A drop of water hits the top of my helmet, another, and then a dozen more as rain starts pouring down on us. The humidity in the air doesn’t do a thing to prevent the screams from reaching us.
The defending soldiers on the ground floor are retreating in front of the Templars, fighting desperately, having little choice but to fight for their lives. Their necks will face either a rope or an axe if they cannot escape.
The fourth volley of white-plumed arrows is released. It seems to majestically hang in the air when it reaches the highest point of its arc, for a single second. The arrows fall down, shredding the wooden tables blocking the windows to batter the inside of the mansion in a deadly metal shower.
“Close your eyes.” I tell my Lady.
Without waiting, I let go of her hand to slip my hammer’s handle behind my back, between my chain-mail and hard leather armor. I throw a quick look to my side, her eyelids are tightly shut. I untie my mask from the belt and quickly exchange it with my helmet.
“Can I look now?” She asks.
“Yes.” I reply, injecting flow into the runes to make the wooden item stick to my head.
“Is that your family’s crest?” She questions, staring at the silver tree engraved in my mask.
“No. What would be the point in hiding my face if I so easily revealed my identity?” I reply.
The rain intensifies, water seeps through my hair, soaking them, and flattening them around my head. The cool feeling of it against my skin is enjoyable but incomparable what the sight of her does to me.
My Lady’s straight hair are bundling up in strands, drops of water trickle down her face, trickling along her sexy traits. The void in my heart wails, I reflexively take hold of her hand in reaction.
“Your knowledge, manners, and opinions are too… different.” She says quietly. “You’re not a Noble, are you?”
I pull her closer, wrapping my arms around her waist. My chain-mail clinking against the laminated steel of her armor. I gaze up at her, losing myself into the abyss of her light gray eyes.
“I stopped being one the day my house was set on fire by rival Nobles, playing the game to its natural conclusion. I was lucky enough to escape with only my left arm in flames. Doubly so when a friend extinguished it, taking the risk to run out of flow despite the looming danger.” I utter the lie, savoring the fact that she looks away at the words.
She slips her hands around my back, giving me a strong wrapping hug. The contact pushes my rancor away to the background of my thoughts, allowing me to melt into it, going as far as to sigh in contentment.
A wall collapses with a loud crashing sound, provoking a cloud of dust that is quickly beaten down by the falling water. I groan, annoyed as I stare at the blue mansion, half of its walls are gone now.
The rebel soldiers are retreating to the second floor, making their way upstairs as best as they can. A half-dozen of them are stuck, unable to reach the staircase, surrounded by armored Templars and battered by arrows.
“Is your left leg injured too?” She asks, calling my attention away from the screams.
“No.” I reply, shaking my head.
I slowly spin on the spot, carefully picking my footholds on the tiles but determined to dance her. I press my mask against her chest. She gently rubs my back, I feel almost nothing because of the layers between her hand and my skin.
“You almost always rest your weight on your right leg.” She comments, letting me lead our waltz.
“I hadn’t really paid attention.” I say. “Take a guess?”
“It must be fatigued more often than the other leg, perhaps you formed the habit to conserve stamina.” She notes. “Because your left arm is stronger.”
“You pay close attention to me.” I giggle in delight. “Amazing deduction.”
“I simply noticed how strong your left hand is during our first dance.” My Lady replies uncomfortably.
My heart pangs at the shy display while the void stirs in delight. I make a grimace, torn between how happy I am to be with her and the fact that I’m still resolved to tear her down to where she the same point where left me that night once I’ve built her up.
All these contradictory feelings distract me from the dance and I lose my footing, having forgotten how slippery and dangerous wet tiles can be. My Lady reacts instantly, catching me before I can fall over. She widens her stance to support us both.
“Thanks.” I whisper, my heart wildly beating inside my chest.
“I still hope to turn you to my side.” She replies, grinning as I regain my balance. “I believe that you are reaching for something other than what they are, like I am. An ideal that isn’t incompatible with my own, we can work together.”
“Sorry to disappoint, but you simply cannot give me what I want.” Because that must be taken. “And what you could, you won’t freely.” I add.
“I refuse to help you tear Nobility down, it is not the solution.” She says with a sigh, understanding my meaning. “I want your word that if this triggers a riot, you’ll speak with me to cool things down.”
“Why should I when your Duke could solve the issue by simply listening?” I counter.
“Because you’re partly responsible.” She replies with a frown.
“Well, depends what you give me in exchange, Lance.” I smirk under my mask, taking hold of her between my arms.
“You’ll do it, right? You’re not lying to me? About this and… and Jessica.” She asks with a difficult expression and rosy cheeks.
“I am not.” I reply quickly, too eager to hear what she‘ll suggest to think it through or linger on the irony that she’s the one questioning my honor. The void stills in expectation.
She pushes me away. Her left hand reaches up to touch my mask, her right slips behind my neck to take hold it. My breath grows short and irregular as a shiver of excitement courses through my back. I activate the illusion construct, flooding it with flow.
“Can I?” She asks softly.
“Just my mouth.” I say in a trembling voice, my gaze fixed on her sharp but fragile looking traits.
My Lady shifts the mask upward, obstructing my sight completely. She respects my words and stops when my lips uncovered. The darkness enhances my hearing, making the yells and shouts of despair all the more obvious.
Drops of cold water impact my lower chin. Still gripping the back of my neck with one hand, she uses the other to take hold of my right hand. She takes the lead, making us swirl over the slippery roof, blindly tempting fate. I should be scared but I feel complete, finally whole.
We swerve together for an exhilarating moment along the music made by the rebels’ slaughter, steely beats and screaming vocals accompanying us in a perfect disharmony.
My Lady slowly brings the dance to a stop, leaning in. My breath cuts short, several seconds before we even touch. Time seems to slow down, my perceptions narrow until all that remains is the feel of her inside my arms.
My Lady’s soft lips finally touch mine after an eternity. My knees give out from under me and I keel over, falling into her arms. She sweeps me off my feet, supporting me with one arm around my waist while her hand grips my back hair, uniting both of our mouths and bodies together.
She kisses me timidly, shyly brushing my pulp, behaving like teenagers as we savor this first most intimate sharing of ourselves. The symbolic opening of our hearts, peaking at the feelings inside.
My wish isn’t fulfilled yet. I push for more, determined to get everything I can out of this kiss, to satisfy my heart’s desperate longing. I passionately split her lips, finding her tender wet tongue to wrap my own around it.
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“Uh.” My Lady makes a small noise in surprise but quickly melds into it.
As I enjoy the soft humid feel of her mouth, a pleasant lightheartedness fills the void. This is everything that I hoped and fantasized about. No, it’s more.
My inhalations grow too rapid, too short and shallow. She pulls back, separating us just slightly, only enough to allow air in. We share a deep breath.
She dives back in, sucking my upper lip between hers and devouring it with tiny bites that make my jaw slacken and throws my thoughts in for a spin. I would fall if not for how tightly she is holding me.
My Lady releases my lip and I seize the chance to explore her mouth. I use my tongue, passing over the inside of her cheeks, behind her teeth, and then lick her smooth palate. My scorching desire to know her in every detail smothers my hesitation at performing such odd of the actions.
She allows me everything, even accompanying me along. One more thing. I draw her lower lip in, sucking on it until it lays between my teeth. I don’t hesitate to bite down on it, not as hard as I can but enough to open a small wound.
“Umph!” My Lady yelps.
I don’t release her lip yet, keeping it for myself. I lick the cut, aspiring her blood and saliva inside my mouth. I taste her subtle iron and salty flavor for a long moment, reveling in the pleasure of drinking her in.
She plunges back into the kiss, forcing my teeth apart to wrap her tongue around mine. She pulls them both into her mouth to passionately nibble them, pressing our lips together. My heart skips a beat.
I search her waist until I find the border of her armor’s jacket. I slip my right hand under it to stroking the side of her torso, running my fingers along her ribs until I reach her left breast. I caress the lovingly small round mound.
“Uhm.” We moan.
My sex moistens with desire, I stretch as much as I can, grabbing her erect nipple with my thumb and index to make it roll between the tips of my fingers, I then pull on it.
“Ah, uh.” Small sounds escape her.
Ka-thru-crash. The rumbling sound startles us both, it came from the site of the battle, from the large blue mansion.
She breaks the kiss, releasing my hair and bringing her hand around and laying it on my chest to weakly push me away. Our breaths are so short that we could have been running a marathon. We rejoin lips between each inspiration, gifting each other with small pecks.
She glances over her shoulder. I follow her gaze, finding the mansion completely collapsed in a pile. Templars are already clearing the debris, helping those of their brethren that got stuck under rubble.
I regretfully let go of her breast, taking my wandering hand back. I then pull my legs under myself and stand back up. My thighs close, pressing my most intimate place’s lips together, making me notice how drenched I am down there. I want to lay her down right here and make love to her.
“Aargh!” Buton’s dying voice pierces through to my ears.
We separate, the void roars back to life as soon as she releases my body. I reach out and touch her cheek. She smiles brightly. A jolt of electricity originates in the small of my back and runs all the way down to my intimacy.
“Mph.” The lustful sound escapes me, swallowing my saliva and the remnant of her sweet taste.
“Elizabeth Vil.” Master Amand’s voice thunders. “I have some questions for you too.”
“Rhaah!” I cry with painful frustration.
I hurriedly turn my back on my Lady, tearing my mind away from the mind-wrenching temptation. I then readjust my mask over my face and deactivate the illusion construct. If I stay here, I’ll be executed by tomorrow.
“Elizabeth, you don’t need to run!” She exclaims.
“I don’t think they’d let us finish, Lance.” I reply, trying to bring a bit of humor to the depressing thought that I have to run away now.
“No! Dodge!” My Lady screams in panic.
I throw a look over my shoulder as I obey, throwing myself forward over the wet tiles. Sh-crack. Something hits the upper left part of my mask, slicing through it and cutting the flesh and hair along my cranium. I slide over the roof, managing to stop myself just before the edge.
“Are you okay?” She asks me with an anguished expression.
“I‘m fine.” I reply, ignoring the pulses of pain coming from the slash on my skull.
I hurriedly look away, fearing that the wood would break. I take my helmet off my belt and replace the mask with it. It’s cracked but still in one piece, my blood mixed with rainwater, leaving red trails under the eyes and coloring the silver tree in crimson. It suits E.Vil beautifully.
I tie the item back on my belt and get back on my feet. I then make my way towards the neighboring manor while using the roof’s ridge as cover from Amand’s air blade constructs, hoping that the Duke’s archers are too busy to take shots at me from below.
I assemble lion’s steps without stopping, leaping from this building to the next and running as fast as I dare over the slippery tiles. Damn rain is going to make it hard to pick up speed.
“Enough!” My Lady shouts towards the street, loudly unsheathing her sword.
A pop sound reaches my ear and a burst of air blows against my back soon after. I look back to her, finding that her stance is the one she usually ends up in after slashing her weapon. Did she just intercept another air blade?
No time. I throw a glance to judge the distance between this roof and the next, jumping over the edge. I slide unsteadily on the tiles for a few meters but manage to regain my balance.
Where do I go from here? The Lordling’s mansion. I need money and I want to see what’s on the architect’s schematics. Once I reach the edge of this roof, I climb down a few meters and let go, landing gracefully in the middle of a water puddle.
“Shit.” I swear.
I hop over a garden’s fence and start running at full speed, activating lion’s step constructs as I go. I make my way through the back of the properties, leaping over obstacles as I head north.
“Stop!” Edusa shouts from behind.
“Fucking give me a break!” I yell back.
She’s not alone in pursuing me, there are two Templars with her but they’re losing ground. Their flow reserves are already running short. I start angling my course to the east, towards the block of houses with an intricate maze of alleys where she guided me the other night to lose the mercenaries coming after me.
I hop over a fence, landing in the middle of a large empty avenue. Is it already time for the curfew? I look up, noticing only now that the sun is very close to hiding behind the horizon, the rain and clouds made it difficult to tell.
Edusa is still on my tail. I keep assembling pairs of lion’s step constructs, taking less and less precautions as I lose control of my rhythm. I can’t keep going like this, I’ll make a mistake before long. I can’t afford to break my leg right now.
I slip into a small alley and stop using constructs, taking my hammer out from behind my back. I feel blood trickling down my face from my head wound, rolling along the side of my left eye and causing me to blink.
I hear three different sets of steps engaging in the alley. Fuck, the Templars caught up. I take a left turn and then a right turn, desperately looking for a way to lose them.
“Hey!” A door opens on my right. “Come in!” A young man calls urgently.
I rush inside, seeing no other option than to gamble on this stranger’s help. He is about my size and looks my age, has brown eyes and hair. He looks thin and his house’s furniture is old, crumbling.
He closes the door behind me, pressing his back against it. I notice the opened window and crouch to get out of sight, panting to regain my breath. The kid is visibly afraid and tense.
Edusa and the two Templars make a lot of noise as they run by the door but they thankfully don’t stop to search the area. I sigh in relief, waiting a few tens of seconds before standing up in case they would hear the movement because of my chain-mail.
“You can relax, they’re gone.” I tell him.
“Are you sure, my Lady?” He asks with a wild look in his eyes.
“Don’t call me that.” I retort, bothered by his use of the words. The kid flinches at my harsh tone. “It’s fine, I’m not mad.” I add.
“Were they assassins?” He questions, gulping loudly as he steps away from the door.
“No. You don’t have to worry about that.” I shake my head. “Thank you for the help but I should get going before they come back.”
“It was the least I could do, Lady Vil.” He replies, bowing.
I groan at the sight and take my money pouch out from my belt. There are only a handful of coins left inside but he definitely needs them considering the state of his home. I throw it over to him.
“Thank you, Lady Vil!” He exclaims, catching the pouch.
I step back outside, the noise made by the rain pouring down makes it difficult to hear whether or not Edusa is close by. I retrace my steps back to the empty avenue, paying more attention to my surroundings this time.
There are people in the streets, openly violating the curfew to move empty barrels under the streams of rain falling from the roofs to collect the fresh water.
I reach the large avenue and quickly cross it to enter the northern quarter of the city. I really hope Edusa gives up after this. I don’t want to have to hurt her. Although, I could use that to hurt my Lady. No, too soon. Is it? Yes, second dance only, I’ll see after the third.
A patrol of soldiers crosses the street a long distance ahead. I hunker down, making use of the worsening darkness and thick downpour to hide from their sight.
I slow down, waiting for them to get further ahead before resuming my walk. I don’t want to try my luck on the roofs at night. I reach the Lordling’s mansion without being spotted, quickly running up to the door to use the frame as cover from the rain.
I press my left limb on the door, preparing myself to break the lock. It slides open without resistance, surprising me. I take my hammer in both hands and throw a glance inside.
On the polished floorboards, that she no doubt maintained herself, lays Sacit on her back. Her neck is twisted at an odd angle, the broken bones poking at the flesh from the inside. Her nose is bleeding, her lips are split in several places, and her cheekbones look shattered.
Right next to her body is an open jute with gold coins and jewelry spilling out of it. Fuck. She didn’t deserve this. I kneel next to her body and try to close her dead eyes, failing to do so.
I grab two cold gold coins from the ground and set them on the lids, using them to push the lids in their resting position. I hope the Lake is real and that you’ll reach it.
Wait. Who is responsible for this?