Aspirant 6:

“Aspirant,” Erwyn called out more sternly than he intended. He straightened his back, and held his left hand with his right. He rose his chin a small amount, and set his golden eyes forward. Setting his jaw he took a stance of power and authority. When the door opened he kept the closed off demeanor and walked into the room. Churn tilted their head and lazily strode over to its master. Erwyn didn’t pet or pay any mind to the creature and moved to the center of the room.

The height difference was something he internally tracked as a way to dial how commandeering he wished to be over his “guest”. The tentacles that wreathed his deformed legs could extend to taller lengths and raise him higher. At the moment he chose to only be a few inches taller, sitting a head taller than the Aspirant.

Ves talons reached into the air and a spell slowly was cast. The dark sickly green mist and purple smoke filled the room and Erwyn called to me. We answered his call, and caught ourselves beginning to probe his mind. We withdrew our intrusion shortly after being made aware of our action. His hawk eyes looked at us, and he initiated a link to me. He asked me to create a map of where his debtors were. I obliged, and stung the indebted with luminous sludge to make it known we come to collect.

Erwyn delicately turned me over to face the Aspirant. His hollow eyes scoured my surface and was taking in as much information as they possibly could. “You’re familiar with maps. Acquaint yourself with this one and collect. To prove you’re my agent I’m going to need to mark you accordingly.”

“Mark me?” My shades ‘student’ had a tone indicating they were offended by the demand. We knew that if they were successful in their quest it would only be a matter of time until they wore us like a shawl. I’d choose for us to be embroidered around the cloak worn by them that hides away so much of their thin skin and brittle bone behind.

“How.”

“Some tattoo their contractees; others will employ brands. I’m not fond of that one! I’ve yet to see it recover in a way that isn’t overly brutal to the subject. I normally bestow a stigmata.”

The aspirant drew their brows down and pursed their thin lips. “A stigmata isn’t brutal? You’d drive nails into me,” they said confused.

“I’d do no such thing, Aspirant. I’d use my talons.”

“I don’t find that to be much better!”

“You won’t find anything unless you bear my mark. Come.”

There was no need for it but we decided to make our influence over them known. Parts of our letters shifted to be a ritual diagram. Ink took the shapes of detailed geometric patterns and mutilated letters in all languages we knew. Eventually our charged mana extended itself stealthily. Thin rivulets of tsavorite green spilled forth in the shape of strings. They wrapped themselves around the Aspirant and slowly tugged them toward Erwyn. They didn’t yet have the second sight to see our trick but would feel the pull.

Slowly their stubbornness gave way to acquiescence as Erwyn got taller. The Aspirant meekly stepped forth. They always stepped light and quiet- this was no exception. Each step was as minimal as it could be made. Light trembling found their gloved hands as they got closer to the threshold of another room. Erwyn led him to a chamber normally reserved for when our magic applications are being used or studied. The Aspirant nervously looked around the room and took in its design.

The room was in the style of a rectangular pit. A step down led to a shallower part of cobblestones. In the center was a circle that was painted over many times with different shades of paint. Most of them were white, yet this one was the pale blue of the sky. It had the chalk remains of the last diagram drew. Inside the circle was fuchsia chalk stick and the erased afterimages of prior ritual diagrams. Seeing that calmed the Aspirant, who walked down toward the circle.

They bent over and paced around it, and fought the urge to mumble. Looking at the remains of the design they mused on what it could be. They’d have no way of knowing it was and I wouldn’t humor any of their guesses. Erwyn didn’t, either. He went along the wall, tracing it with his finger. He eventually found a leather strop and dragged his talons over it. He repeated this motion to ensure they were sharp as they could be. The Aspirant heard the leather yet chose to ignore it. Pretended as though they didn’t know what would happen to them. They didn’t need my omniscience to know what would occur next.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Erwyn walked toward the circle with his talons extended. The Aspirant looked at the ring, and Erwyn nodded. They shuffled inside of it, and remained standing awkwardly. Erwyn entered the ring as well. Erwyn approached them, and he used his tentacles to gently sweep the Aspirant off their feet. He cradled them in his powerful arms and descended to the floor. He could see his student’s heart racing, beating in their chest as though it needed to escape. Cradling them, ve had another tentacle slowly raise the tunic of the aspirant. It drew a line straight up and revealed their tiny belly. He rapped his talons gently on their waist, tapping the points against their tummy. He lowered the tunic, and the Aspirant let out an overheld breath.

Erwyn smiled the best ve could, trying to hide their pleasure at the situation. “See? It won’t be that bad. I’m right here.” The same tendril then went up and over to tug the tunic down. It revealed the Aspirants’ prominent collarbone. Another tendril rose up to tap the top of their pecs. It felt around to find the spot. Eventually it ceased it’s wriggling after the Aspirant nodded. Erwyn slowly rose ves talons up.

His left hand cradled the head of the Aspirant. They leaned back into the embrace as Erwyn slowly dug in his talons. The skin tore, and crimson crept out as Erwyn slowly pushed against the supple skin. The Aspirant gasped at the sudden pain. They bit their bottom lip, and closed their eyes. He went further, and kept pushing. The Aspirant wound up pushing their head into Erwyns’ chest. They moaned and whimpered, and Erwyn started gently clawing at their head with vis other hand. They whimpered and felt small in the grip of the shade.

They sat there in bliss, unsure of why it felt good. What made them want to surrender to those feelings. What kept their head pressed into Erwyn’s side and focusing on nothing other than the warmth of his embrace? They wanted to explore those feelings but sensation kept dragging them back to their altered physicality. He gently scratched the Aspirants head, and was gentle in a feeble attempt to make up for the prior cruelty. After moments that felt like they wouldn’t cease to stop, Erwyn opened his mouth as if to speak.

Deciding that silence would speak more than anything he could say, eventually the Aspirant stirred. They rolled over, and tried to lean up. Erwyn uses his powerful arms to assist them, and they rise off of his lap. They sat on the floor of the ritual circle, breathing heavily. Before they could even finish the words, Erwyn stood up. He rose gracefully to gently walk toward Churn who crossed the threshold to the room with a bundle of rags. Erwyn retrieved them and glided back toward the Aspirant. He began winding the fabric bandages around the injury. Churn came back again with a bucket to soak the compresses that Erwyn was applying to tend to the injury he made.

The pair sat in silence as Erwyn worked, until eventually removing the bandage and placing it aside. They both looked at the gouge he left, and after it stopped leaking blood the Shade smirked. “There”, he said, “an emblem of office, of a sort. The others should recognize you as mine. You’re most likely to get coins. You also can accept alcohol as well. I doubt that you’ll get offered that. Now the Vignettes has already made a map of debtors. You know what to do.”

The Aspirant rose to their feet and shifted their weight. They adjusted their clothing and looked down at the mark on their collarbone. They couldn’t stop the impulse to touch it. The desire to tap their fingers to it and check it. They walked back to their chambers, and a different constructed servant waited for them outside the door. They opened the door, pushed into their room and sat on their bed.

How did what just transpired change things? What is the label those feelings should be stored by? Erwyn is supposed to be a mentor, but that was far too sensual for a lesson. Does he have more underlying goals and desires out of the Aspirant? What would be the end result, the lesson learned? Too many thoughts intruded on what they were doing. They found their boots and laced them. The ensured the clothes they had would be as snug and protective as possible before going into the hostile wasteland of sludge that awaited them.

The trip out to the estate was simple enough. They weren’t provided a key, but it wouldn’t be necessary if they gained access once. The map is clear and easy to understand. They began trekking toward the first location. The landscape was a dimly lit swamp. The muck bubbled and stirred with the various forms of life inside. Cattails grew along the edges before giving way to sedges. The walk was peaceful. The Aspirant was growing accustomed to the silence that this Place-Beyond made itself known for.

They made their way toward the first dwelling. It was mud that was fired to bricks to make a simple shelter. The Aspirant tapped and knocked their knuckles against the walls while walking the perimeter of the place. If any residents were there and hadn’t detected the traveler it would scare them. It surely was a better idea than coming into the leafy curtain they wove to function as a door between them and the outside world. It was still and unsurprising to them. They heard no sounds from inside and decided to clearly announce their presence. But how? What was the way this was supposed to be? They decided to trust themselves and wing it.

“I come to collect tithe to Erwyn, the lesser shade. I bear his brand.”

Nothing. They frowned, and moved the curtain aside. Looking in, it was abandoned. I lied to them and lead them to an area where nothing of note would be. Erwyn had tests in store for them, as did I. I needed to see what they would do and what response to expect. I never would have guessed that what they thought the most apt to do was to take a stone that was worn down to function as a plate. Oddly pragmatic but not surprising to us. They cut a demeanor of dedication and focus. Something that when loosed was as a hunting hound in mindset but capable of limited deviation.

Food was always scarce in these parts. Being the last Place-Beyond to receive whatever the living gave to the departed. It all but condemned us to the worst conditions with minimal ability for change. We would change that even if the cause starts as a petty thief stealing plates and cutlery. We’ve destined them for greatness and will see to it. We were already the final step and first step in the usability of mana. Being made of it there was some potential for us to change the order of things and shake off what is routine to us. All of this, planned.

Only this home was abandoned and emptied. The rest had the deceased inside. They all knew the taste of hunger strongly, and to give anything at all to maintain our system while we enacted our scheme hurt. It was supposed to be painful. We needed them to see what has happened to us and to make that level of desperation known. There was no other way that it could happen unless we did something to inspire their zeal. The focus we detect is a strength but it’s one that could easily turn into a liability with something with a honeyed enough tongue. After all, we did something similar to get them to be alongside us initially.

All it cost was a couple of plates and sad faces.