Wild Wastes 4 -Ch25- (Patreon)

“-then hold it in your mouth, and give it to Red. It becomes a lot of kissing and making out. She won’t stop till she really has taken every speck of it from you,” Blue explained in a nearly inaudible whisper. They were off to one side discussing what Dea had actually just agreed to. “Are you really sure you want to be her mouth? She hasn’t done it in a really long time, she prefers to get her meals herself, but that doesn’t mean she won’t.”

“Oh… oh, I see. My-I-well, I wasn’t expecting that. It makes sense, though,” murmured Dea, just as quietly.

“You can just back out and no one will care at all. It isn’t like it’s a formal thing or anything. If Red really needed someone to get her meal I’d be the one to do it anyways and I don’t mind at all. That or one of the other Dryads.”

Blue had asked her repeatedly if she was still okay with the situation as they continued further and further in the conversation.

“I can do this. I can. It isn’t an issue. I’m… interested in him anyways. There’s a strange echoing feeling whenever I’m near him,” Dea answered, tilting her head to one side and looking at Blue curiously.

Vince, for his part, was eavesdropping. There was no way to say it otherwise, because he was. He was also laid out on the grass with his eyes partly closed, relaxing in the afternoon sun.

Red, Leila, Zathira, and Sam were all out handling things now.

Tim had fled along with his entire battalion. They were most likely on their way back to speak with their command group to discuss Vince and Yosemite.

Elizabeth was waiting on whoever would be speaking on Magi Vale’s behalf. That’d been twenty minutes ago, which meant they were likely debating who to send next.

There was probably a rapid change going on in the leadership structure now that Vince had acted. Their leader was killed outright, their magic broken apart, and the besieging force sent off like a child who’d been scolded.

“— I’m really glad to hear that. Red’s not wrong, you know. He really is interested in you. He was even before I… ah… meddled… with you,” confessed Blue.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind. It’s just… weird. Still getting used to looking like a Dryad,” muttered Dea. “I didn’t realize he was that interested in me though. He already has so many women.”

“More than anyone realizes, honestly. He has many Dryads as wives and is adding more.

“All the Battle-Dryads will be his wives as well once they heal. If they plant a seed in his grove, they become his wives and take no other.

“But yes, he’s interested in you. You’re different. Unique. He’s attracted to different and unique,” explained Blue. “Still. I’m sorry. You’re like… a Dryad goddess now. From a field to wooded plain. You needed to be more Dryad like and… well… yeah.”

“It’s fine, Blue, it’s fine. Now… wait, can he hear us?” Dea asked suddenly.

“No? I don’t think so. He’s never been able to hear this far before,” Blue said quickly. “If you’re nervous we can go further.”

“Yes, please. I don’t… yes,” mumble Dea.

Dea and Blue got up and moved a short distance further from him.

Laying there, Vince was bored. He hoped he could give the Magi Vale representative his demands and move on. He had things to do, places to be, and land to conquer.

Well.

We’ll wait. Give the laws to the Magi Vale leader, force them into accepting me as their lord, and install a Duke or Duchess. Then it’s back to Bilbao and figuring out what to do next.

Petra just wants me to hold but… that seems almost too boring.

We’ve been here a month now.

A second month would… yeah, that makes sense.

I guess I really just need to hold. How droll.

We’ll get back, talk to Elizabeth, and go on.

Yawning, Vince let his mind wander.

Magi Vale was no longer an issue, they just didn’t really know it yet.

***

“Nest-mate, I’ve brought the person who now leads Yosemite’s Magi Vale,” declared Elizabeth in a low voice. Her volume felt like it was just above a whisper.

It’d been enough to wake him from the dozing nap he’d been taking, but not to startle him. It was a surprisingly astute observation on Elizabeth that he’d been asleep.

Yawning, blinking, and smacking his lips, Vince stretched himself out on the grass. Clambering to his feet he sighed and looked to the newcomer.

It was a man who looked to be in his late fifties. His skin had suffered from the pull of time and his hair had fled, leaving nothing but a bald pate and grey-colored eyebrows behind.

They sat perched above cold-steel colored eyes that had seen a great deal of death. Eyes that felt quite similar to the ones Vince’s saw in the mirror in regards to how they saw the world.

“Hello,” Vince grumbled as he stood up straight and then pushed his hands in behind his back. There was a satisfying pop that made him feel like some of the tension fled. “Care to guess why I killed your leader?”

“No,” spat the older man.

“He has Dryad hostages in his home that he abuses. Supposedly Magi Vale treats them as citizens but that apparently didn’t apply to him,” Vince answered, then sniffed. Reaching up he scratched at an eyebrow with one finger. “Please go free them and give them something for their pain and suffering. I plan on checking in with them later so you better be generous with them considering their circumstances.

“He also had a very… unfortunate view on women. I think he strongly believed that they were better off as pets or possessions. I’d rather not have someone like that in charge so… the Goddess of the Dryads killed him at my command.”

The man who’d looked at Vince with anger, now looked murderous. Though no longer so at or about Vince.

That hatred was where any reasonable person could bet on. The previous leader of the Magi Vale who had just been accused of being a villain.

Except the man hadn’t been surprised or even defended him. In fact, he looked entirely sold on the idea to the point that he believed what was a stranger.

Then the older man’s eyes flashed and he looked at Vince again with a hooded look.

“Goddess?” he asked.

Vince lifted a hand and pointed at Dea. She was walking back with Blue now at a quick pace. They’d noticed Elizabeth had returned and were now hurrying over.

“She’s rushing because she’s probably afraid I’m going to be mad at her for not being here. A silly goddess, but she’s very useful to me,” murmured Vince. “Your name?”

“Donahue. No last name,” answered the old man, looking from Vince, to Dea, then to Elizabeth. “Silver?”

“Platinum,” Elizabeth answered as she finished moving around behind Vince. She put her jaw right over his shoulder again in a clear attempt to get him to pet her.

Complying, Vince reached up and started to rub his hand up and down along her chin and jawbone. He saw no reason not to give the Dragon some attention.

“We surrender,” Donahue rumbled and shook his head. “Just spare our citizens. They’re not all magically inclined.”

“Spare them?” asked Vince with a frown. The emotions he was getting from the man were fairly jumbled and hard to separate. His mind was also clouded in a similar way that Tim’s had been.

It wasn’t a trained response to Vince trying to scan thoughts, but more like a scar. That his mind had been damaged and had healed over a bit better than it’d been previously.

“You’re… you… I… are you here to kills us?” asked Donahue, his feelings growing flat and cold. He was strangling them out to nothing.

“No. I’m here to take your city and make it a part of Yosemite. I want it and it’s occupants to serve me,” explained Vince with a shake of his head. “You’ll be given a set of rules and expectations to follow, as well as tax-rates, duties, and import export legal briefings.

“I honestly don’t understand most of it but I have others who do. Just make sure you follow all the directives in the packet and it’ll be fine.”

“Packet,” repeated Donahue.

“Packet!” Blue said loudly and with an exhaled breath. She’d pulled it from her pack and held it out to the man. “Duke Donahue of the Magi Vale, here is your legal packet. I recommend reading it over and familiarizing yourself with everything inside as soon as you’re able.

“If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out to me, Blue Campbell. I’m the Grove-mistress of the Lord of Dryads. I handle most of the kingdom work at this time until such a time as I can be replaced.”

Donahue took the packet and frowned, his lower lip pushing up and almost looking picture perfect. He looked at the top page and then opened it to the second page.

“This is in Spanish,” replied Donahue for the first time in English.

“Oh, uhm, I do have an English copy if you prefer,” Blue replied happily and began digging in her bag again. She ended up pulling out another packet that looked identical to the first. Without waiting for the man to say anything, she took the Spanish packet from him and gave him the English one. “Better?”

Shaking his head, then nodding it, the man blew out a breath.

“Can I have both? We’re a dual language city. We have… a lot of people who speak one language or the other. Few speak both,” admitted Donahue.

“Of course!” Blue chirped brightly and held out the second packet to the man.

“Great,” said Vince with a sigh. “We’re done here then. I want to get back to Bilbao and get ready for whatever it is Tim’s commanders order him to do.

“Which will likely be very stupid. Then I’ll have to kill them all.”

“Yes, I agree,” Elizabeth added.

“I’m going to head back toward Antona,” mumbled Vince with a flick of his hand. “Tell Leila and Zathira they’re staying here to provide assistance and answers for the Duke of Magi Vale. They’re to return once they feel the situation is well in hand here.

“Elizabeth, give him a ride back when he’s done asking Blue questions. Then let’s have that chat.”

Vince made it ten steps away before Dea caught up with him. She gave him a wide and pretty smile, falling in at his right side. No words came from her and she seemed quite content to simply pace him as a companion.

Silence can be preferable in some situations. Especially if your company is pleasant and includes you with their presence, rather than zones you out.

***

“It’s done!” called Elizabeth from behind him. He’d felt her approach but had just kept walking. All the horses had been taken back to Antona as they couldn’t seem to keep still with Elizabeth going back and forth in her Dragon form.

“Dea, do you mind being involved in a weird conversation?” asked Vince, glancing over at the deity. “Because I need to talk to Elizabeth about her and what she needs to do for me. Chances are it’ll get strange. You’re welcome to stay or leave.”

“I’ll stay. I need to learn as much as I can, as quickly as I can. I’m not shrinking violet, Vince. I’m not some naive virginal innocent, either. I’m just… off balance right now. I’ll catch up to all of this soon and you won’t even worry for me,” promised Dea. “I just have to find my footing quickly. Fast. Before everything starts to shift again. I can be exactly what you need me to be. I promise it.”

There was a fervent determination in her words. A lingering feeling behind her words that had an unsharpened edge to it that only needed honing.

It reminded him of a woman he’d met by the name of Miu. One of Felix’s comrades.

With a thump Elizabeth landed on the ground next to him. She transformed into her human form and began walking through the grass at his left.

She was of course nude and seemed unperturbed by it. Her nakedness didn’t seem to bother her much at all.

I mean, it never seemed to bother any of the Dragons, now that I really think about it. They probably don’t see their human form as really them.

Actually… after we started spending time in a bed Taylor wanted more clothes. Clothes she could get into and wear comfortably between shifting.

I wonder if that’s another thing that changes after mating with a human. Other than the humans taste like mud thing.

“Your wing,” Vince kickstarted the conversation. “And you. Your Dragon. I know for a Draognnewt they feel their Human side and their Dragon at the same time.

“You simply are the Dragon, are you not? There is no feeling it as as separate entity.”

“Yes. I’m the Dragon. There is no humanity in me like a Dragonnewt. I… used to view them as weak for being part human,” admitted Elizabeth. “After meeting Ramona and realizing she was as strong as I was… and could understand the human world better… I changed that opinion. I’m trying to… ah, I’m not sure how to say it. To… develop some humanity inside myself. I want to be more like Ramona.

“Taylor will just live by her Dragon. So will Alice and so many others. They’ll think nothing of it and just be themselves. I want to be more than that. I’m a Platinum. My mother is a goddess. I’m… pledged to an immortal who can host a deity in himself. I must learn to be more.”

Holy hell, I really undershot what she was trying to achieve.

Damn.

Alright.

“That’s wonderful, Elizabeth,” Dea offered as Vince chewed on that. “That’s very human of you. Though I’ve only met Dragons before I was brought over through a portal, they were always quite stubborn and set in their ways. I can’t see a dragon wanting to learn how to be anything else.”

“Yes. I realized that trying to be Human, was in fact, not very Dragon of me. I won’t lie, I felt quite prideful in that alone,” Elizabeth confessed with a soft chuckle. “I’m learning that to have Humanity is to always be faced with ones mistakes. Learning to learn, and adapting to adapting. An ever and always changing world where… where you have to constantly accept what’s put in front of you.”

“Well, I approve of it. I think it’s a wonderful idea and I welcome you to it. Though… Elizabeth, how old are you? Are you a… well… whatever a minor would be for your kind?” asked Vince.

“No. If I were with my mother I could still ask her for advice, but I’d be expected to begin looking for a mate this year or next,” answered Elizabeth. “So you may not get rid of me just because you think I’m too young. I’m young, yes.

“But not too young. Not too young to… to breed and have a clutch of eggs. Though I refuse to become a brood-mare either. I’ll give you Dragonnewts and Dragons, Vincent Campbell. But I’ll not do it single-handedly.

“My wing will assist me. I must find other Dragons who suit Taylors requirements. They were perfectly crafted for what the wing needed and I’ll do the same. I just need to find them. I plan on looking for them while we hold Bilbao. Do you… is that okay?”

“It’s fine, Elizabeth. Thank you. That’d be fine. Are you going to call to your mother for some insight later?” asked Vince.

“I already did. We chatted briefly while I was on the wall. She… wants to talk to you later. If you’re willing. She was rather pleasantly surprised and wanted to ask you for a favor, I think,” Elizabeth said in a way that felt almost like a question. “I honestly don’t know. She was being somewhat cagey about it if I’m really thinking about it.”

“Is she like me, a physical deity, or a a belief manifestation?” asked Dea.

Oh.

Oooooh. Dea is a physical thing that became a goddess. Ferris could have been a spirit or something else that was eventually turned into a point of worship.

Got it. Got it.

Though… I wonder… where do I fit? I’m a demi-god.

“That’s… convoluted. She was a Dragon once upon a time. A Platinum, though she was killed in a great war between colors. She was respected enough to gain a following.

“Their belief grew her spirit and revived it. In time as more believed in her, and she was able to act more freely, she grew. To the point that she became a physical presence once again.

“Recently though the tri-lliance hasn’t been as strict with their worship of her and she’s been fading somewhat.

“I wonder sometimes if-oh, Antona is coming,” Elizabeth remarked, her head swinging from Vince toward the horizon.

He hadn’t even noticed the Dryad heading their way, but she indeed was. She had all the horses with her as well.

Additionally, she had what looked like Petra in tow with her, though her armor was differently colored.

That belief was shattered when the Waster Ant took to the sky, wings fluttering out from behind them and propelling them forward toward Vince. The only person that’d come to find him that had wings and was an ant, was Cristina.

The Princess who could never be a queen.

Half a minute later and Cristina landed down in front of him.

She was nearly identical to Petra in every way in regards to her body-shape and sizing, though she was a mite smaller in all ways. Her abdomen was significantly smaller though.

To the point that he imagined she could curl it up and easily fit in most human clothes.

Her wings were like a dragon-fly’s with four of them.

Her red-armor was clearly fashioned in a similar way to Petra’s which meant it was segmented pieces of fallen brothers and sisters.

Pulling her helmet off Vince found himself looking into a rather sharp and pretty face. With reflective brown-eyes that held a light in them. Her hair was a pitch-black that was so dark it was hard to identify individual strands.

“We greet our king,” said the Royal-Ant with a wide smile. She then moved in and kissed his cheek with her helmet held under her armpit. “We are quite pleased to see how handsome you are. We stated you were quite handsome, but it’s hard to trust we when we are in love.”

Wincing, Vince frowned and opened his mouth and hesitated.

“What is it?” asked Cristina, giving him a bright and sunny smile.”

“Nothing,” he murmured after a pause. It’d taken a lot to get Petra to speak more normally and that only happened in private. “What’s going on? You seem as if you’re on a mission.”

“We are! You must return to Bilbao. An army from Madrid has been sent and will likely have arrived this morning. We were sent by our caste to assist you along with a number of my retinue. They remain in Bilbao and hold the walls for you, our king.”

“Right,” muttered Vince. “Can you carry me, Cristina?”

“We are capable of flying with our king,” confirmed the Ant. “Would you mount us? Please hold on tight around our chest.”

“Okay,” muttered Vince. He needed to get back to Bilbao quickly. Turning, he looked to Elizabeth.

“Elizabeth, go find Red, Blue, and Zathira,” he said after a minute hesitation. He wasn’t sure about the Necromancer, but he might need her in this. “I have no idea how bad this is going to be, but I’ll bet on it being at the level of ‘Beautiful Dragon Maiden needs to burn them all’ bad, but I’ll need everyone, too. Grab up Antona and anyone else we’ll need as well. Just go straight to Bilbao after that. Dea, go with her.”

“Yes, Nest-mate,” responded Elizabeth, pivoting in place. She rapidly transformed back into a Dragon even as Dea began clambering up on top of her. A second later and the Dragon leaped into the air and began flying back to Magi Vale.

Vince got on to Cristina’s extremely reduced in size abdomen and put his arms around her. He didn’t feel as secure as he did when he rode Petra.

“You need a harness,” grumbled Vince.

“We would welcome very much a harness for our king. Though we wonder if it could be used for sex as well? We have no experience and we are relying on our cast for information,” Cristina said, her wings sliding out from behind her. Then they were off in a flash, zipping past Antona as they went.

“Elizabeth will take you to Bilbao!” he shouted as they zoomed by her and away.