Going Feet First Ch. 04

"You know, I am beginning to understand why you two are the lowest of the low in the Overlook. Committing your frustratingly annoying antics and being paired with that now-dead, deaf waste of flesh, you two have now gone as far as disrespecting a Sun-Kissed Commandant and threatening her pet? Had I my way, you would be hacked up and fed to my Riding Spider rather than consuming valuable resources."

She paused for a moment, hearing Galen's rifle squeal and hum as it came back into his hands and the Private's comforting words that made it quiet down. For a moment, Dreek seemed to calm slightly, but then her ears caught the sounds of approaching footsteps echoing down the hallway. The two wizards' eyes widened slightly as they turned to the door, their breathing picking up while nervous beads of sweat trickled from their brows.

When the approaching footsteps were just outside, Dreek quickly checked on Galen, seeing he'd finished pulling his gear on over his t-shirt and was just putting his helmet on over his head. With his weapons back on his person Galen sent her an appreciative smile, but this lasted only a moment for his attention was drawn toward the door as it opened.

"Commandant?" an aged, male voice called out.

A dark smirk coming across her face, Dreek turned back to the two wizards, growling, "You two will stand down or you both will die as well."

"Commandant?!" The new arrival erupted, suddenly charging in through the door.

Right away the entering wizard saw Galen at the far end of the room beside the table, standing easy behind Dreek and her aids who maintained a defensive stance against the two young wizards to keep them away from the human. When the old Drow saw the body on the ground, his golden hair began to shimmer as though immolated in invisible flames. His deeply wrinkled faced lost the cool composure it held only a moment ago and instead took up a violent snarl.

Fire erupted from his fingertips, though amazingly enough, did not burn the sleeves of his silken, grey robe. Flames seemed to dance within the irises of his bright red eyes as he roared, "What is the meaning of this?!"

With her back toward him, answering in a calm yet dark, smiling tone of voice. "It has been a while, Headmaster."

"Not at the moment, Commandant. Nince, Vugix! Explain why you two are here after I had banned you from this place!"

"Headmaster, we were only-" one of the Drow wizards began.

"Do not lie, worm," Felyn interrupted. "I can read your spirit as your mind fabricates a story. Do not do so."

Eyes growing wide at the realization of Felyn's presence, the wizard's brow shed more than just a few beads of sweat. "But-"

"Silence!" The Headmaster snapped. "If truth cannot be sought from you, then I shall seek it from those who I know will give it."

The aged wizard turned to Dreek, his furious composure making Galen shift uncomfortably. "Commandant, may I ask of you what has happened here?"

Without breaking eye contact with the wizards in question, she explained, "I came in to find them playing with the equipment of my new Human pet."

One of the wizards went to interrupt, but Keetle lifted a hand while pinching her fingers. The male Drow's lips clamped together, bulging out as though they were caught in a bear trap. Seeing the aid so easily cast this magic, the other wizard clenched his jaws tight and kept his mouth shut as the Commandant continued.

"Jaral, on the ground there, killed himself when he improperly handled one item and forced the human to act in the interest of my safety, and these two dared to talk back and threaten the life of myself and my pet in the wake of Jaral dropping dead. So, shall you execute them, or shall I?"

The Headmaster glared at the two wizards, focussing on the one who stood quivering in his robes while ignoring the other who still fought to pry his lips apart.

"Are her words true?" the Headmaster asked.

The wizard with the pinched lips shook his head, the other remaining silent while taking steps in retreat. When he backed into the wall, he began to mutter something as silently as he could, a pool of arcane energy building in his palm. Before the spell was cast however, the Headmaster snapped his fingers, and both Nince and Vugix burst into flames.

"What the fuck?!" Galen yelped as he watched the two wizards scream and beat at the fire engulfing their bodies.

They swatted with their arms over their burning robes, even tried ripping the charring clothes from their bodies. But no matter what they did, the flames only grew more intense. Dreek raised a hand to block the light of the flames from her eyes while Keetle and Felyn stepped back from the heat.

Galen only continued to watch in horror as the two wizards fell to the floor and tried to roll around, but the magic propelling the fire only continued to intensify. What remained of their robes quickly turned to ash, their skin bubbling and burning off. The perpetual Hell in which the two lay caused the Private's belly to flip around in his gut and threaten to erupt. He turned away and plugged his ears, pushing out the screams of the two wizards while trying to hold in his own.

For what seemed to be an eternity their agony dragged on, the smell of burnt hair and flesh becoming more prominent as there was no smoke to drown it out. Then, in an instant, the light of the flames died, the temperature of the room cooling right off.

Pulling his fingers from his ears, Galen slowly turned to look over his shoulder to see what remained of the two males. Though silence replaced the screams, the odor continued to linger in the air. There was no smoke; nothing but ash and dust remained of the robes that once covered the charred bodies on the floor.

"Kill... me... Human..."

"THE FUCK?!" Galen snapped as he jumped back.

The two wizards were laying in fetal positions, arms fused to their chests. The Private could see now the laboured movements of their chests, their failing struggle to move what remained of their muscles. Both their eyes were crisped in their sockets, their skin burned away to the cooked flesh underneath. Whatever life they clung to must have been powerful as the Soldier never knew any creature could survive what they just had.

"What. The. Fucking. Flying. Fuck," Galen stammered.

"Kill them," Dreek ordered.

Galen's attention instantly snapped toward her, taking in her dark smile and the vicious look hidden within her violet eyes. As the horrified look came over the Private, she purposely blinked in a slow, deliberate manner with a gleam in her eye.

"They are begging for death. Grant it. It would be mercy, correct?"

"Y-y-yeah, but..."

"But what? They are in pain, you have the order to put them out of it. Kill them, Galen."

"But I can still save 'em!"

Dreek frowned. "Allow me to put your situation in clear terms, Galen."

The new, lethal edge to her voice made his hand shift toward the holster on his hip. Seeing this, Keetle flexed her hand and began muttering the first chants of a spell under her breath. Dreek, however, ignored both of these actions and continued.

"You have an order: kill these pathetic failures of Drow kind. If you do not do as you are told, then I will show the reasons we are feared and hated on the surface. I will show you a fate that would have even Driders seem merciful. I will ensure that little Celia will never taste freedom again, and that Pretayus will enjoy every inch of her body while leaving not one piece left of her mind."

What began to stir within Galen at that moment had Felyn taking a step in retreat and averting her gaze. She had no idea what would become of her if she made eye contact with him now. As much as she hated to admit it, the hastily growing anger of the human was scaring her. The Commandant, however, exchanged her hostile glare for a smile.

"But, all that need not happen. All that needs to happen is you listen to what I say. And what I say right now is that these wizards are between you and Celia."

A tear began to roll down Galen's cheek as his fist remained firmly clenched beside his holster. A deep growl rumbled in the bottom of his throat as his scowl burned into Dreek. His enraged eyes narrowed, but then shifted to the crisped wizards at on the floor.

With his breath forced through flaring nostrils, he popped the snap of his side-arm holster and drew his Colt.

"Cover your ears," he ordered in a low voice, and the Sun-Kissed and Headmaster did so.

Cocking the hammer, he wiped his eyes and brought the gun up to the scalded heads of the agonized wizards.

In an instant the tortured moans that had filled the room ended with the two following shots.

The brass shell casings had only just finished pinging across the floor when Dreek uncovered her ears. Once again that smile of hers returned as she stepped over the two burned corpses toward her soldier.

"Well done. This will make a fine example for other wizards who believe they may show insubordination without consequence, and also let them know that we will not tolerate failures, or traitors."

"Traitors?" Galen sniffed, blinking away a new tear and returning his sidearm to its holster.

"Headmaster would you care to explain?" Dreek inquired.

Ignoring the Commandant as she wrapped an arm around his, Galen turned to the old fire wizard. The Headmaster sighed, extinguishing the flaming illusions over his body and relaxing his shoulders. There was a cold, yet somehow gentle look about his wrinkled face, but his discontent was clear as day when he spoke in a dusty, cracked voice.

"Nine hundred years since I have first come to a wizard's tower and never have I encountered such arrogant, disrespectful wastes of flesh and mana. I cannot confess to being surprised about their actions today, but after the spell Vugix was concocting, I am surprised you, Human, still offered aid."

A cross look then came about the Headmaster as he narrowed his aged eyes upon Galen, the creases along his face cringing. "Right, you do not speak our tongue. You did not know he intended to use lightening to fry our bodies down to the bone."

"Lightning? He was gonna... So you didn't burn them for nothin'?" Galen asked, the angered tone returning to his voice.

"No," the Headmaster answered. "I have tolerated their actions for too long. Threatening a Sun-Kissed was the end of my patience."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Galen growled, looking down to the smiling Dreek on his arm. "I wouldn't have had a problem with shooting them then."

Something about her demeanor did not sit well with him at all, but he shirked off what stirred in his chest and listened as she answered.

"The restrictions that you keep upon yourself must be dealt with. They stop you in your path to reaching your goal, and that makes them a weakness. Drow do not tolerate weakness, and I will have it removed in whatever fashion I see is required."

The Commandant paused a moment, her eyes softening with her voice. "Besides, it is all to your benefit. Listen and learn from me and my sisters, and you will be back with Celia again."

At the mention of her name, the image of his Tree Elf flooded Galen's mind. Her gentle, innocent appearance and soft skin... at that moment he could swear he could hear her whisper in the back of his mind, the magic that flowed in her voice and the calming tone it carried.

Right then he could see her holding onto him, hugging his arm with a cheek rested against his bicep just like how Dreek did now, with her clouded white eyes staring up into his with all the grace in the world. He recalled the warmth Celia gave him when her body shifted closer against his with that innocent smile ever-present upon her golden lips.

In this mental bliss, Galen's mind didn't quite question itself as his eyes began to register the sight of the Drow Commandant hugging onto him in Celia's place, her near-perfect emulation of the affectionate embrace of the Tree Elf entrancing his mind. With a seductive simper and playful bat of her eyelashes, Dreek continued to warm up against him, her violet eyes watching his face to gauge his response to her every shift position.

Neither one of the two noticed, or cared to pay attention to, the male wizard who silently stepped aside. In the shadows he watched Dreek with the utmost scrutiny, analyzing her every move she made with her body, watching every muscle shift in her face, spotting where her eyes focused.

With each passing moment she spent clinging to the surfacer, the show of bewilderment upon Headmaster's face escalated. The actions this Commandant took was of a kind he had never seen, nor heard of before and he could hardly understand it in any context he could think of. Affection from of woman of her stature was rare; for it to be given to a surfacer was something that made the old wizard frown with a puzzled look.

What game are you playing, Commandant? he thought.

As the Headmaster continued to ponder, one of the Sun-kissed aids between him and the Commandant, Felyn, remained intensely focused on the Galen's eyes as her mind swirled with many images of her own. Through her power she could sense something coming off of him that caused a fluttery feeling within her belly, some foreign and indescribable aura of emotion that played with her senses like no other person had before.

Though she didn't know why, the aid sucked in and bit down on her lower lip while keeping eyelocked with Galen. Mentally she hoped he would not turn her way and his attentions would remain focused upon the Commandant. But at the same time she was becoming curious as to what effect he would have if their eyes met again. If this already warm feeling would become something more...

Beside Felyn, hanging her head down with both fists tightly clenched at her sides, Keetle cycled deep, calming breaths through her lungs. Unfortunately this could not ease her agitation. Though both the Commandant and Felyn were both performing their tasks as they said they would, something about how they acted didn't sit right with her. From how the human gazed at Dreek with so much infatuation, Keetle knew the job was done, yet her leader continued to play with her pet in a way she had not seen in her time within the ranks of the Sun-kissed.

Then there was Felyn, focusing on Galen as she should, likely using her talent as she should, but making faces that she should not. Her eyes were fluttery, her lower lip was sucked in, and her face was the same as the one a commoner woman would have when lusting after a noble woman's favored sire.

Perhaps the human is not the only one becoming infatuated, Keetle thought as her eyes narrowed upon her fellow aid. I will straighten you out later, my underling.

"So do you understand now, Galen?" Dreek asked in a low voice.

Keetle's eyes shifted toward the Commandant and the demon while Felyn tore hers away. In the following moment, Galen looked up in Keetle's direction then to the other aid. He seemed to ponder something, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly as his body relaxed and took on a gentle stance.

"Yeah, I understand," he answered in a passive tone.

Dreek's eyes narrowed. "Good. Now, Headmaster," she turned to the old wizard. "I'm sure you had something to discuss with me before discovering the troublesome trio in here. What was it?"

"Why do you speak human with me?" the Headmaster inquired.

"Because I find it tiring to constantly change tongues again and again."

"Very well, Commandant," the old wizard said with a slight bow of the head. "The reason for my coming here was to see if you had need of something or someone in my domain. When you came to this room, I had wondered if you needed new potions. But now I see your purpose was..."

He turned to Galen, "To bring your pet here to return what you had taken. So if you'll excuse me, my interest here has ceased."

"Not true, Headmaster," Dreek responded. "I was wishing to speak to you after collecting what we needed."

She looked over to Keetle and Felyn, "Would you two escort Galen back home while I prepare something?"

"Of course, Commandant," Felyn replied, receiving a harsh glare from Keetle.

"Good," Dreek released Galen's arm, motioning him to follow her aids. "Go on, Lince'sa, I shall return within a few zetrans. Do your best to refrain from causing trouble, will you."

"Of course, ma'am," he said as he started moving toward the waiting aids.

"And Galen."

"Yes?" he asked, stopping to look back at her.

"Stop with this, 'ma'am' word. You will call me by my name or title, no other."

"Yes... Dreek."

...............................

Warming light from the rising sun moved in on Petra's eyelids, stirring the Neko from her sleep. Moving before the rest of her body, her ears twitched and turned in every direction while she held her breath to listen. Hearing nothing amiss, she drowsily opened her eyes to the same sight she had seen when she had fallen asleep: the rafters of the barn she had occupied for the night.

With a yawn she stretched out her arms across the floor in front of her, her rear rising into the air as she sucked in a deep yawn. Her tail curved up to her neck and her spine cracked while she gave a low purr and shake of her head. With her returning energy supplemented by the feeling of refreshment, she drew her arms back and sat back on her knees to take a moment to come to her full senses.

Right away she began scanning her surroundings and watching out for anything that had changed from the details logged in her eidetic memory. Of course she was still in a barn, up on the hayloft over the rear half of the building. There was nothing out of place in her immediate area, the window she had slept beside was undisturbed, and none of the straw on the ground level had been stepped on or shifted.

Still erring on the side of caution, Petra crawled toward the edge of the loft, peeking over the side to inspect the ground floor. Only two of the horses in the eight occupied stalls under the loft had woken and none of the tools were missing from the wall rack to the right of the door. Upon examination not one of the windows around the barn seemed to have been opened.

Satisfied her presence had not been discovered, the Neko was able to turn her attention to the rumbling within her belly. This place appears to be a farm of a kind, food should be found around here somewhere.

In one fluid motion she leapt off the loft, aiming her jump for a spot beside the field plow and other farming equipment against the left wall. Her feet near-silently touched down on the straw covered floor, however the girdle she wore, with its pouches filled with coins, gave muffled jingles as its gold and silver contents shifted around.

At once the assassin's hand shot to one of the noisy pouches, clasping it tight to still the coins inside. Then she paused and listened. Outside she could hear at least two people talking while exerting themselves in some fashion. Their conversation was still casual, to her relief, though she scolded herself for worrying about mere coins giving her away.

Then she heard one of the men grunt, as though he was heaving on something with a great deal of weight to it. The image that came to her mind was him pulling on the rope for the bucket in the well outside. Given the time of morning and the storage of most heavy equipment in the shack, it seemed the most likely assumption.

In utter silence the Neko moved to the window beside the door, peeking out to confirm her suspicions while locating any possible threats. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the morning sun as it rose over the walls of the Trench, but she soon managed to bring the farm around her into focus.