The Runesmith Chronicles: Lord of the Glass Desert
Copyright© 2020 by BluDraygn
Chapter 49
Fantasy Sex Story: Chapter 49 - Kal can fly now, which means it is time to go get Ikuno. However, the ability to fly doesn't help much when trying to cross a vast desert filled with unknown hazards. This brings him to Fazal, a city on the edge of the Sulerin Desert and a dangerous place for those unaccustomed to its intrigue. Kal quickly realizes things become a lot more deadly when a skilled assassin has you in their sights.
Caution: This Fantasy Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Ma/ft Fa/Fa Fa/ft Mult Consensual Drunk/Drugged Slavery Lesbian BiSexual Heterosexual Fiction High Fantasy Magic Group Sex Harem Orgy Polygamy/Polyamory Anal Sex Analingus Cream Pie Exhibitionism Lactation Masturbation Oral Sex Pregnancy Sex Toys Squirting Tit-Fucking Voyeurism Water Sports Nudism
“Nervous, Mori?” Kal asked as he, Mori, and Scarlet made their way through the streets of Silvermoon to the offices of Mori’s father. Mori had on a green dress that closely matched Kal’s shirt but lacked the frills and lace of her dresses at the manor, while Scarlet wore her normal captain’s attire.
“My father and I made up, but this is the first time I’m asking him for approval of my ... fiancé? Prospective husband? What exactly do I call you in this situation?”
“Handler?” offered Ikuno over the bond.
“Tamer?” suggested Kashka.
“I don’t think she’d approve of either of those,” he said out loud.
“Future husband?” offered Scarlet.
“Isn’t that essentially a fiancé, but without the actual engagement?” said Mori. “What about Potential husband?”
“I don’t like it. Neither do I like Prospective,” said Kal
“Why not?”
“Because you are the one with a vested interest in becoming my wife. ‘Prospective’ or ‘potential’ implies that I’m trying to prove myself worthy of being your husband.”
“You really know how to make a woman feel valued,” said Scarlet.
“That’s not my intention, and you know it. Saying I’m a prospective or potential husband makes it sound like I’m trying to leverage my relationship with Mori to gain favor with her father. It also implies that his acceptance of me could affect her and my relationship going forward. Neither is true.”
“I don’t know how to feel about that,” said Mori.
“That your father’s opinion of our relationship doesn’t matter to me?”
“Yes. My father is a powerful man. His opinions hold a lot of weight in this city. I think it may be a mistake to dismiss him so casually.”
“I’m not as far as business matters are concerned. But you’re a grown woman who has been married and widowed already. As far as I’m concerned, he has no say in what happens between you and me in the future.”
“I understand, but please, do me a favor and act like it matters. After how much he hated Darrow, it means a lot to me if he likes you.”
“If you’re asking as a favor, then I’ll try.”
“Thank you.”
They entered the offices of Mori’s father to a scene similar to his own offices but about three times the size and twice as busy. The last thing Kal was expecting was a familiar face.
“Master Kal. Good to see you,” said Holm. “Just getting some shipping contracts ready for the next ship scheduled to arrive.”
“Is this another that needs to be commandeered?”
“It’s the Gazelle, Sir. Our next shipment of slaves from the South isn’t expected for a few more weeks.”
“Didn’t the Gazelle just leave?”
“She had a very lucrative time-sensitive shipment to a north-western port in Azumbaho and should be on her way back already.”
“How, again? If the winds...”
“They’re tacking against the wind to get north of here, then using the usual path across the Great River, Kal. Leave the sailin’ to the sailors,” said Scarlet.
“Will do. Good to see you, Holm. Mori? Would you lead the way?” said Kal, offering his arm.
Mori took the offered arm and led them through the hustle and bustle of the office to a set of stairs in the back of the room. Upstairs were more desks, but it was much quieter. Most of the workers had their heads down and only gave Kal, Mori, and Scarlet a passing glance before returning to their work. The second floor was divided in half by a wall with three doors. The center door Mori led them toward was the only one with a desk sitting nearby. The man sitting at the desk stood from his chair and poked his head in the door as they walked across the room, presumably to announce their arrival.
“He’s expecting you, Lady Mori,” said her father’s secretary as they approached.
Mori nodded in response before letting go of Kal’s arm, taking a deep breath, and opening the door. “It’s good to see you, Father,” she said, entering the room and stepping to the side to let Kal and Scarlet in. “It’s my pleasure to introduce you to Kal Runesmith, who acquired all of Darrow’s holdings, and Commodore Scarlet, who is managing his sailing fleet and business here in Silvermoon.”
“Acquired all of Darrow’s holdings, including my daughter, then just as quickly threw her away,” said the man sitting behind the desk, glaring at Kal as he stood up. It wasn’t hard to see where Mori’s looks came from. Her father had the same dark hair but with a few streaks of silver running through it. He could easily be considered handsome, and his dark gray attire with gold trimmings closely matched the colors of the crest on the front of the building. Kal was mildly surprised by his stature. Mori’s father wasn’t the imposing figure evoked by everyone who spoke of him and stood a few finger widths shorter than Kal. But there was a shrewdness in his eyes that immediately put the mage on guard.
“Would she be here with me if I had discarded her so casually?,” Kal asked as he reached back and took her hand, then pulled her forward to stand beside him. “Perhaps a better question would be to ask if I would be considering letting her run my business in the future if I had merely tossed her to the side?”
Some of the anger in his eyes was replaced by curiosity as he looked at his daughter. “Is this true, Mori?”
“It is, Father. I will be in Silvermoon quite often, learning from Commodore Scarlet in hopes of one day taking over the running of Kal’s business.”
“You’re wasting your time, Kal,” said Mori’s father as he stepped around his desk with the slightest hint of a smile. “She already knows all she needs and more to run your business. Mannis Fairbo, owner of Fairbo Trading Company,” he said, extending his hand.
“Kal Runesmith, mage and new owner of Darrow’s holdings, now the Runesmith Shipping Company,” said Kal, shaking the man’s hand.
“Shipping Company? I thought you were going to be a trading company as well.”
“After a discussion with Scarlet and Olvo, they felt that focusing on shipping would be the best direction to take my business in. Commodore Scarlet already has extensive knowledge in the shipping trade, and Olvo mentioned that if we were a shipping company then we wouldn’t be in direct competition with you.”
“Olvo’s a sharp one. Make sure you’re paying him well, or someone will steal him from you. Myself being first on that list of ‘someone’s. You bring welcome news. I’m always glad to hear about less competition, and I often contract out through the city’s other shipping companies. A new company will help drive down shipping costs for my goods.”
“I wouldn’t expect it to last long. It’s likely one of the other companies will take up the slave trade in my stead.”
“Make hay while the sun shines, my father used to say.”
“Sounds like something a farmer would say.”
Mannis nodded. “Something we have in common, from my understanding.”
“You seem to know a lot about me,” said Kal.
“When a new piece enters the board, it’s important to learn how they move. The best way to do that is to learn why they move the way they do. It helped that I have been keeping an eye on my daughter since she married Crowell and have heard much of your story already. In fairness and because we both come from humble beginnings. I’ll tell you a little bit of my story.
“As I hinted a moment ago, my father was a farmer. My mother passed on giving birth to me and my father joined her when I was a boy. My older brother took over the farm, found a wife, who I, as a young man, became smitten with. Shortly before I came of age, they discovered his wife was with child. With another mouth to feed on the horizon and worried I might try to steal his woman, the moment My brother’s obligation to look after me ended, he booted me out the door. It was the best thing that could have happened to me. Now, you’re probably expecting a sob story about how I was dying of hunger or the element and needed to steal or beg for food, but I’d be lying if I told you that. Not even a day had passed before I approached a traveling merchant and said I would work doing whatever he needed for bread and water. Over the next few years, he taught me how to trade, how to haggle, and the value of goods and services. My mentor passed on in his sleep between villages and I took over his wagon, slowly building funds until I could sell the wagon and buy a building here in Silvermoon. I took the knowledge that he gave me and turned it into this. “ said Mannis, gesturing at the lavish office surrounding them. “Sadly, my brother died from a kick to the chest by his oxen. I inherited the land, which I had little use for and sold, and his wife, who was just as beautiful as the day my brother kicked me out. A few years later, she gave me Mori.”
“Where is your mother now?” Kal asked her.
“Gone,” Mannis answered for her when she didn’t speak up right away. “She became ill when Mori was young, and I discovered that while she said she loved me she never really saw me as a man, just the boy with a crush on his brother’s wife, and because I inherited her, it never felt as real as when she was with my brother. Her boys were about to become men and start their own families, and because Mori was mine she never felt the same affection toward her as she did her sons. Mori’s mother chose to let the sickness take her so she could be with my brother.”
“Father has not taken a wife since. My two older brothers are my uncle’s,” said Mori, “I’m my father’s only child.”
“I will not let my brother’s sons have what I built, which means that if Mori has a son, he will be the one to inherit my company.”
“I can understand why you would have been so upset by her marriage to Darrow,” said Kal.
“The man was trash, but smart enough to build himself a lucrative business. I’m just thankful my daughter never gave him an heir. Reports have said that she seems much more keen on giving you one.”
“Careful how you answer this one,” Ikuno warned him over the bond, but he didn’t need to worry about it.
“Reports can go stuff it,” said Mori, her voice heated. “When were you going to tell me my maids were also bodyguards?”
“Never, daughter. I’m concerned about how you found out,” said Mannis with a pointed glance at Kal. “You should never have known unless you were in some kind of danger.”
“Kal and one of his companions noticed they moved like fighters. I haven’t seen it myself, but I understand they are all excellent fighters themselves.”
“And killers,” said Mannis. “A number of the men from The Perdition turned up dead this morning.”
“I guess they should have been nicer to the cargo.” Kal replied. “Those women are all free now, and I have no control over them. If they want revenge, there’s little I can do to stop them.”
“Fun as it is to hear about slavers getting their throats ripped out by the cargo. You came here for a reason, Kal,” said Scarlet.
“I did, and thank you for keeping me on track,” said Kal “I understand that you did business with a tribe of spellsingers to the north. I’d like to know what you could tell me about them.”
The question appeared to catch Mannis off guard.
“Are you joking?” he asked.
“No, why?
“Because you look like you changed clothes and walked out of one of their camps.”
“It must be coincidence. I’m from a small town on the other side of the world.”
“That’s quite the coincidence. But first, why do you want to know?”
“Careful,” Ikuno warned Kal. “What you tell him will set the price of his information. Be too flippant, and you’ll get nothing.”
“I hope to learn their spellsinging,” Kal answered.
“Then you’ve wasted my time, I’m sad to say. They won’t teach their magic to anyone outside the tribe. If you’re from the other side of the world, then you have no chance. However...” Mannis rubbed his chin as he looked Kal over, “the Meekari have a problem. Have a seat, and I’ll tell you what I know of their history.” He said, offering them chairs as he sat down at his desk. “With how much you look like one of them, you may be able to help in a way that no man from Silvermoon could.”
The Meekari were a nomadic tribe of people who traveled from the base of the northern mountains, where they hunted large game for food and oil during the summer, to the northern tip of the Boordus jungle in the winter with its warmer winds and plentiful vegetation.
Over a century ago, they discovered droosa. But the drug was different back then, milder, and its effects lasted longer. In its original form, it made a person feel good while also keeping them from feeling tired. The concoction made the yearly migrations easier, and hunters used it when tracking game over long distances to stave off fatigue. It became a part of their culture, and large bowls were passed around during festivals because it was believed to open the mind to the spirit world and deities.
But a small group of boys wanted more. They wanted to feel more than good, they wanted euphoria. So, they began cultivating the plants that produced droosa’s seeds. The plants that gave the strongest high were bred together until any more made the elixir toxic. They also discovered that the stronger the effect the shorter it lasted.
The elders were at a loss with the men, many who had grown older and were eyeing up places on the council of elders where they could remove the stigma from growing their modified plants.
Then, one of the men made the silverleaf tea, added the crushed seeds, and poured it out onto a piece of waxed linen stretched horizontally between four poles where he let it dry. The slurry turned into a hard, chalky puck that sent up clouds of powder when it broke apart. His friends found him hours later as he finally started recovering from the intense high caused by inhaling the powder. This is the droosa we in Silvermoon are all familiar with.
Soon after, the tribe’s young women began disappearing, only to show up later wild-eyed with noses stained green and showing evidence of a recent sexual encounter.
It became clear that the men were using this new form of droosa to entice the women to sleep with them. The Meekari elders quickly banished the men from the tribe. To their horror, many of the young women they had victimized left with them, seduced by the call of droosa that already burned in their blood.