Chapter 24: Right Place, Right Time

3 days until expedition

"That bitch," Tia Serrano's fingers tapped along the edge of her desk. She was so frustrated, she barely enjoyed the man beneath her. Her dark blue gown rubbed against her breasts, as she tried to move up and down, taking momentary pauses to take another sip of wine. The diluted Allucia from the wine sent her fingertips alight, and her skin tingled. A deep warmth caressed her loins, spread through her core, boiling her stomach, and surging into her heart.

It was glorious.

She wanted to enjoy this blissful high, not glare frustratingly at her phone, waiting for it to ring. Even with a mans shaft exploring the depths of her womanhood, Tia could barely get any enjoyment out of it. Not that the man was even trying to please her anyway, then again he was a simpleton like the rest of the poor slaves belonging to Redever slavers.

He spent himself long before she could truly reach a satisfactory climax, and was quick to get up from his lap, wrap the robe around her waist, and have another drink. Tia barely got through the next glass when her sojourn was rudely interrupted.

"I hope he was to your liking," The Redever Master emerged from the outer hallway, his purple and maroon robes draping over his barrel chest, and portly stomach. The foreign merchant was new, unlike his trade, and like almost every other Redever tradesman coming through her proscribed borders, he had an aura of shamelessness about him. His ego insulted her, and Tia wished she could control her cravings in between her medicinal Allucian cocktails so that she wouldn't have to deal with his kind.

In truth, the concubine wasn't to her liking. He neither had the skill, nor the charisma to sate her quivering nerves. Like so many other enslaved men and women, he rarely moved while she sat onto his lap, and lacked the skill to caress her attention away from her work.

The poor human slave rushed to his masters side, his manhood already shrinking, so that he could be awarded another dose of Allucia right away. The master stroked the mans stubbled cheeks, while withdrawing a small vial of glowing purple fluid. Tia's stomach lurched upon seeing it.

"Your payment is on the counter, now get out." Tia regretted taking the Redever up on his offer. The truth was she had been craving sexual gratification for months, her senses growing duller by the day. Her daily medication only made her even more frisky. The temptation was simply too much.

"I happily await our next meeting, and should you desire something more…fulfilling I do hope you'll consider asking for a product of higher quality." He offered her an awfully smug smile.

"Like yourself?" Tia had both her hands planted firmly on her dest, her body arched forward so that her breasts hanged in midair.

"I had someone else in mind," the master's smile spread a bit wider. "But I would happily sate your cravings, for a fee of course."

"Get out," Tia shot him a wicked glare. It wasn't like her to act like this, her body was betraying her.

With a nod, the slaver left the interior chamber, dragging his concubine with him.

Tia drew a breath of fresh air, happy to be freed of the Redevers vile presence. Shutting her eyes, she counted the thud of her heart beating until she felt more in control of her cravings. She pushed the soiled chair aside, dragging a new one from the corner to behind her desk. She sat quietly, glaring at the phone, daring it to finally chime.

When it did finally ring, Tia snapped her hand forth, not even giving it time to make it to the second chime, before answering.

"You better have a damn good reason for taking so long!" Tia's voice was every bit as intense as her frayed nerves.

"Sorry ma'am, your son is leaving the city in three days. Took time, and a few favors, to get access to the logs." The woman's voice on the other end of the line remained punctual, despite Tia's outrage.

Tia ground her teeth. She tightened the sash around her waist, and leaned back in her seat. Learning that her son had managed to sneak onto an expedition, without her knowledge, truly unnerved her. It took everything not to drop the phone, and flip the desk over.

"I want him off that list," Tia tried to sound as cold and level headed as physically possible, which wasn't saying much.

"Sorry, but it's out of my hands."

"Who's condoning this! Who even accepted his credentials? I want names!" Tia ran though a dozen names in her head, she was sure everyone of note had been bribed, or properly threatened, to keep him from being accepted on any expedition.

"No last name, I could only get his first, a man who goes by Konrad."

Tia rocked in her seat, not sure what to make of that.

The woman on the other side of the line continued,"Also, this Redever you wanted me to monitor. I can't confirm her intentions, or her agenda, but I can forward you her academic, and military records. The military ones are patchy, but I'll send you what I found."

Tia only learned about an odd looking Redever on University grounds when her son sent her a selfie of himself and his roommate. In the background, almost hidden, the pink girl seemed to be glaring at him from the bushes. Tia didn't make anything of it at first, but after seeing the same creature in several other images, she grew concerned. Eventually, she felt the need to hire someone, a student and former soldier in fact, to do to some research.

"I can tell you, however, this pesky Redever seems to have a thing for your son," the other woman's voice sounded shaky, as if not entirely certain.

Tia growled at that. "Well…at least that thing won't be near him during the expedition." If there was any silver lining to be had so far, she could at least rest easy knowing that the Redever following him around couldn't pursue him beyond the walls.

"The Redever in question is enrolled in the expedition as well," The woman's voice was like a sharp knife in the back.

Tia didn't say anything for a time, the long pause made the static background noise even more awkward for the woman on the other end.

"I expected you to do something about this," Tia finally remarked.

"You paid me for information."

"And now I'm paying you to do something about her."

"With all do respect, ma'am, there's no way I could move against a fellow student on campus."

<i>On campus…</i> , A thought brushed Tia's mind. "If only you had reported in sooner, perhaps I could've gotten ahead of this."

"I can't stop him, or her, from embarking on this trip, but I have taken the initiative. I'm on the expedition as of yesterday."

That caused Tia to raise a brow. "How'd you manage that?" She asked.

"I have my ways."

Ok, maybe there's something to salvage from this. "Than keep him safe, and make sure you do something about that pesky creature."

"Like what exactly?"

Tia was already gliding her fingers against her personal terminal, scouting for any units that might be patrolling near the sectors most notable for worthy expeditions over the next couple of days. It would take a while, and some bribes, but maybe she could ensure her son had some added protection.

In the meantime, this Redever's unhealthy pursuit of her son ends now.

"Whatever it takes, that thing doesn't come back alive," Tia remarked.

"Yes ma'am."

The line cut, and Tia continued working behind her desk for several minutes before finally turning around and looking outside. As she gazed into the wastes, she couldn't help but notice something that she should've noticed much earlier.

There were now two Behemoth's standing in the far distance, each of their head canopies seemed to be looking straight at her.

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The ground shook, earthworks crumbled, and a fleeting star could be seen shooting over the heavens, leaving behind a long trail of smoke amidst the boiling clouds. Voices screamed to dive down into the dirt, and Lorelei could feel the soil between her fingers as she dug into the base of the trench line.

The smell, oh god the smell, smothered her. She could taste metal in her mouth as the groaning of buckling steel resounded in the distance, followed by the sharp noise of what could only be described as a collapsing building. The noise grew louder and louder as hundreds of tons of steel caved in on itself; the magical discharge of a dying reactor flared, giving birth to a bright orange ball of light.

The Behemoth fell, a massive edifice of Redever might, a god on the battlefield in all but name, slammed into the earth, as if it were nothing more than a broken toy. The impact shook the very earth, and the sudden discharge of unrestrained magics bled into the air. The explosion of its reactor sucked into the skies, creating a tumultuous bout of turbulence, and that would only disturb the already unstable magical currents in the atmosphere.

Everyone knew what it meant when a Behemoth died in such a fashion, and no one wanted to be around for the aftermath. Already a vast mesocyclone could be seen forming above them, lightning began filling the air in all directions. Pretty soon the jabs of stabbing light came in such frequency that one would have an easier time dodging rain! The only thing that kept them alive was the trenches, with its temporary wards offering a slight buffer, but they would only last for mere minutes against such a storm.

Someone cried out for them to run, Lorelei looked over to see a small Redever servant, much like herself with bright pink skin, running for an alcove, only to be electrocuted from a stray bolt that found a weak spot through the wards. The static discharge made Lorelei's teeth shake, and her hair stand on end.

The noise was deafening, and Lorelei crawled through the mud and excrement to where everyone else was trying to hide. Her movements seemed sluggish, as if her hands and feet weighed her down.

She made it by the thinnest of margins, for as soon as she managed to crawl her way inside the small bunker, the lightning ceased, and the wind stilled for the briefest of moments.

That was never a good sign.

Looking up, Lorelei screamed.

The vortex sucking up all the wind and air was several miles in diameter, and like the thumb of god it was descending down upon them. It would flatten the entire battlefield, the remains of the behemoth were already crumbing beneath its wrath. There would be nothing left of the once mighty weapon of war.

Someone grabbed her by the arms, and pulled her inside, where the strongest wards were installed. There was no guarantee they would last against such a monster, but Lorelei had no where else to go, no one had anywhere else to go.

Pretty soon, her ears started to bleed from the sudden rise in pressure, and the growing cacophony of sound would continue until she were temporarily deaf. For several minutes she and everyone else screamed until her vocal chords were too strained to give voice.

And then something disturbed her restless slumber.

When Lorelei opened her eyes she was still screaming, her body coated in night sweats, and her heart rate was through the roof.

Marci was trying to shake her awake, terrified from the sudden bout of screaming that woke her from her own pleasant slumber.

"Lori! Wake up! It's just a bad dream!"

It took several seconds for her wits to return, and by that point Lorelei still couldn't stop shaking. Her entire body was tense.

"Hey it's ok, it's alright," Marci continued.

Lorelei groaned with acknowledgement. She slammed her hand against her temple, and didn't complain when Marci wrapped around her until her body stopped shaking.

"Bad dreams?" Marci asked.

"You wouldn't know the half of it," Lorelei's voice was strained. "Can you hand me some water?"

"Sure."

Once handed a fresh bottle of water, Lorelei chugged the entire container, then threw it to the floor. She wasn't even trying to aim it at the small garbage bin. Once the shaking stopped, Marci uncoiled herself, but stayed close.

"I'm starting to think going back out there is a bad idea." Marci looked her up and down, studying her composure.

"What?" Lorelei sighed.

"Outside the wall, the expedition?"

"Oh that, no it's fine," Lorelei wanted to chuckle, but found her throat was still raw. "As long as a Behemoth doesn't explode we're fine."

"What?" Marci raised a brow.

"Never mind."

"Is there anything I could do? Anything you need?" Marci asked, still a little concerned.

"No, I think I'm just gonna stay up and read for a bit, maybe watch some TV."

Marci slithered back to her side of the room, yawning loudly as she tried to curl up on her own bed. "Sounds good, just try to take it easy ok."

Lorelei echoed the yawn; reaching up to grab a book, she chose one she had yet to read, and flipped open its pages. With a snap of her finger, she sparked a single small mote of fire, then used it to light a scented candle. While this wasn't technically legal, anything flammable wasn't supposed to be allowed on campus grounds, she got away with it without much complaint.

Her eyes were better suited for the gloom anyway, and the small candle provided a smoothing aroma, and wasn't bright enough to disturb her roommate while she slept.

When morning finally dawned, Lorelei snuffed out the candle, took a quick shower, and put on her class uniform.

Marci was then happy to ask if she could accompany her to the cafe, before going to class. The small coffee barista on campus made an incredibly good cinnamon latte with magical sprinkles. While it was almost always packed with students, this early in the morning they might get away with beating the crowd.

Lorelei felt tired, having stayed up half the night, and was looking forward to the rich aroma of a finely made coffee, and thus had no reason to reject the offer.

Outside the air was cool, and there was a mild dampness in the wind. The pair were quick to make their way to the barista, which was strategically placed toward the center of campus. Once inside, they were relieved to only find four others currently waiting in line. After placing their orders, they chose a small table near the front doors, and waited for a server to deliver their beverages.

Just as soon as the pair sat down, Marci leaned forward with a welcoming smile. She placed her hands over Lorelei's, and then with a quick motion, handcuffed one of her wrists to the shiny steel side rail, which was decoratively placed along the edge of the table.

"What are you doing!" Lorelei stammered.

"I installed a fairly strong ward on the cuffs, so don't think about trying to break free. Just try to relax, you'll thank me later." With a wink, the Lamia was away, and she rushed off to welcome Theo into the cafe.