Chapter 52
(Nowell)
After the events of last night, Arven and his group wake up in a daze and realize that they overslept. Their earliest train to Lenehil departs in thirty minutes, so they prepare hastily and rush out the tavern towards the station. They acquire tickets at eight gold per slip with less than four minutes to spare after exploiting a group deal for plebeian rooms.
The two cramped rooms are in dull brown colors, with two couches each facing each other. The furniture transfigures into beds, and additional sleeping platforms project from the walls above in a bunk-bed style when Arven, Kaera, Merrick, Myla, and Sylfinas investigate further. The sheets, they notice, are a single, thin stratum, and when Arven compresses a pillow, he discerns the stuffing is barely there. Laying on a bed, Kaera notices it is stiff, and she assumes her own room is identical. Grimy windows obscure the view of the city as the train initiates its journey to Lenehil. A fetid odor haunts the hallway and the chambers.
The party members decide to locate the dining cart to acquire their first meal of the day when their stomachs growl audibly. In slight contrast to the sleeping quarters, the dining room is more spacious, with the green-brown colors less dull, though not vibrant. The red, white, or yellow flora in the center of each table and suspending from the ceiling appear in need of water. Sitting down in the chairs, the hardwood provides a minor discomfort to Arven and the others.
They share an appetizer of crispy bread with three sauces for dipping: a simple olive oil infused with garlic and herbs, a mash of various olives, and tomatoes. One of the four meals they order is Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict on top of two biscuits and topped with green onions. Another meal that Kaera and Merrick order is Homemade Pasta Noodles with Veal Meatballs and a tomato veal sauce. Myla orders a simple plate of Chicken Tenders with marinara sauce off the kid’s menu, and Sylfinas requests Lemon-Butter Snapper. Their comestibles taste above average, but Merrick believes he can do better.
As entertainment, a band plays music to the people consuming their food. Initially, the members play string instruments like violins in a slow tempo without any vocals. Some of the music increases the speed and then reverts to slow, but none carries a dancing rhythm.
Fed up by the lack of beat, Sylfinas retrieves his guitar and ambulates over to the musicians. “Mind if I join in,” he asks politely.
A female Half-Elf with a violin shrugs. “If you have what it takes.”
Believing it to be a challenge, Sylfinas shows off his guitar skills by playing Creepy Vibrations. He even adds his voice to his performance. The musicians are impressed at his proficiency and how engaged the audience is. When he finishes, the crowd claps as he stares at the Half-Elf.
“I’m impressed,” she responds. “You’re welcome to perform as much as you wish with us. I’m Resila.” She offers her hand, and Sylfinas shakes it.
“I’m Sylfinas.”
“Any songs you have up your sleeves?”.
“I have a certain amount,” Sylfinas responds with a smirk, sensing subtle signs of being smitten with Resila. “Will you be performing during dinner?”
“I can fit it in my schedule, but it’ll most likely just be me.”
“Perfect.”
With their bellies full, the party members explore as much of the train as allowed. They locate six bathrooms complete with a wash station and a general lounge cart with several people in the room in the permitted area. Four people are currently reading a book, and Arven notices two groups of five playing Champions of Noß, so he, Merrick, Myla, and Sylfinas stay to observe. Kaera alerts them that she’ll be in her room.
The closing of the door provides Kaera with solitude and serenity, allowing her to contemplate the days ahead. She is almost home. Soon she will reunite with her family, friends, and other members of her village. And liberate them and the rest of Canir from a monster. A monster she blames herself for. She remembers the conversation between her and Radclyff. “You know what’s going to happen should you fail,” his words echo in her head. I intend on not failing. Instead, I’ll fulfill my end of the deal to Arven, Merrick, and Sylfinas, correct my mistake, mend my reputation, and start a family.
A disturbance interrupts her meditation an hour later. It sounds female, drunk, and pissed off. Nevertheless, she believes the voice and the metallic thud are familiar. The disturbance travels closer and closer, increasing the sound until it pauses outside her door, and she recognizes who is producing it.
Bolts opens the door and walks into Kaera’s room with Lorna over its shoulders, spouting obscenities. It waves to Kaera as it deposits the Wood Elf onto the couch and shuts the door. Lorna appears visibly besotted with a primarily rectangular glass bottle in her hand that contains a scintilla amount of dark, golden-brown liquid. Her blurry, double vision beholds Kaera.
“Oh hi, Kaera,” she says with a hiccup. “I had no idea you *burp* were going to be *hiccup* my roommate.”
Kaera acknowledges Lorna. “I had no clue you were on this train, given last night’s event.”
“If I ever *hiccup* come across Laz, he’ll find out what his balls taste,” Lorna remembers the holocaust at the brothel claiming seventy-four lives last night, grinding her teeth in a pique. She tips the bottle to her mouth, shakes it when she realizes it’s empty, and chucks it angrily at a wall, rending it into minim remnants. Then, while Bolts cleans up the mess, she wobbles to the door.
“Where are you going?” Kaera inquires.
“To the bar,” Lorna belches.
“Clink-clank.”
“What the fuck are you talking about, Bolts? I’m not *hiccup* drunk.”
“Clink-clank.”To prevent her from seeking out other liquor, Bolts grabs Lorna’s right arm.
“It’ll only be one drink. That fucking Dwarf cheated, and I wasn’t down for the count.”
“Clink-clank.”
“Even you believe that I lost?”
“Clink-clank.” Bolts shakes its head.
Barely in the hallway, Bolts pulls Lorna back inside the room. Her inebriated state allows it to perform the action with ease. Tripping over her two feet, she lands on Kaera. The soft fur coaxes her to relax, and she snuggles against the Fenri, smiling. All Kaera can do is give an awkward smile towards Bolts as the drunken Wood Elf wraps her arms around her.
“I didn’t realize how soft *hiccup* your fur is, Kaera,” Lorna speaks contently. “It reminds me of Sæbrá.”
Done with the tipsy state Lorna is in, Kaera abandons her with Bolts as she returns to Arven, Merrick, Myla, and Sylfinas. They are currently engrossed by the game when she arrives. Even Arven participates with a win count of zero, though he has four close wins, an increase from last time. The Beastman, Dwarf, High Elf, Goliath, or Majakaal players teach him additional mechanics such as Fusion and Tribute and advanced tactics to secure a win. In addition, he passively learns about synergy with cards and monster types.
Time flies by for them when Sylfinas notices it is dinnertime, though another force alerts them of the time, so they pause the game for some food.
The décor for the dining cart does a marginal, better job at convincing the commoners that they’re in a lavish cart. In contrast to brunch time, dim lighting sends a subtle signal to them to stay, chat, and relax for hours while ingesting their meal. Combining it and the entire passenger population congregating in the area result in torture for Arven Kaera, Merrick, Myla, and Sylfinas as they smell the victuals floating past them while waiting for a seat. The aroma beckons them to steal it instead of it becoming its customer’s dinner. In what seems to be an eternity, the hostess saves them from their agony by assigning them a table.
The majority of the entrees and appetizers on the menu are from the brunch and lunch list with minor alterations. The appetizer the group members select is Mini Cheese-Stuffed Meatballs smothered in marinara sauce and additional cheese. Three of them decide on Three-Meat Lasagna. Merrick requests his to be on the spicier side; Myla has her personal-sized pizza with pepperoni, salami strips, and spinach. Sylfinas orders Orzo-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with a side of olive oil to drizzle over.
While they wait for their order, Sylfinas decides to inquire further about the cause of Kaera leaving her homeland and encountering the Phantom Brotherhood. “May I inquire additional details of your capture?”
Kaera stares at Sylfinas, believing that her lie ran out. She decides that it’s time to reveal more of the truth since they’re closer to danger and need to prepare. “What do you wish to know?”
“When you mentioned Rimita to me in Belburn, you had a bitch of a time to produce the name, and you still didn’t sound confident when you spoke. So I decided to ask about it later and press harder for the truth. I suspect there’s danger ahead, and that's the reason why you were captured outside Canir.” Sylfinas looks past Kaera briefly, believing he beholds a glimpse of Resila, and then he shakes his head.
Knowing that all eyes from the group are on her, Kaera sighs, and she tells more of the truth. “You’re right. I lied. The real reason is there’s a monster rampaging around Canir called a Níðhöggr. I left in search of able-bodied adventurers to defeat it and save my home. Some people said they would help, and they turned out to be the Phantom Brotherhood. You can guess the next series of events.”
That’s how they captured me in Belburn, Sylfinas thinks.
“What’s a Níðhöggr?” Merrick asks as he butchers the monster’s name terribly.
“The best way I can describe it is it’s a dragon though it has a more serpentine appearance than a traditional wyrm. Nasty son of a bitch.” As Kaera explains about the creature, Sylfinas makes a mental note to investigate it further to satisfy his curiosity.
“I feel sadness coming from you,” Myla speaks.
Kaera nods while maintaining a phlegmatic expression. “It killed several of my best friends.”
“And you decided to hold this crucial portion of info away from us?” Arven inquires in a slightly aggressive tone.
At this time, the order arrives on a large tray, and everybody pauses their discussion to dig in. The deep golden liquid cascades down two mountains of orzo, uncovering and mixing with dissolving cubes of congealed chicken fat as Sylfinas drizzles olive oil on his food. Gobs of melty cheeses ooze out and form long strings as Arven, Kaera, and Merrick cut into their lasagna. For spice on Merrick’s entree, there are red pepper flakes on top and throughout the dish. The crust of Myla’s pizza is thin yet can maintain its form without bending down from the weight and gravity, and it’s also crunchy. Kaera resumes their discourse as they consume a portion of their greasy, salty, cheesy, nutty, garlicky meal.
“Sorry for the secrecy, but the longer I search, the worst my home will become. There was also the contract since rescue is one of the highest debts a Fenri must pay off. Many decades to a lifetime of servitude wasn’t an option, so I was limited in my choices. When Sylfinas suggested returning me to my village, I had an idea based on your skills. The combat that we’ve experienced together -minus the dologrun since I had a personal issue- convinced me further that you can take on the Níðhöggr.” She takes her sweet time to teach them the pronunciation of the monster.
“We still would’ve aided you if you told us anyway,” Sylfinas speaks. Arven and Merrick nod their head in agreement.
Still better than the orphanage in Port Direrun, Myla thinks.
“I greatly appreciate it,” Kaera replies, slightly smiling that her adventuring companions are not incensed by her lack of probity.
Throughout the group’s dinner, Sylfinas glances at the entrances in hopes of spotting Resila. Three individuals, a Wood Elf couple, and a family of four Ki’Tsuns are the only people he observes. To buy time, he and the other party members order cannolis for dessert. Two and a half minutes later, they consume pastries filled with sweet cheese mixture and chocolate chips. On top of it is a drizzle of hot fudge in a zigzag pattern and powdered sugar.
Hope dwindles as no one else appears, and Arven, Kaera, and Merrick are about to leave. Then, like fresh air to a suffocating fire, Resila arrives at the entrance, sweating, huffing, and rejuvenating Sylfinas’s hope. Noticing him, she gestures towards the stage to meet her, and he does.
“I’m sorry about the wait,” Resila speaks. “My instrument decided to break just I was about to leave and forced me to repair it. Of course, I had to occupy the room farthest away from the dining cart.”
“You’re here, and that’s what matters,” Sylfinas replies. “There’s still a profusion of people in the audience.”
“You have an idea of what to perform?”
“I know one to inaugurate our performance.”
Sylfinas selects God Made Me A Country Boy by Janas Dyser. For the beginning part of the song, the audience’s claps provide the beat as he sings. Then Resila plays her instrument towards the middle section and continues to the end, mixing with applause. Some audience members dance in the empty space during the performance after clearing the tables and chairs in the way. After his persuasion, Arven, Kaera, and Myla join in the dance, Merrick absolutely refuses to partake. They and the rest of the dancers form a line for a song, You’re Wild, and it takes several mishaps for the three to learn the routine. For the grand finale, the Half-Elves play Babe, Rock With Me. Some people in the crowd engage in borderline sexual moves to their performance while Arven, Kaera, Merrick, and Myla retire for the night. Resila proposes to Sylfinas to spend the night in her room, and she convinces him by revealing a part of one of her breasts.
The scent of vomit invades Kaera’s nostrils as she opens the door to her room. Her window is open as Bolts discards the barf through it as part of the cleaning process, and it pulls out cleaning materials from its chest. On the other hand, Lorna is still suffering the alcohol's effects, though not as great of an extent as before. As a remedy, Kaera retrieves water and greasy, fried cheese sticks from the dining cart for her, and she gladly consumes them. Then, pulling the blinds down on the window attached to the door, Kaera prepares herself to sleep in her usual attire regardless of what Lorna says, if she does.
“Hey Kaera,” Lorna groans from the hangover. “How do you know Orcish now that we have time to ourselves?”
“I’ll reveal if you answer mine,” Kaera replies.
Lorna groans again with more anger. “Always with the quid pro quo. Fine. What do you want to know? Also, I can’t stand the sight of your matted fur any longer. Let me get my brush.”
Kaera allows Lorna to brush her fur all over her exposed figure. The removal of tangled fur feels heavenly to her, almost causing her to forget her question and lose herself to the treatment. “You always acted weird towards me, and I want to know why. Are you terrified of me? Also, why are you traveling to Lenehil?”
“The answer to your first question is no,” Lorna answers, shaking her head. “The reason is you bear a striking resemblance to another Fenri I know, Sæbrá. She was a maid in one of the contracts you’re familiar with to my father after he saved her. Sweet person, she was, and I considered her more of a mother figure than a servant. One day, she disappeared without a trace, and I've been searching for her since. When I first observed you, I almost thought you were her. Each time I acted weird interacting around you, that was me reminding myself that you weren’t.”
“Clink-clank,” Bolts utters.
“How sweet of you to say that,” Lorna responds, to which Bolts slaps itself. “The response to your second question is I have a mission in Canir to recoup my losses.”
“You can join with Arven, me, and the others,” Kaera offers.
“I’ll consider it. Anyway, your turn to answer mine.”
“Several of my captors spoke the language, and I gathered some of the words. Finally, they captured another person that also knew it. He taught it to me before he was sold into slavery.”
Bolts retrieves every lingerie from its chest and gestures Kaera and Lorna to try them on, being sick of the depressing topics. Not to diminish Aila’s work, but these are fabulous, Kaera thinks with the underwear in her hands. They remind me of a place in the nearby town of Álfsandur.
“Bolts, did you bring every article of clothing when I agreed to only three sets?” Lorna inquires like a disgruntled parent.
“Clink-clank.” It shrugs in the act of confusion.
“How does Bolts have enough room to fit these in its chest?” Kaera inquires.
“Bolts has a special compartment that accesses a personal pocket dimension for storage,” Lorna answers. “It can hold any object inside as long as it fits the portal. I have yet to notice the capacity limit.” Then, reverting her glare back at Bolts, “Why did you bring everything from the store?”
“Clink-clank.” Bolts shoves underwear towards the Wood Elf to shut her up. They bicker between each other until Kaera disrupts them by showing them the bra and panties she’s currently wearing.
“Damn, you look sexy,” Lorna utters, her face flush from the mixture of intoxicants and beholding the feminine Direfenri's physique. Bolts hands her a set of bra and panties, and she snatches them. “Fine.” She and Kaera try out the different lingerie, and even Bolts attempts, but she steals the clothing before it has a chance. “I have one more question since I answered two from you.
“Go ahead,” Kaera replies.
“Which one of the males from your group do you have your eyes on?”
“None of them.” I already have a mate, and I dare not expand the love pool.
“There has to be someone.”
“Maybe Merrick to satisfy your question. It’s complicated between romantic relationships and I.” Kaera notices Lorna’s expression change after detecting Merrick’s name. “You have your eyes on him?”
“No! That idiot and I aren’t compatible.”
“Mmm-hmm.” Kaera doesn’t buy it.
“You’re right that relationships are complicated. It’s hardly marrying a prince and living happily ever-fucking after in childish fairy-tails. Living the life of a princess doesn’t live up to the hype, that’s for shits sure.” Lorna sighs. “I’m not sure if it’s actual love towards him or just the shock from him saving me on the island that will fade away, and it turns out in the future that I’m not interested in him.”
“You have plenty of time to figure it out. I wish that society would realize that instead of pressuring people into a relationship, and not go ballistic over people’s decisions.”
“You fucking said it.” Lorna glances around the room. "If there were a couple of bottles or cups, I would've done a toast with you."
“Given the past events, Merrick’s off the market though I fear he will progress towards something worse, and I’m trying to figure out how to prevent it."
“What happened to him on the island?”
“The shortest answer is a group of females violating him.”
“Ohhh.” Lorna’s silence serves as a catalyst to ending the conversation as they try out the remaining underwear. Finally, after testing each set, they fall asleep in their personal style.
Meanwhile, in Resila’s chambers, she and Sylfinas engage in caressing and kissing while she’s in her own set of lingerie to increase arousal, and he is shirtless to increase titillation. Her lipstick tastes sweet to him as some of the residues activate his tastebuds. They proceed to lay on the with her on top, not breaking their touch. The removal of her bra allows him to sense her breasts better with his hands, and his left inserts itself between the fabric to caress her hips and rear end.
Resila's left-hand wanders down Sylfinas's body, ending at his crotch. Detecting an overt bulge in his pants, she engenders his excitement by rubbing the mound while kissing him. She teases Sylfinas by reaching down his pants, inching closer to his personal appendage only to retreat at the last second in a cycle.
"Don't be afraid; it doesn't bite," Sylfinas speaks between precipitous caesuras in the kisses.
Resila gives him a playful smirk. "Thanks for the knowledge."
Sylfinas lets out a moan into the female Half-Elf's mouth, perceiving Resila's hand touch his member for real. Her touches cause him to theorize he's not her first male as he melts into the furniture, her massages coaxing what scant precum humanoids like him can produce out of his urethra. It helps his experience that her room is a tad fancier than his on the train, so the bed is comfier. The cramped space becomes more circumscribed as his cock enlarges in her hand.
Resila releases Sylfinas's belt buckle as an act of clemency, sliding his pants and underwear down. His penis springs forth in all seven inches of its glory. Her fingers latch onto his phallus, giving it healthy downstrokes, which he positively reacts to. He writhes around in ecstasy as the glans and balls receive firm, gentle touches, squirming more from an occasional tug.
Breaking away from smooching Sylfinas, Resila starts to perform an erotic dance form, gyrating her hips around while on his lap. The thumbs wrap around the thin waistband of her panties, and she tugs the string in various directions. He tries desperately to get a glimpse of her snatch, but he cannot, aside from the tiny portions of slit she allows him to see, which only fuels his desire and erection. Even when she hands him control of her nether lingerie, she slaps him whenever he gets dangerously close to revealing her vagina, wagging her finger at him playfully. Everything about her routine and attitude suggests to him she has experience in a meretricious realm.
Eventually, Resila graces Sylfinas with her vagina as she flings her panties off of her, moving her hips around to give him the perfect view of her hirsute groin and slit. He thinks she is about to slide down on his dick and waits eagerly in anticipation, but she grinds her pussy on his shaft instead, preventing him from enacting any plans. All he can do is tighten the grip on the sheets as she drags her nether meaty lips up and down his girth, his testicles swelling up with seed that yearns to flood a female's womb.
"Resila," he moans her name.
"I think it's time also," she replies.
Resila resumes kissing the virile Half-Elf on the lips. Simultaneously, she slides his dick in the fissure between her fundament, making sure it doesn't invade her sphincter. Enthusiasm turns to apathy each time she retreats from vaginal penetration that he wonders if he will actually have coitus tonight. After six minutes of nonstop kissing and grinding her buttocks on his penis, the sweet taste turns bitter, and Sylfinas senses that something’s off. Before he alerts Resila of the issue, his body is paralyzed, and she stares at him like he is ensnared prey while she is a successful hunter. Finally, she hops off of him and redresses herself.
“The potion finally took effect,” Resila utters. She then points a gun at Sylfinas. “Now tell me. What do you know of Rimita?”
