TRC - Searching for the Sky Ch. 31

"Cy... is that Kit?" asked Senshu.

From the ground, the slime's body looked like someone took a pond, lifted the water out of it, then set the water next to the tower. A transparent head formed near Senshu; the slime's eyes just as surprised as everyone else's.

"I think so," said Cyrene, "but it's been a looong time since I've heard that from her without it being her own fingers. Too much time alone together in the library I suppose." A few of the others on the ground nodded sagely.

"Inside! I need it inside!" howled the sprite.

The mage rubbed the tip of his finger over her sex to collect some of her juices and began to press into the frantic fae's pussy.

"Yes!" Kithana screamed, reaching down to grab the sides of his finger.

The sensation vanished along with the finger and the hand she was lying on.

"No!" she yelled, flipping over and looking down. Even as he fell, Kal somehow managed to look apologetic.

From the top of the tower, it looked like Kal stopped for a moment mid-fall but the audience on the ground saw Kal slow down fast enough to knock the air out of his lungs before gently landing on Cyrene.

Elated by his success, Kal yelled up to the top of the tower, "Sera! Throw down my crystals!"

A couple of seconds later his pouch slapped wetly into Cyrene's body next to him. Grabbing it, he powered the rune printed on a large piece of leather that was pressed against his back and tucked into the waistband of his pants. A couple of seconds passed before he slowly floated upward. After righting himself, he began pushing the rune a little harder and started rising toward the top of the tower. Stepping onto the parapet, he hopped down onto the roof. Veir looked like she was about to tackle and have her way with him right there on top of the tower. Kithana seemed happy but confused, Kal had a feeling it had more to do with what happened before he fell than with the test itself. Ria threw her fists into the air, whooping and cheering. Sera stood there, smiling but with tears in her eyes.

"What are these for?" he asked, brushing one off her cheek.

"I'm happy for you. But this means you are one step closer to leaving," she said, grabbing his hand and pressing her cheek into it.

"You could still come with me, in a way."

Sera shook her head, "This may be selfish, but if you were to die, I'd rather not know. It would be easier on my heart to believe that you are somewhere else living a happy life. Maybe once you've settled down, and aren't going off on any more grand adventures, I will form a bond with you like Perra and the others, but not now." She pushed him toward the edge of the tower, "Go on, fly around, celebrate. I'll be here when you get back." She glanced over at Kithana, "Though someone else might need your attention first."

Smiling, Kal hopped back up onto the low wall around the tower's roof and gave them a quick salute as he powered the flight rune. A moment later he stepped backwards off the edge before orienting himself away from them and rocketing away before slowing to a more leisurely pace.

"That jerk, I knew something looked fishy," said Kithana. "He used the original spell I showed him but changed the orientation so it would make him zoom off like that."

"Don't care," said Veir looking flushed, "it's going to take everything in my power to not fuck the hell out of him before he gets back. I'll keep an eye on him, just in case he gets into trouble," she said before attempting to take off. "Aww dammit!" she yelled, looking down at the twin lumps on her chest

"Suuure, just keeping an eye out," said Ria sarcastically.

"Screw you, I can still fly," said the raven before throwing herself off the top of the tower and chasing after the retreating mage. She could still fly, but she certainly looked a lot more awkward than usual.

Sera gave Kithana a sad smile before heading downstairs and out of the cold.

At the base of the tower, the girls started to disperse as they lost sight of the mage through the barren treetops, chatting excitedly about what they just witnessed.

Cyrene returned to her humanoid form and threw an arm around Velt and Graff's shoulders as a second set sprouted from her back and wrapped around their waists. A third, shorter pair extended from her sides to grab handfuls of the vixen and doe's asscheeks. "So, tell me more about this butterfly dust Kal has. I've always wanted a man to turn my body milky."

---

"I'll have the surveys of the caves sent to you as soon as Perra gets them so you can get to work."

"Okay," said Sera, her eyes shining. Every time they spoke these last few days as he prepared to leave, she ended up bawling her eyes out. As they stood atop the tower saying their goodbyes, she was bound and determined to not break down again.

"Senshu, take good care of her, she's precious to me," he told the six-armed lamia standing behind her.

"Speaking of precious," he knelt in front of Graff and Velt, "you two little ladies be good for your mothers, I'll be back to meet you as soon as I can," he said, running a hand over the doe and vixen's bellies.

Standing again, he kissed each of them before moving on to Kithana. "We had a moment there, didn't we?" he asked her.

"Yes, we did," the sprite replied.

"Are you sure you don't want to? An hour or two won't matter much in the long run."

"As if I would take you up on that moments before you leave. Besides, if we started anything it would be days before you left."

Kal laughed for a moment until he realized none of the original monster girls were laughing with him. "Oh... you were serious."

Smirking, Kithana nodded slowly, "Something for you to look forward to." The sprite's expression became serious, "Enticing as your offer is, you are going up against a lich. Even an incompetent one, as you say he is, will be extremely dangerous. You also must remember that he will be learning and gaining power all this time as well but without the distractions of sleeping, eating, or sex. He may not be so incompetent when you meet him again. As much as I would like to get something started, I'll wait until you've dispatched this Azrin fellow and come back to us."

"Fair enough, I can respect that," he moved down the line, "Cy... I'm really going to miss our baths."

"Ria has some flasks filled with bits of my body. It makes amazing lube and never goes bad, just think of me when you use it," the slime replied making a ring with her fingers and moving her hand up and down.

Kal chuckled as he turned to the gem golem, "Sapphire, I'm sorry that we didn't really get any time alone where we weren't working on something."

"It's fine. I'm not as sex crazy as my sisters and a couple more years isn't that big of a deal for an immortal. Just make sure you come back." Kal blinked a few times at the thought of going without for a few years being no big deal.

"Molo, thank you for your help with everything. Oona, I greatly appreciate you taking Sera under your wing and helping her with her studies. Remind me to ask when I come back as to why you can walk around while the other alarunes I've seen can't."

"The explanation is surprisingly simple. Once a year I have to plant myself and look like your Aradelle for a month or so. If I were mortal that would be my time to make a seed. I was in the middle of that cycle when Father cast the spell."

"Just bad timing? That seems a little disappointing."

"What will be really disappointing is if you don't come back and water me again," she said licking her lips.

"More incentive to stay alive," he chuckled.

"Veir? Are you sure you want to come along?"

"Just to your home so I can meet your women then report back any juicy details to the girls here. Plus," she nudged the pouch that looked identical to Ria's hanging from a slim belt that was mostly hidden by feathers, "I'm supposed to stop in at the dwarven kingdom you were at and try to find something made of mithril for Sera."

After final kisses for each of the girls, with Sera's lasting much longer than the rest combined, Kal hopped up onto the parapet next to Veir. Not trusting his voice because of the lump in his throat, he waved and stepped off the tower. A moment later the raven harpy was gliding along next to him as he once again headed east.

---

Epilogue

Partly rising from his seat, Rist peeked over the tall counter in front of his desk and scowled at the person walking through his door. Most people came in quietly, often hooded and hoping to not be noticed. By comparison, this man was like a charging bull. Occasionally, Rist would get a client which seemed out of place, like the boy who took out Kogen and his slave ring, but none more so than the person coming toward him.

As the man crossed the dark and dingy shop, the information broker sat back down and called out, "Come to dally with the dregs of humanity, Sir Knight?"

The knight's steps stuttered momentarily in surprise, but he quickly recovered and stepped up to the counter.

Rist looked up at him, "Thankfully for you, I care nothing about your titles or status, only the weight of your coin. How can I help you, Sir Galen?"

"How...?"

The man behind the counter sighed, "Fantastic with a sword, I imagine, but clueless when it comes to intrigue. Your bumbling inquiries around the city while looking for me did not go unnoticed and plain clothing is a poor disguise when you walk as though in a suit of armor. At least you were tight-lipped enough that I do not yet know why you are here."

Galen scowled, he had thought he was being discreet. "There is a man who has wronged me..."

The young knight regaled Rist with his tale of woe starting from a confrontation with a blue ogre and her pet human to a recent fight with the same human that was stopped before he could slay the man. He continued on about being denied vengeance by the Order as the ogre had been killed and they did not see the ogre's boy as any kind of threat. The young wizard supposedly performed some acts of service while in Lantaris that made a few of the Clergy and Order look at him more favorably than other mages. With the ogre gone, the humiliation he suffered at her hand now transferred to her pet. His pride and honor would not be satisfied until the man was dead.

Rist listened intently, a quill hidden behind the tall counter flying over a piece of parchment as the knight told his tale. Though he tried to remain impassive and only asked questions to keep Galen talking, he couldn't help but make a face at the knight's flawed logic. He didn't challenge it since by the time the man stopped speaking it was clear that he was plagued by the memory of his defeat and the retribution he felt he was owed. It was easy to part obsessed people from their coin, but dangerous too. Rist's two bodyguards hiding in the shadows made the risk acceptable. A smile threatened to tug at the corners of his mouth as he glanced down at the second page of notes laying on his desk. This was definitely going to be worth it.

"An interesting tale, Sir Galen. But you have yet to mention why you are here or how you even came to me."

"A fighter and thief who were members of the mage's party got drunk on their way here and bragged about their friend killing a slaver who was operating in Carriston. Those with sharp ears informed me that after a short jaunt west of Lantaris, the man will be heading far to the east. The Order has forbidden me from striking him down, and duty dictates that I not go against the will of my Lord. However, were another's blade to fall on his neck..."

Rist stared blankly up at the knight until the man produced a pouch that jingled with coins and set it on the counter. The information broker took the pouch and looked inside, removing a single silver piece he placed the still-open pouch back on the counter.

"No," said Rist with a sigh, "I can't help you. The Assassin's Guild was absorbed by the Thieves' Guild and the Leader of the Thieves' Guild has become very rich and very powerful because of the man you wish to kill. I doubt any of them would accept the contract."

"What about your vaunted protectors? I understand they were some of the best assassins in the city," Galen made a face when saying the word 'assassin' as though he bit into something sour.

Rist reached up and grabbed some more coins out of the pouch, dropping all but a silver and two gold pieces back in. "My safety is not for sale," he said, letting the silver drop into his other hand.

"Then what is the gold for?" asked the knight as he closed and put away the coinpurse.

The man behind the desk let the other coins drop, "Located on the edge of a desert to the east of here is the city of Fazal. In its bazaar, you can find anything a man's heart might desire, including those who will bring you someone else's head." Rist scribbled a name on a piece of parchment and handed it to the knight, "That is the name of your contact. Try to be a little more careful when you are there or you may find a knife in your back before you get a chance to meet them. Fazal is a far less forgiving place than Carriston."

His smile filled with triumph and malice, Galen bowed to the information broker before leaving the shop and striding toward the stable where his mount was kept.

Once the knight was gone, a shadow detached itself from the wall by one of the racks holding dust-covered wares.

"I already know the boy and he is heading this way. I could have finished it quickly and easily, Jerran would have been none the wiser," said the assassin-turned-bodyguard.

Rist shook his head but didn't look at the man, "I won't chance making an enemy out of the Thieves' Guild. I understand that Jerran has recently acquired a new thief and swordarm which sounds suspiciously like the boy's friends. Go tell him of what happened here," he looked down at the coins in his hand and smiled. "Tell him my fee is two gold and a silver."

The assassin nodded and vanished into the back of the store.

---

As the image in the scrying pool showed the young knight walking away from Rist's storefront, the Goddess's Agent sorrowfully admitted the man had been consumed by his hatred. Saddened by the loss of such a promising young knight and feeling like she had failed the Goddess, Ardolan laid her head down and wept.