Unconquered Pt. 04

June shook her head. "Yes, yes, I do, I've known you since you were a baby, Ember." She paused, then shook her head again. "No, wait. You're Unconquered. The smarts have to show up eventually."

Ember scowled. "I'm not-" he paused. A strange, creeping dread began to crawl over him. What if she was right? What if he was getting smarter? Cleverer? Faster witted? Would he still be Ember if he started getting smarter? Would he become something wearing Ember's skin - a kind of Unconquered puppet, driving an Ember body around, with the powers of the Sun seething through him? He gulped, then shook his head. "Okay, maybe I'm getting smarter. But that doesn't matter. What matters is saving Rataka village and defeating Jerin Kah, right?"

The others nodded.

"Chirp," Ember said. "You can ride in my belt pouch and provide assistance."

"And moral support!" Chirp said, bobbing their head.

"Exactly!" Ember said. "Now, Xora...lets see about introductions..."

***

The door to Xora's room opened and her manager, Finnious Snide, stepped inside. He was followed by two of the city guard, and he had a scowl on his normally genial face. Finnious Snide was from the Flying Islands. This meant he had skin of golden brown, hair of pale blue, a thick mustache, and very tiny wings that were normally hidden under his brightly colored, very sparkly shirts. His pale white eyes were concealed behind a pair of massive, reflective sunglasses - sunglasses that glinted as he said. "This here is-" he stopped as he saw that there was a large, swiveling chair in the room, a swiveling chair he recognized as being from his office.

The swivel chair swung around and he found himself looking at a stranger.

The stranger was a punk kid: Skinny and short, with bright red skin, raven black hair, red eyes, and black lips. He was dressed in a loincloth and had knuckle wraps, giving him the look of a fighter. A fighter, assuming one wanted to fight a bundle of sticks. But then Snide took a second look and saw the tight, corded muscles in his arms and belly and shoulders. Slowly, he began to titch the evalulation of the kid up and up - and up again when the kid stood and had the easy, casual stance of a trained fighter.

"Well well well, Mr. Snide," he said, his voice youthful. "We meet at last."

"Uh, who are you, sport?" Snide asked, cocking his head. The kid grinned, leaning his elbow on the swiveling chair - which started to roll on the wheels mounted on the feet. He stumbled, staggered, and ended up with his back against the wall, and his arms crossed over his chest, as if he had meant to do that.

"The name's Ember..." he said. "Fighting Ember. I'm the best fighter in my home of Madness Cove. And I've come here, hearing about your best fighter. Xora the Mankiller?"

"Maneater, sport," Snide said, scowling slightly. "And right now, she's Xora the Runaway-"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Fighting Ember waggled his finger, his grin growing insolent. The kind of insolent that made Snide want to pull out his firewand and blow his brains out with a bullet. Instead, he tucked his arms against his chest and tipped his nose forward, his sunglasses slipping almost off his nose - his eyes peeking over them. Ember's grin got wider. "I know where Xora is. And I can bring her back, once she can walk again." He looked even more smug, his cheeks darkening with a tiny blush.

"You fuck her?" Snide asked, frowning. "She normally does go for fucking twigs."

Ember shrugged. "I fucked her. Why do you think she snuck out? She doesn't wanna run away, Snide. She loves fighting." He darted and bobbed and weaved, punching at the air - his movements quick, deadly looking. Snide could hear the quiet cracks of the air as he punched. Ember continued: "And so, we got to talking. We saw those devils coming down. Let me guess, some big wig sorcerer from the Flying Islands is visiting?"

Snide pursed his lips. "Something like that..."

"Well, you're gonna want a serious fight for it," Ember murmured. "Maybe one that ends in a bit of a show, ya know?"

Snide rubbed his chin. "A fight and fuck?" he smirked. "I've suggested that a few times to Xora. But the flighty bitch never went for it. She's shy, if you can fucking believe it." He shook his head, walking over to the window. Ember stepped over and slid his arm around his neck, grinning as he leaned in. Snide shook his head again. "A girl with a body built for bedrooms, and she's afraid of getting her norks out because...what? It's not like anyone's going to marry a fucked up shark girl, at least, not here, not this far from the fishfucker ocean." He spat out the window. "I did her a favor, you know, buying her from those slavers." He grinned at Snide, then whispered. "Gotta know, did she actually spread her legs for you?"

"Totally, why?" Ember asked.

"Well, I had to order her, you know?" Snide said, shrugging his shoulders. "And then she was crying so much, I didn't even fucking want to in the end and had to go fuck some other girl." He adjusted his pants. "You don't want to fuck a girl whose just blubbering like some baby, ya know?"

***

Snide had no idea how close he came to a very messy death. Ember felt like his jaw was about to explode with the tension aching through him as he forced his smile. "Yeah," he said. "So. Fight on?"

Snide nodded. "You got your fight. And once you get her naked, you got your fuck, kid. Now, lets talk about payment..."

The talk about payment buzzed past Ember like a cloud of wasps. He nodded, and forced himself to sound casual and attentive as he took whatever it was that Snide offered. He ignored the gloating sound in Snide's voice as he nodded and bobbed his head - and he instead visualized the various horrible things he could do to Snide. He could chuck him out the window. He could beat his face in. He could pick him up and literally fold him in half like a book. He could rip his arm off and beat him with it. He could-

Snide was going, waving as he did so.

The door shut.

Ember waited a few more seconds, just to be safe.

Then he sat down onto the chair with a groan, his hands going to his face.

Chirp exploded from his belt pouch. They grabbed onto a pillow on the bed and ripped into it with their fangs, their hands tugging at the case. Feathers exploded into the air and the shredded fragments of the case dripped around Chirp's fingers like wobbling gobbets of flesh. They began to stomp around the room as hard as they could. Considering Chirp was maybe a hundred pounds if they had been fully dressed and soaking wet, this made almost no noise. They grabbed at their heads.

"Can I kill him?" they asked.

"Uh-"

"Or at least wound him?" Chirp amended, blushing. "I...don't...actually want to..." They put their hands over their mouth, blushing and looking aside. "Okay, can I scare him?"

Ember smiled, weakly. "I think it's kind of adorable how quickly you backed down?" He looked down at his hands. "I haven't killed anyone yet. Burying bodies..." He shook his head. "I didn't like it. I don't think having to bury someone I killed myself is going to feel any better."

"Yeah," Chirp said, their voice husky. Then, brightening, they stuck their finger into the air. "I propose that we form the No Killing Squad! We have the power of the Sun and the Moons, we can totally not kill people, right?" They nodded.

"Right!" Ember sprang to his feet, then took Chirp's hand, shaking it. "The first meeting of the No Kill Squad!" he grinned at them. Chirp grinned back.

They were on the bed, literally seconds later. Chirp's black hair exploded around their head like a rich halo, curling and bunching up, while their hands cupped the back of Ember's head, their mouths locked together. Chirp's tongue darted into his mouth, seeking and desperate. Ember tugged at their leggings, squirming - and then Chirp drew back, gasping softly, whispering. "I-I should get on my belly..."

"Yeah," Ember said, nodding. He drew back, then covered his eyes. Chirp froze beneath him - one of their feet touching his hip. He could hear their breath had stopped - they were trembling, the movement a tactile buzz through the frame of the bed. "What?" Ember asked.

"I love you so much," Chirp whispered. "Y-You...I..." They threw their arms around him, squeezing him tight and kissing his soulgem. The feeling of hips against the small gemstone thrust from his forehead was...weird. But it was also far from bad. He trembled and moaned as Chirp began to trace the line of his soulgem. They whispered, very softly. "Y-You can see. You know. And you can fuck my-"

"No." Ember opened his eyes and looked into theirs. "You're my saris. And you never ever have to do anything you don't want too."

Chirp's cheeks darkened. "Gods..." they whispered. "S-Saying that just makes me want to more...out of sheer gratitude, you know?"

Ember grinned, his hand cupping their cheek. Chirp turned to kiss his palm. "I'm cool like that." He moaned, softly, as Chirp began to kiss from palm to fingertip. One of their fangs teased his skin, brushing against him. But then they drew back, smiling shyly.

"So, do you-"

"I want your ass." Ember smiled, gently. "Your perfect ass."

Chirp ducked their head forward, mashing their forehead against his chest. "D-Dummy," they whispered. "We've both seen Xora's ass. F-Fuck, I've put my tongue up her ass. We both know she has me beat."

"Hah!" Ember chuckled, ducking his head forward. "This is why I'm the Unconquered. My mighty power of solar might allows me to appreciate two radically different kinds of butts." Chirp giggled into his chest. Then they moaned as Ember kissed their ruby soulgem. Then, slowly, Chirp rolled onto their belly, thrusting their ass up into the air - their leggings down just enough to reveal it. Ember wasted no time. He crawled onto their back, kissing and nuzzling their neck, his palms planted onto the headboard. He pressed his cock to their ass, wriggling just enough to free himself from his thong. He whispered in her ear. "Ready?"

"Never," Chirp purred, their head turned to the side.

"That's my saris," Ember purred. "My Lunar."

He thrust into them - and felt the now familiar, welcoming tautness of Chirp. Their fangs sank into the mattress as they muffled themselves. Ember began to fuck them - his balls slapping their tightly clasped thighs, while Chirp's red eyes rolled back into their head, bliss overcoming them. Ember was fairly certain that he could do this for centuries without ever getting tired of it - and he was settling in to keep doing this for the rest of the evening at the very least when June's head peeked over the edge of the window sill - holding onto the edge of the window by her fingernails.

Her eyes widened. "Ember!" She hissed.

"What?" Ember asked, fucking his saris faster and faster and faster.

"You have to be prepping for step two of the plan!" June hissed. "Like getting me into the fucking room!" Her knuckles were turning white on the window sill. Ember leaned forward, grabbed onto her hand, and tugged her into the room - all while still fucking Chirp, whose fangs popped out of the mattress, allowing them to moan aloud. June spared one withering glare for Ember's cock, buried in Chirp's ass, before darting to the door. She opened it and peeked out, frowning. "For this plan to work, you need me here, you know. You also need to not be fucking your ace in the fucking hole where you two might be..." She paused. "Someone's coming!"

"Heh, damn right," Ember crooned, feeling Chirp's ass tightening around him, their eyes closing tight as they moaned into the mattress.

June scowled at him - then pressed her palms together. She whispered, softly. "Thin ice thin ice thin ice!" She folded, becoming thinner and thinner, until she was essentially a one dimensional plane - and thus, invisible.

Ember let himself go. His balls clenched and he dumped yet another load of hot, hot cum into Chirp's tight, tight ass. And then there was a scrambling, a scrabbling, and then the door opened and Snide stuck his head in, finding Ember laying lazily on his back, his cock tucked into his loincloth.

"What are you doing here, sport?" Snide asked, grinning. "Xora's back - we need to get you guys prepped. You're going to have a fucking Infused Knight at the front row seats. Jerin Kah himself."

"Just bein lazy," Ember said, sprinting to his feet, the comforting weight - slight as it was - of the side of his hip. "Lets do this. Oh, and I was thinking, I should definitely wear a cool dramatic mask. In fact, I might even go so far as to say, that it is extremely important to my plan that I wear a really cool dramatic mask that conceals my face and identity from Jerin Kah. And the crowd." He nodded, slowly. "Dramatic."

Snide rubbed his chin. "I like the way you think, kid."

He turned to go. And as he walked, June's hand reached from where she was concealed and smacked the back of Ember's head.

***

In the guts of the casino, in the place where the clothing and the costumes were stored, Snide left Ember alone to dress himself. He picked up a few masks - most of them too small to do a proper job of concealing his face - and whispered to Chirp: "What if I...mess it up?"

They squeaked - a tiny, confused squeak - from his belt pouch.

"I mean...what if I mess the Cycle up?" Ember asked. "I mean, the Regency rules the whole of the Lands. They have devils and demons and those Infused Knights. Goat hasn't taught me any martial arts...and..." He bit his lip. "I'm already getting a teeny bit nervous about just this plan. What if Jerin Kah sees through my disguise? What if I don't free my villagers? My family?" He ducked his head forward, his fingers going to the belt pouch, caressing Chirp through it. "What if I also mess up...you and Xora. I want to be the best Unconquered Husband I can, for both of you, but...but...you love me automatically! So, even if I'm a huge dingus..."

Chirp did not emerge from the pouch. But she did wriggle, and manage to get one of her wings free. The small, soft membrane of that wing wrapped around his pointer finger, squeezing him gently. Ember smiled, slowly.

"Yeah," he said.

A heavy thumping came to his ears. He lifted his head in time to see Xora finishing her walk down the stairs, to the robing chamber. She smiled at him. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," Ember said, nodding slightly. Xora walked over to him - stepping past the lockers, closed up tight. Each one had a different name on them, or at least, Ember presumed they were names. She paused beside one, her fingers touching it, tentatively. Ember gulped, then picked up a thick stone mask, holding it up. The mask had a pair of fangs on it, like Chirp's. He smiled, until his fingers touched the blood red gemstone at the mask's forehead. A quartet of sharp spikes exploded from the edges of the mask, reaching inwards to plunge into the air - where his skull would have been if he had been wearing it. Ember yelped, dropped it, and kicked it away from him. The mask skittered away and he looked over at Xora, who was getting her costume out of her locker.

"Y-You fight wearing that?" Ember asked.

Xora's cheeks darkened.

"Not that it's bad!" Ember said, nodding. He closed his eyes. "Dingus. Fuck."

Xora looked down at her costume. She sighed as she let the five or six inches of fabric slip through her fingers to the floor. She sat down on the bench that stretched out between the lockers and the rest of the room. "E-Earlier today..." She said, her head tilted forward, her eyes locked onto her hands, which rested on one another. "You called me beautiful. "She looked up at him. "Did you mean it?"

Ember nodded. "If I were not wed, I would take you in a manly fashion," he said, then grinned. "Oh, wait, I am."

Xora smiled, slightly. But the smile faded. "My whole life...people have called me Maneater. Because I'm big and I'm tough and I once ripped a guy's arm off and beat him to death with it," she said, her voice growing grim. Ember blinked a few times at her - but before he could say anything, she continued. "But you know what I want, more than anything else?" She blushed.

"What?" Ember asked.

Xora opened her mouth, then closed it. "Don't laugh," she said, pointing her finger at him.

"Promise," Ember said, putting his hand to his chest as he walked towards her, sitting down on the small bench next to her. His hand pressed to her shoulder, squeezing her - feeling the iron strength of her muscle. Xora closed her eyes.

"More than anything else...I just want to be pretty. I want to wear a dress and be small and cute and feminine," she whispered. "I want someone else to be the strong one, you know? How stupid is that, how useless is that?"

Ember blushed. "Well, I've been the small one before..." He said, shrugging. "And June protected me. And you know what? It was kind of nice." He grinned. "And I've never seen anyone in a really nice dress before. We mostly wear shifts or loincloths back in Rataka. But you know what?" He reached up, cupping Xora's cheek. "I think you'd look really good in a dress. And once we've thrown Snide into the river, beaten up Jerin Kah, rescued my parents, and gotten back onto the Starhsrike...I'm going to get you that dress."

Xora smiled at him.

"Five minutes, you two!" Snide called down the stairs - distantly, they could hear the murmuring of the crowd, the faint sounds of music.

Xora and Ember looked at one another. "Not enough time for..." Xora said.

"Definitely not," Ember said.

Five seconds later, they were on the training mat, Xora's thighs locked around his hips - so tight Chirp could not escape from the belt pouch.

TO BE CONTINUED