Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2000 14:35:31 -0800 (PST) From: arin@mudnet.net Subject: arin 11 ****SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Celebrity stories aren't really put into the adult-youth section on Nifty, but those who like this story may be interested in taking a look at "billy-gilman", in the gay/celebrity section - written by yours truly! It's my first "non-series" type of story, and it was very tough to wrap everything up with a bow at the end. I only hope that when arin reaches it's first conclusion, everything is as neat. ;)**** The following story contains scenes of boys having sex with other boys and/or men, depending on what I decided on by the time I got around to writing it. ;) It is science fiction and fantasy, and as such contains things which simply don't happen in real life. If your imagination is not good, you won't enjoy it very much. As for the sex thing, if this stuff is against your personal moral codes, don't read it. If there's anything you don't understand, ask your parents or friends or whoever you think will. If you like the story, feel free to write me a letter at arin@mudnet.net. You're allowed to do anything you like with my story with the following exceptions: 1. You may not place it on a system which charges people to read it unless you request permission from me first. I have no problem giving you permission, but there will be a slight one-time fee. ;) 2. You may not post alterations to the story, or write sequels to it, without my permission. Happy reading! ===================================================================== Chapter 51 I enjoyed my companions' stares as I dangled the Amulet piece in front of me, testament to my well-polished theiving skills. I even revelled in the fact that Tyrin, our new chaplain and healer, had forgotten all about the unconscious elf that he was supposed to be healing to glare with Tarus and Dejana at my prize. Rising, he walked over to me and ruffled my hair affectionately, his calloused hands strangely enoyable as they weaved through the silky threads. "Well I'll be damned," he mumbled, eyes leaving my head and travelling down to the dulled, ancient artifact in my hand. The one he'd been studying his whole life. Despite his interest in me, I was, for the moment, just the backdrop for a much deeper longing. "May I..?" he asked, reaching gingerly for it, chocolate-colored eyes sparkling with almost childish excitement. I nodded somberly, extending the amulet slowly toward him. He took it into his hand, running a finger along one of the edges where it was broken. If one didn't know what the object was, they'd probably be hesitant to pay more than a few copper for it on the open market. But Tyrin was entranced. "It's beautiful," he remarked, holding it back out to me. I shook my head. "You hold onto it. It's your dream, really." Dejana looked over to us from Tarus' embrace, where he'd been pushing her now shoulder-length hair back into a baby ponytail to keep it from her eyes. It certainly had grown a lot since we met in the tavern. Was that only a month ago, at best? Strange to think about. I reached up to my own hair, and found that although I didn't have a ponytail yet, I was also in need of a haircut. "No," she said with a smile, "it's also the first key to our unimaginable wealth." I was about to open my mouth to speak, but it was Tarus who said what I was thinking. "No, Dejana, it's not." "What?" she asked, perplexed, spinning back to face him. He shrugged, lowering his head. "The demon we're trying to keep it from isn't the only one with hostile intent in this world. If we sell it to someone and they use it for evil, the responsibility will be ours." The young warrior was about to protest, but I guess she saw the same concerns echoed in all of our faces. Her own face drooped. "I suppose you're right," she mumbled. "What do we do, then?" I looked to Tyrin. "Could the amulet - the complete amulet, I mean - could it get Rynth out of Cedra's body?" Tyrin smiled sadly at me, nodding. The sadness was almost misplaced in my head, until I rememebered that he, himself, had an interest in me. He hadn't spoken it aloud, of course, but I could see it just the same. "There isn't much the amulet /couldn't/ do, properly used. It could definitely be used to defeat Rynth." I gave him an almost equally sad smile in return. My respect for him was newfound, knowing that he could have lied and said that Cedra and Rynth were inseperable now. He was willing to see me happy at his own expense, a quality that made him ironically more endearing. I almost felt guilty about my love for my absent friend. Tarus seemed intrigued by the prospect of Cedra's release. "How would you do it? Just wear the amulet and say 'Bad demon, go'?" The dark-haired cleric shook his head. "No, it's not quite that simple. There's a ritual that would be performed to use the amulet for that purpose. I have part of it in my diary notes... I think the main library in Pibincra has the complete text." I rolled my eyes. Tarus pointed towards the path the retreating soldiers had taken. "Well, lucky for us we have so many good friends there." Dejana shrugged. "It still works out, when you think of it. We take Ilin's Pass northeast to the cave that the Red Dragon inhabits. From there it's a weeks' journey east to the Pibincram border. We cross in the fields and take five days' journey Southeast until we land in Pibincram City. That pretty much puts us in the middle of the country, and the library is bound to have clues about the location of the third fragment, the one in their borders." I licked my lips, strangely hopeful. "Oh, so all we have to do is slip past a red dragon, waltz through the prime city of an imperialist country whose hit list we're currently close to the top of, poke around their books for awhile and steal an artifact from their land. Cake." I'm sure I sounded completely sarcastic, and partially I was, but I meant every inch of optimism that was in my tone. Because compared to "Kill Cedra," that plan was undoubtedly easier for me. Not that I wouldn't do it - I hadn't been lying to Rynth when I said that I would see to it that Cedra was free, even if it meant killing him. But if there was a chance to have him in my arms again, then it was a chance I had to take. I only hoped that I'd find a Cedra willing to return to me if I succeeded. "Well," Tyrin said, pocketing the amulet and walking back towards Rath, "They're not expecting us, really. They see us just as Tolman nationals protecting a village in our borders. A decent set of disguises should be all we need to keep us unmolested there." "Not likely," I countered, "Cedra is still going to molest us." I quirked a brow at my own comment, thinking over how many different meanings it could have, before shuddering and continuing. "We'll have to make sure we don't spend too much time in populated areas." Dejana stared at me like I was crazy. "Dark elves are not going to be waltzing around in populated areas." I shrugged. "We don't have a monopoly on disguises." By this time, Tyrin wasn't really participating in the debate, slowly chanting his healing spells over Rath's limp frame. Apparently he was still in his deity's good favor, blue arcs of energy flowing from his hands to touch Rath's injuries. Tarus took a moment to watch, enthralled, before turning back to his lover. "He's right," the man said firmly. "We'll have to be on the lookout for Rynth's group as well as the guards." I waved a hand dismissively. "It's not really a worry anyway. The Red Dragon is going to munch on all of us." Tyrin looked up from a now-conscious Rath, concern sparkling in his face. Tarus laughed. "But you're the only one going in there, Arin." I rolled my eyes appreciatively as I stood. It was such a nice sentiment from him. Really. I moved over to my pack, lying where the Pibincram were kind enough to leave it as they scattered. The grateful villagers supplied us with a hefty amount of food and water. When the suns rose, we headed out of the village and back towards the second fragment of the amulet. ------------------------------------------- Chapter 52 It was two hours after we'd set out that Tyrin fell behind the others in the group to stand at my side in the party's rear. "Are you okay?" he asked softly, eyes shining down with affection and concern. I shrugged, kicking aside a small rock that was lying on the road in the path. "Why wouldn't I be?" Tyrin didn't answer for a few moments. "Seeing Cedra again couldn't have been very easy on you. Physically /or/ emotionally." He seemed to want to say more, but he held back, waiting patiently for my response. I shook my head, solemn and sad all at once. "No," I mumbled, "it really wasn't." I could hear the chilling story Rynth had relayed of the murder he had forced Cedra to commit, but in my memory it was as if I was actually there, actually staring in shock and horror at the expression on the boy's face, listening to his pleas to his Goddess, no longer willing to answer him. It was stupid! It was unfair of Aphrodite to hold him responsible for something that he'd have fought 'til his dying breath to prevent, if only he could. Not for the first time, I felt a flare of anger at the gods for their inexplicable and crude ways. And yet there I was, with yet another one of their servants attempting to comfort me. I looked up at him, allowed him to see the sadness I'd been hiding since the battle. "Sometimes... sometimes I wonder how you can preach so strongly for deities who do nothing but use and judge you." The man shrugged his shoulders, but his response was far from ambiguous. "We are not /used/, we are not pawns in some celestial game of chess, Arin. We each have an outlook on life, a set of values, and somewhere in the pantheons of our ancestors is a deity who embodies that which we value, who agrees to empower us with bits of their essence in exchange for upholding the standards that they represent. Some say that it was not the gods who created us, but rather we who collectively created the gods, empowering them with our beliefs and our prayers." Later, upon reflection, I would find his answer to be one of the most beautiful things I'd ever heard. At the time, though, I simply found it frustrating. "But why would Aphrodite abandon Cedra, then? Why would she deny him his powers?" Tyrin smiled sadly. "He must have been a very loving young lad," he said, one hand grasping my shoulder in a gentle but firm manner. Again, he gave me that look, that longing desire to comfort through affection, affection that he dare not express. I should have felt sorry for him, as easy as it was for me now to relate to the love of someone untouchable. But at that moment I just felt grateful for his discretion. I was in no condition to deal with a come on. "He was," I echoed, my own longing for my lost love echoing what I saw in his eyes. But then my expression hardened, my mind retracked to my former rant. "And look at how his goddess respects that devotion, by turning away from him when he is most in need." "His body is not his own," Tyrin reminded me. Like I needed that reminder. "And granting him her aid now would be granting her powers for Rynth to abuse." "Then why doesn't she free him?" I raged, the edge of my anger tearing through my voice. I had stopped walking. The others had stopped as well, looking at me with a mix of pity and patience. I didn't care. "Why would she allow that /demon/ to pervert her 'loyal servant'? WHY?" Tears started to stream along my cheeks, and I didn't bother to wipe them. It was Tyrin who did that for me, his calloused adult thumb brushing lightly over my smooth cheek, then lingering just a moment longer to run through my hair. "Shhhhhh," he said, wrapping me into a gentle embrace. I hugged back tightly, squeezing the anger into him. At first, it was almost like I was trying to hurt him. As unfair as it was to him, he represented a large part of my anger, my hatred. Slowly, as my fury ebbed and the sadness welled in to take it's place, my hug became more sincere, the man my solace in the storm of emotion. When my well of tears had left me, he gently lifted my chin so that our eyes locked. "The gods are not all-powerful, Arin, and you can be certain that Rynth aligned himself with a dark and malicious lord. I'm certain Aphrodite would free him if she could." ------------------ Chapter 53 That night, I made love with Cedra one last time. Huddled against the warmth of the fire, it had occured to me that some of the cold I'd felt since Cedra's departure wasn't just cold within my spirit, within my heart. The physical temperature of the region was starting to dip as well, as winter approached and the suns got ever distant from our world. My watch for the night was done, but I was hesitant to wake Tyrin for my relief. He'd done so much to comfort me of late, and he'd been so deprived of sleep ever since we took him from his temple, that I wished to repay him. Glancing away from him and back towards the fire, I started searching my memory again for peaceful feelings, things to keep me mentally warm in the wilderness as the fire kept me physically comfortable. I thought about the first night with Cedra, the night when he saw his own image reflected in my face. What an interesting farce of narcissism it must have been for him to lean forward towards "his" face, in preparation for a passionate kiss! The thought almost made me giggle aloud, but I didn't want to wake my companions. I took my penis out of my britches, lying on top of my bedroll, and enjoyed the feel of the fire's warmth against my puny balls. I remembered Cedra touching me for the first time, a beautiful necessity caused by the glamour that had been placed upon me. This was different for him - the uncircumcized tool that he saw was not reflective of his own erect member, but a ploy created by a spell. Still, when he first grabbed hold of it, he made a slight jerking motion that made me shudder as he tried to pull back the imaginary foreskin. Without even realizing it, I began to stroke myself in a slow rythym, thinking back to that first jerk. And then to the moment I had realized that Cedra was leaving his hand on my erection, even though I had finished urinating. I tried to imagine what it would have been like had the orcs not spotted us, if we'd had that first kiss earlier. I wondered if we'd have consummated our love before the demon got to him? I wondered if he'd still be walking with us, now, the demon dormant inside his body? No. Cruel, cold logic reminded me that Cedra's unblemished glee at our union would likely have been so strong by then that the demon would have manifested almost immediately. But it was something to think about. And think about it I did - as my hand started to go faster on my small knob, I imagined Cedra's lips tenderly wrapped around the head, applying just the most gentle suction as he bobbed up and down on me. I could almost hear him moaning, the smacking sound occasionally made by the sloppy passion of him going all out. I moaned myself, both in my fantasy and in the reality of my self-pleasure, the sweat pouring from my forehead as climax reached me again. It almost felt like something came out this time, the feeling was so strong and came from so far down. But no, when I finally opened my eyes and looked at my spent member, I could see that the only moisture on it was from the sweat of the activity and the heat of the fire. Just as I pulled my pants up, a sound made me start. I turned my head immediately towards the sound, but saw only Tyrin's shut eyes and sleeping form. I finally got up and shook him, and he awoke almost immediately - odd, since it normally took almost three full minutes to bring him from his slumber. "It's your turn," I said, exhaustion in my voice. Masturbation is a beautiful experience, but it's not something I'd do if I had to run a marathon right afterwards. "Okay," he said, a strange, shy edge in his voice. He held his bedroll in front of his crotch as he moved by the fire. It was only after I hit my bedroll again and closed my eyes that it occured to me to wonder exactly whether or not Tyrin had been asleep before I shook him. Sleep took me before I really had the chance to ask. ------------------- Chapter 54 "Eggs again?" I asked, my voice testy and pouting. It had been almost a week since my little jerk-off session near the fire, and with every passing night I began to wonder more and more whether or not a nightly watch was even necessary anymore. Cedra and the dark elves had seemingly given up pursuit of us, none of the natural forces of the forest messed with us, and the Pibincram assault team was likely just crossing the border into their own land - it would still be days before anyone in that country heard of our actions. Most depressingly, though, the hunting hadn't been going well over the last few days. "Yes, eggs again," Dejana said, matching my distemperment. "It's not like you /have/ to eat them, we could always let you starve until dinner." "Oh, yes, those nuts and berries we had /last/ night would surely hold me over," I replied sarcastically. Dejana seemed ready to come at me then, but Tarus put his hands out in an attempt to keep the peace. "Look," he said, "we're all more than a little cranky this morning. But if I've been following our maps right, we should be entering a town by nightfall. That will mean bathing, good food and some much needed rest. So /relax/." I tried to listen to the voice of reason, but I was beginning to consider devouring the next /insect/ I happened to come across. Hunger is a very destructive thing to a functional mind... it eats away at higher states of consciousness, keeps you from focusing on anything other than finding your next meal. It was certainly doing that to me and then some. We moved on for the next hour through a field that would have made woodpeckers feel as if they'd died and gone to the Higher Planes. There was bark chowder. Bark lo-mein. Bark schnitzel and bark with wood sauce. Even - dare I say it - Bark-la-va. But there was no meat, no signs of living creatures. Even the sounds of chirping birds had stopped because none of them were stupid enough to risk being my main target. Tyrin tried again to slide back from the group, to comfort me, but I responded by sprinting ahead to Dejana and Tarus. I didn't need comfort, I needed /food/. "Let me take the point," I said anxiously. "No," Dejana replied, stubbornly placing her arm in my path as I tried to get ahead of her. I swear I had to resist the urge to chop it straight off. "Move it," I said testily, my hand going to the hilt of my sword. Tarus gripped his weapon less than a second later, ready to protect his love at all costs. Dejana stared hard at me. "You're too valuable to risk, Arin. You're the only one who can slip into that cave undetected by the dragon's sensitive ears." I took my hand off the sword hilt and plowed it into the bark of a nearby tree. Maybe not the smartest thing to do. "OWWW," I cried. Shaking my hand, I lowered my eyes. "You're right," I muttered. "Easy, Arin," Tarus said rationally. "I'm sure we can all make it until tonight." Stomachs rumbling, we moved onward towards the town, unaware of the small set of beady yellow eyes that had been staring at us from the woods. ----------------------- Yes, it's a bit shorter than I wanted, but I wanted it out in time for Christmas. I'll make up the chapter next time - I intend it's release for Valentine's Day. Setting goals for release helps because then you know when to expect them, and I actually get them done. Eventually they'll be monthly, and then I can truly call myself "stable". q=) Make sure you read the announcement at the top!