Authors Note: Now, we have come full circle from the first chapters excerpt.
And look at that! I pulled a sneaky on y'all. College toned down considerably once I did nearly all of my finals in one week. The drive and inspiration to write came back once I realized I passed my last finals, so that's nice. I will be graduating college and then it's off to the real world to begin my big boy job.
XXX
Dietrich laid in the same bed that Krisch'a was in a few night prior, waiting for sleep to take him. The others had already settled in for the night, leaving him to sleep in a dead man's bed.
"Woman, I guess. When did they become people to me?" Pondered Dietrich. The line at which he considered the Thrask to be worthy of a civilized title such as "people" had been blurred beyond his remembrance.
Not seeming to care about the subject anymore, Dietrich rolled over and saw that Kasma was sleeping peacefully across the room, as was Sehth'ker and C'elia, the teacher.
Content that his troubled friend was resting quietly, Dietrich opened the hatch above him and sat up, looking over the village. He was tall enough to peer up over the edge from the bed.
It was as dark as it was the night he abducted Krisch'a. Peaceful, as it should be while under their watch.
"Well hello there, Dietrich."
With a jerking motion, Dietrich turned to see that Cyanfael was standing up just behind the hatch. The man put a hand over his heart, feeling it rapidly pulse through his chest.
"Cynfael! Thank you for scaring me! I really hoped that you would do just that." Replied Dietrich. He did not make his sarcastic tone hidden by any measure.
"Oh. Forgive me...master." Replied Cynfael. Dietrich watched as the bat bent over and stretched out on its front, being nearly face to face with Dietrich.
The man had to say: Cynfael was not a very nice sight up close. Bats were already repulsive to Dietrich, and have an enlarged bat with more expressive features leaning in so closely to him made his skin crawl.
Add that to the fact that Cynfael's voice was gravely and raspy at all times, the combination was one of the few things that irked Dietrich.
"Dietrich...what if I told you that there could be...gifts for your journey? What would your reaction be?" Asked Cynfael. Dietrich shrugged, lifting himself out of the house from the hatch and closing it. He then sat on the roof with Cynfael, browsing the city with lazy eyes.
"Well, I would be thankful. What gifts do you speak of, though?" Asked Dietrich. Cynfael shuffled to sit close to the man, and fiddled with his conjoined hands.
"My magic can allow for the taking of things from different realms. It may not be far-fetched to assume it would be the same for you." Said Cynfael. Dietrich raised a brow as his mind began to start up.
"I could ask for a gun. Or two. I could ask for grenades or panzerfausts. We might be able to drive a tank all the way to the kingdom!" Dietrich let his mind run wild with the possibilities. It was nice to imagine what could be, but he knew to stick to the reality of what most likely would not be.
"How does it work?" Asked Dietrich, shifting himself to better face the bat. Cynfael pointed a claw to the man.
"There are two ways, Dietrich. The first is one that I know you will not like." Said Cynfael. Dietrich remained quiet, allowing the bat to speak.
"Blood magic revolves around the consumption of life-driving fluids from another creature." Said Cynfael. Dietrich blurted the answer he already knew to be true.
"Blood. You want my blood." Said Dietrich. Cynfael nodded, but then shook his head.
"That one requires injuring you. The first option revolves around a different fluid which gives life. It is a method that does not injure you." Said Cynfael. Dietrich watched as the bat nudged his crotch with an elbow.
Dietrich immediately shook his head, and Cynfael nodded. The bat ran a hand across Dietrich's neck softly, lightly dragging the claws over it.
"The second. Your blood...it is powerful. I would need to have it. Once I consume it, I would then use my magic to...peruse your mind and see for myself what you want." Said Cynfael.
"I would drink from your neck like Krisch'a, albeit less. Then, I would use my tendrils to do the rest though your ears. The only pain is from the bite." Said Cynfael. Dietrich raised a brow in apprehension.
"This really is not an enticing offer. I assume that you are not certain if it will even work?" Asked Dietrich. He rubbed a hand against his neck in discomfort at the thought of having his blood drained and drank by a giant bat.
Cynfael nodded, and Dietrich took the time to think through the decision.
If it worked, they could acquire powerful equipment to help them on their journey. If it didn't, they just would not get anything. There was no true downside besides a sore neck.
"I am compelled to inform you that blood is not the only thing we are good at sucking, my furless friend." Cynfael leaned in a little too close for Dietrich's comfort. The man cringed at the mere thought of such an event transpiring.
"Enough, Cynfael. I will proceed with the second option. Just don't take it all." Said Dietrich, taking off his undershirt. He layed back and turned his head, exposing his neck for the bat. Carefully, Cynfael loomed over the man, bringing his fangs into view.
"I wish to tell you that this is a very intimate thing for my species, Dietrich. My fangs will leave their mark, so it is best for you to close your eyes." Said the bat. Dietrich nodded and felt Cynfael place a conjoined hand in his own.
It was a comforting acknowledgment that Cynfael seemed to care for his comfort and having something to hold on to would help him remain calm.
Dietrich closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could feel Cynfael lean in more and then two points of pinprick pain dug into his neck.
He grunted uncomfortably as he heard Cynfael suck down his blood and felt his tongue run over the wounds.
Cynfael exhaled with a pleasurable moan, and Dietrich felt the bat tongue rub his neck once more before something snaked it's way up from his neck to his ears, and then he fell into a sea of black.
XXX
When Dietrich woke up, he was still on the roof. Looking around in confusion, he noticed that Cynfael was laying on the roof next to him in a heap with what looked like blood coming out of the bat's mouth.
Dietrich reached over and shook the shoulder of the bat, looking over the still calm night of the city.
"Wake up, you stupid animal." Thought Dietrich. Cynfael's eyes opened slowly and trailed to Dietrich. With a sluggish breath, the bat shakily got up and rested in a seating position.
"Did it work? What was I thinking of?" Asked Dietrich, quietly. He brought a hand up and pressed where the bite wounds on his neck were, feeling that the wounds themselves were closed yet leaving tender marks.
Cynfael shuddered and drug the claws of his hand on the roof, making a nasty dragging sound as they dug in to the wooden slats.
"Your blood...is intoxicating. I have grown weary." Said a Cynfael. The bat was a bit wobbly and Dietrich opened the hatch in the roof.
"Your gifts will be here. I cannot describe them. I cannot see you the same anymore." Said the bat. Dietrich helped Cynfael into the hatch and once they were in, he set the bat in his bed.
With a sigh, Dietrich looked at the now full bed, noting that there was no way he could comfortably sleep in it with Cynfael occupying. His eyes drifted to Kasma almost on instinct, noting that he could try and ask for a spot.
The bed was comfortable, and Dietrich was not proud to admit that his body ached from sleeping on the floor no matter how much he did it.
Taking quiet steps, Dietrich found himself sitting on the bedside next to Kasma, accidentally waking him up in the process.
The Thrask looked around in a sleepy manner before blinking and focusing on Dietrich.
"Sorry to wake you, Kasma, but I have a problem." Said Dietrich. Kasma leaned up, reaching out with a hand to touch Dietrich's neck.
"Cynfael! What did that flying rodent do to you?" Dietrich was surprised at hearing such vitriol from the younger and mild Thrask.
Softly, Dietrich reached up with a hand and grasp Kasma's.
"Calm down. I allowed it. He said he may be able to bring things over from my world to help. But he's exhausted himself apparently. I put him in my bed." Said Dietrich, shifting so that the sleeping bat could be seen.
Kasma nodded and then looked up at Dietrich.
"Oh. So you're without a bed and you came to...oh!" Said Kasma, lifting his sheet. Internally, Dietrich was relieved that Kasma was able to understand the situation and readily accepted the idea of sharing his bed.
Dietrich climbed over the Thrask and then under the sheet so that he would be behind Kasma. It worked out in the end, as Dietrich felt himself getting more and more tired as he settled in.
"You will not turn into one of them now, right?" Whispered Kasma. Dietrich almost did not register the words of his friend, but he snorted in response.
"No. I'm just eager to see what Cynfael can bring us." Said Dietrich. He felt the soft fur of Kasma brushing against his body, and the warmth generated by him soothed Dietrich's chilled skin from the cool outside air.
"I can feel you, Dietrich. You are so cold!" Said Kasma. Dietrich nodded.
"My blood was drained a little on the outside. I did not realize how cold I was." Said Dietrich.
The combination of having part of his blood drained and the naturally cold air ensured that his body's temperature would drop harshly. He had not factored any of these issues into his current state, just realizing them as he settled in with Kasma.
"Is Cynfael male or female? The proposition of a sexual encounter came up and I have realized that I don't know." Said Dietrich.
It was true. Cynfael did not have any identifying features for gender and the voice of the bat was too raspy to even select as a representative for sex.
Cynfael's actions would sometimes make it seem masculine, but then others would suggest a more feminine prowess.
"Cynfael is a male. I can smell it on him. Can you not?" Asked Kasma. Dietrich gagged a little but recovered, nestling in to Kasma a little further.
"No, I can't smell it on him. Some of our senses are dulled, remember? Why was he offering to suck on my-"
"Spare me the details! Let's just go to sleep, aye?" Said Kasma. Dietrich had no opposition to the request and quite soon, for the second time in the night, he felt himself drift into slumber.
XXX
Upon waking in the morning, Dietrich was greeted to the warm presence of Kasma cuddled close to his chest. Pulling Kasma a bit closer, Dietrich reminisced on easier times when he was nothing more than another cog in a machine.
To be at the forefront of attention at every moment was both a curse and a blessing. He rode a high from the attention he garnered yet cursed it due to his more reserved lifestyle and job.
He wished things would be simpler, and that is why he was gripping Kasma the way he was. The frustration of everything happening around him could build up, and grabbing onto to something to hold helped alleviate it.
That, or killing something to death. Both did their job well.
"Dietrich...you're hurting me." Rasped Kasma. Dietrich cursed and loosened his grip, letting the Thrask take in a deep breath.
"Sorry, Kasma. I did not realize you were awake." Said Dietrich. He sat up a little, looking over to see that Cynfael was passed out cold.
He was splayed over the bed in such a way that his wings draped the sides of the bed much like a curtain. He was intensely out as well, judging by the fact that his mouth hung open and a long tongue snaked its way between his fangs to loll on the side of his face.
"Uh...should I come back later or something?" Asked a voice from behind them. Dietrich turned his head and he felt Kasma look over as well. Katya stood in the doorway, looking down at them with a sheepish look.
"No. We were just waking up. How goes the morning so far?" Asked Kasma, getting up. Dietrich watched as the form of Kasma came out from under the sheet devoid of clothes.
With anguish, Dietrich brought his hands to cover his eyes. He cringed at the realization he had slept with a naked felid and he heard Katya snicker.
"It goes well, you 'lovebirds'. Ha ha! Well, when you are both ready, you should come downstairs! Something wonderful has happened!" Said Katya. Dietrich looked out from his hands at the statement.
With apprehension, he looked back over to Cynfael, who was still sleeping, and let his gaze linger on the bat.
"This land truly is bizarre. I guess Cynfael's magic worked." Thought Dietrich. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, rubbing his face with both hands.
He stepped off the bed and went over to his clothes and gear, putting them on with repetitious perfection. His boots, shirt, webbing, gun, and helmet looked as they always had.
Walking down the steps, Dietrich was greeted with the sight of everyone in the bottom floor surrounding a table. Dietrich was able to see the gifts brought through by Cynfael.
The first was a PPSh-41. It laid on the table next to a few mags and drum, pristine as the day it was made. Next to it was a Tommy gun, like the gangsters in America used. It was a fairly big gun, and it rested next to some extra mags as well. And behind both of the smg's, resting on its bipod, was the Japanese machine rifle. Dietrich did not know the name of it, only seeing that it looked like a British Bren gun. It too, had magazines for it.
"Pretty cool, huh? Someone's been watching out for us, I guess!" Said Hudson, happily.
Dietrich looked up and down the table and then the room, noting a lack of German weaponry.
"Well, it seems that I must be equipped well enough already." Said Dietrich, with slight disappointment. He walked down the last few steps to join his friends.
"Do not be so sure, my friend." Hiroshi picked up his corresponding rifle, looking it over. "Perhaps if you were to look outside, your disappointment would be staved." Said the officer.
Dietrich turned attention to the door, which was cracked, as silence fell upon the room. He could hear something stamp it's hooves. The only hooves animals he had seen were the cows used to pull carts, so Dietrich made his way outside to view what everyone seemed to believe was his gift.
Dietrich laid his eyes upon a creature most elegant and unseen by his eyes in years!
It was a pale gray stallion, almost silver in color, outfitted with a black leather saddle. It's hair was brushed strenuously straight over it's left side and it it's tail was braided in a meticulous style.
There was a large saber strapped to the saddle consistent with a cavalry officers blade. Dietrich understood why.
"Kasma, according to the book of Chirae, how does it describe your times of trial?" Asked Dietrich, approaching the horse calmly from the front.
He got to where he could rest a a hand on the base of its neck, and he began to pat and scratch it softly. He looked over to the Thrask, eyeing the smaller male.
Kasma was looking at him from the doorway with shock, eyeing creatures never before seen in the land. Human or horse, it did not matter.
"It says...it says that demons will freely roam the lands...and only that those who walk in Chirae's light will be safe." Said Kasma. Dietrich nodded and looked back to the horse.
"Roam freely, huh?" Said Dietrich, rhetorically. He grabbed the reins of and that was when he finally understood.
He was grabbing onto his freedom.
Dietrich commanded his own ability to become exactly what Kasma was describing. A car or a tank would have been nice for Cynfael to bring, but a horse...
It meant so much more.
Speed. Agility. Distance. He could get to places that automobiles and tanks could not. He had more than just a leg up on everyone else in the world now. He had true freedom.
Putting a boot in a stirrup, he mounted the horse with zero issue, situating his rifle so that it would not brush against his steed.
"And so, it would be ten days to reach the kingdom by ox cart on the fastest path?" Asked Dietrich, looking over the horse and noting how strong it appeared.
"Speed. The musculature...I can do it in seven." Thought Dietrich, confidently. He took off his right hand glove, grabbing the hilt of the cavalry sword and unsheathing it with a metallic drag.
"Yes. With a proper guide, of course." Said Sehth'ker. Dietrich looked over to the house to see that she and C'elia had exited the building alongside everyone else.
"We knew you'd be eager to leave, so we aren't going to stop you. We're arranging transportation as we speak. Your horse is already stocked with supplies to get you there." Said Katya.
Dietrich grinned, the excitement obviously showing. He looked over his sword, eyeing the stainless blade and brass hand guard. The metal wrapping the leather grip dig nicely into his hand. He gave a few wayward slashes, noting its weight.
"Thank you all. I appreciate your help more than you know." He said, sheathing his sword. "But who will be my guide?" He asked, looking over to the group. His eyes laid on Kasma, and then they shifted over to Sehth'ker and C'elia.
Nobody seemed to step forward and that made Dietrich slightly suspicious.
"The best guide would have been Krisch'a, admittedly. For clear reasons, that is not going to be possible." Said Sehth'ker.
"I was the next option to lead you to the kingdom, but I have little knowledge of anything in it regarding your goals. Kasma...does not feel ready to go there so soon if what we have found is true. He wants to stay with as many humans as possible." Explained Sehth'ker. Dietrich nodded.
"Nobody else has volunteered. Are you opposed to going alone?" Asked Katya. Dietrich slapped the reins a little, urging his horse closer to the building. When the porch was on his right, he leaned over a little to speak to the others.
"The way of the sniper is solitude, Katya. So be it. I shall ride off into the sunset like a western cowboy." Teased Dietrich. Katya chuckled and Hiroshi took out the map of the Thrask continent from his map case.
"We've marked it on this map, Dietrich. Please take care and be safe. We'll be leaving by tomorrow morning. Bright and early, okay?" Said Katya with a worried look.
She approached the side of the horse with the map. Dietrich took the map from her, putting it in a side saddle bag.
He then reached a hand down and rested it on her shoulder.
"Don't mistake my eagerness for complacency, Katya. And remember, a son never forgets the words of his mother." He said. Katya smiled softly and Dietrich did as well.
He leaned back up and eyed the exit of the town, which was already alive in the early morning sun.
The cool air made Dietrich feel rested and ready. He looked back to his group of friends and let his eyes rest on them. While he was confident in his abilities, he made sure to savor the moment when they would be together last.
"Katya, Hudson, Hiroshi...thank you all for the help. I could not have done this alone. You too, Sehth'ker. Please take care of Kasma while I'm gone. And make sure Cynfael isn't dead, will you?" Said Dietrich with a chuckle.
His parting message was solemn but happy. As the group before him laughed at Cynfael's condition, he slapped the reins hard, crying out with a 'yah' and getting the horse to move.
It reared on its two hind legs with a high pitched equine whine, startling many of the other Thrask townsfolk.
And then, he was thundering through the town to start the end of his journey.