Chapter 11 ( Sail!)

     Thanks to all the people who have commented and given me input on the story. Remember that this is the very first time I have ever written a story so feedback helps a lot. Really it does. :) Anyway I hope you all enjoy.

Thanks,

Znomad

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Eli POV

     I laughed out loud as I read the informative update sent to me by Erich. His description of a new officer named David and his arrogant duel against a soldier truly tickled my funny bone. The poor officer had never before faced a battle hardened man of war and was knocked flat on his ass with a sword at his throat before he knew what had happened.

     This made me reflect on the first time I had marched with a army under Erichs’ command. He had done almost the same thing to me and I had nearly lost to a plain normal soldier of his army. I had truly been stunned and it had opened my eyes to many things about war and my silly misconceptions after having gone through the royal magical academy with a bunch of snotty noblemen. The fact that a normal man could almost best me in single close quarters combat was thought to be impossible.

     “Take this response back to your commander.” I said using magic to write a reply on a piece of parchment with a magical seal for Erichs eyes only.

     “Yes High Wizard Eli.” A low but distinctly female voice replied before grabbing the parchment and disappearing into the shadows of one of the palaces hallways.

     I chuckled a little at the incredibly bizarre concepts and ideas that Erich used. A women of the kingdoms job was to be at home with children and tending to such things. Erich however growing up in the slums and in a orphanage for his childhood had no such illusions. He had found that women were better than men at many things and as he had risen to power had created a incredibly well done spy network exclusively using women. I was sure he was better informed about what was going on in the kingdom than any other person or group including the magical council.

     I knew he also scouted out the slums and orphanages for talented girls and was constantly putting them into hidden training centers. Shaking my head I knew he did the same with boys but often times talented boys were adopted by a noble family for an increase in prestige much the same way that Erich was. Walking to the door of the king's study I paused and realized yet again that at anytime that Erich wanted he could take full control of the kingdom in a near bloodless coup. He had that much support among the common people and most nobles feared him as the army was insanely loyal to him as well.

     The door to the king's study was opened by one of the two guards stationed at the door. I stepped into a well lit study with a large map of the Human Empire on the back wall with various symbols and military installations and units magically adhered to it. Bowing my head to the king as he sat behind a desk with a slightly unhappy look on his face and a short parchment in his hand.

     “Welcome in Eli” The king said with a sigh as he put the letter down.

     “Thank you my liege.” I said in a polite voice with another bow of my head.

     “Please Eli call me Xalvador in private as we all know that you are about as polite and concerned with niceties as a fox is of feathers in the hen house.” The king said with a slight smirk on his face.

     “Well Xalvador even if that statement is appropriate I feel it does little justice to my wizardly self.” I said with a slight huff of breath.

     “Well if you were more wizardly and a little less old crazy I feel that backing a better analogy may be appropriate.” Xalvador said.

     “True if I had presented myself any more crazy at the court I would have seemed more like one of those crazy old oracles that always spout some prophecy or other nonsense.” I said with a nod of my head while I stroked my long beard.

     “Anyway how goes the Academy Eli?” Xalvador asked.

     “I believe that we will have an excellent group of students graduate this year and we have even more of our allies saying that they are willing to attend the school.” I said with a smile.

     “That is truly a good thing.” Xalvador said with a smile spreading across his face.

     “Ah I did have something to report about one of the incoming students.” I said.

     “Yes?” He said with a questioning tone of voice.

     “We are expecting the elven princess to attend but have been unable to communicate because of the kraken scare on the sea as any crossing is considered to be insane by the sailors after the confirmed destruction of six ships and the strange disappearance of a merchant ship and some pirates out further in the deep section of the sea.” I said

     “Ah good I have been trying to marry one of my sons into the elven family to create a closer alliance for some time.” The king said with a thoughtful look on his face.

Emma POV

     I awoke feeling very strange and thirsty. It was pitch black and my hands were tied behind my back. Wait what on earth was going on. I suddenly screamed out for help and tried to use my magic to free myself but was completely unable to do anything.

     A door opened and a bright light shined into the room. I blinked and closed my eyes on reflex at the bright light. Opening my eyes a grizzled man with a split lip and a nasty look on his face leered at me.

     “Ay, bose the bitch whore is awake.” The man yelled out without turning his head from me.

     “No spoiling the good now.” A voice that I was incredibly thankful for called out.

     “Damn boss I know she wants me.” The nasty man in front of me said.

     “She is virgin according to the elf boy we have.” Called out the voice from the hallway.

      “Fuck Jonah that traitor.” I screamed out.

     “Shut up bitch.” The man said spitting into the corner of the room before walking up to me.

     “You can’t do this.” I said with my anger overriding my fear.

     “Oh don’t worry little girl I can do whatever I want.” The man said holding up a dark black ring with strange symbols.

     “Help.” I screamed out again.

     “Silence” The man uttered and a dark red glow pulsed from the ring and I was silent.

     I struggled but it was useless I could do nothing as he came close and petted my hair and then stroked his big gimmey fingers down the side of my face with a disgusting attempt of softness. He bent down close to me and I could feel his breath on my neck and ear.

     “Don’t worry I may not be able to fuck your pussy little one because of its virgin value but no one will know if I have your ass.” The man said while backing up as a terrifying smirk covered his face.

     I had never felt so much fear and suddenly I was dry heaving onto the floor and silent tears streamed down my face as the horrible man backed out of the room and closed the door putting me back into the cold and oppressive darkness.

Roza POV

     I awoke screaming in my bed covered in a cold sweat. My heart was pounding out of my chest and I looked around the room and the softly glowing lights around the doors of the room. I tried to calm down and took a few deep breaths and swallowed tasting a little salt that no doubt came from tears. The horrors of having been a slave and everything that was forced upon me was a recurring nightmare that strove to destroy my very soul. I took another deep breath and let it out.

     “It will be ok Roza you are free.” I said to myself in a shaky voice.

     “Do acquire some form of assistance Roza?” A calm and monotone voice of what I had been told was an AI or some form of strange almost living thing asked.

     “Thank you but no.” I responded to the room again wondering where this strange thing resided and thinking of the funny way it could look to distract my mind from my dreams.

     “Very well Ms. Roza but please ask if you need any form of service.” The AI said.

     I wondered if it too was a slave of some kind and not able to free itself but Nemi had insisted that although it did belong to him it was a created thing by him and his creators and was not created with a free will. I stopped that line of thought though because it was much too close to my own problems.

     I got out of the bed and walked into the luxurious bathroom and waved my hand over a blue glowing tile and cold water sprayed out of the wall and misted around the room. I stepped into the spray and let the cold water wash away the sweat and tears that covered my body I slowly turned up the temperature of the water until my muscles had loosened up. With a sigh I rolled my shoulders and tossed my hair to the side and turned the water off. I reached around the corner and grabbed a towel and started to dry off.

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     I dressed in the simple black clothes of this place and felt the comfortable bagginess of the overlarge clothing I again put my hair up into a bun and walked out of the room and into the hallway that showed a remarkable improvement from when I had gotten into my room last night. All the evidence of destruction had seemed to have disappeared in the few hours that I had slept. I walked out towards the bridge deciding that I would enjoy the sunrise in a few hours from there.

Nemi POV

     I stood straight and almost at attention waiting for the sun to rise. I hadn’t moved from this position in almost four hours and to anyone looking I would have seemed more like one of the statues that graced the island instead of a living breathing person. The wind blew past me and ruffled my growing red hair gently pushing it around. The insects chirped in the background and the ocean waves droned on against the sand.

     I had gotten aroused at the sight of an officer under my command and more importantly a close friend. I knew that this should not even be possible and realized that maybe this particle had changed more in my body than I had ever thought possible.

     The scientists had engineered us to be the ultimate soldiers and the need or desire for procreation had been worked out of us. Before this I had never had desired a woman or man and had never truly understood the interest species payed to the other sex in anything other than a brief intellectual study for use of assassinations or escape.  I knew this was done so that we would not be able to be seduced or threatened into betrayal if no sexual dalliances occurred or offspring happened. I now had the ability to actually procreate and possibly even have children. This thought was incredibly strange to me and at the same time a satisfying thought.

     Never before having such emotions processing them was strange and challenging. I felt things that I had never felt before. A fantastic happiness that Asena was healthy and fully recovered and yet at the same time I felt shame at my display of weakness and the way that my body responded to her new naked form. These conflicting thoughts and emotions bothered me and I wondered if it would affect the way in which I did battle. The prospect of being overwhelmed by something like fear for someone I cared about. I shook my head no I will try and use this to grow not to stagnate and allow emotions to control me. I breathed out a sigh of relief that my brain was still used to processing things in a fully logical manner.

     I looked to the north of the island and focused in on the bridge seeing that Roza was out and sitting on the bridge looking out towards where the sun would rise. The distance was over over two and a half kilometers away yet I could see perfectly clear even on in the dark at that distance. I decided that I wanted to know more about this world and who I would become in this strange new world.

     I needed something different to do with my time as sitting in silence with my thoughts and dwelling on my new found emotions seemed to be doing nothing positive for me. I thought of what I could do and started to meander towards a the captured ship we had taken from what I had learned were pirates. The sun started to rise as I jumped from the shore and lessening my gravity seemed to fly almost five hundred meters before alighting on the ship.

     The drone on sentry of the ship stood still and unresponsive as I was permitted to board the vessel. I walked the decks and was surprised that such a thing could even cross the sea let alone survive battle as I saw multiple areas that showed scarring from ballista bolts or from a bounced catapult shot. Using a program various lines and highlights floated around various parts of the ship showing design and structural damage. I shook my head in surprise that any intelligent being would even consider sailing into deep waters with such a ship and headed to aft portion of the ship to enter the rear cabin and hold of the ship.

     I opened the hatch and dropped into the hold and was immediately assaulted by the smell of putrid well aged urine and vomit. I terminated my sense of smell and gingerly walked the hold viewing the trash and some random pieces of coin and a dagger or cutlass here or there. Shaking my head I wondered again at how anyone could live and survive on such a ship rats scurried by and a few cobwebs adorned the corners. It felt trashed and abandoned even if it was only in use not much longer than a week ago.

     “AI, D1! I want the full blueprints of this ship sent to my personal viewing unit. After please collect samples and place them in biological containment. Also please after collecting a specimen for study kill all these rodents as well.”  I commanded as I casually walked back to the hatch and jumped back onto the main deck before again jumping to shore.

Asena POV

     I spent most of the evening practicing doing things in my new body. The ability to use opposable digits was an incredible boon to me as I could now use most of the weapons in the armory and even try my hand at some of the more interesting and unique items like blades and gravity assisted warhammers.

     I was however most seriously thinking about the ramifications of these emotions and the way that I responded to them. I can’t believe that I hit with near full force my commanding officer. More importantly was how I seen Nemi react. I have never seen him show the gambit of emotions and feelings he displayed since the arrival on this world and more particularly after awakening from the stasis pod.

     I also felt strange feelings for the first time after having this new body. I had served with Nemi for so many millennia that we had done much together and trusted each other emphatically. The feelings of love and care that I had always felt for Nemi had seemed to explode when I saw him kneeling in despair after the strange deadly dark aura that he had released in the training arena. I knew I cared about him more than I ever should and shock, guilt, and pleasure warred within me for the desire to take over. I was shocked at the fact that I had a humanoid body. I was feeling guilty over attacking Nemi from an instinctual strange nervous response to his reaction at my naked body. Most of all I was feeling pleasure that the person I had always cared the most about was showing me a response even if at this point it was simple physical attraction.

     I walked outside of the dorm style bunker and looked around at the beautiful scenery and looked and saw the bridge that had been constructed between the two islands. Birds chirped happily in trees and a nice breeze blew in from the ocean keeping the temperature perfect. The sun had just risen not long ago and as I walked towards the bridge I saw a surprising sight. I watched as a very pretty women with dark black hair rise from a seat on the bridge and start heading towards me. I knew she had not seen me because of the fact that she seemed to be in deep concentration and more engrossed with the view of the ocean.

     “AI, D1 identify threat on bridge please.” I commanded silently with my chip.

     “No threats identified.” The AI responded with its irritating monotone.

     “Please identify the human female on the bridge?” I commanded trying to figure out who this person might be.

     “Correction the humanoid on the bridge is referred to as a Roza and is one of the Mara a kind of humanoid subsect among this planet's population.” The AI helpfully replied.

     “What is her current level analysis?” I asked with a scrunched up eyebrows. I was liking this human body more and more.

     “Current level neutral with observance level green.” The AI informed me.

     “Hmmm. Interesting” I muttered to myself knowing what the code ment. The code was a simple thing meaning that this person was under full surveillance at all times but seemed to show promise towards being an ally and had already freely given information. This information was not verified at this time however.  Well I guess it was time to go and meet this new person. I grinned it was time to see what another girl thought of my Nemi. My tail wagged slightly behind and my ears twitched a little as I walked up towards the bridge and the still clueless girl who had stopped to look at the island that was name Fortress on my internal map. I stopped for a quick second and wondered if at some point we could change the name to sunrise island because of the beautiful orange glow of the walls of lava held in stasis it was truly a mesmerizing sight.

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     So before I get sidetracked yet again here is another chapter for all of you. I tried to put up an image but I can’t seem to do it. :( Oh well hopefully I will loose my newbie status some day. Again I want to say thank you for all of you who have replied and given me comments about the story. This is the first time I have ever done this and I can always use feedback and thoughts.

Thanks,

Znomad