TRC - Searching for the Sky Ch. 01

"Don't insult me," Kal snarled, taking up his role of a man purchasing a slave. "Since you are so determined to see her suffer... take the mask off."

"Hell no, I already have scars from this bitch, fuck her ass or something."

"Weak minded fool," Kal sneered at the salesman as he produced the vial and held it up.

"What's that?"

"A powerful aphrodisiac, she'll become so aroused she won't be able to control herself but it leaves the mind completely clear." The mage grinned evilly, "when it wears off she will remember every moment of begging me to fuck her with crystal clarity. For strong-willed bitches like her, a single experience can be enough to break them. Hopefully, this one will last through a few doses."

Sylus's face soon held a similar grin. Unlike Kal's, his was genuine. "Perhaps we could talk about a trade for part of her purchase price? The Boss would be very interested in something of that nature."

"Go to hell," Kal told him as he sprinkled a little bit into the muzzle, making sure to get some on her nose. "Hold your breath all you want, you'll need air sometime," he said to the girl. A nearly transparent sprite-sized image floated across the edge of his vision. Turning back to the salesman, Kal dragged his attention away from the wolf. "This is too dangerous for the likes of you, if a man breathes it in they will fuck whatever they can until they die of exhaustion..."

As the man continued to speak about the dangers of the dust on her face, the wolf girl felt a small pressure on one of the straps to her muzzle. A moment later a tiny voice whispered in her ear, "I'm Ria, I'm with Kal. That's just dust from a butterfly girl's wings, dangerous to men but useless on females. You'll have to act like it's working on you." The presence then disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived.

"... I'll pay the price you are asking for her. Don't bring up the dust again," said Kal while pointedly putting the vial back into its pocket right in front of the slaver. He looked down at the wolf, scowling, "It shouldn't take long once she quits holding her breath. The quicker I'm out of this place the better, I'll be lucky if my servants can get the smell out of my clothes. I may just have to burn them," he said wrinkling his nose.

Despite the voice in her ear, suspicion kept her from acting on Kal's blatant suggestion to hurry up. Looking up at the slaver's salesman she saw the obvious delight on his face as he watched her struggle to keep from breathing in the dust. A slight smirk came to her face. Whoever this Ria was, she had said it was dangerous for men and Kal had told the slaver it was dangerous as well. Turning towards Sylus she finally allowed the breath she had been holding to burst forth. The tiny cloud of dust that went flying at the man would have been invisible if not for the particles' shimmering nature.

The mage stared at the wolf girl in surprise, he hadn't been expecting that. Thankfully the salesman hadn't been able to notice the change in his customer's expression since he had nimbly darted out of the cage and was now carefully eyeing up the little cloud. Kal, however, had not reacted nearly as quickly and was now standing in a cage with a puff of dust he had just spent the last couple of minutes convincing Sylus was extraordinarily dangerous.

The wolf girl was carefully watching Kal as he frantically searched for a way to deal with the change in the situation. She was convinced now that he was there as a rescuer. He had made no attempt to protect the slaver from the dust and the young man's cold persona had dropped away as soon as the salesman ran out of the cage. The wolf momentarily felt bad that she might have made things more difficult for the man, on the other hand, seeing that bastard Sylus bolt in terror from her stunt had been extremely satisfying. By the time the dust had settled and the slaver reentered the cage the cloaked man seemed to have a solution and had returned to his act.

Kneeling down Kal leveled a cold stare at the girl, "I made that dust, do you think I would use something so dangerous without an antidote?"

"What about me?" whined Sylus.

Kal gave the man a sidelong glance, "What makes you think your life has any value to me?"

Unlike his previous insults, this one seemed to strike a nerve. "Get on with it," snarled the salesman.

"Once I know it's working, I prefer my dick right where it is and not down her gullet."

The wolf suddenly realized that he was waiting for her, he was actually waiting for some kind of permission. Her experiences since coming to the slaver's hideout had been unpleasant, to say the least, and her consent was never a consideration. She found that this simple gesture, even in this hellish situation, woke something within her that had been lying dormant since her capture months ago.

Kal relaxed slightly as the front of his trousers returned to how they normally felt. The compatibility spell that had been cast upon him didn't take kindly to forcing yourself on unwilling partners and took steps to make it physically impossible. When Sylus had told him he had to 'test the merchandise,' the mere thought triggered the enchantment and made his penis vanish, leaving nothing but his scrotum below. Saying it was an uncomfortable feeling was an understatement. Now that the wolf girl had decided to go along with his plan his missing cock had reappeared, much to his relief.

The wolf girl's face took on a lustful look and soon the flush that had started in her cheeks made its way down to the tops of her breasts. Her long tongue hung out as she started panting with desire. Kal couldn't help wishing that the circumstances were different, he felt bad knowing that he was going to greatly enjoy how that tongue felt.

The slaver took a step back as the man in the cloak reached behind the wolf's head and undid the straps on her muzzle. He needn't have bothered, the girl was giving the man a look that bordered on adoration. Kal was worried that she might be overdoing it but a quick glance at the man next to him showed that he seemed to be buying the ruse. To be honest, the mage was having a hard time believing that the wolf was only putting on an act, she was being extremely convincing.

"Ready?" Kal asked then immediately winced before checking to see if Sylus noticed. That wasn't something a slave owner would say. Luckily, the salesman's complete attention was on the change in attitude that had come over the wolf. "Release her, this is more effective if she has complete control of her body."

Sylus gave him a sidelong look then said, "Clear," to the girl, ready to bolt at the slightest indication of attack and leave the cloaked man to his fate.

The wolf girl scooted forward on her knees, her wagging tail cleaning a wide swath of the floor behind her. She choked back a laugh as her rescuer's mask faltered once again and instead of a looking down at the slave in front of him with contempt and disdain, it came across more as apologetic. Her mouth opened and her tongue lolled out in blatant invitation as she gazed up at the young man with desire, she was slightly shocked at how little she had to fake it.

Shooting a final scowl at the salesman who put him in this situation, Kal stepped forward and began undoing the front of his trousers.

---

The wolf girl nuzzled Kal's crotch making small whining noises as he got himself situated again. "Good enough?" he growled at Sylus.

His customer's words seemed to snap him out of his daze from watching the wolf girl suck the cloaked man off. That dust was potent! There was no way he could have told that the girl was under the influence of anything, she seemed to genuinely enjoy what she had just done and was now actively begging for more. He was already planning on a trip to the kennel later, thanks to what he had just witnessed, but right now he was trying to think of a way to get that vial off of this young man. "The dangers don't matter, I must get some of that dust. I'll give you the girl for that vial."

"I'm immune, and she's already under the influence. Ask again and you can find out personally if everything I said earlier was true. My answer is still no." Kal produced a pouch that clinked with the sound of coins and put it in the salesman's hand. "That is more than you were asking, now transfer ownership to me so I can be on my way."

The salesman scowled, "I'll have the money-changer count it to be sure," he said, bouncing the coinpurse in his hand a couple of times before walking away.

Kal looked down at the wolf once he was sure Sylus was out of earshot. "That was amazing!" he whispered, his eyes wide with astonishment, "I never would have thought that was only an act!" The wolf girl was just barely shaking her head from side to side while taking in deep breaths of the scent from around his groin. "That... wasn't an act?" he asked. Again, he got a slight shake of her head as a response. Kal decided to ignore the growing confusion in his mind until they had gotten out of the slaver's hideout and back to safety.

Kal took the vial out of his pocket, "Ria, trade me out for the modified dust." Specks of light switched out the vial in his hand with another one identical to the first. "All of the side effects but it won't make the man who breathes it lust crazy," he told the wolf girl as he pushed some magic into the shimmering powder, activating it. "The man who breathes this in is going to have an excruciating couple of hours. Are you done with checking the place out, Ria?"

"As much as I can," said the nearly transparent sprite as she sat on the shoulder furthest from the salesman and money-changer, "There are wards on the wizard and leader's quarters so I don't know what it looks like inside, but I have enough to put together a map for when we come back for the rest of the girls. I spoke to the girl in the other cage, she knows we will be back for her as soon as possible and said she will try to find out whatever information she can that might help us during the rescue. She did say that she doesn't know how much longer the leader's threats will keep the slavers from trying to do something with her, so please hurry." Ria peeked around Kal's head, "He looks like he's about done counting coins."

Kal gave her a tiny nod, "Stay close as we leave, they brought me here in a sealed carriage they will likely do the same on the way out and we need to know how to get back here."

"If someone had just let me follow them on the way in we wouldn't need to worry about that," said the sprite, sounding annoyed. "Anyway, try to get out of here as quickly as you can, staying see-through like this is tiring. I'll need to return to my bag soon," the sprite said just before flitting off at the sound of the salesman returning.

Sylus was holding a scroll in one hand and a lit red candle in the other. "Put your mark on the line at the bottom of the scroll, that will make the collar respond to your commands."

Kal signed the parchment then the salesman dripped some hot wax onto the rolled-up scroll before sealing it with a stamp. Kal had to keep a straight face when he realized that the stamp wasn't magical but just a runic-looking version of the word "Seal."

"And when I have her completely trained and no longer need your collar?" asked the mage.

"Bring her back here and the wizard that makes them will remove it."

Kal's eyes narrowed dangerously, "You'd best be joking."

"My apologies, but no, I'm not. He makes them and puts them on the bitches when they are brought in, as far as I know, he is the only one who can take them off."

"Bullshit," snarled Kal, "Either you are lying, or you are a poor excuse for a thief, surely you must have heard something." Kal paused for a moment, "Wait, I know what your game is, you are wanting this," he said, pulling the vial out of his pocket. "The vial for the secret of the collars, so I don't ever have to return to this stinkhole," he offered.

The slaver's eyes were glued to the glass container in Kal's hand, something in the back of his head was telling him that this was wrong, it was too easy. However, that voice was silenced by the image of the stranger's fantastical silver dust. This hadn't been his plan, he even felt foolish for letting the cloaked man think of it first, but that didn't mean he wouldn't capitalize on the situation. Besides, it's not like he would be disappointed if he never saw this wolf bitch again. "I've heard there's a tiny mana crystal that powers the collar and it has a thin silver wire wrapped around it that takes the magic from the crystal to the spells that make the collar work. Cutting the wire or removing the crystal should turn it back into a regular collar."

Kal pulled his hand back as Sylus reached for the vial, "Where in the collar is the crystal?"

"Right behind the buckle, where the collar doesn't twist."

Kal handed over the stoppered tube, "It's time to leave."

Sylus nodded absently while staring at the small vial as if it were filled with diamonds.

---

A solid black boxed in wagon bounced along the roads just outside of town. The only light inside was given off by a small magic orb mounted in a bracket that had once held a torch judging by the scorch marks on the wood above. As another bump nearly threw the box's occupants off the wooden bench mounted on one of the sides, at least one of them was wishing for the added springs found on regular carriages.

Kal had seen similar boxed-in wagons while in the city, they were often used to transport dead paupers and beggars found on the streets to a mass grave outside of town. The main difference between those and the one he and the wolf girl were riding in was the extra coating of pitch applied to the outside that prevented any and all light from reaching inside. With no way to get his bearings, and therefore find his way to the slaver's den, Kal was counting on Ria to figure out how to get them back so they could rescue the rest of the dog girls.

The wagon came to a shuddering halt and a few seconds later one of the doors on the rear was opened by one of the slavers. As the man swung open the other side Kal could see that he was carrying a crossbow in his other hand. Kal wondered for a moment what kind of threat the man hoped to pose with the weapon unloaded and un-cocked, right now it was effectively an expensive club.

"Out wit' ya's," said the slaver in a gravelly voice as he brandished the crossbow. "An' ifs we sees ya's tryin' ta follow us we'll use ya's fer target practice."

"Shut up," snapped Kal as he stepped out of the wagon. He was feeling bruised and battered from the ride and after all of the stress of infiltrating the slaver's hideout, he was done with their bullshit. He put a hand on the end of the slaver's weapon and held it in place as he spoke. "If this bitch doesn't work out and I need to return for another one I will be expecting better treatment for myself and my purchases," The end of the crossbow crumpled and snapped as Kal squeezed. One the limbs whipped about on the thick bowstring as it came loose from the body, nearly hitting Kal in the face. Through sheer force of will and an intense desire to look intimidating, Kal managed to not flinch away. When the splinters and crossbow parts had finally come to rest the young mage was left holding the mangled end of the weapon, the slaver had let go and thrown his hands up in front of his face.

Kal sighed inwardly, so much for looking intimidating. On his forearm, beneath the leather vambrace that had been flipped upside down, a barely noticeable red glow faded away

Tossing the man's ruined weapon off to the side he motioned for the wolf girl to follow him. Some quiet experimenting as they were sitting in the wagon waiting to leave the kennels proved that the collar only really responded to vocal commands. As such, he was going to try using hand gestures as much as possible until they figured out how to remove it.

Turning back to the slaver he saw the man staring in shock at the pile of kindling that used to be his crossbow, he snapped his fingers in front of the man's face to get his attention again. "If I catch you following us you'll end up like that," he said waving at the weapon's remains before stalking off in the direction of a forest edge that was about a half-hour walk away. A few seconds later they heard the man curse in their direction just before a whip cracked as the slavers went on about their business.

Off to the west, they could see the city of Carriston, named for the Forest of Carris to the south, which they were currently walking towards. A short distance to the east, a small shack just off the road marked the final resting place of many of Carriston's poorest residents. Kal had heard that at one time the shack and its corresponding grave had been on the western side of town. It only took a week of dealing with the smell before the pauper's grave was moved to the eastern side and, more specifically, downwind. North of the road they had just been on was a large plain that had been sectioned off into fields that grew food for the city. The burial site was far enough out of town that by the time someone reached it, all of the city's farms had petered out.

The closer they got to the forest the more excited the wolf girl became, bounding about Kal's legs on all fours like a puppy. Once they had gotten far enough from the road as to not be seen, he beckoned her over.

"What has gotten into you?" he asked as she crouched down and scooted towards him nearly on her belly. When she reached him she flipped over onto her back. Bringing a paw up she tapped her lips then pointed at the collar. Kal crouched down and brushed off the bits of dirt and grass that had collected on her nipples, getting a lusty moan from the wolf. "Oops, sorry," he said then placed a hand on her shoulder. As he prepared to activate the healing rune located on his back the girl's hands switched back to human and she firmly moved Kal's hand from her shoulder back to her breast.

Kal looked on in confusion even as he began healing the girl. His answer came immediately after noticing the wet spot on her wagging tail. Soon after, a pungent, but not unpleasant, smell reached his nose. It felt like a bolt of lightning shot straight through him from his nose to his groin making him hard in an instant.

He looked down at the wolf girl who was still on her back with her legs splayed, giving her an incredulous look, "You're in heat?"

The wolf stopped examining her body where the bruises had disappeared and blushed fiercely before nodding.

Kal sighed, "We need to get to my camp, so we can try getting that collar off and you can tell me what's going on." Gritting his teeth against the pleasure even the slight rubbing of his trousers was causing, he continued on towards the forest with the girl in tow.

---

They made their way into the trees far enough that the forest edge and the plains beyond were no longer visible before Kal stopped. Drawing a small rune in the air, a faint, wispy light, visible only to him, appeared and pointed in the direction of his enchanted tent.

A frown came to Kal's face as he remembered how the amazing magical item had come to him.

---

"Peasant! Who the hell do you think you are to order me about?! You aren't my master!" Yelled the little green man standing on an equally small green cloud. A couple of hand widths below the floating cloud, a nondescript leather pouch lay on the table in Ikuno's library.

"Ikuno is gone, she's rebuilding her body as we speak. You may have items I need for the journey to go bring her back."

"Rebuilding her body? Does the peasant boy expect me to believe that you are invoking the right of victory?"

"No, I'm invoking the right of ownership. Ikuno gave herself to me completely. According to her, that also meant everything that she owns, including you." Kal and Ria had talked about how to deal with the snarky little avatar of Ikuno's bag of holding. After a lengthy discussion, Kal offhandedly mentioned to the little sprite that, according to Ikuno, Dai belonged to him already. Ria seized on that, telling him that if what he said was true then all he needed to do was inform the bag's avatar if it's change in possessor. Judging by his reaction, the little green man was far from happy with this turn of events.