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Disposable Hero Ch. 01 Pt. 01

By: Bokhun



Into the Foreverdark

The Gathering

A man sits outside a store with a stroller rocking it back and forth; inside the stroller sleeps a 6-month-old baby. This tall man stands and looks into the stroller to see if his son is still a sleep. An unusual little girl walks out of the store her snow-white hair with silver highlights and obsidian skin gets many looks from people as she comes out. She sees that man and runs quietly up to him and with the grace of a cat climbs on to the bench and jumps on to the mans back. He braces himself as she thuds into him and looks into the stroller.

She says playfully, "Papa who's that?"

He rolls his eyes and says, "That is still your little brother Vilvra."

She looks at her father with disbelief and says, "Papa, he looks nothing like me or mama. So how can he be my brother?"

Her father smiles and replies, "I don't look like you or mama, yet you call me papa."

She gave her father a close examination and answered him, "Mama said you are my papa and that you are special unlike them." As she pointed to the people staring at her as she glared at them evilly.

He just shook his head and said, "Your mother also told you he was your brother, look he has silver in his hair like you and your mother. You were there when he was born and your mother is not pregnant anymore either."

A man in a business suit is walking towards them and interrupts saying, "Lord Bordeaux, we have need of your counsel."

He looked at his daughter and sighed deeply, before saying, "I am no Lord. Just because we own most of the land in this area does not make me a lord, understand? Call me Henri from now on."

The man in the suit says, "We held a vote and named you the lord of this region and you agreed, we have done so well under you leadership, that all of Aquitaine wants you to be their lord and to protect them from bandits."

Henri retorted, "First off I agreed because of people that were loyal to me having fought with me. I promised elections and you had your vote now let me get back to my vineyards. I am not going to become a lord or king of this area. We are part of France and we have a Prime Minister. While he is trying to stabilize all of France, I am just protecting those who came here from another land and don't understand our system of rule let alone have a voice, but they do understand kings and lords. So go bother the Prime Minister not me, I am more interested in my vineyards and my family."

The man interjects, "The prefecture is fine, but we are getting no help from Paris. I am afraid to say this but I think the republic is over. All they do is take and under the constitution we can't pass laws to help us. Your family has been the backbone of this prefecture and the other Departments are looking to us and we are looking to you. Please send your armies to calm the Region or we might go the route of the eastern Regions where rebellion has started. If you take control now we can keep our region together and maybe Midi and Languedoc will join us and when things calm we can rejoin France."

Henri ran his fingers through his hair in disgust and said, "I will call an assembly and if they agree unanimously then I will take charge until things calm down in France. I want somebody from the prefecture to speak on this as well as people from the Departments and yes even from the Regions as well as our representatives in Paris. I will call it for two weeks from now, my brother will give you the information. Now, leave me be, I have my children to watch."

The man smiled and said, "Thank you, Lord Bordeaux," he turned to Vilvra and said, "Good day Lord and Miss Bordeaux."

Vilvra hid behind her father; as the man walked away, she pulled on her father's shorts. She couldn't resist as she asked, "Papa, why did that man call you Lord and me Miss?"

Henri knelt down and said, "Because your father did what was right and now people look to me as their leader and you as their next leader."

Vilvra looked around at all the people who had overheard the conversation and saw them stare at her even harder. She looked at herself and wondered why she was so different from them. Vilvra couldn't resist, "Papa, why are me and mama so different from them? Do they hate us because we are different? How come the people who have skin close to ours don't like us either? Why can I do things that scare my classmates and why can't they do the same?"

Henri knew he would have to have this talk some day and after 8 years, the time had finally come. Henri sighed and trying to sound nonchalant said, "Vilvra, you know papa loves you and mama very much. Your mama comes from another world and that is why she looks like she does. You look like you do because like your aunts and mother, I can do magic..."

Vilvra interrupted with a beaming smile and said playfully, "Papa detaching and reattaching your thumb isn't magic. Can you float like me and mama?"

Henri picked up a small stone looked around and said, "Watch this and tell me if I can do magic or not?" as he focused on the stone it started to float into the air and then changed colors, after a few minutes the stone exploded into a small cloud of dust.

Vilvra looked at her father awestruck and said, "Mama is an alien from outer space! Papa, how did you meet mama?"

He smiled and said, "Vilvra, do you want to hear a long story that will explain everything? Your mother is still shopping so we have time."

Henri sat down and slapped his lap as his daughter beamed a million watt smile and jumped onto her father's lap as Henri began his tale. 

***********

In a bombed farmhouse sleeps U.S. marines from the 2nd battalion, 4th marines, 3rd platoon, the 40-man platoon was sleeping soundly except for one lone tormented soul. As Private Henri Bordeaux slept his eyes danced back and forth in REM sleep. His nightmare the same as it had been for the past 12 years. A young man with blond almost white hair and blue eyes sitting in a classroom, he is head and shoulders taller than the rest of his classmates, as the teacher drones on in Japanese. 

The ground begins to shake and everybody dives under their desk for cover. The walls continue to shake and fall collapsing under the stress. The magnitude 10.0 quake has caused the school to collapse and the blond haired young man climbs out from the rubble saved by two things, the fact that he was sitting next to the window and a structure-bearing wall. As he looks around he sees the devastated building has crumbled under the shaking and many buildings around the school are now piles of rubble.

He hears the sirens sounding and takes off running away from the bay of Tokyo, little did he know that there had been two quakes, one a magnitude 9.5 in the ocean and a magnitude 10.0 centered in the mouth of Tokyo Bay. While the 10.0 didn't produce much of a Tsunami being so close to land it did flatten Tokyo/Yokosuka area, but the two quakes combined did produce a huge Tsunami. 

As the 300-foot high wall of water rushed in from Kamakura he ran towards his home in Izumi to see if his mother and sister were all right. He thought briefly about his brother JP and hoped he was all right. When he got home he found his sister bleeding, she was upstairs when the quake hit and he found her easily but he couldn't get to his mother. He took off to a hospital to get help for his sister, what he didn't know is that his mother was crushed under the rubble of their home. When he got to the hospital he saw people looking at the T.V. that was being run off the emergency generator to provide information. He saw the Tsunami rushing through Tokyo/Yokosuka and a tear ran down his cheek as he saw his home being swallowed by the sea.

He awoke in a cold sweat from his nightmare and heard, "The dream again! I will be on extra alert."

He looked at "Mother" the nickname his beloved staff sergeant had earned from his men because he worried about them like he was their mother. He looked at mother and said, "What do you mean Mother?"

Mother replied, "The last time you had the nightmare the Chinese launched a counter offensive in Kyoto not two hours later and before that was sappers in Nagoya that happened minutes after you woke up and of course the Tokyo miracle before that. You have that nightmare and I get ready to run." 

He rolled his eyes and asked, "What's the time mother?"

Sergeant Johansson said, "Listen old man, the kids can call me mother but not a nut like you. 10 f-ing years here and you are still a private and have been busted down in rank more times than I care to remember in my time alone. So I know you are certifiable and its 0430 hours the LAVs arrive in 30 minutes. I'll go and wake the children."

I did a weapon and equipment checks and headed outside just as the LAV - 500R rolled up, they're eight wheels and mounted with a 500g rail gun and seats eight people. I never liked riding inside of them, but they were ordered to get to Mt. Iimori and take it if needed being the highest point overlooking the entry to Nagasaki from the south. It made a great spot for staging and spotting for the 155mm Howitzers.

As the LAVs arrived, they drew attention to them and woke every soul as the ground shook from incoming artillery. My unit and I ran for cover as small arms fire erupted from woods opposite the farmhouse. I moved across the stream to the woods and climbed the hill to get a solution as I heard the LAVs returning fire. I had no idea where my unit was but staying there would do the platoon little good. As I crossed the stream I saw mother and 4 others running, mother gave me that I know look and knew what I was going to do. Once I hit the tree line I felt the ground rumble and turned to see one of the LAV's explode as an RPG must have slammed into it, because I hadn't heard the scream of artillery.

I dropped to the ground and scanned from 9 to 3 looking for any hostiles.

I opened my coms and said, "Casper to Mother, where are you? Is Matrix with you?" 

I heard the crackle of the coms as a hurried mother replied, "Other side of the stream and behind the barn. No, I don't think he made it out of the house. Why?"

I said distressed, "I need a spotter if I'm gonna quiet them? I can tell you that they are at least 750 meters away or more."

Mother replied, "Take the shots and at the very least it will make them head for cover and buy us a little time, were just going to have to integrate you until we can get you a new spotter."

I gave mother a, "Yes, sergeant," stalked up the hill trying to make my 6'4" look about 3'2". At least I had shadows to help hide me as I proceeded to a good firing spot and scanned the opposite slope. I saw nothing as I set my RSP on the ground and grabbed my binoculars and looked at the direction the firing was coming from. My binoculars were night vision compatible, I could see about 6 men. I saw the radio operator and had my target. I dropped to the ground, set my ka-bar in the ground next to me on my left as I grabbed the RSP, dropped the bi-pod and flipped the caps up on the sights and looked through. The reading said 829 meters I adjusted my aim up two notches and one to the right for the wind. I calmed my breathing, ready to fire as I held my breath and fired. I saw the flash of red, the radio operator was hit but I didn't have time to watch as I slid my ka-bar into the sheath on my boot and hurried to my second firing position.

I slid to the ground as I heard the roar of helicopters coming hoping they were ours, but still wasn't going to take any chances. I had moved down the hill and to the right about 50 meters and dropped into a firing position and hunted for targets. I saw another squad at the edge of the woods about 774 meters from me and adjusted the same. My goal was to suppress them and buy my unit time to counter them as I heard the roaring getting louder from what I hopped were Vipers. I fired hitting the rifleman and knocking him to the ground as I saw his leg separate from his body. As I jumped up and ran down and to my left for my third firing position I looked up as I heard the unforgettable sound of the 500g Rail gun unloading on the enemy position, followed by another seconds later.

Between the one remaining LAV and the Vipers the situation was under control when I got into my firing position. I saw the remaining men heading over the hill and at 1000 meters plus I could try but why waste ammo on a one in a million shot or maybe two million without a spotter. 

My coms cracked with static as mother said, "Casper, I want you on the ridge with the loss of the LAV's and the squad that just hit us looks like we are going to be hoofin' it and I'm takin' no chances. You do what you do best and no targets of opportunity. I want eyes on the targets not a body count understood."

I sighed and new this meant we would reach Mt. Iimori tonight as I asked, "Is Matrix going to be joining me?"

Mother replied, "Negative, he and 'Silver Surfer' didn't make it out of the farm house along with 6 others."

I demanded, "Let me come get the designator sight so I can light up quality targets and I'm going ghost."

Mother retorted, "Negative, on the request to come down, hold the ridge. I'll send Meat up with the designator sight. Agreed, go ghost and only light up if you don't think we can get the LAVs around."

I pleaded, "Anybody but Meat, the last thing I need is the FNG. Hell send me a corpsman, at least we would have at least one of them alive."

Mother replied disheartened, "If I gave you a corpsman to keep alive we wouldn't have one here, Holiday bought it coming out of the house. I will send the med kit with Meat, after all you are our emergency corpsman."

I whined, "You know, I only did the corpsman training for the pay upgrade. What frequency is our LAV on?"

Mother said annoyed, "Capitan showed me your file and when I told the corpsmen about your score they said you did better than they did. So, stop bitching and go ghost and that is an order. Lobo 23 is on 6, recognition is fuckin camel."

I gave mother a condescending "Yes, sir" just to piss him off and head along the hill and up the next to get a good look around. I opened my pack and pulled out my snipers camo and got a good look around for hostiles.

A few minutes later I hear, "Casper, this Johnson I'm up the hill where are you?"

I looked around and saw nobody so I looked through my sight and saw him on the hill I was on and said, "Meat, I am on the ridge, didn't mother tell you that?"

I hung my head in shame at having to hear his stupidity; my life was in the hands of an 18 year old with the IQ less than his shoe size. How did 'mother' put up with this endless parade of dumbasses? I waited for Meat to bring me my things and kept an eye on the road my unit was going to travel down. After getting my things I told Meat to tell Mother that I was going to follow the ridge to Hananoki and hold up at shrine there, I explained that I would be able to support the town up to the tunnel and that I will check in every hour. My challenge is B, I also told him not to forget to report the he was EMHO as well.

Checking in on the hour I had a good chuckle when mother told me that Meat reported his Early Morning Hard On to him. The hike was uneventful to Hananoki as I reached the hill that the shrine was on, I saw a BTR-80A just off the road near the tunnel. I got a good look around and saw inside a building, an old T-72 with a clear firing position down the road. My unit was heading up, I looked at the soldiers and saw that they were North Korean and at company strength at least if not larger. At times like this I am glad that we had such fine and powerful radios, the down side is that any listening post would know I am there and I would be in a world of shit. I had to get a message out; I knew we had listening ships close by and hoped that they would get my message and hook me up with my unit at least. I didn't know the challenge to identify myself but had to risk it.

I set my transmission signal to full and went to the last known channel for ships and awacs and said, "This is Casper of the 31st MEF, 2nd battalion, 4th marines, 3rd platoon I have a condition Delta four niner, I repeat condition Delta four niner over."

I heard nothing back hoped the designation of the D for danger, four meaning armor, and niner meaning mobile infantry were still true. I had heard nothing about a change but it did not mean they hadn't, after all this was war and in war it is one SNAFU after another. So I wouldn't be surprised if they did. I couldn't code in because they changed the codes every day and we were going silent so only our command people had those code in's. I couldn't reach 'mother' because of the terrain, they couldn't hear me and I couldn't hear them. My receiver had limits because the hills would block my signal but the ships in Tachibana Bay could. Not knowing where they were meant climbing to the other side of the hill but it wouldn't help if another hill were between us. 

I smiled when I heard, "Casper confirm Delta four niner code in?"

I replied, "Can't too many ears and not enough friendlies, will designate straight up for fly over at coordinates 126 mark 143, confirm?"

They replied, "Sat pass in 7 minutes, confirm with mic key."

I confirmed and waited 6 minutes and started designating straight in the air and hoped I had not just told the North Koreans where I was. I waited for 2 minutes and stopped designating. I headed for the Hananoki Shrine, telling them I was moving and was turning down my signal strength but will be waiting on channel 12. I knew it would take them about 15 minutes to get the images in and make a decision on if I was to be believed. I knew my laser designator would be picked up. However, if I was talking to the North Koreans then staying put would a bad idea because they would send troops into that area and I would know right away if I was talking to the North Koreans or not. 

I had a great vantage point to see Hananoki and any movements. 5 minutes after I moved I saw two squads move across the village and head towards the woods. I had just confirmed that they were indeed listening in; I was also sure that I was talking to the US Navy. Just in case, I prepared a tactical retreat that would lead them away from my unit. The biggest problem with the terrain in this part of Japan is that it is nonstop wooded hills; I had no clear field of fire down to the two squads that were in my old hiding spot. I figured I should keep going to the temple rather than engage and I had orders not to engage. So I stayed ghost and made my way up to the shrine. I saw a platoon holding the shrine and they were well dug in. They had widened the road leading up and most likely paved the steps up to get the ZSU-23-4 up here. With limited cover I was glad I had the tarp, the way my snipers camo fit was like a tarp and meant that being next to the bushes would make me look like a pile of leaves. I knew that Zeus had to go.

I heard a squawk on my coms and said, "This is Casper, the enemy is Rabbit." I keyed off quickly as I checked the direction I had come to see if they were still there. They were still searching my old hiding spot and I had no movement around the Zeus.

I listened and heard, "Roger that Casper, we have hogs inbound, can you light up targets?"

I thought, "Fuck, A-10's while they would do a great job on the tanks and INF. The Zeus would rip them apart.'

I replied rushed, "Negative, Zeus is at the shrine. I can light it up, but no air craft would be able to see it."

After a 5 minute delay I was told, "Casper, bug out NOW! Iowa is on the rails."

On hearing that Iowa was on the rails, I got up and ran full speed down that hill and got balls deep with the ground. We had heard that the old Iowa class was back in action, now equipped with rail gun turrets. As I hit the ground I felt the heat from the rail gun's impact the shrine as the blast wave passed over. I stood and turned to see the entire hill a blaze and the top of it missing. That's what happens when a one metric ton of ordinance travelling at ten times the speed of sound will do to what it hits. 


Disposable Hero Ch. 01 Pt. 01



I heard the roar of the A-10's as they came over head with cloud of smoke being left behind as the first one fired a maverick and pulled up and banked a hard left as I got to the crater that was the shrine. I saw a 100m wide crater and at least 20m deep. They wanted Mt. Iimori badly if they had a rail gun ship in the bay. After I got to the other side of the crater I saw the T-72 still hiding.

I keyed in and said, "I have a Tango seven two lit."

I heard, "Casper, this is Over Lord, we have eyes on the tango now, no need to light it up."

I started scanning looking for any more targets as the A-10's continued to slaughter anything in the village. I heard helos inbound.

Over Lord said, "Over Lord to Casper, pop smoke when you find a safe LZ. We got cav inbound, 5 minutes."

With the destruction that the A-10's were dealing out I popped smoke in the crater behind me and kept an eye on the tunnel as I saw fast movers streak overhead followed by the explosions from the bombing run. The ground shook as I saw a firestorm erupt from what must have been the other side of the tunnel. As the helos came in and one landed and two more dropped ropes I scanned the tree line for targets as I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I heard, "What are the three B's?"

I turned and saw an Army Lieutenant looking at me and I said, "The things that make life great beers, brats and boobs."

The Lieutenant smiled and said, "Casper, sitrep?"

A silver cherry, this must be my lucky day, all he had to do was look around and see that the situation was well in hand with the A-10's having blown this village to hell. But a silver cherry was going to do what the point had taught him. So I told him, exactly what he could see, as I looked over his shoulder and saw a sergeant pull a face palm. As the other helos landed and dropped off more grunts, I kept scanning for targets. 5 minutes after the grunts moved out I heard the sound of a firefight and by the time I got eyes in the area it was over. 15 seconds can be an eternity in a fire fight. I heard the words no soldiers ever want to hear, "medic." I jumped up and ran to the area. They might be Army but they were still brothers-in-arms and if I could save one of them then I had to. 

When I got to the spot I saw the medic trying to help somebody as I looked over the medic's shoulder and saw that it was the silver cherry. He had taken two to the stomach and one in the liver. He was a dead man and the medic knew it, so did the men who listened to horrific wail of a gut shot. I made a huge mistake; I looked at the silver cherry and saw the terror in his eyes.

He pulled me close whispering, "Help me, when the round hit me I shit myself. I can't let the men know what happened."

I didn't know what to say to him, but I heard the medic tell him that the shot had hit his spinal cord. I guess he thought it would calm him down and he could accept death thinking he would be ok. A voice in my head started to go over the prayer my mother taught me, she said it would calm the soul and let the person or animal pass peacefully. I remembered the ritual my mother taught me that leads the soul to a peaceful rest and will not linger here.

I kneeled down and took the hand of the 1st Lieutenant and said, "You've been hit bad and are going to die here. I can take the pain away and guide you to a happy rest if you want me too."

The sergeant and the other men screamed at me for telling him he was dying, I could see the anger of the truth in their eyes. I heard him pleading to the medic to stop the pain, when the medic refused, it was at that moment that he understood. He was dying because medics won't waste medicine on the dying.

He fished into his pocket and took out a letter, he then looked at me and his face racked with pain said, "What do we have to do? Should I pray or something?"

I said fighting back the pain that I could feel from his soul, "No, I will say a prayer for you, to death himself. Now close your eyes and when I start talking to you do what I say." I took out my ka-bar and cut my thumb and began making the design on his forehead as my mother had taught me. I started saying the words in a language I didn't even know, my mother only spoke it at certain times. 

I had finished the strange prayer, I saw him get very calm and I said to him, "Lieutenant do you have a wife or girlfriend?" 

He said, "Steven, my name's Steven and yes, I have a wife, give her the letter."

I told him, "I will, now picture her in your mind, every feature: hair, eyes, and smile. Can you see her?" 

He said, "Yes, and I see my family as well."

Good it was working. I continued, "Walk up to her and hold her close. Can you feel her? Hug and kiss your family and tell them goodbye and how much you love them." 

He said, "Yes, I can. She is asking me to go with her."

I said, "Follow her, she is your guide to the other world. When you are there she will hug you, when she does tell her good bye and kiss her."

His men watched in shock as he was quiet for several minutes his breathing was shallow and after 5 or so minutes he said good-bye and his lips kissed the air. Lip stick on his lips and face, as his face curled to a smile and he was gone. I looked up and saw smiles on the faces of his men; he would wear a smile as his death mask and not the twisted face of a painful death. If my mother's spell as she called it worked then he had said goodbye to his wife and family in this world. As I stood, I saw them all look at me as if to say thank you. I grabbed my rifle and walked back to the crater that was a shrine and waited to see my unit come around the corner.



Disposable Hero Ch. 01 Pt. 02



On the other side of the world throughout the US Steven's wife and family all had a dream of him passing on to the other side. As his wife awoke with tears in her eyes, she could feel his lips on her still, as that very moment her phone rang and it was Steven's mother she told her about the dream she and her husband had just had about Steven, she dropped the phone and began to ball, regaining her composure she listened to her story. When his mother finished she told her about her dream and they both began to cry again, they both knew he was gone. The next day came the call she knew was coming, she felt as ease after the call. 

Three weeks after that she went to the base to confirm her husband's body and saw his smile as well as the lip stick on his face. She asked them if that was a joke they said it wasn't and that they tried to clean it off and cover it with make up but nothing worked, when she got home she remembered that everybody had kissed him. Just days after her husband was laid to rest his letter arrived covered in his blood with a note wrapped around it, which simply said, "He got to say good bye to all of you." She smiled as she read his last letter and smiled as she looked at the back of it and saw a name, Private Henri Bordeaux U.S.M.C., she prayed for his safety and vowed to meet him one day to get an explanation.

***********

When Henri cast that spell, the Great Destroyer felt magic he hadn't felt in a long time coming from Earth of all places as he rushed to the place of the spell, he listened to the chant. He smiled it wasn't a spell per say but a prayer of peaceful passage and final wishes. Death sent for Gabriella and when she arrived he had her go into the man's mind and saw all those he loved, she linked their dreams together and listened to the words of passing from Henri and called for his wife. The Great Creator came and looked at the scene with curiosity, her husband had never shared a parting with her.

She asked, "Honey, why am I here?"

Death replied, "For him" as he pointed to Henri and he continued, "He called me to give that man safe passage and a final goodbye. Is he not one of our candidates?"

The Creator answered, "He is, but not high on my list. Why? You're not thinking of testing him? Even you can see that he has seen too much of your world my dear, he is all but dead on the inside. I know that Eilistraee is very fond of him, but still we have so many better candidates."

Death knew his wife was stuck on a more pious person and she had only one candidate left on her list, so all he need to do was prove Henri was a diamond in the rough and his wife would cave like she did with the dinosaurs.

He reached into Henri's memories and pulled them out placing them on the wall like they were watching a movie, as he did Henri shivered and looked at Death, but he couldn't see anything. Death pointed at the images and said to his wife, "If he is so bad then what about them?" As images of Henri carrying his injured sister to the hospital. They watched as they saw him sending them to France to be with their grandparents and other relatives, as he stayed behind.

The Creator rebuked, "Anybody would care about their family and this was before the war."

Death showed him images of Henri sending his pay to his family in France, even to this day he send 25% of his pay to them. Next he showed his brother the 2 adopted children and the circumstances behind their adoption. He pulled up the image of Kirara now with her beaming smile, then he showed her at age 9 when Henri saved her. He showed how she was living before meeting Henri she was starving and stealing in order to live, she was never seen smiling and was so angry at the world. He showed how Henri had caught her stealing some of his unit's supplies and instead of turning her over to the JSDF, he made her work for the platoon as a runner and would give her extra rations, this was the beginning of a friendship that was more like a brother than a father when his platoon got ready to move out she didn't want the only person to care for her since her mother died and begged with tears streaking down her face for him to stay with her.

Next came the image of Yuuya today firmly locked around Henri's leg with eyes that sparkled with curiosity and a hint of mischief. He went back to the day Yuuya was born and showed the pregnant woman who had been shot in the shoulder and was bleeding out while giving birth, just before she died she begged him to make sure her son got a good home, she pleaded with him to bury her near the ruins of Mochinoesugahra shrine. When Henri's eyes met Yuuya's he knew that this was the second member of his family, he buried her in the shrine as she requested and carved her name into the tree along with a wish for her son that he made up for her. He has sworn that when Japan is free he would take Yuuya to see his mother, so he can know exactly what happened to her and why he was taking care of him.

Death looked at his wife and asked in an almost pleading tone, "Is this not enough for you to agree that he is the best choice?"

Creator sighed at her husbands attempts to sway her and said, "I still think he is damaged goods. I mean how will he feel being away from them? The priest is clearly a better choice."

Death smiled, "You mean the alcoholic and lolita lover, this man will lead them to ruin, the Drow alone would feast on him and then what? You need a warrior to survive them let alone lead them to the surface. Trust me Henri is the best choice he is a survivor and he knows the horrors of life who better to protect it, besides his companions can help him with hunting those souls that try and flee."

The Great Creator sighed and knew her husband would keep her here with time slowed to a crawl until she caved. They both knew they were almost out of time, she agreed with her husband. The test was simple will he respect others and their ways or would he do what was in his best interests. The test would be to leave a set of Samurai armor and weapons in the shrine at Mt Iimori if he stole it they would take the priest if he didn't they would make him the guardian as the other gods called him, when in fact he was the keeper of the codex.

***********

As I was watching the road for my unit, I felt a chill run down my spine like someone was watching me, I turned around and swore that somebody was looking at me but I didn't see anything. I heard the fall of boots behind me and turned to see the sergeant and some of his men walking towards me with serious looks on their faces, this wasn't good it never was. The sergeant asked me what I really did and why, for once it wasn't bad maybe his luck was changing. I told him that I asked death to ease his suffering and to let him say goodbye to his loved ones, what they saw was his death mask, they were certain he died happy with no regrets and was being judged by whomever he believed in. As for why I told them I have seen too much death already and if drawing deaths gaze upon me so he could rest in peace then that makes the risk worth it, besides it wasn't like I thought I would live through this.

I asked them if they had any paper and I wrote a note and wrapped it around the 1st Lieutenant's death letter, he was old school so I asked them to put my name on the back of the envelope. They asked my for my full name and when I told them my full name they all gawked at me one even said the 'old warrior' is Casper, I never knew that 28 is old. The sergeant and his men agreed that if they ever heard me calling for help and they were close they would pay me back in kind, for what they thought was a miracle they had just witnessed. I refused and told them if anything happens to me and your Lieutenant's wife comes looking for me tell her what you saw today. We were interrupted by the squelching of the com in my ear and heard, 'mother' asking for me.

As I met back up with my unit, I couldn't hide my Cheshire grin and 'mother' gave me the 'I give' look. He filled all of us in on the plans and how things had changed and changed they had. Apparently during the night the North Koreans had moved onto the 138, the road we were on and planned to launch a counter offensive long it and in the gap between the Army units at Taramicho and the other Marine units near Kakoi and that was why were on the 138 just south and a little west of Taramicho as ears and eyes. They used their artillery barrage to cover the movements of armored units toward Hananki that coupled with the clouds and jamming of the drones kept our intelligence blind while they made their move. Now, we had Cav. units on standby and over lord as the AWACS were called dialed in, we were told that movers and shakers were holding cap, which meant we had fighters and most likely A-10's if not Longbows.

We were going on to Mt Iimori and would attack at night, for that meant nothing but with new people in the unit it makes night operations much harder to do and rsiks more lives. 'Mother' was still upset at me for breaking his orders and stuck 'meat' with me as my sixth sense, I guess he thought I would be careful with a new guy around. I even received the 'no Rambo shit' speech, to which I gave my best 'they drew first blood' impersonation of Stallone that sounded awful with my French accent, but made everybody laugh including 'mother.' We had known each other for the better part of 5 years, every time he would finish his tour go home for a month only to be called back here time and time again after the second time they pulled that he asked to be stuck with me if I was still alive. I guess he didn't really mind that I gave him gray hair, that and he was the only person I would even bother talking with I knew the others would do their time and get out never to be seen again that is if they lived that long. We had a love, hate relationship every time he loved to get promoted which I hated and I loved getting busted back down which he hated and honestly if it wasn't for the war and my willingness to stay I would have been kicked out of the corps, but when you have a person who wants to be in combat you let them get away with a lot more.

We climbed into hummers and rode off to the base of Mt. Iimori which was being pounded pretty good by MLRS and Paladins even old warhorses like F/A-18's were pounding it. We grabbed a few hours of rack time while we got replacements for those we had lost in this mornings attack. When we got up and dismounted, we saw the most shocking sight our new 2nd Lieutenant 'mother' was briefing the replacements, as I saw the FNG's looking at them with disdain, I chuckled internally they had just become blooded jarheads and lost their FNG title in my eyes at least they were no longer virgins, I had popped another cherry or two. 'Mother' walked over to me, I smirked as he walked towards me, he told me to grab 'meat' and two others and stalk to the top. I was about to protest because as a private I wasn't supposed to be leading anything except his privates, however 'mother' told me he was making me a sergeant which I thought was impossible, but he explained that I had more than enough experience and I had led before, plus he told me to grab my carbine because team leaders weren't used for special roles like sniping.

I grabbed my Mk-18 plus 3 clips and put a suppressor on and grabbed 'meat' and two of the new guys, when 'mother' told me that they had come from other units and weren't FNG's. I told 'meat' to be on my 6 so close that if I stopped he would fuck me in the ass, I honestly didn't feel like listening to 'mother' bitch and moan, everybody who know said we fought like a married couple. I grabbed freshly charged mic's and goggles and headed in to the thick woods that covered Iimori this made sniping impossible for me and justified me switching weapons. We started up Iimori 45 minutes before the rest of the platoon, because we were stalking our advance would be much slower and the plan was that we would approach from the rear undetected while the rest of the platoon and for that fact the entire Marine Corps would draw their attention as the assault on Kakido would begin 2 hours from when we left. By the time we got to the top it was pitch black out and a perfect night to launch an assault, we donned our night vision goggles and got ready to attack.

As the naval bombardment began, we snuck out of the tree line looking for targets of opportunity and found nothing. Fuck was the first thought that came to mind, they have dug tunnels into the mountain as we looked and looked for the entrances to those tunnels and found nothing. I looked around and saw that the house that the monk or monks lived in had been destroyed and that most of the temple was gone as well, the only thing standing was the shrine part of the temple. We headed to the temple and I told the others to wait outside while I looked inside, as I walked in with my weapon at the ready and finger over the trigger guard, I swept from left to right and back left as I made my way to the shrine. In the shrine to my surprise I saw a complete set of samurai armor and weapons sitting on their display and covered in dust, but no sign of the enemy.

I heard the unforgettable sound of Kalashnikov's firing, I raced out of the damaged temple as fast as I could. Outside I saw my team on the ground but not firing, they were all pointing their weapons in the direction that 'mother and the others were supposed to come from. We bounded to the tree line just in case we were spotted, we saw the flashes from the firefight and with our night vision and saw a group of 6 men trying to get on the flank of whomever they were fighting. I knew I could get to the other team, but I needed my team to cover my back in case there were more in the area.

I informed my team of my plan and we dropped our packs I left both my RSG and mk-18 with my pack as I pulled out my ka-bar and had my pistols, I took off my goggles I had enough light from the flashes to see well enough. We made our way down the hill to behind the enemy team which had taken a diamond formation with three men getting into firing positions with one wide to my left as a feeler closer to his units and one to my right as another feeler and one high facing towards us. My plan was simple I would take out the feelers and sweeper my team would then open up on the three firing on the friendlies, I knew this would work but take time I was very good at being quiet, got top marks in avoidance in boot, and letting my team focus on just those three would be much easier for all of us. I looked to my left and saw 2 of my team in position and gave me a thumbs up to my right a saw 'meat' giving me a thumbs up as I slinked off towards the sweeper with a smile, this guy was new and it showed he stood on one side of the tree and took out half his field of vision and gave me, my route to kill him.

I came from his blind side and was literally on the other side of the tree as I slipped behind him and grabbed his mouth and slid my ka-bar at a 45 degree angle into the soft spot at the base of his skull and when it was all the way in I turned the knife killing him instantly. I set him down quietly and slinked off to the feeler on my right, keeping an eye out for any more feelers, I had the advantage because his eyes were focused more to his right looking both down and up that I had a clear approach to his back, I froze when I heard him talking to somebody on his com. I doubled back to where the sweeper was and stood hunched down with my back to the tree as he walked by going to the other feeler who was walking towards him. 

My plan was fucked, I saw how far they were and had to act fast before they caught on I spun round the tree and ran behind the first feeler threw my hand over his mouth and doing just like I had to the sweeper as he fell I pulled the ka-bar out and threw it hitting the other sweeper in the Adams Apple and drew my 9 as I double tapped him chest and eye. I knew I had given us away my 9 wasn't silenced, I saw three dead to my right it looks like my team opened fire when I threw the ka-bar, I grabbed my ka-bar and headed back to my team as I walked up I saw that the two new men were covering me to my right and that 'meat' was covering the other side. We heard the firing die down as the other firefight ended just as quickly when we freed their flank. I heard the sound that every soldier hates again, but this time it was the call of 'corpsmen' and I knew the voice it was one of the men from my platoon even worse I knew it was one of 'mothers' men, I ran to the sound of the shouting and slid down next to my worst night mare, 'mother' had been hit.

I did everything I knew to stop the bleeding as the corpsman took over, he gave me 'the look' as my dearest friend of 5 years a man I loved like my own brother was going to die as tears streamed down my face, my emotions were as raw as raw could be. If he was going to die I would send him off like I had the 1st lieutenant earlier, it worked once it would work again and besides he deserved it. 

I asked, "Mother, what is your real name?"

He knew why I was asking and said, "Martin, it is Martin why?"

His eyes were wide with terror as I said, "When this is all over and I have a child of my own I will name him Martin after you my brother, he will know all about his name sake, I swear it before god."

I performed the ceremony exactly the same as I had for the 1st lieutenant and saw him smile as he passed and knew his loved ones had the chance to say good bye to him, I owned him that much.

I got up with murder in my soul and felt a rage fill me like I had never known as I walked over to a North Korean who was getting medical attention from our corpsmen. I pulled out my 9 and put one through his heart as my anger seethed. I might rot in Leavenworth for murdering prisoners of war but death had become me as walked off towards the dead North Koreans and put rounds in them, 'meat' ran up to me to try and stop me, I grabbed him and slammed him into a tree my 9 behind his ear I could almost taste his fear. I felt a hand touch my shoulder as I whipped around to kill this bastard, I saw Gunny Smith from another platoon his unit was backing up our assault and came to reinforce us, he was looking at me with those 'I know eyes' that he had, I swear he should have been a priest the way he could disarm anybody with them.

I let 'meat' go and held out my hands in front of me palms up and together with my gun on my finger saying, "I give."

He looked around and said in his Texas drawl, "I might burn in hell for this, but I didn't see anything, marine."

If one man spoke up he would go to prison with me as I told him, "Don't, I have given everything for Japan and I am only in your marine corps because I want it free. You are not going to rot in Leavenworth for me, I am dying here the only reason I have lasted this long is dead over there."

He shook his head and said, "Nobody here saw or heard anything,right? Besides you have a platoon to lead, I need your know how and leadership, 'mother' would want you to take care of them. If you feel guilty then you can confess later to a priest or nun hell I bottle for all I care, but for now I need you and so do they, so cowboy up marine."

I looked around still wanting to destroy everything, I saw it in the eyes of my fellow marines they all agreed with my desire for revenge, I said trying to hold back my rage, "Until, we get new people, I will protect them only because he would want me to."

As I walked off I called my platoon of the 2nd battalion 4th marines 3rd platoon as I looked at them with disdain and said, "Let's destroy shit."

When I got up to the temple grounds I looked at my platoon of the 40 men that I had started the day I had a squad left from 40 men to 14 in less than 24 hours. I reformed the teams and sent 1st and 2nd teams to watch the approaches up the steps and one facing the 138 from the bombing we could see the 251 and the bay as we watched armor and helo's race by and heard the sounds of fighting coming from Kakido, the remaining team was at the temple or should I say the remains of it as back up. I heard the com squawk and was told that spotters and a 155mm were in route, I looked back to the temple and remembered what was inside. I was going to turn them over to the Japanese authorities, because I knew the spotters would steal the things inside ti wouldn't be the first time, if not the gun crew would, I walked to the temple as I told 'meat' about the incoming helos and to make ready.




Disposable Hero Ch. 01 Pt. 02



I thought, 'What a shame that this piece of Japanese culture was left behind after the invasion only to be pillaged by the Americans who would be up here for days, Japan had lost so much of its history already in this war so I can save a little piece here and not have it as a souvenir for some jackass.' 

I didn't have enough room to take everything with me as proof so I hid the armor, bow and arrows hoping that they didn't go looking inside for fire wood. I took the Katana because I knew it would be stolen by any other soldiers if they found it I mean what screams Japan more than a Samurai sword, the same was true for the Wakazashi, the Tanto on the other hand would make a good back up knife and it was balance well enough that it could be thrown if need be. My unit was told to hold the mountain and was awaiting reinforcements, that was the best news we had had today. I heard the helos overhead and walked out to greet them, trying to keep my composure as my thoughts raced around the loss of a friend maybe my only friend. I grabbed my pack which had the swords and knife, I wasn't taking any chances and headed out as I got out of the temple I saw a flash above the Chinook and blacked out.

***********

When the chopper landed and the gun crew and spotters climbed out they were greeted by PFC Johnson. They asked where the commanding officer was, because they had been ordered to do whatever he said as far as security was concerned. PFC Johnson led their commander to the temple and as they looked around they saw not a single sign of Henri, they found his mk-18 and RSG, but he was nowhere to be found, as they walked out of the bombed out temple wondering where he could be. They heard explosion after explosion as they saw Kakido engulfed in flames and missiles in bound as the ground shook from multiple explosions. The spotters got on the horn and asked for info looked scared shitless. They were told that the missiles were fired from South Korea and from Chinese subs and that they were to cover the marines. 

Their commander pulled out a tablet and looked at the data streaming in, they had been set up, in 10 years the North Koreans and Chinese had dug tunnels into the hills to hide large troop formations and equipment. Now, they were being put into use the attack on Henri's unit was a ploy to get them to strike Kakido with a larger force and it worked, the colonel knew that if they succeeded they would be pushed back to Saga and it could take them 6 months to a year to take Nagasaki. If they could stop them Nagasaki would fall in a week, his reverie was interrupted as the 155mm opened up spitting death and destruction on Kakido.

***********

Sitting in a garden under the sun were several Gods and Goddesses from the Alirota pantheon the only one missing was the Great Creator who was represented by Gaia the Earth mother to her left, from near to far were, Bahamut mother of all good dragons her father was in the background not interested in this meeting. To her left was Luenala Hlaetylara goddess of the elves. next was Eilistraee daughter of Lloth, Eilistraee was the good Drow's goddess of love and justice. At the other end opposite Gaia and surrounded by the withering and rotting of the plants was the Great Destroyer, he and his wife the Great Creator were the ones who kept an eye on the gods. To his left was Athuza the goddess of all magic and keeper of the weave along with Io Bahamut's father. Next was Tyr the human god of investigations and justice. Sitting on Gaia's right was Aralam the god of all horsemen and combat. 

Death as the Great Destroyer was known asked, "He is here the guardian has arrived, he will need help to open the Earth gate." 

He looked at Eilistraee and continued, "He is in the lands of your mother as you wished, why you want him there I don't know or care, but know this until he has chosen his path we are to stay out of his life and those of his companions, that is why we bound the powers of the guardian to the sword. Should any Drow unsheathe the sword I shall wipe that city from this planet, only he and his chosen may touch that sword, any others and my wrath will be swift and memorable."

Eilistraee spoke next, "I asked your wife to send him to my mother so he can see how they live under her, it will teach him compassion and them humility. Plus, the drowess if she chooses will be his great love and partner in everything and together they will lead my people out of the darkness forever."

Death was a huge sucker for love his great weakness and the reason he had coerced his wife to send Henri there for love. 

He said, "I hope you are right. I know the rest of you have made your choice I have told the fates to unravel the threads of your champions, they have no destiny from us now that you have named them. Go and make sure you have chosen wisely or you will make the guardians job twice as hard."

Death asked Io and Bahamut to meet with him in transit. Transit was the place that all souls went to before going to their final resting places, this was one of many realms controlled by death. When they arrived he took them to Earth, showed them the war raging there and they watched in horror at what Earthlings could do to each other.

Death said, "I have brought you here to show the world the Henri the keeper comes from."

They said in unison and in disbelief, "This is Earth?"

Io said, "They are little more than smart animals, I mean the humans on our world would listen to us if we showed ourselves to them, these humans look like they love to kill and destroy I would you think you proud of them like a father."

Bahamut asked, "What is that flying thing and how powerful is it?"

Death asked, "Which one the fast one or the one that is above the hill?"

Bahamut replied, "The one that is breathing fire?"

Death looked at the AH-64DR and said, "They call that a helicopter and it is strong enough to kill several dragons with those missiles. The gun on the front would also go through a dragons hide easily."

Io asked enraged, "You want to bring my grandchildren here to be slaughtered by these, these monsters. What is this magic that allows them to do this? How can you allow this?"

Death said, "This isn't magic it is technology when your daughters children are extinct it will take humans on this world about 1000 years to get to the point that they can do what the humans you see here can do. The old races will be long gone by then, you will be myths to humans and their short memories."

Io didn't like that answer and asked, "What can we do to prevent the extinction of our kind or have you decided our fate?"

Death shrugged and replied, "Your daughter has a good idea, I don't know if it would work though. That is not why I called you here."

Bahamut asked, "Why did you call us here?"

Death said solemnly, "Henri, will die if he opens the gates, the magic required to open it would kill him."

Bahamut looked lost, "You are the Great Destroyer can you not over write his death, surely it is within your powers?"

Death looked at her like she was a fool and said, "I could but his body would be twisted by the magic, that would be a fate worse than death."

Io was silent as Bahamut asked, "So what do you want from us?"

Death said, "My wife cares not what happens to the keeper and I only have the power over death and destruction. Io you are the one who first wove magic is there any way we can weave it in him?"

Io thought and said, "Even the finest mage in Alirota would die from that much magic, no a magical creature is the only thing that would survive that much magic. That is why I said it should be Bahamut or one of her children should be the keeper."

Death retorted, "That is why I have shown you Earth so you would understand what they can do. What would happen if the gate opened, let alone the one that your other daughter's children have helped build in the Foreverdark? They would use this power on your children in a heartbeat."

Death showed them the detonation of a mutli-yeld hydrogen bomb. They looked on awestruck, these Earthlings had frightening power, they had seen Death do the same to a city that had woven very dangerous magic and outraged all the gods. These Earthlings had the power of the Great Destroyer.

Bahamut asked in shock, "How could you give them your power?"

Death said, "I didn't give it to them they invented it and they have the power to destroy their planet 50 times over."

Io asked in a mouse of a voice, "Then why let them live? Would it not be better to let them die out rather than risk more lives?"

Death pulled up images of the unbelievable things humans could do. They saw them land on the moon, the great works of art, they even got to read the great documents like the Declaration of Independence, they saw what lies in the hearts of Earthlings, they heard music the likes of which they had never heard. Earthlings could destroy their world, but they could be so kind and make wonders that would touch the soul of the gods.

Death said, "That is why. They are always going forward even after this they will leave their home and go forth to the stars looking for us. I have destroyed them so many times and they keep going forward. That is why he is here and that is why he must live."

Io eyes danced as he had an epiphany, "We could weave a dragon soul into his it is within our powers."

Bahamut looked at her father in shock and asked, "Father, we cannot touch human souls. True we can weave into it but it would take a very powerful dragon soul to be woven and none on my counsel are that strong. Only ..."

Bahamut stopped as she realized what her father was going to do as a tear came to her eye. 

Her father smiled and said, "Yes, Bahamut, there are only three dragons with a soul strong enough: me, you and your sister. While the weaving would kill her and merge her with him who knows what would come through from her and influence him that could ruin the balance of all things. I will not take that chance so that leaves you or me and I cannot kill my own child plus you would ruin the balance as well, so that means you will have to stay and fight her at the renewal. I will be woven into his soul, Death will remove it a little and you will start the weave."

Bahamut said, "But father that would make him the god of all dragons. His power would top both mine and hers. So no matter who would win dragons would call a human god."

Io laughed deeply and said, "Child neither you nor your sister's children pray to me, I am growing weak only the weave allows me to keep my powers. The human sorcerers do when they try to make powerful new magic, if it weren't for that I would have died long ago."

Death asked, "Will this work?"

Bahamut nodded and her father said, "Yes, it will but it will take time. I am worried about the gate and the codex that much magic might draw my powers out of him and leave him changed forever. Besides, I want to see those movies, listen to that music, even see those beautiful paintings that Earthlings have made, I want to walk inside of those great temples like the one that had a huge painting on the ceiling, I am even looking forward to feeling what a human feels, the thought of death is interesting to me now."

Death shook his head because he wanted the same and maybe one day he would walk into a cathedral with Henri if he lived through all of this.

Death asked, "So how do we do this? I mean will your soul be woven in at one time?"

Bahamut resigned to her father's decision said, "No, that would kill the keeper our souls are too big for that. We will feed it to him slowly so that by the time he goes through the gate back to Earth they will be one, my father will be sleeping in him and after the codex and gate are active they will have fully merged. If the magic is great enough then the keeper will become more like a small dragon physically with all my father's powers."

Death said, "Henri the keepers name is Henri and I guess that is now your fathers as well. How will we begin the weave?"

Io asked, "Does he have the codex now?"

Death said, "Yes, it is contained within his sword, when he draws it the codex will bond to him. Why?"

Io said, "We can use the codex and its merger with him to start the weave but it would be very slight, until the codex has fully accepted him. Then, I would have to be woven into his soul and my power with me. This could help because the magic in his body would be enough to create life in those dragons that are left, but we need to talk about that ourselves."

Death said, "Thank you Io, the people of Alirota owe you a great debt, I don't think my wife would be too happy if the humans on Earth slaughtered those who came through the gate before the renewal could begin."

With that Death lead them back to Alirota and Bahamut gathered the counsel of Wrym's and told them to prepare to weave. As Io gave his daughter the go head for what she wanted to do to save all dragons and for once they both had hope for the future.



Disposable Hero Ch. 01 Pt. 03



Atop a strange looking stalagmite slept a very unusual woman. Here head tossed back and forth as she dreamed. She saw a man, while this was nothing new for her dreams the odd thing was that he was a surfacer and not an elf like her hated cousins, he was a human. He was wearing strange clothes his helm didn't protect his face and his armor looked very thin and flimsy, what truly got her attention was his blue eyes, blond almost white hair, and pale skin. She saw him kneeling over a man who was bleeding from wounds in his stomach it looked like it was from 3 arrows, she saw him cut his thumb and begin chanting as she thought, 'a priest, he is praying to save him. Her eyes widened when she started to understand some of the words, he was a death guide, and a chill ran up her spine at the thought of one such as him still alive. She watched in horror as she saw others dressed like him holding strange looking staffs, her mind running wild as she thought, 'So many death mages, whatever is going on in that place is no good.' As a child she was told of a group of humans that traveled from place to place stealing souls to do their bidding and if the soul had served them well it would be guided to rest, these death guides showed up after battles and lead good souls to rest and bad souls to serve them as penance.

She woke from her reverie and looked out into the darkness and thought, 'today I begin my trip to the surface.' She thought of the words in the surface tongue and said, "6 months" thinking of how long she would be away from her house and matron. She placed her hand on her door and said the command word to turn off her wards that protected her room, as a Drow such wards would mean the difference between life and death, as she walked out of her room she closed the door put her hand on the door and reset the wards. She went to let her matron know that she was off to the surface the thought of being away from her matron and family put a rare smile on her face evaporated as she entered the room her mother slash matron was in.

She said, "Matron, I am off to the surface to aide Alak."

Her matron replied, "Zilvra, remember if you give them an inch they will take 10 miles. I still think you should take Belarbreena with you, your skills might be great but they are many and you will need to rest."

Zilvra glared at her eldest sister and next in line to run their house Shyntaunlin who glared back at her with a seething hate dating back to the scar of her otherwise flawless features this was a gift from Zilvra. In true Drow fashion the elder daughters cowed their younger sisters to secure their place, this meant physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Not more than 20 years ago which is nothing to a Drow, Zilvra had caught her older sister with a dart coated with sleeping poison and took her sister to a cave just outside of their ranch and heated her throwing dagger and branded several tears on her sisters face, she told that if she ever touched her again she would not wake up from the poison. 

Shyntaunlin said, "Mother why send Belarbreena if this fool wants to die we should let her."

Zilvra looked Shyntaunlin in the smiled as she saw the discomfort in her eldest sisters eyes and said, "Matron, we have spent 6 months preparing for this trip and I have been studying the surface language, it would be a waste if we didn't go and wasting more time will just cost us more Alak said something about contacts, he as always brought good coin back from the surface. Do you really want to risk that?"

The matron knew Zilvra was right Alak always came back with goods and coin that would be about 1/4th of the houses profit every time he went to the surface and now that Zilvra was ready to go with they wouldn't have to hire guards on the surface and that profit would be even higher, which meant that future trips could be done more often. 

While the merchant houses weren't even close to the power of the religious or arcane houses in the Foreverdark they do provide not only goods needed for everyday life but luxury goods, this gave them a freedom many didn't and respect from the more powerful houses. The Hla'ath house dealt in the more exotic good that the very powerful wanted, everything from surface poisons to human artists and even in information on the surface and its power struggles. 

She agreed with her youngest that delaying 6 more months would risk the relationships they had worked so hard to build and that requested item that the third family wanted a surface deafening stick that Alak had heard when he witnessed two human groups fighting, he had seen one of the humans pull out a wand and saw smoke and a deafening bang come from it. With that settled she headed off to meet with Alak. 

Meeting with Alak who was considered by many to be her sire was also her teacher on all things surface. When the Intress had wondered about building a post near the surface to keep an eye on the humans who were moving closer to the caves that lead to their home. It was Alak who she talked with and had him fill in her counsel and intelligence branches who had no idea that one human called an emperor was in charge of the land above them. Zilvra found her sire to be a very cautious male, and when he talked of the humans he spoke of them like one would think you would a dragon especially the human warriors, or at least that was how she saw it. She knew when they got to the surface, his word was law only a fool would ignore his experience and she was no fool.

As they left the manor she took point like she had so many times before in the past 40 years while in training as a scout. She rode her lizard out 300 meters in front of the lead wagon and started looking for trouble, she had seen many of the Foreverdark's creatures while keeping the path clear and even saw 3 Mind Flayers with about 50 thralls heading towards the city during one of her patrols. This time like the 150 or so times was uneventful most denizens knew better than to come into Drow territory, as it was yesterday, so to today would be uneventful or at least until the mid-point of tomorrow when they crossed over to what was Deep Dwarf lands and eventually to Valley Dwarf lands, this was the most dangerous part of the trip according to Alek at least, Valley Dwarves were very unfriendly to anyone within a day of their stronghold, that went double if they saw any Drow that were that close. The stopped for the day and set up a warm camp ate, since Zilvra had third watch and wasn't going to reverie as a matter of fact she was going to wait until they got to the surface where her skills would be diminished because of the bright light, or so Alak had taught her. 

Eilistraee had other plans for Zilvra, as Zilvra started to relax and get comfortable Eilistraee pulled her into reverie and showed her a vision. Zilvra saw that same human with his blue eyes and blond almost white hair, she saw him holding two very strange looking swords one shorter than the other and a dagger as well. The next thing she saw was a blinding white light and when her vision cleared, she saw him lying in the Foreverdark she knew it, he was close very close to where she was now. Zilvra saw from above like she was part of the stalactites on the ceiling, he was wearing some strange glasses and looking down a hill. She looked in that direction and saw Valley Dwarves on patrol, she could hear them loud as could be, she was surprised that this human could see them with those glasses, as he walked off quietly she was impressed by how a large man could be so silent as he evaded them. She saw him walk around and he settled into a small cave he could barely fit into she exactly where it was maybe 100 meters up the hill behind the caravans camp.

Unbeknownst to Zilvra her future was going to get a further push from Eilistraee in more ways than in her dreams. Eilistraee was leading a group of Deep Dwarves in the direction of Zilvra's caravan, as the Deep Dwarves neared the caravan she disappeared with a smile on her face. The fates had unwound the fabric of the chosen ones and Zilvra was going to be her chosen one, the only problem was that Zilvra just didn't know it yet, but the Deep Dwarves would fix that or kill her in the process. When the Deep Dwarves saw the caravan they smiled a predatory grin and prepared to ambush the unsuspecting Drow, who fwere lasy because they were still in their terratory. They prepared to take out the sentries and had the two priests' traveling with them cast silence on their bolts and made ready to attack. This attack would take timing and a lot of luck because Drow were the most unbelievably paranoid race in all of Alirota.

With everything ready the crossbowmen opened up with bolts that had a silence spell on them so that no one would hear them if they didn't die from the bolt or the poison that coated the bolts. Two of the sentries watching the camp dropped to the ground without making a sound, the Deep Dwarves moved in closer and got ready as the last two sentries were hit with bolts poisoned but they didn't have the silence spells on them and dropped from the poison, their plan was working so far. The Deep Dwarves charged in looking to slaughter the remaining Drow and pillage the caravan, they stopped when they felt the magic of a spell the Drow had a watch spell cast and like all denizens of the Foreverdark they could sense magic. They prepared to break the barrier and set off the watch spell, as they crossed the barrier and saw a shadow form attack the first dwarf and then disappear with making enough noise to wake the Drow who were meditating and not in reverie. The battle erupted as several male Drow began to fighting with the invaders as spells and the clash of steel could be heard clearly.

Zilvra

I was shaken out of my reverie by the first clash of steel, I grabbed my mythiral short sword and found my first target, as I ducked the swing of his axe and thrust my short sword into the gap in his armor just above his stomach, thrusting upward and twisted the blade as his face contorted in pain. I rolled to my left and slid under the wagon as I saw a bolt hit the wagon just above my head as I popped up on the other side, I thrust my sword into the jaw and into the skull of another dwarf that was fighting another. I looked for my mount to ride off before things got out of hand and saw my sire ridding off on my lizard, now I understood why he slept on a mount so he could run at the first sign of trouble. My attention was drawn back to the Drow in front of me because he had taken two bolts to the chest and one had gone through his heart, I looked around and saw my fellow Drow dropping, I had to get away now or I would join them. I headed up the hill and charged a dwarf trying to reload his crossbow, I knew he wouldn't have time to unsheathe his sword to fight me, I feinted to my left and as he raised his crossbow to block I thrust into his left groin and locked his arms behind me as I tackled him, I fished my dagger from my boot as I thrust it into his jugular and then pulled out severing the carotid on the way out as blood poured from the dying male.

I looked up and saw the cave from my dreams and decided to make a run for it or more like the crown of the hill so I could evade and get reinforcements. As I got to my feet I felt a searing pain in my left shoulder and nearly feel to the ground, but I ignored the pain and kept going up the hill. I began to feel weak from trying to block out the intense pain, I made it maybe 20 meters more when I fell to the ground face first, I was starting to black out, but I swear I saw something moving at the edge of my dark vision. I howled in pain as a dwarf grabbed the back of the bolt in my shoulder and yanked my head back, he turned me back towards the caravan and saw I two more dwarves walking towards me, I smiled internally only three of them had survived the fight as many as I had killed. They taunted me and relished their victory as one dwarf pulled out a dagger, killing a drowess was proud moment for any dwarf, I knew I would die here and felt bad that I didn't get to see the surface, when suddenly I felt the dwarf at my back go limp. Next I felt myself falling forward as I looked down I saw the head of the dwarf that held the dagger bouncing on the ground and starting to roll down the hill, I hit the ground and saw strange looking boots before me and the last dwarf holding his stomach as he doubled over I saw his head leave his body. 

I felt severe pain as I was rolled onto my back and saw a male with strange glasses looking at her, I noticed that he had blond almost white hair just like my dream. 

As shock finally took her, Henri slid her into his arms. Alak raced backed to the manor and gathered his daughters and more warriors as he went after his youngest and his merchandise. Losing a daughter in his culture would cost him a lowly male his life and his matron sent her daughters to retrieve Zilvra.

Henri

I awoke and it was pitch black outside, I popped my night vision goggles in place and looked around, what I saw shocked me, I wasn't outside but inside I was in a cave. I thought my men had taken me there. I do an equipment check; Ka-bar check, 6 M9A1 with 3 15 round clips each check, Katana check, Wakizashi check, Tanto check.

As I wandered around the cave looking for daylight with my night vision I picked up movement off in the distance. 

I clicked on my mic and said, "This is Casper to all units I have possible unfriendly forces sit rep A.S.A.P."

I heard nothing I repeated and knew that only my platoon knew I went by the nickname of Casper because I was never seen or heard and being whiter than white didn't hurt either, but I heard nothing over the com. This worried me, I was underground with possible hostiles and my platoon weren't anywhere to be found.

I thought 'did they die in that blast and I survived, if so then how did I get down here?' 

I decided I would go to higher ground and engage this threat if needed, I found a small hill and dropped off my backpack and hunkered down to observe, I was in evade mode not wishing to make contact with either combatants or non for that matter. As they got closer, my night vision gave me a clear view and a range I waited and watched. I saw my possible unfriendly unit at first I thought they were children until I saw the beards.

'Dwarves, underground what the fuck is going on here, if they start whistling I will know I have lost it, I just wish I knew where I am.' 

Sure enough they were dwarves and wearing armor and carrying axes and hammers one had a crossbow. 

I laughed to myself and thought 'if they were trying to be quiet they failed big time and what is with the strange clothing and weapons.'

The dwarf's commander was pointing to the hill that I was lying on top of and was talking to another dwarf as the dwarf set off up the hill. I knew I had no place to hide. 

'I can risk a fight down here. One shot would echo for kilometers, maybe that is why they have such strange weapons' I thought. 

I grabbed my pack and slinked off, I just couldn't risk being seen while I needed to get out I also needed to know who was friend and who was foe. The idea of me being underground after what looked like a nuke strike, we were told that if a nuke went off we would see a blinding light and be incinerated in an instant, but here I was alive and I could still see. I walked over several hills and probably covered 50 klicks or kilometers when my body could go no further, my day battery was dying on my night vision and that wasn't good, I had however noticed a light on the horizon and I hoped that by tomorrow I could be wherever that light is. I noticed a small cave so small that I would have to crawl to enter it, this would be home for tonight. I pulled out all 6 glow sticks I had and took off my night vision goggles at this rate they will be gone in a few hours and I had no way to recharge the batteries. I put my combat lights on my pistols, tied a lanyard with a glow stick around my neck, and settled in for the night. I was awoken by the sounds of combat, but not the gunfire I was used, I looked out and saw nothing, remembered where I was finally. 

I thought, 'damn it I'm going to be blind down here if this keeps up.' 

I dropped down my night vision goggles I saw a huge fight in the valley below, I could clearly see a fight around three wagons. 

I thought, 'If I help those people maybe they can tell me how to get the hell out of here, maybe the will even take me to the exit.' 

I popped out of the small cave, cursing my size as I did and headed down the hill with all my equipment as I came down I saw a small girl maybe 16 years old at best running, maybe staggering would be better, with something in her shoulder. I dropped behind a boulder not more than 20 meters from them when I saw her fall to the ground and a dwarf behind her grabbing her by the hair and shoulder. I seethed with anger this dwarf was going to kill an innocent girl for no reason, I couldn't just watch this I had to act and who knows maybe her people will get me back to the surface as a reward. I heard him talking to somebody as I looked down and saw two more dwarves walking towards her, they taunted her I could tell from the happy looks on their faces. 

I used the distraction to my advantage and unsheathed my ka-bar and stalked down using the girl and the dwarf to my advantage as I got into range to strike, I had one problem well really two the other dwarves, how would I deal with them ran through my mind, the answer was simple the katana it would be quiet and I could get the second guy as I unsheathed it and held my ka-bar in my left hand and the katana in my right, I held it so the curve of the blade would be hidden by my arm as much as possible, I felt a burning sensation go up my right arm as I unsheathed it. I was tucked so low trying to use this dwarf's bulk to hide me, not an easy task trying to be smaller than a man half my size and nearly as wide. He wasn't wearing a helmet which meant I wouldn't need to grab him and look for the soft spot at the base of the skull, instead I would go in and through has neck taking out both the jugular and carotid in the same move as I came around with the katana. 

I thrust with my left hand blade facing toward his shoulder as it entered the blade exited the other side of his Adam's Apple, I cut out severing the arteries easily. I rose up, moved around the dying dwarf dropped my knife and slid my hands to grab the katana for more power spinning it so the pommel was up and my right hand on top, my left grabbed the bottom like you would a baseball bat but with the a little further apart, my target was the neck because I had caught this dwarf by surprise, as the blade made contact with his neck and entered his neck with little effort it nearly stopped as I made contact with the spine then continued through his neck. I took two steps towards the last dwarf holding a short sword, I brought the katana behind my back with my elbows at shoulder high, I was going to use my body to hide the blade as much as possible, I brought the katana just past my right ear and used my head to hide my swing. As he saw the blade he tried to thrust at me with his short sword I had the advantage of reach and brought all my power to bear on the katana as it made contact at his left shoulder and was moving at about a 30 degree angle through his body, I looked and saw his sword getting close to entering me around my pancreas, as the katana exited his body I spun and brought the katana around to block his blade and was on his shoulder and I saw him stagger forward with his neck exposed, I wasn't going to take the risk of him playing possum and brought the katana down on the back of his neck severing his head from his body, watching his body twitch and then stop moving.




Disposable Hero Ch. 01 Pt. 03



I turned to the girl and dropped my pack to get out my med kit, I looked at her wounds she had small cuts as well as the bolt in her shoulder, the worst of them was the crossbow bolt in her shoulder. I rolled her over and saw the barbed head of the bolt and knew it would have to come out through the front. I knew I would need more light and a stable platform to work from I put my pack on and sheathed the katana and ka-bar, I bent to pick up my little patient and noticed that she had gone into shock this was bad. I ran down to one of the wagons and set her down I took out a flashlight, bent the head to an L and set it to its highest setting, it had a clip that hooked to my combat gear, so you could hold a map and still have light on it, turned it on took off my night vision goggles and got to work. I began to loosen her black leather shirt which was tightly strapped to her body as I opened it up I saw her black no not black more like a very dark purple sort of like the purple on a Crown Royal bag but even darker. I grabbed the bolt and pushed it through, waking my patient which made me feel better, as I did she screamed at the pain and looked at me, I saw her wince with my light in her face.

I applied pressure and said, "You have been hit in the shoulder I need to close the wound or you will bleed out, this is going to hurt a lot."

Zilvra

I screamed and saw the man from my dreams standing over me, he had just thrown the bolt away and was pushing on my wound. I thought, 'why doesn't he just use my potion in my bag' even a simple male knew to look for healing draughts. He was saying something to me, but I didn't know what it was, my sire had warned me that humans liked to speak in their local language and not the common tongue.

I said, "Potion in my bag."

Henri

'Oh great' I thought as she said something in what sounded a lot closer to the words my mother taught me for the passing "spell" I had used on 'mother.' Just my luck she doesn't speak English, I smiled like a moron and tried to think of how to close this hole in her shoulder, my only thought was to cauterize the wound I had silver nitrate but it would hurt like bitch.

I said, "I have to close your wound or you'll bleed out."

I took out what looked like cross between a match and a cotton swab and poured water over it to activate it. I opened my mouth and pointed to her doing it again, put my left hand in her mouth and applied the silver nitrate into the wound as she screamed her head off bit the hell out of me.

Zilvra

I thought, 'Alak said they all spoke the common tongue. Why didn't he?' He kept telling me something as he took out a long stick and wet it with what looked like water. Maybe it was an ointment, he opened his mouth pointed at me and did the same and I understood that he was going to apply the ointment to my wound and that it would hurt, he placed his hand in my mouth so I had something to bite if it hurt. As it entered my shoulder I felt an intense pain like my skin was on fire as I screamed and bit down on his nasty hand and nearly blacked out. He took out some powder and applied that to my wound he bandaged me up and took out a strange device he put it in his ears and held the cold metal disk in his hand he put it on my chest, I wanted to escape this strange device but could barely move without excruciating pain, he took that thing out of his ears and grabbed my wrist and looked at some strange thing on his wrist, he shook his head and took out a small needle like thing and grabbed my bad arm and stabbed me with it, I felt numb and after a few seconds the wagon felt really good and I passed out.

Henri

After I closed the wound I cleaned it with a powdered antiseptic and dressed it with a petrolatum gauze and wrapped the wound closed. I wanted to check her breathing and heart to see if the bolt had nicked the top of her lung, I took out the stethoscope that Holiday always kept in his kit, Her breathing and heart were fine my next question was how was her pulse, she had lost a lot of blood and if it was weak she could still die. I had no plasma to start and I.V. with so I had to monitor her pulse and feel if her pressure was falling, if it did I had one choice and that would be a transfusion I was a universal donor so that wouldn't be a problem. I gave her some morphine for the pain so she could rest and I would check her pulse every hour and if it was dropping I would have to do a transfusion, I checked the wagons for the things I would need, was so glad I had watched a doctor perform the same in Tokyo, but he had all the equipment to do it.

An hour later I checked and her pulse was weakening I need to get blood into her and fast. I grabbed everything and took it to the cave I would be weak afterwards and in no way capable of fighting. The one thing that worried me was that burning which had settled over my heart but not deep more like a sunburn on my chest, when I pulled my shirt off to insert the needle for the for the transfusion, I saw a deep blue light glowing from my chest where the burning was coming from. I gave it no more thought I need all my wits for the transfusion, I could worry about that later. I hoped I had done everything correctly and monitored her as best I could, I studied her for the first time and noticed that besides her snow white hair and blackish- purple skin she had ears like a knife otherwise I noticed no other differences from myself.

I had no real way to know how much blood she's got or even if this was really the right thing to do but if she was going to die at least I would have tried everything I knew of. I set my watch to go off after the same amount of time like the doctor had told me when he did it. My thinking was that if she had lost 1 and half liters that I would give her 750ml and we would have the same amount in both of us and she would stabilize while her body made more. When the alarm went off I removed I.V.'s tubes that were in the med kit, I was trying to remember why they were there in the first place but it had been 10 years since I had needed to use any of this knowledge and now this woman's life was in my hands and I'll be damned if I was going to let her down. I needed to sleep to get back my strength as I wrapped my jacket around me and put my blanket over her and went to sleep.

As Henri slept a portal opened and out walked an angel, she had been sent by the great destroyer at the behest of Eilistraee to save both of them. She used her divine magic to heal Zilvra's wound so that she wouldn't bleed out and to replenish Henri's blood which Zilvra had taken a good amount of. With her mission complete she opened the portal and headed back to the great destroyer to report her findings.

***********

While Henri slept Alak led his daughters to the sight of the ambush or maybe massacre would be better. Alak breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that everything was still in the wagons, with the problem solved he focused of the bigger problem searching for Zilvra. They found the bolt with Drow blood on it near a wagon that had nothing on it but some blood, and thought that Zilvra might be held up hurt they tracked her blood trail past three dead Deep Dwarves two of them missing their heads. The blood trail stopped at a small cave, but they could smell the blood coming from the inside a male Drow crawled in, he saw Henri sleeping near the entrance and Zilvra laying in the back covered, the odd thing was when he looked at her aura and noticed it seemed different somehow. He told them what he had found and with some doing they dragged Zilvra out of the cave and carried her down and onto the wagon, where Shyntaunlin was waiting to nurse her. They sent a rider ahead to get a cleric to heal her and to find out what Deep Dwarves were doing so close to their home. They took all of Henri's weapons and tried to drag the big human out of the cave, it took at least 4 of them to get him out.



Disposable Hero Ch. 01 Pt. 04



I awoke to somebody trying to pull me out of the cave, I was so weak that all I could do was help them get me out. A man looked down at me, with his red eyes and white hair with what looked like blond highlights, he spoke the same language that the little girl had. 

I said, "Sorry I don't speak Gypsy." I remembered my mother telling me she was a powerful Gypsy witch and she had cast a powerful spell on my father to make him fall in love with her. Me and my brother and sister thought she was just funning us, I guess not. 

Alak looked lost and told his daughters, "All humans speak common and I have been speaking it for 40 years yet he doesn't know any of it. Look at his clothes and his things, I have never seen any of this before." His daughters could tell from his eyes and body language that he was very excited about that, they on the other hand could careless. 

The man was speaking another language to his children as he turned to me and pointed to himself and said, "Alak" he pointed to me, I might not be a genius but I'm no idiot. I said "Onree" I always used my French pronunciation even with the men in my platoon, which is why they always called me Casper just to fuck with me more. I stood slowly and looked at the strange people, I was shocked they were all much shorter than me and the men looked even smaller than the women. I looked back towards the cave to see if they had gotten the girl out, Alak pointed into the darkness I figured it was in the direction that those wagons had been. 

My hands had been tied this whole time and tightly at that, they must have tied them while I was passed out. They must have used some kind of chemical to make the cave glow so they could see better my vision was limited to about 1 meter, 2 meters tops with this kind of light, I would not be able to see my hand in front of my face if I were to move away from it, how would I know where my feet were going down hill. I felt a push in my back, they wanted me to walk down the hill, I knew it was there but I didn't know when it dropped so I dug in as the next push came, followed by a hard crack I craned my neck to see one of these girls hitting me and trying to push, guess she hasn't figured out about leverage and expects me to go because she hit, I smiled knowing she couldn't move me not matter how hard she tried. One of the smaller boys came over and kicked the back of my leg knocking me to my knee, he knew what I had done and grabbed the rope that was left from tying my hands together and gave a tug, I might have been weak but I knew I was still stronger than both of them, as I felt another crack along my back that stung like a mother fucker the bitch behind me knew how to use that stick. I yanked back hard and pulled the boy to the ground, I opened my hips and spun around sweeping the legs of the girl behind me as she hit the ground I smiled and saw the cane she had hit me with on the ground as well, the man with the blond highlights came up to me, said something to both of them and looked at me then pointed down to the wagons, I ran my hands in front of me and pointed in the same direction, I saw my flashlight still on my webbing and reached for it. 

A knife came to my throat and I stopped, the blond man looked at me, I waved my hands like before pointed in the direction of my flashlight and made the hand motion I wanted to shake my head no but the knife would have cut me not deeply but I really didn't want to get cut if I could help it, I brought my hands to the flashlight and felt the knife dig into my neck. I understood that one wrong move and they will slit my throat. I turned it on and watched as 'Blondie' I had forgotten his name, jumped back and saw small swords like the Romans used pointed at me, I put my hands in the light to show that it wasn't dangerous, 'Blondie' put his hands into the light and stood next to it. 

Alak said his voice thick with wonder, "It gives off no magic, I think this must be a new part of what the humans call science." 

Belarbreena said in a condescending tone, "Alak, everybody will be able to see us with that thing, why don't we bring darkness, it is for our safety?" 

Alak replied, "If we do that we will never get him down this hill and back home or did you enjoy being knocked to the ground by him? I want to know how that does that don't you, as well as many other things." Belarbreena couldn't hide that she did find this human fascinating with his massive shoulders and the fact that he towered over all of them, plus she knew her sisters would take great pleasure in beating him for her it would provide and opportunity to embarrass them which was always a very good thing in her opinion. 

I felt the slack taken out of my rope and one of the boys was trying to pull me up but my body was in the wrong position for that, so I pulled hard and set my hands on the ground and got to my feet and started walking towards the wagons. I stopped at the wagon and saw another of these children sitting on the wagon looking down at my patient, she was undoing the bandages and she looked at the hole, I had stitched up when she was under the morphine. I guess she didn't like my work as she looked at my patient's shoulder with disdain. 

'She must be the medic.' I thought, to be so unhappy because somebody was still alive that meant more work for them and even exposed them to being shot at which of course they weren't in favor of. 

Henri couldn't have been more wrong, Shyntaunlin was pissed for several reasons; first she had been dragged out to get her worthless sister, second her sister had been wounded by lowly Deep Dwarves, third this thing had saved her and for what reason? finally that damn light spell was annoying the hell out of her that and he was male and not worth the time, three times as much because he was human and this close to their home. 

Alak who seemed reasonable enough walked up to him and mimed, pointing to his eyes and making a painful face then pointing to the flashlight. I got what he wanted as I reached up and fumbled with the light but having my hands tied made this very uncomfortable, I looked at Alak and held out my wrists, said something to them and 4 stood around me, pointing short swords at me while another glared at me but did as he was told. When my hands were free I pulled the flashlight out and switched it to red and set it on low, they all looked at me in amazement, I mimed my helmet and it was brought to me, I grabbed it and hooked the flashlight to my helmet and put my helmet on, I held my hands together like they were tied and showed how easy it would be for me to reach it. Alak looked impressed that the light could change colors and found the low red light could not be seen and further than 100 meters if you have very good eyesight, plus it didn't hurt their eyes. 

I looked up and saw the medic girl pouring something down the throat of my patient. I watched in horror as she started to convulse she was having a seizure, as I saw her back arch and her arms and legs begin to flail, the medic jumped out of the wagon and they all stepped away from the wagon. I had to do something she was opening up her stitches, I jumped up and having nothing to put in her mouth but my fingers I did and got bit repeatedly for it, she convulsed for about 5 minutes and stopped. I looked around for the bottle she had used, I uncorked it and smelled it, it didn't smell toxic so I took a small sip and felt a tingling in my fingers as I looked down I saw the bleeding stop, I sipped some more and watched my fingers to heal up. I couldn't figure out how this concoction did what it had just done let alone caused my patient to have a seizure. 

I saw the rest of the rescue party climb onto the other wagons I had two people on each side of me one had a knife on my right side the other had a knife at my left, I watched as my patient slept. I would have loved to get my bearings but I would need the high white setting on my flashlight and any light seemed to hurt their eyes. They must have been down here a long time to be so sensitive to light, how long would that take a generation or five? Other than Alak they all seemed to be younger that myself, with those knife shaped ears, everything I saw led me to think they had evolved for this environment, those ears could help catch sound, sort of like a cats ears the difference well one of many is that cats could move them independently to focus on a sound. They didn't retie my hands as we rode on I guess they weren't too concerned about me getting away or maybe they figured if my patient had another seizure I could treat her, the wagons stopped and my hands were tied as I was led to the camp sight.  

I was left alone and they didn't want to touch me, only Alak looked in my direction and he answered questions from the girls. I reached up and switched off my flashlight and got some sleep, with the solar cells and the red light at low I would have about a half day of light, the contractor said a fully charged solar cell would run for 36 hours before dying out. They set up a picket and kept a cold camp, I was used to skipping meals but not days I was so damn hungry, I wondered if they would just starve me to keep me weak so I would be easy to manage. I curled up and decided to get some shut eye, not that I would get much of that. 

I was awakened with a boot to the stomach and looked up at the medic screeching something, I glared at her and earned another kick from her. So this was how our relationship was going to be as I received a third boot, this time I hooked her foot and shot my right foot out to her left ankle sending her to the ground. Her eyes burned red and I could see it clearly without the red light of my flashlight, it was a bit intimidating to see them actually glow red. She barked something and I saw the other 4 girls come over and join in with kicking me, this was an old school beat down 5 on 1 and my hands were tied, I guess I couldn't take the 5 of them with my hands tied, I could tell from the blows they were trying to break bones. Once they were satisfied I was tossed rather unceremoniously into the wagon with my sleeping patient, I was jerked up by the rope to see the medic staring at me, she held a knife that was glowing red like a poker left in a fire I didn't like this one bit. 

As she brought the blade towards my privates she kept saying something, she backed the blade to my knee but had made her point. Her face must have had a look of pure joy as the only things I could see were the blade and those red eyes, whatever had given me the extra light was now gone. Like hell I was going out like a little bitch if she wanted a fight I was more than willing to help, I could see the blade and those eyes so I knew where her eyes and hand were, I brought my knee to her hand and sent the knife flying away, when she brought her eyes closer I head butted her in the bridge of the nose, she reeled and sat screeching at me again as I felt two knives pressing into my side. I had my payback so I stopped and looked out hoping I would see some kind of light, we traveled on for what felt like hours I guessed I had no idea how long, without any sun I had no idea what day it was let alone what time. 

Finally, I saw lights off in the distance, I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing but at least I could see. It looked like a city made out of stalactites and columns, the city ad a strange glow on the walls like when I came out of the cave. The streets were wide with no sidewalks and very few carts like the kind I was in. As I was paraded through the streets I saw the odd looks I got from the people of this city, most of those looks were looks of scorn. As I was dragged off to the far side of the city and to a distant plantation, I felt a great deal of anxiety, as I just knew this would be home from now on. 

*********** 

Zilvra was rushed to her room, her wards had been easy to remove, she was set down on her bed and a priestess was brought in to heal her. The priestess looked at Zilvra and saw a strongly magical aura before her. 

She asked almost threatening, "Why wasn't this child brought before us? With such a strong magical aura she should have been tested." 

The matron said dismayed and a little nervous, "When she was tested she had no magical aura beyond our natural aura. My daughter Micarylafay is my only child with an aura strong enough to become a priestess." 

The matron looked at her daughter and could see that her aura was different it seemed like a very old aura like her matron before she replaced her. Shyntaunlin entered the room and told her mother that the human was being taken to the cells. 

The priestess looked at Shyntaunlin and asked accusingly, "Why wasn't this wound healed? You had draughts, yes?" 

Shyntaunlin replied trying to sound respectful and hide her fear of the priestess, "I gave her one and it disagreed with the demon in her. That is why I had a rider send for you." 

The priestess looked at the child on the bed and asked making more of an accusation than anything, "I see no sign of any demon taint here. How can you be so sure?" 

Shyntaunlin said her voice quivering in fear of this woman running an Inquisition of her house, "She was found with a strange human, that doesn't speak his own language. Alak, our surface trader knows their tongue and even he didn't understand why the human didn't understand and his aura is very strange as well. He did something to her and when I gave her the draught she got the falling sickness, the human was able to calm it, so he must be a demon or at the very least the one who put it in her." 

The priestess was lost she knew that demons had to be brought to this plane and if it was done wrong they would kill whomever summoned them and return to their plane. Besides who would bring a surfacer down here to possess them, when any of their many enemies would gladly help. 

She turn and looked at Zilvra, wondering what could do that to her and said, "Very well, I will check her and heal this and then I will meet with this demon you have in chains afterwards." 

She kicked everybody out of the room while she tried to look and see if she had been tainted in some way but found no physical signs. As she finished her chant and tried to use her magic, she again saw no signs of demonic taint or anything for that fact. The surprising thing was Zilvra had resisted her magic the priestess knew that Drow could resist magic but not when they weren't awake. She tried again and again it failed, she knew one thing for certain that if a demon had seen her try and detect it she would be attacked by now, so she ruled out a demon. She decided to heal her wound and cast a curative spell as it surged through her body and into her patient she saw a light blue symbol begin to glow brightly, then she watched as the wound began to knit itself back together and close leaving a scar, she was shocked because her spell shouldn't have left a scar. She could see her aura was stronger than before and she knew that she would need to question the human, something about this wasn't right and she wanted to get to the bottom as she walked off to question the human. 

************ 

I was dragged off to a cell, stripped and beatten while they kept asking or as far as I knew asking me something. As they tried to shackle me, I figured now was a good time to be uncooperative with them, a man grabbed my wrists and went to chain me to the wall. I grabbed the small man's wrist and bent his arm back sliding my left foot behind his right knocking him to the ground and turned to catch the arm of another man who was going to whip me, I spun the man to the ground and gave him a kick to the head knocking the man out cold. I rushed to the cell door and threw my 240lbs frame into the door knocking the guard down and nearly taking the door with him. I took off running down the corridor and found myself face to face with a certain someone who I was looking forward to paying her back for all the abuse I had taken. She started to say something, with those red eyes that I was going to close for her, I saw her pull a knife and I sprung on her as she thrust at me, I grabbed her wrist and slammed my right hand into her elbow dislocating it with a loud pop, I kicked the inside of her left knee and as she dropped I brought my knee to her face and heard another crack. 

She howled in pain I smiled at her pain before my knee made contact with her face and said, "Payback bitch." 

I kept running and hated the fact that he couldn't see much further haven't these people heard of lights. I turned the corner; was greeted by a hand crossbow bolt to my thigh, as I bull rushed the woman who had hit me with the bolt, sending her flying about 5 meters back. I was starting to feel sleepy and after a few paces fell to the ground and everything faded to black. When I awoke, I was in chains in my cell with my little tormentor looking at me as she walked up to me she grimaced in pain, this brought a smile to my face. 

I said derisively, "Hurts doesn't it, I think the broken nose makes you look better" as I watched it heal before my eyes along with her knee and wrist. 

She sneered at me, clearly I have made a new friend as she spun me around, as I felt the sting of the whip began to tear my skin; I screamed in pain and swore I would get even with her, as stroke after stroke fell I lost consciousness. I was awoken by ice-cold water pulled up by the chains still around my writs so I was standing on my tiptoes, I saw another woman she had blond in her hair like Alak but her hair had more blond than his did, her face spoke of experience I understood this wasn't the first time she had seen a naked man let alone one who had been whipped. She was wearing some strange spider design costume and holding a black spider with a woman's head and began to chant something and then touched my back, as I felt the wounds on my back close I felt better and stronger, I thanked the kind woman. In walked a man he had white hair unlike many of them his face said this was all new to him so he must have been young, wearing robes and was shorter than the woman who had healed me, I was turned to face them. 

He began to chant and make hand gestures when he finished he spoke, "What is your name human?" 

He stayed in the room looking at me with a lost look on his face, guess he has never seen a man before. He could tell from my reaction that I understood him, but something was off and he knew it. 

I had been trained in being captured and said, "Private Henri Bordeaux United States Marine Corp serial number 123456." 

The kind woman asked me "Where are you from?" 

I thought of her as kind because she hadn't beaten me yet, that was about to change. I repeated what I had told the man with a condescending smile. 

She continued clearly not happy, looks like I am making friends mom would be proud, she said angrily, "What are you doing down here?" 

I repeated yet again. 

She was pissed and produced a whip, ok maybe not answering was a mistake, She said in a voice promissing a world of hurt, "Why did you he help Zilvra?" 

I wasn't going to tell them anything and repeated for a fourth time. She drew back the whip and slashed my chest opening like it was wet paper, guess these people haven't heard the saying you get more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. I didn't scream I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of hearing me scream, why should I be the only one unhappy. This only made her angrier as she whipped repeatedly and damn she knew how to use that whip, she use that whip until I passed out again. I was awoken the same way as before and the same woman still wearing those clothes with spiderwebs and what not on them, tried again to touch me, fuck that she wasn't going to fix me so she could whip me some more so I tried to move my legs but it wouldn't move, so I tried to get away from her touch to no avail. 




Disposable Hero Ch. 01 Pt. 04



She healed me and I was hauled up on the chains again, I saw my tormentor I had no idea what her name was, it would be nice to know before I snapped her neck, I saw the whip and knew what was coming so I figured I'd screw with her some more and said, "Knee still hurts doesn't it." 

With a huge grin on my face, fuck it might as well make the ass beating fun. I was rewarded for my great joke by being turned around and lashed. 

I started laughing if your going to get beaten you might as well make it worth it, so I taunted, "So should I cry out now or no?" 

"Cry or not you'll talk, they all talk," she shrugged almost sounding bored. 

"Enough both of you, I want answers." The woman who healed me bellowed clearly losing patience "Name?" 

"Private Henri Bordeaux United States Marine Corp serial number 123456" 

Was my answer of course not what they wanted and knew what was coming. Crack as my tormentor whipped me. 

"Thank you mam may I have another," I yelled at the top of my lungs. 

Crack 

I repeated 

Crack 

I smiled not yet done fucking with her and asked, "Are you getting tired yet I can go all day long on the thought of breaking your neck next time I get free and I will." 

"Stop" was heard coming from the older woman. 

"Yes, priestess" came the reply from my tormentor, I saw her eyes down cast. 

Well that is fucked up, she is a nun and I asked, "You're a priestess, but I thought all priests and nuns where non-violent." 

Was my reply to the woman who healed me, with a shocked look on my face? She didn't answer me just started to chant and with the help her strange idol, when she finished. She had a strange look on her face when she finished. 

She asked, "What is your name?" 

"Henri Bordeaux, United States Marine Corps, 123456 are you deaf and stupid" I answered, what I am a slow learner and yes you can insert the crack of the whip here. 

She was not happy and chanted again, I felt a wave wash over me and felt like I could trust her as she finished chanting. I relaxed feel comfortable around her. 

Seeing my comfort around her, she asked again, "What is your name?" 

I said, "Henri Bordeaux, mam" 

She smirked knowing he wouldn't hurt her or the others unless they tried to hurt him, she ordered him released from his chains and asked, "And where are you from Henri?" 

"Tokyo I guess" I was perplexed and thought, 'this woman isn't so bad, why didn't I like her before she is very nice.' 

"Where is Tokyo, Henri?" 

I said in a highly sarcastic tone, "In Japan, you know 35 degrees north and 139 degrees east." 

I thought, 'Damn these people don't even know the land they are living under' 

"Why are you here?" 

"I don't know I was above ground and there was a flash of light above me and my men's heads and I awoke down here" 

"Why did you help Zilvra?" 

"Is that her name? I saw her in trouble and was trained to help people who were in trouble, plus I thought she might help me get to the surface. Wow, was I off on that one." I continued, "Who are you people?" 

"You have never heard of the Drow?" she asked in disbelief. 

"No, why should I have? What have I done to you people to be put in chains and beaten by a little child?" 

This drew a cold stare from my little tormentor. I decided to fuck with her some more and blew her a kiss, I didn't like her but as long as the priestess was present I knew nothing would happen she would protect me, I don't know why I knew I just did. 

"Where do you think you are?" 

"Probably under Nagasaki, I need to get to the surface and back to my men, can you let me go and show me the way out." 

"Henri, what is Nagasaki?" she turned to my tormentor and said, "Bring his things." My tormentor left and returned with my weapons. 

Picking up my Beretta, the priestess asks, "What is this?" 

"That is my 9mm Beretta." 

"How does it work?" 

I didn't feel safe answering the question and said, "Classified information, I can't tell you that." 

If I had I am sure my tormentor would have shot me. 

"Henri can you tell me how this works?" she asked. 

She put the night vision goggles on her head correctly, which wasn't that hard to figure out. Without thinking I turned on the night vision and she could see everything in the cell turn green plus she could see much better than she did with her own vision. I nearly laughed when she nearly jumped out of the room. 

"So this is how you can see in the dark, Henri." 

"Yes mam" 

The green light started to fade and was gone. 

"Henri what happened I can't see any more." 

"The batteries died until they are recharged you won't see anything." I continued, "In my pack is a solar cell so that I can recharge the batteries but I would need to be in the sun for it to work." 

"What's this Henri?" she wondered holding the glow stick. 

"It helps me see in the dark as well." 

"How do I make it work?" 

"Here, I'll show you." 

I held out my hands, she gave me the glow stick I bent it until the chemicals broke I shook it and it started to glow green. Both of these Drow looked at the glowing green light as the priestess grabbed the glow stick from me and looked around. 

She looked around and commented, "I can't see as far as I could with those." This was progress and if she wanted to charm him again kindness would make it easier, with a satisfied look on her face she said, "You have been very helpful, Henri we will get you some food, and you can rest today." 

A little while later, some mushrooms were brought as food along with some water I ate and drank happily. 

Outside of the torture chamber the two Drow women discussed what Henri had said. 

Shyntaunlin spoke first, "You can't trust him, he must be some kind of mage to do this, and we must kill him now, before he kills us." 

"If he wanted to kill us he would have, you should be dead already if he really wanted to kill, but no he wants to get out of here. There is something off about him his aura is very strong and nothing like ours. Why do you hate him so?" 

Shyntaunlin didn't want to tell the priestess how aroused she had gotten from beating him as well as his resistance and said, "What do we do with him, I mean he is strong and he can fight, that still makes him a threat?" 

"I must find out why he is here and then this house can decide his fate, I will recommend that they let him fight in the pit after I have my information and if he dies so be it." 

The priestess turned to the male and asked sounding very irritated, "Why are you still here?" 

He said, "It is about the human something is very strange about his aura?" 

She knew mages were trained to see types of auras so in a fight they would know a priest from a mage, they were trained in different auras to identify a type of mage. If he said strange then it was worth listening. All Drow could at least sense magical auras and with training see them, as a priestess she could feel how powerful his was but she was trained to look for different things then he was. 

Wanting details she said, "How so? I know it is very powerful, what exactly did you see?" 

Unsure of how to answer mainly because he didn't have one, he said, "It is growing and very different, I can only compare it to a natural mage and a natural priest. Maybe I can explain it better like this, I can see an aura like yours but like it is part of him and an aura like my fellow mages at the tower but again like it is coming from him." 

Trying to understand what he couldn't she asked, "Are you saying that he is magic? Or is it something more? Could it be from being in the Foreverdark?" 

Not sure himself he replied, "He is still human, but his magical aura is very powerful and it was growing while you were talking to him, it is already bigger than the archmage's and like I said it is still growing. That is why your first charm didn't work on him, my common tongue didn't work on him it worked on us but not him. I am not sure if this is because he is underground, I have never been to the surface nor have I spent any time with humans so I could not answer that." 

This wasn't good news and left her with more questions than answers as they climbed into the carriage and sat down she asked, "If this magical aura is in him could it travel to another if they came in contact with his blood?" 

He looked lost for a second and asked, "Do you mean like lycanthropy can it be spread? We give our children some of our power. Your children received a little of your magic and some of their sire's magic, if he was a mage. This would be a question for the archmage, but I would have to say that yes it is reasonable to think that he could, but again this goes beyond what I know." 

She made her recommendation to the house matron that after she had her information that I would be a gladiator and the matron agreed. Her children had other ideas, he had been nothing but insolent and need to be taught to respect his betters. 

They came to his cell, he had been chained and was being beaten, and he saw his tormentor looking at the others and smiled. These other women had better ideas they sent the man who had been whipping him out of the cell and he left dutifully. He felt forceful hands on his body grabbing his lower extremities and when he realized why they were there he fought back as best he could, but it was useless. To the Drow physical abuse was nothing new or even executed with sophistication, no it was a simple way to break a person down, after each blow Henri rose and when his body could take no more he stayed on his knees till he had enough to stand. This only added to their rage as the three of them continued to pummel him, they were sweating profusely and getting no where when they decided to up their game. 

He barely had enough strength to stand as they forced themselves on him sexually, they could care less what happened a they took various phallic shaped devices and inserted them. This assault continued until he heard what sounded like laughter coming from behind him, it wasn't them or they would have continued fucking him. He saw a leg from the slit along the side of her skirt, she grabbed his chin gently, looked him in the eye, ran her fingers through his hair almost like she was petting him and started talking to the other. 

"Shynta, Umrae, Tala I thank you for making this so easy for me at times I swear you are even dumber than our males." 

Shynta's eyes shone her hate as she said, "What are babbling about now Belar?" 

She kneeled down in front of him and ran her fingers over his body, like he was a horse or something she reached down past my abs and stopped. She looked at him smiling, it was a kind smile not the twisted smiles he had seen from the others. She was stunning what ever the used for the lights played off her figure perfectly, she had her white hair down and because she was leaning forward her hair fell covering one eye which is when it dawned on me that she bore a strong resemblance to the actress Rose Leslie. She continued making eye contact as she reached down and started stroking him, her eyes fell to his cock and looked back at him smiling, she stood and started talking to the others. 

Belar looked at her eldest sister, smiled at her which made all three of them uncomfortable and said, "Why do take a hammer to every job when this job clearly needs feathers. You beat him for two marks and tried to break him by making him your male for the past mark and still he fights you. Yet, it only took me a moment to see that this one will fight fire with fire so I am bringing water." 

She walked over and pulled the chains raising Henri to a standing position, looked back at her sister and said, "This will be a free lesson oh and thanks for the new pet." 

She dropped to her knees before Henri and quickly began working his cock, Warm lips and a deft tongue played over his cock as her hand caressed his length slowly. Her eyes had a different red to them not a bright red like the others he thought this must be what mischief looks like in them. Her hand moved faster, up and down, and her lips closed over the head, it had been quite a long time since Henri had had oral, she was masterful and made oral seem like an art form. She heard his breath coming in faster gasps and before he climaxed she brushed the sensitive head with her teeth. Instantly her mouth filled with the his hot seed. Salty and wonderful it washed over her tongue and she swallowed she stood and kissed his cheek, smirked at the others. 

She turned back to her sisters and said, "Now he thinks I am some concubine and I will get more from him." 

She looked down smiled and continued, "Oh, he will give me a lot too, why do you forget that males are so simple you give them a little pleasure and they are ready to do so much more for you. This one will make a nice pet, look at his size and as you know Shynta he can use it as well I am going to enjoy him for what he is good at and once he knows are language I will add his secrets to my growing collection, so thank you for being stupid." 

With that she walked out laughing with a satisfied spring in her step as soon as she was gone they returned to beating him. 

I swore then and there that I would have my revenge on each and every one of them, I made a mental note of each one who had taken part in either my beating or raping the only ones not present were my patient and seductress. I had to wonder why she didn't take part, her friends, sisters or whatever they were they had so thoroughly made use of me. I sat bleeding when my tormentor came in and released me, I was as weak as a baby and exhausted from my beating when she set me down on my bed. I managed to raise my hand to her throat but she just pulled it off smiling at me, this disturbed me to no end. She set a strange bottle next to me and made the gesture of drinking it, I nodded and she left. Shynta walked back to her room sexually charged, between Balar's performance, his raw sexuality and his stubborn determination she knew her favorite sex toy would be well use tonight. That night her dreams were filled with making the human her pet, she awoke feeling better than she had in many cycles two thoughts in mind one breaking the human and two getting the better of Belar.



Disposable Hero Ch. 01 Pt. 05



The Gathering

Into the Foreverdark

They rode to the tower in silence and as she climbed out of the carriage demanding to see the archmage as she pushed an acolyte aside. As Dirzune did the archmage stepped around the corner and smiled, Rikton was hopeful this would be like the other times she had visited.

Dirzune grabbed him slamming Rikton into the wall saying, "Move those hands and I will have half this tower culled. This is all business, my dear, you are not that lucky." 

As she gave him a wink as he stopped casting, he understood this was a new game to be played. Dirzune meant every last word of her threat and knew that even though she preferred to have him as her consort doing Lloth's will came first. So nothing fun would be happening, but he would still try and she would enjoy the effort. As she stormed off to his private study terrifying the acolytes along the way, he followed enjoying the chaos she was causing when they entered his chambers he activated several wards to give them privacy.

Rikton wondering how this game was going to be played asked, "What brings you here, threatening to kill half the acolytes in this tower."

Dirzune looked at him, he saw no amusement in her eyes as she said, "I have ears everywhere and I will know if you talk. Should be foolish enough to I will not kill half I will kill all of them and you."

Normally they would play games to get this information and she would be more hospitable even flirtatious, this was something new and it unsettled both of them to a great degree. He would never admit it, but he did have strong feelings for her.

He chose his words carefully knowing one wrong word would send he off again and said in a measured voice, "What has you this disturbed? If it is the human you are worrying over nothing he is one and blind, he could never find the surface in his short life without light to guide him."

She spun and back handed him saying, "You know little and make it much, and we both know you are smarter than this or you never would have sired my children, he is no ordinary human your own acolyte confirmed as much."

He rubbed his check fighting his desire for revenge, thinking this might lead somewhere and replied, "How is he different? I cannot give you what you will not tell me."

She retorted annoyed, "His aura is strong very strong. I would have to say it will soon be stronger than the Intress's own and if your acolyte is right it will only get bigger."

He thought about it and said dismissively, "So, he is a powerful cleric, they do gain power quickly in their short lives. You kill him and move on, why would that bother you so much?"

She said lost in her thoughts about what she felt from the human, "His power seems to be natural not divine or arcane. If he was as powerful as your acolyte says then why was he taken by a merchant family? How could he not know of us, even Alak the surface trader confirmed that we are feared by them and shrouded in myth, yet he does not know of us?"

Now this was worth the back hand he had received and said with the wheels turning in a new direction, "Only magical creatures like nymphs, dryads and the like have a natural magic and demons can use divine magic naturally of course magic comes from dragons they are the ones who taught it to all Fey, some evolved into arcane natural magic users, so you are telling me he is some kind of demon or dragon. Alak told me that many human priests don't believe in fighting. If Alak is right then this is the most interesting one of all maybe he is ... oh wait where is it."

He was digging through his library for a book and pulled it out. The book was written in a strange language that the priestess didn't understand a word of it.

She asked, "What is this?"

Rikton said sounding very scholarly, "It is a tale told to the Mountain Dwarves and if I understand it correctly they the wild elves and the humans who are called the Ride all believe this. It says that they came from another planet those three tribes would return one day when a guardian would come from their world. Maybe he is their guardian and has come from another world and knows nothing of us." 

He smirked at his answer thinking of how fantastic such an idea would be. He turned the page and they saw a circle with symbols around the outside and on the inside an image of earth as seen from space.

Dirzune pointed and asked, "What does this say?"

He retorted, "Something about the mark of the guardian and this I am still trying to figure out but my best guess says he will have companions and they will bear a mark on them."

Dirzune would have sworn she had seen that somewhere but just couldn't place and asked, "I thought you could just cast a spell and you would know all of this. Which is what your acolyte did twice to the human, he resisted the first one."

Rikton looked at Dirzune a little lost and said sounding confused, "Only offensive spells will be resisted not common tongue or healing. I have tried several times and even invented spells to try and read this, every time I cast a spell on any page that page will disappear until the spell wears off. I honestly think this is the language of the gods, which makes this a holy book I have found no magic on the book or on the pages but my magic still won't work on it, if you have another explanation I listening."

Dirzune laughed and snorted derisively, "It is a tale for them to have hope is all. A man will come and lead you to a safe place, away from all your troubles what a load. What goddess in her right mind would fool their followers with such drivel and what kind of fools would follow it."

Rikton thought for a second, ran through his encyclopedic knowledge and said, "We have the legends about renewal and not a single priestess denies that. Maybe this is the same thing, from what I know of renewal we will leave here and travel to another place and battle with Lloth, against the sun kissed elves and settle things once and for all."

Dirzune couldn't argue his point they talked further coming up with no plan or even hint of what was going on and left the meeting with no clear answers. She did have more information as she headed back to the cloister mulling over the information and wanting to figure this human out let alone the sinking feeling she got from him. The priestess came the next day and took him out of his cell and leading him through the large house filled with strange art and soft light, to a room on the upper level. She opened up the door and Henri saw his patient for the first time since the transfusion. She was awake and looked in good health considering, hesaw that robed man who had done something so that he could understand them, he made the same gestures as last time and then left the room. 

The priestess walked up to my patient, pointed to her and demanded, "How did you save her?"

I didn't want to talk to her or any of these people really so I stayed silent. The priestess offered to return me to my cell if I didn't want to talk. I wasn't in the mood for another beating and the last time I helped her she let me rest. The women in this house hadn't, so what choice did I really have.

I said trying to sound like a doctor, "I used silver nitrate to cauterize the wound and then used disinfectant to keep it from getting infected, stitched it up the wound and bandaged it."

She studied me and I swear she was trying to decide if I was telling the truth, She looked at my patient and said, "How come you do not know of the Drow, surely you know our elven cousins on the surface?"

I couldn't help it I started to laugh at the thought of elves my mind went to thoughts of Christmas anime or cartoons as the Americans called them and said, "You're elves? Sorry you're going to have to do better than that. Everybody knows that elves don't exist and besides you're too tall, the wrong color and not living on the North Pole with Santa Claus."

They both looked at me with displeasure, which had me thinking it was a smile because they never looked at me any other way, the priestess asked, "Who is Santa Claus?"

I couldn't help it I was crying from laughing so hard all I could do was picture them with red Christmas hats. I looked at them they were serious, I thought 'Slap my ass and call me Henrietta they really think they are elves, they must have gone bat shit crazy down here.'

Wanting to set the record straight I said, "You honestly expect me to believe that you are not human? Your blood is the same color as mine, you breathe air, and your blood is compatible..."

Dirzune interrupted asking, "What do you mean our blood is compatible?"

I looked at my patient and said, "My patient, sorry I forgot your name. She had lost a lot of blood and in order to save her I transferred some of my blood into her body, or she wouldn't be here now and well if she wasn't human than we would both be dead because some of her blood is in me, so I'm sorry to tell you that you are an underground evolution of humans and not elves."

This annoyed the fuck out of both of them, I guess they didn't like the thought of being human in the least.

The priestess looking for a loop hole replied questioningly, "You said elves don't exist. Does that mean they once did?"

I replied trying to show I was the smart one in the room (stop laughing), "We haven't found any proof that they did. I mean elves are from Norse mythology, the next thing you are going to tell me is that dragons are real."

I started to laugh and stopped when they looked at me seriously and nodded that they do, I think I said something about calling me Henrietta.

The priestess said bluntly as if this was a well known fact, "They do, but I have never seen one and I have been around for a few years."

I looked at her and she looked like she was maybe 22 and I smiled saying, "You're what 22 I mean I'm older than you, come on now I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but I'm not the dullest either." 

She just said like it was common knowledge, "I am going on my 4th century. This child is 186 years old."

I couldn't believe it and said in utter disbelief, "Ok, you're pulling my leg now, right? I mean she looks maybe 17, 18 tops. I mean if you are telling me that she has looked like this for the past 168 years. I would ask if we could bottle whatever it is that keeps you looking so young and sell it making a fortune, or give me some of what your smoking because that is some good shit."

Her mind came to something he said and asked, "What is the name of your world?"

I looked at her like she was stupid and said, "Earth, you know third rock from the sun. The same planet we are on."

It was like she had an epiphany or something as she said, "You are not on Earth, this is Alirota and if Alak's information is correct and we are the 4th from our sun."

I damn near fell over hearing that this wasn't Earth I asked, "How do you know if you have never been out of this cave?"

She said taking great delight in my despondence, "This is not a cave but a world under the world we call it the Foreverdark. We know about the surface because one of our merchants Alak trades there."

I replied my headache becoming a migraine, "Ok, so let me if I understand correctly and I hope to god I don't. I'm not on earth, you're a race of elf called Drow and you live for 100's of years? I want to see proof can you prove that you aren't evolutionary humans?"

She smiled more than happy to prove her point and asked, "Can humans do this!" 

As the room went black I couldn't see a damn thing. A few minutes later the light returned as she sat, smiling at me her eyes saying any more questions.

I asked, "Well I can't argue with that, I could but I would be wrong. How did you do that?"

She was back to being nonchalant and said, "It is magic of course, just like your glasses are."

I said trying to keep my head from exploding, "There is no such thing as magic, so don't bullshit a bullshiter. My goggles make light that goes beyond my visual range and brings it a level that I can see. It is science not magic, magic is making my pay last till payday."

She found this exchange interesting and asked looking to ram home her point, "How do you explain us talking like we are? The man who was in here cast a spell to allow us to talk. Could you understand us before he cast that spell?"

I knew was out matched here threw up my hands in disgust and said, "Point taken, you are asking more of me than I am capable of. I mean a few days ago the only verifiable intelligent life in the universe was us humans and we thought we were all alone. Now, I am to believe that elves, pixies, sprites and dragons are real, but that isn't all I am to also accept that magic is real, my head is spinning trying to come to grips with the fact that all of you here are elves and that you use magic. The one thing that keeps running through my mind is, why is this important?"

A debate raged in the priestess, she could feed him a little truth and get a lot of information in return, which was what she wanted the question was which little truth; his and Zilvra's auras, why here magic didn't work on them as well. These two had the best chance of working she decided on a different path.

She said hopping for the best but ready to change course if it didn't, "If you believe that then we can start to figure out how you got here, UNLESS your science has an answer for that, if not we can work from the idea that magic brought you here, but that would be useless if you don't believe in magic in the first place."

Henri knew he was playing chess with a master and needed to find the answer from her question. His head hurt trying to wrap it around the meaning of what is not said, he preferred action over thinking and trusted his gut and right now it wanted to hurl. 

I shrugged my shoulders and kept the game a foot as best I could, "Ok, so I can't explain how I got to another planet and I will work with the premise of magic bringing me here. Then I guess I must ask who could bring me here using that magic, and of course why? I mean my planet has many people on it and I am sure a philosopher or physicist would have those answers not a simple soldier like myself."

She was impressed that this human put so much thought into things, she wondered if all humans tried to play the game as hard as this one did. Henri had brought up a very good point, who had the power to bring him here and why.

Dirzune searched for answers only one came to mind as she said, "Henri you asked, who had the power to bring you here. I don't think it was a person, but a goddess. Only the goddesses have that kind of power, the interesting part is why they would put you down here, without being able to get out?"

Henri shook his head in disbelief, knowing it had just exploded and said, "Wait, you said gods as in more than one. So this planet is full of pagans. So what you worship spiders or something and that is why I see them all over the place."

She retorted annoyed and very angry, "I am a servant of Lloth the spider queen and spiders are revered not worshiped."

Henri smiled internally, I have found a button let's see how much I can push it. You didn't expect me to avoid the big shinny red button saying don't push, did you?

Henri asked a fiendish smirk on his face, "So, killing a spider would be bad here, I guess."

I saw both of them look at me with threatening eyes as the priestess said, "You could be killed for that, the goddess has said any who harm them should be killed."

Henri loved religious fools, they would run through walls for something they had never seen. Henri was going to be beaten anyhow so why not make it worth it, he had learned from growing up as he did that losing and losing with style were two very different things.

I asked knowing I was losing with style, "Have you met your goddess? Asked her what's up? Why you're always pissed off?"

The priestess's eyes glowed crimson as she said her emotions teetering on the edge of violence, "You dare impugn my faith, I am loyal servant as you will come to see and one day you will kneel down before her as your goddess."

I pressed knowing the beating was coming, "So, I will take that as a no so I guess your not as pious as you thought. I can't blame you, I mean she is probably hideous and you're not half bad looking, if you get that stick out of your ass and drop the holier than thou act. You might find some guy to give you a nudge once and a while or do you prefer the ladies?"

She smiled knowing he was pushing her buttons and even a little angry with herself for letting him saying, "I like what I like and I will enjoy at the fact that you find me attractive. However, tread lightly human, we have been kind to you until now. Would you rather we not be so friendly, I am sure we would be more than willing to oblige."

The opening was there and I attacked, "So you people rape and beat each other, this is your kindness? You people need to learn a little hospitality because this is not."

I took off my shirt off and showed my scars from being whipped and the bruises from being beaten.

She just said coldly, "The healing draughts should have removed those. I guess you are, weak after all such things are how we toughen up our children to live in the Foreverdark and serve Lloth."

As she studied his body she saw a mark on his chest of the planet Earth with sidgles in at the cardinal points. She knew it from somewhere but where, she could not remember exactly and almost missed Henri as he started speaking.

I said, "They kind of worked, the bleeding stopped and the wounds closed but that was all." 

Her mind ran back to that book, Rikton showed her a symbol of a guardian, she quickly dismissed it when she saw more marks on my shoulders and arms, and they were different colors. Henri saw his patient try and move her shoulder and it looked stiff.

I said changing the subject, "Let me see how that is healing."

I went to get up and my patient went for a weapon next to her, as she pointed it at me I saw she had a hand crossbow pointed at me. 

The priestess said cajoling her like she was a child, "Child he will cause no harm here, for he is not foolish enough to try. I am present and others are outside he would have no place to go if he tried anything." 

She as she bent over to show me the entry wound, I saw her slide a blade from the table. I checked the entry wound and saw that it had healed and closed.

I asked certain of the answer, "You did this with magic?"

The priestess just nodded, as I asked her to sit back so I could check the front, as she sat back I saw her change her grip on the knife. As I looked at her wound my eye was drawn down to a light blue mark that had started to glow as my hand moved closer to her.

I asked wondering if it had anything to do with magic, "Is that part of your magic."

I pointed to the light blue glow that was on her right breast. The priestess walked over and pulled down my patients top so she could get a good look at it. I looked down and for the first time it dawned on me how beautiful my patient was, as I soaked her in I stared like I was a scanner going from her snow white hair to her pure red eyes, she had a build like an aerobics instructor, not overly muscled but very tone, she had narrow shoulders that made her wide boobs that sat high on her chest with low nipples the overall she was a nice B cup or a large A, she looked almost exactly like my seductress the biggest differences were the narrower nose and fuller lips. I barely noticed the light blue mark that looked like a tattoo to me.

The priestess wanting to see if Zilvra's mark had some sort of reaction to Henri and said, "Henri, move your hand closer to this mark."

I did as ordered and watched as my hand got closer her tattoo began to glow and being a kid at heart, I pulled my hand away to watch the tattoo dim and closer to see it brighten. I finally noticed what her tattoo was of and tried to hide my shock.




Disposable Hero Ch. 01 Pt. 05



I said accusingly, "What the fuck? This is your doing isn't it?" I accused the priestess without any proof what so ever.

Dirzune knew this was something and said, "You know what this symbol is?" She turned to my patient and said, "Zilvra, did it feel different when his hand came closer?"

I didn't know what to say, do I tell her that is my family crest? How did she know that it was? If she didn't then how did it get there?

I was snapped out of my thought when I heard, "I didn't feel anything it just got brighter."

The priestess said certain that he knew and wanting to confirm their conection, "Henri, you do know what that symbol is, don't you?"

I had to stall or distract her and offered, "It's not that, I have this mark on my left pectoral and she has a mark on her left breast. Could it be that our bodies are reacting to the different blood?"

The priestess looked disappointed she knew he was lying and said, "I have never put our blood into a human or human blood into us, so I can't say no. I wonder what would happen if you were to touch each others marks."

I saw Zilvra begrudgingly reach for my tattoo as it began to glow brighter. As she touched it I felt a sharp pain, like you get with a migraine, it passed and I felt a throb in my head like my blood was pounding in my skull. I raised my hand on instinct and as I brought it closer to Zilvra's tattoo I saw her nipple harden making me wonder if this felt good to her. Just then I knew she felt something when my hand got closer, was it because she was touching mine or was it something else, my mind told me to hide this fact from the priestess and so I moved my arm so that it was interfering with the priestesses view. I touched her tat and saw her eyes start to change from a light red that would be closer to red than pink, they started to glow blue a dark blue like my tat was, and she closed her eyes to hide them as a wave rushed past me. 

I saw a myriad of images of Zilvra at different points in her life, I saw the abuse she had endured as a child, I saw her getting even with Shyntaunlin, I had a name for my tormentor at last, saw how she was ostracized because she could not do magic like they could. I saw her training she was as a soldier would and she had the soul for it, with just enough underhandedness to keep her sisters at bay. 

I looked at the priestess and saw she was studying us, now I know how mice feel in a lab.

She asked with a smirk certain that we had some kind of a connection, "So, what did you feel?"

I replied going for crass, "The soft breast of a 186 year old, I must say very good for a 186." As I smiled like pervert and pulled my hand away.

I saw the eyes of Zilvra look at me as they flashed that red glow that came when they got angry. The smirk on Dirzune told me she knew I was lying, but what did she really know? What was all of that anyhow? What was happening to me and was the same thing happening to Zilvra? I knew who the woman was in this room and I could tell the difference between them. She had never told me her name, but Zilvra knew it, does that mean I read her mind? Can she read mine? Why is this happening to me? Did she know that the tattoo on her chest was my family crest? Would she tell Dirzune?

Dirzune seemed satisfied with what had happened and left it at that, I guess she felt she had time to piece this together. As she led me back I could see the wheels working and debated striking up a conversation, but I didn't like playing this game not understanding the rules, I needed to study them and learn I couldn't just react. When I got back to my cell Dirzune was being very nice to me, if had to compare her to all the others I had met she was by far the kindest this didn't sit well with me I understood how a mouse felt when it had been caught by a cat and toyed with just before it died. My thoughts were interrupted as I walked past a door not far from my cell and felt a tingling in my chest right were that mark was, I saw Dirzune wince in pain as she passed that door, something in there doesn't agree with her.

Dirzune left the Hla'ath estate she rode back to the cloister with a plan developing in her mind and hopping she was wrong about the future as her discomfort of Henri being down here ket growing. When she arrived at the cloister she had a rider go off to the tower and bring the headmaster and archmage Rikton to her, she gave a note to the rider to give to Rikton, it asked him to bring the book she had seen yesterday about the Mountain Dwarves with. Next she had an archivist dig through all of their records about renewal legends. 

Finally she called for Micarylafay Hla'ath the second daughter of the matron of house Hla'ath. Her plan was simple, she would have Micarylafay would spy on Zilvra and her house, while she looked up the facts about renewal and compared them to what was in the book the Rikton had, even if it meant letting him peek at such documents, she knew if played right he would find what she needed and she would get a little nudge to use Henri's word as a brief smile crossed her face at the thought.

When Micarylafay entered she took her to a warded room free of listening spells, they could almost taste the abyssal taint of the spells that were in this room.

She said in her normally cold tone, "Micarylafay, I have called you here to perform part of your sworn duty to Lloth."

Mica as she liked to be called said, "How may I be of service head priestess."

Dirzune said her voice thick with malice, "I want you to go home and keep a close eye on all of them, but keep a closer eye on Zilvra and the human. You will report everything no matter how small it is to me and only to me. This meeting never happened and should I find out other wise and I will, well I let you worry about that."

Mica replied wanting to make sure she had everything crystal clear, "It will be as you say, but may ask why I am watching them? I know Zilvra has no love for our ways but she walked away from magic, if anything she is the only one in the house that could be called an ally because she doesn't like any of us. 

Why is this human so important that I need spy on him? Is he strong enough to last down here? I know when Alak has brought humans down here we had to keep them in a room with a lot of light and keep our ways away from them. They are very fragile and after a short time they start to long for death without doing anything to them, if left down here he would take his own life."

Dirzune replied with a convincing lie, "That is why you must keep an eye on him, I want to know how he is adjusting and how he interacts with your family, as compared to the others."

Mica nodded and walked out of the room followed by Dirzune, as a disciple was leading Rikton into her office, Dirzune was in charge of priestesses who had both divine and arcane magic to use. It was a good post for her, as an inquisitor having access to the arcane helped in her investigations as well as using Shrilara to deal with those who needed to be removed quietly. 

The Shrilara were like the Blood Sisters but under the control of the high priestess and as their director Dirzune could do whatever she wanted with them as long as it was kept very quiet, while Blood Sisters were seen in public Shrilara where thought to be spirits called forth by the priestesses to get rid of any who could oppose them. 

Dirzune greeted Rikton warmly before leading him to her private chambers and activating many wards to keep prying eyes and ears away. 

She asked wanting to confirm what she saw at the Hla'ath house, "Rikton, show me that picture from that Mountain Dwarf book."

He opened it and turned to the picture of the sign of the guardian and pointed to it and an inscription. She looked at it and saw that it was the same mark as on Henri, this made her feel sick if he is some guardian then this needed to be handled carefully. Just as she was about to ask several questions to Rikton she received a message for a message spell. 

The archivist had found all her documents and was waiting in her office. She took down the ward on the door and gathered the documents and headed back, resetting the ward.

She saw Rikton looking about her room no doubt checking her wards or setting his own so he could spy on her later, so she signed, *We need to talk! With Lloth as my witness, I want this without games and if I am right we can't afford it and if I am wrong then I will be on the alter waiting to be turned into a Drider and you will either be beside me or dead.*

Rikton had never seen her this way, they both loved to play the game but for her to show this weakness to a male would get her killed sooner or later, whatever it was she was scared and confused. Deep down he knew he loved her, but also knew that such a thing would get them killed. He was clever but still a weak male and signed back, *whatever it is we will face together, what has you of all people scared?*

She was offended at first, but now wasn't the time for that, she opened the book and signed, *I believe he is here. The human in Hla'ath home he bears that mark. I have all of our records on Renewal and I want to know how this will happen, if we chose wrong we will be lost. 

You know more about that book and I have our records, I must know if he is indeed this guardian and if he is then who gave him that power. 

I can think of no goddesses that would have such power. If Lloth had that power she would have used it by now.*

He thought about it for a moment and as a collector he had in his 600+ years collected information and many things both in the Foreverdark and the surface. A light went off as he signed, *the surface elves say there are two great gods the creator and the destroyer. It is they who created everything. The Great Creator created the world we are on and the Great Destroyer created the heavens and hells, he is the one who created the abyss. If you wanted to know who would have that power it would be them. It also fits with this book the talk about the twin gods of all and a gate that will bring them back to their home.*

Dirzune didn't like that and signed, *Why would they send the guardian to us? 

Are they testing us to see what we will do and if fail they will destroy us? 

Does that mean that we are to help the human? 

Are we chosen to help him open this gate?*

Rikton signed, *It looks like the guardian will have heroes chosen from some of the races if I understand this correctly. I think that means that those who bear his mark are chosen by the goddesses or on the surface they have male gods.*

Dirzune looked at him angrily and signed, *are you saying that Zilvra Hla'ath is a chosen of Lloth? And not one of her priestesses?*

He knew better than to press the issue and said, "This is all theory and nothing more. I would need to do more research to confirm, but this is just a guess right now."

She agreed and they started to research both the renewal and the Mountain Dwarf book further. Dirzune couldn't help but feel like everything was going to be changing rapidly.



Disposable Hero Ch. 01 Pt. 06



The Gathering

Into the Foreverdark

 I am still looking for an editor if you are interested please contact me. We have at last reached the end of chapter 1. As always your comments, questions, replies and even advice are welcome.

After Dirzune left I saw my tormentor or should I say Shyntaunlin leering at me as I gave her a defiant look. She smiled knowing that I was chained up and couldn't do anything but take her abuse, she wanted to enjoy this power over me and wanted to play. She tried to say something but I didn't understand it, which of course only made her angry of being robbed of the chance to torment me mentally, but that wouldn't stop her from beating me and I swear it made her excited on an almost sexual level to whip and beat me. I wondered if she had an orgasm or several while beating me, I refused to cry out in pain as my skin tore from the lashes and my blood flow freely, I retreated into my mind so I could block out the pain, the only saving grace was the language barrier she couldn't use psychological torture on me.

In the far corner of the cell sat Belar watching the proceeding with extreme interest. Her thoughts on the human and of course her sister as she watched her whip Henri yet again. She was surprised that he didn't cry out, but what was more interesting was how excited Shynta was at his resistance. This made the boredom of torture all the more interesting as she watched the gift of her sisters death being beaten all she needed to do was convince him to stop fighting Shynta. With Shynta distracted by her new pet she could either kill her with his help or blame him for her death either way she would need him.

The biggest problem with Henri was Zilvra, she had seen how different her sister was around him when he stopped her attack of falling sickness. Even as she studied him now she saw his aura growing more and more powerful each passing day. She had been kept from seeing her sister, only Dirzune was allowed to see her. Henri had seen her and was dying to know what happened when he did. 

This human was making her life fun for several reasons as she thought about them she could feel the heat rising inside her. She had to admit that for a human he was attractive, his broad shoulders which made Zilvra's seem like a childs screamed physical prowess. He was tall like an Orc but much better looking and he was getting even more attractive as he continued to wind up Shynta. Belar knew this human would be her greatest victory of all, as she groped herself to try and relieve the fire she had lit in her loins. She promised herself she would fuck him before she killed him just to have one more thing over Shynta.

Shynta kept beating Henri until he lost consciousness and left the room all hot and bothered as she went to wear out her best sex toy. Belar on the other hand remained in the room to watch Henri heal and see if she could figure out what was happening to him.

*********** 

Up in Zilvra's room she was flinching as she felt the sting of lashes on her back, the odd thing to all of that was she was the only person in the room, she had set wards on the doors, she looked and saw that they weren't disturbed. She laid down on her bed closed her eyes and could see a wall before her, she was chained and could barely move her hands or feet. She felt the lashes fade as the room went black. She knew she hadn't passed out, as another image began to appear before her, she was soon looking at a girl saying something in a language she didn't know, this girl looked much younger than her, as she looked closer she saw this girl was human, her black hair and black eyes that had a slant to them, she was noticeably shorter than she was, this girl came up to maybe her belly button at best. 

Who was this very short human girl and why could she hear her, she heard herself speak if was a deep voice like the human that had cursed her, she knelt down and the girl ran and embraced her, she felt a warmth travel through her, this type of affection was something any Drow would find strange from a fellow female unless they were playing some game that would lead to cruelty in the end, this was different but she didn't understand why. 

She heard that voice saying that it had a surprise for her, she watched the little girl's eyes widen, and she asked over and over what it was the excitement was annoying to her, as the embrace ended and Zilvra stood turned to a strange looking carriage with no lizards pulling them, she watched as a human woman walked out holding something very small in her arms wrapped in a blanket, she heard this little girl look at her and asked eyes shining at her imploring her to tell this small child. She looked down at the child and picked her up she weighed next to nothing as they she saw her hands, they were white like the human downstairs and much bigger than hers. 

After picking up the little girl she felt the little girl put her arm around her, she felt that warmth again as they walked towards the woman holding something who was also walking towards them. They stopped and the woman turned and showed them a baby human, Zilvra had never seen a human baby she saw that it had eyes like the girl she heard her voice tell the little girl that this was her new brother Yuuya, she saw jealousy and anger in the little girl's eyes as she looked at her then this woman who had eyes like both of them, but couldn't understand why she would be jealous of such a weak female. She heard that voice telling the little girl that she was not her new mother and that Yuuya was alone like her. Zilvra could tell that this small female was lost in her own memories as she heard the little girl apologize to her, no Drow would ever show that weakness and expect to live, again she was amazed by just how weak humans were.

They walked into a house, she knew what it was because of her sire's teaching, as they entered the house she heard the voice saying the Miko would be looking after Yuuya as his nanny. They entered a large room with a strange black picture on the wall the little girl touched something and magically Zilvra saw pictures moving on what was a black picture, she walked up to a mirror. She was shocked as she saw the face looking back at her wasn't her own, but that damn human in the basement. 

Her eyes flew open and she looked around she was back in her room, this was the second time she had seen things involving him, the last time she saw a flash of images with human men wearing the same clothes as he. Her eyes glowed red she was furious and grabbed her leathers, he would answer her one way or the other she would get him to remove the compulsion or whatever she was under. She started to put her leathers on and noticed that the leathers fit very tightly around her thighs and ass, she tried to move in them and found it too constricting, next she tried to get her top piece of her leathers and found that again it didn't fit right, being too tight in the chest and arms she couldn't move her arms unless she loosened the top straps one her leathers, she checked her arms and saw the sleeves were too short for her. She tried her other clothes on and found the same problem the only thing that fit was an evening dress with spider silk straps that she had worn once to a worship ball and even it was shorter, before it nearly touched the ground, now it was just past her knee.

Dressed in her evening dress with leathers in hand she grabbed a dagger and stormed down to the basement and Henri, she barged into the room adjoining his cell as the male standing guard stood she dropped him with a right hand and as he hit the ground she kicked him several times and took the keys and opened the door to the room Henri was being held in. She saw him sleeping in his cell and opened his cell and climbed on top of him as he woke. 

She set her dagger at his throat and said, "You will remove this compulsion or I will."

His eyes went wide as he felt the dagger at his throat, what shocked him was that he understood her and said with a voice full of surprise, "What did you just say?"

Zilvra's eyes shimmered with evil intent as she repeated, "Remove this compulsion or I will." 

After 'I will' she pressed the knife into my throat to make sure he understood, however he had no idea how or what a compulsion was and said defensively, "I have not compelled you to do anything. How is it I can understand you and not the others?"

She couldn't tell if he really didn't know anything about what she was talking about or just another stupid male, she demanded, "If this is not a compulsion then, what are you doing to me?"

Henri got a full view her lovely cleavage and saw the light blue tattoo glowing brightly, looked at her befuddled and asked, "What do you mean? As far as I know I haven't done anything but allow you to live by giving you my blood. Sorry, but I can't take that back. You still haven't answered my question why can I understand you?"

It dawned on Zilvra that she couldn't understand him until the mage had cast his spell and it wore off long ago, she also saw when she entered his cell that the wounds on his back closing before her eyes, she asked, "What are you? I see no healing draught and I sense divine magic but you are no priest, so how are you healing from your whipping today. I don't want to know let alone think about why I can speak your language or you can speak mine. I know it took me months to learn the surface tongue and you have only been here a few days." 

She switched to Drow sign language to see if he could understand that as she signed with one hand, *tell me the truth because you reek of magic.*

Henri looked at her and said, "If I reek of anything it is from the filth I live in. I am a human like all the others. I don't know if I am speaking yours but I do know that you are speaking to me clear as day in my native French. I noticed my back didn't hurt as bad but I thought it was because of that." he motioned to the her mark on her breast.

She looked down and saw her tattoo glowing brightly and said, "But I heard you talking to a small human girl with black hair and black eyes, you were showing her a small boy named Yuuya."

His face flushed with anger as he demanded, "How did you know about that? What do you know about Yuuya?"

Zilvra watched as his eyes glowed blue like his tattoo, she could feel his anger in the back of her mind. It made her feel sick as she said, "I saw it when I passed out after feeling pain in my back earlier it felt like I was being beaten but nobody was there. Now, I know you have a great weakness for both of them and that is all any Drow would need to find and kill them to get what they want from you."

If what Dirzune said was true they couldn't get to them because I was on another world but how did she know about that day three years ago. 

Then it all feel into place, what she felt must have been me being whipped. To escape block out the pain I went back to the day that I brought Yuuya home this was my happy place. She saw that, does that mean we were in each other minds? I had to know and said, "What you felt was me being whipped earlier, just like I saw how you branded Shyntaunlin for all the abuse you suffered through from her and your other sisters. I hate to say this but believe we have some sort of bond, what would happen if Dirzune knew about it."

Zilvra's eyes narrowed at the mention of the priestess who was playing a very dangerous game like all who held the kind of power the priestess did. 

I stood up, mainly because I wanted to be in a position to protect myself if she did try and attack me. We I looked at her, she seemed odd like she was taller but that can't be people don't grow over knight. 

Zilvra ignored Henri, her thoughts still on what Dirzune might do said, "You need to learn your place here or my sisters will at the very least make you a pet if not break you completely. 

Your kind do not last long down here, you tend to break very quickly I can tell my sisters are enjoying your defiance."

Henri said stoically, "As you have seen they will not break me as long as I can't understand them. They can't get in my head, so I only have to hope that my body doesn't give out before that happens." He looked again and she was most defiantly taller, he commented questioningly, "Something is different about you, besides what we already know. I would swear that you have gotten taller and well bigger in many areas."

Zilvra didn't like the look she was getting from him, like she was a piece of meat. She studies herself closely and couldn't hide the fact that she was a full cup bigger, her large A or small B was now a large B or small C cup and she noticed her hips were bigger as well, with the exception of the height the bigger chest and hips wouldn't hurt her down here. She looked at her leathers and knew that if it was that obvious then she would need new ones. 

She asked her voice filled with uncertainty, "This is your doing, isn't? I was happy how I was so that can only mean that you want me taller and bigger as you put it. If your point about us sharing some kind of bond then why isn't anything changing in you?"

She had a point if this was shared then I would be changing too or was I. 

I offered grasping at straws, "I'm only guessing but if you have a better answer then I am all ears. Maybe, my changes are not physical like yours. I mean now you look stronger, but look at my back, my people don't heal that fast and you even said it you could feel magic, but I already told you my people can't do any magic. Maybe just maybe we are but in different ways, I mean look at me and look at your people I am a giant amongst them with the strength to match, hell I nearly broke the cell when I tried to escape. So maybe I don't need to change physically and you have magic that you can use and I can't. Following that thinking then you might be growing to be somebody who can match my size and strength and I am growing magically to match your powers."

She shrugged it sounded reasonable, but how much taller would she get, as much as her mother would like to see her wearing such things and get her to go to the upcoming fertility ball, she couldn't stay dressed in these clothes, she looked at her leathers and shook her head to be honest she loved how she looked in them. 

She asked more to say something but not expecting an answer, "Do you think I will get as tall as you are. If so then I will need to buy new leathers..."

She stopped when she felt eyes on her, she remembered the guard she had knocked out, if he said a word to anybody that would only make things worse. 

She tossed her leathers to Henri and bolted into the other room and caught the spying male, she could see that he had used healing draught to fix what she had broken. She repeated her beating from earlier and told him that if he ever said one word about this she would strip him naked and beat him worse than this, so that he would beg her to kill him. 

She walked back and saw Henri looking at her leathers, unaware of the fact that Belar was still in the far corner watching them.

She said, exacerbated, "They are just leathers, or do you need a woman that badly?"

I smiled out of reflex, shook my head and said, "After your sisters yesterday or the day before I really don't know, I am good and finally not sore from the beatings. I was wondering if you could open the seams and give you some room in certain places or something, but this it very ridged."

She had thought the same but knew the material wasn't made that way and that she was going to have to have new ones made. She had seen his armor and having her fathers curiosity she wanted to understand how his worked it looked so flimsy and asked, "Your armor is much different how does it protect you?"

I replied not wanting to say to much but build something we could work from, "My armor is meant to stop a bullet not an arrow or sword, I guess it might stop an arrow can't say I have ever been shot with an arrow to tell you for sure."

She liked the idea of shooting him, hell beating him was also something she thought about but her thoughts quickly reminded her of the pain she felt and offered with a monstrous grin, "I could shoot you and then we could find out."

I fired back almost happy with the sarcasm, "Not funny, and we don't know what would happen to us if something like that happened. I mean you felt me being whipped, so would you feel the arrow, or if I died what would happen to you then?"

She asked truly frightful of the thought, "What would happen to you if it was me who got hurt or died?"

I answered feeling a chill run up my spine, "I really don't want to think about that. As I see it we have only one choice and that is to get out of this house, unless you have a better idea that is."

Zilvra did like the idea of leaving but had no idea were to go and said, "And go where exactly? To the surface? I have never been to the surface and you are from a faraway land that we don't know how to get to? Running around down here is very dangerous, so trying to live in the wilds of the Foreverdark is out. For now we stay put, while I don't hate the idea of leaving I would like to know that I won't be in the cell next to you if we did."

I couldn't argue with her logic and said, "It is better than staying here, if I weren't locked up it wouldn't be so bad. You know your sisters enjoy beating me and every time Dirzune comes to see me or us it isn't good. What would happen to us if she figures this out? Will she see me as a threat?"

She didn't like those questions and said, "I would worry about her more than my sisters, but that is like saying I am worrying about the sword that will hit my head as compared to the dagger to my gut. 

If she thinks this is a threat to our people then we are as good as dead. 

If she thinks this can be used to make our people stronger she will haul us off to the temple and the high priestess to be experimented on. 

If she thinks it is no threat but doesn't help either then she might take us to the cloister and see if that changes or leave us here with everyone spying on us more than they do now."

I sighed heavily we needed a plan and not fumbling around like this saying, "How do we make her think we are no threat? If I could get out of this cage and get my weapons, I would try and make a run for it, but what would happen to you if I did?"

She pondered that for a minute think about their reactions and said, "They would probably send me after you. I mean how far can you really get, when you're blind down here? 

If you used any light, it will make you easy to see by any of the denizens of the Foreverdark. 

Even if you could see like we do, how would you get to the surface? I have no idea where it is Alak he knows and he won't talk, if we tortured him he would just lie, it is one of the things that keeps him alive. 

If we could convince them that you are no threat or could be controlled that would go a long way towards getting you out of here. 

Once my sisters know you have been broken they will leave you alone, the more you fight the more they are excited by the thought of breaking you. 

You better hope one of them doesn't get sexually excited by trying to break you, you will never make it out of the Foreverdark and if you do get out they will chase you to the ends of this world to get you back."

My thought flashed back to Shynta and how she enjoyed beating me, a shiver ran down my spine at the thought of Shynta wanting me, I retorted, "I have said it over and over if you show me the way, I'll gladly go and never come back. Your people might like this but I do enjoy the surface, the change in season, looking at the stars, besides I need the sun. My people were meant to walk in the sun not live in the dark. 




Disposable Hero Ch. 01 Pt. 06



Besides how could I live with myself if I cowered from a bully let alone a family of them, I haven't in the past and I won't start now. 

I will keep taking those beatings and getting up because that is what a man does, no matter how many times they beat me, I will get up and I will even turn the other cheek?"

Zilvra was certain that he was a fool and asked, "Why should you turn the other cheek? Is it so you can stab them in the back when they let their guard down for thinking you a fool?"

I sighed knowing this would go over like a led ballon and said, "No, we had a man on my planet who preached some simple rules to live by, and one of his ideas is if somebody strikes you, you should offer them the other cheek. You show them that no matter how hard they hit you, you won't lash out in anger. Here it would just mean that I would have bruises on both cheeks."

She shook her head and wondered what kind of idiot would teach other to do such a thing, it had to be a male and said, "Only male would think that not plotting the slow death of the person who has power over you would work. 

Do that with my sisters and they won't care about your anger, as soon as you understand you are a male, the only thing you are good for is well your seed and that is useless to us, because you are a human and half-breeds are usually terminated by their mother, your life means nothing here you have two things against you one you are not Drow and two you are a male, that puts you at the bottom of our society. 

The sooner you understand that the sooner you will get out of this cell, so you can either do what you are doing and give my sisters pleasure in breaking you or you can play the game and start plotting to get revenge on them."

I shook my head and stuck to my guns saying, "I won't become like you, hiding in the shadows waiting for the right time to strike. I don't have 100's of years to wait for that to happen and I won't cower in fear of anybody Drow or no. The minute I become like you people is the minute I have died as a man, I will not break my bushido."

She shook her head in frustration and said, "Are all humans this stubborn? Or is it just you? I have told you what will happen and now I am going back to bed, fight them if you want but don't send that pain to me."

Zilvra grabbed her leathers and walked back to her room she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched, little did she know that Belarbreena had been there the whole tome and had seen everything. 

When Zilvra got to the floor her room was on she saw her eldest sister Shyntaunlin in the hall way looking displeased as always. Her attention was drawn to Zilvra's door, she noticed that Shynta looked flushed like she had been working out. 

She looked at Zilvra and said with her usual disdain pointed to Zilvra's door, "What is that?"

Zilvra looked at her door and could feel the magic radiating off her ward, this was strange because wards were meant to be undetectable, yet this one was very powerful, she had never felt such strong magic during her training and Synta was a very powerful mage and even her wards couldn't be sensed.

Zilvra said trying to figure out where her sister was going with this, "It is a ward to keep all of you out of my room, or have you gotten stupid in your old age."

Synta said studying Zilvra's every move, "Who taught you wards, I could feel that from here, even a lowly male can use wards and you can't do that properly and you call me stupid."

Zilvra walked passed her sister and towards her room, she placed her hand on the door and said the command word, entered and set the ward again trying to make it so she couldn't sense it. When the ward was up she saw it was just as strong as it had been, she didn't feel like messing with it tonight and went to bed. 

Shyntaunlin headed back to her room, feeling frustrated from the fact that she couldn't breach her sisters ward. She went back to scrying on the human in the cell and felt the heat welling up inside her, no male had ever taken that much abuse and not broken. 

The other reason she studied him was because his aura had become clear to her and what she saw shocked her, his aura was a mix of colors, when they pulled him out of the cave it was a yellowish white with a small black spot on his left chest where his heart would be. 

Now, she saw that the black dot was the size of his left shoulder, while black auras weren't new to the Drow, the half- Drow half-demon had a reddish-black aura, the red was the aura of the Drow and showed in their eyes, while demons had black soulless eyes and a black aura. 

She would keep studying him and her sister to see if she showed the same aura. The rest of the night was uneventful for Henri, Shynta and Zilvra. Belar on the other hand wanted to start putting her plan in action and early in the morning had snuck into Henri's cell. 

I was awoken by a sweet caress as I opened my eyes to see Belarbreena the one who had blown me in front of her sisters sitting on my bed caressing my face, her eyes seemed gentle almost kind. From Zilvra's memories I knew she was one of the most dangerous members of her family. Whatever she was up to it couldn't be good, I watched her turn on her charm and give me a heart melting smile. I had seen such behavior from her before and honestly was hoping for a repeat performance. 

Courtesy of Zilvra's memories I remembered how she had tormented her and was instantly put on the defensive, from her experience as well as my own kindness and Drow were two words that didn't go together. 

She purred seductively petting his head like he was a pet offering him a great view of her cleavage saying, "Shynta likes the direct route and I know she will get nothing from you. I however, have always found that a male whether Drow or in your case Human all respond to a kinder touch. 

I had to show them that they were helping me so I could help you, do not think of me as one of them. 

I unlike them enjoy a male for more than as something to beat on or as breeding stock, although I do like some of the things that can be done without breeding. 

After all is said and done I will have a big new toy to play with, if you play a good game I keep you for awhile and make sure you die very happy. Of course you won't understand any of this, pity I think you would enjoy this, well I will keep an eye on you and if I lay a finger on you it will be enjoyable, just like what I did for you the other day."

Right about now I wish I knew what she was saying, but how she was saying it left little doubt in my mind what she wanted. Now, I knew that Drow were not only sadistic but could be damn sexy if they wanted and this one was a masterful in her sexiness. I did get one thing out of this and that is that I didn't understand the Drow language as much as I was receiving Zilvra's thoughts so when we spoke we must have been transmitting to each other's minds. 

I needed to know what she was talking about and figured I would try to send a message to Zilvra, but how was the question. 

I closed my eyes and tried to picture Zilvra and sent a message, 'Belarbreena is down here and acting strange.' 

I waited for a few minutes and felt dirty with the looks I was getting from Breena, I was not used to being looked at a sexual object, I was the outcast in high school towering over everybody not to mention being the foreigner in the classroom nobody looked at me like this. 

When you come into a town with other soldiers you don't get a 'come here and fuck me look' and she wore that look so well it made me wish I understood her.

***********

Zilvra was awoken with a feeling that something was wrong but didn't know what was wrong just that something was. She tried to focus on the feeling hopping for clarity and got one thing clear as a bell the name Belarbreena, she jumped up and grabbed her leather out of reflex, dressed, removed her ward and ran to the basement cell. 

If her worries were correct maybe the most dangerous of all the Hla'ath daughters was on the prowl. Belar was the wrong person to leave with any male, she had earned a reputation for collecting secrets from other houses by sleeping with their males and even females if they were inclined and from all reports she was very good at both satisfying her partners and getting information from them. 

She ran in to the room where Henri was being kept and saw the look in Belar eyes and knew that she had decided to make this human a play thing and knew this wasn't a good thing.

She walked up to Belar and knew she had to be very careful of her, she said, "Belar, what are you up to?" 

Belar smiled and turned to her sister and said playfully, "Why? Is this human important to you?"

Zilvra knew Belar was fishing and said trying to sound distant and cold, "No, more than the rest of you are. I would still like to know why he did what he did for me and why he did it."

Henri listened intently the minute Zilvra came into the room he could understand what was being said, he tried to keep a poker face as he listened intently.

Belar smiled she knew that the human had already told her why and said, "Then why don't we have a lot of fun with him? I will let you go first, I must say that what he is hiding down there is REALLY nice and I think I might keep this one for a long time, why not take him? It is all he is good for or are you like Shynta and just enjoy beating him?" she added playfully, "You know me, I just like men and all they can do to me."

Zilvra gave her sister a look of disgust and said, "Everybody knows that you love not only males but anything on two legs and I think if horny enough something's on four legs would do. Why would you want that? I could see a lovely consort even the mages at the tower when you did several of them, but a human that is just disgusting, I would rather crawl in to Shynta's bed than his."

Belar knew she had her sister on the ropes and stood between Henri and Zilvra blocking Henri's view and signed, *I heard you talking with him yesterday, what do you think Shynta would say if I told her? A better thought is what would she do to both of you with that information? Just thinking about is making me wet, maybe I will have her visit you or maybe I will make you cum for me.*

Zilvra cursed herself for not being more careful and of all the people to know that Belar had her by the short hairs the worst part was they both knew it. Shynta would begin experimenting on them and the last thing she wanted was to be near her eldest sister. 

Zilvra signed in disgust, *what do you want? And don't tell me him, we both know you would just take him if that were all you wanted. Just say it and be done you are trying my patients.*

Belar loved this about her baby sister, she hated the game within the game that all Drow loved to play. She said in voice full of child like enthusiasm, "Simple I want allies of both you and him. Well maybe something more from him." As she looked down at Henri's crotch.

Zilvra looked at Henri and wondered what she was up to. She asked trying to get to the bottom of her games, "Me, I can understand, but why Henri? I mean he is always in that cage and will probably die there as foolish as he is. How can he be of use to you?"

'Ah, Zilvra is starting to play' she thought and knew her sister wouldn't believe her so she went with the truth and said, "He reeks of magic, if you had bothered to learn a little more magic you would see it. Something is pouring vast amounts of magic in him, besides he has Shynta in a tizzy no Drow would fight as hard as he has and none of the others have lasted this long, she wants him in the worst way."

Zilvra's eyes light up, she had not seen any of Shynta and Henri's interactions, but now she wanted to, if her eldest sister was growing fond of Henri in any way they could be rid of her.

She looked at Belar and said with a truly sadistic smile, "If what you say is true then you have an ally. Letting any of you live is bad enough, but getting rid of her would make al our lives better."

Belar smiled a truly fiendish grin and said, "I know you can understand him, so we are going to get him to help now or shall I continue to play because he is fun to play with. I swear will break his cock as I ride him thinking about much he wound up Shynta after she is dead."

Zilvra and Henri looked at each other in shock as Belar turned to him and said, "Henri, I know you can understand me because Zilvra is here, so don't play dumb because you are too good at it, that I really think you are. Or shall I get creative, you know how much I enjoy that don't you."

I looked at Zilvra and she just signed, *She knows.* I looked at her and said, "What do you want?"

I saw Zilvra translating for her.

Belar said like it was an everyday thing, "I want Shynta dead and your help in doing it. Nothing that is really hard unlike you were a few days ago. Don't worry I have blocked all the wards in this room so you can say that you will. I am sure you want to get even with her or do you like the sting of her whip, I could tell her as much and she would probably scream in orgasmic bliss as she beat you. I am certain she fell asleep thinking of you as her pet, you would probably replace her favorite toy."

I cringed at the thought of another beating from Shynta let alone her other inuendo and said, "You can't kill her so how am I going to? I mean I'm in here so how can I kill her."

Belar knew that Henri would be eager to get revenge, she remembered his little display in the wagon and again in the hall when he tried to run. She knew he was not one to plot or at least she had not seen him yet. The thought of him plotting made her moist we more so than she was at the the thought of ridding him after Shynta was dead.

After the translation she said, "Just keep doing what you are doing and when the time is right I will tell you to give in to her. My sister wants a man who will fight her, she gets off on the resistance it makes the conquest that much sweeter, besides you won't be in there much longer. 

The priestess Dirzune is done questioning so soon you will be meeting with our matron, she will put you in the pit to fight for your life and you can request to be let out to practice. 

Our matron will bet on you so she will want you to be at your best after all she will be betting on you."

She turned to Zilvra and said is a sing song taunting voice, "I am going to take down my blocking ward now so you might want to put one up. He is too stupid to double cross me and you well if you plotted half as good as you track or even fight, you would be the eldest and your sisters would be gone, but you hate that about us and that I can trust."

She walked over to Henri had gave him a very passionate kiss and stroked his cock, when she finished she winked at him and walked out swaying her hips seductively much to the appreciation.