Chapter 4 - Part 1
Misty had waited until night had fallen and, she hoped, her mother had retired for the night, until she made her way back into her house. She had found a few tattered scraps of her clothing in the woods on her way home, but not all. The girl prayed that one of the local poachers wouldn't find any lost items of hers and link them back to her.
Her house, like most of the rest in her town, was compact and functional.
"Where have you been?" a voice, Misty's mother's. The girl just managed to stop herself from jumping.
"More boys I bet." her mother hissed the word 'boys'.
"Yes and three at once this time, mother!" Misty knew exactly how to rile her.
She slipped into her room before her mother could reply and closed her ears to the banging and cursing as she tried to hurt Misty back. Once the peasant woman had let out her frustrations and returned to her own room, Misty let herself fall into her bed and sighed frustrated, wishing for the day the roof over her head was her own. Kentin took hold of her thoughts and not for the first time she seriously considered beholding herself to him. He was sensitive, learned, honest and surprisingly funny and she could not think of anyone else who she would ever become beholden to. But she was not ready, not by a long way to only ever have just one man in her bed.
She began to feel flushed and wetness. Her hand went to check between her legs, a worry that it may have been blood, not healed yet from the previous rough nights of sex. One stroke of her fingers between her nether-lips, however, and the resulting and the girl knew that it was liquid sex.
As she considered whether or not she wanted to scratch the itch, she passed out from exhaustion. She did not dream much, but when she did she saw Kentin armed and armored as a knight killing the orc brutally.
The following morning, across town, Kentin, the son of the town's priest, thought of Misty, the beautiful and malcontent peasant girl, and let out a long resigned sigh. He loved her. Utterly and painfully and remorselessly. He was well aware of her promiscuous ways and it confused and angered him how he could not really fault her for them. It was just a part of her almost unnatural charisma and who was he to wish her to deny herself? She certainly was not Kentin's betrothed nor had they ever slept together and in all earnestness he admired her strong sense of independence that would brook no chains. He sighed again, he could still dream of having her to himself though.
Picturing Misty in his mind he conjured up her round curves that seemed to melt into one another, her entire body defied the presence of the sharp angles more common in thinner girls. Every inch of her skin than he had ever seen, radiated softness and warmth. Yes, Kentin was completely smitten with Misty. The boy reminisced about the times he had spent with Misty. Mostly they talked.
He was the son of the town's most prestigious and popular preacher and as such was expected to behave exemplarily. For the most part, a part that the vast majority of others would have failed to achieve, he managed to live up to the burden placed unfairly upon him. That was, of course, until he crossed paths with Misty. Kentin had heard of her before, she had an unsavory reputation among his circle of peers and his father had categorically told Kentin that he was to have nothing to with her or her ilk. And as far as the boy was concerned that was that, his father's word was law. That lasted until the first time he met her.
To say it was love at first sight would be an understatement. Unlike Misty he had not grown up in this town, instead only moving there due to his father's calling, and so he had never seen her before even in passing. A friend had convinced him to accompany him to the town's most bawdy tavern for 'research' purposes.
It was an honest relationship with lashings of absurdity.
Presently, Kentin was sitting in Hen's workshop keeping extra watch on the children left there by parents with errands to run. Hen was a dwarf, called such due to his uncharacteristically, for your typical dwarf, motherly tendencies. Kentin had seen the transition on numerous occasions: left alone or with more mature company, the dwarf would revert to stereotype, grumbling and complaining over the smallest things, muttering about the 'good old days' and generally finding new and exciting ways to be stubborn. When in the company of children however; it was if the storm clouds parted and Hen would change from being incredibly surly and hairy to being incredibly sprightly and still hairy.
Hen was the town's Earth-shaper and 'workshop' is a very loose term when it comes to a craft based around magic. In fact, most of the workshop's contents were rocks and boulders of many different types of shape, size, color and consistency all stacked and supported carefully. What tools there were could be collected and stowed easily whenever the space was used as a makeshift crèche.
Being a dwarf, Hen also had a magnificent beard. It was lengthy and grey with its dozen or so braids threaded through small lumpy rune stones that glowed dimly, each in a different pastel color.
At first, Kentin did not notice when Misty entered, engaged as he was stopping children attempting to climb onto to work surfaces and tamper with the secrets upon them.
Ever watchful Hen, however spotted her immediately, "Hello, Misty. You're looking nice and fat today." Hen beamed in mock, but not unkind sincerity.
Misty replied, "Good afternoon, Hen. Might I say your expanse is looking positively effulgent?"
Hen feigned ignoring her and turned to Kentin, "What did I tell you about teaching Misty new words?"
The boy smiled at the familiar exchange.
She gave Kentin a quick smile, then pulled Hen aside to speak in hushed tones with him.
His heart lurched painfully as the familiarity continued, to the part where she acquired contraceptives off the dwarf. Apparently she had been busy. Kentin took a long deep breath and dealt with it.
After what seemed like a longer time than usual, Misty pocketed all that she needed and walked over to the priest's son.
"Hey, how are you?" he asked.
"Been better," she replied getting close and resting her head on his chest.
Kentin stroked her hair and left the matter alone.
It was not long until the children's restlessness began to reach a crescendo. There was only so much fun you could glean from play-clay and Kentin was finding it increasingly difficult to chase the young ones and keep them from causing damage to the workshop and each other whilst Misty was more intent on curling up against him. Hen soon realized he was needed and set down his engraving tools, retrieving a set of ten small rune-stones, hollowed to fit on each of his fingers and thumbs.
One particularly alert overly enthusiastic child noticed this and practically screamed, "PEBLEMS!"
The youngsters dropped whatever it was they were doing and scrambled over each other to gather around Hen. "Mister Hen, are we going to play with the peblems?"
"I don't know. I don't see any do you?" the dwarf played ignorant.
"But you're wearing the stones!"
"What, these things?" he waggled his fingers in the air, "these are just for scratching itches."
The children laughed, moaned, hooted and complained until finally Hen raised his hands placing the bases of his palms together and began tapping the runes together rhythmically, "Right you young hoodlums, sit down and shut up."
The kids did as they were bid, hushing in apprehension for the show to start. All around the shop small smooth stones started to levitate from where they lay, off the floor and work surfaces. Dozens of pebbles coalesced over the heads of the rapt children, forming a swirling bubble. They quickly formed into four loosely humanoid shapes each around twelve centimeters tall.
"In the old days there were four gods." Hen began,
"They were the gods of the elements; Earth, Wind, Water and Fire. Earth was stoic, Wind was mischievous, Water was restless and Fire was angry. They were the best of friends and the worst of enemies. They loved each other and they hated each other."
The peblems danced around and through each other creating pleasing clattering sounds as they did so. As each individual pebble collided, multicolored sparks shooting off them as they did so, they became imbued with an element; the earth peblem leaving traces of fine sand in its wake, water formed an occasionally dripping mist, each stone that fire consisted of burned a match sized flame and wind bobbed on its own little gusts.
Then they scattered apart, dashing to opposite sides of the workshop. "Yet, they were but four in the world and often went hundreds of years alone. They grew bored and restless and sad."
"So they gathered together to decide what to do," the peblems continued to act out the story faithfully.
"Water sighed, 'What if we flood the world?' Air cried, 'We could create a city in the sky!' Earth boomed 'Great riches lay underground!' Fire whispered 'Could we create life?'"
The peblems stopped, going absolutely still.
"'Could we?' they asked themselves, 'Should we?'
'The world will be forever changed.'"
The fire imbued peblem took center stage as the other three circled around it. "'Imagine', said Fire, 'countless people swimming in the ocean, digging in the mountains, gliding through the air!' The gods were romanced by the visions Fire offered them."
"And so, first Earth lay down, then Water slid down on top, Wind encircled them both and Fire began to dance all around. Their passion was so great that the Earth shook and lightning tore up the sky!" The peblems mimed the drama faithfully, transfixing the children as the pace of the story picked up.
"And so the four gods split themselves apart becoming the first of the mortal races with the will to multiply and cover the world so that they might never be alone again." the small rock golems scattered into their individual parts mixing and swirling together, discernible only by the elements they still displayed.
They reformed back into much smaller peblems, fell to the floor and skittered madly away. The kids watched the peblems escaping before looking expectantly at Hen, "Well what are you waiting for?" asked the dwarf, "there's a candy in it for everyone if you can catch them all!"
The children screamed and scrambled up and after the careening miniature golems.
Separating herself from Kentin, Misty decided now was as good a time as any to get a little information, "The elemental gods again, Hen? You're going to get trouble from Kentin's father again."
"Pfeh. Mans all bluster. Besides, might as well teach the young'uns about some real gods," the stout craftsman glanced briefly at Kentin, "No offence boy."
The priest's son dismissed the apology with a short wave.
"So dwarfs are earth elementals and orcs are water?" she continued.
"...Aye."
"And they know magic?" she asked.
Kentin piped in, "They are magic, Misty. Everyone gets taught that."
"Fine, mister," she scowled at him, "Can orcs manipulate magics?"
"Aye," Hen mumbled, "Sweat magic, rain magic, blood magic. If it flows as water they have a magic for it."
"Can they all use it?"
"All are capable, but its part talent part skill. They scale from infant to master just like dwarfs. They're not like humans, they don't steal it." Hen wasn't being scornful; he was just stating a fact.
"Hmm," thoughts raced through her mind. Had her brutish lover used arcane craft on her? Was that the reason she felt so restless and frankly horny?
No, that did not seem right, not entirely anyway, if she was ensorcelled then why had she left the orc high and dry? The memory of her rejecting him brought unwanted feelings of loss and regret to her despite herself. The thought of gallivanting around the wilderness to who knows what end had an exciting appeal to it but, she reminded herself again that it was completely unrealistic and foolish to trust to the intentions of a strange man, and that wasn't even her mother's voice talking. It didn't even matter how unbelievably fuckable he was with his tight green and brown curdled skin flexing when he thrust...
Focus.
"Why the interest in orcs, girl?" Hen asked faking a casual tone.
"Curious mostly," Misty replied giving a perfectly reasonable response that totally omitted any facts, "some travelers have mentioned that more clans than usual are migrating into this region."
"Aye, that's true, we'll no doubt be seeing dwarf blood-hunters poking their noses into human business soon. Stay clear of those types, do you understand?"
"Why the concern?" asked Kentin, "sure my dad complains about dwarfs telling him what he can and can't do, but it's just the way things are."
"And the way things are boy, is that when it comes to orc dealings, blood-hunters are sent out to do more than rap your wrists. The clue's in the name. Mark my words and stay out of their business."
"We will", Kentin promised; missing the annoyed look Misty gave him for speaking for her too.
After a time daylight began to fail; the children left to return to their respective homes, Kentin helped Hen around the shop and Misty tried in vain to ignore her mounting arousal. Ultimately, though it proved too much and she took her friend aside.
"I need to talk to you," Misty breathed into Kentin's ear causing him an involuntary sexually infused shudder.
By this point she was completely flushed, her cheeks red, palms sweaty and crotch wet. Although, consciously, Kentin was ignorant to the girls arousal on an instinctual level he knew. Whether it was the pheromones she was exuding, the way her dilated pupils seemed to swallow him or the slight sheen of sweat on her brow; blood surged to his crotch in response. And when she took his wrist and guided him quickly outside, he was unable to do anything but follow. Behind them Hen's brow creased with worry and thought.
Misty took him silently to a nearby back yard of a house left empty after the conscriptors had reaped the town of able boys. The large vegetable patch there had become the site of a feeding frenzy for bugs, slugs and rodents. Misty lifted a pot by the edge of the patch and retrieved a key.
"Jommie left it here for me; said I could use his place if I needed to."
Kentin only nodded as she led him into the house. The slam of the door echoed through the empty house reminding Misty again of what she had lost. They stood for a moment in the dimming light, contemplating their own personal conflicting feelings, before she took his hand and pulled him into the bedroom. She sat him down on the old wooden bed inside and took a deep, but quiet breath before speaking.
"I need you to do something for me," she said willing herself to meet his eyes and convey her resolution.
Kentin began, "Misty, I-."
"Don't," she stopped him, "You don't have to say anything. I just need you to let this happen."
He looked terrified, and looking down at Kentin's dreadful expectancy, Misty was reminded of the other shy boy she had been with a year back. He had been like a terrified sheep, unmoving and ultimately unsatisfying. The moment she sat down onto his cock he had erupted suddenly within her. He quickly apologized and fled the scene in shame. But the look of disbelieving rapture on his face beforehand as she had stripped for him was now mirrored in Kentin's face.
It was at that moment that Misty worked out her strategy. She untied the knot that held her robe closed and let gravity do its business of exposing her skin and cleavage to the night air and the boy's gaze. The fabric caught on the points of her breasts and stopped short of revealing her nipples. Misty could see the huge cloud of disappointment appear on his face and gave a chuckle that might have been demure if she wasn't half naked. So far so good.
She leaned forward, moving on her knees and leant in to kiss Kentin. Their lips brushed for the shortest moment, she felt his hot shuddering breaths on her face, and then he pulled away roughly and hid his face from her.
"This isn't right."
"Yes it is. People do it all the time." Misty kissed his collar bone as she began to undo the buttons on his shirt.
He fumbled to stop her hands, "You're not just 'people' though. You're special."
Misty smiled but did not meet his eyes, "No I'm not, I'm just another girl. I think it's time you find that out." She pressed her groin against his and softly ground upon him. She could feel the heat of his cock at her sex and sighed.
Kentin's eyes rolled back and he choked out a gasp as his member was stimulated by someone other than himself for the first time.
"See, its good." she kissed at the chest she had managed to expose.
Kentin's will wavered, but the pleasure elicited too much guilt and he pushed her away, "No, I can't."
Misty sighed, "Why not?"
"Because I love you," just saying it out loud lifted a weight from his chest.
"I know and that's alright.," she smiled intending to be comforting
Misty was not prepared for the look of disappointment and rejection that consumed his expression. He ran out of the barn and into the fading light.
A long moment passed before Misty finally spoke thusly, "Fuck."
Continued in Chapter 4 - Part 2
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