Ch: 179 What Is Love?
Otho and Naiomi were downstairs when the happy householders came down. Shai and Gary were still flushed from his last few guesses at ‘that thing’ she liked.
“Hey… good morning!” Gary called, while Shai stood open mouthed.
They looked like a late middle aged couple from a retirement home ad, smiling and fit. It was clearly them, yet the years had fallen away, leaving them renewed and vigorous.
“Ahh children, we have come to show you the next step in your spiritual and mental cultivation journey. We hope to discover our own path forward in the process.” Otho said with a grin. “Ivy’s research into your unusual conjuration ritual has shed some light on our own techniques and arts. Potent and occult arts, some few secrets of which, we shall reveal to you today.”
“Enough prattle. We will teach you a meditation and mana cultivation method which can only be used in tandem, between individuals closely bonded, by blood, by soul or by magic. Since you two are all three, this should be enlightening for everyone, assuming you don’t ignite and burn down in your own tallow…”
Gary and Shai stared at her, until she began giggling. “Of course that can’t happen you young idiots… how gullible are you?”
“We fought an intelligent garden weed yesterday. I have to meet up with an extra planar squid wizard and help him magic himself home sometime soon. My magical candy factory is also the secret shortcut to mana cultivation, that sages have been searching for since time immemorial… I’m gonna be pretty open minded, Naiomi.”
“Your boy used to be fun, Shai… Have you tried tickling his bum with a feather?” The old harridan asked happily.
“We hae yet to brew the coffee… since the sun is yet to rise.” She answered pointedly.
#
“Slowly gather the mana in the palms of your right hands and the soles of your left feet, it should tingle at first. Just continue and the resistance should… oh, there it is…” He murmured. “Now slowly begin drawing mana in from the left hands and right feet. If your resonance and compatibility are as high as we suspect…”
“I think you can stop instructing, Otho. They seem to have it.” Naiomi said dryly.
The two young people were seated feet together, holding hands as their mana slowly circulated between them effortlessly.
“Shall we join them for a bit, I imagine the others will start moving soon.” Otho asked, with a wide smile.
The elders settled down on the same patch of lawn, beside their young students and assumed the same position.
“Splendid!” Otho exclaimed. “I feel what they are doing, their mana is not simply flowing between them, they are spiraling their streams together and more fully commingling their essence…”
“Yes, let’s try that.” Naiomi agreed with a wink.
#
The kids and the older girls tumbled down stairs and found the four practitioners meditating away on the lawn by the bath.
“Are you guys cultivatin’?” Amy asked, shoving her face in between Gary and Shai.
“We were…” He answered, as the duo carefully disentangled themselves. “I guess it’s breakfast time. Care to join us? We have a full house, but there’s always room for family.”
“Yeah!” Amy chimed in. “And Gary’s ‘sposed to do that thing Shai likes. She said we could watch!”
“Hey!” Gary griped and complained for some reason, while Shai just smiled like the cat that got the cream.
#
Vera peeled her sticky, gritty eyes open after a long night by the feculent little bog and its mucky fold in the hills. Everything that creeped, crawled or slithered in the gloom was super at home in the wretched place.
The ‘charms’ that young Kinnis had distributed seemed effective against blood suckers, but had no effect on the vast array of creeps that made the underbrush their home.
Her tent crawled with centipedes, spiders, earwigs, pinchbugs, stinkbugs and flies. She shook a cockroach out of her boot and grumbled about what the local moths had already done to her arming coat.
The sturdy garment was soft linen, batted with wool to cushion and support her armor, now it looked like someone had used it for archery practice.
Raggedly chewed holes revealed egg sacks scattered in the woolen fibers. Woolmuncher moths could reduce a wardrobe to well nibbled rags in just a few days. If they got inside the barracks…
“Shaheen.” She called to her second. “Vermin protocols when we return. No exceptions, the bugs here are going to be a problem”
The men who overheard groaned softly; fumigating their gear with the alchemist’s nasty potion took days to complete the job and hours of work to clean the sticky residue from anything exposed to it. Then came the laborious job of removing the insect corpses from the batting and folds of their garments, packs and armor and mending the numerous holes.
“What about the prisoners?” He asked, eyeing the ragged and animalistic men and women still struggling fitfully in their bonds.
“Healer and Order will decide their fates. Our duty is to return in good order with our prisoners, other considerations are secondary at best.” She began stowing her gear and breaking camp with efficient and practiced confidence.
“We march in an hour. Send a rider to town and request an alchemist to meet us for decontamination. This report goes to the duke or head priest Anglin only.” She handed over a hefty report, sealed with Vera’s personal chop.
“No one else may see this.”
#
“I do hope everyone sees this!” Shai whooped, as Gary banked Seahorse through a sweeping turn. Mist and spray flew behind the boat and made the smiling, laughing girl trailing behind on a slender tow line, even more beautiful.
“Faster, boy! Ye do ken what I like!” She yelled.
Her single ski carved the water into gracefully arcing sheets of spray, that dissolved into scattered rainbows in the late morning sun. Her long, pale limbs and athletic physique only added to the compelling spectacle on the waterways.
Shai leapt and hopped across the boat’s wake, her agility and strength making some watchers gasp, while others enjoyed her less athletic charms, displayed to great advantage by the almost scandalously brief boyshorts and bikini top she wore.
Gary was seated facing back, so he at least got to watch the show. The boy was sweating and gripping the gunwales of the boat with a look of deep concentration on his face, behind the lecherous glint in his eye. Becky was at the tiller, placing her feet on his, to nudge him for throttle control.
“Is this just advertising for Jennah’s new swimwear scheme?” Gary wondered aloud.
“Really, you think that’s all Shai cares about? Commerce?” Becky demanded, sounding hurt. “We…” She started giggling mid speech and signaled him to slow down as they passed the pier.
“I can’t keep it up… this is too much fun.” She sighed, while tossing tow lines to Ivy, Tawny and Liam… who were also clad in startling swimwear and looking eager to try the new thing. “This is absolutely advertising for Jennah’s new swimwear thing. Enjoy the next phase of the show.”
Shai slipped over the side, into the boat with otterlike grace, gleaming with water droplets and looking like a sexy mermaid that could totally drag him into the depths with just her smile…
“Wake up boy! Back to work, I’ll be steering now!” Shai nudged his feet with hers and grinned, while bikini clad Becky slipped over the side and joined the cadre of new water skiers.
“Tis probably best Dannyl be laid up, ‘twould be too sexy wi him an Liam.” She muttered. “Onward lad of mine! An ye give a good showing, I’ll give thee a showing in return…” She pressed her feet on his, and smiled as the boat took off, dragging the laughing Adventurers behind, among the scattered rainbows.
#
Wilf, you gotta wear the trunks… it’s the whole point of anvertizing…” Amy reasoned calmly, while wrestling her younger brother down.
“Stop wriggling, you have to wear them. Becky said so!” Rio added, while trying to get the shorts over Wilf’s thrashing feet.
“Junior Adventurer Wilford Brimley Ward… put on those trunks right now, or I’ll tell Thirp.” Angie scolded the boy, who settled immediately. “If I see your bare bottom again today, you will be in big trouble, young man.”
She took him onto her shiny new knee, once he was dressed and sighed into his hair.
“Your auntie Jennah worked hard on those trunks, despite not knowing what a ‘ninja turtle’ is…” She whispered to the boy.
“I’m a little worried that sister Becky did know, but that’s not important right now. What is important, is that auntie Jennah made those for you and she would be hurt if you didn’t wear them. Understand, Wilf?”
The sober lad nodded and smiled happily. “I like turtles! A lot!” His shorts were decorated with comical anthropomorphic martial arts turtle creatures in dramatic poses, with the phrase ‘Cowabunga Dude!’ across the butt.
Rio was in similar long legged shorts in light blue printed with stylized palm trees, while Amy’s form fitting one piece of cobalt blue contrasted nicely.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“We’re models now Rio, try not to smile… models always look like they're hungry an uncomfortable.” Amy chirped happily, while defying her own no smiling rule.
The little family of weirdos piled into the boat as the youngest three, flanked by Angie and Becky, took a much less exciting turn around the wide river pool. The kids whooped and yelled with delight as they skipped over the wavelets and bounced through the wake and cut gentle turns through the calm waters.
Poor Gary looked like a wax figure of himself, pale, drawn and sweating, among the happy boat crew. Shai handed the tiller to Liam and scooted over, to sit back to back with her man.
She nestled her bare skin against his and carefully began playing with the technique they had just learned that morning, slowly cycling her mana through his depleted pool. With a jolt, she felt something nudging her insides, pulling at parts she had never felt before. It tugged and jostled, until she closed her eyes to look at her own newly displayed ‘pools’ for stamina and mana.
She had to concentrate to see them, unlike her boy, but there they were, the blue of mana, yellow for stamina, her red health bar and green… ‘Green?’ She wondered to herself. With a mental flex, his pools appeared in her mind’s eye. She now had a green etheric pool, like his… smaller, tiny in fact, but it was there and could grow.
In other news, his pools were bubbling and percolating under the influence of her mana, not just the blue one, but all of them. The colorful representations of their various attributes were refilling and bubbling vigorously, as she poured her essence through him and received his in return.
#
“Ease up Gary, this is a little too fast… Gary?” Liam said softly, as the boat began to accelerate. “Hey now!” He called, more loudly. He clapped his free hand onto Gary’s clammy shoulder and shook him firmly… Nothing. The sturdy little boat ran faster and faster, starting to draw concerned glances from the occupants and the shoreside spectators.
When no response came, he turned and cut the tow line, dropping all the kids down into the water, safely.
“Gary, Shai! Wake up!” He barked, once the kids were cut free of their wild careening flight.
#
Amy and Wilford were barely able to contain their excitement as they stepped into their skis. “Remember to let go and relax if anything goes wrong. Falco is right here watching over us all.” Angie said firmly, but gently.
The boat started gently pulling away and the two older girls helped Amy and Rio steady themselves. Wilford grinned and dug his back heel in, popping right to the surface with a whoop of Joy.
Liam took a slow and easy turn around the wide, slow backwater, looping over his own wake gently for safe thrills. Just fast enough to give the little ones a sense of speed, Liam cut a wide turn, tossing a little spray into the sky.
The boat was moving at a sensible speed, so they could hear Liam over the rush of the wind and water, talking to the big goof.
“Ease up Gary, this is a little too fast… Gary?”
The boat kept accelerating, dragging them faster and faster as Liam’s voice raised and became indistinct. Amy and Rio grabbed onto Becky and Angie, respectively and kicked free of their skis, standing on their older sister’s feet and holding on for dear life. They clung grimly to their elders’ legs looking desperately up at the older girls. Meanwhile, Wilford was having a blast, sliding and carving great arcing waves and giggling madly. When the rope went slack, Falco swam over to retrieve Wilf and found the boy swimming his own way over, his trunks clenched in his teeth.
He handed them to Becky when he joined the others, bobbing in the water. “Auntie Jennah made those… I don’ wanna lose them.” He said soberly.
Becky and Angie started swimming the little ones to the bank, with encouragement from Falco, who seemed amused by the whole ordeal. They got them ashore and Becky passed out warm towels from her storage gift with a sigh.
“Kids, Shai and Gary must be having an accident of some kind. They would never do this deliberately, I think they are having a little trouble.”
Seahorse went skipping over the surface, with Liam holding the tiller for all he was worth. Ivy was crawling laboriously back towards the steersman’s bench, fighting against the forces hurling the boat along, as it bounced over the waves.
#
Terrifying and barely in control, the little boat blasted upriver, hurling spray behind them. “Ivy, Ripcord!” Liam yelled.
She leapt from her white knuckled grip on Tallum and clawed her way towards Gary and Shai, still stuck together back to back, lost in some trance. Liam had to cut a banking turn and swing back around, heading downstream now.
“Hurry up, We’re running out of river!” He shouted to the struggling warrior, as they shot by Angie, Becky and the kids. They were now on shore and toweling off under the bright mid day sun.
With a frantic leap, Ivy grabbed Gary by the front of his very brief shortyshorts and clenched her fist.
#
“OwowooOO!!!” Rufus and the two wolves howled together in the sunshine, responding on instinct, to the faint call that carried on the breeze.
“Who was that?” Kerry asked, when they had finished their song.
“I dunno, it was really high pitched. Maybe a young coyote girl caught in a trap…” Pogo murmured. “Let’s move. Whoever she is, it sounds like she needs help.”
The three canines slipped into the wildlands unobserved, chasing after that terrible cry of pain and distress. “I just hope she can hold on til we get there…”
#
“She didn’t have to hold on until we completely stopped…” Gary gasped, in a squeaky register usually unavailable to him.
“Aye, ye could hae simply punched me in the boob… I did hae plans fer that.” Shai whined at Ivy. They were both in the bottom of the boat, barely mobile, but still able to complain.
Seahorse nudged into the bank and Tawny ‘helped’ Tallum run out the plank, to collect the kids. They couldn’t walk all the way home in bathing suits and towels.
“Is everyone ok?” Becky demanded, once they were aboard.
“Yes, Gary and Shai had a little… cultivation mishap. You are back aboard, safe and no harm done.” Liam announced with satisfaction.
“Yes…” Ivy agreed, looking shifty. “We can all agree that no harm was done.”
Gary and Shai had fallen asleep, curled up together on the deck, complete with a line of drool running from her slack vacant lips, onto his shoulder.
“No harm at all.” Becky agreed.
#
It took nearly twenty minutes, boating at sensible, Liam speeds to return home. They tied up and spent a bit too long contemplating how to unload their bruised, sleeping cargo. Shai woke and staggered onto the pier, looking around blearily.
“Fie, Ye would just leave us lay in the boat?” She grumbled.
“You are both terribly large.” Becky replied, innocently. “We were planning how to get you in the house most efficiently.”
“Aye, looks tae me, that ye were planning a way tae stall till I did wake.” She grumbled, grabbing a cookie and Becky’s teacup from the pleasant little tea party on the pier.
“Now Tallum, ye shall carry up me boy, an I will deal wi these snacks, fer I hae a powerful hunger…”
#
Gary woke up feeling pretty good and with a few newfound insights into why he kept getting all wobbly around the everything, when he pushed or was pushed too hard, whether by circumstance, battle, or in training.
He rolled over to talk it out with Shai, who was nestled beside him in the grotto. He stopped cold when he saw her face.
She was ashen, almost green around the eyes she clutched her middle and moaned when his movements jostled her. “Are you ok, love?” He asked softly, when her eyes opened.
“Nae… I shall perish of this, an tis all thy fault… though I do forgive thee for it.” She gasped, clutching her middle. Gary staggered to his feet, heading for the door, already shouting for Tawny, when Shai called him back.
“Nae boy, tis a tummyache only… I did overindulge me sweet tooth an that is thy fault, wi all thy honey an chocolaterie…”
The look of terror and despair on his face shook her, even as it drained away; replaced by a mixture of annoyance and deep devotion that warmed her to her toes.
“Back in the pool boy. I would snuggle thee fer a time, an feel better fer it.” She demanded, her arms held wide in invitation.
He eased into her embrace and made himself at home among his favorite places. “I kinda figured something out…” He murmured over the alabaster hills where he now dwelt in comfort.
“When all my pools are topped up, if one drops, it refills based on a base regeneration rate. The trick is, when two drop, they divide that base rate between them, scaled against any difference in pool level and size.” He explained to her nipple, while listening to her heartbeat.
“My Stamina pool is way deeper than my Mana pool, while my Etheric pool is the smallest. If I bottom out my Mana my body starts converting Stamina to keep me from crashing. That conversion is super inefficient so it tanks my Stamina. Then my Etheric pool starts churning out both Mana and Stamina to try and maintain my body… that bottoms out fast and then things get weird.”
“Boy, ye are making sense… an that do worry me a bit.” she whispered.
“It has to happen occasionally, me making sense I mean.” He answered with a chuckle. “The boat uses both Mana and Stamina, so when my Mana goes dry…” He fell silent, just enjoying a little peace and the steady beat of her heart.
Shai’s face sank as he spoke. She smiled weakly in apology, but he was face first in the promised land. She would have to figure the rest out for herself, while he drifted off to sleep.
#
Dannyl was up and sitting by the fire, with a cane propped beside his chair. “Sorry I missed the big ‘waterskiing’ event… was it fun?” He asked, when the kids came back down from their nap.
“Uh, huh! Big fun. Gary an Shai got their mana stuck together and made the boat go so fast…” Amy chattered breathlessly.
The story washed over Dannyl like a tidal wave, crushing everything before it, then receding, leaving confusion and chaos in its wake.
#
It took hours to lead the horses down the animal trails, back to the road. They disliked having bound wildlings on their backs as much as the troops disliked leading their mounts through the bush.
The troopers and the prisoners were still agitated by the howling cries that raised from the badlands a good distance away from them, not nearly so far as the nervous horses wished though.
Two heavy troop carts met them on the road, with a string of fresh horses. That was a mercy for everyone. Their mounts were done in, after hauling those creatures overland amidst the howls and nervous troopers. Cavalry was notoriously averse to walking in general, walking home in particular.
“Give the troop two days leave, after debrief, this band served well and has earned it.” Vera ordered calmly as she watched the troopers pack their prisoners into the wagons and hand their tired mounts over to the grooms that had brought their remounts.
“You will report to the officer of the day every hour, on the hour in full kit for that two days, sir Shaheen. That way, perhaps you will remember that giving thoughtless orders is a slap in the face to disciplined troops, doubly so when they are not enforced.”
“I couldn’t push the issue… Trelawny Belen was right there, veil or no. My troops would balk at manhandling their kin anyway… what choice did I have but to withdraw? House Shaheen is ever loyal to house Belen.” Telemain grumbled, leaning on his title more heavily.
“That kind of thinking, or not thinking… is why you will be parade ready and at my beck and call, while your men take their ease.” Vera answered gently. “Gods above and below, man, you gave an illegal and unreasonable order to a notorious mooncalf, who happens to be the personal pet of the duke’s daughter… Your duke’s daughter… in front of her.” Vera sighed sadly. “I had hopes for you Telemain…”
He stiffened at her dismissive tone and opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off with a curt gesture and a glare. “If the noble house Shaheen wishes to complain to the duke about my treatment of their young master… by all means.” Her voice hardened but remained quiet. “While you ride as my second, you will stifle those complaints in the field.”
She sat up straighter, if that was even possible and barked out crisply. “Shaheen, Talbot, Juarez, stay with the grooms and mounts. Report to the officer of the day for a bonus when you return. Troop, mount up. Stay sharp.”
The discourtesy of ordering him along with common indentured warriors was enough to start a blood feud, but including him in some peasant’s ‘bonus’ edged the young lord into a well restrained fury.
He watched her troop ride off, leaving him to lead two common troopers, a squad of grooms and a string of tired horses.
“Very well.” He whispered softly.
#
Rufus, Pogo and Kerry were in the private bath with the whole gang, enjoying a soak and a laugh at Gary’s expense. “I really thought it was a young coyote girl caught in a leghold trap… it was so shrill!” Rufus barked gleefully.
“Yes, yes, we ran so hard, seeking her through the woods. Only the highest and clearest of songs could carry so far… Your vocal talents are impressive!” Kerry agreed. “I would like to learn this art, could you demonstrate the method for me?” She asked Ivy, while making violent reach and grab motions with her hands.
“You guys all suck” Gary complained, through a very sleepy and pleased smile.
“What’s up with them?” Becky asked, watching both of her closest friends behave in an uncharacteristically easy going way even for them.
“He finally tried the cordial cherries.” Ivy said smugly. “I gave him a box as an apology for the crotch trauma… Turns out, they’re his favorite.”
#
Jennah stalked through the little workshop Shai’s brother, cousin, whatever... Tallum, helped set up in her house. The first of the strange ‘sewing machines’ that he had installed was steadily clacking away, making stitches so straight and smooth that even she was satisfied.
Maria, a teenage orphan girl with long brown hair and a rare, but delightful smile was an expert with the strange device; cranking through piece work like a whole team of seamstresses.
Her bins of parts were filling nicely and the assembly phase was deceptively simple. It was all in the fitting, the fabric choices and in the sheer, audacious, sexy novelty of the things.
Her order book was stuffed to the gills with swatches, fitting notes and receipts for sweet cash in hand. She could feel her business straining at the leash, desperate to run. If only she could get the noble ladies of the wedding party to model her designs… but they were staying at Shai’s inn, with those extraordinary baths.
“Curse Gary and his garment dissolving water…”
“You are welcome in the pool on the Adventure compound… it doesn’t make clothes dissolve. It still feels amazing!” Maria chimed in from behind her machine.
“Really…” Jennah muttered softly to herself. “I can’t wait for the summer season…” She cackled aloud, in sinister glee.
#
Thirp was stalking an illusory monkey through Gary’s dark and tangled woods, keeping her skills sharp. The boy had created a legion of the slippery, sneaky little shits, just for her. They were complex illusions of will and mind, managed by Dj NotGary on the side; he seemed to enjoy the game as well.
They would scamper just out of range, stop, turn around and spank their red primate buttcheeks at her, while chittering and pulling faces. When finally caught, they would evaporate with a rude noise and a final mocking face. That triggered her instincts in some very satisfying ways. She was just about to pounce on the unsuspecting little wretch with Gary’s face, when a profound sense of gathering power thrummed into her being, disrupting her attack.
She bobbed and skittered in happiness, as her new powers unfolded a little more, revealing a fresh peek at what was to come, as her cult continued to expand. She giggled so hard a little web came out, even while the hideous little monkey escaped with a parting insult. She turned and fled back to the house, shouting as she did.
“Marduk! Eponna! Someone is planning a sexyparty!”
#