{ "submission_id": "3620653", "keywords": [ { "keyword_id": "4712", "keyword_name": "alchemy", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "353" }, { "keyword_id": "1139", "keyword_name": "battle", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "3418" }, { "keyword_id": "1294", "keyword_name": "cuddling", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "7496" }, { "keyword_id": "932", "keyword_name": "death", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "12644" }, { "keyword_id": "2193", "keyword_name": "fantasy", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "27435" }, { "keyword_id": "123", "keyword_name": "female", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1102647" }, { "keyword_id": "4288", "keyword_name": "first person", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "781" }, { "keyword_id": "1108", "keyword_name": "gore", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "11097" }, { "keyword_id": "559736", "keyword_name": "illan", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "23" }, { "keyword_id": "545864", "keyword_name": "inaga", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "36" }, { "keyword_id": "572162", "keyword_name": "jakatar", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "13" }, { "keyword_id": "556208", "keyword_name": "keld", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "19" }, { "keyword_id": "191", "keyword_name": "magic", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "25841" }, { "keyword_id": "165", "keyword_name": "male", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1212571" }, { "keyword_id": "49935", "keyword_name": "male/female/female", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "3175" }, { "keyword_id": "762", "keyword_name": "nudity", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "46669" }, { "keyword_id": "15537", "keyword_name": "original species", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "2365" }, { "keyword_id": "31219", "keyword_name": "polyamory", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "531" }, { "keyword_id": "909", "keyword_name": "romance", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "9209" }, { "keyword_id": "27017", "keyword_name": "sewer", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "205" }, { "keyword_id": "49549", "keyword_name": "sexual exploration", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "223" }, { "keyword_id": "212", "keyword_name": "shower", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "9045" }, { "keyword_id": "10144", "keyword_name": "story progression", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "2040" }, { "keyword_id": "3584", "keyword_name": "violence (not in yiff)", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "243" }, { "keyword_id": "556207", "keyword_name": "vulkus", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "21" } ], "hidden": "f", "scraps": "f", "favorite": "f", "favorites_count": "2", "create_datetime": "2025-05-16 18:48:18.017864+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "16 May 2025 20:48 CEST", "last_file_update_datetime": "2025-05-16 18:27:41.878939+00", "last_file_update_datetime_usertime": "16 May 2025 20:27 CEST", "username": "Kiroberos", "user_id": "32253", "user_icon_file_name": "192123_Kiroberos_exes_profile.png", "user_icon_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/192/192123_Kiroberos_exes_profile.png", "user_icon_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/192/192123_Kiroberos_exes_profile.png", "user_icon_url_small": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/192/192123_Kiroberos_exes_profile.png", "file_name": "5567873_Kiroberos_aion_s_rebirth_-_exes_chapter_36.doc", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5567/5567873_Kiroberos_aion_s_rebirth_-_exes_chapter_36.doc", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5567/5567873_Kiroberos_aion_s_rebirth_-_exes_chapter_36.doc", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5567/5567873_Kiroberos_aion_s_rebirth_-_exes_chapter_36.doc", "files": [ { "file_id": "5567873", "file_name": "5567873_Kiroberos_aion_s_rebirth_-_exes_chapter_36.doc", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5567/5567873_Kiroberos_aion_s_rebirth_-_exes_chapter_36.doc", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5567/5567873_Kiroberos_aion_s_rebirth_-_exes_chapter_36.doc", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5567/5567873_Kiroberos_aion_s_rebirth_-_exes_chapter_36.doc", "mimetype": "application/msword", "submission_id": "3620653", "user_id": "32253", "submission_file_order": "0", "full_size_x": null, "full_size_y": null, "screen_size_x": null, "screen_size_y": null, "preview_size_x": null, "preview_size_y": null, "initial_file_md5": "9e0b72eaf8d8feb1455566fad75bd8e7", "full_file_md5": "9e0b72eaf8d8feb1455566fad75bd8e7", "large_file_md5": "", "small_file_md5": "", "thumbnail_md5": "", "deleted": "f", "create_datetime": "2025-05-16 18:27:41.878939+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "16 May 2025 20:27 CEST" } ], "pools": [ { "pool_id": "73193", "name": "Aion's Rebirth - Exes Reboot", "description": "Every single chapter of Exes' rebooted storyline.", "count": "36", "submission_left_submission_id": "3583441", "submission_left_file_name": "5501439_Kiroberos_aion_s_rebirth_-_exes_chapter_35.doc" } ], "description": "Potentially Triggering Tags:\nViolence, Gore, Death\n\nChapter Summaries:\nhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1VHNSczlxfkUvf34NKZNscT1a3Rr-222jdhGpdfV82Fw/edit?usp=sharing\n\nCurious about my custom species? Here's a link!\nhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1k0PobVi3hgyzg8zrro6rnqLLpm_cybJd-3LP-kvp1KI/edit?usp=sharing\n\nFeel like giving me a little financial assistance? I’ve set up a SubscribeStar account! I'm extremely thankful for everyone who donates anything they can, be it a subscription or one-off donation.\nhttps://subscribestar.adult/kiroberos-entertainment", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Potentially Triggering Tags:
Violence, Gore, Death

Chapter Summaries:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VHNSczlxfkUvf34NKZN...

Curious about my custom species? Here's a link!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k0PobVi3hgyzg8zrro6...

Feel like giving me a little financial assistance?  I’ve set up a SubscribeStar account!  I'm extremely thankful for everyone who donates anything they can, be it a subscription or one-off donation.
https://subscribestar.adult/kiroberos-entertainment", "writing": "Maybe becoming paranoid was inevitable when you were the Grandmaster Alchemist. I respected Chronak a lot more for it now, admittedly. The Black Figment had allowed me to identify almost every trinket and bauble we'd stolen from the Agency. All four of us had clairvoyance warding amulets now. Remi and the twins had enchanted armor for additional protection, and Remi herself had taken the wobbly dagger thing, despite us not knowing what it did. The blade curved back and forth, undulating as it went towards the tip, and had a dark purple, crystal core running the full length of the inside of the blade. She tested it with a few swings and stabs, and assured that it was `full tang', whatever that meant. Well, here's hoping it doesn't end the world if she stabs something with it, or something. It wasn't in the book to identify, which means it was probably a `major' artifact and one of a kind.\n\nThe twins and I rested in the drainage ditch to the West of the road. It connected to the ancient, probably barely functional, pumping station further to the west that would drain excess fluids from the ground and pump them away so it wouldn't damage the city's walls or foundation. Midway through summer, however, this place was bone dry and perfect for staging this sort of thing. Remi was up in the tree with an enchanted spyglass, keeping an eye on the road. Slowly, the sun was setting now and darkness dropping, as I idly thumbed over the top of the scroll I'd finished hours ago. Everything was set and in-place. We couldn't be more prepared than this, but the waiting was... tense. I could feel Exa anxiously waiting and watching from inside me, definitely happy to let me take over for this. Admittedly, this was a little crazy, but...\n\nIt was strange being out in nature again. I was outside of Nulidia. It... would be so easy to just walk off and leave all of this. But... I wouldn't get very far. There weren't enough settlements up this far North for an unprepared hiker. Plus, bandits were always a threat, on top of who knows what the Cult was fielding. Chances are, I'd just be picked up eventually by someone else with ill intent. More than likely after I ran out of food or had to settle somewhere to sleep. There was a limit to how much I could defend myself, even with True Alchemy. I suspected tonight was going to... tax me.\n\nA soft owl hoot, mixed in with the rest of the bird chirps and crickets. My ears flicked up, at the same time as Kar's and Kan's, as Remi sounded the alarm. Showtime. I closed my eye, feeling my senses extend out from around me, then down the path and away from the city. True Alchemy was powerful, but... existing without my eyes for a long while made me all the more comfortable relying on other senses.\n\nThere they were. It was a full-size caravan, with escort. Two armed wagons pulled by Ella, in front and back of the large, two-story wagon hauled by a Megama. Yikes. The escort wagons were blocky, carrying a mounted repeater crossbow on top and people inside the more armored inner portion, while the big wagon was clearly meant for heavy carrying, and more than a little top heavy. That would work in our favor though...\n\nThere was a faint clicking noise above me, and I smirked. Remi had just armed the half a dozen concussive bombs she'd strung together. Despite not having an organization backing her, she was resourceful enough to come up with most of her own gear. Looking to the left, I gave a nod to the twins, who slipped into a crouch and climbed the bank and up into the shrubs, while I unrolled my scroll. Well, time for the show.\n\nOf course, it wasn't going to be much of a [i]show[/i] for the caravan. My paw touched the first rune array I'd set up, and two full batteries of Aether drained from inside of me all at once. For a brief second, I flared with blue light as my chest and eye blazed azure... which is why I'd stayed in the ditch. It didn't last though, as I was washed away into pitch blackness a second later. Even darker than the black of the night, it burned up like flames around me and splashed out to the south, expanding fast.\n\nI didn't know how big it would get. I estimated about a kilometer, but that was just an estimate. The area erupted into black flames, radiating darkness and silence and roaring upwards into a flood. Everything was washed away into the black quiet within seconds, even as the enchantment fed the feedback to us instead. I heard them suddenly shout, alongside several panicked screams as the area was blacked out. The second click from above me, and the branch shifting in the dark. The echoing blue flames in the vision enchantment I'd given everyone showed the outlines of every guard and each of the caravans in the pitch darkness, the ground and trees around us turning a soft, dark blue. The radiant glow of over half a dozen little, bright blue dots launched from far above me a second later, however. She got her spread almost perfect, at two to three bombs per caravan, and they scattered by the road in the dirt, bouncing once, then twice...\n\nExplosions, muffled to nothingness by the dark quiet. The caravan personnel wouldn't have heard anything either, instead feeling only the shockwave as the wagons and hauling animals were flung sideways off the road, almost eight meters into the forest on the other side. It flipped the front wagon entirely, causing more screams and a wet crunching noise that couldn't be avoided. Tch. The other two wagons ended up on their sides, and all the animals were panicking now, struggling against their harnesses and trying to stand once again.\n\nI stood, radiating azure that nobody could see anymore, and walked up the bank to the road above, watching as the twins and Remi descended down upon them. The goal was really simple, and I held my scroll up as I walked. The twins were fast and extremely coordinated thanks to the Nexus. Three guards were sent flying from the initial landing, and they casually slammed and flung two more before anyone even realized they were under attack. Not that they could see more than half a meter in front of them.\n\nThe front guard wagon was de-guarded within seconds as I walked up. Remi had landed near the front of it and sliced the animals free before scamper-hopping past and towards the main wagon. I touched the guard caravan as she cleared it and the twins leapt off. The entire thing pulsed as another array activated on my scroll, and I felt the energy dance out of my paw and over it. The wagon shook, then simply fell through the wrinkle, and safely into the folded space I'd made connected to the scroll. Clean and easy.\n\nMy ears perked as I heard crossbows starting to fire. The twins fell back to me instead, and I walked them forward, the haphazardly aimed shots plinking off the Inertia effect I generated in front of us as we went. I broke into a run after, catching the twins up to the main wagon as fast as I could, even as Remi freed the Megama and slapped its rump until it ran off into the dark forest. She gave me a nod, then hopped backwards and flipping up onto the top of the wagon, sending two guards flying off the side and into the ditch with dull thuds. I didn't bother checking anyone for injuries...\n\nThe rear wagon was aware something bad was happening, and eight more armed guards rushed forward. The twins met them with a lightning fast strike, blurring at that point as their bare paws dented through armor and crushed bones. There was a series of cracks and crunches, and three of the guards hit the ground, with one flying off the side of the ditch. The guards had to ditch their crossbows, and two more were dropped before the rest managed to draw their blades.\n\nI fed them both more Aether, supplementing their vita as they dove inwards regardless. The twins didn't have swords or spears or anything. I'd equipped them both with studded gauntlets instead to compliment the style they'd already been trained in, which was a heavy brawler. Of course, the metal bits on their gauntlets were engineered as sword catches on top of that. It was surprisingly easy to disarm someone like that.\n\nTwo more crossbow users landed in the forest with dull crunches, Remi clearing out the big wagon while I watched the twins fight. Two guards were disarmed almost instantly, then dropped with chest and neck hits. The third and last one tried to run, but Kar landed on his back and snapped his knee against the ground, causing him to silently scream as the pup cracked his face off the dirt. He didn't get up again after. Well, that was clean.\n\nRemi gave a whistle and flipped off the top of the wagon, and I touched the side, draining another battery but sending the entire behemoth of wood and iron into its own wrinkle, connected to the scroll again. That meant there were another two batteries, with one purely as a backup for-\n\nA scream and pulse fired off from the last wagon. The ground shattered away from it, and I held a paw up, causing the scroll to pulse and a nullification field to activate, just as the twins were sent flying backwards from the shockwave! Remi flickered in, blazing with green vita, and touched them both in the air, canceling their momentum with a counter pulse, and they hit the ground into a roll. Ah... I figured there was a... slight chance...\n\nShe jumped off the top of the wagon, wearing robes and pulling a staff from her back. Fascinating! That meant all sorts of fun implications for the research facility that got busted. She chanted in True Alchemy, forming a barrier around herself as I watched her bleed lifeforce like crazy to do it. The staff pulsed, and I stepped forward, moving my paw to the side and knocking away the blast of superheated energy with the Inertia field. It was a normal enchantment, and only magic, however. Predictably, she was using True Alchemy effects sparingly.\n\nSighing, I broke out my `Cultist' preparation instead, sliding the scroll fully open and activating the last rune. I saw her eyes start to glow as she continued chanting, trying to find our location, even as I pulled a vial from the side of my belt, popping the cork off the top of it. Clear and absolutely scentless, after I'd taken a sample of the pure corruptive wavelength and extracted it to just its base form. It radiated my inner azure glow in the dark, but she wouldn't have been able to see that, as I whipped the paw at her instead, sending a spraying arc of the fluid towards her.\n\nIt was ironic that Chronak's first lesson into True Alchemy in his book had been on manipulating normal alchemical reactions using it. It turned out... surprisingly useful, as the form of the fluid changed in the air, charging from the last rune array from the scroll. The droplets shifted, becoming frozen crystal shards in midair, even as I directed the targeting towards her in a loose scatter.\n\nEach one was charged with a tiny little burst of True Alchemy counteracting energy. Her eyes widened as her new enchantment picked up the incoming movement, and she dropped the staff to focus on boosting her own True Alchemy barrier. The little icy shards of corruption went through it like tissue paper, accelerated to just over fifty meters a second.\n\nShe screamed into the silent darkness, entire body blitzed with shards that tore through her robe and stabbed into her skin. Her consciousness flared, then was pulled almost instantly into the Nexus, and I winced as one of the shards punched through her left eye and partly into her skull. Damn, I'd aimed for a body spray for the most part. Tch.\n\nShe dropped instantly afterwards, and I let my corruption take her over, radiating through her body as I focused on stabilizing her wounds. Seeing her drop, Remi and the twins shot past and swept the last wagon for any remaining guards, even as I walked up to the dropped female and knelt down next to her. Jakatar by the looks of it. Young. Fuck, she barely looked fifteen. Why was [i]she[/i] a Cultist?! She had one of their fucking clasps, which confirmed it, and I sighed. Well, extra bonus on my end. Cultist acquired! I had... [i]questions[/i] for her.\n\nRemi whistled though, and I nodded to myself, gesturing to the twins. They picked the girl up and tossed her back into the carrying compartment of the wagon, before closing it up and nodding. With a touch, the third wagon, and the girl, fell into the scroll too, and we were off again.\n\nTwo and a half minutes, and the entire incoming caravan had vanished without a trace, leaving two dozen guards strewn about in the forest, either injured or dead, and all the animals released into the wild without their harnesses. The only memories any of the living guards would have is a chaotic attack in pitch darkness and silence. Scrying on the area would show nothing thanks to my first True Alchemy enchantment. Magical communication had also been blocked. I'd say that was a win. We ran down the sewer tunnels we'd come in from now, heading rapidly back towards the Black Keld with our loot...\n\n[center]~ ~ ~ ~ ~[/center]\n\nI was definitely getting tired and sore now. But I pressed on, as Vox unlocked an overflow area of the sewers for us, and soon, all three wagons were there, on their sides. Sadly, the front one had quite a bit of blood on it, but there wasn't much I could do at this point. I'd warned him there would probably be casualties. Truly, we all suffered together. Vox gave a low whistle as he looked them over, eyes wide now. ``Fuck... you just... took the entire wagons.''\n\nI nodded, watching the twins undoing doors and opening them up for us. ``Yup. Fast and clean. We were done in two and a half minutes, and it was in complete magical darkness and silence, with scrying and communication blocked.'' I leaned against the wall, resting and watching, while Remi rubbed at her legs to my right, after removing her lower armor. She called it the `tingles', and a side effect of Illan using vita techniques on their powerful legs. Hypersensitivity that could set in upwards of half an hour later.\n\n``Guard wagon thingies only had gear and seats! Boring!'' Kan huffed as he shouted his report to us, and Vox chuckled.\n\n``The good stuff is going to be in the big wagon, guys.'' They both perked at that and dove towards the larger one, predictably. They could have at, though. I was... fatigued. Even setting the batteries up ahead of time, it still had taken effort of will, and my own vita to control the large effects. Everything had a price.\n\nSoon, the twins were moving crates out of the large wagon, and getting them stacked up near us. Vox opened up one of them, perking then wincing as the acrid scents hit us of raw alchemy reagents. Yeah, it didn't matter how well you packed them or how many layers they were in. Some alchemy scents were just [i]pervasive[/i]. He closed the crate at that, then nodded my way. ``Lots of stuff for you, Exes. You were right.''\n\n``Smaller black cases full of papers!'' Vox perked at that, and Kan hopped down from the wagon to show him one, even as Kar slid down it carrying about twenty of the same type. They were a metal case with heavy duty latches in the front, and handles to each side to carry them by the looks of it. Fireproof. Oh, the papers must be...\n\nPaper notes. Vox's eyes widened as he opened the one and revealed stack upon stack of the paper bank notations. The paper currency of Aion. It was lighter, and each one could count as multiple coins that way. Those looked like hundred notes... Fuck. Vox agreed, of course. ``Fuck! There... This is a huge amount of money! I'm gonna have to get Xora to run some samples and see if it's clean or not, but... Damn!''\n\nI nodded to him. I hadn't gotten that economics class, so I didn't know the first thing about that sort of thing. ``It's all yours, as promised. It should be enough for you and Meria to make your escape from Nulidia.''\n\nVox stared down at the bills for a long moment before closing the case and slowly smiling again, looking over to me after. ``I... Thank you, Exes. I mean, this is overkill by far for me just hiding you for a while... Really, if there's anything else I can do for you, please, let me know. This...'' His paws clenched against the metal case, and I smiled, nodding to him.\n\n``I might need to stay down low for a while longer, if you don't mind keeping us all here still. Plus a few extra now, it seems...''\n\nI glanced to the right at that, to the other side of Remi, at the Jakatar female. Pure white fur with soft blue eyes. Remi had searched her already; in the same way one considers eliminating a crawler infestation in their house using a firebomb. The girl was naked now, and had every centimeter of her, including every body cavity, thoroughly searched by the Illan. That included with light orbs and spreading inserts I didn't realize she even [i]owned[/i]. She was largely clean, minus a hidden dagger and a few packs of Desert Sands. Moderate-level stimulant in powder form that you took by rubbing it up between your outer lip and gums. It could be broken down into far more useful ingredients, so I'd kept it.\n\nOverall, she was seriously fucked up. She'd been punctured by close to thirty shards, and had several vital organs hit, alongside three spine injuries. If it weren't for my Nexus, she'd be dead, paws down. But I'd stabilized her and she was regenerating actively, with hisses of steam coming off her body from dozens of spots. I'd have to put her on intravenous fluid replenishment, but she was actually going to live. As my slave and informant, but she'd live.\n\n``Exes!'' My ears perked, and I looked forward again as the twins carried a much larger container down from the wagon. Ah! They each had it by one end, with clear handles visible there as they carried it to the floor and set it in front of me. Was this...? The container was rectangular, at almost two meters long and probably a meter thick. Metal for the most part, but with glass panels on the top and a lot of canisters hooked up to tubes leading into it. More interestingly, fog was condensing off the sides of it and moisture beading up along the canisters.\n\nI could feel the cold even as I walked up, and both Vulkus patted their own paws after setting it down, rubbing them together to warm them again. What... was this...? The glass was frosted over, and I frowned as I walked around the side of it, crouching and looking at the canisters. One was liquid air, and I recognized another to be frostflow. That was a popular alchemical coolant used. Now I was very curious.\n\nThis was a preservation container of some sorts. Elaborate and custom-made. It had mana cells for power and used a mixture of things within it. I'd heard of food canisters and such being transported like this but those containers were pretty standardized, I'd thought. Remi curiously watched as she hopped up, then frowned. ``Tha fuck's that thing? It's cold!''\n\nVox nodded to her. ``A preservation container, but it looks custom designed. Wait a second...'' He shifted to a look of concern after, and I slowly swallowed, nodding. I suddenly had a very, very bad feeling about this.\n\n``Were there any notes or anything with this?'' I looked up to the twins, who both shook their heads. Tch. Well, this was... I reached over and lightly tapped on the glass panel running the full length of the container, using a very small burst of True Alchemy to vibrate the surface. All of us widened our eyes as the ice cracked and fell away, leaving just frost on the glass and revealing... a Garkin.\n\nShe looked like she was asleep, but she wasn't breathing. Her scales were a dark blue in color, shifting to outright black in spots, and her fins and frills were amethyst. Her horns were... remarkably developed; expanding upwards and backwards in a curve towards the back of her skull. But... the most startling bit was the fact that she had wings! Physical, solid wings! Surprisingly large wings were folded gently against her back, and she was tucked in a cylindrical-shaped containment. Tubes went into her arm, clearly releasing a blue fluid into her from the head-end of the container. Fuck!\n\n``Is... Is this the slave he wanted?! Is she...?'' Vox looked disgusted, but I energized my paw with mana, then ported the spell with True Alchemy through the crystal. It was thick enough, and insulated enough, to block the magic normally, by the feel of it. It took a bit of effort to extend the tether long enough, but I hooked it right to her neck, then pulled the readings up on display, eyes widening even more.\n\nThere was neural activity, and an [i]extremely[/i] slow heartbeat! ``Fuck, she's alive! How is this...?'' How was this even possible?! This was... [i]Why[/i] had they done this to her in the first place?!\n\n``Oh fuck, can ya get `er [i]out[/i] o' that thing?!'' Remi peeked in through the glass, eyes wide as she looked over the female. This was...\n\nMy mind whirled. ``There's... a reason they did this. There's no way they'd go to the expense of making this container and transporting her like this without a reason. She must need to stay frozen like this... but... why?'' The facility had been testing Garkin instability. As a newly created species, that had been made purely as an alchemical [i]accident[/i], it was widely known that they didn't have the most stable of essences. Extensive patching was needed in order to make sure they weren't born with all sorts of horrible birth defects and mutations. Their essence had been getting wildly unstable over the two decades of no maintenance, and this facility had clearly been taking advantage of that. But I didn't know to what end.\n\nI closed my eye and rubbed at my temples. So... it was pretty reasonable to assume her essence was unstable. Freezing her like this would drastically slow down her metabolic rate, reducing how badly such an instability would affect her body. They were transporting her like this as an emergency thing due to the lab being hit, and Ignaus had paid a staggeringly huge amount of coin for her in particular. There was... a good chance she had been midway through some experimental process that they didn't have time to conclude, and had to ship her in an unstable state.\n\nEveryone just waited patiently for me, it would seem. I sighed, opening my eye again, then looking inside her container afterwards. ``I think I could figure out how to get her out and safely thaw her, but... I suspect the reason she's in there is that her essence is wildly unstable. They were experimenting on the Garkin at that facility, and chances are, they shipped her like this because they were forced to halt her in an incomplete state...''\n\nRemi tilted her head to me at that, but Vox slowly nodded. ``So just releasing her and unthawing her would be dangerous. She might have all sorts of health complications thanks to them fucking with her essence...'' I nodded, and Remi's eyes narrowed a little.\n\n``Fuckin' monsters! Tch... We can't just [i]leave[/i] `er in there!'' She looked to me with that, and I slowly nodded.\n\n``Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to study the Garkin essence patches before getting kidnapped. But chances are, nothing they did was standardized anyway. How they did it is... a good question, too. They must have access to the True Alchemy production plates from one of the Essence Patch facilities...'' I considered it for a moment before sighing again. There had been... other books in the library. All of the ones that didn't have a password lock on them had been in that one bookcase, near the entrance.\n\nI'd saved it during that final hit to my soul. The Demon library itself was... `lost' inside of me, to some degree. I knew it was there, but I couldn't access it thanks to the damage the Soulthorn had caused. But I did look over the other books. One went over the method of `patching', which was originally created to elevate the lesser species, by the Demons. The process was considered... inconsequentially irrelevant, and they didn't bother securing it at all. We were animals, and manipulating us was just something to be expected, and very low-end.\n\nThe Essence Patches were thus a True Alchemy version of alchemic liquid encoding. Putting a magical effect inside of a fluid for ease of use. Pretty bog-standard really, except instead of magic, this was True Alchemy. The words it used were surprisingly simple and direct. The art was in the arrangement of them, and applying them to the right spots of the Essence, in order to get the effect you wanted. Turning someone's fur pink, for example. Find the location of the fur color in their essence, use the word to append the new data, then regenerate their fur to see the effect.\n\nIt got tricky when using it on still-growing essences, versus an adult. In-utero, like the first Essence patches were applied, was even trickier due to all the shifting and changing address locations. But some things could only be applied there, because once the body part or affected area was grown in some instances, it couldn't be told to simply `regenerate'. That's why it was done in-utero at all. The process was called `cascade patching'. It was complicated but well-documented.\n\nOf course, the instruction manual didn't include any of the actual True Alchemy used for modern-day Essence Patches. Those were in a suitcase inside [i]my[/i] folded spatial suitcase... which I assumed was somewhere, being kept for me. Tch. But it wouldn't have helped me in this scenario anyway. Was I really going to try doing this...?\n\nEveryone was watching me again when I snapped out of it. ``Okay, crazy idea time. I know how to make Essence Patches. I'm going to do a full scan on her while she's still frozen and get her complete Essence imprinting. Then, we carefully unthaw her again, and I run another scan while doing so, catching any irregularities as they form. Then, I patch them, custom, on the fly using True Alchemy... In theory, I can stabilize her, at the very least. Prevent any out-of-control health effects or complications.''\n\nSlowly, Vox nodded. ``That... sounds really complicated. And like we're going to need more medical supplies. They'd be crazy though to not...'' He trailed off as I nudged my head towards the ten large crates of ingredients they'd been shipping with her. ``...oh. Okay, that makes sense.''\n\nThe twins had been digging more at the wagon at the same time, and Kar poked his head up out of the side storage. ``They have tools and machines and stuff here, too!'' I grinned. Alright, then! ``Okay... I'll be redirecting some mana couplings in the sewer, if you don't mind...'' Vox rubbed his muzzle, but Remi grinned and nodded.\n\n``Ah'll help! Used ta help mah dad with `em before! He was ahn Alchemical Engineer.'' Perfect! ``Uh, ya might lose power ah couple times ta tha buildin', Vox...'' Right...\n\nHe sighed and nodded at that. ``I'll go inform the guests. Try not to fry yourselves or anything...'' We both nodded to them, and Remi spun and caught the incoming insulated gloves as Kar threw them our way, at my mental request. Well, this was about to become very interesting indeed. For science!\n\n[center]~ ~ ~ ~ ~[/center]\n\nIt took us a good three hours to re-route, then modulate the power going into the Black Keld, from the root node running under the city. Exa was manifested at that point, and now I was glad for her Avatar's physicality, as she helped us move things around. As per Remi's suggestion, we drew it starting from almost twelve blocks away, and routed it through at least eight redirects before adding the extra flow to the power we were using in the lab. It would probably take them moons to investigate anyway, but Remi was very insistent that we use this particular node to draw from, after she'd extensively looked over the power grid diagrams. Turns out, the first redirect was from the Agency, and they'd be the first to be investigated for the sudden boost in power draw... Keh. I could get behind this.\n\nThe large container she was in was actually a shell, for a smaller cylinder they'd packed her into. We'd extracted that safely, and soon she rested there on her side, with wires hooked into the cylinder and lit up on the stand we'd pulled from the wagon. She looked peaceful really, resting there like that, though it was hard to not note how adorably cute she was. But those wings and horns... And outside of the other container, I noted her back ridge was also quite developed, ending in a very non-traditional flared fin to her tail. She looked more... feral and rugged than a normal Garkin.\n\nI exhaled, looking at her, then jumped a little as Remi set a paw on my shoulder. ``Exes, ya should rest. Ya've been out fer ah while now. She's got over ah moon o' fuel fer tha canister...'' I sighed at that, but nodded. It was true. There were enough ingredients here to last a moon and a half, keeping her suspended like this.\n\n``You're right, yeah. I don't think it would be wise to do anything while I'm tired anyway...'' I'd left the Essence Scanner going on her, and it was gradually mapping her entire imprinting. The only issue is, it would probably take [i]days[/i] to finish anyway. There wasn't any sense in rushing. All I could do was mix up some of the medicine I'd more than likely need ahead of time.\n\nExa stood from finishing tying together all the power couplings and gave a nod as well. ``Yeah! We could all rest and snuggle!'' Her tail started to wag as she padded over to Remi and I.\n\nRemi grinned and nodded, slipping up close again before nuzzling up under my chin. ``Ah nap does sound pretty good right `bout now, admittedly. Exa's right...'' I nodded, relenting and letting the two haul me towards the stairs. It was kind of amusing that Exa's avatar could physically move me, admittedly. Although... no, I was lazy... Walking was hard.\n\nRemi perked, looking back and up at me again as I wrapped my arms around her instead, then squeaked and I pulled her up nice and tight to me, pressing her face into my chest. Exa tilted her head towards us, but I'd already stepped sideways again, sending Remi and I through a wrinkle and into the bathroom attached to the medical ward. My home away from home for now. She squeaked again, then rapidly looked around as I smirked. Exa winked into existence following us a moment later, cheating and just re-adjusting where her avatar was located, of course.\n\n``True Alchemy. And I didn't feel like taking the stairs... Want a shower first?'' She looked back to me at that, then slowly relaxed again before giving a hesitant nod.\n\n``Ya scared me! Uh... yeah, actually. We kinda smell like sewer. Ick...'' She sniffed herself and scrunched her muzzle up, and I chuckled. Exa sniffed herself too, then snickered and grinned as I rolled my eyes towards her.\n\n``You two smell like sewer. Guess a benefit of being a magical projection?''\n\nRemi huffed at that, and pouted. ``Yeah, yeah. Jus' rub it in, then.''\n\nI gave a chuckle at that. ``Heh, indeed. Though, Remi can have one first, don't worry. I'll just wait in the-`` She grabbed my paw though, then grinned before pulling be back towards the shower instead, shaking her head. Eh?! Exa grinned too, then followed us along rather eagerly.\n\nUh... A light flush danced over Remi's cheeks, expression shifting mirthful. ``Dun worry about it, Exes. Ah think we're all mature enough ta share. Certainly don't mean we gotta sex each other up, but gettin' comfortable with each other can't hurt none...'' Comfortable? Exa nodded rapidly, giving a little hop, before her clothing simply vanished as if she'd unequipped it all from the avatar menu of a PEC. Tch.\n\nIt was... an odd sensation. I watched Remi slide out of her clothes with... a certain tenseness. ...and obviously a lot slower than Exa. There wasn't any eager anticipation, but a level of uncertainty and anxiousness. But at the same time, she didn't make a show of it, or any focus on being sexy. She just slid out of them, then gave a gentle smile to me, standing there, nude.\n\nRemi was... She was indeed a very pretty Illan. Beautiful even, in both face and body. I could... appreciate her proportions, with wider hips and a slight curve to her waist. Her breasts weren't quite pawfuls, and very appealing in shape, with two lightly pink nubs capping both. Further, she had definite muscle tone to her, putting me to shame by far, though that didn't take much.\n\nBut the way she stood there was just... normal, and she gave me a flushed smile, eagerly searching my expression. I took a few deep breaths, relaxing myself before looking her over again and giving her a soft nod. She grinned, then nodded back. ``Just... slow, okay? No rush, an' one step at ah time...''\n\nShe must have seen my apprehension. I nodded to her, then slid out of my own clothing too, just as succinctly as she had, hers. She watched with perhaps a little more interest than I'd managed to generate, but tensed as I finally slid my loincloth down, revealing still growing sheath and balls. I was perhaps double the size of when she'd first seen me, but still below average for an adult Inaga. My balls were very below average still, with just-starting fur growth and some visible surgical stitching still. She gave a little sympathy wince as she spotted it, then a more assuring smile upwards.\n\n``Heh, probably not the sexiest...'' I slipped up closer to her, and she leaned in and nuzzled my chest before winking upwards.\n\nExa huffed, looking over her shoulder from adjusting the water temperature of the shower. ``You're plenty sexy, Exes. Plus, give it time!'' Remi gave a chuckle, then nodded to that.\n\n``Yer ah big boy. Ah'm gonna guess ya'll put me ta awe by tha time yer done fillin' out again. `sides, Ah already know Ah like everythin' else!'' I lifted an eyebrow to her, and she snickered before leaning up and giving the center of my chest a tap, followed by my forehead. ``What's in these two spots...? Golden...''\n\nI chuckled, sliding my arms around her and giving her a little hug, which let her shiver against me. ``Even the parts where I tortured and killed people...?'' Exa scrunched her muzzle up and huffed my way, but Remi just snorted at that.\n\n``What ya did ta Atir was ah work o' art, Exes. Ah call that `justice'. Ain't like everyone he's hurt is gonna get any, otherwise. Everythin' else was also done ta some very, very bad people.'' She gave a terse sigh at that, then shook her head up at me. ``Nobody's cleanin' these places up, Exes. So much... just goes unfixed. Unanswered fer. What ya did so far? If ya can't consider it justice, just call it tha natural order o' things, instead. They did bad things. Bad things did them. Simple as that...'' Heh, that I could get behind too.\n\nI smirked at that, and she shot me a wink before pulling me over to the shower instead. Remi was just the perfect amount of fucked up to compliment my own nicely, it felt like. Exa stepped out of the way of the shower spray, then put her paws on her hips while watching. ``She's right. You typically put others first and foremost, and are looking out for those less fortunate than yourself. I mean, you even look out for me, shielding me from the worst of our memories and keeping them to yourself. What's deep down is what really counts...'' Tch.\n\nExa eased me against the wall of the shower, smiling now as Remi stepped in behind her, catching herself in the spray and giving a little shiver. ``Mmm, this... Ah thought it would be worse than this, but... Ah guess ya still feel safe, even naked...'' She gave a snicker after and glanced over her shoulder at me, giving a grin.\n\nI chuckled myself, then slowly nodded as Exa helped me slide down to a sitting position in the shower. The body was giving general `ache' signals, and I definitely felt stiff. It was a long day so far... Well, night now. Or was it day again after midnight? I didn't know what time it was. The shower was really only big enough for one though, and my legs were brushing against Remi's paws as she washed her fur down. It didn't seem to upset her though as she turned and started washing her back down, now looking at me fully instead.\n\nHer expression was soft and searching, and I brushed softly along her ankle with my right lower paw, causing her to smile again. ``Yer ah big softie. Though, with just enough hardness where it counts, Ah guess.'' She shot me a wink, and I lifted an eyebrow to her. Was that an innuendo or was she talking about the torture and murder bit earlier? Probably both, knowing her.\n\nShe stretched after she was soaked down properly, and I really did admire her sleek, muscular form. Definitely feminine, but powerful. Her training was showing through, and admittedly, I did find her extremely attractive. The wet gray and dark gray fur meshed with the teal eyes looking down at me. Instead, I gestured her downwards, grabbing the fur shampoo that was in the corner.\n\nHer eyes widened a little, and I saw her flush, but nod, kneeling down before sitting down between my legs. She wanted to become familiar with each other. Accustomed. Exa perked her ears up as she watched, tail starting to wag again, but I shot her a look to restrain herself. The Illan shifted so her back was to me, and my paws dug into her fur, causing her to shiver. I was careful with my still regrowing nails, so neither of us regretted anything, and just gently scrubbed the soap into her fur.\n\nShe tensed, taking a few deep breaths, then slowly relaxing as I just washed over her shoulders and back, then neck and head. ``Mmm... This is nice...'' My fingers worked her muscles as I did, pressing out tension and causing her to shiver, then relax more as I scrubbed over the backs of her ears. ``Mmmph, ya know how ta massage?''\n\nI chuckled. ``Part of being a medical mage. Though yes, I know massages. At least, I never heard any complaints...'' Exa watched with fascination, as if trying to memorize every little detail of what I was doing.\n\nRemi gave a little purr, then snickered again. ``Ah bet ya didn't. Mmm... This is... very nice...'' I wasn't entirely sure she was talking about the massage as she looked over her shoulder to me. I smiled back, giving extra attention to her shoulders again as I leaned around and softly kissed her. A shiver, and she leaned into the kiss as I softly stroked over her arms, working the soap in there, too. A quiet nudge went to Exa, who perked and slid forward, helping me suds up the Illan's arms.\n\nRemi perked, eyes widening as she broke from the kiss to look to Exa, flushed now as my `twin' grinned to her, starting to suds up her stomach too. ``Mmm, I'll get the front. You can get her back. More efficient that way, hmm?'' Remi smirked at that.\n\n``Ah see how it is. Ya get all tha fun bits ta play with, an' all Exes gets is mah butt.'' Pfft.\n\nI chuckled, washing down her back now. ``Well, it's a very nice butt. [i]But[/i] I'm also fine with sharing... I've...'' I paused at that, mind hitting a hiccup. I'd what? Done it before? A flash went through my head and I closed my eyes. Walking back into the room after using the bathroom. Hearing Exia's panting moan from Exir's room. While hurrying back into my own. Tch. Well, that was an unexpectedly unpleasant memory I'd been avoiding for a while...\n\nRemi perked and looked back at me again, but Exa just snickered, rubbing over the Illan's legs. ``Well, that [i]is[/i] right. Technically I've gotten to snuggle you each night after taking over for Exes. I should let him have a night with you one of these days!'' Heh... taking over for me.\n\n``Exes?'' Remi didn't respond to Exa; and instead turned more to face me, searching my expression. I snapped out of it and gave her a smile back, shaking my head.\n\n``I'm fine. Just... memories. You're probably about ready for a rinse, minus your legs...'' Remi didn't look convinced, and Exa frowned, fully paying attention to me again. I felt her poking and nudging about inside us now, and mentally bapped her on her oh so curious mental nose. Her real muzzle scrunched at that, and she pouted.\n\nRemi lifted an eyebrow to that. ``Ya didn't get mah rear. Though Ah suppose Ah was sittin' on it. Boobs an' groin, too...''\n\nExa flushed at that, then coughed. ``I didn't know if you were, uh, comfortable with that or not. Both of you are in need of some healing, sexually...''\n\nSlowly, Remi nodded to her, then leaned back, spreading her legs open and revealing herself to both of us while shifting a bit pink. She looked... vulnerable like that, but kept herself fully open, even as the water spray rinsed off her left arm that slid into it. ``It's... fine. Please...?''\n\nExa looked to me, and I slowly nodded to her before sliding up between Remi's legs instead now. She tensed, but I gently rubbed her stomach down, even as Exa started at her shoulders. She gave a little sigh after a moment and relaxed back on her arms, letting us both slowly work lower, respectively. A little start and twitch as paws finally reached her breasts, and I waited, scrubbing her navel down as Exa brushed around and under, then gently pawing over both nipples. They stiffened to the touch, but she didn't linger, focusing on scrubbing her fur down instead.\n\nRemi's eyes lidded open after, locked onto me as I slipped lower, washing over her inner thighs, then to both sides of her entrance below. She was a little flushed over her labia, but I didn't pay attention to that as I slowly washed over her lower lips. She gave a shiver, and I jumped slightly as she winked out at me, clit flicking for a moment as her breath caught. I didn't press anything though, and instead shifted to her legs, drawing back and letting her calm down again. The body's signs of arousal weren't voluntary, and I wanted her to be safe and secure.\n\nHer eyes opened again as she watched me, expression hard to read. Exa and I both took one of her legs, kneading the shampoo in all the way down to her toes, which she wiggled to us, then giggled as we worked between them. Smiling now, she relaxed fully, then grinned to both of us. ``Ah... dun know what Ah was expectin', but... That was... really nice. Thank ya. Both o' ya...''\n\nWe let her up to rinse herself off, and then it was my turn. I was more than a little apprehensive as I wet my fur down in front of both sets of watching eyes, but they stayed just watching. A sliver of me was... afraid of getting pounced, I realized. Had I... expected this to inevitably turn sexual? We said it wouldn't... Why had I...?\n\nI shook the sensation off, giving a shaky exhale before sitting down as well, taking Remi's prior spot as Exa moved behind me, and the Illan took the front. ``I'm already really familiar with our body, so Remi can do most of the exploring...'' Exa winked to me over my shoulder, and I shot her a pointed stare, causing her to grin. Yeah, I was pretty sure she'd been playing around with masturbating already. Masturbating me? Herself? Eh, it didn't really matter.\n\nRemi flushed as she ran her paws over my chest, momentarily lingering on each shift in muscle, then over my abs. ``Yer startin' ta get some strength back, Ah see. Ya look... nice...'' The final word was a bit shaky, and I looked to her, noting her eyes trailing down to my groin instead. I stayed still though, swallowing the nervous lump in my throat. She'd let us explore her, so I had to stay... calm and brave too.\n\nExa on my back was nice, even as she worked down to my hips and thighs, trying to mimic the motions she'd watched me do while massaging Remi. I... mentally guided her as she went, and soon she was causing me to give little shivers while she worked the muscles. Mmm, massages really [i]were[/i] nice. I'd never gotten a chance to experience them myself, admittedly.\n\nWhile she worked, Remi finished with my legs, working over my toes before sliding upwards again. I tensed, eyes opening again as I saw her looking up at me instead. Right... I gave her a nod, and she smiled, nodding back before carefully starting to wash my sheath. Just the tip of my penis was sticking out of it, but as she slowly worked around the fur, it started to slide out more. My breathe caught again, but she didn't press anything either, instead nudging it up until I remembered we were washing, and slid the muscle internally. My baculum took over, and slid me fully out of my sheath, visible to all now.\n\nRemi was... extremely ginger as she scrubbed around my length, focusing on cleaning it up to the tip before retreating again and moving lower instead, to my balls. Instincts fired, and I tensed again a little, but she was even gentler now, careful to wash over them and only lightly soap the stitching in the back. She gave a smile and nod up to me after, and I relaxed a little again. That had been... ...pleasantly not as I expected.\n\nAfter I rinsed off under the water, Remi stood up next to me with a soft smile again. Exa looked happy too and gave us a double nod. Maybe this was for helping her too, but in the other direction. Learning to be restrained probably was very new to her, thanks to her `training'. Remi shifted forward and nuzzled into my chest, pressing up against me before giving a soft sigh.\n\n``This was... nice. Ah feel like... Ah needed that. Ah feel closer ta both o' ya, now. Safer an'... not as worried about sexual things...'' I gave her forehead a gentle nuzzle and peck, causing her to shiver and tuck under my chin, and Exa to snuggle into her back.\n\n``Of course, Remi! We're not going to do anything to you that you don't want us to. Everyone goes at their own pace!''\n\nMy arms slid a bit further out instead, and Exa widened her eyes as I wrapped them around her as well, pulling her closer and squishing Remi up between the two of us. The Illan wiggled, then snickered as she glanced over her shoulder. ``Guess Ah'm sandwich filler? Not that Ah mind, exactly. Mmm, Exes an' Ah should dry off though an' get some rest...'' She sounded reluctant, I noticed.\n\nI gave a nod and nuzzle to her again. ``Yeah. But we can snuggle in bed too. Well, you and Exa probably, in my body. I'm getting... tired now.''\n\nExa gave a nod to that, but Remi pouted again. ``Alright. But Ah'm gonna get mah snuggles in with you too, once ya wake up!'' My eyes widened a little, but she grinned and winked at that. Tch. Maybe she'd seen more earlier than I intended...\n\nI gave a more hesitant nod after, and she returned two to me before pulling me out of the shower again and towards the towels. I wasn't going to be able to sneak much past Remi in the relationship, I suddenly suspected...\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Maybe becoming paranoid was inevitable when you were the Grandmaster Alchemist.  I respected Chronak a lot more for it now, admittedly.  The Black Figment had allowed me to identify almost every trinket and bauble we'd stolen from the Agency.  All four of us had clairvoyance warding amulets now.  Remi and the twins had enchanted armor for additional protection, and Remi herself had taken the wobbly dagger thing, despite us not knowing what it did.  The blade curved back and forth, undulating as it went towards the tip, and had a dark purple, crystal core running the full length of the inside of the blade.  She tested it with a few swings and stabs, and assured that it was `full tang', whatever that meant.  Well, here's hoping it doesn't end the world if she stabs something with it, or something.  It wasn't in the book to identify, which means it was probably a `major' artifact and one of a kind.

The twins and I rested in the drainage ditch to the West of the road.  It connected to the ancient, probably barely functional, pumping station further to the west that would drain excess fluids from the ground and pump them away so it wouldn't damage the city's walls or foundation.  Midway through summer, however, this place was bone dry and perfect for staging this sort of thing.  Remi was up in the tree with an enchanted spyglass, keeping an eye on the road.  Slowly, the sun was setting now and darkness dropping, as I idly thumbed over the top of the scroll I'd finished hours ago.  Everything was set and in-place.  We couldn't be more prepared than this, but the waiting was... tense.  I could feel Exa anxiously waiting and watching from inside me, definitely happy to let me take over for this.  Admittedly, this was a little crazy, but...

It was strange being out in nature again.  I was outside of Nulidia.  It... would be so easy to just walk off and leave all of this.  But... I wouldn't get very far.  There weren't enough settlements up this far North for an unprepared hiker.  Plus, bandits were always a threat, on top of who knows what the Cult was fielding.  Chances are, I'd just be picked up eventually by someone else with ill intent.  More than likely after I ran out of food or had to settle somewhere to sleep.  There was a limit to how much I could defend myself, even with True Alchemy.  I suspected tonight was going to... tax me.

A soft owl hoot, mixed in with the rest of the bird chirps and crickets.  My ears flicked up, at the same time as Kar's and Kan's, as Remi sounded the alarm.  Showtime.  I closed my eye, feeling my senses extend out from around me, then down the path and away from the city.  True Alchemy was powerful, but... existing without my eyes for a long while made me all the more comfortable relying on other senses.

There they were.  It was a full-size caravan, with escort.  Two armed wagons pulled by Ella, in front and back of the large, two-story wagon hauled by a Megama.  Yikes.  The escort wagons were blocky, carrying a mounted repeater crossbow on top and people inside the more armored inner portion, while the big wagon was clearly meant for heavy carrying, and more than a little top heavy.  That would work in our favor though...

There was a faint clicking noise above me, and I smirked.  Remi had just armed the half a dozen concussive bombs she'd strung together.  Despite not having an organization backing her, she was resourceful enough to come up with most of her own gear.  Looking to the left, I gave a nod to the twins, who slipped into a crouch and climbed the bank and up into the shrubs, while I unrolled my scroll.  Well, time for the show.

Of course, it wasn't going to be much of a show for the caravan.  My paw touched the first rune array I'd set up, and two full batteries of Aether drained from inside of me all at once.  For a brief second, I flared with blue light as my chest and eye blazed azure... which is why I'd stayed in the ditch.  It didn't last though, as I was washed away into pitch blackness a second later.  Even darker than the black of the night, it burned up like flames around me and splashed out to the south, expanding fast.

I didn't know how big it would get.  I estimated about a kilometer, but that was just an estimate.  The area erupted into black flames, radiating darkness and silence and roaring upwards into a flood.  Everything was washed away into the black quiet within seconds, even as the enchantment fed the feedback to us instead.  I heard them suddenly shout, alongside several panicked screams as the area was blacked out.  The second click from above me, and the branch shifting in the dark.  The echoing blue flames in the vision enchantment I'd given everyone showed the outlines of every guard and each of the caravans in the pitch darkness, the ground and trees around us turning a soft, dark blue.  The radiant glow of over half a dozen little, bright blue dots launched from far above me a second later, however.  She got her spread almost perfect, at two to three bombs per caravan, and they scattered by the road in the dirt, bouncing once, then twice...

Explosions, muffled to nothingness by the dark quiet.  The caravan personnel wouldn't have heard anything either, instead feeling only the shockwave as the wagons and hauling animals were flung sideways off the road, almost eight meters into the forest on the other side.  It flipped the front wagon entirely, causing more screams and a wet crunching noise that couldn't be avoided.  Tch.  The other two wagons ended up on their sides, and all the animals were panicking now, struggling against their harnesses and trying to stand once again.

I stood, radiating azure that nobody could see anymore, and walked up the bank to the road above, watching as the twins and Remi descended down upon them.  The goal was really simple, and I held my scroll up as I walked.  The twins were fast and extremely coordinated thanks to the Nexus.  Three guards were sent flying from the initial landing, and they casually slammed and flung two more before anyone even realized they were under attack.  Not that they could see more than half a meter in front of them.

The front guard wagon was de-guarded within seconds as I walked up.  Remi had landed near the front of it and sliced the animals free before scamper-hopping past and towards the main wagon.  I touched the guard caravan as she cleared it and the twins leapt off.  The entire thing pulsed as another array activated on my scroll, and I felt the energy dance out of my paw and over it.  The wagon shook, then simply fell through the wrinkle, and safely into the folded space I'd made connected to the scroll.  Clean and easy.

My ears perked as I heard crossbows starting to fire.  The twins fell back to me instead, and I walked them forward, the haphazardly aimed shots plinking off the Inertia effect I generated in front of us as we went.  I broke into a run after, catching the twins up to the main wagon as fast as I could, even as Remi freed the Megama and slapped its rump until it ran off into the dark forest.  She gave me a nod, then hopped backwards and flipping up onto the top of the wagon, sending two guards flying off the side and into the ditch with dull thuds.  I didn't bother checking anyone for injuries...

The rear wagon was aware something bad was happening, and eight more armed guards rushed forward.  The twins met them with a lightning fast strike, blurring at that point as their bare paws dented through armor and crushed bones.  There was a series of cracks and crunches, and three of the guards hit the ground, with one flying off the side of the ditch.  The guards had to ditch their crossbows, and two more were dropped before the rest managed to draw their blades.

I fed them both more Aether, supplementing their vita as they dove inwards regardless.  The twins didn't have swords or spears or anything.  I'd equipped them both with studded gauntlets instead to compliment the style they'd already been trained in, which was a heavy brawler.  Of course, the metal bits on their gauntlets were engineered as sword catches on top of that.  It was surprisingly easy to disarm someone like that.

Two more crossbow users landed in the forest with dull crunches, Remi clearing out the big wagon while I watched the twins fight.  Two guards were disarmed almost instantly, then dropped with chest and neck hits.  The third and last one tried to run, but Kar landed on his back and snapped his knee against the ground, causing him to silently scream as the pup cracked his face off the dirt.  He didn't get up again after.  Well, that was clean.

Remi gave a whistle and flipped off the top of the wagon, and I touched the side, draining another battery but sending the entire behemoth of wood and iron into its own wrinkle, connected to the scroll again.  That meant there were another two batteries, with one purely as a backup for-

A scream and pulse fired off from the last wagon.  The ground shattered away from it, and I held a paw up, causing the scroll to pulse and a nullification field to activate, just as the twins were sent flying backwards from the shockwave!  Remi flickered in, blazing with green vita, and touched them both in the air, canceling their momentum with a counter pulse, and they hit the ground into a roll.  Ah...  I figured there was a... slight chance...

She jumped off the top of the wagon, wearing robes and pulling a staff from her back.  Fascinating!  That meant all sorts of fun implications for the research facility that got busted.  She chanted in True Alchemy, forming a barrier around herself as I watched her bleed lifeforce like crazy to do it.  The staff pulsed, and I stepped forward, moving my paw to the side and knocking away the blast of superheated energy with the Inertia field.  It was a normal enchantment, and only magic, however.  Predictably, she was using True Alchemy effects sparingly.

Sighing, I broke out my `Cultist' preparation instead, sliding the scroll fully open and activating the last rune.  I saw her eyes start to glow as she continued chanting, trying to find our location, even as I pulled a vial from the side of my belt, popping the cork off the top of it.  Clear and absolutely scentless, after I'd taken a sample of the pure corruptive wavelength and extracted it to just its base form.  It radiated my inner azure glow in the dark, but she wouldn't have been able to see that, as I whipped the paw at her instead, sending a spraying arc of the fluid towards her.

It was ironic that Chronak's first lesson into True Alchemy in his book had been on manipulating normal alchemical reactions using it.  It turned out... surprisingly useful, as the form of the fluid changed in the air, charging from the last rune array from the scroll.  The droplets shifted, becoming frozen crystal shards in midair, even as I directed the targeting towards her in a loose scatter.

Each one was charged with a tiny little burst of True Alchemy counteracting energy.  Her eyes widened as her new enchantment picked up the incoming movement, and she dropped the staff to focus on boosting her own True Alchemy barrier.  The little icy shards of corruption went through it like tissue paper, accelerated to just over fifty meters a second.

She screamed into the silent darkness, entire body blitzed with shards that tore through her robe and stabbed into her skin.  Her consciousness flared, then was pulled almost instantly into the Nexus, and I winced as one of the shards punched through her left eye and partly into her skull.  Damn, I'd aimed for a body spray for the most part.  Tch.

She dropped instantly afterwards, and I let my corruption take her over, radiating through her body as I focused on stabilizing her wounds.  Seeing her drop, Remi and the twins shot past and swept the last wagon for any remaining guards, even as I walked up to the dropped female and knelt down next to her.  Jakatar by the looks of it.  Young.  Fuck, she barely looked fifteen.  Why was she a Cultist?!  She had one of their fucking clasps, which confirmed it, and I sighed.  Well, extra bonus on my end.  Cultist acquired!  I had... questions for her.

Remi whistled though, and I nodded to myself, gesturing to the twins.  They picked the girl up and tossed her back into the carrying compartment of the wagon, before closing it up and nodding.  With a touch, the third wagon, and the girl, fell into the scroll too, and we were off again.

Two and a half minutes, and the entire incoming caravan had vanished without a trace, leaving two dozen guards strewn about in the forest, either injured or dead, and all the animals released into the wild without their harnesses.  The only memories any of the living guards would have is a chaotic attack in pitch darkness and silence.  Scrying on the area would show nothing thanks to my first True Alchemy enchantment.  Magical communication had also been blocked.  I'd say that was a win.  We ran down the sewer tunnels we'd come in from now, heading rapidly back towards the Black Keld with our loot...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


I was definitely getting tired and sore now.  But I pressed on, as Vox unlocked an overflow area of the sewers for us, and soon, all three wagons were there, on their sides.  Sadly, the front one had quite a bit of blood on it, but there wasn't much I could do at this point.  I'd warned him there would probably be casualties.  Truly, we all suffered together.  Vox gave a low whistle as he looked them over, eyes wide now.  ``Fuck... you just... took the entire wagons.''

I nodded, watching the twins undoing doors and opening them up for us.  ``Yup.  Fast and clean.  We were done in two and a half minutes, and it was in complete magical darkness and silence, with scrying and communication blocked.''  I leaned against the wall, resting and watching, while Remi rubbed at her legs to my right, after removing her lower armor.  She called it the `tingles', and a side effect of Illan using vita techniques on their powerful legs.  Hypersensitivity that could set in upwards of half an hour later.

``Guard wagon thingies only had gear and seats!  Boring!''  Kan huffed as he shouted his report to us, and Vox chuckled.

``The good stuff is going to be in the big wagon, guys.''  They both perked at that and dove towards the larger one, predictably.  They could have at, though.  I was... fatigued.  Even setting the batteries up ahead of time, it still had taken effort of will, and my own vita to control the large effects.  Everything had a price.

Soon, the twins were moving crates out of the large wagon, and getting them stacked up near us.  Vox opened up one of them, perking then wincing as the acrid scents hit us of raw alchemy reagents.  Yeah, it didn't matter how well you packed them or how many layers they were in.  Some alchemy scents were just pervasive.  He closed the crate at that, then nodded my way.  ``Lots of stuff for you, Exes.  You were right.''

``Smaller black cases full of papers!''  Vox perked at that, and Kan hopped down from the wagon to show him one, even as Kar slid down it carrying about twenty of the same type.  They were a metal case with heavy duty latches in the front, and handles to each side to carry them by the looks of it.  Fireproof.  Oh, the papers must be...

Paper notes.  Vox's eyes widened as he opened the one and revealed stack upon stack of the paper bank notations.  The paper currency of Aion.  It was lighter, and each one could count as multiple coins that way.  Those looked like hundred notes...  Fuck.  Vox agreed, of course.  ``Fuck!  There...  This is a huge amount of money!  I'm gonna have to get Xora to run some samples and see if it's clean or not, but...  Damn!''

I nodded to him.  I hadn't gotten that economics class, so I didn't know the first thing about that sort of thing.  ``It's all yours, as promised.  It should be enough for you and Meria to make your escape from Nulidia.''

Vox stared down at the bills for a long moment before closing the case and slowly smiling again, looking over to me after.  ``I...  Thank you, Exes.  I mean, this is overkill by far for me just hiding you for a while...  Really, if there's anything else I can do for you, please, let me know.  This...''  His paws clenched against the metal case, and I smiled, nodding to him.

``I might need to stay down low for a while longer, if you don't mind keeping us all here still.  Plus a few extra now, it seems...''

I glanced to the right at that, to the other side of Remi, at the Jakatar female.  Pure white fur with soft blue eyes.  Remi had searched her already; in the same way one considers eliminating a crawler infestation in their house using a firebomb.  The girl was naked now, and had every centimeter of her, including every body cavity, thoroughly searched by the Illan.  That included with light orbs and spreading inserts I didn't realize she even owned.  She was largely clean, minus a hidden dagger and a few packs of Desert Sands.  Moderate-level stimulant in powder form that you took by rubbing it up between your outer lip and gums.  It could be broken down into far more useful ingredients, so I'd kept it.

Overall, she was seriously fucked up.  She'd been punctured by close to thirty shards, and had several vital organs hit, alongside three spine injuries.  If it weren't for my Nexus, she'd be dead, paws down.  But I'd stabilized her and she was regenerating actively, with hisses of steam coming off her body from dozens of spots.  I'd have to put her on intravenous fluid replenishment, but she was actually going to live.  As my slave and informant, but she'd live.

``Exes!''  My ears perked, and I looked forward again as the twins carried a much larger container down from the wagon.  Ah!  They each had it by one end, with clear handles visible there as they carried it to the floor and set it in front of me.  Was this...?  The container was rectangular, at almost two meters long and probably a meter thick.  Metal for the most part, but with glass panels on the top and a lot of canisters hooked up to tubes leading into it.  More interestingly, fog was condensing off the sides of it and moisture beading up along the canisters.

I could feel the cold even as I walked up, and both Vulkus patted their own paws after setting it down, rubbing them together to warm them again.  What... was this...?  The glass was frosted over, and I frowned as I walked around the side of it, crouching and looking at the canisters.  One was liquid air, and I recognized another to be frostflow.  That was a popular alchemical coolant used.  Now I was very curious.

This was a preservation container of some sorts.  Elaborate and custom-made.  It had mana cells for power and used a mixture of things within it.  I'd heard of food canisters and such being transported like this but those containers were pretty standardized, I'd thought.  Remi curiously watched as she hopped up, then frowned.  ``Tha fuck's that thing?  It's cold!''

Vox nodded to her.  ``A preservation container, but it looks custom designed.  Wait a second...''  He shifted to a look of concern after, and I slowly swallowed, nodding.  I suddenly had a very, very bad feeling about this.

``Were there any notes or anything with this?''  I looked up to the twins, who both shook their heads.  Tch.  Well, this was...  I reached over and lightly tapped on the glass panel running the full length of the container, using a very small burst of True Alchemy to vibrate the surface.  All of us widened our eyes as the ice cracked and fell away, leaving just frost on the glass and revealing... a Garkin.

She looked like she was asleep, but she wasn't breathing.  Her scales were a dark blue in color, shifting to outright black in spots, and her fins and frills were amethyst.  Her horns were... remarkably developed; expanding upwards and backwards in a curve towards the back of her skull.  But... the most startling bit was the fact that she had wings!  Physical, solid wings!  Surprisingly large wings were folded gently against her back, and she was tucked in a cylindrical-shaped containment.  Tubes went into her arm, clearly releasing a blue fluid into her from the head-end of the container.  Fuck!

``Is...  Is this the slave he wanted?!  Is she...?''  Vox looked disgusted, but I energized my paw with mana, then ported the spell with True Alchemy through the crystal.  It was thick enough, and insulated enough, to block the magic normally, by the feel of it.  It took a bit of effort to extend the tether long enough, but I hooked it right to her neck, then pulled the readings up on display, eyes widening even more.

There was neural activity, and an extremely slow heartbeat!  ``Fuck, she's alive!  How is this...?''  How was this even possible?!  This was...  Why had they done this to her in the first place?!

``Oh fuck, can ya get `er out o' that thing?!''  Remi peeked in through the glass, eyes wide as she looked over the female.  This was...

My mind whirled.  ``There's... a reason they did this.  There's no way they'd go to the expense of making this container and transporting her like this without a reason.  She must need to stay frozen like this... but... why?''  The facility had been testing Garkin instability.  As a newly created species, that had been made purely as an alchemical accident, it was widely known that they didn't have the most stable of essences.  Extensive patching was needed in order to make sure they weren't born with all sorts of horrible birth defects and mutations.  Their essence had been getting wildly unstable over the two decades of no maintenance, and this facility had clearly been taking advantage of that.  But I didn't know to what end.

I closed my eye and rubbed at my temples.  So... it was pretty reasonable to assume her essence was unstable.  Freezing her like this would drastically slow down her metabolic rate, reducing how badly such an instability would affect her body.  They were transporting her like this as an emergency thing due to the lab being hit, and Ignaus had paid a staggeringly huge amount of coin for her in particular.  There was... a good chance she had been midway through some experimental process that they didn't have time to conclude, and had to ship her in an unstable state.

Everyone just waited patiently for me, it would seem.  I sighed, opening my eye again, then looking inside her container afterwards.  ``I think I could figure out how to get her out and safely thaw her, but... I suspect the reason she's in there is that her essence is wildly unstable.  They were experimenting on the Garkin at that facility, and chances are, they shipped her like this because they were forced to halt her in an incomplete state...''

Remi tilted her head to me at that, but Vox slowly nodded.  ``So just releasing her and unthawing her would be dangerous.  She might have all sorts of health complications thanks to them fucking with her essence...''  I nodded, and Remi's eyes narrowed a little.

``Fuckin' monsters!  Tch...  We can't just leave `er in there!''  She looked to me with that, and I slowly nodded.

``Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to study the Garkin essence patches before getting kidnapped.  But chances are, nothing they did was standardized anyway.  How they did it is... a good question, too.  They must have access to the True Alchemy production plates from one of the Essence Patch facilities...''  I considered it for a moment before sighing again.  There had been... other books in the library.  All of the ones that didn't have a password lock on them had been in that one bookcase, near the entrance.

I'd saved it during that final hit to my soul.  The Demon library itself was... `lost' inside of me, to some degree.  I knew it was there, but I couldn't access it thanks to the damage the Soulthorn had caused.  But I did look over the other books.  One went over the method of `patching', which was originally created to elevate the lesser species, by the Demons.  The process was considered... inconsequentially irrelevant, and they didn't bother securing it at all.  We were animals, and manipulating us was just something to be expected, and very low-end.

The Essence Patches were thus a True Alchemy version of alchemic liquid encoding.  Putting a magical effect inside of a fluid for ease of use.  Pretty bog-standard really, except instead of magic, this was True Alchemy.  The words it used were surprisingly simple and direct.  The art was in the arrangement of them, and applying them to the right spots of the Essence, in order to get the effect you wanted.  Turning someone's fur pink, for example.  Find the location of the fur color in their essence, use the word to append the new data, then regenerate their fur to see the effect.

It got tricky when using it on still-growing essences, versus an adult.  In-utero, like the first Essence patches were applied, was even trickier due to all the shifting and changing address locations.  But some things could only be applied there, because once the body part or affected area was grown in some instances, it couldn't be told to simply `regenerate'.  That's why it was done in-utero at all.  The process was called `cascade patching'.  It was complicated but well-documented.

Of course, the instruction manual didn't include any of the actual True Alchemy used for modern-day Essence Patches.  Those were in a suitcase inside my folded spatial suitcase... which I assumed was somewhere, being kept for me.  Tch.  But it wouldn't have helped me in this scenario anyway.  Was I really going to try doing this...?

Everyone was watching me again when I snapped out of it.  ``Okay, crazy idea time.  I know how to make Essence Patches.  I'm going to do a full scan on her while she's still frozen and get her complete Essence imprinting.  Then, we carefully unthaw her again, and I run another scan while doing so, catching any irregularities as they form.  Then, I patch them, custom, on the fly using True Alchemy...  In theory, I can stabilize her, at the very least.  Prevent any out-of-control health effects or complications.''

Slowly, Vox nodded.  ``That... sounds really complicated.  And like we're going to need more medical supplies.  They'd be crazy though to not...''  He trailed off as I nudged my head towards the ten large crates of ingredients they'd been shipping with her.  ``...oh.  Okay, that makes sense.''

The twins had been digging more at the wagon at the same time, and Kar poked his head up out of the side storage.  ``They have tools and machines and stuff here, too!''  I grinned.  Alright, then!  ``Okay...  I'll be redirecting some mana couplings in the sewer, if you don't mind...''  Vox rubbed his muzzle, but Remi grinned and nodded.

``Ah'll help!  Used ta help mah dad with `em before!  He was ahn Alchemical Engineer.''  Perfect!  ``Uh, ya might lose power ah couple times ta tha buildin', Vox...''  Right...

He sighed and nodded at that.  ``I'll go inform the guests.  Try not to fry yourselves or anything...''  We both nodded to them, and Remi spun and caught the incoming insulated gloves as Kar threw them our way, at my mental request.  Well, this was about to become very interesting indeed.  For science!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


It took us a good three hours to re-route, then modulate the power going into the Black Keld, from the root node running under the city.  Exa was manifested at that point, and now I was glad for her Avatar's physicality, as she helped us move things around.  As per Remi's suggestion, we drew it starting from almost twelve blocks away, and routed it through at least eight redirects before adding the extra flow to the power we were using in the lab.  It would probably take them moons to investigate anyway, but Remi was very insistent that we use this particular node to draw from, after she'd extensively looked over the power grid diagrams.  Turns out, the first redirect was from the Agency, and they'd be the first to be investigated for the sudden boost in power draw...  Keh.  I could get behind this.

The large container she was in was actually a shell, for a smaller cylinder they'd packed her into. We'd extracted that safely, and soon she rested there on her side, with wires hooked into the cylinder and lit up on the stand we'd pulled from the wagon.  She looked peaceful really, resting there like that, though it was hard to not note how adorably cute she was.  But those wings and horns...  And outside of the other container, I noted her back ridge was also quite developed, ending in a very non-traditional flared fin to her tail.  She looked more... feral and rugged than a normal Garkin.

I exhaled, looking at her, then jumped a little as Remi set a paw on my shoulder.  ``Exes, ya should rest.  Ya've been out fer ah while now.  She's got over ah moon o' fuel fer tha canister...''  I sighed at that, but nodded.  It was true.  There were enough ingredients here to last a moon and a half, keeping her suspended like this.

``You're right, yeah.  I don't think it would be wise to do anything while I'm tired anyway...''  I'd left the Essence Scanner going on her, and it was gradually mapping her entire imprinting.  The only issue is, it would probably take days to finish anyway.  There wasn't any sense in rushing.  All I could do was mix up some of the medicine I'd more than likely need ahead of time.

Exa stood from finishing tying together all the power couplings and gave a nod as well.  ``Yeah!  We could all rest and snuggle!''  Her tail started to wag as she padded over to Remi and I.

Remi grinned and nodded, slipping up close again before nuzzling up under my chin.  ``Ah nap does sound pretty good right `bout now, admittedly.  Exa's right...''  I nodded, relenting and letting the two haul me towards the stairs.  It was kind of amusing that Exa's avatar could physically move me, admittedly.  Although... no, I was lazy...  Walking was hard.

Remi perked, looking back and up at me again as I wrapped my arms around her instead, then squeaked and I pulled her up nice and tight to me, pressing her face into my chest.  Exa tilted her head towards us, but I'd already stepped sideways again, sending Remi and I through a wrinkle and into the bathroom attached to the medical ward.  My home away from home for now.  She squeaked again, then rapidly looked around as I smirked.  Exa winked into existence following us a moment later, cheating and just re-adjusting where her avatar was located, of course.

``True Alchemy.  And I didn't feel like taking the stairs...  Want a shower first?''  She looked back to me at that, then slowly relaxed again before giving a hesitant nod.

``Ya scared me!  Uh... yeah, actually.  We kinda smell like sewer.  Ick...''  She sniffed herself and scrunched her muzzle up, and I chuckled.  Exa sniffed herself too, then snickered and grinned as I rolled my eyes towards her.

``You two smell like sewer.  Guess a benefit of being a magical projection?''

Remi huffed at that, and pouted.  ``Yeah, yeah.  Jus' rub it in, then.''

I gave a chuckle at that.  ``Heh, indeed.  Though, Remi can have one first, don't worry.  I'll just wait in the-``  She grabbed my paw though, then grinned before pulling be back towards the shower instead, shaking her head.  Eh?!  Exa grinned too, then followed us along rather eagerly.

Uh...  A light flush danced over Remi's cheeks, expression shifting mirthful.  ``Dun worry about it, Exes.  Ah think we're all mature enough ta share.  Certainly don't mean we gotta sex each other up, but gettin' comfortable with each other can't hurt none...''  Comfortable?  Exa nodded rapidly, giving a little hop, before her clothing simply vanished as if she'd unequipped it all from the avatar menu of a PEC.  Tch.

It was... an odd sensation.  I watched Remi slide out of her clothes with... a certain tenseness.  ...and obviously a lot slower than Exa.  There wasn't any eager anticipation, but a level of uncertainty and anxiousness.  But at the same time, she didn't make a show of it, or any focus on being sexy.  She just slid out of them, then gave a gentle smile to me, standing there, nude.

Remi was...  She was indeed a very pretty Illan.  Beautiful even, in both face and body.  I could... appreciate her proportions, with wider hips and a slight curve to her waist.  Her breasts weren't quite pawfuls, and very appealing in shape, with two lightly pink nubs capping both.  Further, she had definite muscle tone to her, putting me to shame by far, though that didn't take much.

But the way she stood there was just... normal, and she gave me a flushed smile, eagerly searching my expression.  I took a few deep breaths, relaxing myself before looking her over again and giving her a soft nod.  She grinned, then nodded back.  ``Just... slow, okay?  No rush, an' one step at ah time...''

She must have seen my apprehension.  I nodded to her, then slid out of my own clothing too, just as succinctly as she had, hers.  She watched with perhaps a little more interest than I'd managed to generate, but tensed as I finally slid my loincloth down, revealing still growing sheath and balls.  I was perhaps double the size of when she'd first seen me, but still below average for an adult Inaga.  My balls were very below average still, with just-starting fur growth and some visible surgical stitching still.  She gave a little sympathy wince as she spotted it, then a more assuring smile upwards.

``Heh, probably not the sexiest...''  I slipped up closer to her, and she leaned in and nuzzled my chest before winking upwards.

Exa huffed, looking over her shoulder from adjusting the water temperature of the shower.  ``You're plenty sexy, Exes.  Plus, give it time!''  Remi gave a chuckle, then nodded to that.

``Yer ah big boy.  Ah'm gonna guess ya'll put me ta awe by tha time yer done fillin' out again.  `sides, Ah already know Ah like everythin' else!''  I lifted an eyebrow to her, and she snickered before leaning up and giving the center of my chest a tap, followed by my forehead.  ``What's in these two spots...?  Golden...''

I chuckled, sliding my arms around her and giving her a little hug, which let her shiver against me.  ``Even the parts where I tortured and killed people...?''  Exa scrunched her muzzle up and huffed my way, but Remi just snorted at that.

``What ya did ta Atir was ah work o' art, Exes.  Ah call that `justice'.  Ain't like everyone he's hurt is gonna get any, otherwise.  Everythin' else was also done ta some very, very bad people.''  She gave a terse sigh at that, then shook her head up at me.  ``Nobody's cleanin' these places up, Exes.  So much... just goes unfixed.  Unanswered fer.  What ya did so far?  If ya can't consider it justice, just call it tha natural order o' things, instead.  They did bad things.  Bad things did them.  Simple as that...''  Heh, that I could get behind too.

I smirked at that, and she shot me a wink before pulling me over to the shower instead.  Remi was just the perfect amount of fucked up to compliment my own nicely, it felt like.  Exa stepped out of the way of the shower spray, then put her paws on her hips while watching.  ``She's right.  You typically put others first and foremost, and are looking out for those less fortunate than yourself.  I mean, you even look out for me, shielding me from the worst of our memories and keeping them to yourself.  What's deep down is what really counts...''  Tch.

Exa eased me against the wall of the shower, smiling now as Remi stepped in behind her, catching herself in the spray and giving a little shiver.  ``Mmm, this...  Ah thought it would be worse than this, but... Ah guess ya still feel safe, even naked...''  She gave a snicker after and glanced over her shoulder at me, giving a grin.

I chuckled myself, then slowly nodded as Exa helped me slide down to a sitting position in the shower.  The body was giving general `ache' signals, and I definitely felt stiff.  It was a long day so far...  Well, night now.  Or was it day again after midnight?  I didn't know what time it was.  The shower was really only big enough for one though, and my legs were brushing against Remi's paws as she washed her fur down.  It didn't seem to upset her though as she turned and started washing her back down, now looking at me fully instead.

Her expression was soft and searching, and I brushed softly along her ankle with my right lower paw, causing her to smile again.  ``Yer ah big softie.  Though, with just enough hardness where it counts, Ah guess.''  She shot me a wink, and I lifted an eyebrow to her.  Was that an innuendo or was she talking about the torture and murder bit earlier?  Probably both, knowing her.

She stretched after she was soaked down properly, and I really did admire her sleek, muscular form.  Definitely feminine, but powerful.  Her training was showing through, and admittedly, I did find her extremely attractive.  The wet gray and dark gray fur meshed with the teal eyes looking down at me.  Instead, I gestured her downwards, grabbing the fur shampoo that was in the corner.

Her eyes widened a little, and I saw her flush, but nod, kneeling down before sitting down between my legs.  She wanted to become familiar with each other.  Accustomed.  Exa perked her ears up as she watched, tail starting to wag again, but I shot her a look to restrain herself.  The Illan shifted so her back was to me, and my paws dug into her fur, causing her to shiver.  I was careful with my still regrowing nails, so neither of us regretted anything, and just gently scrubbed the soap into her fur.

She tensed, taking a few deep breaths, then slowly relaxing as I just washed over her shoulders and back, then neck and head.  ``Mmm...  This is nice...''  My fingers worked her muscles as I did, pressing out tension and causing her to shiver, then relax more as I scrubbed over the backs of her ears.  ``Mmmph, ya know how ta massage?''

I chuckled.  ``Part of being a medical mage.  Though yes, I know massages.  At least, I never heard any complaints...''  Exa watched with fascination, as if trying to memorize every little detail of what I was doing.

Remi gave a little purr, then snickered again.  ``Ah bet ya didn't.  Mmm...  This is... very nice...''  I wasn't entirely sure she was talking about the massage as she looked over her shoulder to me.  I smiled back, giving extra attention to her shoulders again as I leaned around and softly kissed her.  A shiver, and she leaned into the kiss as I softly stroked over her arms, working the soap in there, too.  A quiet nudge went to Exa, who perked and slid forward, helping me suds up the Illan's arms.

Remi perked, eyes widening as she broke from the kiss to look to Exa, flushed now as my `twin' grinned to her, starting to suds up her stomach too.  ``Mmm, I'll get the front.  You can get her back.  More efficient that way, hmm?''  Remi smirked at that.

``Ah see how it is.  Ya get all tha fun bits ta play with, an' all Exes gets is mah butt.''  Pfft.

I chuckled, washing down her back now.  ``Well, it's a very nice butt.  But I'm also fine with sharing...  I've...''  I paused at that, mind hitting a hiccup.  I'd what?  Done it before?  A flash went through my head and I closed my eyes.  Walking back into the room after using the bathroom.  Hearing Exia's panting moan from Exir's room.  While hurrying back into my own.  Tch.  Well, that was an unexpectedly unpleasant memory I'd been avoiding for a while...

Remi perked and looked back at me again, but Exa just snickered, rubbing over the Illan's legs.  ``Well, that is right.  Technically I've gotten to snuggle you each night after taking over for Exes.  I should let him have a night with you one of these days!''  Heh... taking over for me.

``Exes?''  Remi didn't respond to Exa; and instead turned more to face me, searching my expression.  I snapped out of it and gave her a smile back, shaking my head.

``I'm fine.  Just... memories.  You're probably about ready for a rinse, minus your legs...''  Remi didn't look convinced, and Exa frowned, fully paying attention to me again.  I felt her poking and nudging about inside us now, and mentally bapped her on her oh so curious mental nose.  Her real muzzle scrunched at that, and she pouted.

Remi lifted an eyebrow to that.  ``Ya didn't get mah rear.  Though Ah suppose Ah was sittin' on it.  Boobs an' groin, too...''

Exa flushed at that, then coughed.  ``I didn't know if you were, uh, comfortable with that or not.  Both of you are in need of some healing, sexually...''

Slowly, Remi nodded to her, then leaned back, spreading her legs open and revealing herself to both of us while shifting a bit pink.  She looked... vulnerable like that, but kept herself fully open, even as the water spray rinsed off her left arm that slid into it.  ``It's... fine.  Please...?''

Exa looked to me, and I slowly nodded to her before sliding up between Remi's legs instead now.  She tensed, but I gently rubbed her stomach down, even as Exa started at her shoulders.  She gave a little sigh after a moment and relaxed back on her arms, letting us both slowly work lower, respectively.  A little start and twitch as paws finally reached her breasts, and I waited, scrubbing her navel down as Exa brushed around and under, then gently pawing over both nipples.  They stiffened to the touch, but she didn't linger, focusing on scrubbing her fur down instead.

Remi's eyes lidded open after, locked onto me as I slipped lower, washing over her inner thighs, then to both sides of her entrance below.  She was a little flushed over her labia, but I didn't pay attention to that as I slowly washed over her lower lips.  She gave a shiver, and I jumped slightly as she winked out at me, clit flicking for a moment as her breath caught.  I didn't press anything though, and instead shifted to her legs, drawing back and letting her calm down again.  The body's signs of arousal weren't voluntary, and I wanted her to be safe and secure.

Her eyes opened again as she watched me, expression hard to read.  Exa and I both took one of her legs, kneading the shampoo in all the way down to her toes, which she wiggled to us, then giggled as we worked between them.  Smiling now, she relaxed fully, then grinned to both of us.  ``Ah... dun know what Ah was expectin', but...  That was... really nice.  Thank ya.  Both o' ya...''

We let her up to rinse herself off, and then it was my turn.  I was more than a little apprehensive as I wet my fur down in front of both sets of watching eyes, but they stayed just watching.  A sliver of me was... afraid of getting pounced, I realized.  Had I... expected this to inevitably turn sexual?  We said it wouldn't...  Why had I...?

I shook the sensation off, giving a shaky exhale before sitting down as well, taking Remi's prior spot as Exa moved behind me, and the Illan took the front.  ``I'm already really familiar with our body, so Remi can do most of the exploring...''  Exa winked to me over my shoulder, and I shot her a pointed stare, causing her to grin.  Yeah, I was pretty sure she'd been playing around with masturbating already.  Masturbating me?  Herself?  Eh, it didn't really matter.

Remi flushed as she ran her paws over my chest, momentarily lingering on each shift in muscle, then over my abs.  ``Yer startin' ta get some strength back, Ah see.  Ya look... nice...''  The final word was a bit shaky, and I looked to her, noting her eyes trailing down to my groin instead.  I stayed still though, swallowing the nervous lump in my throat.  She'd let us explore her, so I had to stay... calm and brave too.

Exa on my back was nice, even as she worked down to my hips and thighs, trying to mimic the motions she'd watched me do while massaging Remi.  I... mentally guided her as she went, and soon she was causing me to give little shivers while she worked the muscles.  Mmm, massages really were nice.  I'd never gotten a chance to experience them myself, admittedly.

While she worked, Remi finished with my legs, working over my toes before sliding upwards again.  I tensed, eyes opening again as I saw her looking up at me instead.  Right...  I gave her a nod, and she smiled, nodding back before carefully starting to wash my sheath.  Just the tip of my penis was sticking out of it, but as she slowly worked around the fur, it started to slide out more.  My breathe caught again, but she didn't press anything either, instead nudging it up until I remembered we were washing, and slid the muscle internally.  My baculum took over, and slid me fully out of my sheath, visible to all now.

Remi was... extremely ginger as she scrubbed around my length, focusing on cleaning it up to the tip before retreating again and moving lower instead, to my balls.  Instincts fired, and I tensed again a little, but she was even gentler now, careful to wash over them and only lightly soap the stitching in the back.  She gave a smile and nod up to me after, and I relaxed a little again.  That had been...  ...pleasantly not as I expected.

After I rinsed off under the water, Remi stood up next to me with a soft smile again.  Exa looked happy too and gave us a double nod.  Maybe this was for helping her too, but in the other direction.  Learning to be restrained probably was very new to her, thanks to her `training'.  Remi shifted forward and nuzzled into my chest, pressing up against me before giving a soft sigh.

``This was... nice.  Ah feel like... Ah needed that.  Ah feel closer ta both o' ya, now.  Safer an'... not as worried about sexual things...''  I gave her forehead a gentle nuzzle and peck, causing her to shiver and tuck under my chin, and Exa to snuggle into her back.

``Of course, Remi!  We're not going to do anything to you that you don't want us to.  Everyone goes at their own pace!''

My arms slid a bit further out instead, and Exa widened her eyes as I wrapped them around her as well, pulling her closer and squishing Remi up between the two of us.  The Illan wiggled, then snickered as she glanced over her shoulder.  ``Guess Ah'm sandwich filler?  Not that Ah mind, exactly.  Mmm, Exes an' Ah should dry off though an' get some rest...''  She sounded reluctant, I noticed.

I gave a nod and nuzzle to her again.  ``Yeah.  But we can snuggle in bed too.  Well, you and Exa probably, in my body.  I'm getting... tired now.''

Exa gave a nod to that, but Remi pouted again.  ``Alright.  But Ah'm gonna get mah snuggles in with you too, once ya wake up!''  My eyes widened a little, but she grinned and winked at that.  Tch.  Maybe she'd seen more earlier than I intended...

I gave a more hesitant nod after, and she returned two to me before pulling me out of the shower again and towards the towels.  I wasn't going to be able to sneak much past Remi in the relationship, I suddenly suspected...

", "pools_count": 1, "title": "Exes - Chapter 36", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "application/msword", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "2", "rating_name": "Adult", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "4", "name": "Sexual Themes", "description": "Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal", "rating_id": "2" }, { "content_tag_id": "5", "name": "Strong Violence", "description": "Strong violence, blood, serious injury or death", "rating_id": "2" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "t", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "0", "views": "20" }