Liam reclined in his lazyboy chair, lifting his feet. Anything to make his heart stop racing. Taloc had no idea the full extent of this lab’s capabilities. Nor did Raina, whose English was getting quite a bit better. Soon she would be able to direct Gene in any manner she wished. But her constant distractions kept him from focusing on the bigger picture. Leaving him in a quagmire of moral philosophizing. He needed help, someone from his world who spoke English and had a grasp on the hard sciences. Someone who had graduated college or worked as a professor or teacher’s assistant.
Sarah would be perfect for this…
His jaw clenched, body tensings.
Then Nekohiro pounced, the sabertoothed serval landing in his lap, still covered in the red gore of a rabbit.
“Cmon, you have magic, clean yourself next time!” Grumbled Liam, conjuring his own spell.
This one was simple, draw all blood into a ball, cleaning the feline and his clothes then discard the gore onto the floor. In any other kingdom that would have been a deplorable act of rudeness, yet in this throne room the floor absorbed spilled fluids. Nekohiro purred as the magic cleaned her fur, and she curled up in Liam’s lap, purring louder as rolled his eyes. He hadn’t informed her of their close relationship, and decided it would only muddy things further. It didn’t take a genius to know how that conversation might go.
‘Yeah, your grandpa had Raina, and then fucked off and got lost in the desert where he knocked up my mom.
Where is he now? No clue.
What was he like? Never met him.’
Yeah, we’re gonna keep that tidbit to ourselves.
Best to keep his half-sister’s-clone of a niece at arms length, rather than embrace her too readily. Still, it had been a long two days, he hadn’t even realized how tired he was. And before he could give the teen elf-catgirl another headpat, he slipped into the warm embrace of sleep.
—
Liam awoke to the sound of a metal ant clicking its mandible.
*clink clink*
Nekohiro was gone, but the room seemed to have localized climate control. Keeping him at the perfect temperature to maintain sleep, only waking him when his body had recovered fully. Bits of sleep glued his eyes shut, but a simple healing spell flung it away, clearing his vision and allowing him to crack one eyelid open.
The tallest elf guard knelt in front of a marble plinth. Some quirk of the throne room’s artifice had allowed it to reshape itself. Now there was a translucent marble wall that hid the grassy savannah, jacuzzi, and pseudo-living room area from visitors. He glanced down at his clothes, finding that Nekohiro had used them as a scratching post, again. Liam repaired them with magic, then slunk towards the conversation, curious as to why this particular elf woman needed the full attention of five royals. Who were listening to her with rapt glares.
“There are four hundred cats demanding that the foreign elf answer for his murder. They’ve brought the woman and our doctors confirm that she remains in a collar induced coma.” Said the eight foot tall female elf.
“I’ve heard enough Leandry.” Said Raina, raising her hand. “My heart weeps for a life lost, but the act was not done out of malice. I shall personally explain the situation to Lightning Lord Alhasam, until then, take the woman into my personal Aelorn and extend every comfort to her. Maybe in time an answer can be found regarding the curse.”
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“As you command.” Said Leandry, pausing for a moment then exiting the throne room. When the steel door slid shut behind her, the marble walls, as well as the marble floor vanished, replaced by the soft green grass.
The transition was strange, but natural, despite the steel beneath.
“What are you going to explain?” Asked Liam, approaching the mountain of cushions that the marble thrones had shifted into.
So similar to Khereshetal’s throne room, yet cleaner, friendlier too. Although that might be due to the faces present, rather than any architecture.
“Oh, Tufan, this collar is part of a pair, if one is ever released, then the other slave is cursed to death. It seems you freed the brother and his sister will soon pass…” Said Raina, clinking the collar open and shut once.
Aldric, what the fuck. I make the two races the same and immediately you come up with this bullshit? Give me some reason to show mercy! Thought Liam, turning and walking for the door.
His thoughts turned dark, realizing the collar’s purpose. If one slave escaped, then they would always know their freedom killed a sibling. A darker thought entered Liam’s mind. Humans would have to demonstrate the collar functioning, otherwise the slaves wouldn’t believe it.
He started jogging, quickly catching up to Leandry.
“Take me to the woman.” Ordered Liam, running past her.
“What? You, you’ll only make things worse!” Shouted the elf, breaking into a run as she chased after Liam.
At eight feet tall, Leandry was incredibly swift, but Liam had augmented his four year old body into that of an olympian, and began laughing. His chuckles echoing through the arc until he flew from its exit, sprinting around the white tree and across the rope bridge to the black woods. By the time he reached the Black trees, Leandry was catching up, her shouts going unheeded by him. Along with a feline blur exiting the white tree.
Liam threw open the ceremonial gate, ducking beneath the guards and jogged to the tree’s other side, where a crowd of nearly a hundred felinds had gathered. The man who Liam had freed caught his eye, and began to shriek, cursing his name.
“You damned knife ear! You killed her! Her blood is on your hands!” Howled the felinid.
Elf guards lowered their spears, keeping him back.
“Control yourself man! The Queen is hearing your plight!” Shouted Leandry, finally catching up to Liam and shooting him a dirty look.
“Leandry, shut up.” Ordered Liam, pushing through the elven guards to stand face to face with the felinid man.
Suddenly confronted, the man stepped away from the speartips, looking Liam up and down. His eyes flicking towards the spears. Weighing their ability to intercept him against his desire for revenge. As an elf, Liam towered over the man, a full head taller, with well-nourished muscles that put the former slave’s physique to shame.
“Come to taunt me? I aint scared of an elf! No matter how tall those ears of yours are!” Shouted the man, doing his best not to shudder in fear.
Liam looked him up and down once, then extended an open palm. [Mana Domination] activated and he conjured five orbs of light into his hand. First came a ball of fire, little more than a burning marble, a ball of darkness followed it, then came water, earth, and light. He looked at them, and grinned.
“You can hate me, you can scream my name to the entire world and curse it for centuries to come, but that won’t heal your sister. Step aside and let me see her.”
“So you can kill her now instead of waiting a day?” Spat the man.
The crowd of felinids pushed closer, subtly pressing inwards. Their intent was clear. They meant to lynch him, to hold back the guards while others dragged him into the crowd and beat him to death.
Liam’s eyes narrowed.
“Consider this a warning to behave.” He said, raising his second hand with a ball of lightning.
It sizzled and cracked within his palm, flickering with an annoyed glitter, as if ready to kill everyone present. He permitted the electricity to arc through the crowd, zapping tails and tasering tits until the hundred felinids had backed away. Furiously hissing at him. The man stared at the ball, tears forming in his eyes.
“Why would Taloc damn her?” He whispered, falling to his knees before the Lightning Lord.