Chapter 6

Meanwhile, at the Ashlar prison or just outside of it, Comotos was being led by the guards that arrested him into the large gated field of the outer walls of the jail, the jail's main building is on the left. He glanced all over aimlessly and spotted a human male around his size, he had short black wavy hair, tanned skin, and a plain set of a black tank top and baggy grey pants with no shoes. He was sitting alone and he seemed angry, the other prisoners that were standing around were looking at him in a distasteful manner. He wondered what the guy's problem was as he was being led into his cell, hands still tied behind himself.

The ropes were removed before he was pushed into the cell. The sliding gate closed and locked behind him and he lowered his posterior to the lower bunk and rubbed his rope-worn wrists. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and he sighed heavily. How did all of this happen and what the hell would Mark think about all of this. It didn't really matter what Mark thought but at the same time... he was his mentor and he would have to give him a proper explanation once he got out of this hell-hole. He sighed deeply again and heard the lock to his cell click and slide open. He looked up at the angry man he saw earlier sitting all alone outside, walking into the cell.

The guards slammed the gate shut behind him and he stood there staring at the floor. He blinked and the guy scrutinized him and blinked as well. "You're on my bunk", the man said gruffly. A grunt escaped his lips but didn't move, "It's mine for the moment." he laid down but a moment later he heard a growl and felt his leg being grabbed. He was pulled from the bed by his leg and thrown into the wall face first. It was a good thing he had very fast reflexes, in advance, he hit the wall with his arms out in front of himself and smacked the cold stone with his hands.

"The fuck's your problem?! If you had asked nicely then I would have-'' he didn't have time to finish his sentence as the man was swinging his fist towards his head. He dodged just as quickly again. His hand collided with the stone wall with a sickening crunch, but the only thing that seemed broken was the wall itself. He fiercely connected his elbow with the man's stomach and the impact left him without breath as he collapsed to his knees. The guy coughed and some blood shot out of his mouth. He smirked to himself and backed up to give him some air.

An hour or so passed, though it was hard to tell without a clock or to see the position of the sun in the sky, and the guy was closed mouth, on his knees facing away from him, who was relaxing on the lower bunk. Two guards arrived and one unlocked the gate and opened it, "Out of your cell maggots! Time for your daily breath of fresh air." He sniffed, and noted when he first arrived that the air did smell kind of stale. He stood up and regarded the man, still on his knees. He felt bad for only a moment until he was led out into the fresh air.

Outside was beautifully sunny and warm, previous to just as he was taken in. He stepped forward and stretched with his arms in the air, yawning loudly. The other jailbirds gave him a flash of utter distaste and he retaliated with a menacing leer of his own. Most of the prisoners were standing in small groups but they all seemed to be staring at him. They knew they couldn't attack him because the guards would stop a group against one individual.

He walked forward, away from everyone else to stand in an unoccupied area near the fence. He crossed his muscular arms across his chest, loosely, and glanced any which way, feeling quite bored until the man that shared his cell moments ago was escorted out of the doors. He raised his gaze from the ground and began heading straight for him. He knew this guy wasn't done when he had hit him, he was just waiting to get more space so he would be within his own control to attack with his full strength in a wide-open area.

He started running towards him with his fists clenched and swung for his head. He moved quickly and punched the guys' arm that was still extended trying to break it in one move but something wasn't quite right. His arm bounced off of the cage and connected with the side of Comotos' head, sending him reeling to the ground. He landed on his hands and knees as blood trickled out of his nose. He was surprised that he had landed such a fast blow on him. Burning hot rage filled his constitution and he did a forward somersault towards his opponent. He launched himself into the air and landed a spin kick on the man's chest, making him stagger backward.

He was far from done as he pounced forward, landing wild punches to his head, throat, and chest. After connecting each punch he jumped backward. The look on his face was the same as earlier, contorted with fury and confusion. He screamed and launched himself, trying to grab him and possibly slam his head off of the hard ground. Both of the fighters didn't notice the other jailbirds begin to form a circle around them. They began cheering loudly and chanting, "KILL EM, KILL EM, KILL EM!!"

He was in the man's grasp and he felt the air being squeezed out of him. He instinctively reached for his pendant, ready and willing to release his weapon and slice the guy to pieces when he heard a familiar voice from deep inside of his mind, "Don't do it! Keep him alive, he may be a great asset to you!" He was surprised that something was telling him to spare someone's life but he would listen... this time. He released his pendant from his hand and opened his fanged mouth.

He bit into the man's arm as hard as he was able, puncturing his skin, and feeling and tasting the coppery blood trickling into his mouth. The man screamed in agony and released his grip on his neck. They finally decided to give up and they backed up after a few minutes of brawling. They could feel the disappointment from the observers wash over them equivalent to a dark wave of hatred. They began to chant again, "KILL EM! KILL EM! KILL EM!" until the Warden and several guards established a break in the crowd. He spat the blood out that was still in his mouth and decided to sit and catch his breath, as did the man he was fighting with.

They sat, staring each other down until his opponent focused elsewhere and rubbed his peepers vigorously. He continued to watch the guy for anything suspicious. The man surveyed the ground, glowering after he had rubbed his eyelids and blinked several times. He squinted and wiped away the blood trickles that were running down his face.

The inmates were quieted down now by the several guards and they dispersed, while he relaxed in the warm and bright sunshine. He glanced towards the entrance of the jail and saw Drusilla, YammelYan, and a taller dark-skinned man that looked suspiciously equal to a pirate captain. He saw her pay his bail money and the gates were opened, Yammelyan was the first to enter and he smiled, it didn't take her very long to retrieve his bag of money from that woman. In advance of his departure, he would talk to this guy. He was very strong and if he were to believe the familiar voice that said he would be an asset in the future, he would need his help. He stood up and walked over to him but he didn't move. "Would you be less hostile if you were able to see properly?" he asked.

He gawked in surprise, "How did you know I can't see properly?" He knelt down on one knee near him and lowered his voice, "Your mannerisms give you away. I can get you out of here if you agree to work with me as a Bounty Hunter." The man chuckled and shook his head, "Sorry, but a knight can't just stop being a knight so easily." He blinked as Drusilla and company strolled towards them. "You're a knight and yet you sit here in prison? Why?" He lowered his eyelids, recalling what happened to send him to this jail in the first place, "Because a fellow knight found out that I lose my mind when I don't have my glasses. I can't see very well without them."

"That bastard smashed them on the day I had received my knighthood, he was so jealous, and I ended up here over the ocean because I practically destroyed the very place I had sworn to protect!" He squeezed his hand into a fist and his body shook. He was getting angrier every passing second. "Damn him!" He looked at Yammelyan and then rearward to him, "Yet you came straight to me to punch my lights out. Right. So...What's your name?" He stood up and the guy tried to stop shaking and took a deep breath, "I am Sir Drakin, Lance Drakin."

"I am Comotos Wellshur and I have an acquaintance here that can help you see better with magic, would that help for at least an alliance?" Lance looked surprised again that this guy would want to help him, even though he was so violent with him moments ago. He made a determined face and nodded, "I will help you, but I cannot become a Bounty Hunter." That's all he needed to hear as he nodded at Yammelyan who lifted its wand to touch Lance's forehead. A pair of magical glasses appeared and shimmered before his face and then they melted into his skin and adjusted his poor eyesight to be much more clear. He blinked and smiled, "Ah, this is much better! Thank you so very much!"

He stood up and faced the two in front of him with outstretched hands, he was speechless after noticing his venom orbs and his blood-stained face, no other Kuro these days resembled Comotos, the way his eyes seemed to burn beams into whoever he gazed at. Lance seemed to be in awe as they shook hands. He smirked his usual devious smirk and noticed Lance had very nice-looking emerald green eyes and was handsome and muscular also around his height, he also wished he could grow a goatee as thick as his. So an alliance had begun. He paid Lance's bail and they set off walking back to the Kingdom of Ashlar. It was two thousand silver coins for his and Lance's bail but with his newest bounty of fifty thousand, it barely scratched the surface of his earnings.

That night they made their beds in the Ashlar palace for the night. In Diesel's absence Lace, being his first mate and wife meant she should stay at the docks where her crewmates would be waiting and act as Captain while he was away. Diesel decided to take a break and see what life was like on the land. As soon as they arrived at the palace, Drusilla went straight to her room and she began to write a letter to Laina about the exciting time they had and she wrote about the pirates and how she had been kidnapped. He introduced Lance and Diesel to Mark and they decided to have a few drinks to celebrate their triumphant return.

They drank for the entire night and into some of the next mornings. By then he had to help his new comrade, Lance, to his room before retiring on his own and even though he and Drusilla had separate rooms he somehow managed to find himself in front of her door. She had just woken up and was making the bed. "Looks like you had fun." she giggled as he approached drunkenly. "It would have been so much better if you were there." he staggered over to her and stood before her grinning and swaying drunkenly.

He grabbed her waist with both hands and he stepped behind himself towards the bed, guiding both of their bodies there and he fell onto the firm mattress and lifted Drusilla from the ground at the same time. She squealed and she placed her hands on his chest to get up, but he stopped her by holding onto her hips and she was unwillingly pressed against him directly. She could feel him getting very hot and stiff on her privates. Beneath her, he had a certain look on his face that meant he wanted to be satisfied.

She felt like she had no breath in her body as he stared at her with that sexy smirk. She wanted to satisfy him but not to the extent she would lose her virginity... not yet! She closed her eyes and realized that she would have to hold him off before he requested sex. Right now she wasn't sure if she could resist him for much longer. She whimpered but then noticed the hardness that was growing between his legs was all of a sudden receding. Her eyelids fluttered open and noticed that his eyes were closed, he had fallen asleep.

She rolled off of him and headed for the bathroom that was connected to her room. She decided to take a bath and relieve her body of its lust-induced trance. She opened the tap and let the tub fill with warm water, dropping some bathing salts in and she took off her nightgown carefully and set it on a nearby table. She tested the water before she stepped in and completely submerged herself up to her chin. She sighed heavily and hugged her body under the foamy water. She turned off the tap and immediately heard loud snoring coming from the room, she giggled and knew he was in deep sleep.

She splashed handfuls of water on her face and rubbed vigorously to rub any sleep away. Her hands instinctively slid down her body through the water to rest in-between her legs. She rubbed herself and sighed. Her mind wandered to her companion and the first night they had spent together. It was lucky for her that she had been instructed on how to give pleasure to a penis with her mouth and hands. Her virginity was nevertheless intact but she knew that she was going to lose it to him.

He was different than most people she's been around, even different than most Kuro she had met before. He always seemed legitimately interested in money. He was truly different but not in a bad way. Her hand moved across her most sensitive areas vigorously under the water and she moaned and thought about how the night would play out when she would lose her virginity to him.

It would be wonderful! He had already shown her that he can be gentle, but he was strong enough to hold her down. That thought alone was enough to bring her over the edge! She whimpered and bucked her hips as her climax washed over her body, making the water in the tub splash around her as her fingers glided at light speed over her hard nub. Masturbating before she knew Comotos had never been this intense! She leaned back against the tub and shivered and twitched as she came down from her blissful state.

She sighed happily and got out of the bath after she washed her body and dried herself off and then put on the new outfit that she had bought for herself the other day. It was a one-piece maroon suit with multi-coloured pockets, two on the front, and two on the back. The arms and legs of the suit fit snugly to her wrists and ankles with small buckles. There were four silvery cuffs that she attached to her wrists and ankles. She slipped her feet into a pair of low-cut black shoes with a short heel. After drying her hair some more with a towel she grabbed a cloth band and tied her hair up and back from her face and she braided her long curly ponytail.

She quietly headed out the door to enjoy some fresh air while her companion slept off the alcohol. Several hours went by and Drusilla was sitting out in the courtyard with Yammelyan at a cafe-styled table. She sipped on a tall glass of water with lemon and from the corner of her eye, she noticed something walking in their direction. It looked like a dog at first until it got closer. It was in fact a huge dog wearing something resembling an Ashlar courier uniform and had a bag strapped to their body. It stopped and stood before Drusilla with an outstretched ethereal hand that held an envelope.

She took the envelope and thanked the dog. It nodded to her with a wag of its tail and it turned and trotted into the palace to drop off more mail to the servants and other patrons inside. It was always weird to her that each courier knew who and where everyone was but sorcerer magic was a factor that helped to identify individuals by certain scents of family members, friends, or lovers that each letter possessed which is why dogs had been selected for the task.

The plain off-white envelope had only her name written on it, in a style that she recognized. She opened the letter and removed the piece of paper. She unfolded it and read the contents silently while YammelYan watched her. She seemed upset by what she was reading as she scanned the letter and then re-folded the paper. "What did it say?" YammelYan asked. "I... I think my friend is in trouble, but her letter doesn't make sense. When I read it, it doesn't feel like she wrote it."

She was worried. The Chiisai nodded, "Maybe you should consult the violent, blue one." She thought YammelYan was too direct with her comment but she excused herself anyway and left the table to find him. She walked down the long hallway towards the room she was staying in and that he had invaded. She opened the door quietly and noticed he was doing sit-ups by the back wall of the room. She heard him huffing and counting to himself, he was on two-hundred and three when he turned to look at her.

He laid back on the wood floor and panted heavily. She noticed that her mind wandered to his chiseled body, she snapped herself out of it when she remembered that she needed his advice. "Comotos," she spoke out loud. "I think my friend Laina is in trouble, she sent me this note and it seems urgent but totally not her style." He sat up and wiped his sweat away with a towel, "What do you mean not her style?" he asked in response. She walked over to him, handed the letter to him and he read it for himself silently.

"Well, from what I can see she could be told what to write by kidnappers. It's your decision if you want to go and save her."

She looked at him, "Will you come with me? I'm pretty sure that I could use your help."

He nodded, `We should bring everyone who is willing to go, 'cause there could be a lot of 'em. The more warriors we have, the better the outcome will be for us. By the way... did I ever tell you how amazing you look in that outfit?"

Her cheeks became flushed and she turned around in a circle for him to see a three-sixty view of her womanly outline in that bodysuit. "Nice. Do we have to save your friend now or can it wait?"

She saw the hungry look in his eyes and she knew what he was going to ask for next, "Yes, I think we should go now. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can find out what's happening."

He seemed disappointed by her answer but decided it was best not to ask for a sucking when her friend was in danger. She went back outside to inform Yammelyan about the plan to help and then went to wake up Diesel and Lance for their trip. He told Mark and he informed the King's advisor. They headed off towards the tavern where they first met, The Zephyr Tavern and Inn. The entire trip was silent and they all seemed tense for they had no idea what was going to happen once they reached the town. As the coach bounced along the road, he crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep. The next thing he knew, he was in that same field again with the burning forest ahead of him. He didn't have to walk far to see the Kuro woman standing with her back to him. Her extremely long ears and flowing silver hair gave her away.

"So, you're invading my dreams again, old woman. What is it this time?" the Kuro woman turned slightly to look at him with her venom eyes, then she fully turned towards him.

"You interrupted me the last time I invaded your sleep state, child. You will not be so lucky this time!" He was intrigued that she would come to him again and he wondered if she actually had something important to say, so he crossed his arms and waited for her story. Her speech was no longer delayed he noticed. The trees and bushes around them blazed brightly and engulfed them both.

He blinked and saw a battlefield, soaked in blood and bodies. He couldn't move as the Kuro woman ran in front of him, chasing down and slashing her swords at an enemy's back. He was witnessing the third war on Seken! It was in the history archives that Mark had shown him. The tales are that Komatosia, the Kuro woman that was short in stature but long in-ear defeated an entire army by herself, that was sent after her by the first King of Intuse, who was her younger brother.

After sacrificing his entire army to his sister, the King, and Komatosia ended each other in the final battle. She made sure not to die from her fatal wounds until she had the opportunity to watch her brother die as she ate his still-beating heart in his chest. Komatosia was labeled as a monster and died within a few moments. To him, she looked like a lost soul. After the battle, her ghost form turned to him and floated towards him. He still could not move but he accepted her ghost form to cling to him. He wished there was something he could do to help her spirit rest but he was not a spirit tamer or the like.

The only person that came to mind was Yammelyan, its magic smelled of death and decay so maybe it had some clue on how to help her spirit. He would ask after he got out of this dream state, but he was still not in control. The scene ahead of him had changed. It was a cabin just like what he lived in, in his youth. He was intrigued and since he could move his arms and legs now, he walked forward into the dark entrance. A green light shot past his face and startled him, and more and more green energy began to appear before his eyes. He looked around for the source and saw a younger version of Komatosia, sitting at a table with candles burning brightly on a cake. This was too weird.

A Kuro male was standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders. He looked younger than her but he was tall, and he was smiling but it had a touch of something sinister behind it. It occurred to him that the scene shifted and his younger self and his older sister were now at the table and Trosimo had the same expression as Komatosia's brother. "She didn't look like that on that day, did she?" His mother was sitting in a dark corner of the room, her eyes suddenly glowing neon green and yellow. She began to cough loudly and that's when he saw his sister smirk deviously. "Did she plan for this to happen? My mother!!!" It was too late as he stretched his hand out his mother exploded in a torrent of fire and smoke.

He awoke slowly and blinked his eyes. They were all still in the carriage and he felt like he had the most peaceful sleep just now, even though the nightmares were as vivid as ever. The moons were just rising in the red and purplish sky to his right and he knew the bend up ahead that turns into where the tavern resides. As the carriage slowed to a stop, Comotos yawned and saw a familiar figure in the corner of his eye. Tukmah was sitting on the roof of the tavern with two, cloaked figures at his sides.

The Yajuu had a rope-tied Laina in his grasp. They waited for the group to emerge from the carriage and until they were all present not one word was spoken between them.

"Welcome home Comatas and Mrusilva, I hope ya had a lovely time away because the game starts now!" Tukmah's gruff voice echoed through the still air.

He crossed his muscular arms over his chest and sighed, "Is this a test to see if I can kill you again?" Comotos said aloud. For some reason, he wasn't surprised that the Yajuu was still alive. Something about his first death didn't seem to sit well within his mind. His body should have been decomposing by now but here he was, only now he had thick stitches around his neck and shirtless. He and that Chiisai magician both smelled of decay. He suddenly wondered if he would have to return the reward money. He looked at Mark but his mentor just smiled at him. Guess it was okay, as long as he had the shirt and his witness statement he was still in the clear.