The Lokori murmured and twitched as each of them lowered themselves down in a crouch, but did nothing overtly aggressive. Its lip curled and it made murmuring sounds as it sniffed the air.
Bannor couldn’t help but shake a little as the creature shifted forward. His heart thrummed in his chest and he felt like ice.
“Sennn…” he moaned.
“Stay still,” she rumbled.
The Lokori muttered some lower, more passive sounds, and crept forward on hands and toes. Its skin, which had a greenish tint, glinted like polished metal in the ruddy light. It wore a makeshift sleeveless tunic made from some kind of smooth animal hide as well as short breeches sewn with gut. For all their animalistic nature, these creatures obviously possessed some kind of human-like intelligence and culture.
Shrugging broad shoulders, the creature sidled up until it was less than a pace away from them. It made grunts and murmurs, sniffing and rubbing at its thick blue ruff of hair as it edged toward Ziedra. As the male creature moved, Bannor noticed numerous scars all down its arms and legs.
He saw the ascendant of magic swallow as she eyed the potent entity drawing closer. “Wren, what are we doing?”
“We’re being calm and letting him check us out,” the blonde savant whispered.
“I hope he likes us,” Azir rumbled.
The Lokori paused just an arm-length away from Ziedra, raising its nose and sniffing. Tension running through its body, it made a whining, uncertain sound and shifted side-to-side looking her up and down.
“What’s it doing?” Ziedra said, looking back to Wren.
“Are you wearing perfume?”
“Of course,” the dark-haired woman answered.
“He doesn’t know what to make of it,” Wren offered.
Bannor felt some movement and realized that Senalloy was keeping an eye on the situation but using the creature’s apparent distraction to finish up her surgical duties.
The Lokori overcame its uncertainty and shifted forward with a grunt.
Ziedra flinched, cringing as it came right up on her. “Wrennn…” she moaned.
“Shhh,” the blonde savant hushed. “Stay calm.”
The blue-haired humanoid hovered over the ascendant of magic, not quite touching her, sniffing at her hair and shoulders and shaking.
After a moment, Ziedra rocked her head back and her jaw tightened. She let out a breath. “Lorrrds… you don’t think…”
“That is one lonely howler,” Azir murmured. “He’s so hard he could do a tree-stump.”
“Damn you, Azir,” Ziedra growled, clenching her fists.
The emotion in the woman’s voice and the tensing of her body made the Lokori shy back a bit.
“Something tells me this fellow has been a bit unlucky in love,” Daena said in wary tone.
The creature shifted closer and sniffed again, almost intoxicated by whatever it was that made the dark-haired ascendant smell different. He finally reached out and gathered together a finger-thick bundle of her hair across his palm and brought it to his face.
The Lokori made raw groaning sounds between sniffs.
“Okay, I have gone from terrified to icked-out,” Ziedra murmured. “What the hades is he doing with my hair?”
“You use that scented soap on your hair, right?”
“What woman doesn’t?”
“I don’t.”
“Wren, do you even count?”
“Hey!”
“He sure likes the way you smell,” Daena remarked.
“I’m worried about when he gets the idea he can move on to other business,” Ziedra said. “Can he even hear? We’re talking and he doesn’t react.”
“Oh, he has awesome hearing,” Wren said. “He just doesn’t care what we’re saying.”
“Zee,” Senalloy said. “Just keep him distracted a little longer. I’m almost done working on Bannor.”
Ziedra growled. Her brow furrowed and she drew a breath. She raised her hand.
“Careful,” Wren advised.
The Lokori was so lost in the scent of Ziedra’s hair that he didn’t seem to care as she raised her hand and reached out to touch the thick blue mane crowning the creature’s head, neck, and back. She touched a few strands and then moved her fingers through it when he didn’t react. Actually, the creature seemed so enamored of her scent that a castle could collapse next to him and he wouldn’t notice.
“Whoa, his hair is soft,” Ziedra marveled. “It’s like kitten fur.” Growing more confident, she stroked his head.
The Lokori almost swooned, whining and pressing up against her touch. Hands clenching and unclenching energies flickered around the male’s arms. Like a cat’s claws extending and retracting, razor-sharp metal shimmered into being around his fingers with a rasp, then clicked out of existence.
Ziedra tilted her head, staring at the creature with wide eyes. “Awww, it’s cute—in a creepy horrendously lethal way.”
“Damn,” Azir muttered. “Talk about desperate for attention…”
“I want some of that perfume,” Daena remarked.
“Don’t relax,” Wren said. “He could get crazy fast. Daena, talk to him.”
“Me? Why me?”
“You’re the only one with that spirit speak ability. We know what will happen if we try to telepath him.”
“I guess.”
Daena moved, still on hands and feet around to Senalloy. Bannor could tell she was making an effort not to look down. “Sen, is Bannor going to be okay?”
“Sure, just a give me a bit more time.”
The auburn haired girl circled around closer to Ziedra and the Lokori. She cleared her throat. “Ummm—Hello?”
The Lokori didn’t respond. Of course, he probably wouldn’t have noticed if she had clubbed him over the head.
“Come closer,” Ziedra said. “Slow though.”
Daena sidled up until she was almost touching him.
“Reach out a hand, but don’t touch him.”
The girl did as Ziedra said.
Daena’s movement broke the Lokori out of his reverie and he twitched back with a low growl. He stared at Daena, and the tone dropped. He leaned forward and sniffed at her fingers.
“Ummm, can you understand me?” Daena said.
The Lokori seemed more interested in her hand than in communicating. He made murmuring sounds as he tentatively dipped closer and closer until his nose was over her knuckles.
“So, is he an animal, or what?” Azir said. “He wears clothes.”
“It’s pretty strange,” Wren said. “I can handle not knowing as long as he’s not ripping and tearing at us. You saw those claws?”
“Yeah.”
The Lokori took hold of Daena’s wrist and pulled her close.
“Hey!” She yelped, fumbling forward and catching her balance on her free hand.
“Stay calm,” Wren urged.
The Lokori pulled her hand to his face, sniffing her palm then down her arm. He reached the armor encasing her arm and grunted. He examined the heavy material, tapping it with a steely claw. After a few instants of study, he split the finger-thick alloy apart with a slash of his nail, the way a normal person might slash through a wax document seal.
Daena flinched. “Yii!” She stared down at her arm as the Lokori peeled away the split arm guard and tossed it away with a clunk. He went back to exploring her scent. “Frelll… did you see that?” She murmured with wide eyes, staring at her unmarked arm.
“Lords,” Ziedra breathed.
“Spit, we might as well be wearing parchment,” Azir muttered.
“Monomolecular claws,” Senalloy remarked, looking up from her careful stitching.
“Mono-what-ular?” Wren said.
“Simply put, the perfect edge, the sharpest thing in the universe. Usually, it’s only possible in an artifice. Somehow it was integrated into a living thing.”
Daena was shaking. “Damn, this guy is scary.”
“Dane, if you stay calm I don’
t think he’ll hurt you.”
She stared down at the raptly intent Lokori. “There are things besides physical harm that I still don’t want to happen.”
“Dane, we’ll help you…”
“You’ll try…”
Senalloy seemed to finish with her needle and thread. “Wren, I still need that water.”
“Dren. Do you think it’s safe for me to take off with mister amorous fawning all over Daena and Zee?”
“We’re not safe, but the danger does not seem immediate. Just hurry.”
“Okay. Dane, if he gets too fresh blow him over the horizon. I’d rather learn something about them, but if we can’t…” Her voice trailed off. “I’ll be back fast.”
“Sure, just leave me to deal with this guy,” Daena murmured.
Wren retreated back out through Ziedra’s shield and when a good distance away leaped into the air and hissed toward the lake.
“Not that I mind being admired,” Daena said. “I would rather you spoke to me.”
The Lokori grunted and made a different sound.
Daena stiffened. “What?”
“Did he say something?” Ziedra asked.
“Sort of,” Daena said with a furrowed brow.
“Talk or I’m not going to let you smell me anymore.”
The Lokori’s intent movements and nuzzling of her arm stopped. It raised its head and stared at her with glowing gold eyes. Its lips peeled back from long fangs and he let out a long growl.
“Who am I? Who are you? Mister steal a free sniff.”
Ziedra gritted her teeth and made stopping gestures with her hands. “Daena, claws—remember the claws.”
The Lokori leaned away from Daena and dropped down on his knees. He glanced back at Ziedra, then back to Daena. He made a low rumble in his throat.
The auburn-haired savant scowled at him. “What do you mean we smell good but we’re not very smart?”
“He probably understands everything we say,” Azir said. “It’s like Sis said. He just doesn’t care.”
Daena folded her arms. “Well, I care. I didn’t come here to be some Lokori’s scratch and sniff!”
The creature eyed Daena. The expression on its face, the subtle movements of its body, demonstrated that this was not some animal. It lowered its head with narrowed eyes and made a series of guttural sounds that were the first things Bannor had heard that resembled any kind of language.
Daena focused on the Lokori, expression hardening. “Look, just because we’d rather not kill doesn’t mean we can’t or won’t.” She unfolded her arms and opened her fingers. “I can blow you all the way to those mountains if you really want proof.” A bluish illumination surrounded her body.
The Lokori stared at her, golden eyes shining. Its claws unsheathed with a snap.
“Daena…” Ziedra warned.
Staring at him, the young savant rose to her feet.
The Lokori swayed to a stand with a toss of its mane. It worried clawed toes into the turf. Muscles twitching, the creature loomed over Daena. She met its gleaming eyes.
“You want to start something, Furry?” Daena growled. “Your friends will be cleaning fuzz off the mountainside for a tenday.”
“Daena we can’t get information from a flaming blood smear,” Ziedra warned.
“You’re assuming this mooch knows something worthwhile.”
Growling something, the Lokori drew back.
Daena made a slapping gesture. The Lokori blasted away from her with a thrum that made the air shudder. He slammed into the turf with a crunch. Grass and weeds exploded as he shrieked backward, gouging a long furrow in the ground.
Azir winced. “Ow.”
Ziedra stared at the creature half buried in the hilltop. “Oh frell, Dane. Now you’ve done it!”
The Lokori let out a roar and launched itself out of the crater it had made, and lanced at the young ascendant in a blur.
Daena took two steps forward and backhanded the creature as it came into range. The Lokori made half a dozen pace-wide divots in the soil before tumbling and smashing to a stop.
Not deterred, the creature leaped up and charged again. Only to be punched off to another punishing landing.
The creature leaped out of the third crater and shook the dirt off, claws glinting in the reddish light, gold eyes shining like stars. It made a low rumbling growl.
Daena shook her head. “Bring it, Furry. We can do this until you’re tired of eating grass. As long as you have a metal skeleton and claws—I own you. You could turn off that power and try to beat me down.” She made a coming gesture. “Try it, you blue mooch!”
“Hey, what’s going on!?” Wren yelled, showing up over the crest of the hill and slowing to a stop a few paces off the ground. She held a water-skin under her arm.
“Furry was learning some manners,” Daena growled.
The Lokori oriented on Wren and blazed straight at her with a snarl.
The savant of forces had perhaps an eye-blink to recognize her danger. Apparently, it was enough because she spun in the air, avoiding the stroke of the creature’s claws and whirling a heel kick into its backside. The counter-attack fired the Lokori into the turf with a crash that made the ground shake.
“What the frell?” Wren demanded. “I didn’t do anything, what’s he attacking me for?” Keeping an eye on the creature she floated down through the shield and landed by Senalloy and Bannor. She handed the water-skin to the Baronian lady.
“Don’t blame Daena,” Senalloy said. “We could only understand half the conversation, but it appeared that he got a little lippy with her.”
Wren put hands on hips and looked between the auburn-haired ascendant and the most recent crater containing the angry Lokori. This last attack had apparently been more punishing than the previous three because he didn’t immediately leap up. “Is that so?”
“Difficult to translate,” Daena said. “Kind of like we were scum because we were too weak and too stupid to be respected.” She shrugged.
Wren sniffed, staring at the groaning Lokori who had pushed up to his hands and knees.
“Sounds like a kick in the arse is just what he needed.”
Bannor moaned and let out a breath.
“What’s wrong?” Senalloy said to him. “Is the pain killer wearing off?”
He shook his head. “No, I just feel—” He let out a breath. “Never mind.”
The Baronian pressed her lips to a line and nodded. She took the bag that Wren had given her and held it up, she closed her eyes for a moment, when she opened them an instant later a gleaming white aura surrounded her hands. The bag floated up out of her grasp and uncorked itself. The water poured up out of the spigot forming a growing bubble of shimmering fluid hovering over him like a sparkling cloud reflecting the reddish light of the sky.
Senalloy put the bag aside.
“What are you doing?” Ziedra asked. “It sure looks wizard.”
“Purifying the water,” Senalloy answered. “It looks more impressive than it is.” She gestured and a black radiance raked through the amorphous shape.
Bannor drew his gaze away from what the Baronian was doing to the Lokori. The blue haired creature had stopped a few paces outside Ziedra’s circle of protection, and had crouched down. He seemed fascinated by Senalloy’s spell casting. Such a strange creature.
Wren crouched by Bannor and put a hand on his shoulder. “Hanging tough?”
He swallowed and nodded.
She followed his gaze to the Lokori. The light from Senalloy’s magic cast a rainbow of colors in her eyes and made her skin gleam and sparkle. She let out a breath, grimaced and put a hand on his head. Her blue eyes were glassy as she studied his face with sincere concern and affection. “I’m sorry, Brother. Sorry, I let that happen. I was stupid.”
“Not your fault,” he mumbled. “I was too slow.”
She gritted her teeth. “Bannor, you—” She bit herself off. “It wasn’t your fault.” She swallowed. “Now, I have to try
to salvage something out of this mess.” She rose to her feet and turned to face the Lokori. “Well, Dane. So, can we talk to him or not?”
The auburn-haired savant frowned. She folded her arms. The Lokori’s gaze tracked to her. “Well, he seems to understand us. I can understand him. He may even be able to talk to us, but like you said, he doesn’t care to.”
“Gaea said they hated things other than themselves,” Wren said. “I find hatred like that tends to be rooted in thinking everyone else is inferior.”
“You mean like pantheon lords treat mortals,” Daena said.
“Exactly,” Wren agreed. She snapped her fingers at the creature.
The Lokori focused burning eyes on her.
“Let’s stop playing games. Do you serve Gaea or not?”
The blue-haired creature stiffened. He leaned his head down and snarled.
She pushed out through the shield and moved toward the creature. “You don’t like me saying her name? Gaea is my mother. If you attack me, it’s going to make her very unhappy.”
The Lokori roared and charged her.
“Wren!” Daena gasped.
Like she was doing one of those shadow dance maneuvers, the blonde ascendant lunged beneath the creature’s claws and lifted a knee into its sternum with an impact that made the air tremble.
The male’s cry became a hurt bellow and a futile gasp for breath. He writhed on the ground clutching his stomach and trying to suck air.
“Blue boy, you’re out here by yourself because your own folks don’t like you. Probably because you’re not much of a fighter—but that’s just a guess.”
The Lokori clawed to its knees and glared at her with tears streaming down its cheeks. It snarled and spit in a way that needed no translation.
“I think you need to rethink who’s pathetic here. You’re on the ground, and you’re going to stay there. Whether you live will be a function of whether you please me or not.”
The creature tossed its head, gaze boring into her.
“I am the daughter of Gaea. I’m prepared to prove it. However, I need something. I need into the ruins underneath Gaea’s shrine by the lake. I need help.”
Tears streaking down its face, the Lokori coughed and wheezed in an uncontrollable fit.
A fit of laughter.
Reality's Plaything 5: The Infinity Annihilator Page 21
