TRC - Lord of the Glass Desert Ch. 03

"That goes against what you just said..."

The mage laughed, "I know, it sounds like it but once the gem is crushed, I can use the process for Bea's dust to separate any impurities."

"Take a low-quality diamond and turn it into pure diamond dust. I must say I'm impressed. How do you plan on crushing it though?"

Kal thought back to when he made the pendant on Perra's necklace and the stone table filled with the powdery remains of many, many amethysts as he learned how to use geomancy to shape the gems. It was also the same process he used to make the powder in the little jar once the mana crystals were completely drained. "That won't be a problem."

"Other than diamonds what do we need?"

Kal picked up the flask and looked carefully at the grains of mana crystals resting on the bottom. "I'm going to need something to thicken this to make sure everything is uniform and then I'm going to need a pigment that fades in the sun and isn't toxic. He made his dye from the stuff left over from burning tar and I just don't think I want that in my skin. So, I'm going to keep looking for something else." Plenty of pigments for dyes eventually faded, but he didn't want to have to wait months for it to happen.

"I know you can tie illusions to things or places. Is there some reason you couldn't tint the ink with an illusion?" asked Ria.

"Umm... other than I've never tried before. No, I don't think there is." He set the flask back down, "Let's find out." With a finger, he drew a glowing rune in the air. Choosing a pitch-black image in his mind and the liquid in the flask as the target, he activated the spell. To his surprise, the faintly blue liquid turned black. Amazed, he picked up the flask and swirled it around. The black color immediately began to fade and within seconds, all that remained was a few wisps of color. Soon enough, those vanished as well.

"Was that a success?" asked Ria.

"I think it was," replied Kal, still staring at the liquid.

"Why did it go clear again?"

"I can't say for certain, but I may be able to show you." Setting the flask down he drew the rune again, this time he directed it at his hand. The effect erased any features, making it look like a hand-shaped hole in space at the end of his arm. "That's interesting," he mumbled before going back to his explanation. Moving his hand back and forth in front of him, he said, "As you can see, the illusion doesn't have any trouble staying with me, but if I move it too fast," he shook his hand vigorously and the darkness covering it winked out of existence, "it's gone. I think that's what is happening in the flask but it doesn't explain those last few trails of color." Looking up at the sprite, he smiled, "Thank you, Ria. I was concerned the fading dye would contaminate the ink and make it more likely to burn. Now I don't need to worry."

"Glad to help! So... I have a question about something you said earlier."

"Yes?"

"When you said, 'our coins,' did you mean it?"

"Yes, I meant it. I consider you one of my women and you are a member of my party. I don't think it's too far of a reach to say, 'our coins.' I would do the same if it were any of the other girls. We've discussed this before, haven't we?"

"We have... but we've never discussed something like me having a say in the money."

"Was there something you were wanting? By the way, I still reserve the right to say no, just like with the Perra or the others."

Ria smiled, "Yes, there was, and she will only cost two silver."

Kal stared at her for a long time before speaking. "You're talking about the waitress, aren't you," he deadpanned.

"Yup."

"Didn't I mention I wasn't excit—"

"That's the best part!" Ria interrupted, "I'm the one buying her for the night, not you! You just get to fuck her into next week while I watch. It's perfect!"

"I think you are missing a point somewhere. But since I was already tempted to take her up on her offer, I'll play along. We'll see if she's free tomorrow night."

"Good," said the sprite, growing in size as the motes of light exited her bag and flew into her body, "Because I love it when you talk about me like I'm one of your living, breathing women and I want to show you how much I appreciate it." Landing on the floor, she walked toward the room's exit. Casting a sultry look over her shoulder, she gave him a slight smile as her wings disappeared and her hair lengthened slightly. Her bottom swaying sensuously, the bag of holding's avatar slipped out the door and made her way to Kal's bedroom.

Considering how the beginning of his day went, he was tempted to beg off for a tryst tomorrow morning instead. But looking down at the flask with Cyrene's purified slime, he smiled. This morning had been awful, but these last few hours were certainly productive. Maybe he would finish the night on a high note.

The view as he stepped into his room didn't disappoint. Ria knelt on the edge of the bed with her feet hanging over the side, swaying her bottom back and forth as a hand reached up and played with her clit. Fine details were difficult to make out from further away because of her glowing body, even in this larger form, but as he stepped up behind her he could easily make out the pucker of her rear entrance and the lips of her sex. The sprite's body was unique in many ways to any of his other lovers. Because she was an avatar and magical projection of his bag of holding, she didn't feel things the same way as the other women. Much like her sense of taste, her sense of touch was closely tied to her mood. She once told him she could climax from being punched through a stone wall as long as she thought it was foreplay. The sprite then quickly said she never wanted to test that idea. Despite her boast, her body could only take so much damage before involuntarily returning to her bag.

To Kal, this explained in part why she was such a voyeur. Watching ramped up her arousal quicker which in turn made the fingers inside her and on her clit feel even better. She didn't always need to watch in order to enjoy herself. One very touching night on the trip between Telsin and Carriston, Kal was feeling down from missing his women and kids back home. He was also feeling guilty for wanting to abandon his quest to meet Ikuno and turn back. Ria made sweet, gentle love to him that night without any of her normal antics.

She wasn't looking for sweet or gentle tonight. The lengthening of her hair before walking out of the lab meant she wanted him to put it to good use.

His hand came down on her ass with a loud crack and Ria let out a long moan in response. He hadn't swatted her any harder than any other woman, but the unique nature of her body once again had strange effects. There wasn't flesh in her bottom to jiggle and bounce when spanked, it would give a little but felt very solid beyond half a finger's depth. It would only act like true flesh if she consciously willed it.

Kneeling next to the bed, he pushed her fingers out of the way and replaced them with his tongue. The sprite sighed as he switched from small light circles around her clit to teasing her lips and dipping the tip of his tongue inside her.

"I thought I was supposed to be showing my appreciation, not the other way around," she panted.

Standing, the mage chuckled, "You make it sound like I don't enjoy it. I'm feeling a little overdressed, Ria."

She waved a hand, which looked like she just flopped her hand and arm around in the bed for a second, and all of his clothes vanished into specks of light that chased her bag to the floor as the belt it was hanging on disappeared.

"I know you like it, but you always tell the other girls you like how they taste, and well..."

Kal couldn't really argue with her, licking her sex imparted more of a sensation than a taste. He didn't want to tell her the strangest part for him wasn't the odd tingling he felt but that she didn't get wet when he licked her, it was as though her body repelled the moisture on his tongue.

His cock brushed against her entrance as he reached forward and grabbed a handful of her hair. "I don't do it just for the taste," he said, pulling her up so her face was next to his then slowly sliding his prick into her, "I do it because you like it."

Ria didn't answer as she savored the feeling of Kal's cock pushing into her sex.

After a dozen strokes in this position, the sprite moaned, "Harder Kal, let it all out inside me."

The mage's hips stuttered. The phrase was a code between them, it was Ria's way of telling him to release all the frustrations built up over a particularly bad day on her. In the past he had taken full advantage of the offer and gotten so rough with her he regretted it later. Not for the sprite's sake, she was grinning with pride from a job well done, but because he got so caught up in the moment he didn't consider the limitations of his human body. Were it not for his healing rune, he would have been sore for the next few days.

With the recent successes in the alchemy room, he didn't feel the need for her offer, though he did appreciate it.

"Not tonight," he said pushing her back to the bed. Keeping a grip on her hair, he used it to pull her back onto his cock as he thrust forward. The pace he set wasn't fast but the sprite's body shook each time he drove into her. Ria reached down and began playing with her clit, her moans turning into short whines of pleasure each time Kal's hips slapped into her rear.

Far sooner than he expected, the sprite let out a long wail as her sex clamped down on him. The mage continued stroking into the orgasming woman, enjoying the additional tightness as her pussy squeezed him over and over.

Kal slowed down as she began to relax, "That was quick for you. Something on your mind?"

Ria shook her head and he caught a glimpse of her face, the sprite's eyes were closed and she was wearing a big smile. "I'm just loving the feel of you inside me," she said rocking back into him, "keep going, don't worry about me."

"As you wish," Kal replied before speeding up again.

---

After a breakfast of thin-sliced mutton and more of the flatbread with an assortment of creams and spiced jams, Kal and Ria set out for the Grand Bazaar.

"I may need two more silver," fumed the sprite from her place on Kal's shoulder.

"No, Ria, our server plainly wasn't interested in me and I think she is related to the innkeeper somehow based on their conversation."

"She still didn't have the right to act all haughty. I'll bet she would change her tune once she felt your cock inside her."

"All of the world's problems cannot be solved by me inserting my dick into the situation." Kal shook his head, "You and Ikuno, I'm not sure which of you is worse somedays."

"What do you mean, 'worse?'" Ria huffed with indignance.

"Both of you want to make sure my cock never sees the light of day. I do have plans and dreams beyond fucking every woman we run across."

"Okay, I'll back off a little. But only a little. Between me and Ikuno, I think I'm the worst. I really love watching you fuck other women. Just watching your cock slide in and out of them and seeing their faces when they cum," the little sprite shivered with mounting excitement. "It's an amazing sight." She spread her legs and looked down, "It's a good thing I don't get wet like other women. I would have soaked your shoulder by now."

A gasp from off to one side caught Kal's attention. He turned toward the noise to see an older man staring at him and Ria, looking scandalized.

"Time to find something else to talk about, Ria. We need to remember, on top of the Fazalan language, quite a few people in this city speak the Common tongue as well."

"It would help if you learned some of their language. Then I would be able to speak and understand it too."

"I wish I had thought about that beforehand, I might have studied up before we got here," he replied as they continued down sidewalks which filled with more people by the second.

Thankfully he already knew where the Grand Bazaar was located, on the north side of the city in the shadow of the Palace walls. The Palace's main entrance was on the south side, and the western entrance was where food and supplies were brought onto Palace grounds. The north and eastern walls only had small, rarely-used but extremely well-fortified service gates. Back when they were building the Palace, shopkeepers discovered its height created a small strip of land on the northern side that remained in shade all day. Taking advantage of this, merchants and entrepreneurs moved into the area and it eventually turned into the Grand Bazaar. On Kal's journey across the city yesterday, he crossed the north road which ran straight into the huge open market.

Halfway between the Palace and the outer wall, a wide road ran all the way around Fazal's interior. He had wanted to take the southern route so he could check out the massive aqueduct but he assumed there must be a good reason the vast majority of the traffic was taking the north route and let the flow of people guide him. The reason became apparent when he reached the intersection leading to the Grand Bazaar and the number of people around him dropped drastically. Now that he had time to waste, Kal figured he would get to see the aqueduct sometime before his caravan left.

As they approached the intersection a second time, he and Ria followed the flow of people onto the road leading into the Bazaar. The first thing to catch Kal's attention was the constant clamor. Hawkers called out constantly, touting their wares to those passing by, a few even had bells or chimes they rang to accompany their yelling. Customers shouted to one another either out of familiarity, calling out to friends, or to ward other people away after feeling like they got a bad deal. A short shouting match typically ensued afterward as the shopkeepers defended themselves.

Almost as bad as the constant din was the cacophony of colors. Each stall seemed to try to outdo the last with eye-catching contrasts, the worst being a combination of red and a bright turquoise color. The few signs he saw in these hues threatened to give him a headache just from reading them. The signs were a small blessing despite the garish colors. Kal's translation spell did nothing for written words and most shops displayed signs in Fazalan and Common.

Further along, he started seeing women in front of the stalls. In shops that catered toward menfolk, scantily clad women swayed in a gyrating dance, calling out to the men walking by and enticing them to look at the stall's wares. About half of the barely-dressed dancers wore slave collars and all of them had a bodyguard nearby to deter grabby hands.

The merchants selling items for the fairer sex also had a woman dancing out front, but instead of trying to be enticing, the women were clothed in something akin to a wedding robe or dress. With fingernails and faces painted in the local custom and their hair immaculately styled, they gracefully and silently flowed from pose to pose. It reminded him of a very demure version of the dance Ikuno did for him a long time ago. While he didn't feel like the display was overly exciting, it appeared to be effective judging by the chatter of a small group of young women as they gazed reverently at one of the dancing women. Unlike the men's shops, all the dancers at these stalls were free women.

Kal frowned at a quick exchange between a man and a stall owner. Kal wasn't close enough to understand them but it became clear when the female slave dancing out front suddenly stopped and turned toward her owner, only to quickly resume her swaying when the collar punished her for not following her master's orders. After some money was exchanged, the man took the dancer by the hand and pulled her behind the owner's stall already reaching for his belt. Fists clenched, Kal walked away with a snarl on his lips.

As he and Ria made their way down the last stretch of road before the large open market, Kal was surprised at how few monster girls they were seeing. The vast majority were the cow-girl variety pulling two-person rickshaws behind them. Cat-girls appeared to be the second most numerous and looked to be mostly employed as messengers, their quick reflexes, fantastic balance, and lithe bodies making it easy for them to quickly navigate the sea of people. Here and there he saw some with canine ears and tails, but beyond those, there was very little variety.

The road widened into a large area completely packed with people. As the wave of bodies coming down the road began to disperse, he realized it wasn't nearly as bad as he first believed. It was crowded, but the cloth-covered stalls were aligned in long rows and people were able to move freely down the aisles between.

Kal found a spot away from the tide of people and looked over at Ria, "I'll take the left side and call you when I get to the end so we can compare what we found." Earlier, he asked the woman serving him breakfast about jewelers and gem buyers. She explained that any business dealing with substantial amounts of coin would be along the outer ring of the Bazaar where they could securely store the money in a nearby building. He felt like a coward for sending the sprite to the side of the Bazaar where the slave market was located but figured it best to avoid getting any angrier than he already was.

Once Ria darted off to the west, Kal made his way over to a building with a large awning of shimmering green material protruding from the side. The man sitting in the shade provided by the cloth looked to be nearly as wide as he was tall. On either side of him stood a mean-looking bodyguard, each wielding a large sword and trying their best to stare him down as he approached. Passing under the edge of the awning, the mage's eyes picked up a slight shimmer of magic and he felt the temperature drop far more than the shade could account for. A woman wearing fine silks and a slave collar stood next to the rotund man, holding a tray containing small pastries. A long table covered in white linen split the area in two and Kal stood in front of it as the round man finished one of the gooey treats on the platter before waving the woman off.

Finally acknowledging Kal's existence, the man asked, "Can I help you?" in a bored tone. Kal was slightly surprised to be greeted in Common, if it could be called a greeting.

"I appear to be running low on coin and have some gems I need to sell."

The merchant looked Kal up and down before sighing loudly, "Let me see them. If your 'gems' turn out to be glass then I will let my men have some fun with you before throwing you out in the street. My time is valuable."

Unconcerned, the mage produced a small pouch from his leather vest, "I hope you have a few more men hidden somewhere then, those two would hardly be a challenge." Ignoring the angry grunt from one of the merchant's bodyguards, he peered into the bag, "What are you in the market for? Rubies? Sapphires? Topaz?" Looking up to see three angry and annoyed faces, Kal realized he was being too cocky, but the man's dismissive attitude had pissed him off.

"No diamonds?" asked the trader.

"No, but if you have some I might be interested in buying them," Kal pulled a large yellow topaz out of the bag, "or trading."

The merchant nodded at the jewel, a smile coming to his face, "That looks like a good stone, but you would need quite a few of them to trade for a diamond."

Kal laid the topaz on the table, "Then let me know what you can give me for this one, and maybe we can make a deal."

---

It was midday by the time Kal finished speaking with the last merchant on the eastern side of the Bazaar. The man was none too happy about Kal haggling up to a respectable price then taking his gems and leaving. The mage wasn't too worried about it, he had gotten three better offers already.