Synopsis: The captured Therobelin comes face to face with the warrior goddess Crystalia, who forces him to confront his true feelings about the state of the world he has sworn to protect. (Part 3)
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I thank everybody once again for their kind comments regarding Arrival and Assault. I have to admit that it helps me greatly when I can actually see what people think of my works, so please take a few moments after you’re done with the stories and tell me what you think, either here, on FM or at [email protected].
The finale of the Rainfall series will be coming soon, so please stay tuned for more. I do recommend that you read Rainfall: Arrival and Rainfall: Assault before you read this story. It’s not going to make much sense otherwise.
And now, without further ado, please enjoy part 3 of the Rainfall saga, Rainfall: Resurrection!
-TJH
Copyright 2006
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I awoke feeling very annoyed. The last thing I remembered was facing Ballan in the chamber and a bright flash of light. I cursed myself for not being ready for a group stun spell. However, I sensed that all was not lost. I could still feel the energy I had stripped from the captain and the guard flowing through me.
I tried to lift myself up, but I found myself bound to the altar in the center of the main chamber, before the crystal with the beautiful blond trapped inside. I looked up at her and felt a strange sense of foreboding even as I felt my arousal growing. I might be in the middle of very dire circumstances, but I could still appreciate a beautiful woman.
I looked upwards at a strange sight. I had heard of things called ‘skylights’ being very popular in the richer areas of Allaron, but I had never expected to see one so stunning. It was still raining heavily outside and I could hear the soft patter of it hitting the glass above my head. For a brief moment, I forgot about my current situation and just stared at the rain as it fell, never quite reaching the ground.
“I see you enjoy a good storm as well,” a man’s voice said behind me.
I twisted my head to see the smiling visage of Ballan. I glared at him. “Release me at once or else!” I roared.
“Or else?” Ballan chuckled. “I read your thoughts while you were asleep, dear Therobelin. You’ve intended to take my head ever since talking with your little bitch Talissa.”
I grunted in annoyance and changed the subject. There was no reason to demand my release anyway. Whatever Ballan intended to do, he would. I only had to get out of my bonds, then I could destroy the delusional fool.
“Where are my companions?” I asked.
Ballan gestured to the side where Xhaiden and Meghalen were chained to a wall. I felt a surge of fury rush through me and I tried to summon my strength–through magic or muscle–to rip free of my bonds. I groaned and roared incoherently as I tried to liberate myself.
“Most impressive, but there’s no use,” Ballan said with a chuckle. “Once someone is on the Altar of Crystalia, there is no escape until she says so.”
“And when will she say so?” I muttered after giving up my attempt to break free. The bonds were enchanted so deeply that I couldn’t even begin to break them.
The same voice I heard in my head earlier spoke again. “After we have our little talk,” she said, her voice now echoing sweetly off the walls. However, the crystalline woman’s lips never moved.
Ballan smiled as he busied himself around the chamber.
“Who are you?” I asked, genuinely curious. If I could determine who was really pulling Ballan’s strings, I might be able to do something about it.
“I have been known by many names throughout history,” the voice said. “But once Ballan found me and brought me to this place, he named me Crystalia. And I like that name, so you may call me by that name.”
“What are you?” I asked.
“She is the one who will wipe away the filth of this world,” Ballan said. “And bring forth a new existence of harmony.”
“That sounds nice,” I said sarcastically. “So what do I have to do with any of this? And why are you transforming people into your own personal army or into whores without a thought in their heads?”
“The soldiers are for our protection,” Ballan said. “As for the whores…those were…errors.”
“I don’t believe you,” I spat.
“Fine, fine,” Ballan conceded. “My men are lonely and good wenches are hard to find. So I help the men of the world by giving them a few more harlots to enjoy.”
“You’re a monster,” I said.
“He’s not the monster you might think, Therobelin,” Crystalia said. “Each of the people that now reside in your brothel were corrupted by their own lusts and fantasies. If they had been strong enough, there wouldn’t have been a problem.”
“I think you’re lying,” I said firmly and with conviction. “I think you enjoy transforming people into mindless sluts who care only for pleasure.”
Crystalia laughed softly and despite my situation, I couldn’t help but find the laugh nothing short of enchanting. “There is truth to your words. The cavorting of maidens often reminds me of a better and simpler time.”
I wasn’t sure what time she was speaking of, though it did ring a bell in the back of my mind. But I had bigger concerns at the moment.
“So what do you want with me?”
“Talissa was the result of a failed experiment,” Ballan said as he started placing strange-looking orbs in a circle around Crystalia and me. “Crystalia and I believe that you may be the component that we need to make the experiment work correctly.”
“What are you going to do to me?”
“Ah,” Ballan said with a grin as he placed the last of the orbs. “I will allow my Mistress to explain that to you.”
“All in good time,” she said. “Now, we must commune.”
“Commune?” I asked, worried. I didn’t want to commune with any creature such as this. “I refuse!”
“You’re refusal is immaterial, Therobelin,” Ballan said and then turned to the encased woman. “He’s ready Mistress. You may touch him whenever you like.”
“Thank you Ballan,” Crystalia said. “I sense that when we speak again, it shall be face-to-face.”
Ballan bowed. “As my Mistress commands.”
Slowly, the red crystal began to glow. As the light of the crystal increased, the orbs surrounding us began to pulse with a similar glow. I tried once more to fight my bonds, but there was nothing I could do.
Suddenly there was a flash and then nothing.
When I was aware of myself a few moments later, I was standing in a grassy field surrounded by a grove of trees. I could hear water trickling in the distance and the sounds of birdcalls coming from within the grove. I looked down to see myself in my wizard’s robes and as I glanced around, I saw her, smiling at me.
She was dressed in a simple white dress that did nothing to distract from the curvaceous form beneath it, a form that simply took my breath away. Her eyes were the color of raindrops and her smile was so dazzling I felt myself weaken in the knees. I tried to fight off these feelings, knowing full well that it was all part of some enchantment she and Ballan had placed on me.
“A man responding to a beautiful woman is an enchantment now?” she asked with a smile.
“I demand you release me at this moment!” I shouted.
She sighed heavily, which caused her chest to heave, much to my distraction.
“You are becoming annoyingly one-note,” she commented as she came closer to me. I struck a defense pose, not willing to allow myself to become comfortable in her presence. She was the enemy and I had to make sure that I kept my wits about me.
“You are a contradiction, Therobelin,” Crystalia said as if commenting on the weather as she came even closer.
“Your words are nothing to me,” I shot back as I moved away from the woman.
“All you have ever done in your thirty-five years is to fight against injustice, making sure that the strong protect the weak, instead of preying on them. You vilify power, saying that it should be controlled and monitored.
“What of it?” I asked.
“Yet all the while, despite what you said to the Lord and Lady Tapar, you secretly revel in the power that you wield over your enemies,” she said as her eyes bored into mine. “I could feel it when you struck down our captain and guard. You enjoyed ripping their power from them and infusing it into your own spirit.”
“I do what I must to protect the people of this land,” I spat. “How I do it is not your concern.”
“I see right through you, Therobelin,” she said. “Do not think that the crystal which holds my body holds my mind. I can see your secret desires. You’ve often wondered what it would be like if you were the one in control, instead of the fools in the Imperial City and the royalty in the Provincial Courts, who care only for their political maneuvering and lining their pockets with gold.”
“Lies,” I said firmly. “I respect those who I serve, both in the Imperial City and the Courts.”
“You might be able to fool the others and you might be able to fool yourself, my dear Therobelin,” she said with a smile. “But you cannot fool me. I can feel the ambition in your heart. I can feel the desire for control. That is truly why you are a Battlemage. Because it brings you pleasure to exercise your magic and your skills to control the world around you even while you know you can never control the minds of the people who cause such chaos.”
I tried to resist the poison in her words even as it filtered through my mind and my heart. I had always known that there was a darkness inside me. However, I had always resisted it, because that was what a person was supposed to do. I believed that everybody had a darkness inside of them. Some fought it and became stronger for it and some were consumed by it and lost their souls because of it.
Still, I felt another portion of my mind agree with her. There would never be peace in this land while the politicians could be bribed to look the other way.
I didn’t notice the look in her eyes. I didn’t realize that she was hearing every thought in my head.
“I can give you the power you desire,” she said softly. She was now only a foot away from me. I had become so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t realized she had come so close. Her nearness brought shivers down my spine. Despite the poison she was dripping into my mind, her beauty made my soul ache. I felt my manhood stirring in her presence.
“No,” I whispered. “I will not turn my back on everything I have ever stood for.”
“The fools in the Imperial City have already made a mockery of your moral stance,” she said. “By allowing bandits to operate freely among the lands of Allaron. Monsters and bandits roam the wilderness, preying on the weak. We can change all of that. Starting with Ghanton, we can create a paradise that will last for millennia.”
I shook my head as I felt my resolve shaking. She was echoing my thoughts from the past. I had seen so much betrayal and so much battle, wouldn’t it make sense to finally bring about a change?
“You know it is the right thing to do,” Crystalia said softly into my ear as she took my hand. “Join with me and become the liberator of Allaron. No more hypocrisy. No more bribery.”
I looked into her eyes, those raindrop-colored eyes that seemed to devour me with a glance. The fight that happened within me at that moment was incredible, something that I can never describe as my mind fought between my loyalty to the corrupt powers and principalities that I served and my desire to stop the corruption.
And finally, one of the sides won.
“I can’t do it,” I said. “I won’t betray the Kingdom,”
I was rather surprised when she smiled. “You see, Therobelin,” she said softly. “You don’t really have a choice.”
And then her hand slammed into my chest. I let out a shout as I could feel her twisting something within me. My entire body shook, echoed from the reverberations of my mind. I didn’t have a clue what she was doing to me until I could feel her cutting through my brain like a knife through butter.
“Stop…stop…” I cried, unable to do a single thing to defend myself.
“It must be done,” she said as the sky above us darkened with clouds. “I know you want to weed out the corruption in the land. But you have this annoying streak of loyalty to imperfect people that I find most distressing.”
As rain began to fall, I could feel my will being changed by her. I fought with all my mental strength, but there was nothing I could do. And I started to forget. I forgot why I had such loyalty to the King and to the Royal Courts. I could feel my desire for control and power grow like a dark seed in my mind.
For the briefest of seconds, I felt a wave of dizziness come over me and something shifted in my mind.
At that moment, I realized what she was truly doing to me.
She was releasing me from my bondage. She was allowing me to see the truth of the world around me, a world of darkness and corruption that could be cleansed if one had the strength to fight the good fight.
The rain was coming down hard now, soaking the two of us. My eyes met hers through the water and I smiled, knowing that she had been right all along. She slowly removed her hand from my chest and nodded.
“What must I do?” I asked, feeling empowered by Crystalia’s act.
“I cannot leave my crystal as I am now,” she said. “But if I join with another, another who is strong enough, I can help that person cleanse this land of all the corruption and darkness it holds.”
“You wish to join with me?” I said, flabbergasted.
“Yes, my dear Therobelin,” she said as she pressed her body against mine. “You alone are strong enough to help me in my mission to save the people of this land.”
I knew there was something she wasn’t telling me, but I didn’t care. I was too enthralled with finally allowing myself to shine in the sun once and for all. I had allowed the foolish politicians and the inbred royalty to make the decisions for too long and the people had suffered because of it.
I had allowed my true potential to lie dormant beneath the surface of civility when a stronger hand was needed to protect the people I had sworn to shield from evil and adversity.
I gazed into the woman who had handed me the key to my own liberation and smiled. Her body language was clear and I knew what must happen. I had to make her mine and I had to become hers.
I placed a gentle kiss upon her lips as she trembled ever so softly in my arms. I wondered at her shiver but then I heard a soft voice inside my head. There was no longer a need for verbal language.
“It has been so long since I have felt the touch of a man,” she said softly and sweetly. “I could only feel a shadow of what my transformed people felt when making love.”
“Then allow me to remind you what you have missed,” I whispered to her through my thoughts.
I pressed my lips harder onto hers, tightly grasping her lithe and supple body to my own just as the first strike of lightning crashed into the forest around us. The need to possess this mystical creature build inside of me and she knew it from where her hand was resting, slightly below my sash.
We broke for a moment and she smiled at me. She looked up into the rain, as if drawing power from it. Then, with a wave of her hand, her dress vanished as if it had never existed. My eyes widened as I took in her form. While I had seen it before within the red crystal, seeing the living form of a goddess was something entirely different. Her every movement drew my eyes exactly to the right places.
My reaction was obvious to her and she smiled again. Her hand waved once more, splattering raindrops in my direction and my own clothing vanished as completely as hers had. My eager member went to full attention as the rain washed over my naked form.
“Take me and become one with me,” she said over the rain and the thunder.
I didn’t need to be asked twice.
I grabbed her in my strong arms and wrestled her to the ground. For a few moments, she playacted resisting, but I knew it was all a façade. Soon, she didn’t even give the illusion of being anything but a very willing woman. My lips met hers as I ran my hands over her rain-slicked skin. The grass was soft and yielding beneath us as we rolled around a little, giggling like schoolchildren.
She moaned as I touched her legs and hips, softly caressing them in my desire. I swiftly moved up to her breasts even as I continued to kiss her lips, kneading the rainwater softly into her.
I brought one hand down to her sex, which was already wet with a combination of her own need and the beautiful rain falling around us. I slowly explored her interior to different degrees, delighting in the soft gasps and cries of my woman. Her hands ran along my back, caressing my muscles and my rear. She laid a river of bites and kisses down my neck and I quickly returned the favor.
I glanced into those stormy eyes of hers and realized that she didn’t need any more encouragement. With a quick adjustment of our bodies, I was within her.
At the first thrust of my member into her, she let out a cry that shook the heavens. I knew she had orgasmed just from that simple movement inside of her. Her hands grabbed at my back, leaving a small scratches in my flesh. I was a little surprised by her response.
For a brief second, lightning flashed overhead and it was reflected in her eyes.
“More,” she whispered desperately.
I obliged her.
I thrust into her with wild abandon as my lust grew. Her cries matched my grunts as I pushed her deeper into the soft grass. Our bodies slapped together nosily in the rain as it continued to pour on our heads, more now than ever.
Within sixty seconds, she was close to another thunderous orgasm. This time when she screamed, lightening flashed and thunder rocked the area in time with her cries. I could feel the raw magical power pouring out of Crystalia and into the area around us as it swirled around like a swarm of angry red fireflies.
“My turn,” she said hungrily.
With a motion that startled me, she flipped me on my back and within a few seconds, she impaled herself upon my rod once more. She thrust herself up and down upon me, grinning like a maniac. I was shocked when she began to glow the same color as the energy rushing around us.
“Yes!” she cried. “So close…”
I didn’t know what she was talking about and I truly did not care. My mind was only concerned with the delirious amounts of pleasure wracking my body. It didn’t even concern me when her eyes began to glow a soft purple.
“Are you ready, Therobelin?” she gasped as she continued to bounce up and down on me.
I knew that whatever she was going to do, she was going to do it now, so I simply nodded.
With a cry that shook creation itself, she gathered all of the swirling energy to her. Even as she moved faster and faster upon me, she began to glow so brightly I couldn’t look at her. Instead, I simply closed my eyes and allowed her to work her magic.
“Take my power!” she screamed to the heavens. “And become one with it!”
I could feel myself coming close to orgasm as I turned away from the blazing sun that I was making love to.
“Take my knowledge! Become one with it!”
I was bucking like a wild stallion, unable to think about anything else but the fantastic pleasure and the need for release. But something stopped me. I knew that I would release when the time was right.
“Take all that I am! And become me!”
My ears rang with the thunder and rang again with the echo of what she had just screamed. However, in the passion of the moment, I was unable to grasp what she had truly said in that single cry.
I let out a cry of my own as I felt her channel the full force of herself into me. My body shook wildly and I opened my eyes in shock to see a bright beam of purplish red light blasting from her chest into mine. I watched in wonder as my own body began to glow, shining in the falling rain.
And then I exploded into her, my member erupting in a powerful surge of ecstasy. I pumped my seed into her even as I felt my body began to shift and change. It wasn’t an unpleasant experience, but it was definitely an odd on.
Even as my member continued to twitch, I could feel the swelling on my chest as if two water pouches were being filled within my flesh. I felt my beard disappear into my transforming skin, along with the rest of my body hair even as my new breasts continued to expand. The hair on my head sprouted and I could see the golden streaks become wider over the course of several seconds, until my hair was the same lustrous blond as my lover’s.
I closed my eyes, gasped as I felt my wait constrict and my hips flare out, and moaned softly in a high and breathy voice as my legs were reshaped to match Crystalia’s. Finally, my breasts stopped their swelling and I felt the changes rush through my face. I knew at that moment that I was the mirror image of Crystalia, save for one detail.
I opened my eyes, brushed blond hair out of my face, and looked at the woman still perched upon my manhood. The beam of light coming from her chest had abated for the moment. She simply sat there and looked at me with a smile–a smile that told me again that she knew something I didn’t.
“Now that you have my form,” she said. “Take my mind.”
A beam of light blinded me as it blew out from her chest directly into my eyes. I was blasted back into the ground with the sheer force of the magical energy rushing through my mind. I screamed in confusion as I felt my own memories and knowledge begin to merge with Crystalia’s. I began to remember things that had never occurred to me: images of leading a great war against powerful forces, of living the sexual lives of hundreds of people vicariously through what little scrying power I had and ruling a vast empire long turned to dust.
I tried desperately to comprehend what was pouring into my mind as I drowned in the power that was Crystalia. However, something was wrong. I felt as if the woman I was joining with was trying to prevent me from understanding what she really was. For some reason I had to know, so I fought through the constant barrage of memories and tried to find the source.
I found it.
I cursed myself for my lack of control, for giving into a woman who had no intention of bringing light to the Kingdom of Allaron. She only had one goal, a goal that terrified me even as she realized that I had figured it out, she began to work her magic yet again on me.
She continued to pour her essence into me, tearing down my walls of mind and merging with my conscious thoughts. I fought with every bit of willpower I had, but the battle was lost the moment I had let her touch me in the field.
She dove into my mind and dug up all my repressed ambition and anger, my joy of control and my love of power, the feelings and thoughts that I never truly wanted to admit were there. However, just like any other man, I had my weaknesses. And one of those weaknesses was the fact that I knew I was quite powerful, both in magic and in skill.
They say that power corrupts. I have always agreed with that adage. However, I did my best to keep my corruption to a minimum.
That was not Crystalia’s intention.
She fueled my desires and my lusts as she insinuated herself into me. I could feel the corruption like a dark infection inside of me, growing at a fantastic rate even as I merged with this creature that was in no way human.
I felt my morals and my principles melt into the darkness that was enveloping my soul. And with the loss of those ideals, the man known as Therobelin was no more.
Now, there was only Crystalia, fused with the power and lusts of a man who lived a life of control and never truly released that control, for fear of the fact that he would never regain it again.
As Crystalia brought the full force of her power into my hands, I had a great epiphany the likes of which prophets have only dreamed. I saw my life for what it really was. I had been weak by using my power to defend those who could not defend themselves.
It had been a waste.
I had the power to rule, to correct the wrongs that had been done, yet I had sat idly by while those in power did whatever they wished.
No longer.
I was now the warrior goddess Crystalia, resurrected from the crystalline prison that had held me for five millennia. Therobelin was within me, everything he was and everything he was meant to be would now be channeled through the fusion of two souls.
Two souls that wanted revenge for the wrongs that had been done to them.
I looked around the field I had created to seduce the man that I had once been and smiled as the rain continued to fall. It was so idyllic and beautiful as the gentle rain caressed my soft skin.
It would be good when it began to rain in the Imperial City.
Suddenly, there was a brilliant explosion and I awoke.
I opened my eyes to see my dear Ballan cowering behind one of his silly little alchemic desks as small bits of red crystal rained down upon the chamber. They bounced off my feminized red armor with small pings that echoed faintly in the room.
“Mistress?” Ballan asked as he peered over the countertop.
“Rise,” I commanded, even as I sat up and hopped off the altar on which the man named Therobelin had been laid. I looked at the place that had once held my form. All that remained of my massive red crystalline prison was a half-meter high circle of burnt and blasted crystal. The rest of it had exploded and scattered around the room when Therobelin and Crystalia had become one.
I knelt down to the ground and picked up one of the larger pieces.
I knew that every man and woman who had been put before the crystal had found it to be fascinating, even though their defiance or terror, depending on the person. But to the part of me that was Crystalia, it had been a cage that had held me for far too long. However, now that I was finally free, I could not bear to leave it. Despite the fact that it had trapped me, it had also protected me from the ravages of time and the madness that might have consumed me. It had allowed me to stretch forth and summon Ballan and his followers to take me from the ancient ruins I had been held at and bring me here.
I studied the shard in my hand and smiled faintly while Ballan stared at me. I could feel the magical power coming from it like a bright fire in a starless night. I laughed just a little, for while the crystal had eventually helped me gain the power to summon help, the crystal had also absorbed my own power. The fools who had imprisoned me would have never expected that.
“Mistress, did it work?” Ballan asked nervously.
Part of me wanted to turn him into a toad for such a foolish question. However, he was the only one to heed my psychic call. I had promised him great rewards for his help and I intended to keep my vow.
“Yes, dear Ballan,” I breathed. The part of me that was Therobelin could not believe the high, breathy voice that came from my lips, nor the other normal female attributes of my new form. The part of me that was Crystalia was delirious with happiness at the simple ability to use normal speech again.
“Gods,” he breathed with a smile as I continued to study the crystal. The piece in my hand was a good piece and I decided that it would do well. After all, a lady such as me needed to look the part, even when she was going to go into battle.
With a wave of my hand, I conjured a golden chain and fused it to the crystal. Satisfied with my work, I donned the necklace and the red shard glowed brightly against my armor.
I turned to face Ballan again and smiled. Then my eyes lit upon the chained forms of Xhaiden and Meghalen. And I smiled much wider.
I sauntered up to the two men. They couldn’t tear their eyes away. I’m sure the transformation that they had watched as Therobelin and Crystalia had become one had been quite entertaining. I was even impressed with the results. I hadn’t expected my armor to change with my new body, but I had apparently underestimated my own power.
I didn’t underestimate this form’s power over men though.
“Ther?” Xhaiden whispered ever so quietly. “Are you in there?”
“Yes,” I said. “At least the true Therobelin, unfettered by rules and ideals.”
“The rules and ideals were who Therobelin was,” Xhaiden said firmly. “Without those, he is not the man he was.”
I laughed delightedly. “Do I look like the man I was?” I said as I stroked his admittedly handsome face. Before the joining, I never would have looked at Xhaiden in that way, but Crystalia’s feminine tastes had a definite influence and I found myself considering the idea of taking the two men on as consorts.
“How would you like to be consorts to a goddess?” I asked warmly. I had a suspicion as to what their answers might be.
“Therobelin,” Meghalen said, trying to ignore my curves that my armor only accentuated. “You need to fight it. Come back to us. We came here to stop these people, not to empower them!”
I laughed again and flipped my hair back. “You don’t seem to understand, my dear friends,” I said. “I’m sure you’re hoping that somewhere inside my mind, there’s a voice that’s crying foul, a voice that says that the agony of imprisonment must end.”
I smiled. “I’m afraid there is only what I have become. A fusion of the power and knowledge of two beings, one male and one female. Crystalia has granted me not only her form, but her magical power as well. And we will free this land from the tyranny of the King and those who follow him.”
The men’s eyes widened. “The King?” Xhaiden asked.
“What I truly desire is to avenge myself on those thrice-damned Sunrise fools,” I muttered angrily. “But they have long since past beyond the veil. So I am left with the descendant of the man who led the assault on my people and me, even after I gave him the offer of a lifetime.”
“I could have granted Allaron untold power to do whatever he wished, but he refused!” I shouted at the two men. “He turned away from what would have been the greatest empire this world has ever known. I could have given him immortality!”
The men–including Ballan–simply stared at me. I didn’t care.
“Allaron has long turned to dust. But his legacy remains as the kingdom that was named after him. The kingdom I intend to transform into the empire it should have been long ago.”
“You’re insane,” Meghalen spat.
I bristled with the tone he was addressing me in. “In the old world, I killed men for lesser insults. But now, I’ve found that the magic of transformation may be able to open your eyes. I was going to make you the consort of a goddess on this planet. But now, I’ve decided that you will do far better as the woman that Ballan has always truly desired.”
Ballan perked up, just as I knew he would. “Mistress? The women you’ve created for me have been more than sufficient.”
“I know, Ballan,” I said. “But you’ve always wanted something more suited to you personally. And I’ve never created that woman for you, because it was always to be your great reward. Now I shall create that woman for you, a woman of fire and passion who is loyal to her master through hell and high water. And you shall be that master.”
“I’d rather die first,” Meghalen said defiantly.
I giggled softly. “I’m sorry, but I’m not giving you that option.”
And my hands began to glow.
Meghalen struggled mightily in his bonds but there wasn’t a thing he could do. The bonds were magically enchanted to be unbreakable and as Meghalen had never had the aptitude for magic, he had no hope for escape.
As the glow increased, I looked into my friend’s eyes and for the first time that I could remember, I saw true fear. Meghalen had been a stalwart companion for many years now, but to be honest, I had always found him a little crude and obnoxious. I will admit that part of me wanted to keep him around in his current form as a masculine consort. But I knew that my friend could get quite dangerous at times and I couldn’t risk to leave him be, even with mental modifications.
It was regrettable, but I knew that Meghalen was set in his ways and he would never be brought over to my side by reason and the effort of changing his mind manually was too much for me at the moment for what I intended to do after my work with Meghalen was complete.
So as my hands became blindingly bright, I looked at Ballan and took the image of his perfect woman directly from his mind. It took only a few moments, but then I had enough to transform Meghalen into Ballan’s perfect companion.
“Take comfort in the fact that I will guarantee your happiness in your new life,” I said softly.
“Go to hell!” Meghalen roared.
At that moment, I held my hand to his chest and pushed forward. My friend let out a yelp as his body stiffened to the point of paralysis. Knowing he was contained, I broke the bonds that had held him and moved him away from the wall. I could see the fear magnified in his eyes, but he was no longer able to speak a single word.
“Watch carefully Ballan,” I said. “And see the birth of your companion.”
I knew without a doubt that I had his undivided attention.
I slowly began to whisper the words that had not been heard on this earth since my imprisonment as I began to cast the ritual of transformation.
The man before me glowed softly as my hands began to weave complex patterns in the air as tiny strings appeared between my fingers. I spoke a single word and his steel armor fell to the ground with a loud clatter. I winced slightly, not being prepared for the echo of steel on stone, but I continued the ritual.
And then the naked man before me began to change. The first change, because it had been the first thing on Ballan’s mind, was Meghalen’s chest. His nipples exploded in size and firm mounds of flesh quickly grew, erasing the chest hair that had once existed. Even as this was happening, his waist constricted and his body structure altered, expanding his hips outward. I glanced into his eyes once more and saw the defiance there, commingled with the fear. He was trying to resist, but there was nothing he could do.
When his hips had reshaped themselves, I sculpted his legs and extended their length in proportion to his body, then shrunk him slightly to match Ballan’s ideal. Apparently he had a thing for shorter women. When the height was correct, I returned my attention to the transforming man’s bust. The kind of bust he had wanted were quite large and I decided to strengthen the man’s back and spine to support the weight of the breasts I had given him. Now there was only one thing below the neck that was still male and I turned my attention to that last piece.
I held up a hand and sent a bright beam of energy at the man’s genitals. I could hear his protest in his mind even as his member shrunk to the point of non-existence and a moist slit appeared in its place. His nether hair readjusted itself to its new shape and took on a bright red hue. I was a little surprised by that, but Ballan did always enjoy redheads.
I looked into the man’s eyes and smiled.
“You will soon forget it all, Meghalen,” I said. “Do not be afraid.”
With a powerful surge of energy, I washed away his face. The beard stubble, broken nose and rugged features all vanished into oblivion, as did his gray eyes and small scars from years on the battlefield. In their place appeared the epitome of feminine perfection, with large emerald eyes surrounded by a perfect complexion that had never known the ravages of war or battle, even though I intended to keep the man’s warrior prowess intact. Ballan had never wanted a helpless woman, but a woman of fire and spirit. I intended to craft that woman from Meghalen’s warrior soul.
The final touch was the growth of his matted red hair. It sprouted until it fell to the middle of his back and tied itself into a tight ponytail. It gained a lush and vibrant sheen that demonstrated a woman who cared for her body as a woman should.
And then, it was over.
I released Meghalen from her spell and she fell loosely to the ground. It took her a moment to catch her bearings before she looked up at me and growled. I could feel the hatred pouring from her.
“You bitch,” she spat. “Transform me back!”
Ballan was obviously shocked from the expression on his face. I simply smiled as I reached down and touched the woman’s forehead. Before she could pull away, I spoke the words that were necessary.
“Mind, match the body you reside.”
The woman’s eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed backwards once more. I waited several moments before she once more opened her eyes and peered up at me and Ballan. The hostility and anger were gone, replaced by joy and happiness.
“Do you remember who you are?” I asked softly.
“Of course, Mistress,” the woman said in her vibrant and seductive voice. “I am Myhala, a servant of Rainfall.”
“Do you remember what just happened?”
“Yes, Mistress,” she said as I helped her to her feet. “I came to you because I believe I can help you in your cause to liberate the people of Allaron. I also came because I believe in your incredible power. When I pledged myself to you, you rewarded me by taking away the frailties of age and the injuries I had sustained in battle over the years.”
“Indeed,” I said with a smile. “You will serve us well, my dear Myhala.”
“What can your humble servant do for you, Mistress?” she asked as she shivered from on the cold floor.
I waved my hand and immediately an ornate green dress appeared over her naked skin. She smiled in thanks.
“Master Ballan here has asked if I might task you to him,” I said, gesturing to the handsome man behind me. “If you are willing.”
Myhala looked at Ballan and I could tell, as only a woman could, that she was quite taken with him. She confirmed what I believed by her following words.
“I would be happy to do anything Master Ballan asks of me,” she said in a breathy voice, her eyes not straying from the man. “Anything at all,” she added with a sly smile.
“It has been some time since you’ve been in the company of an approachable man, is it not, Myhala?” I asked.
“Yes, Mistress,” she said, her eyes not straying from Ballan’s form.
“Then please retire with Ballan to his quarters. At least, if that’s what you desire.”
“Oh yes,” she said as she approached him, her intentions clear in her eyes and her walk. “It is definitely what I desire.”
As Myhala pulled Ballan towards the door, he looked at me with wonder. I simply smiled at him and motioned for him to join his new lover. When the door was closed, I turned my attention to my other friend.
“You were rather quiet during that entire affair, Xhaiden,” I commented as I looked at him curiously.
“We both know that my magic was never a match for Therobelin,” he said. “And there is little doubt in my mind that the person you have become could best me as well.”
“Yet you don’t even struggle,” I said as I slinked my way towards him. “Have you given up hope?”
“There is always hope,” Xhaiden said firmly. “The man I knew as Therobelin may be no more, along with Meghalen. I may be no more after you do whatever you wish to me. But you must expect resistance to your plans. And as long as there are people willing to fight you and your corruption, there is hope that all three of us may be returned to what we truly are.”
“And what are you truly, Xhaiden?” I asked as I ran a finger along his jaw.
“Loyal.”
“Indeed,” I said with a laugh. “You have always been loyal. And that is why I do not intend to do to you what I did to Meghalen.”
“And what do you intend?”
“I need loyalty,” I said firmly. “I need it in those I command, but that is forced upon them. Only some have come here to give their loyalty freely. Meghalen killed one of them, which is a reason I punished him like I did. You’re loyalty to Therobelin runs strong and I believe it can serve me as well.”
“You are not Therobelin.”
“That is in the eye of the beholder,” I said as my hands ran down his leather armor to the bulge in his pants. I caressed it softly, enough so that I could feel it begin to rise. Humans and Elves may look different on the outside and have different skills, but the men of all races were remarkably similar, a similarity I was looking forward to exploring. As Crystalia, I had never been able to transform an Elf.
“I will not serve you,” he said.
“Indeed you will,” I returned with a smile. “And you will do so willingly and happily, both as a warrior and my lover.”
His eyes widened and I smiled. Moments later, I touched his forehead and force his eyes to close.
“Take your loyalty to Therobelin and feel it transform and connect to the woman Therobelin has become.”
“No…” he whispered. “I will…not….serve…”
“Feel your loyalty transform and become desire for the woman before you.”
The Elf moaned softly as I altered his thoughts, weaving a new conscience and a new way of thinking into his mind.
“Now awaken to your new life,” I said.
His eyes opened.
He smiled.
“My love,” he said. With those two words, I knew I had been successful. I undid the chains and Xhaiden took me up into his arms and kissed me deeply. I melted into him and felt the stirrings of my own need for him. I could feel his member pushing into me and I wanted it within me.
With a wave of my hand, our armor fell to the ground and we stood there in an embrace, exploring each other’s bodies with our hands. As he bore me down to the altar where I had become a woman, I rejoiced in the sensations that I had not felt in so very long.
Tomorrow we had much to do. With my resurrection and freedom from the crystal, it was time to move on my first target. It would not be difficult, for I already had forces in place that would make the taking of the town quite simple.
But tonight, as the rain continued to fall on the skylight above my lover and I, I would simply rejoice in the feel of Xhaiden inside me, thrusting deeply as only a skilled lover could.
The empire could wait one more day.
