Into the Fire
One
It was early morning and the moon was setting on the horizon as the car sped around the curve. The song on the radio ended and the station went to commercial. The driver grumbled softly and changed stations without looking away from the road.
Without warning the sky turned white and then red in rapid succession. The car vanished without a trace.
When it reappeared, it was driving on gray seas that rolled sullenly around it. The next second, at over eighty miles per hour, the front end nosed into the water. The car flipped end over end in a spray of water that became mixed with plastic and glass as the front of the vehicle dug into the ocean at a speed that made the water semi-solid.
Inside the car, the airbag deployed, smashing the driver against the seat while breaking his nose and stunning him. Finally the car halted and began to sink.
The cold ocean swirling over his face woke the driver and he grabbed for the seatbelt, releasing it and fighting his way out the open windshield as the car headed for the depths. Strong hands suddenly grabbed him and he shot towards the surface. He coughed water and turned to see his rescuer. She grinned at him and yelled. “You ok?”
“I think so.”
“Good.” She headbutted him and the world spun away.
***
The first thing he was aware of was the stench. He tried to open his eyes, only to find he couldn’t. They were gummed shut from something and wouldn’t work properly. He reached up to open them, only to discover that he couldn’t lift his arms. He tried a different tack, squeezing closed and opening his eyes over and over to generate tears. The wetness eventually worked, letting him open his eyes and look around.
He was in an odd room about six feet on a side. The walls and floor were made of massive beams of stained wood while buttresses of the same material arched only a few feet above his head. The room seemed to sway and he realized with a start that he was probably on a ship of some sort. He didn’t feel the throb of engines, so it must be under sail or moored.
He was standing, or rather leaning against chains that wrapped around his throat and wrists. Blearily, he stood, taking the pressure off his shoulders and throat. He’d been stripped of all his clothing, but he was too far gone to care.
The only light came in through a tiny window in the door in the wall across from him. He took a deep breath and air whistled through his shattered nose. The light disappeared as someone looked in the window. It reappeared and he heard a massive lock being undone. Finally it swung open and two figures entered. He stared.
The first woman was a beautiful brunette whose breasts strained her shirt. A series of elaborate Celtic tattoos ran down her face, over her throat and disappeared beneath the shirt to reappear on her arms, ending at her wrists. She wore what looked like expensive linen pants that went well with the shirt. Sandals graced her feet.
As remarkable as she was, it was the second woman who arrested his attention. She was burnt orange from head to toe, and her antennae moved slightly as she walked behind the first woman. He was so busy staring at the antennae that it took several seconds for him to realize that she was nude.
The first woman strode to stand directly in front of him. She reached out and touched his nose. Pain flared for a second and vanished as it reshaped itself under her touch into something that actually resembled a nose and let air through like it was supposed to. She smiled. “As you can see, we can be hospitable if you prove cooperative.”
He tried to speak and ended up coughing. Finally he managed to talk. “You can’t be real. I must be hallucinating. I’m probably dying on an ER table at this very moment.”
“I assure you, I am very real.” The woman patted him on the cheek and he winced when it flexed the tissue in his mouth where he’d cut it against his teeth during the wreck. He tasted blood and swallowed convulsively. “We brought you here from your world because we need to know certain things.”
“Sanctuary brought me here? What do your leaders want with me?”
“We know you and the other created this place and we want to change it. Our metaphysicists believe if we bring all of you together, you can remake the world.”
He tried to smile and winced in pain again. “This remaking would be under your guidance, of course.”
“You understand perfectly. We can make your life as pleasant as possible if you cooperate. What do you think?”
“I think I’d better be hallucinating. If not, you’re lying and I’m dead meat. Sanctuary does not make any life pleasant except for that of the Goths. Even their servile races are nothing more than slaves who aspire to become Goths. For the most part they just get treated like dogshit instead.”
“The fact that you know something about us tells me that our work bringing you here was not in vain. However, your defiance means little to us.” Her eyes glittered with amusement. “You will help, whether you do it voluntarily or not is your choice. Choosing not to help could prove unpleasant.”
“I can’t stop you from torturing me.” He blinked. “No, according to you, I can stop you from torturing me but I won’t, thus making the coming torture my fault.”
“Torture is so messy.” She tugged on his hair gently. “I think we’ll try something else first.” She gestured at the orange woman. “If you know about us, then you know about them.”
“Ka-D-Bra? I do.”
“Oh, sorry, I meant who she represents. This is a Limbec pirate vessel. I needed transport to where you were going to translate across and they were handy. This lass happens to be the crew’s psychic interrogator. She also helps to indoctrinate new pokegirls to hate humans.”
He paled beneath the bruises that covered his face and neck. His voice was a whisper. “I know about the Limbecs. They’re as bad as you are.”
“So you can guess what’s coming. She’s supposed to be quite good. Afterwards, you can tell me how much of an expert she is. I’ve been assured that she’ll extract the information I need without permanently harming you. She may also be able to make you obedient so you and your compatriots can do what we want.” She looked at the psychic pokegirl. “Proceed.”
The Kay-D-Bra stepped up and placed the ends of her antennae on his forehead. She smiled. “Nasty man, I won’t kill you and I won’t let you die, no matter how much you beg.” She stared into his eyes intently.
Several seconds passed as they looked at each other. The Sanctuary Goth’s smile faded when nothing seemed to happen. “Get on with it,” she said curtly.
A thick drop of blood began to run from the Kay-D-Bra’s nose. Soon it was joined by thin streams from her eyes and ears. She stumbled backwards and fell limply to the floor.
The Sanctuary Goth grabbed his head and twisted violently, making him gasp in pain. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?” She let him go and slapped him, hard.
He spat blood. “I wish I knew.” He glared at her. “So I could do it to you.”
***
The screaming stopped when the Witch released her spell. He hung limply from the chains now suspended from the ceiling of his cell, gasping as he tried to breathe. She glanced at the Sanctuary Goth who was sitting on a folding stool near the door. A tiny folding table in front of her held a notebook in which she hoped to take notes. So far it was nearly blank. She eyed him sourly. Blood ran from his mouth as he sucked air. “Now, give me the names of the others. I want their real names, not their online identities.”
His voice was a low hoarse monotone. After screaming nonstop for hours, he couldn’t speak any louder. “I don’t know their real names. The internet was full of freaks and using handles kept them from finding where we lived. We live all over the world, too, and some governments might not want us doing what we were doing. I’m not even sure of the gender of most of them. The locations they listed for themselves were probably wrong, too. I know mine is.”
The Sanctuary Goth rose and stalked towards him. He flinched away from her as she reached for his throat. “Tell me what I want to know!” He mumbled something and she leaned closer. “What was that?” She took another step towards him to hear him more clearly as he mumbled again and slipped in the pool of piss and shit he’d let go during the torture earlier, falling to the deck in front of him.
He was too exhausted to enjoy the moment.
The Witch went white as the Goth scrambled to her feet, an ugly look on her face. Her kick put her pointed boot deep in his groin and he shrieked before throwing up on her. Her fist pulped his nose. Then she proceeded to beat him until he was barely conscious.
The Witch grabbed her arm as she started to swing once more. “Mistress, if you kill him, the council will punish you.”
The Goth knocked her sprawling. “Don’t ever touch me again unless I want you to.” She took a deep breath and looked at her clothing. “I’m going to bathe and change clothes. When I’m ready, we’ll continue the interrogation. Until then, station a guard to watch him and get something to eat.”
“Yes, mistress.” The Witch watched her leave before giving him an evil smile. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”
***
He was never sure how much time passed, but when he finally cared about his surroundings again, he raised his head enough to slowly look around the cell. A different pokegirl sat on the stool, watching him with hate filled white eyes that had green sclera. Her skin had an odd bluish green tinge to it that might suggest she was a plant type, but he knew that it didn’t.
His brain ground into motion and he met her gaze evenly. He might be able to get this one to help him. He spat blood and phlegm before trying to put cheerfulness in his tone. “Hi, honey.”
The pokegirl’s eyes widened in shock and then narrowed in anger. “Don’t you dare call me that, man.”
“But it’s true. You’re going to be my honey.”
“Are you stupid? I’m a Psi-Dyke.”
“Oh, I know that. I also know that whole ‘I hate males’ thing is vastly overrated. You just need some dick and you’ll settle right down. Everybody knows that’s the problem with any dyke. And, baby, I’m the one to give it to you.”
The Psi-Dyke jumped to her feet and stomped over to stand in front of him. She flexed her claws. “You shut up.”
“Aww, baby, all you need is a good fuck. After you get some of my dick, you’ll help me escape from here and we can go somewhere far away. I know you want it. You know you want it. And after you get it, you’ll want it more than ever. You’ll be begging me to nail you every time I open my pants.” He ignored her snarl of rage. “I won’t be able to take a piss without you there begging me to fill your pussy with my cock or swallowing it down your pretty throat so you can drink my cum. We both know you want my cock in your ass, your pussy and your mouth. Hell, you don’t care where I stick it, as long as I stick it somewhere in you.” His voice strengthened as she flexed her claws dangerously. “Your heart belongs to me already. All you want now is to give me your body. Cut me down and let’s go so I can fuck you until you can’t walk, baby.”
The Psi-Dyke almost screeched at him as she jerked the dagger from her belt. “My heart doesn’t belong to you! Your heart belongs to me!” She buried the blade in his chest.
He forced the words out through the pain in his chest. “Thanks, you dumb bitch.” The last thing he saw was the horror that flared in her eyes.
***
He opened his eyes slowly and raised his head. “I don’t hurt, but I doubt the land of the dead looks like my cell. Shit. I thought for sure she killed me. Stupid Psi-Dykes can’t do anything right.”
The voice was low and tired sounding. “She almost did. You heart was shredded when they brought me to heal you.”
He swung his head to seek the source of the voice. She was an anthropomorphic canine, with blue fur and dark blue eyes and a thick blue shock of filthy knotted hair around her head. Her hands were in manacles that forced them together at the wrists and a heavy collar was clamped around her neck and upper chest. Chain from the collar ran down her chest and back to encircle her torso. The skin on either side of the manacles was swollen and bloody. Her ankles were also manacled together and a short chain between them let her shuffle around. She was so emaciated that her ribs showed even though her coat of fur and her breasts were almost nonexistent on her bony frame. “Who the fuck are you?”
“I don’t have a name since they killed my tamer. They’ve been trying to make me part of the crew, but so far haven’t had any success. They force me to tame with them to keep me from going feral.” She shuffled across the floor and picked up a mop and bucket. “I’m supposed to clean the floor so the mistress won’t slip again when she comes back. I’m also supposed to keep you alive no matter what they do to you.”
“Great. I really wish you’d let me die. I don’t know what they want me to tell them, so they’re going to have to torture me until they figure that out.”
“Death is never the answer. Always keep fighting and eventually you will be victorious.” She looked at the door and leaned forward to whisper into his ear. “If you help me, we can escape.”
He gave her an incredulous look that vanished when the door slammed open. The Foxxsea retreated from him and began industriously mopping the floor. The Sanctuary Goth came in, followed by the Witch. She sat down behind her table and pulled out her notebook again. “Your stunt cost this crew a valuable member. They’re very angry with you, but don’t worry, your new friend will keep you alive.” She gestured to the Witch. “Begin.”
The Witch cast her spell and he began screaming again as his entire nervous system exploded in pain.
***
“You need to eat.” The Foxxsea held up a spoon filled with something lumpy and gray in some kind of thin broth. They’d been given the single bowl of food to split between them.
He stared at it. “What the hell is that?”
She sniffed the spoon’s contents. “You do not want to know.” She tried a thin smile. “I don’t want to know what it is.”
“It’s the Psi-Dyke, isn’t it?”
Her ears flicked in surprise. “How did you know?”
“It’s the sort of semi-practical really sadistic thing the Limbecs or S-Goths would do.” He took the mouthful and grimaced before swallowing. “Gah, that’s nasty, but better I bite her than she bites me again.” He shook his head when she filled the spoon and raised it again. “It’s your turn now.”
“I am not hungry.”
“You’re a Foxxsea, not a Bandame, and you need to eat as much as I do. We’ll take turns until the bowl is empty or I’m done right now.” She gave him a curious look and ate the food before filling the spoon again. They alternated until the food was gone.
She licked out the bowl and put it and the spoon down before glancing at the door of their cell. “Do you remember what I said earlier?” She placed a finger on his lips. “Nod or shake your head.” He nodded. She stuck her muzzle in his ear and whispered to him. “There is a crystal on the back of my collar that is integral to the spell on it. If you can pry it free, I can do the rest.”
“I can’t lower my hands,” he whispered back.
She grabbed the water bucket and upended it. Water ran over the floor as she placed it in front of him. She felt around in her hair and pulled out a nail. She climbed up on the bucket and pressed the nail into his hand before turning around and curving her back to bring the collar within his reach.
He cocked his head so he could see what he was doing and began trying to pry the crystal out of its setting. He was forcing the nail under the stone when it slipped and stabbed the Foxxsea in the back of the neck. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“Don’t stop.” She ignored the trickle of blood running down her neck.
Several times he had to pause when his hand went numb, but finally he felt the stone shift. He pried harder and was rewarded with a flare of light that burned off two of his fingers as the crystal popped free. He went white as, for the first time in three days, he fought not to scream.
The Foxxsea turned on the bucket and grabbed his hand. The pain stopped and he looked up as light sprouted from the ends of his fingers. The light twisted to take the shape of his missing fingers and faded away to reveal the regenerated digits. She jumped off the bucket and took his head gently in her hands. “Thank you. I am forever in your debt.”
Then she vanished.
He stared at the spot for several seconds before cursing softly. “And once more I get screwed. Well, at least one of us got away.”
It was some time later when a hand touched his shoulder gently. “Wake up.” He jerked and the hand whipped up to cover his mouth. Dark blue eyes peered into his. She smiled and held up what looked like a small set of bolt cutters. “I had to get these for the chains. Like my collar, your chains are enchanted to keep the occupant from teleporting or using any abilities.” She used the tool to snip the chains off above his manacles and then cut the ones leading to his collar. “Now I can get us out of here.” She wrapped him up in her arms and they disappeared.
***
He looked out the cave and over the rocky landscape down to the shore. “Where are we?”
“We’re on the east coast of Ireland, in the Blue League.” The Foxxsea perched on a rock. “My old tamer and I stayed here for a week while catching ferals in the area.”
“What the hell am I going to do here? I’m not a tamer. I don’t have the necessary skill sets. I don’t belong here.” He picked up a bit of rock and flung it towards the beach.
The Foxxsea gave him a cautious look. “Where do you belong?”
He started to say something and paused. Then he shrugged. “Assuming I’m not on an operating table right now while someone is boring a hole in my skull to drain off fluid and this is all a dying dream, I’m from another world. So my first goal should be to find a way to get home.”
“Is there something important there?”
He blinked. “Only my job and my life. Granted it wasn’t all that impressive, but I wasn’t likely to get attacked by semi-human women and fucked. That only happens to rock stars.” He chuckled. “Of course, there I’m also not being tortured by anything worse than bad television. In any case, whether this is a hallucination or not, I need to proceed like it’s real. That pain was certainly real enough.”
“Why did you come here?”
“I was brought here by the Goths.”
“They’re called you know who by those who don’t want people to know what they’re talking about.”
He snorted. “I’m not interested in doing Voldemort knock offs. Calling them Goths let’s me talk about them without anyone wondering what I’m not talking about with ‘you know who is you know where doing you know what,’ which is about as lame as calling a penis a pleasure piston.”
The Foxxsea burst out in giggles. When she finally got them under control, she lolled out her tongue in a laugh at him. “We could try Avalon.”
He blinked. “Is that the school of magic on Caomh Sith? First I’m not sure I’m magically adept and second I’m not sure I want play political games with the Order of Pendragon. I know what their real goals are.” He grimaced. “If the Avalon School is open, that means Shikarou and the others have already left. I wonder if Stephen is still in London.”
“We could go to New Avalon. There’s a well known research center there.”
“I think I’ll shoot myself first. I’m not going to become one of their research projects.” He snorted. “It’s perfectly safe for everyone except the test subject.”
“Would you consider becoming a tamer and then becoming my tamer? If you don’t, I’ll be fair game for the next one who comes through to catch.”
He looked at her evenly long enough for her ears to begin to droop worriedly and for her tail to try to tuck between her legs. Finally he shifted his gaze to look past her. “That’s a lot of responsibility I don’t necessarily want, but you saved my life. Is that going to be the price you demand of me?”
“I don’t want to leave you.” She slid over and sat next to him.
“Right. That’s the genes Jimmy put in you talking. You don’t know me well enough to know if you do or don’t like my bad habits.”
“Jimmy?”
“James Sukotto. Jimmy. I always figured he wasn’t a Jim-Bob or Jimbo.” He made a face. “And he’s not a Sukkoto-kun. Sukotto no baka unko, maybe.”
She turned to face him. “I know you freed me and you helped me escape the Limbecs. They were not going to make me join them and eventually they would have killed me because of it.” She held out a bony arm. “They hoped the starvation would make me more tractable.”
He frowned. “Why would they have so much trouble corrupting a Foxxsea? I don’t mean to insult you, but their morale officer would go through your mind without any problems.” He blinked and his eyes narrowed. “Turn your head to the right, please.”
She did so, swiveling one ear to track him. “Please? I’m not used to hearing that word.”
“I use it a lot.” She stayed still as he leaned forward slightly. Then he looked at her tail. She flicked it closer to him. Finally he sat back. “You’re right. They would have had to kill you. My becoming a tamer won’t protect you and you know it. Your breed is way too rare.”
She shook her head. “I scan as a Foxxsea.”
“Those are still rare and therefore still rather collectible. It just means they’ll think you’re a Tiffany instead of the Faberge you happen to be. They’ll still kick my ass and claim you.”
“You could become a tradesman. If you added a couple of complimentary pokegirls, you could make a decent career as a hunter.”
He burst out laughing. “Complimentary pokegirls. That sounds like I’d find a pokegirl on the pillow in a hotel, like a chocolate mint.”
Her eyebrows wrinkled. “Exclusive hotels often come with a room servant, but I was talking about pokegirls who have types that cover my weaknesses.”
“I was trying to make a joke.”
“It wasn’t funny.”
“I figured that out all on my own, thank you. There could still be a problem in that Sanctuary undoubtedly has agents in the Blue League government. They might figure out who I am when I start jumping through hoops. Still, if I can’t go home, I’d better stop acting like Sanctuary is completely godlike or I might as well slit my throat right now and get it over with.” He got up and walked over to look down the beach. “What’s the closest town or village big enough for a pokegirl center?”
She moved to stand next to him. “The ruins of Drogheda are just north of here. Dublin would be closest. It’s probably about twenty miles to the south.”
He cocked his head. “There are at least a dozen pokegirl centers there, so we’ll find one on the edge of town and I’ll go in. I’d prefer not to admit I’m from offworld, but the DNA test will probably be a complete giveaway. I’ll need a name to use, too.”
“You won’t use your own?”
“Kerrik Wolf is probably flagged in about a dozen databases and I don’t have Virtue or Vice to make them go away. Considering that I have proof that magic works, I’m going to consider that someone knowing my real name might just have power over me and I don’t really think I’d enjoy that very much. A fake name it is.” He rubbed his eyes. “On the other hand, using Kerrik Wolf should arouse his curiosity if he comes here, and darkness knows I could use his help if he’ll provide it. Kerrik it is.”
“You make lying sound so reasonable.”
“I’m good at it. I don’t like lying, but I can if I must.” He groaned. “Oh, fuck. Dublin’s also very likely to have regularly scheduled tamer exams and that means I can’t risk roaming around with you while waiting for the next test to come up. What about a smaller community? They probably give tests as kids come of age.”
Her ears flicked. “Dundalk has a pokegirl center. It lies about twenty five miles north of here.”
“Then we’ll go to Dundalk. However, we have a more immediate problem before I can even go into the town.” He pointed at himself. “I seem to have misplaced my clothes.”
***
“Man, this shit sucks. First those berries we found gave me the runs and there’s no toilet paper. Now we can’t find me any clothes. I was even willing to beg some idiot tamer for something to wear, but the only three we’ve seen are freaking midgets. At least I saw them before they saw me and I could avoid having to explain to them why I’m naked.”
The Foxxsea shook her head. “They are children and you are an adult. They are going to be shorter than you are.”
“Yeah, but it’s really hard for a naked man to sneak into a small town to acquire some clothing. He’s kind of easy to describe to the police. ‘Officer, he was naked. I couldn’t see any distinguishing details because his naked ass was right there and it was hard to get past him being naked and pretending to sneak’.”
“Tamers sometimes tame in inappropriate places and they are seen naked in public.”
“That doesn’t help me. I don’t have a particular nudity taboo, but I just want to avoid the whole arrest while nude thing. It’s usually hard to move past that.” He growled softly to himself. “I see two options and the second involves begging a policeman to take mercy on me and give me clothing. We’ll go with option one first. Now we just need to wait until nightfall.”
She nodded and plopped down next to him. “Then we have two things we need to discuss. One is the issue of my name. I will need one and I do not want to use the one I had before. You represent a new life and I want a new name for it.”
“I don’t suppose you know of one you like?”
She looked down her muzzle at him. “That’s not how it works and you know it.”
His eyebrows shot up. “I know what I’ve written and what I’ve read. In most of my works the really important pokegirls came with names. However, I figured you’d be that way, so I’ve been thinking of names for you.”
“Did you make any decisions?”
“I was thinking about Scheherazade.”
“That’s a big name. How would you shorten it?”
“When that time comes I’ll figure out a pet name for you.”
“Battle names should be short. Hera works.” She tilted her head her head. “But your naming me leads us to the second thing.”
“What’s that?”
She leaned over and breathed a warm pulse of air across his cock. It twitched and began to stiffen. “This. I haven’t been with a human in months and I haven’t been with anyone in several days.”
She blinked when he grabbed her muzzle tightly and lifted her head to look at him. “That’s not very polite. We are not a couple yet and if you need sex from me, then you can ask. If you just want sex from me, you can wait until after I’m a tamer. Once we’re actually a couple, then you can start invading my personal space. You are not an animal and you’re not going to use the bad habits you picked up with the pirates.”
Scheherazade sat up slowly, keeping her eyes on his. “I am sorry for my presumption. Will you accept my apology?”
“Gladly. I’m older than the average tamer and therefore the normal paradigm of me cock and you pussy isn’t going to work. I like sex as much as the next fellow and probably more than many, but it is not the overriding element of my existence.”
She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Then I would like to wait until there are restraints available, as long as it doesn’t take more than a couple of days. I’m not sure I can wait longer than that.”
“We’ll get me some clothing just as soon as we can tonight and I’ll see if I can take the test right after that. The duty attendant should be bored out of her mind by then.”
***
The sound of soft snores filled the air as he shut the door behind him. The pokegirl center was smaller than the ones found in the cities, barely more than a clinic, with walls painted red and white like a pokeball. A railing ran around the room at waist height to divide the two colors. He thought it would have been better to put the red on the bottom half and the white on top for ease of cleaning if nothing else, but he wasn’t around when the decision was made. However, it was still ugly.
The counter was unoccupied, but there was a desk bell next to the computer. He shrugged and smacked it with his hand. It rang loudly, but the snores never faltered. “Oh, come on.” He hit it several more times before giving up and following the snores to a door behind the counter.
He cracked the door to see a brunette woman was asleep in a twin bed against the wall. Her sheet had slipped down enough to reveal a bare breast, hinting that she slept in the nude. He kicked the frame of the bed gently. Her eyes opened and she looked around until she saw him. Then she smiled. “Hi.”
“Hello.”
She stretched luxuriously, somehow managing to pull the sheet down to her waist as she twisted. “I don’t know you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Would you like to get to know me?” She patted the bed next to her.
“I could be a freaking serial killer and you’re asking me into bed?” He shook his head. “I am going to have to find out what the percentage of pokegirl deaths is due to homicide.”
She smiled broadly. “Is that a no?”
“That’s a no. I’m sorry to disturb you, but I need to take the tradesman test.”
The woman sat up. “That won’t be administered for another two weeks when the proctor gets here. What about the tamer exam, sir? You could take that now,” She gave him a coy look. “I’d even be willing to give you a practical for extra credit.”
He finally smiled. “You’re a very pretty girl and if I weren’t in a hurry I’d be happy to help you out.”
“But you are in a hurry, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
The woman slid out of bed and reached for her robe. She did sleep in the nude and he appreciated the view without allowing it to change the focus of his thoughts. She turned back to him as she belted the robe shut. “I hope she’s worth it.”
“I do too.”
“That’s an odd response.” A curious look crossed her face as she continued. “You’re older than what a tamer normally is, sir, but there isn’t an upper age limit so they can draft people in an emergency. I’ll give you the emergency test, but I don’t have a psychic or celestial pokegirl around to give you a scan.” She smirked at him. “To make sure you’re not a serial killer.”
“I’ll be coming back for the tradesman’s test. Can I get scanned then? I really prefer becoming a tradesman so I don’t have to worry about morons and salvage challenges.”
She cocked her head as she looked at him searchingly. “You did ask about the tradesman’s test first, so I think you’re not lying to me about coming back. I’ll let it slide until then.”
“Can I ask what your name is?”
She blinked. “I’m April. Is that important, sir?”
“Probably only to me. It’s a pleasure to meet you, April. I’m Kerrik.” He gave her a half bow and she stared at him. “Yeah, I know you’re normally not noticed, except for your tamer.”
“My tamer died a few years ago, sir. I’m a free pokegirl now and I work here.” She shrugged. “Ingénues aren’t all that popular with the taming set and I haven’t found someone willing to make an honest woman out of me and let me join their family.”
“You will. You’re a kind and generous person, and while the punks who pass as tamers won’t be bright enough to realize how important those qualities are, men looking for a woman to have a family with had better be smart enough to realize what a catch you are.”
April turned slightly pink. “Thank you, sir.” She turned off the screen saver and opened a program. A printer began humming and soon spat out a couple of sheets of paper. “Fill this out and once I get it entered, I’ll give you your test.” She frowned. “Sir, is there a reason why you’re not wearing shoes?”
He smiled. “Yes, there is, but I’d prefer not to explain. Nothing against you, it’s just really embarrassing.” He stood at the counter working on the paperwork. “I’m going to list Dundalk as my home of residence. I hope you don’t mind.”
She frowned. “Would you be new to the Blue League, sir?”
“I am. Why?”
“Have you been a tamer somewhere else? If that is so, even the emergency test could be waived.”
“I don’t have any proof that I was a tamer somewhere else, so go ahead and give me the test. I’d like to at least earn the right to be a tamer.” He handed the paperwork to her. “Finished.”
April’s eyes glinted with approval. “As you wish, sir.” She took the papers and began entering data into the computer. “Sir, I don’t suppose you would be looking to start a family soon, would you?”
His eyes widened and then he took a deep breath. “To be honest, I don’t know.” He watched her type for a moment before speaking again. “April, can I ask you for a favor? When you program my pokedex, would you be kind enough to put your com number in my address book? If I end up staying here and building a family, I promise I’ll contact you and see if you’re still single. But if something good comes along in the meantime, grab it.”
She stared at him and then nodded. “I will, sir, and thank you.” Entering the rest of the data didn’t take long. Then she programmed a computer tablet with the tamer exam. “If you’ll get started with this, sir, I’ll get the DNA kit. Are you aware of any blood traits?” She hurried through a door in the back of the room.
“No, I don’t think I have any.” He spent a moment familiarizing himself with how to operate the tablet before starting the test.
“You offer her a home?” It was Scheherazade. “I find your behavior surprising.”
He jumped. “Where the hell did you come from?”
“I have been here the whole time. Letting you be alone isn’t a good idea right now, especially if every pokegirl is going to come on to you like she did.”
He looked up before glancing at the door. “I promised to call her if I found I was going to be raising a family here. I intend to find a way home, but giving her the compliment to boost her confidence costs me nothing. If I do have to stay, and I settle in Ireland, I will keep that promise, but I expect she’ll be snapped up before too long and I’ll be way too late. After all, unlike most pokegirls, she has a regular income. Men looking to retire and raise kids will appreciate that as well as her connections with the local government. She may even already own her own home.” He smirked. “I’d certainly appreciate all of those things.”
Her blue eyes were measuring. “She is just an Ingénue.”
“That doesn’t mean much to me. Where I come from, there’s only one type of woman. Besides, Ingénue are as much people as any pokegirl can be. All of you got screwed by Jimmy.”
“Except for the Goths,” she pointed out quietly.
His eyes hardened. “He didn’t make them and, frankly, after what they did to me, they’d better hope I never have the chance for some payback.”
“You’d wipe them out?”
“You’d wipe them out?”
“Nothing so nice. I think I’d instead make everyone who was involved with jerking me here need tamers just like every other pokegirl.”
Scheherazade’s ears twisted. “April is coming back.” She vanished as the door opened.
April put a heavy looking case on the counter and pulled out a vacutainer needle and sample tube. “Kerrik, sir, I have to take a blood sample for typing and also for blood trait testing.”
He shrugged. “You can’t take a cheek swab?”
“For standard DNA typing I could, but the blood trait workup requires a larger sample.”
He put the tablet down and held out his arm. “Here you go, April.”
She sat down and started prepping his arm. “You’d be surprised how many tamers are squeamish about needles.”
“No, I wouldn’t. They’re kids. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear about them having premature ejaculation issues, either.”
April burst out in giggles. “Now, sir, I’m not supposed to tell tales about other tamers.”
He snorted. “I’ll bet a bunch of pokegirls sitting around and talking shop is as explicit as a group of hookers doing the same thing, but if you want to pretend all of them have endurance, recovery and loads of experience pleasuring women, I won’t say a word.”
April’s giggles became open laughter and she quickly put down the needle so as not to accidentally hurt him. A warm breath blew across his ear, making him jump slightly. “If you make me laugh too, she’ll know I’m here.” Scheherazade’s whisper was strained with suppressed laughter.
April wiped tears from her eyes and picked the needle back up. “That’s right, sir; all of them have endurance, recovery and experience and I have to remind them that with their recovery they’ll get it up again quickly after they orgasm all over my stomach when they touch me with their cock.” She giggled once more. “Now I have to take that blood sample and if you keep making me laugh I’m going to miss the vein.”
“Well I wouldn’t want that.”
She took a deep breath and picked up the needle. She glanced at him while she worked. “At least I don’t have things as bad as the Nursejoys do. Every new tamer who walks in that door seems to think it a rite of passage to tame a Nursejoy, and every one who does is shocked when they don’t instantly delta bond.”
“Do I hear a bit of envy in there?” He watched the needle go into his arm. “You’re good.”
She winked. “Maybe someday you’ll know just how good I can be. Yes, I am a little envious of the Nursejoys, but then I think about the attitude involved in those taming offers and I’m content to have less attention than Cheryl does. She’s the Nursejoy who works the day shift.” She pressed the test tube onto the needle and nodded in satisfaction when blood spurted into it. “Like me, she’s not a civil service pokegirl. Unlike me, she’s a pokewoman, has three children and her man who would pulverize anyone else who got into her panties.” She pulled out a small potion dispenser and gave his arm a quick spray with it. “All done.” She put everything except the test tube back into the case. “I’ll have the results before you’re done with your test.”
“This place has to be too small to have a lab. Where do you ship the sample to?”
April looked surprised. “It goes to Dublin. You know about that?”
“It only makes sense. You’re going to give the sample to a pokegirl who works here, pokeball her and use the transporter to send her to a pokegirl center in Dublin that has a lab running around the clock. They’ll ship her back with the results.”
“Actually, we’re even too small to have a duty transport pokegirl. I call Dublin and they send a pokegirl here to get the sample. That way we don’t have to keep extra staff in the center.”
“That makes sense.” He watched her leave before going back to his test. He didn’t look up again until April cleared her throat. He blinked as his mind came back to the present. “What?’”
“I asked you if you wanted sugar or cream in your tea.” She held up a large cup.
“Oh, uh, no to either. I drink it black. And thank you for the tea.” She handed him the cup and he took a sip of the steaming liquid before putting it to the side and going back to the test. When he finished, he put the tablet down and took a long drink of the now cold tea.
April leaned forward and filched the tablet. “Let me run up your grade.” She plugged the tablet into her desk computer. “You’re blood test came back clean. You don’t have any blood gifts or curses.” The computer beeped and her eyebrows went up. “You got a perfect score. That hardly ever happens.” He shrugged depreciatingly. “This means you qualify for the Chesterfield Scholarship.”
“The what?”
“In 270 AS, a couple of Dundalk natives named Paul and Katrina Chesterfield established a scholarship in the memory of their second son. He was killed while on his taming journey. Anyone from Dundalk scoring above the ninety fifth percentile on their tamer test gets a gift of 15,000 SLC. Anyone with a perfect score gets 50,000 SLC and the closest ranch will let them select a second tier evolution instead of a basic starter pokegirl. It has had the effect of raising the tamer scores here well above the national average. The survival rate of Dundalk tamers is also higher than average, although the Blue League won’t admit that it’s due to our tamers knowing more.”
He chuckled. “Well, I’ll take all the help I can get right now.”
“Let me get your pokedex, Tamer Wolf and I’ll finish setting you up in the system.”
“Don’t forget that com code.”
She gave him a seductive smile. “I’ve already loaded that. Now I just have to upload the inconsequential stuff, like your DNA profile and personal information.” She disappeared in the back for a few minutes. “Ok, you’re all set up with a credit chit for the money and your pokedex has the chit for your pokegirl. You’ve got thirty days to pick her up before it expires. It’s only transferable if notarized in front of a civic pokegirl or one who works at a pokegirl center and does not belong to any of the people involved in the transfer.”
“Thanks, April. You’ve been a godsend.”
“Just remember that the next time you’re in town. We can get started on that whole process of knowing each other well enough for me to know you’re not a serial killer and for you to decide I’d be good in your family.”
He shook his head. “I’ll keep that in mind. Take care, April.”
“You too, Kerrik.”
Once outside he paused and looked around slowly. “Scheherazade?”
Her voice came out of the air next to him. “What will we do next?”
Kerrik jumped about a foot and leaned against a nearby wall as he fought to steady his breathing. “You mean after my heart starts back up?” She appeared in front of him, her tongue lolling out as she laughed at him. “We’ve got several hours before the store opens up, so we’ll go back to the cave and I’ll start the process of bonding you to me.” He grimaced and shook his head. “I always did make fun of the nomenclature. We’ll go back to the cave and have sex.”
She slipped her arm around his waist. “It’s about time.” They vanished.
***
He opened the door to the store and headed in, closely followed by Scheherazade. An older gentleman stood behind the counter, folding some clothing. He looked up and his silver eyebrows climbed up his forehead as he looked them over. “Good morning. Can I help you?” There was a definite coolness in his voice.
Kerrik put the credit chit April had given him on the counter. He kept his tone very contrite. “Last night, because I had no clothing at all and no money, I broke into your store and stole the pants and shirt I’m wearing. Today, I came into some money and so I’m back to offer restitution. The pants and the shirt together cost 750 SLC and I’d like you to take 2000 SLC, for the cost of the clothing as well as restitution for the trouble I caused.” He folded his arms behind his back. “I had to do what I did, but if you feel it necessary to call the police and have me arrested, I understand, and I’ll confess to my crime.”
“You had no clothes at all? What happened?”
“I don’t think you’ll believe me, but the truth is I was taken prisoner by some very bad people and when Scheherazade here helped me escape we didn’t have time to find my property.”
The storekeeper looked at the chit and back at Kerrik. “I didn’t have time to call the police and report the theft before you showed up. I don’t think you’d come back and give me the money for the clothes just so you could lie about why you took them.” He glanced at Kerrik’s feet. “If nothing else, you’ll need some boots and probably a belt.”
“I’ll need more than that. If you don’t mind, I’ll start collecting stuff I’m going to need.”
The storekeeper nodded. “I’ll keep the chit here while you get started.”
“Thank you for accepting my apology.”
He shrugged. “Thank you for coming back. Not many would have.”
“I pay my debts, even if nobody else knows I owe them.”
***
Scheherazade looked over at her sleeping tamer before heading outside the cave. She placed her hands together like she was praying and muttered for several seconds. Light glowed around her hands and when she opened them, it flared brightly for several seconds before fading away. The pokegirl folded her arms behind her back in a gesture eerily reminiscent of the one her tamer had assumed earlier that day and waited.
Less than an hour later a figure appeared nearby. She was human looking and stood over six feet tall. She had dark brown, almost black eyes and copper hair that hung in ringlets to the middle of her back. She was wearing a comfortable looking blouse and pants set with soft boots. She wouldn’t have been out of place on any street in the world and that’s the way she wanted it. “You summoned me instead of coming to my home? Why?”
“He refused to spend the last of his money on a hotel room and I don’t want to leave him alone in such an unsafe area.” Scheherazade motioned to a nearby rock. “I went through a lot to be with him. Please sit, lady.”
“Does he suspect anything?”
Scheherazade snorted softly. “He suspects everything. I can’t touch his mind right now. Whenever I try it hurts. Hopefully, after we bond, he’ll let me in willingly and I’ll know more.”
“After you bond,” the tall woman said musingly, “will you remain loyal to me after that?”
“With all due respect, Lady Evangelion, I was never loyal to you and you know it. He was sent here and I was sent to be his. You were able to help me place myself beforehand so I would be able to rescue him from the pirates. I will, however, still spy for you unless he discovers and forbids it. Your concern is still valid. There is no evidence that Sanctuary could change the universe if they brought the creators together and could control them, but there is no evidence that they couldn’t. He is unusual. He knows a lot more than any other single person that I have known.”
“Does he know your true nature?”
Scheherazade nodded. “That’s one of his oddities. He can apparently identify any pokegirl by sight, even the very near human ones. He spotted that I am a Dire Wolf just as soon as he looked closely.”
“Will he adapt to the world successfully? Some of the others have not.”
The Dire Wolf chuckled. “I am not sure if he will adapt to the world or if the world will have to adapt to him. He does not think like a person from this world and does not seem to feel that he should hide it. He only became a tamer so I wouldn’t have to leave him and he left an Ingénue dreaming about the family they could have together.” She hesitated. “I feel that I can safely tell him about your involvement.”
“No. It’s out of the question.”
“Lady, I think he will eventually find out, and if he feels you have been manipulating him, he may move to sever all ties with you. He might see me as one of those ties.”
“How would he find out about my involvement? Are you going to tell him?”
“He puts things together differently than anyone I’ve ever seen. If I decide he might discover my link to you, I will inform him without your consent to save my place with him. However, it may also be that as one of the creators, he has access to knowledge that we do not.”
Interest flickered in the Legendary’s eyes. “You think he has access to the cosmic awareness? Do you have any proof?”
“Lady, if he is what you think he is, he may be part of the cosmic awareness, whether he is consciously aware of it or not.”
A look of concern crossed Evangelion’s face. “That’s a frightening thought. Then they may have the power that Sanctuary thinks they do. If they continue trying to collect him and others like him, I may have to become directly involved against them. Could his aid be enlisted?”
“I don’t know. He does not blame all of the Goths for what happened to him, but I feel he would be willing to move against the ones who were involved. He doesn’t feel they represent all of Sanctuary.”
The Legendary looked thoughtful for a while before speaking again. “I have other things I must attend to. There are some who are trying to awaken Typhonna and they must be stopped. You said you would be willing to keep spying for me. Report as regularly as you can.”
“I will for as long as it is safe for me to do so, Lady. After that, I will make no promises.”
Evangelion rose to her feet. “I can ask for no more than that. Do you have a name yet?”
She straightened proudly. “I am Scheherazade.”
The Legendary looked stunned. “Do you know where that name comes from?”
“No, I do not.”
“She is a fictional character who told stories to a sultan every night so he wouldn’t kill her. I wonder if your name shows he is somehow aware that you are telling his stories to me. You may have some evidence of a connection to things he can’t possibly know after all. Stay close to him.” She vanished.
Scheherazade’s ears flicked as looked back at the cave. “Do not worry about that, Lady. I intend to stay as close as he will let me.”