Chapter 26: The Walls Beckon

1 Day until Expedition

One hundred and eighty thousand clits, that's how much it cost to discretely occupy this apartment in the outer wall bastion. Mostly reserved for military officers, and the occasional official, these cramped studio apartments were just large enough to be afforded a small amount of comfort. It was far from luxurious, but Konrad had lived in worse. The armor glass window was usually covered by a large slab of iron and steel, but the wall curtain had been lifted to provide the rooms occupants a wondrous view.

The spartan interior wasn't much to admire by comparison. A single couch, a coffee stained counter, a tiny kitchen suite that came with a single burner stove; those were the only amenities provided. He had to find a mattress to sit on the rusty frame in the corner. The only other small room in the apartment offered a toilet with leaking pipes, the constant drip of solent water was annoying to say the least.

Konrad sat on the padded cushion of the leather couch, musing over two pieces of artwork gently laid out on the coffee table before him. Each were slivers of a forgotten past, the edges of each tapestry were frayed, and the colors had faded.

The first was a piece of a fresco, the remnant displayed a collection of children sitting around an elder, each pair included a boy and a girl, and were of different species. Humans, Elves, Wolfkin, Vampire, Lamia, Redever, and even another set of kids that was too faded to discern, looked up toward their teacher. The old man was wizened, with tired kind eyes, and a gaunt face. Despite the damage done to the fresco piece, there was just enough detail to visualize a mentor with almost avian like facial features. Konrad couldn't be sure if that was an accurate depiction, a poor rendition from a lackluster artist, or if the image had withered from age.

The second work of art was less damaged, but still hardly pristine. The depiction of a beautiful creature looked back at him. The woman, if one could call it that, was splendid to gaze upon, even with the tattered condition of the painting itself. Horns so slender they appeared sharpened, a tail that almost looked like it was covered in scales, and two thin elegant wings spread out from her back like a moon washed angel. The woman's skin was milky white like alabaster, and the corset she wore seemed to be made of the purest silver.

For years Konrad liked to look at the two paintings. Each of them were recovered from the wastes before the last war, by his own father. Such relics were often kept from the public, and thus his family kept them hidden from the kaiser's regime. The paintings were ultimately not important, mere trinkets bearing witness to a forgotten past that was probably better left forgotten, but still…Konrad enjoyed studying them.

Looking outside, the world was quiet for the first time in what seemed like an age. It wouldn't last long. Konrad knew that. He watched as stray bolts of lightning fizzled in solitary streaks, each of them so far away he couldn't hear the thunder.

The wastelands dust had settled, revealing the tortured surface beneath. The ancient remains of a paved road was little more than a long narrow scar carved into the earth leading into the beyond.

For as far as the eye could see, it was an ocean of reddish clay, broken gravel, and churned earth. Much of the ground almost appeared burned, with dark black pockmarks that blended together, where the lightning fell like rain. This had rendered much of the terrain hard, crystalized, only to be ripped up by the tornadic winds.

What Konrad was seeing was a world beaten and broken a million different ways. The gravel was sharp enough to slice through flesh, the cracked clay was composed of acid rain and ruined topsoil, which made it toxic to human skin.

Despite all of this, in a weird way, the landscape was somehow beautiful…perhaps like most things deadly.

He looked back toward the pieces of art laying on the center table, his thumb toying with a small ring on his finger. It was almost time. There was only one thing each of the paintings had in common, a small sigil marked in the corner. Ever since learning its importance, he sought the city of Ruddsturm. He swore to himself he would find it…no matter the cost.

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Lorelei's breasts had grown sore, her brassier was far to tight around her voluptuous curves, but she did her absolute best to ignore the discomfort. A bit of chest pain wasn't knew to her, but the grinding strain in her abdomen was another story.

For the past week she had been going all out, resuming physical drills she had learned—been forced to endure—during basic training years ago. Redever physiology had a knack not only for having denser bones, and tightly woven muscle fibers, but could adapt fairly quickly. Unlike humans, who needed continuous months of training to get into proper shape, and maintain it, Redevers only needed days, or weeks at most, to adapt their bodies for physical extremes. This nifty talent only worked well during their youth, however, and slowed with age.

Her desire to get in slightly better shape wasn't due to the expedition, or at least it was just a small part of it. No, now that Theo had actually noticed her, she didn't want him to lose interest. Feeling subconscious, she endeavored to trim the fat around her waistline, and build up her stamina. She once swore that she would never train like this again, not so hard that she would be drenched in sweat from head to toe, but…if it might please Theo…she could stomach it.

After finishing her classwork, stalking Theo on his way to a party with some other classmates, then working out a while, Lorelei was finally free to return to her dorm. She had taken a short shower in the gymnasium beforehand, her skin now smelled of butter shampoo, and she couldn't wait to take an even longer one later that night. The women's bathrooms had several tubs for baths as well, and Lorelei relished the thought of sinking into a small pool of warm water.

But first, she wanted to get out of this uniform.

The hair on the back of her neck stiffened, and Lorelei halted her step. The wind brushed her short hair back, and tickled her exposed cleavage. Her tail flicked back and forth, as she looked behind her shoulder to find a wolfkin girl leering at her from the bushes.

"I can see you," Lorelei breathed aloud.

Cassie's dark furred tail shot up, her lengthy black hair was almost too easy to see in the foliage. The wolfkin growled, more subconsciously than as a threat upon being discovered. When Cassie stepped from the bush, she looked frustrated.

"So…you caught me," she muttered a derogatory slur under her breath.

"What do you want?" Lorelei asked, strangely not perturbed by being followed. Then again, It's not like I have a right to complain.

Cassie kept her distance, as if Lorelei were a disgusting pile of trash. "I was told to bring this too you, but I figured—"

"You'd follow me around first?" Lorelei sneered.

"Just wanted to see how long it took before you noticed," the wily wolfkin shrugged. She brushed her bangs back, revealing long sharp nails on all her fingertips…except for her trigger finger which was filed down.

"And just how long have you been following me?" Lorelei asked.

Cassie groaned while popping her knuckles. "I first tailed you about the same time you stalked your boyfriend."

"He's not my…"

"Oh," Cassie smirked, cutting her off. "But you want him, don't you? A Redever wanting a lowly human, what a scandal."

"Shut up!" Lorelei's tail was ready to snap. "You know nothing about us at all!"

"Relax, who cares. Here take this," Cassie threw her a plastic wrapped package.

Lorelei caught it, keeping her eyes on the wolfkin, while slidding the small parcel in her purse. "What is it?" She asked, still looking forward.

"Master thought you'd like it, just a little something to go with the suit we gave you earlier." Cassie sighed, then moved to walk away. Turning her back on Lorelei, the wolfkin seemed relieved to be free from her presence.

Lorelei waited until she was sure that no one else was following her, or that Cassie wouldn't turn around and try something else. I guess I should pay more attention… the thought finally dawned on her.

Once Lorelei returned to her dorm, she ignored the strip card game Mike and Marci were playing on their side of the room. She didn't even respond to the silly elf girl who was running down the hall stark naked, someone having stolen her towel, when Lorelei left her roommate to whatever debauchery waited for her boyfriend.

Sliding into the women's bathroom, and finding an open stall with a tub ready to receive her, Lorelei placed her towels on the towel rack, then placed her purse alongside the seam of the porcelain bathtub. As the warm water began to fill it, she decided to see what exactly Cassie had given her.

She opened her purse, retrieving the small package and opening it while unclasping her uniform's bodice. Inside the paper wrapping, Lorelei found a fine leather pouch that could easily fit in her pocket. She undid the clasp, and opened the pouch to find five glass vials of glowing purple liquid.

Allucia, five vials of allucia.

Lorelei sighed to herself, She could be expelled for having such a narcotic on campus grounds. She could even be arrested! Lorelei eyed them warily, not sure if she should dump them down the drain. Then again, it probably wasn't safe to dispose of it like that. Allucia took time to dilute, and running it down the drain could create some interesting problems for anyone drinking from the faucet.

Closing the pouch, Lorelei slid the vile substances back in her purse, then slipped out of her clothing. She supposed, under certain conditions, it might not be the worst idea in the world having a weapon like that in her back pocket. She wondered why Cassie and her 'master' thought it might go well with the suit though…