queen offered only a view of her head and tops of her shoulders.

Her heart-shaped face was framed by wavy raven hair, which I knew reached to her lower back if hung loose. Today she`d worn her glossy dark locks in an intricate weave that incorporated silver filaments and elaborate ringlets of hair to create the illusion of a messy bun behind her head.

Seemingly errand, but no doubt meticulously placed, strands of her silver-threaded locks hung across her shoulders and chest. Accentuating her lace covered bust.

That damn balustrade, I grumbled mentally, cursing the architect that built the carved stone barrier that obscured the rest of Lady Ingelrams features. I suppose it wouldn`t do for the king`s sorcerer to disintegrate that wretched balcony, just to marvel at his voluptuous subjects...

Luckily I had something in store for just such an occasion.

I pretended to appease an itch just below my left eye and activated the miniscule hidden rune there when my finger made contact.

The rune, in response to the trickle of will, initiated a link between my eye, my mind and the object in my pocket, that I gently removed and placed of the outside of my boot.

It took a few moments to adjust to the new stream of information its senses transmitted to my consciousness, but I managed to maintain my composure and look intensely focused on the still blathering lord Ingelram, who by now was swept away in the currents of his own monologue.

The enchanted construct I`d placed on my leg was a tiny crystal arachnid I`d modeled after jumping spiders. I`d used the tiny scout many times over the last few days, mostly to spy on Sara as she took her evening bath. I snorted quietly in sudden realization, it's a 'spy-der!'

I reaffirmed the rune-based link and tested the neural connection by letting it move it`s eight legs in a tapping sequence, before letting it leap forwards onto the ground.

It`s eight eyes gave me a wide view of its surroundings, making it easy to navigate the steps down from the dais and across the marble floor to the wall. I knew that my diminutive creation was barely visible to anyone not looking for it, thanks to its sleek crystalline form, but decided to take the less discernible route anyway, in case an errand eye caught it`s translucent form skittering between the royal guards.

Something about receiving input from two sets of vision never failed to nauseate me, as the construct silently but quickly made its way up the wall towards lady Ingelrams balcony. I really need to do something about the jerky motions before I deploy this again, I thought groggily while keeping an outward appearance of the calm, thoughtful magus.

After mere minutes my little scout crested the stone balustrade and flattened itself onto the smooth surface in order to avoid detection. Lady Ingelram sat alone in her private box and now I had all the time in the world to admire her maturing splendor.

§3

The gorgeous woman sat like any proper lady should; straight-backed and slightly turned, with her hands in her lap. Her posture was perfectly visible underneath the closefitting silken dress she wore, the deep blue shimmer an elegant comparison to her dark hair. A long split in its hem displayed her toned legs to an almost scandalous degree. Through the eyes of my crystal spy I could clearly see where her stockings ended mere inches from where her thighs met her groin.

I stubbornly tried to ignore the bulge pressing against my belt while slowly moving my constructs vision upwards.

The noblewoman`s waist was incredibly slender, even without the aid of a corset, which in concert with her wide hips and broad chest give her a deliciously appealing hourglass figure only few women could match. Every breath she took pulled the fabric of her dress tight over her stomach, nonchalantly indicating the surprisingly well-toned muscles underneath.

Her full breasts seemed barely restrained by the skintight outfit, especially since her perfect posture pushed out her impressive chest, straining the garment`s questionable integrity.

The lace-adorned bodice was topped by two stretches of fabric that looped behind her neck and supported the meager weight of the halter dress, while simultaneously leaving very little to the imagination.

Full-length evening gloves covered lady Ingelram`s hands and arms to just below the shoulder, in a fashion similar to her stockings both in style and color.

The throbbing in my pants became more incessant as I beheld the gracefully composed masterpiece listening to the toneless soliloquy of her husband. Every single aspect of her appearance seemed tailored to show off her feminine form, even the way her silver jewelry accentuated her purposely bared skin. How in the Gods names did such a woman end up with a ponce like Richard Ingelram?!

The more I thought about it, the more bits of information I pieced together about the married couple, the more I became certain she wasn`t bound to the man of her own will. If I remember correctly her father owed lord Ingelram a large sum for the use of his lands... I recollected, the poor woman must have been betrothed to the old blabber-jaw to settle the debt.

Suddenly, it seemed horribly unfair; the injustice of this magnificent woman being espoused to the ancient fool blathering away in front of the amassed court.

"I bet she hasn`t cum in ages." I mumbled before I could stop myself.

The king turned his head, raising an eyebrow and looked at me questioningly. "Pardon, you majesty. I spoke without thought," was my whispered reply, at which he bemusedly returned his gaze to lord Ingelram.

Idiot... I chastised myself.

I blinked twice to reestablish the connection to my scout`s senses and righted myself against the polished oaken back of my seat. I suppose it would fall onto my special duties as the court sorcerer to remedy the lady Ingelrams... colorless romantic life. The thought caused me to smile, which I quickly concealed by coughing.

After my performance successfully hid my lustful intentions I commanded my spyder to carefully scale the lady`s seat. I needed to be delicate if this was to succeed.

Before long, it had stealthily summited the high backrest of her chair and attached a shimmering thread of silk on which it now dangled. Gradually it lowered itself towards her bared shoulder, careful not to make any sound with its crystal legs.

Now let`s see what you can do, I challenged the construct.

When designing and building the tiny arachnid-like structure I`d wanted to create a small tool to observe and incapacitate possible threats without direct instruction from its master. To that end I`d invested it with a modicum of sentience, in order to make its movements and predatory instincts run more smoothly.

When the miniature spider was within a hairsbreadth of lady Ingelrams neck it struck without hesitation, thin fangs piercing her skin and injecting a potent dose of paralyzing venom. The only indication of the fast-acting assault was a widening of her eyes. §4

I held my breath as I watched her grip firming on the thick wood of her chair. A single cry or sound of alarm and the whole plan would shatter. I`m just trying to help, please don`t struggle, I tried to communicate to her by sheer force of will. Not that she could hear me...

Moments passed like eons as I waited for the venom to take full effect.

After what must`ve been only a few heartbeats she finally seemed to relax back into her seat. She sat still, arms extended on her sides, hands gripping the edge of her seat, her feet firmly planted beneath her, legs apart and ready to stand her up in a motion than would never be completed.

I righted myself in my own chair, scraped my throat and pretended to refocus my attention on lord Ingelram, who apparently had only just finished the introduction of his proposal. Phew...

Next I needed to put the likely panicking lady at ease, so I initiated another handy function of the construct; it`s ability to alternate what it`s fangs secreted. I had built in five different options, each supplied via a miniature transportation portal inside the spider, connected to various flasks in my chambers.

With a flicker of will I switched to the portal that connected to flask #4 in my alchemy cabinet. The tiny creature scuttled down the lady Ingelram`s dress, its sharp little claws hooking into the fabric with each step.

Once it hopped onto the wooden floor of her balcony I determined the best spot for my message and triggered its fangs, which became coated with a black, oily substance. I attentively guided the constructs fangs over the rough wooden floor, walking it along with the lines I wanted drawn.

BE NOT AFRAID -- I WISH TO HELP

As sheer spark of brilliance to include alchemist ink in its internal mechanism, I complemented myself when the diminutive arachnid finished spelling out the words. The specially prepared ink would quickly become unstable and dissipate in a matter of minutes, usually employed solely to draw summoning circles, but it was visible long enough for the Lady to read the message.

Her eyes scanned the words and shot over to where I sat. In order to keep up the illusion of listening diligently to her husband's words I couldn`t look back at her, but my written reply was scrolled before her again.

YES, MY LADY -- IT IS I -- V.

The words were sketched less meticulous than the first set, but it was legible enough. Now... How to phrase this next part? I deliberated with myself for a moment before letting the spyder ink the question.

WANT TO PLAY? -- BLINK THRICE IF YES

The lady studied the text for a long while before raising her head, obviously weighing her options.

One, two, three. That`s it then. The second the noblewoman blinked her consent I let my crystalline construct leap onto the edge of her chair, between her legs. A bit of will exchanged the portal to its venom reservoir into the one linked to flask #2, back in my chambers.

The tiny scouts eyes gave me a splendid view of the ladies private parts, delicately covered in thin, silken panties. Her legs were shaking but I could clearly make out a patch of wetness on her underwear, where her lips met. Seems like someone has a bit of a bondage fantasy.

I admired her moist pussy for a while, searching for the precise position of her clitoris.

Once I was certain where it was located, under the flimsy layer of silk, I lead my adventurous construct to it and hovered its fangs directly above the lady`s sweet spot. The sting of the injection caused her to tense, but she soon melted back when the elixir spread through her sex.

I`d concocted the potion as a way to return feeling in a body part after the persons nervous system had been damaged, but had promptly discovered it could also be utilized as a potent injectable aphrodisiac.

The tonic dramatically increases the sensitivity of nerve endings, and seeing as various erogenous zones across the body, especially nipples, the female clitoris and male glans are packed with nerve endings meant to pick up on pleasurable stimulation...

Well, I believe it speaks for itself.

The noblewoman`s breathing became noticeably faster as I commanded the crystalline spider to crawl onto the front of her dress, to make its way to her now hardening nipples. I loved the way her erected nubs pressed firmly through the fabric of her garment, clearly indicating their whereabouts to my second set of eyes.

She didn`t even appear to feel the two following bites and the tonic began to take an increasingly more tantalizing effect. From experience I knew she`d be nearly light-headed and desperate to have her sexual urges quenched. So I wasted no time to enact my construct`s final task of the night.

It leapt down from the trembling woman and with its fangs once more linked to flask #4 began drawing the required symbols on the wooden planks.

First it traced a geometrically perfect circle, using its hind appendages like the legs of a compass. Then followed an elaborate web of lines, hastily sketched to avoid the ink`s dissipation. Before long it had only to write the symbols telling my will where I wanted to anchor the portal to.

I gathered the necessary arcane might needed to power the summoning circle and released it as soon as the little arachnid finished its masterpiece.

As the first oily lines began unraveling and evaporating my will fixed them firmly in place, causing them to glow with a faint blue light. The center part of the design shimmered, indicating a successful connection to the intended sub-dimension.

There, in one of my handy pocket dimensions, resided one of my favorite domesticated creatures; Oliver.

The portal opened, enabling him, at least I pretend he`s a "him", to emerge from his cozy domain. He shyly sent out a few questing tendrils to explore this new terrain. It`s okay, Oliver, I encouraged him through our effortless mental connection, I have a new playmate for you. But be quiet, nobody can hear you or see either her or you move, understood?

Oliver`s peculiar psychic response had perplexed me when I`d just bonded him to my essence, but now the impression of gleeful compliance felt as reassuring as the solemn promise of a veteran guard. Good boy, go and play!

Lady Ingelram`s eyes opened wide as she saw Oliver smoothly emerging from the summoning circle. And who could blame her? Who wouldn`t react unsettled to a Red Slime the first time they meet one?

Slimes have long been known in the kingdom as agreeable quasi-sentient creatures that feed of the various bodily fluids of animals. They hardly form a threat to humans, but their alien movements and highly morphable semi-liquid form can be quite frightening if you don`t know what you`re looking at.

Most slimes inhabit remote patches of grassland of forest, commonly near animal trails or scavenged carcasses. Very few accidentally migrate to populated areas and the ones that do are regarded widely as welcome guest, since they tend to ingest every drop of fluid rich in certain chemicals, making them very hygienic cleaners.

Oliver was a step beyond that. As a Red Slime, a distinct species altogether, he possesses a intellectual and emotional complexity nearly equal to that of humans. He wants, wishes and communicates in his own way. Above all though, his desire for fluids made him uniquely suited to aid me in my -ahum- marital aid duties.

I positioned the crystalline spyder on the flat balustrade in front of lady Ingelram and flattened it as much as possible while Oliver`s warm bulk enveloped the woman`s feet.