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The Mask Comes Off	By : Samson Category: -Misc Video Games/RPGs > Slash/Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 4984 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Kingdoms of Amalur intellectual property, nor am I making any money off of this fanfic. Unauthorized duplication of this work is prohibited.

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Grains of Sand

The Mask Comes Off
Part II - "Hourglass"
By: Jesse Racine AKA Samson
Original Date Written: September 17, 2015

After several more hours of travel, Farrah’s carriage slowed to a stop. She waited until the double doors to her carriage were slowly pulled open, revealing her lovely handmaiden, Alvina. Farrah was already rising to her feet as Alvina respectfully took a step away from the doorway. Lightly raising her voice, she spoke calmly and clearly, proclaiming Farrah’s arrival with “Introducing Lady Farrah Beaumont, ambassador of the dukedom of Whitedown, herein representing her father, the valiant Lucan Beaumont.” Farrah’s full lips curved into a sweet little smile. She waited until her silver staircase had automatically extended itself to the ground, then took the first step outside.

The sun had already risen, casting a warm glow over the damp forest the carriage had stopped in. As per arranged, she and the Clementines were to meet in southern Webwood, near the border to Ettinmere. It was the first time Farrah had been to Webwood, or at least the first time she could remember, and she had to say, it seemed a pleasant enough sort of place. In preparation for the visit, however, she had heard a few troubling tales about the land, most involving giant, man-eating spiders, but to look at it now, it all just seemed like a beautiful, if slightly humid, forest. It wasn’t until Farrah subtly glanced upwards that she understood where the territory must’ve gotten it’s name.

Great cobwebs stretched between many of the trees around her, passing overhead betwixt the highest of branches. She didn’t see any arachnids or eggs, thankfully, but if these webs had genuinely been made by real, live spiders...Farrah shuddered to think of their size. Refusing to let on that she was thinking of anything other than the business at hand, she put the webs out of her mind as well as she could, looking around for the Clementines. Stepping off the extended staircase, she looked leftwards and promptly stopped walking, her eyes opening wide. Alvina quietly stepped around behind Farrah, waiting for the staircase to retract itself before shutting the carriage door.

Standing within speaking distance of the carriage, just in the middle of a small clearing by the road, were the Clementines and a rather unusual...Well, to be perfectly frank at the risk of rudeness, Farrah wasn’t exactly sure what it was. It was humanoid, but...She had never before seen a human such as this, or wearing this kind of clothing. If Farrah was being honest with herself, the creature was rather intimidating. Realizing she had already made the uncouth move of letting her surprise get the better of her, she continued approaching them, calming herself back down as she swallowed some saliva to try and noiselessly clear her throat.

The Almain Clementines, all dressed in white, embroidered robes, stood there with their hands folded together over their stomachs. All five of them had come, Farrah noted: she, of course, knew what her business in this meeting was to be, but for the five most senior members of the great Clementine Cathedral to make an appearance, she couldn’t help but wonder what their interest was. They had made the trip with the aid of a small pack of Warsworn bodyguards, each dressed in dirty, unpolished steel armour, swords at their sides and shields on their backs. Each were rather unnoteworthy, their full suits of armour leaving them looking like faceless copies of one other. Of much more interest to Farrah was this rather tall creature, clearly neither human nor Alfar.

She was easily twice as tall as anyone present, with Farrah reckoning the top of her head would only meet the woman’s waist. More startling than that, however, was her particularly bizarre skin tone, leaving her looking pallid and gray, like stone. The woman possessed a beauty to her that seemed...Unnatural, but not in the traditional sense. She didn’t look off because she was too beautiful, she looked a little strange because she seemed so rigid and sculpt in bizarre areas, as if she were artificial. Most of her face was smooth and rounded, but her nose almost looked a little blocky, as if a craftsman had chiselled and shaped it out of stone. Her cheekbones, too, looked similarly sharp at the edges, giving her more the appearance of a marble bust than a living, breathing creature of flesh and blood.

Why this was so, Farrah couldn’t even begin to offer a guess, but it made the woman look like she were a part of a grand building’s architecture, suddenly come to life. The strange traits didn’t stop there, either: the woman’s hair, possessing a silky sheen under the light, was platinum blonde in colour, a rather fetching hue Farrah had only ever seen twice, before. She wore her long hair in a loose bun over the back of her head, secured with a few golden pins, while thick, wavy locks of her bangs were left free to cover her forehead and frame the sides of her face. The massive woman’s eyes were pale blue across the sclera, while her irises and pupils were joined together into the same milky white colour, heavily accentuated by the thick, black eyeliner and mascara she wore.

Based on her garb, Farrah couldn’t tell if the woman were a soldier or a priestess. She wore some kind of breastplate, the design of which reminded Farrah a bit of Gnome craftsmanship, made of reinforced black leather embossed with golden designs. The designs across the abdomen mimicked the defined, chiselled appearance of washboard abs, while those across her chest just seemed to be simple flourish for decoration’s sake. The woman’s rounded pauldrons were layered three times, with each additional layer reaching down a bit further than the last, each trimmed with solid gold. Underneath the breastplate, she wore what appeared to be some kind of white silk dress, the sleeves of which reached out from under her pauldrons to stop at her elbows.

The edges of the sleeves were, like her armour, trimmed with a golden design, showing a solid line topped with spikes all curved towards the same direction, like stylized oceanic waves. The bottom of the dress stretched down to her knees in a very open, loose fit, preventing it from restricting her movements in the slightest. The bottom of her dress had the same design ringing it as her sleeves, with the added touch of a labyrinthine column running directly up the front, over the space between her legs. On her calves, she wore greaves made of the same black leather as her breastplate, trimmed with golden, sparkling metal. Brown leather straps extended out from under the greaves, connecting to the sandals she wore, securing the two together, perhaps for ease of movement.

Perhaps most curious of all, however, were the metallic hoops hanging from the woman’s hips, connected to her armour via leather straps. Farrah wasn’t precisely sure what purpose they could’ve served, but it looked as if they could’ve been quite easily removed from their resting places. Farrah had never heard of flat metal rings being used for weapons, but judging by the triangular spikes ringing much of the hoops’ exteriors, she came to the conclusion that they couldn’t have been mere decorations to adorn her armour. “Lady Farrah,” one of the Clementines said, drawing the Ljosalfar’s attention away from her quick observations. Farrah gently raised her eyebrows, a polite little smile on her face as she met the aging Almain’s eyes.

The bald man smiled with a rather noticeable excitement. Giving the giantess a very quick glance out of the corners of his eyes, he politely held his open hands out in her direction, briefly gesturing at her as he looked back at Farrah. “Allow me to introduce miss Astraia, a Kollossae pilgrim. She hails from the Teeth of Naros, a land far to the south. Her people have not had much contact with our’s, in recent history.” Farrah gave a little nod, looking back over and meeting Astraia’s eyes. Stepping closer to her, Farrah daintily offered a hand, her voice a soft coo as she said “Greetings, Astraia. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Welcome to the Faelands.”

Astraia, a pleasant smile on her face, reached out, gently taking Astraia’s fingers between two of her own in a pleasant handshake. Farrah was immediately taken aback by not only how the woman felt like she was covered with skin, not stone, but also at how soft the woman’s skin was. Judging by how silky she felt, she clearly took care of herself with lotions and creams, a practice Farrah could relate to with a smile. To top it all off, when Astraia spoke, she was surprisingly eloquent, possessing the same soft voice any other Almain or Alfar woman would. Perhaps it had been wrong of her to make the assumption, but some small part of Farrah had assumed that Astraia’s size would denote brutishness to everything in her behaviour, including her speech.

“The pleasure is mine, my lady. I had not expected to meet nobility, on my journey.” Astraia said, not at all possessing the deep, booming voice Farrah had expected. As she and Farrah let go of one another’s fingers, another of the Clementines, named Charles, Farrah remembered, said “Our sincerest apologies on not adding to the letter that you’d be meeting a Kollossae, my lady. Truth be told, some of us were so excited, the thought simply slipped their minds. The rest of us, myself included, thought it prudent not to include it. There’s been trouble on the roads, recently, and...Two of our couriers have already disappeared, on other tasks.” The other four elder bishops bowed their heads, their eyes falling to the ground in remembrance.

Charles lightly raised his eyebrows, adding “We thought it best to leave out anything that wasn’t critical to the message’s intent, including who our visitor was or what, precisely, they were here, for. It could’ve just been coincidence, but in the event that our messages were being intercepted, we decided that creating as small a probability of trouble as possible was the correct course of action. But, of course, we didn’t deceive you when we claimed that this was a diplomatic meeting.” Farrah gave a single light nod. Passively, she commented “I understand, no need for apologies.”

The Clementine who had first introduced Astraia, who Farrah knew to be named Frank, still seemed rather excited as he explained “At the cathedral, we received a letter from the Primos, the leader and spiritual guide to the Kollossae people. As you can probably imagine, it was quite a shock, to us all. In fact, we needed to look over a few books with some of Amalur’s written history, simply to discover who the Kollossae were!” Frank began to chuckle heartily, his eyes nearly closing at how mirthful his puffy face became. “To think,” he added, “that a people as advanced as the Kollossae could be almost forgotten by the rest of Amalur! We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try and meet one of these individuals.”

Astraia calmly explained “Our recent history has been...Somewhat troubled. But, in the aftermath of the Beckoned’s aid, things have become prosperous, once again. My people are entering a new golden age, and we’d love to share it with the other peoples of Amalur. It would be selfish of us to hoard the gifts Ethene gives us, when She graces us with so much, already.” Frank glanced at Astraia and continued his explanation to Farrah. “In the letter, the Primos explained that Astraia had been given a premonition, a divine revelation, and that she would be making a pilgrimage into the Faelands. The Primos requested that we would be here, on this day, to greet Astraia and ensure her safe arrival, as well as to offer her sanctuary at our cathedral. As the letter mentioned Whitedown, we knew we needed to send your father a dispatch, if only to warn the duchy that an unexpected visitor might be entering their lands, in the near future.”

Farrah gently arched her eyebrows and amiably said “I see...Please, forgive me, but I’ll have to ask for more information. What did this premonition entail? What role does Whitedown play in your pilgrimage? I’m happy to help you in any way that I can, but I need to know more.” Frank was clearly about to try answering, for a second, before he realized that the questions had been directed at Astraia. Another of the Clementines, Peter, a short, stocky man, the only Clementine whose robe possessed a hood, looked over at Astraia and calmly asked “Yes, this premonition of your’s, Astraia...What did it entail? Did any of the gods...Speak to you?” The other bishops quickly glanced at each other with interest, then looked intently at Astraia, awaiting her answer.

The giantess gently furrowed her brow, in thought. She put her left hand to her hip, lightly tilting her head forwards until she was staring at a patch of grass between them all. An odorous breeze began to pass around them, blowing through the thick woodland around their meeting point. Farrah subtly turned her eyes skyward, watching the way the old cobwebs danced about overhead, waving around with the wind, never letting go of their branches. “It’s...A bit difficult to explain.” Astraia mumbled. “It all happened so quickly, I simply couldn’t make sense out of most of it. I understood enough to undertake this trek, however, and give myself goals to search towards.”

Astraia raised her head, unfurrowed her brow, and crossed her arms over her chest. Looking over at the Clementines, she politely said “I’m sorry, Fathers, but if you were hoping I’d be able to impart to you some divine wisdom or scripture, I will have to leave you wanting. No god spoke to me, at least not in the traditional sense. There were no words, during the experience...I’m sorry.” Frank suddenly let out a long, silent sigh through his nose, as if he were deflating. The others didn’t seem particularly crestfallen at the news. Charles respectfully said “That is unfortunate, but not unexpected...What of the revelation, itself?”

Astraia lightly raised her eyebrows, momentarily tilting a head to the side. Taking in a deep breath of the muggy air, she, rather casually given the subject of conversation, related “Well, I was in the middle of my morning ritual of prayer and meditation, when I suddenly found myself blacking out, as if I were spontaneously falling asleep. Then...What I can only describe as a fuzz of colour filled my mind, as if I were visualizing a work of art with all of my might.” The Clementines were immediately captivated. Farrah spied their eyes widening as their mouths fell ajar, while some of the Warsworn bodyguards seemed to perk up. She, however, decided to reserve judgement until she had heard of more than a mosaic miasma in Astraia’s imagination.

Astraia let her arms hang by her sides. Dropping her chin, her expression took on a more stern expression, yet the tone in her voice gave away her puzzlement. “I was confused, and thought perhaps I was falling ill. I...Tried to move my body, but found myself numb. It isn’t uncommon for me to go limp, during my meditations, but...The colours and lights became more violent, and it was then that I realized that I was being shown images. I couldn’t comprehend what most of them were, however. They simply flew by me, too quickly.” Astraia raised her head, glanced from face to face, moving from bishop to bishop until her eyes came to rest on Farrah.

“A few images were burned into my mind, however: A white land, with a grand, gray building in the distance, the four corners jutting into the sky with sharp towers. A man in a black habit, his back to me, holding a flail. A scared young woman with short hair, dirt on her face, yelling something I can’t hear...And some kind of creature I’ve never seen before, one with a great tail, and...It were as if it had two different faces.” Astraia raised her eyebrows, a little, and a peaceful smile grew on her face. Sounding almost guiltily contented, she explained “When the images faded, the fuzz returned, like a million little lights of colour, zipping around in the distance. It stayed for a while, and...I felt a great calm come over me, as if someone were telling me not to be afraid. When I realized that this hadn’t been happenstance, but that these images were things that I needed to see to, a euphoria I can’t possibly explain washed over me.”

Astraia’s smile grew, her eyes falling half-closed out of joy. “It feels like I came to, immediately after. I rushed to Primos Secandra, and explained the few images I had been able to make sense of. She understood as well as I did that what had happened must have been divinely caused, but did not know who the people were, in my vision. However, we both knew that the creature I had seen was not native to the Teeth of Naros, nor was the white land. Before this trek, I had never left Idylla before, but the Primos assured me that the land in my vision must’ve been to the north. And so, a scout was sent ahead of me to deliver a letter to the Clementine Cathedral, hoping they might be able to make sense of my vision as I prepared for the journey. And now, here we are.”

Charles looked over at Farrah, stammering for just a moment as he said “W-We considered a few different alternatives, but in the end, we decided that the snowy land in her vision was most likely Whitedown, and that the building might’ve been a manse or castle owned by the Beaumont family. As for the two individuals she saw, we cannot say, but as for the creature, well...The only creature we can think of that could be described as possessing two faces would be a Crudok, especially if said creature possesses a large tail, as well.” Farrah gave a thoughtful hum. Raising a hand to her throat, she placed the ends of her index and middle fingers over her chin, eyes slowly shifting around in thought.

“I can’t say for sure whether what you saw was a Crudok or not, sadly. As far as I know, we don’t have any Crudoks, in Whitedown. As for the two individuals you saw, without more information, I can’t help you, I’m sorry to say...A scared girl and a man wearing black isn’t much to go on. But, yes, I might know a place that fits the description you gave.” Astraia smiled, just a little sheepishly, and casually said “I know. I apologize, I didn’t mean to come across as if I were presuming. I didn’t expect it to be so simple that the first person I meet has all the answers. Whoever those two are, I’ll recognize them when I see them. Whoever they are, they’re integral to this journey.” With a confident nod, Astraia smiled more strongly and affirmed “The gods intended for me to find them. They’ve set the course, all I need to do is follow the steps laid before me.”

The Clementines each bowed their heads at her words, briefly closing their eyes in silent reflection. Farrah lowered her hand from her chin, smiling warmly as she said “Well, I admire your faith, Astraia. I believe I may know which building you saw in your premonition. There’s a manse in my father’s territory, occupied by a lesser noble clan, the Novambles. As Whitedown snows most of the year, and the manse was crafted of ashen stone from the east, and I distinctly remember possesses four grand spires in the cardinal directions...It’s a slim lead, clearly - I can’t see exactly what you saw, so I can’t guarantee that it’s the same building. But, it sounds right, and if you believe in divine guidance, then I may be the next step in your path. We-”

“I drew it!” Astraia abruptly interrupted, eyes lightly widening. Farrah closed her mouth, gazing at Astraia. The Clementines and their guards all looked at her, curiosities piqued. Astraia raised her eyebrows with a little smile, already sticking a hand into the short sleeve of the other arm. Sounding just a little excited, she said “As I cooked my meals, during the journey here, I passed the time by trying to sketch what I saw. The first one I did was the building I saw. Here, take a look, please.” Farrah raised her eyebrows, too, peeping out a demure “Oh” out of surprise. She watched Astraia’s hands as she pulled a tiny, folded-up piece of parchment, presumably from some hidden pocket inside the sleeve, and began to unfold it. With a developing grin, she held it out for Farrah to examine.

Farrah reached out, the rings on her fingers glittering like stars under the sunlight. The Clementines, eyebrows raised, watched with otherwise neutral expressions as the Alfar’s soft, blue hands gently took the parchment from the Kollossae’s intimidatingly large fingers. Farrah brought the parchment a little closer, holding it face-up towards the sunlight. As she looked at it, all emotion visibly drained from her face. Her eyes turned more keen, slowly drifting around the charcoal markings. It looked exactly like she remembered. She hadn’t seen it with her own eyes since she were a child, but Astraia’s artistic talent appeared to be considerable.

The four sharp towers, down to the gargoyles, had been expertly shaped out. Even the windows, left unshaded, presumably for candlelight, were a detail that had been included. The crescent moon in the sky. The seemingly endless expanse of snowy plains surrounding the manse, making it look like a black drop lost in a white sea...No wonder Astraia had felt the building ominous. But, perhaps most surreal of all, to Farrah, was the point of view in the drawing. The drawing was facing the rear of the manse, specifically to the southwest, following a curved path hidden under the snow that led up to the manse’s gates. She could very distinctly seeing almost the exact same sight from the family carriage, on her one childhood visit to the manse.

Farrah’s brow began to twitch downwards, a little. Her lips parted, a crack. A musty breeze blew through the trees, caressing her over and through the form-fitting dress she was wearing. She didn’t say anything for what felt like only a few moments, but eventually, one of the Clementines quietly prodded “Erm...Lady Farrah? Is everything alright?” Farrah blinked, relaxing herself out of the unsightly expression, on her face. She lightly cleared her throat, then held the parchment back out to Astraia, softly saying “Yes, everything’s quite alright.” Farrah looked Astraia in the eyes as she took the parchment and began folding it up, once more. She felt like admitting that she had, at first, been a little skeptical of the idea that Astraia had had a vision, divine or otherwise, but the picture had been all the proof she had needed to change her mind.

If what Astraia had said was true, and she had never actually visited the Faelands, before, then it simply wasn’t possible for her to know what the Novambles Estate had looked like. Especially the point of view, like an impossible snapshot out of Farrah’s youth, out of her memory...What was Farrah to tell herself, that it was all a coincidence? How astronomical were the odds? She had told herself that she’d never visit the manse a second time, but if Astraia was truly on a divine quest that would take her there, then...Farrah put on a polite smile, her eyes warming up, a little more. “It looks like my hunch was correct, Astraia. If that’s the building you saw, then...It’s an exact replica of the Novambles Estate, in Whitedown. If you saw it in your vision, then the gods must have reason for you to go there.”

“This meeting was divinely orchestrated,” Charles remarked, with a sagely nod. Looking at Astraia, he added, with a hint of mirth “We would’ve loved to offer you our hospitality at the cathedral, but it seems like you won’t have time to rest or converse on teachings. There’s so much we could learn from one another, I...” Charles gave a little sigh, raised his eyebrows, and gave a dismissive wave with both hands. “There will be plenty of time for all that later, I suppose,” he concluded. Astraia smiled widely, evidently finding his enthusiasm amusing. Farrah warmly gestured to the side, cooing “The trip to Whitedown will last several days, but there are provisions enough in the carriage to make the wait comfortable. I’d love to hear about your homeland and culture, I’ve...Well, I know next to nothing about the Kollossae people. I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage, normally I’m quite well prepared for these meetings.”

Astraia held back a little chortle. Shifting her weight to one foot, lightly cocking out a hip, she offered a fond “That’s quite alright, I’m just as in the dark as you are. This can be a learning experience, for us both. I’m sure that I’m just the first step of renewed contact between my people and the rest of the world.” Farrah’s smile grew with warmth. “Wonderful, I look forward to the chat. After you, please, my dear.” Astraia turned to the Clementines and bade her farewells, receiving fond goodbyes and blessings from the bishops, in turn. After asking to make sure that the Clementines would be able to safely return to their cathedral, Astraia climbed into Farrah’s carriage, followed shortly by the unbelievably top-heavy Ljosalfar, herself. Alvina resumed her spot by the carriage driver, and then they were all off, picking up speed as they disappeared into the distance...

Leah slipped into her room, breathing just a little deeply as adrenaline flowed through her body. She gave her bottom lip a little bite, eyes drifting around as she tried to remain calm. She still didn’t know what all Kelly had given her, but there must have been something for stretching and training her ass. She’d need a safe place to hide everything, including the expensive dress Farrah had given her - no easy task, considering the room wasn’t actually her’s, exclusively. The room had two sets of beds, with Leah’s over to the right and her brother Patrick’s over to the left, separated by barely a few feet of space. They each had their own short dresser to keep their wardrobes separate, the humble blocks of wood with drawers sitting at the feet of their respective beds.

To the left of the door, across the room from the beds, were Leah’s desk and bench, handcrafted by Eli and herself some years before. An adjustable mirror, suspended by a nice metal frame, sat towards the left of the desk, along with Leah’s few cases of makeup. On the other side of the desk, which Leah had offered over to Patrick for his own use, was a small set of tools for the care of Patrick’s sword, currently stored under his bed, sheath and all. For a second, Leah considered doing the same and just throwing everything in the sack under her bed, but swiftly thought better of it. It wasn’t exactly the best hiding place imaginable, and considering that Patrick was already using the idea, it wasn’t inconceivable to think that he might glance under her bed, too, the next time he checked for his sword.

Leah let out a deep, slow sigh to settle herself. She was getting ahead of herself. She was looking for places to stash things without even knowing what all she needed to hide, in the first place. She crossed the room, aimlessly glancing out through the window set in the wall, just between the two beds. Swallowing some saliva with excitement, she grabbed the bottom of her supply sack, carefully upturned it over her bed, and watched the various items within tumble out. The first thing that fell out was her old, dirtied dress, clumped up in a messy hunk. Immediately after came Farrah’s expensive blue dress, the navy coloured bundle of silk flopping out in a much neater, semi-folded pile. Falling into the dresses, using them like a basin, were a few rather conspicuous objects, no doubt Kelly’s gifts.

First, there was the sexy lace panties Kelly had peeled off of her voluptuous body, still awash with the Varani’s scent. Secondly, there was a rather thick glass vial, capped off with a screw-on glass topper. The vial was a little more than halfway filled with some kind of thin, syrupy fluid, colourless like water. It didn’t take many guesses for Leah to figure out that the fluid was probably used to help facilitate certain insertions into certain bodily orifices. The next two accompanying objects, in particular, had Leah’s heart racing. There was a short one, round and bulbous, with a narrow neck and flattened base, made of clear glass with some kind of red design around the tip. The second was...Much more clear in design and purpose.

Also made of glass, the second one had the distinctly long, just slightly curved shape of an erect cock, ready to plunder booty and leave maidens gasping for more. Leah’s face started to flush bright red, burning her skin. If she didn’t hide this particular piece well enough, well...She reached out and took the dildo, turning it over a few times, giving it the proper looking-at that it deserved. She reckoned that it was around the same well-endowed size as Kelly, herself, was, with a nicely girthy, fairly long shaft, riddled with the softly defined bulges of a few long veins, topped off with the well-defined shape of a swollen tip.

Sadly, a matching pair of orbs didn’t bring up the base of the toy, but Leah supposed that that might’ve been for the best, overall. Could be easier to hide the toy, without a fat undercarriage sticking out from one side. Putting the dildo back down, she lifted up the second toy, trying to piece together what it was used for. She had to swallow some saliva when she turned the toy over, realizing that the red design around the bulb were in the shape of a woman’s lips, simulating smeared lipstick from an opened mouth. Despite that, she was sure that the toy was meant to go up someone’s rump, but...What then? Was it...Supposed to just stay there? What then? Was it even enjoyable, getting plugged up, like that?

The final object had Leah staring: a small black jewellery case, humble and unmarked, shaped like a square and covered with felt. With everything else accounted for, the enchanted nipple piercings must’ve been inside. Leah’s stomach started to flutter with excitement as she reached out, carefully picked the case up, and brought it close to her chest. Putting a thumb to the case’s lip, she eased it open with a soft creak, her eyes inquisitively shifting around at what lay within. She couldn’t help but draw in a soft gasp, her mouth easing open at the sight of them. They weren’t quite what she was expecting, but she didn’t think they looked bad, and if they did the job, well...If it meant transforming her body, a more pressing concern would be the upcoming self-piercing she’d need to give herself, not whether or not they matched her fashion sense.

For starters, they were made of a strange black metal that shone purple, under the light. They weren’t particularly big or flashy, being maybe an inch wide. They were shaped like simple circles, with the exception of a small section kept straight, formed from a thin bar that could be unscrewed to open the piercings for application or removal. Leah couldn’t help but stare at the way the metal reflected the sunlight. There was something oddly alluring about them, something she couldn’t quite place her finger on. She had never seen jewellery quite like this, it was like something out of a dream. In her mind, all jewellery was either silver or gold, and typically studded with diamonds or other precious gemstones. For these piercings to be made of black metal, well...It was an unusual switch.

Leah slowly turned herself to the side and sat down on the edge of her bed. She reached her hand down from the lid of the case, delicately plucked one piercing out, and gave it a closer look. Well, at the very least, it felt like it weighed next to nothing, so she wouldn’t have to worry about the piercings being too heavy on her nipples, or weighing down her breasts. With a shape so small, they probably wouldn’t create an obvious outline through her clothing, either. Leah gave her bedroom door a quick glance as she tackled her indecision. Should she really do this now? She had already wasted a lot of time, and it wasn’t as if she could lock the door. Leah put the nipple ring back inside it’s case, snapped it shut, and put it back down on the bed, beside herself. Then, she was pulling off her tube top, her heartbeat ringing in her ears as she made up her mind. If she was gonna do this, she’d need to be quick about it.

Looking down at herself, she noticed that her nipples were already standing a bit stiff, but regardless, she gave the prints of her thumb and index finger a quick licking, then gently tweaked and rubbed her left nubbin until it stood like a fleshy little pink pearl. She got one piercing back out and, after a moment of using her thumbnail to unscrew, had the tiny bar tumbling free into the palm of her hand. The white glint of the bar’s sharp end made her stomach twist into a brief knot. The idea had never really scared her before, but now, faced with this little barb, she couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. When Eli abruptly called for her from downstairs, Leah nearly jumped right out of her skin, shutting her eyes as she gave a start. She almost jostled the barb right out of her palm when she gave a little jolt.

“Leah! Breakfast, let’s go!”

Leah immediately looked at the bedroom door and called back “Just a minute, almost ready!” Eli didn’t call out anything more. Leah’s nostrils gently flared as she turned her eyes back down to the nipple ring. Maybe she was being hasty. Surely, she’d have more opportunities to put the piercings in...But, if the growing process was a slow one, she’d be better off putting the piercings in as soon as possible, right? She might as well just get the pain over with, while she’s still hopped up on adrenaline. Leah brought the opened ring to her nipple, followed by the barb. She closed her eyes for a couple seconds, mumbling aloud “Oh, gods...Oh, please don’t hurt too bad...Oh, man...” She looked down, making sure she had everything lined up, properly. Should she do it fast, or slow?

She started pushing, closing the two parts together. She had to shut her eyes out of fear, but to her surprise, the pain wasn’t anywhere near as agonizing as her overactive imagination had led her to believe it would be. There was a sharp pinch, but to her relief, it didn’t last longer than a moment before the pinching sensation simply passed through her, leaving behind a stinging pain that slowly escalated in intensity. When Leah felt the end of the barb reach the piercing, she opened her eyes, dew at the corners as she looked downwards. Her first reaction was confusion - there hadn’t been any blood, at all. Was that normal? Her confusion quickly morphed into relief. She was quick to screw the barb into place, securing the nipple ring onto herself. One down, one to go.

Leah stood up, once the second piercing was in. She let out a breathless chuckle, grinning excitedly as she took in her new look. Her chest was the same size as before, so the growth spurt must not have been meant to be instantaneous. She could handle waiting, even if it took a couple months to reach anything appreciable. So long as they worked, she’d be happy. Leah couldn’t help but let out a tiny giggle, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, trying her best to jiggle her lean buds up and down. There wasn’t much to see, at least not yet, but watching her nipple rings swing up and down was a lovely sight, at least.

She was so excited that, as she pulled her tube top back on, she put no thought into hiding the rest of her gifts, somewhat clumsily shoving all of them, dresses included, underneath her mattress. Soon, she’d have a nice, big pair of melons to match her shorts-straining derriere, and...Well, everything would change, wouldn’t it? Surely, her family would have to accept her for who she was, at that point. No other alternative seemed plausible, in her mind. With a new spring in her step, she left the bedroom, hurried downstairs, and rushed into the dining room.

Everyone was already present, aside from Annabelle. The plates and utensils were already set, everyone was in their seats, and all eyes were on her. Thank the gods she hadn’t bled during the piercings, she thought, otherwise the damp spots through her shirt would’ve prompted a very awkward line of questioning, right then. “There she is,” Matthew commented, already gripping his knife and fork, ready to dig in. With Daniel at the head of the rectangular table, Madeleine at the tail, and everyone sprinkled along the sides, Leah could choose from two spots to sit at: between Eli and Alicia, or next to Liam. It didn’t take much more than a single second for her to decide on the former.

Leah quietly slid her chair out, took her seat, and appraised her small pile of syrup-coated bread slices, along with sliced-up apples and pears as a side dish. Despite trying to keep her distance from Liam, he nonetheless made a comment before the first fork had found food. His brow twitching downwards, his eyes glued on Leah’s face, he abruptly blurted out “What in Mitharu’s name is all that junk, caked across your face?” Leah looked up, resisting the urge to look surprised or annoyed. Good gods almighty, she had completely forgotten to wash her face off. The blue eyeshadow she had given herself by Gorhart, the pink lipstick, she was still wearing it all. Nobody had said anything about it when she had first arrived, leaving her none the wiser about it.

Leah could feel everyone turning their eyes towards her, without hesitation or confusion. To say it was uncomfortable would’ve been an understatement. Leah almost felt like simply leaving, right then and there, and washing her face before the situation escalated even a single step or word further. Liam, still staring at Leah, added insult to injury, commenting “You leave the house for one day, and you’re putting on makeup like you belong in a brothel?” “Liam!” Madeleine snapped, brow furrowing as her eyes widened with indignation. Daniel’s eyes hardened as he gave his son an intense stare. Barely raising a hand, pointing a burly finger at him, he rumbled out “Boy, don’t you dare speak like that at the dinner table, ever again. You understand me?”

Leah’s face went a little red at his humiliating comment, but her jaw tightened with anger, her stare piercing into him like a dagger. Liam glanced at his father before his eyes fell back to his own plate of food. The threat of upsetting his parents was a great deal more pressing than whatever petty desire he had to embarrass Leah, and his disruption was thoroughly doused. “I said, do you understand me?” Daniel uttered, eyes beginning to widen. Liam couldn’t meet his father’s eyes. Without raising his head, he gave hardly a glance in his general direction, mumbling “Yeah, I understand, Pa.” Daniel and Madeleine were both quick to calm back down. No apology was prodded out of Liam, however.

Daniel did, on the other hand, give Leah a glance, remarking “I would’ve thought you’d have the sense to wash up before coming to the dinner table. You’re not gonna disturb everyone and keep them waiting longer, now that you’re here. Soon as you’re finished eating, go clean that crap off your face.” As Leah picked up her fork and knife, she mumbled out a meek “Yeah, okay...” That answer seemed to satisfy Daniel, and he pushed no further. With the outburst resolved, everyone began eating. Things were mostly silent for the first minute or two, but eventually, Daniel eventually set his utensils back down, barely raising an eyebrow as he looked over at Leah.

“Well, I said we’d talk over breakfast, and I meant it. Your mother and I heard a lot of talk from the neighbours up the road while you were gone, Leah. They just recently took a trip to Didenhil, and apparently, there’s been plenty of talk about attacks on the roads, the last couple weeks.” Eli finished a mouthful he had been chewing, glancing at Leah as he calmly added “So, when you took so long to get home, everyone figured you might’ve had trouble on the road. Matthew was just about to go out and search for you, when you came in.” Leah quietly said “Oh, I thought he had just gotten back from a hunting trip...” Eli shook his head.

Daniel continued. “Over the last month or so, people have been going missing on the roads between Didenhil and Gorhart. Some of them were found, too late to get any help. Most just never turned up, at all.” Leah took a bite out of an apple slice, speaking around it as she asked “Any idea what’s causing it? Barghest, maybe?” Daniel shook his head. Taking in a breath, exhaling as he spoke, he commented “Nope, word is, it’s the work of Brownies.” Leah noticeably froze up. Cheryl noticed Leah’s reaction first, but it was Matthew who piped up. With a chuckle, he commented “Scared of a couple Brownies, Leah? Nothing to worry about, they’re not really big or dangerous.”

Leah chuckled somewhat nervously, then mumbled “Heh, y-yeah. No, I’m not scared.” Matthew continued with a confident “Someone with a sword who isn’t reckless could easily handle a bunch of ‘em. I’ve killed a few on my trips, mostly because they wouldn’t leave me well enough alone.” Daniel thoughtfully said “Brownies have always been a problem, in this part of the Faelands. Ever since the Tuatha started acting up, though, Fae animals started getting less plentiful. If there are so many Brownies together in one territory, now, then it must mean something’s drawing them, here...And, usually, the only thing that draws Brownies together in big packs and gets them regularly attacking people is Crudoks.”

Leah accidentally inhaled her mouthful of chewed apple bits. Pushing her chair back, she dropped her head down and covered her mouth, falling into a harsh coughing fit. Alicia looked over, patting Leah on the back, hard. “You alright?” She asked, something that Leah quickly waved away. Once she had gotten herself under control, Leah, woozy with tears in her eyes from the rough coughing, raised her head and panted out “Yeah, j...Just swallowed, funny...” Eli, eyes down on his food, absentmindedly chimed in “This kind of thing won’t stop until some hunters take care of the Crudok, will it, Pa?” Daniel shook his head. Flatly, he answered “Never does. Thankfully, it doesn’t happen all that often, and when it does, there’s usually more than a few people willing to take the risk. If not, well, there’s the Warsworn. Enough people get grievances, they’ll pool their gold together and put out a bounty.”

Leah looked over at Daniel, trying to keep calm as she asked “You really think there’s a Crudok, around here? A-Are you sure it was Brownies?” Madeleine answered, instead. Lightly raising her eyebrows, she cooed “That’s what we heard, that Brownies had been making attacks. Not everyone’s gone missing, and some reports were getting gossiped around.” Daniel nodded. Taking his utensils once more, he started cutting himself a mouthful of syrup-soaked bread. “I’m no expert on Fae animals, but I’ve had to deal with a lot of them, over my life. Crudoks and Brownies have an odd relationship. It seems like Crudoks can get Brownies to do anything they want, which usually amounts to hunting down prey and bringing it back to the Crudok’s den. Since Crudoks like to eat humans and Alfar the most, it makes an obvious problem.”

Leah’s blood was already running cold. She put down her fork before her trembling hand could make it clatter against her plate. Sticking her hand under the table, she grabbed it tight with the other, hoping to squeeze it into calming back down. She closed her eyes, took in as deep and as unnoticeable a breath as possible, then opened her eyes as she sighed it back out. She immediately noticed both Liam and Cheryl staring at her, as well as the wildly different expressions on their faces. Where Cheryl was clearly concerned about Leah’s peculiar state, Liam was furrowing his brow, staring at her with a dim antipathy behind his eyes. Leah ignored him, looking back down at her food, her heartbeat still ringing in her ears as she got herself under control.

Daniel stuck a hunk of soaked bread into his mouth, chewed a couple times, and got it down. He gave a brief, mild gesture towards Madeleine with his fork, then matter-of-factly said “Your mother and I have agreed that nobody’s going to be leaving the farm until all this talk of attacks on the roads has died down. If anyone ever needs to leave the farm for anything, me or your mother will go, and we’ll be staying with well-guarded caravans. That means, Matthew, no more hunting trips. Nobody wanders too far from the farmhouse without someone going with them.” Everyone immediately agreed without any fuss, debating, or backtalk. Leah agreed, but her heart wasn’t in it. Her blank eyes remained locked on her plate.

She couldn’t bear to look into the eyes of the family that had welcomed her into her home, not now. If what Daniel was saying was true, if there had really been attacks in the area, then in Leah’s mind, it could only mean one thing: he had found her, and he had decided that she had gotten enough of a reprieve. Leah wore a mask over her true feelings, refusing to let her troubled thoughts show on her face. As casually as possible, she cut into a hunk of syrupy bread, stuck her fork into it, and raised it to her lips, all while looking around at everyone’s faces. This situation wasn’t too much for her to take in. Quite the contrary, she had been scared of this for years, had been anticipating it for ages. Her paranoia receiving confirmation was surprisingly easy to swallow, but it left her with a single glaring question...What now?

“...Huff...Huff...Whoo, that was...Damn, I needed that...” Kelly panted out, dropping down onto the tree stump with a thud. Her chocolate-toned skin glistening under the moonlight, she wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of a hand, giving a hearty, happy sigh, a big smile growing on her face. Miriam let out a shaky chuckle, panting out “Y...Yer welcome...Hope you’ve calmed down, now...” Kelly’s smile grew into a grin. She dropped her hand from her forehead, letting it land on her thick thigh hard enough to send a quick ripple through her flesh. The two of them were a bit of a mess, she was pleased to admit. If Kelly had to guess, she had kept Miriam busy for close to two hours. She hadn’t felt satisfied until she had gone for two orgasms, and with all the edging she liked to do to prolong sex, well...It was probably close to sunrise, by that point.

The lube coating her softening manhood shone even brighter than her sweat did, matching the bright glimmer between Miriam’s pale, spongy cheeks. Thanks to her feet being kept shoulder-width apart, it was easy to see the little gape Kelly had made of Miriam’s hole, her stretched sphincter unable to hold back the flood of spunk Kelly had unloaded up the Dokkalfar’s derriere. With their clothes lying on the grass, it had been a memorable flesh-on-flesh, animalistic romp, with a particularly sensual moment where Kelly had hugged Miriam from behind, pressing her sweat-slick breasts against her back, nuzzling the nape of her neck as she squeezed her close...And, as the cherry on top, she could now soak in her handiwork in the afterglow, and enjoy all of Miriam as she recovered.

Miriam stopped leaning against the tree, finally getting a chance to take her hands off of the tree bark. As she turned around, Kelly’s eyes were immediately drawn down below Miriam’s navel, the Varani once more transfixed by Miriam’s...Rather unique development. She had been unable to believe it upon first seeing it, but feeling it in her hands and mouth had been more than enough to convince her of their authenticity. Miriam had yet to come clean on the issue, but somehow, she had not only grown a second member, but a second pair of orbs to stuff tight her already nicely hefty undercarriage. Normally, Miriam’s cocks were around the same size as Kelly’s, being a thick, girthy seven or eight inches, with a full, almost apple-sized undercarriage to stuff her panties, underneath.

However, Kelly had long fucked the rigidity out of the Alfar, she noted with delight. Miriam had been rock-hard up until her first orgasm, which had fired out of her and against the tree long before Kelly was ready to call it quits. After that, Miriam’s second and third anal orgasms came in the form of trickles and dribbles from her soft, relaxed manhoods, leaving quite a few wet marks at the tree’s base. Now, there they were, limp and hanging, still oozing a few trickles down the front of her undercarriage, proof that Kelly had given her P-spot the massage it had needed. Miriam smiled at Kelly as she swept her hands across her chest, trying to throw off as much sweat from her handfuls of breast flesh as possible.

Still grinning, Kelly cooed “Yeah, I think I’ve worked out the tension, by now...Thanks again, hon.” Miriam chuckled as she walked up to Kelly, hands on her hips as she looked down into her friend’s eyes. “Hey, it was good for me, too. Don’t thank me up and down like I was doin’ you a favour, we helped each other out.” Kelly let her grin relax to a wide, happy smile. Her eyes fell to Miriam’s soft manhoods as she reached out, holding them together, side-by-side, as she leaned over. Miriam had to close her eyes when Kelly wrapped her full, soft lips around both of her cock heads, her mouth hanging open in a silent moan as the other woman suckled and lapped at her sensitive tips, cleaning them of the lingering pre-cum and leaked seed still staining her.

Kelly gave a hard enough suck to hollow her cheeks, trying to draw out any seed left inside either tool before pulling back with a raunchy pop. After a light swallow, Kelly looked back up at Miriam, raised an eyebrow, and playfully prodded “So, gonna fill me in on how you got double the fun, already?” Miriam gave a bit of a dismissive wave. “Yeah, I guess. Personally, I don’t think it’s all that big a deal, but I’m worried that a lot of people would get freaked out by it and not want to fool around with me, over it.” Smiling, she brought a hand down and playfully brushed her hands back and forth across her manhoods and stuffed undercarriage, nonchalantly flopping around her meat.

“It feels better, I can tell you that. It’s good fun, jerking off two cocks at once...Although, it’s a lot more tiring, I’ll tell you that much, so I don’t get to edge as much as I used to. Don’t wanna give myself arm cramps, here. Feeling two cocks cumming at one time is really intense, though, and with four balls, I can sure gush a messy load. But, I dunno...I dunno.” Kelly raised an eyebrow, putting a hand on the tree stump, behind herself, as she leaned back. Bringing her other hand to her face, she preened her bangs, asking “What? Talk to me, hon.” Miriam gave a shrug. Looking down at herself, she eased her bits out, getting a better look at her handful of naughtiness. “I dunno...Just not sure whether I should keep it, or not. Not just because I’m afraid my sex life will die, either. I was fine with how I was before, you know? And, this wasn’t exactly something I chose to get.”

Kelly watched placidly as Miriam turned to the side and sat down, nestling her round tush into Kelly’s lap. Miriam came clean, raising her eyebrows as the words spilled out from her mouth. “Okay, so, I was on the road, right, and I was passing through some forests high north in Odarath, right? Well, it’s getting dark, so I figure I might as well find some shelter for the night, right? Well, just my luck, I thought, there’s some kind of ruin not long after that, just next to the road. I pop in and, hey, it’s filled with gods-damn Bolgen, so after a long, crazy fight, I manage to clear my way through the entire ruin, and find myself in some kind of treasure room. I mean, there’s piles of gold all over the place, way more than I could fit in my little pockets. Tragedy, right? There is one thing I see, though, that I’m interested in taking.”

Miriam narrowed her eyes as she raised a hand in front of herself, trying to demonstrate the size of the object with her fingers. “It was about yea big, kind of shaped like an egg, dark purple, could easily fit in the palm of your hand. It was attached to this little chain, like a pendant or something, so I figure, hey, why not? Let’s take the thing, better than nothing, and it would fit in with the rest of my clothes, anyway.” Kelly raised an eyebrow with a smile, keeping her silence as she patiently listened to the Dokkalfar ramble. Miriam dropped her hand and furrowed her brow, her tone suddenly taking an annoyed twist as she continued. “Well, no sooner did I snatch the thing that I hear mumbling, behind me. I turn around, and there’s just this guy in a black robe, holding this wicked flail, by his side. I figure he’s looking for a fight, so I reach for my sword.”

Miriam lightly rolled her head around, rolling her eyes with much greater exaggeration. “Well, all of a sudden, there’s this blast of purple and red light, I hear these really freaky screams all around me, and...I dunno, it’s like I fainted. I went all numb, I couldn’t think, and I just...Fell down. When I woke up, I was sore all over, had a splitting gods-damn headache, and double the meat between my legs. I have no idea who that guy was, but he obviously did something to make me this way, so I’ve been looking around for a wizard to get some answers. Maybe a wizard would know how to reverse it, too. It’d be just my luck.” Kelly brought a hand over, stroking it across Miriam’s thick thighs. “Huh,” she mumbled. “Guess you’re on a mission, then. Don’t think I can help you, though...Don’t know of any wizards, around here.”

Miriam suddenly threw back her head, exclaiming “Ohhh, now I remember! That’s what I was looking for, before I went for some drinks! Jeez, slipped my mind. Before I went to the Salty Helmet, or the Rising Sun, or...Whatever they wanna call themselves. I was on my way to the House of Ballads!” Kelly’s head recoiled backwards, with surprise. Furrowing her brow, frowning, she remarked “The House of Ballads? That’s way back the way you came, hon. You went all this way, out of your way, for some drinks?” Miriam grinned and chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I forgot...Oh, well. Not like those Fae are gonna go anywhere. Besides, it let me run into you, didn’t it? They’ve gotta have a wizard or two at the House of Ballads, right? I’m sure they could help me out.”

Kelly sat up straight and shrugged. She leaned over, contentedly flicked her tongue across one of Miriam’s nipples, and hummed out “Mmm, probably. I guess I’m not doing anything, right now...If you’re heading south through Gorhart, I’ll go with you, see if I run into Leah. If not, I’ll leave a note with some shopkeeper or guard for her to find. You should meet her, Miri, she’s a real sweetheart. She’s really shy, and wow, she has an ass you need to see to believe. To top it all off, she says she’s a virgin!” Miriam leered. “And you believe her?” She chirped, narrowing an eye. Kelly gave a nod, smiling to herself. Looking down at Miriam’s lap, she stroked her hand back and forth across the Alfar’s soft thighs, calmly saying “Yeah, I do...I also believe I’m gonna be the one to change that, if I have anything to say about it. Anyway. Let’s get dressed, sweet cheeks. Those Fae aren’t just going to come to us, after all...”

(Author's Note - Hey guys, sorry for taking so long with this chapterD:. I wanted it come out sometime before a full two months had passed, but, well...I’ve got no excuse, it just took me a long time to get a chapter done. Don’t lynch meD:!

So, in this chapter, we were introduced to Astraia, a Kollossae from the city of Idylla, in the Teeth of Naros. She and Farrah pursue the first clue in an apparently divine premonition, Leah believes that the Crudok from her childhood has decided her time is up and has tracked her down, and both Kelly and Miriam are on their way to the House of Ballads in search of a mage who can undo Miriam’s strange case of double-dickery. How will these three separate paths connect, I wonder:D? I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I’ll see you in the next one!)
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The Mask Comes Off