Chapter 16: Chapter: 16 Ahri’s Quest

Ahri POV

It had been two weeks since Talasin had fled like a scared rabbit. Ahri had left Marrick naked and mostly unharmed. He might have trouble peeing straight for a few weeks. But no matter how much she’d pursued Talasin, the man had evaded her. He was a fast little-shit.

She’d chased after him and found his tracks leading down the king's road. However, it had come to an abrupt halt in a puddle of blood beside the corpse of a giant snake.

She knew he was alive. He was scrappy that way. Like a cockroach you could stand on him and beat him with a stick but he kept crawling around no matter what. She liked that about him and when she found him again she would make sure he used that tenacity to serve her.

Town after town had been searched on her quest to get him back but she was beginning to fear that he could be anywhere. As much as it pained her she knew she couldn't give up the search just yet.

The sound of a horse and carriage pulled Ahri out of her dark thoughts. She transformed her clothing into something more seductive and stepped out from behind a tree and into the road. She pulled up the leg of her skirt and held out a thumb in the universal sign of give me a lift and I’ll make it worth your while.

The wagon driver was a simple man named Kled. He helped her into the wagon and complemented Ahri so many times that she began to feel dirty every time he opened his mouth.

He continually ‘accidentally’ brushed his hand against her thighs every opportunity he got. All the while Ahri cursed Talasin for running away. When she found him he would pay for this.

The whole ride was a nightmare and from the ever growing redness in the man's face Ahri knew this ride would not end well for one of them. When Kled stopped ‘accidently’ touching her and started openenly groping her, Ahri finally snapped.

“Listen you putrid breathing asshole,” she said. “If you touch me one more time I will break off your fingers and feed them to your horse. Understand me?”

Kled’s greasy grin vanished and was replaced with open hostility. Apparently Kled didn't like being called a putrid breathing asshole.

He stopped the carriage and leant over her with his foul breath breathing against her face.

“You dress like a whore but expect to be treated like a princess,” he said through yellowed teeth. “You got to ride my wagon now I get to ride you.”

Ahri cracked her knuckles and smiled.

“I hoped you’d say that. You see, I've had a really bad couple of weeks and I need to blow off some steam.”

---

Ahri tossed Kled’s motionless body off the side of the carriage. He’d live but he'd have to learn to wipe his ass with his foot. She nudged the horses and continued on to the next town.

A few hours later the carriage passed over a bridge and Ahri looked up at a mountain looming over the town of Brevale.

Above the bridge was a sign of a gear with a line drawn through it, she read, “No Steamtech allowed.”

She had passed through many villages whilst looking for Talasin and most were pro Steamtech. If this town was against it then it must mean that the people who lived here were wealthy enough to afford spell cards.

As she entered the town she realized her hunch had been right. Brevale was a rich town. The streets were paved in polished marble, manicured trees littered the walkway and an ornately decorated oil lantern hung on each street corner.

The houses that lined the streets were large and double storied with white walls and heavy oak doors with iron linings. Breval was Ahri’s kind town. It was clearly a place that had more money than it knew what to do with.

As she walked down the main road she saw a group of men and women dressed in brightly colored clothing unpacking a caravan. A sour looking man led a small pony into an enclosure and a large breasted woman sang a song about a mermaid and a sailor. Ahri's face flushed at the provocative lyrics and she looked away not wanting to meet the large breasted woman’s eyes.

The sun had set and the moon was peeking through clouds when Ahri turned down a street away from the circus to find an inn for the night.

---

Storm clouds rolled over the mountain and howling wind beat against Ahri's window. She didn't get much sleep that night and when she fell asleep she had nightmares of shadowy figures trying to claw their way into her bedroom.

She woke up drenched in sweat and trembling. The nightmares were becoming more frequent.

Hours passed and the storm finally stopped. The birds began to chirp and the sun shone in through the window and onto Ahri's bed.

She got out of bed, collected her newest binding card and headed down for breakfast. After she’d eaten she transformed her clothes into a warm hooded robe and stepped out for a walk around town.

The wind was chilly but Ahri had work to do. She stopped at every inn, tavern and brothel in Brevale and asked for someone matching Talasins description. When that turned up no results she headed down to the marketplace.

“Is that a squid on a stick?” she asked a vendor.

“It’s a cuttlefish.”

Ahri grinned.

“I’ll have four.”

“If you buy five we’ll throw an extra one in for free.”

“What if I buy eight?” she asked.

“I like the way you think, my lady.”

---

A few hours later Ahri found herself standing in front of the circus and staring up at its large mirror tent.

A bearded peddler selling trinkets waved her over and her curiosity got the better of her and she stepped towards the man.

“I have bags of magic beans, spell cards of every order. I have choking dust, bottled youth, liquid orgasms and eternity flasks,” the words rolled off the man's tongue in a well-rehearsed manner. “Whatever your need, for work or for pleasure, Baskin Tommelkins is at your service.”

Ahri couldn't help but smile at the man’s presentation. His hands which fluttered over trinkets and raised bottles to catch the light did as much of the talking as his mouth did. She was curious about the liquid orgasm but there was no way she would ask about that.

“Do you have a spell card of Null Magic?”

Baskin’s lips pressed together in a slight frown.

“A highly sought after card that is currently out of stock. If there’s a curse that needs to be broken I have just the thing.”

The man pulled a skeleton hand out of a draw and gently placed it on the table.

“The hand of a lich. A shaved knuckle of this mixed with malt whiskey and drunk under the full moon will break any curse known to man.”

Ahri was sure the bones held no magical powers, they probably weren't even from a lich. Baskin must have thought that she was some rich noble’s daughter who believed they were cursed because their boyfriend had cheated on them.

“By the way,” she said. “I’m looking for someone. Dark hair, shifty eyes, real pervert type.”

The merchant scratched his beard.

“You just described half the men of my home town.”

Ahri smiled and placed a binding card on the table.

“How much for this?”

---

Ahri bought a map from Baskin. She opened it and while studying it she heard lively music and rhythmic drumming coming from the tent.

The last time she’d been to a circus was with her family before she’d ascended.

What’s the harm in looking?

She adjusted her hood and stepped into the tent. It smelled of fried foods and sugary treats. A figure dressed like a bear, arm in arm with a busty woman stumbled past her, almost knocking her over. The bear roared and the woman giggled playfully and ran out the back of the tent while the bear chased after her.

Ahri found a seat at the back of the tent and watched the first performance. It was called ‘A man eating chicken.’ It was pretty much what the name implied. A fat man sat on a chair and ate the largest chicken drumstick Ahri had ever seen.

The man finished the meat and tossed the bone. A puff of smoke burst out of the stage and a massive chicken leapt out of the smoke and bit the man's head off. The small crowd of onlookers cheered and roared in laughter.

The next act was a golden haired woman in a tiny bikini standing on a tightrope above a miniature bathtub.

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The girl trembled and the rope shook as she aimed to dive into the bathtub. She took a step forward and slipped and fell backwards. She plummeted through the air and the crowd and Ahri all gasped.

The girl spun around into a flawless dive and landed head first

into the tiny bath tube. Two assistants pulled the stage away, revealing a large water tank with the girl swimming in it. But the girl's legs had changed into a purple shimmering fish tail.

The girl swam to the bottom of the tank and then kicked off from the ground and launched herself into the air. She did a flip spraying water all over the front row of onlookers. She landed deftly on the tight rope again and her tail was once again a pair of legs. She bowed and the crowd stood and cheered.

Next up was the big breasted woman and the fake bear.

The woman was pretending to be a bear trainer. Obviously the show was meant to be funny as every time the woman told the bear to do something and cracked her whip the bear did the wrong thing.

The woman cracked her whip directly above the bear’s head a final time and there was a puff of smoke and the fake bear transformed into a real bear. It let out an ear-piercing roar.

Behind Ahri a child screamed in fear. Ahri turned around and saw a child dressed in rags peeking through a flap on the side of the tent.

Ahri gasped in shock. It wasn't just because the girl was the first poor person she’d seen since arriving in Beval. It wasn't just because the girl was clutching an elegant red dress under her arm. It was because the girl looked exactly like Ahri's little sister.

Ahri stood up and walked over to the girl.

“Hi,” she said.

As soon as the words left her mouth the child turned and bolted. Ahri didn't hesitate for a moment. She opened the tent flap and chased after the girl.

The girl rounded a corner and Ahri transformed her clothing into a long evening dress. The girl looked around and not seeing Ahri she slowed down but she still continued looking over her shoulder.

Ahri followed the girl out of town and along a dirt trail heading towards the mountain that hung over Brevale.

---

Two guards dressed in leather armor and carrying spears stood in front of a path that led to the mountain. They greeted the girl as she stopped in front of them.

Ahri crouched behind a tree and watched the scene unfold. She heard a guard shouting at the girl for being late. She also heard something about the flower child waiting for the dress and the master being upset. The tallest of the two guards used a spell card and a door appeared on the side of the mountain and the girl entered.

A shadow passed over Ahri and she turned in time to see a man wearing a green suit and an orange tie smiling down at her.

“What do we have here?” asked the man.

Before Ahri could react she saw a card disintegrating in the man's hand and tendrils rising up all around her and pinning her arms to her side.

The two guards appeared beside her a moment later.

“Take her,” said the man. “Throw her in with the seeds.”

---

Ahri was bound, blindfolded and gagged and carried into the mountain kicking and screaming.

The guards held her tight and marched in silence for some time. She felt them heading ever downwards and through a series of winding passages.

Finally they came to a stop and she heard an iron door open up. Rough hands untied her hands and took the gag and blindfold.

She kicked and shouted at them but the guards ignored her words and threw her into a cell and slammed the bars shut behind her.

The room was so dark that for a second she thought she still wore the blindfold. She heard shuffling sounds and heavy breathing coming from the back of the room. She spun around with her hands outstretched to fight off anyone that got too close but nobody came. Finally Ahri laid down on the hard ground and sobbed until sleep finally caught up to her.

---

Ahri was woken up by some dick hole banging against the iron bars. She opened bleary eyes and saw a prison guard silhouetted against morning light which spilled into the room from a skylight.

She looked around and finally got her first glimpse of her cell mates. Kids dressed in rags. That had to be at least twenty of them. They were all about ten years old.

The girl Ahri had followed the night before stood over and smiled broadly.

“You came just in time,” she said to Ahri. “It's Tibit's birthday.”

The prison guard hit the iron bars with a club and the sound echoed throughout the room.

“Seed 27- Tibit,” the guard read from a scroll.

A young boy named Tibit, bounced to his feet in excitement. Ahri saw a golden binding card clutched in the young boy’s hands.

The birthday binding card. I wonder which god sent it to him?

Tibit crossed the cell to the guard and handed him the binding card.

“Happy birthday,” said the guard as he took the card from the boy and handed him a cupcake with a single candle on it.

So they are farming binding cards with kidnapped kids. That's fucked up.

The kids all gathered around the boy and began to sing happy birthday. They seemed so genuinely happy that it made Ahri feel like shit.

These kids are happier in their cell than I ever was in my god realm.

Tibit broke off tiny pieces of cake and gave each child a piece. When Tibit reached Ahri, and held out a piece for her. It felt like something broke inside of her heart. She reached out a trembling hand and took the crumb of cake from the boy. A broad smile spread across Tibit's face.

“Happy birthday,” she said.

---

The only furniture in the prison cell was a single toilet positioned in the darkest corner. But the kids were resourceful, they had a collection of stones that they played games with and used to draw pictures on the floor. They all sat around as Tibit drew a picture on the ground and everyone took a turn guessing what he was drawing.

Ahri shuffled over to the girl she’d followed the night before and after some awkward conversation she finally found out the girl’s name and her life story.

Her name was Giselle and once she had warmed up to Ahri she told her all about her life growing up under the mountain. She was born there and was the oldest seed. Seeds were the children that had not gone through the blooming ceremony. It usually took new children a few weeks to get selected for the blooming ceremony but Giselle had never been picked.

So this is more than just a binding card farm, these kids are being used for something else.

The children were all excited about the blooming ceremony and they clamored to tell Ahri about the fancy clothes they got to wear on the special day. They also told her that once the ‘flower child’ had performed the ceremony they were moved to a new home.

“When the ceremony is over do you ever see the kids again?” asked Ahri.

Giselle shook her head.

“No, but they go to a better place.”

“Much better,” said another child.

“With talking animals and as much candy as you could ever want,” said Tibit.

The smallest child, a girl named Gracey, who’d sat on Ahri's lap all morning looked up at her and giggled as Ahri's hair tickled her nose.

“In the new home they have fluffy bunnies,” said the girl. “Loads of them and you can pet them.”

Ahri decided that she was going to rescue these kids but first she needed to rescue herself. She had a horrible suspicion that she would find out all too soon what was really going on in Brevale.

Her answer came a few hours later when the gate guard returned with a new scroll in his hand.

“Seed 6- Giselle,” read the guard. “You will be fetching two dresses for the blooming ceremony tonight. One for yourself and one for our pretty new guest.”

---

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