Fantasy Seed of the Void

Author's Notes

Its clear the welcome of the Tamberan Voidhold has run dry for Isaen and his new minion Eris. With the mysterious detractor's of Isaen benefactor's hot on his tail, it was high time to take his leave of the dark tower. How Eris' will use her connections to assist Isaen remained to be seen as the pair learns to trust eachother and feel out their roles in eachother's lives.

Thanks as always to my editor Kenjisato!

The Harbor Teet

The stench of humans and other lesser beings had become more repugnant the further Marthion trekked through the Tamberan Voidhold. He held to his nose a perfumed cloth with scents of the Rosenglade smothered upon it, and breathed in deeply. The elven inquisitor would only have to endure the presence of mortals for a short time, as he surmised the sin that had been committed here. He felt close to the source of his charge, the strings coming together.

Forced to duck his head, he graced the creaking wood planks of the stairwell to the loft of the quaint establishment the mortals called, 'The Board and Bard'. At the summit, he entered a musky room filled with scents of mortal flesh, sulfur, the discharge of magical energy, and worst of all... mortal intercourse.

The rotund captain of the tower's guard entered first, blustering amidst his subordinates as his impossibly tall immortal guest came behind him. The guards who occupied the space, turning it over for any sort of clue, soon came to attention. All except for a guard harassing a young woman, who huddled atop the single bed in the room. She was nude, her sinful flesh exposed, except for a single blanket that she held around herself, and a peculiar necklace that hung low along her breasts.

"Oi, girl, give me dat sheet." The guard tugged at her only covering as she teary-eyed resisted, embarrassed to be in such a state amidst a group of men.

The keen eyes of the elvish inquisitor could see amidst her struggle with the guard that her core was leaking fluid. No doubt, the parasitic seed of a mortal male pushed upon her. Of course, amidst her fluids, was the smell that stung him the most. It was all he could do but gag at the disgustingly carnal nature of mortals.

"What is that?" The guard, having won the tug-of-war over the sheet, ripped it away from her. Naked, arms held close along her breasts and legs crossed to guard the visage of her female anatomy, she did her best to hide a rather large purse of coin.

"It's nothing!"

"Bullshit, give it here, girl." The guard made to rip the coin purse away, another grabbing her arms to pull them away from her breasts. They jiggled around lewdly, making a sickening feeling creep up in Marthion's throat. The bullish sexuality of mortals disgusted him. No doubt they meant to propagate themselves with this defenseless female, such animals.

"Yew must be a good whore to get so much coin." They cackled, having grabbed the coin purse and held her arms back. The young maiden Myra streamed tears, as she was set to be leered at by a dozen men. Even the rotund captain of the guard had a disgusting, low growl when he saw her.

"Animals." The inquisitor shuddered a word of contempt.

The guards and their captain froze.

"Milord, apologies if we have upset you. This insolent girl has refused cooperation," a sergeant, holding one of her arms back and rocking it to force a jiggle in her breast, reported.

"No doubt, your disgusting mating rituals do not encourage much cooperation..."

"Mating rituals..." The guard looked at the looming elf, mortified. He looked down at the girl, naked, staring up at him defensively, and he saw what the inquisitor saw.

"Unhand her, bastards, back up," the captain of the guard sighed, ordering his troopers back. Myra, again, covered herself and crossed her legs tightly, her glistening lower lips disappearing from their vision in disappointing haste.

"The sheet." Marthion held out a large hand, large enough to grab the skull of one of the guards.

It was quickly given up, and the elf inquisitor stepped towards the frightened girl. As expected, she looked more terrified of the immortal being before her, than being gang-raped by the guards around her. Elves had that effect on lesser beings. It was their holy aura that confronted their mortal and sinful souls.

But unlike the lustful guards, the elf draped the sheet back over her, allowing her to shield herself from the view of the men around her.

"The coin purse." His low voice rumbled, a disgusted look on his face as his nose could not be covered at this moment.

The guards looked reluctant to give up the bounty. The heavy sack had more coins than any had ever handled at once.

"The purse." His voice echoed in the most unnatural way around the room. Vivid darkness encroached on their souls as he did so.

It was quickly handed over. What was a heavy load in the hand of the guard was but a small drop in the palm of the elven inquisitor. He weighed it in his hand discerningly. His eyes scanned it, and then scanned the girl who viewed him with dread.

"No tavern girl makes such a sum here in the tow--" The fat captain raised a finger to interject his opinion, cut short.

"Silence." His voice was like a command that could not be ignored. A low growl of inhuman power that quelled any desire to dissent. He was deep in thought. And the imposition of the inept only served to delay his assessment.

"Girl." He slipped closer to the bed, his keen hearing picking up a spike in her breaths.

She was frozen in fear, no response lay upon her lips, but for the trembling of a maiden before a holy being, she could not truly understand.

"Girl," he repeated, this time softer, his elder-tone like a soothsayer milking the senses for the desired reception.

"Y-y-yes?" she stuttered, yet felt compelled to respond.

"Tell me. For what purpose is this sum?" He beckoned a response from her with words like a soft summer breeze. The guards looked on, perplexed. Did elves have such a manner of employing magical voices? Or do they whisper curses between breaths to consume your soul into betraying your guard?

The girl relaxed some, the sheet falling off her shoulder as she calmed herself. The elf took notice of a silver necklace, with a moon and a stag hanging from its chain.

"It was payment... for my services," she admitted, ashamed.

One of the guards could not help but cackle at the thought, as he eyed her hungrily.

Marthion shot the guard a look, setting him back a step cautiously. He shared such a look with the captain, as well.

"Dismiss your guard. I have no use for them." A low rumble like distant thunder commanded.

"Yes... yes, Milord." The captain did not even bother to argue. Such resistance to their elvish masters only served to diminish the mortal peoples.

The guards slowly filed out. Even the captain removed himself from the scene, though he had first tried to linger. A sharp gaze from the inquisitor had ended that idea.

"They are gone now. They will not harm you. I will command it." The elf looked down on Myra, too proud to stoop to her level as his head shared the dusty air with the rafters.

"Thank you..." She avoided his ethereal gaze, elvish eyes were too uncanny for comfort.

"So tell me... why such a sum for your services?"

His voice left little will to withhold information. Myra would spend some time relaying the truth of the encounter to him. Though key elements were missing, mainly any mention of Calista or her cohorts. Per her very adeptly told story, Isean was the only one to arrive at the 'Board and Bard' that day and shared his room alone until Myra joined him.

"... I was, at first, reluctant to allow him... to allow him to know me in such a way..." She reddened in the cheeks as she further averted her gaze. "But I could not reject such a sum."

While Marthion could not claim her story was inconsistent, there were certainly holes. For a tavern maid, she was convinced she was telling the whole truth of the encounter. But as an elvish inquisitor, he knew there was some spell at work to rob her memory of key details that could aid his investigation. For now... there was little he could do. He did not desire to warp her very soul into thin strands of mortal chords he could pluck to discover the missing links. To do such a thing would be reserved for those who had heinously defied the Elven Order. He would not risk countenance on the deities that count themselves as the mortal's benefactors by employing such means. But... the current state of things was troubling.

"One last question, girl."

"Yes...?"

"The necklace, where does it come from?" His eyes shimmered as he fixated on it.

Myra gasped, clutching it closely as he eyed it, almost in a defensive manner. This reaction was strange. Suspicious even.

"This... this was my grandmother's." Myra defiantly told the elf her truth.

Marthion had no reason to doubt her tale. Though so much of the circumstances around this maiden lay in suspicion. Her part in it was an unknowing participant. She seemed to not only be missing key details of her encounter, but also seemed altered in her perception of reality. Marthion could sense a magical presence in the necklace. Though it was so small that its power would be of no significance.

"May I see it?" Marthion asked, in a way that she could refuse if she desired.

"I'd rather you not." Her tone was protective.

The clank of golden coin fell to the mattress as the inquisitor dropped the purse before her once more.

"Your support for my investigation has been insightful... girl." He returned his perfumed cloth to his nose before ducking his lead to leave.

Alone in the 'Board and Bard', Myra was left naked and confused as to her interaction with the elf. But for his part, she remained unmolested by the guards from there on out until she left the tower behind her for good.

If Isaen thought that Eris or 'Rook', as she called herself, shot daggers at him while he fucked her, then he soon learned the real knives came out when she was wet and cold. Shivering, arms held across her naked chest and coated in the water her new boss had thrown at her. Eris looked truly feral. Before they could proceed to the ship, Isaen knew she needed to wash off. That was if she ever hoped to be passable. This meant he had to strip her down to her birthday suit and douse her with some fresh well water he had paid coin to gain exclusive access to.

"If it's any consolation, you look cuter the wetter you are," he jabbed, as he watched the cold water dribble off every smooth stretch of her skin. Keeping her legs and arms crossed, she shivered severely. Teeth gnashing, she envisioned Isaen's demise.

"F-f-fuck... y-y-you," she chattered.

"C'mon now, you look to not have had a bath in some time." Bucket in hand, he walked up to her, making it a point to look down his nose at the girl. "I can't be seen with a dirty urchin, won't do well for my credibility."

A waterfall fell over her head as the last of the dirt was washed from her skin. A low growl followed from the feral girl.

A few meters off, a pair of filthy vagrants watched the naked girl with perverted interest, snickering and hoping Isaen would discard her for their amusement. Isaen had noticed them and looked too intimidating to trifle with. Eris knew that her deal with the strange rogue was her best bet for survival. Isaen admired her common sense.

"Next time, I'll get you a warm bath, just now, we don't have time." He took a wet hand and slapped the underside of her cunt, making sure to rub and clean her well. He couldn't tell if she was growling, or purring, as he did so, and neither was he sure which he preferred.

Two clicks of Isaen's tongue caught her attention, and a dark cloak was dropped on her head magnanimously.

"Put that on, and put your hair up. We'll get you some proper clothes somewhere before finding our way to your friends."

Little incentive for Eris to hold the dark cloth to her small body was needed. She shivered for a time as they gained their bearings, and headed for the wharf. Behind them, the two vagrants still snickered and made to follow.

"Nuh-uh." Isaen slipped the hand cannon from its holster and pointed it at the two, flicking its barrel to the right to warn them to get lost.

Both croaked and made haste away, they didn't want that sort of trouble. From under the hooded cloak, Eris caught the glimmer of the weapon and wondered who exactly this guy was to have so much coin and firepower on him.

"So, what's next...?" She meekly followed as Isaen strode down the alley, no cloak, only the scar on his face as a defining feature. He did his best to look less than dark, for the sake of anyone even thinking of turning him in.

"Get you clothes, and then it's time for you to do your part."

Clothes... it was crazy for Eris to think about having a new set of clothes. It had been years since she was a young girl when she had proper clothes. That much piqued her interest, and with the prospect of him taking her off this rock, she let a sliver of hope enter her mind that it could all be changing for her.

"This way. There is a consignor in the back alley I stole those last bit of clothes from." Eris pointed towards a stretch of alley that led back to the main drag.

"And what, we just walk up to him and say, sorry not sorry?"

"I don't know... it's been a while, I'm sure he won't recognize me, he's an old man."

"Could just turn us in." Isaen didn't like the idea as he narrowed his eyes. Could he even trust her to give him such suggestions?

"By the looks of his operation, I don't think he asks many questions, other than for coin."

"Fine. Remember our deal."

The memory of the cold feeling of Isaen's steel at her gut made Eris shiver, and her boss' eyes keenly flicker.

While the cloak kept the cold stale air off of her, she still felt a chill on her naked folds beneath its fabric. The pair made haste down alleyways as she led him to a hole-in-the-wall several meters off the main road in the quiet of the alleyway. Outside, a single lantern glowed in the shadows, as an old figure rocked back and forth on the back heels of his chair. Stepping closer, the pair could see crates of all manner of fabrics, clothes, and other apparel that had been hastily rummaged through by the last prospective customers. The old man looked off down the alley towards the main road, keenly aware that an abnormal amount of hustle and bustle carried on through the tower.

"Come to buy?" The old man's question became more pointed, as he held up a crossbow that had sat across his lap cocked with a bolt.

"Aye." Isaen stopped short, putting a hand across Eris' to stop her.

Running a finger across his bulbous nose and adjusting his round spectacles, the proprietor turned his gaze to the pair and sniffed.

"Last I saw that rat, she was dodging a quarrel from my bow after she stole from me." He leveled the crossbow squarely at Eris.

The girl gasped, amazed how he could remember her underneath his cloak and after this time.

"You look less than scrupulous yourself." His spectacles glimmered in the fire of his lantern, as he stared at Isaen.

"Seems to me that's your clientele." Isaen nodded to the shadowy facade of his establishment. Inside a few more lanterns lit dozens of more crates full of other rags.

"Hmmmm." The old man's crossbow never left the sight of Eris' gut.

"She works for me now. Does this settle it?"

A gold coin flicked across the darkness with only a faint shimmer to guide it to the old man's lap. His sausage fingers picked it up as he stuck it under the flesh of his large nose and rubbed the metal along it.

"Aye. We're more than even then." He lay the crossbow back along his lap.

"Perhaps we can take a look at your stock? She needs new garb."

"I'll say."

Eris growled, but Isaen slapped her on the back of the head.

"Take what you need. We're settled." He continued to sniff at the gold coin, as Isaen and Eris began to rummage through the piles of clothes within.

Cloaks, tunics, pants, belts, undergarments, and all manner of implements were piled high within the damp storefront. There was a sharp mustiness to it all, blood and crud on much of it, but it was more than enough for their purposes. Isaen found a stained green cloak with a golden rope to fit around his neck. Then, a matching cap fitted with a golden broach that made him look more like a skald than the rogue he was. Eris, for her part, was shuffling around a small box of ladies' undergarments in the corner, admiring some of their smooth fabrics. Isaen knew they were nowhere near the top of the line. But for a girl living in the gutter for so long, they certainly would make her feel like she was a queen.

"Here, take this." Isaen tossed a green velvet dress across the room, landing on top of her head. She examined it for a time, its long sleeves and sleek, glimmering fabric that ran across a low neckline and a rather short skirt. While most girls of finer locales would consider it too skimpy and out of style, Eris had never seen anything prettier.

Dropping the cloak, she stood nude for a time, looking at the dress; Isaen watched and admired her body. Despite her skinniness from lack of a proper meal, she had a rather feminine structure to her. Petite, but with hips that had a slight curve to them. Her stomach was flat with a hint of a soft bump that led to her navel. Her legs were long and sleek, running up to an ass that certainly had potential with the right diet. Her breasts, while non-existent, had cute pink nipples that nearly blended in with her skin and looked juicy enough to feed on. She had a long neck and a neat jawline that was rounded out with a cute set of cheeks. For the first time since he met her, she was smiling, looking at the dress in her hands.

A small yelp from Eris answered a stiff slap on her ass.

"Hurry up and get that on, our ride leaves on the hour."

Isaen had just started this journey where the swath of women he would meet was incalculable, if he played his cards right. Yet, just three girls in, this Rook girl made his loins stir a particular way as he loomed over her. Her big eyes looking up at him as she slipped the green dress over her head, certainly did his desire no favors. She didn't even need a bra, her neckline loosely hanging open for Isaen to peer down when he wanted. She picked out a few silk panties and slipped on a pair underneath her skirt that only came to mid-thigh on her. A pair of long leather boots would seal the look, as they left her skin, from knee to skirt, bare and white. A green cowl she found in a nearby bin matched the dress as she slipped it over her knotted yet done-up hair.

For a brief moment, it did not feel like there was as much of a rush for Isaen. He stared at the girl dressed in misfitting clothes whom he had plucked out of the street. Eris' large brown eyes were as bright as they could be, unsullied by the life she had been living.

Catching himself, Isaen wiped his face with a rough hand before tossing to Eris, one of the many empty sacks lying around.

"Get a few more things and stick it in this sack."

Distrust still resided in her eyes. It was too soon for that to fade. However, she indulged and stuffed several other clothes that caught her interest inside the bag. They had little time to try it all on.

Ushering her out of the store, they took their leave of the old man still sitting out front gazing into the distance.

"We're settled, move along." He beckoned them, the gold piece enough to get twice what they actually took. Though until they had passed around the corner of the alley, the old man kept a sharp eye on them, with his crossbow a moment away from being level with their hearts.

With their efforts to look less conspicuously dark and hooded, as the cappies' description offered, Isaen and his new partner ventured out into the busy street as she guided him to those she knew would help them aboard the ship. Things were no less chaotic since before Isaen took his detour up her slit moments before. The red-capped guards still questioned all who passed, looking for someone they only caught a fleeting glimpse of.

"'Scuse me." Half a shout stopped Isaen and Eris in their tracks, as they walked down an incline towards the wharf. Several other bystanders pushed past the pair, not wishing to be part of the questioning, as three guards armed with spears called for them to halt.

"State yer business." They surrounded the pair like a three-pointed triangle ensuring they knew of the Tower Guard's authority.

Eris, having lived in the shadows away from the mainstream, not intending to come face to face with the guards, looked to her feet and cowered. Her every twitch and shiver as she huddled ever closer to the stranger, Isaen, was a testament to the reputation of the guard. After all, if she could cower close to a man that held her against the wall and fucked her raw just moments ago, what sort of monsters were these cappies?

"On the voyage home... from a pilgrimage to the shrine of Melodious..."

Isaen felt himself a floozy just uttering that lie. The preposterous nature of Melodious and his faithful made him cringe. If only he could have devised a better cover on the spot.

"Eh?"

The guard even sounded off-put, toying with a gold pendant around his wrist.

"Melodious. Should pray to a proper god. Threxis demands no... songs to bestow his favor."

Isaen had no desire to indulge his red-capped friend's desire for theological debate. But given the reputation of the children of Melodious, he certainly knew they would not just go silent at such an insult. If only Isaen had a gift for song, or this little bird at his hip could sing a tune.

"Enough." A bit of spittle was thrown to the cobblestone beneath their feet as one of the other guards swished his hands. He stared into Isaen's face, a moment of suspicion in his eyes.

Isaen's hand beneath his green cape moved slightly towards the hilt of his dagger. Did this guard see through the lie? Isaen was certainly no soothsayer to spin lies and secret identities.

"What of the girl?" The guard pointed his chin to Eris.

"The girl... my daughter." Eris' eyebrow twitched, given what he had done to her earlier. "I must say the kindness of the streets of Tamberan has dwindled of late, have we run ill of your Castelan's laws?"

Impatient, the guards scoffed and waved the pair off.

"Begone," one said, walking off to badger the next passerby.

"Wait." Another held their spear in front of Isaen and Eris, as they attempted to make a quick exit from the scene. "Have you seen a man, cloaked, ne'er-do-well in nature? Had a dark countenance."

Whether the girl he had sequestered would sell him to the guards was foremost on Isaen's mind. He could nearly feel her quick heartbeat as she no doubt thought of the deed. His eyes shifted to hers, while still vindictive, Eris spared his gaze and looked silently off into the distance as she submitted once again.

Things must be pretty bad here for her. She was a survivor, like him.

"I've seen no such man." Isaen did not lift his eyes.

"You, woman?"

"My daughter has a faint heart, sirs, she does not spea--"

"Shut it. You, woman?"

After a brief pause, her meek voice answered. "No. I've seen no one." She wrapped her arm into Isaen's, playing the daughter as he had cast her.

"See that neither of you do. Or at the least, alert the guard."

"Songs... for your mothers." Isaen attempted a pious parting attune with what he had heard from a passing troupe of bards sworn to the god of songs. Given the scrunch in Eris' nose, he was sure he butchered the saying.

"And songs for you..." The guard, just as unsure, answered as they each walked in the opposite direction.

For a silent few meters, they slid close to the walls of the street, the red dust of the stone catching on their cloaks as they descended to the wharf front, and the vast void beyond it.

Swallowing, Isaen hurried Eris along. Both kept quiet for a long while, both grateful to have made it past the guards. Isaen was even more grateful she had not turned him in.

The wharf of the dark tower was like looking into a dark pool of black. Before them was a gaping hole in the wall of the tower that looked out over the sea of stars, only the faint glints of a purple magical mist held the air back from the vacuum beyond. Up to that edge of the void, was a broad swatch of red stone. It was carved neatly into a sheer cliff on which many ships lay moored, ethereally floating amongst the stars as if it were an ocean. There was no tide here. The whims of the gods pulled and pushed things beyond the bidding of the magics bestowed upon the mariners taking sail amongst the blackness. Great jetties stretched out from this wharf where greater and larger ships took harbor. This was where the Gorgon waited for them, and so did the vast lines of people waiting to board after inspection.

"No need for secret embarkations if we made it this far." The naive hopefulness of Eris tugged at Isaen's green cape as she wished to strut down the jetty like she owned it.

"Nay, we merely were fortunate enough to encounter the lowest rung of the guard's ranks." Isaen could hear the cappies harassing more of the street goers behind them.

"Look ahead."

Out in the vast of the void before them, through the dark portal in which the ships of the Voidhold docked to receive and dispatch their goods and passengers, a sleek white monolith sat in the emptiness of the black running bow to stern in the vertical orientation. Its glistening white hull shone the faint light of distant stars and loomed like a reverent spear.

"I've... I've never seen..."

"Elves," Isaen spoke plainly. His eyes narrowed as he saw two of their sentinels standing amongst the inspecting parties at the end of the jetty, just before the Gorgon's hatch.

"Elves?" Eris' tone was one of girlish excitement. Like a child who was seeing a storybook come to life.

But Isaen knew the horrors beyond the hubris of their pointed-eared kind. While they portray themselves as the pinnacle of existence for all mortals, they were no less butchers than any. Rather, they were butchers with a god complex, believing them above all other mortals.

The way the sentinels held themselves, towered over the humans, drakons, dwarves, gnomes, and others that queued for the Gorgon. It spoke of just how high and mighty they perceived themselves to be. Then before them, one such elf backhanded a merchant who dared to complain about the extra wait, raising him from the ground by his collar and inspecting him as if he were a dog.

"No elves."

"What?" Eris heard Isaen mutter the strange phrase under his breath.

"No elves." Elves were the enemy, they were the ones for which he was warned. Here, they had spurned on the guard of this tower to find him, and were keen to ensure he did not board the Gorgon or any other ship. There was no jetty where at least two sentinels did not stand. Their fierce eyes, with sight greater than any other mortal, stood gazing at those wishing to leave the dark tower. There was no leaving without their consent.

But why? Why were they up against the elves? His thoughts strayed to his charged mission.

"Hey..." Eris tugged on his cloak again. They had stood in the street for too long, their guard friends taking another look at them.

"Show me your friends on the wharf." His fingers wrapped around her arm, skinny enough he could touch his fingertips.

Pulling her, they disappeared from the street. Eris heavily sighed as if she wished to avoid this part of the deal if she could.

"You said you knew another way?"

"I do."

"Why hesitate then? You dare not lie." He shoved her against a wall, holding her by either arm she dangled in the air once again.

"No... I won't lie... no reason, I'll take you, I'll take you."

"Good, let's go then." Isaen was losing patience, he wanted out of here, and fast. This was much more complicated than he would have thought with elves involved.

Shifting her eyes to Isaen's hands that held her against the wall, her heart beat fast waiting for him to let her go. After a reiterated moment, meant to sell to her the fact she better not test him, she found her footing. Wincing, she rubbed her arms where he had clenched her tightly.

Eris quickly caught her surroundings, her head darting side to side as if she was scurrying through the gutter. Stepping off down the road, with only a brief look behind her to see if Isaen was following. From there, it was more weaving, between pack animal, wharf hand, and common footpad, the pair slinked along past all manner of passengers or pedestrians. Soon, the scene had given way to those who ensured that the Tower's wharf continued to function.

They were not amongst a more gruff crowd, the matter-of-fact dirty hands of the Voidhold. Atop most of their heads, dirty, soiled, or variously thrown askew, than a red-capped guard would dare, were blue caps signifying the wharf crews. Few paid attention to them, other than the stray eye-catching gap between skirt hem and boot on Eris' legs where her newly washed skin flared.

Isaen ventured that the more ornate costumes they had picked up were more conspicuous in this crowd than his normal shadowy garb, but he paid little mind to that, for right then, the ruse was his only shield from suspicion.

"There." A ramshackle tug lay moored against the wharf, stuck between an equally rusted freighter, and a smaller-sized star-skiff. Its riveted hull flashed with oak from a distant terrestrial world and was bound with thick red ropes and the surliness of its crew. Several such rough-looking star-hounds manned its railing, bantering and flicking embers from the tips of their rolled Cleeleaf.

Looking at his girlish companion and back to the tattooed, pierced, and snarling tug-pirates, Isaen cast doubt down on her.

"Friends?"

"Eh, yeah."

"Old shipmates of yours?" He crossed his arms and looked down his scar at her.

"Like I said, I turned tricks for them before."

At least she was honest.

"Anything to survive?"

"I'm here with you, yeah?"

"So long as they don't turn us in, and I don't throw you from the pier in turn."

Still scanning the surroundings, Eris twitched her nose and gazed at him from the side of her eye. "They ain't risking talkin' to a cappie for their own skins."

"Indeed, go." He pushed Eris in the small of her back, propelling the small girl forward as she took up a much more deliberate gait. While a little clumsy and ill-practiced, her attempt at a seductive stride still caught their eyes, earning her gap tooth smiles all around.

"Eyyy, Rook, that you?" A fat lard of a man standing against the fore railing flicked his burnt Smack into the black as he stood straight and witnessed her.

"What's the void coming to when all the gutter-sluts can afford dresses like that?" Another, a hairy Kobold, licked his chops as he leaned against the gangway.

"Heyyy, boys." In resolute nervousness, she approached. Isaen noticed her eyeing her exit, he admired her cautiousness. That sort of instinct would serve them both. Eris was certainly prudent. She clasped her hands behind her back as she approached, her nose twitching amidst the smell of their odor and ashes. "How's it been?"

Isaen lingered back, though they had noticed him, they were far too focused on her to be bothered by the man looming behind her. They more than likely chalked him up to being her pimp.

"No different, in and out, back for another smoke as always. You come for a fun time?" The fat man neared her, Eris looking nervous as the five tug crewmen began to have a vested interest in being close to her. "It's been a while since we've seen ya. We were worried you met a bad man." He eyed Isaen behind her.

"Yeah... there is always room for a mascot aboard the Harbor Teet." A sickly-looking sailor with a missing hand looked her new attire up and down.

Eris made only a single look back to Isaen, wondering if he would intercede at any time, or if she was handling this part alone.

"Well you see it's like--"

"We need passage to the Gorgon." Isaen stepped directly behind his small friend, his eyes meeting each of their gazes. This was not the situation he signed up for, but he questioned what his previous assumptions were when a street girl told him she had friends at the wharf. Curse his impatience.

"Whose this one, Rook? You need us to take care of him?"

"Yeah, Rook-baby, you shouldn't hang out with ghouls like him."

"Looks of the bad sort, not like us, darlin'."

Isaen waited, yet another opportunity for her to show whether she meant to go through with their deal. First, the guards hardly doubted her hesitation, but then those she had a history with. He wouldn't look at her at that moment; rather, he would keep looking forward, waiting for her answer.

Biting her lip, she fidgeted with the sleeves of her dress before opening and closing her mouth several successive times.

"No... no it's not like that." She pushed closer to Isaen, a show that even strangers who met in dark alleys were more trustworthy than this lot. "What he's saying is true, we need on that ship, discreet."

The five looked unsure, exchanging looks as they rubbed their five brain cells together. However, there was something to say about practical experience working at the soil level of things. Isaen had met plenty like that, more aware of the streets than minding their grammar.

"You leaving us, Rook?"

"What's this guy to you?"

There were more questions than answers. Perhaps, the girl may be apt at surviving, but not much for the slight of tongue.

Isaen, of course, was no charismatic impressionist, either. But he did know how to get a point across.

"This one, this one is my thrall." He grabbed her by the nape of her neck, her head casting backward as she gasped, losing her green cowl as her tied-back hair strayed from its clasp. Her eyes found him, this new title of hers certainly felt more fitting than that of his daughter. Perhaps, indeed, she was his thrall. Better than a gutter-slut.

"Whoa, whoa." The men didn't seem to like that, stepping forward and looking a tad perturbed.

"What makes you think you can take the tightest hole in this pit and just haul her off as yours, anyways?"

Perhaps that answer was a misstep. These men were not going to play along with him being more assertive, they were perhaps fonder of Eris than he would have anticipated.

"Gah." Isaen felt a sharp clamp on his thumb, though less than aggressive. He found Eris' teeth biting down on his thumb. It was nowhere near enough to release his grasp, and despite his initial intention to backhand her across the wharf deck, he soon figured she could have easily bitten much harder. Instead, she nibbled, her eyes looking up at Isaen as he still held her neck. Eris brought her body close to Isaen as she placed either thigh on the flanks of his own.

She was rubbing herself on him, cooing.

"I am going..." She released Isaen's hand, grabbing at his cloak and holding herself against him. "My new master is taking me far away from this place, to live in his manor," she purred.

While the five certainly stood down from their aggressive stance, they looked no less put off.

"So it's like that then, eh..." The fat man solemnly crossed his arms.

The kobold, with matted fur and oily leathers, whined a doggish whine.

"Yeah... it's like that." Eris nodded, looking up at Isaen and giving him her best-staged smile. For a second, even Isaen was fooled by it. He got momentarily lost, looking into her big eyes and at her big forehead, as she gave him a small bit of affection.

He shook it off just as fast as she let off the act. For a moment, he had let his guard down, and put several more layers up.

"So if your master is so great, why does he need us to take 'em to the Gorgon? Did he miss the queue?" The resentful wharf hands snided.

Putting his hand back on Eris' nape and pulling her off of him, Isaen responded. "I prefer to be more discreet. My business demands it."

"Ah, so it is like THAT. Shame. It's always the lot like you that come and snatch the best snatches out of this place."

They muttered to themselves for a moment. Discussing the merits of fulfilling the request amidst their obviously busy schedule of drinking and smoking. While they waited, Isaen stroked Eris' neck with his thumb as he felt her pulse run as quickly as ever. She would learn to trust more as she continued to show loyalty. For the time being, he was just a vector of survival to her.

"All right, it's doable. Our lot of linemen on the Gorgon happen to be on duty now. But it will cost ya."

Isaen felt Eris take a deep breath, relieved that they may just be able to get on board yet.

"Name your price."

"We just want a good moment with your little thrall there, to ya know, say goodbye."

"Just a parting kiss."

They all took their turns jesting.

Atwix his fingers he felt her gulp.

"Is that it then?" Isaen smirked, his thumb caressing beneath Eris' ear.

"Aye, it is." The men looked at her lewdly.

No further word was given, Eris merely gazing up at Isaen with an emotion that couldn't quite be called shock, but certainly neared surprise. Isaen had not given her a reason to doubt him yet, but he certainly still had his doubts about her. Would she go all the way to guarantee her survival?

Letting go of her neck, and giving her a slap on the ass, he tested his assumption.

Eris took a single, long breath, looking at her new 'master' and then at the men. Resolution coloring her face after she broke down the cold fear from her cheeks.

"Aye, that's it, Rook, you know what we like."

She lowered herself down, wincing as her bare knees contacted the rough regolith of the wharf deck. Closing her eyes, she tried to breathe through the anxiety of what was to come. All the while, she slowly slipped her arms from their sleeves to fold the top of her loose-fitting dress beneath her breasts.

Not a moment before the men began to take their cocks out, or a second after she slipped her pretty pink nubs into view, Isaen grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her feet.

"On second thought." He draped his cape over his thrall to cover her modesty, or what there was left. Eris choked through an anxious instinct to hurl as she pulled herself from the mindset of what she was about to do.

"What. No, no second thoughts." Cocks out, and already sold on the idea of slipping them between Eris' pretty lips, the angry men looked ready once more to fight for their right to her.

"I decided I was too fond of her." He tapped her on the behind, waking her up from her shock and reminding her to slip her arms back into her dress beneath the warm cloak. She held its warmth around her, like a blanket of security once she felt the fabric across her chest again. Looking at Isaen, she could only wonder exactly what that was about.

"You see... I've decided no one is going to be touching her aside from me." He squeezed her small ass, but one that told her he meant what he said.

"You... you think you're gonna work us over like that?" Cocks were put away and saber hilts were instead paraded.

"No. But I think we can still make a deal."

"Fat chance."

"Three gold says otherwise."

A long pause proved that gold was more valuable than any woman, at least to certain men. But, of course, three gold also meant they could buy time with a lot of women.

Again, they looked and muttered to each other, considering the deal of this strange man.

"Five gold..." They countered reluctantly, still licking their lips and looking at Eris.

"Four."

"Four and two silvers."

"Deal." He slipped his Eris' romp-holding hand into his back pocket and produced the coin. A surprised fat wharf hand took it from him before inspecting its authenticity.

A long whistle and a sounding of bells signified that a ship was leaving port. The moorings of the Gorgon were being thrown from the sides as it roared to magical life.

"That is our ship."

"There is time, it waits for us to take it out of port. We will take you to the maintenance hatch where our... colleagues will help you board."

They ushered the pair aboard their tug. A small, cramped, and smelly space it was. There were a few wooden benches on either side, and hanging bags, ropes, tools, and paraphernalia thrown about its cabin. At the bow of the ship, a small glass slit let the pilot see forty-five degrees forward and ninety degrees to port, where it would meet the Gorgon. With the five men and their two passengers plus bags stuffed into the cabin, Isaen was sure to keep Eris between the bulkhead and himself to save her a small amount of harassment. It was less than a noble gesture and more a possessive habit for a toy that he didn't want others to play with.

Eris didn't care either way, holding his cape around her tightly.

"Hold on, ya dogs... and kobolds." The fat man took the wooden helm wheel after the others secured the metal hatch with a twist of a wrench against its bolts. A hiss of the magical field powered by the mana engine ensured that the tug was now airtight, at least until they made dock at the other side of the port.

Pulling a lever, the tug headed forward with a sputtering hum. The fat man rubbed the glossy wooden knob and smiled back at Eris.

"Ya remember this one, Rook?" The gaps within his teeth hissed as he smiled and breathed. "I remember you sticking your cunny atop this pole, couldn't quite do anything but nurse the tip of it with yourself, but it was quite the sight as you manned, or should I say, womaned, the helm."

A hearty laugh from the men made the girl shiver. Isaen could feel her contempt. There was no great leap to see why she would rather dig around in the gutter than be here with these men. They would have fed her, but at what cost? Why then did she take her chance with Isaen? He would need to watch her closely, to see what her next move of survival would be.

The real question was, could he trust her with the true nature of his business? Could she even understand his mandate to breed the next generation of mages? But as they floated through the dark harbor of the tower, the question still floated around his mind-- did that business still exist after this elven intrusion?

"Aye, it's still glossy from that day. I haven't cleaned it since. Still rub it for good luck each time we push off."

Isaen didn't say anything; he just kept Eris behind him, and looked ahead.

It was largely silent for the rest of the puttering across the port. They bobbed up and down the black gap between the wharf and the outer wall before coming alongside the looming hulk of the Gorgon. Its sheets of metal crudely painted orange and grey dwarfed the Harbor Teet.

The rest of the men inside, unlatched hatches on the side and the top of the tug and climbed up ladders. They waited for the hiss of the mana field to release before grabbing pole hooks and lines and crawling up top.

The fat man grabbed the bulkhead at the edge of the hatch, leaning out as he neared the platform of the Gorgon's maintenance hatch and smiling.

"Right time?" He laughed at an unknown figure. "Got something for ya." He nodded towards Isaen and Eris.

"What now?" A more distinct and bothered tone responded. As they tightened against the hull of the Gorgon and the tug hands ensured they were secured, a small plank was run between the ships, and a weary-looking figure stood with parchment in hand, tapping a baton against the hull of the freighter.

"Two new passengers for ya."

"We don't do stowaways."

"Eh, I'll let you tell 'em that."

Isaen stepped forward, looking down at the sternly glaring gnome that held his baton like a club. Shaven clean, and with a long-brimmed red hat hiding his big nose, the gnome curled his lip as he looked up to the tall man.

"No," he immediately responded.

"No stowing away. I'm a passenger." Isaen produced his wooden chip with the details of his embarkation.

"You've missed boarding." The gnome's eyes shifted over to the elven ship still looming behind the tower in the void.

"Indeed, I have." Isaen and the gnome had an understanding.

A gold coin was produced, held low for the gnome to see and conspicuously enough for him to maintain his honor as an honest freigtherhand.

"Aye then, where is her chip?" He pointed the baton at Eris, his eyes coming level with the hem of her skirt, his instinct to lean over and see if he could peer up the garment.

Eris grimaced and pulled her dress closer to her legs and tightened her stance so her thin thighs squished together. The gutter-rat now nicely adorned had a sense of modesty once washed, Isaen noted.

"She's cargo."

The gnome spat a large bit of chum into the black of the void between them.

"Aye, my missus says the same about something I load into her. Doesn't make it cost any less."

"A silver says she is my slave and cargo."

Eris looked concerned that the slave term kept getting brought up, her eyes shifting to Isaen for a brief second, until she scanned once again her surroundings.

"A gold for him, a gold for her." The gnome tipped up his hat.

Isaen wasn't used to rolling this rich, but even then, he was starting to think he was overdoing it. While he was left with one smaller pouch of gold after giving the other to Myra, he would find himself dry before reaching Minhaven at this rate.

There was little choice given the gnome's disposition.

"Fine." The exchange was made.

"Well then, get off my tug." The fat man shooed them along. "I need to go mend my broken heart that Rook has shattered. He cackled, looking at the small woman crossing the plank to the freighter.

"Hey... go make something of yourself, girl." Another said as she crossed to the Gorgon.

She didn't smile at them, there was certainly no love lost there. But she gave them a single nod, before catching up to Isaen's side. Soon the hatch of the Gorgon was riveted shut and they were on their way away from the Tamberan Voidhold.