Aftermath of the Night

OUTSIDE THE KAULDRON:

As John steps outside, his eyes are immediately filled with the sight of the aftermath.

Buildings bear scorch marks from the fires that trapped many. Chunks of brick are discoloured from the rest of the walls as the repairs go on. The streets are being fitted with new stone, and the broken cobble being tossed to the side to be reused elsewhere.

Roofs are uneven, windows are boarded up and streets are littered with broken belongings.

However, even with all the destruction in view, John sees one thing that shines through all of that...

Hope.

John sees the people of Reduna'z Gaze helping one another. He looks on as the residents just get on with it, all while they, shockingly... smile.

John then turns to Nartoko and asks, "Hey Nartoko... why are they smiling? Their homes are in ruins".

Nartoko simply chuckles, his hand on John's shoulder as he says, "They're smiling because they got see another sunrise. Yes, their homes may be ruined... but homes can be rebuilt, belongings can be remade. The one thing that can't be rebuilt... is life... that's why they're happy... because they still have their lives".

John listens to Nartoko's words and can't help but be inspired by the Captain.

Eventually, Lani speaks up as she says, "We should get to the western gate".

"Good idea Lani, follow me" Nartoko says before the trio begin walking (and flying) away.

---

TEN MINUTES LATER - THE WESTERN GATE:

The trio walk up the last little street, before finally arriving at the western gate.

As they get to the gate, cheers immediately ring out as all the soldiers see the recent arrivals. The cheers then alert one particular soldier who calls out to the trio.

"Look who finally decided to get his ass out of bed!".

The trio look up and that's when they see Captain Parlo standing up on the wall.

Parlo then walks down the steps and quickly heads over to the group. As he gets over to the group, John and Parlo hug as they laugh.

John is the first to speak as he says, "Glad to see you're actually doing your job Parlo".

"Well, when the big hero decides to get some beauty sleep, the rest of us are left to clean up the mess".

The group laugh as the duo break the hug.

John then looks around and asks, "Doing repairs huh?".

"Yep" Parlo replies, "It's mostly laying down fresh bricks and reinforcing them. We had to fit a new gate as well... luckily even those idiots can't mess that up".

"What about the other gates?" Nartoko asks.

Parlo then responds, "The north and south gates are all but repaired. They didn't need much work done in fairness, but the higher ups wanted them reinforced as well".

"And the east gate?".

"What gate? Hell, after the flames were put out... it was just a big ass hole in the wall. The majority of the repair crews are on it, and i've got Manseer leading the guard there in case some bandits decide to try and take advantage. We're getting there Nartoko... the old girls healing".

John then looks around before asking, "Where's Mordroe and Johtun?".

"Mordroe's dealing with the Jarl, he's always been the more political one outta all of us. As for Johtun...".

Parlo's expression changes as he says Johtun's name, his face dropping like an anvil off a cliff. He eventually meets eyes with Nartoko and Lani who share the same looks, but eventually Parlo responds, "He's uhh... he's with Cidal. I don't know exactly where Cidal is, but he's still in town".

"Uhh, okay, thanks. I'll find him later" John says.

Lani quickly changes the subject as she asks, "What about the festival? Is that still on?".

"Ohh aye! Tomorrow cannot come soon enough! I can't wait to get out of this armour, and swim in some barrels of ale!".

The group lets out a collective laugh at Nartoko's words, but as they begin to calm down, John asks, "So, what's next on the agenda?".

"Oh! We have to go visit the Seer!" Lani says in her usual happy way.

"The Seer? Why?".

"She said something about an item you might want. She was very cryptic about it though".

"That doesn't sound ominous whatsoever" John comments which earns a chuckle from the two captains.

Nartoko then says, "Well, you two enjoy your visit. I'm gonna stick with this dolt".

"What's the matter Nartoko? Scared of the Seer?" Parlo teases.

"Damn right! That woman gives me the fucking heebie-jeebies. When she stares into your eyes... it's like she's staring right at your soul. So aye, she creeps me the fuck out".

Parlo laughs heartily, unable to keep a serious face for long before the laughter spilled out. Nartoko meanwhile just gives his friend a small punch before the two captains walk away from John and Lani.

"So, he isn't afraid of the undead... but he's terrified of the Seer?".

"Apparently so" John simply replies, "C'mon, let's go see what this mystical item is".

---

THE SEERS DEN:

Lani and John walk into the Seers Den and are met with a cold chill in the air. They look around and once again, see those same crystal balls on the shelves, and hear the familiar wind chimes singing.

As they step up to the counter, they hear the Seers voice call to them, "Lani, John, i'm back here! Give me a moment!".

The two look at each other and John asks, "How did she know it was us?".

Just then, the Seer pokes her head through the curtain and says, "I could feel Lani's magic as soon as she stepped in. Now, come with me".

The Seer pulls her head back and the duo quickly follow behind. They trail behind the Seer who walks them to a far room before saying, "I assume from your heroics that you both have strong stomachs... you may need it".

The duo wonder what she meant by that, but assume that they'll find out soon enough.

They walk through the last curtain and immediately the two recoil with John exclaiming, "What in the holy fuck?!".

The two look at the table in front of them and see the severed head of one of the undead that's kept in place with what appears to be magical clamp of sorts. Its eyes are pried wide open, and the top of its head is missing, exposing the brain. The most disturbing thing about that sight... is that the head is still alive! It snarls at the trio with its jaw moving wildly, a gargling growl showing its desire to eat.

"What... is this?" Lani asks, trying not to freak out.

"This is the reason why I asked you to bring John".

John and Lani look at the other with worried eyes as the Seer grabs something from a nearby desk.

"Back when the undead invaded, I warded my home and hid as best I could with the people I brought in. As I was hiding, I saw Imoga giving orders to her legion and became immediately intrigued. It was obvious that the connection was magical due to her reviving them, so I needed to do experiments. I saw one shambling by, and so I borrowed their head".

The Seer then gets close to the head and is about to begin poking at the brain as she begins to speak, "Now, if you look here...".

"Wait! Can we just get the short explanation? We really don't need the biology lesson" John pleads.

"Alright" The Seer responds, moving her fingers away from the exposed brain, "When a necromancer brings back a minion, a small part of the brain reactivates with some of the necromantic magic. This allows Imoga to order the undead with a simple thought as it is connected to her via her blood magic. After I had taken its head and examined it, I saw that whenever Imoga issued an order, that part of the brain glowed with the magic. Once Imoga was destroyed, I decided to test something, and well... see for yourselves".

The Seer then looks at the head, focusing her eyes upon it while the duo wait to see what's going to hopefully happen. A few moments later, the two are shocked as they see a small part of the brain glowed with a blue energy.

"What did you do?" Lani asks.

"I connected with the brain. For just a moment... I was in control".

John and Lani are stunned at this development, but the Seer continues, "Now, the only reason that worked is because Imoga is dead, but it got me thinking: How can I use this to help in case of another event like this... and I found the answer".

The Seer then pulls out two small round almost magnet looking objects, "I call them communicators, not a fancy name, but an apt one".

John is shocked, wondering if the Seer has just somehow invented an earpiece. Meanwhile, Lani flies to the Seers hand and examines one of the aforementioned communicators, "What is it exactly?".

The Seer then begins to explain, "They act as a hidden way of long distance communication. During my experiments, I managed to create a similar sort of experience to when Imoga gave orders, minus the brainwashing of course. See, the communicators are imbued with a similar sort of magic that I used to connect to the head, and that magic moves throughout the ear to allow the speakers voice to be heard. So, imagine that you and John are split apart for some reason, these will act as a way to immediately communicate and check on the other. John, place this on your earlobe".

John is a little apprehensive as he asks, "Uhh, have you tested these?".

As the Seer places her communicator on, she replies, "I'm about to".

John then sighs, following that up by grumbling as he places the communicator on his ear. He is then surprised as the communicator seems to just stick to his ear with no pain.

"Okay, go to the front of the store and wait for my voice".

John nods and walks through the curtains before getting back to the counter, "Okay! I'm ready!".

John doesn't get a response back. He waits for a few moments and doesn't hear anything. He begins to assume that the so-called communicators are a bust, but that's when he hears the Seer say, "Hello, John".

John whips around, assuming the Seer had just appeared at his side. But as he looks...

He sees that no one is there.

John is stunned, the communicator had actually worked! He then shouts to the girls, "It worked! I heard you!".

Happy cheers can just be heard from John's position, but he then hears the Seer say through the communicator, "Fantastic. Now, to respond, you simply press on the communicator and speak normally".

John then does as the Seer, asks and he says, "So, you weren't touching the brain before we got here, right?".

Another cheer can be heard, the second test being as successful as the first one.

"Okay John, you can come back in" The Seer says.

John then heads back through the curtains and re-joins the two women, immediately seeing an excited Lani.

"Do you realise how revolutionary this is?! You've just potentially made letters and carrier birds obsolete!".

"Slow yourself there fairy, there is a down fall with these communicators. Because Imoga's connection only had a range of a couple hundred feet at maximum, these will have the same unfortunately".

"No matter the range, these are still amazing. We've got similar stuff back on Earth, they're called phones. They allow you to talk to anyone around the world. You could be here and someone could be on the exact opposite side and you can talk to them in real time".

The two women are simply stunned by this very basic explanation of a phone.

"But they must be rare, right?" Lani asks.

"Uhh, no actually, quite a lot of people have them. I'm talking like billions of people".

The two women's jaws have collectively crashed through the floor, and are still going. The stunned looks on their faces almost perfect for a picture, if he had his phone to take said picture that is.

Lani finally snaps out of her shock as she says, "Uhh, okay, I shall definitely be asking a lot of questions about that later. Back to the communicators, is there any chance you could... make one for me?".

"Do not worry fairy, I always planned to. I just needed to test these out first before wasting any more material" The Seer replies.

John then asks, "How many of them can you make?".

"Not a lot i'm afraid. The metal needed to hold the magic I used is incredibly rare, you can't even find an ingot in Wiralsama. I've specifically ordered a new shipment, but the mines are running slow because of the civil war".

Lani is stunned, "Wait, you're ordering Volcinium straight from Kravk?! That must be ridiculously expensive".

"I'm the only Seer in this part of the continent, funds are not an issue" The Seer simply replies before continuing, "Anyway, I must get going. The Jarl has requested my assistance in negotiations with a recently arrived coven".

John is confused, "Wait, people here just openly negotiate with witches? Aren't they like... hunted down?".

As the Seer is collecting some items, she says, "Not all covens are evil. Most are simply a sisterhood just trying to live like normal people, but due to the evil covens... well... you know what they say about a few bad apples...".

John quietly agrees, nodding his head as the Seer puts her satchel over her shoulder.

The trio then make their way out of the Seers Den and the Seer says, "So, I assume that you both shall be going to the festival tomorrow?".

"Yep! It is going to be amazing!" Lani squeals.

The Seer slightly chuckles, "Then I shall see you both there, farewell for now".

The Seer then splits away from the two as she heads to the negotiations. John then turns to Lani before asking, "So, what's next?".

---

LATER THAT NIGHT:

John and Lani are back in the much quieter Kauldron, tired after a long few hours of talking and checking up on people. After talking to the Seer, the duo went to see Sylus, Mordroe, Manseer and saw the repairs happening at the eastern gate. The amount of soldiers and civilians that stopped and thanked John was more than either of the two expected.

The part that hit John the hardest was the marker of the dead. A black stone wall stood next to the statue of Reduna'z, the names of the fallen covering the entire thing. John didn't count all the names, but if he had to estimate, it would've been close to a hundred, maybe more. They even saw a part of the wall that was dedicated to the Laccier Legion, the names of Johtun's men all etched onto the sleek black stone.

Now, they're at a table, getting some food and having a drink as they converse about the day. As they go throught the events of the day, John remembers the mental note he took earlier and decides to ask about it, "Hey Lani?".

"Yes?".

"Earlier, when I asked you about what happened to you after I passed out, you seemed somewhat... **** to talk about it. Why?".

Lani's head drops, a sullen sigh leaving her lips before she responds, "Do... you remember... what she called me?".

John tries to think back to near the end of the battle after the supersized Lani showed up and kicked a lot of shadow ass. John then remembers what Imoga said to him moments before he turned her to ash, "My conduit for complete power isn't even a real fairy!".

"She said you weren't a... real fairy".

Those words pierce Lani once again, the recoil visible to John as he sees the figurative wind being taken from Lani's sails.

She eventually tilts her head up, barely looking at John before beginning to speak, "Umm... so... back when we spent our first night here...".

Lani is then interrupted as the door to the Kauldron opens and Kyuala's voice calls out, "There you are! I've been looking for you!".

John looks at the entering Kyuala and waves before quickly looking back to Lani who says, "I'm going to go get some sleep, and give you two some space. Just... give me some time and I'll tell you everything... I promise".

Lani then gets up and after a quick greeting with Kyuala, flies upstairs, leaving Kyuala and John.

"Is Lani okay?" Kyuala asks.

"Yeah, she's just tired. It's been a long day".

Kyuala then simply nods, before grabbing John's arm and says, "Well I hope it wasn't too long, cause you're coming with me".

Before John can even attempt to ask any sort of question, Kyuala has already picked him up from the chair, and has dragged him to the stairs in the blink of an eye.

---

UPSTAIRS:

The door to Kyuala and John's room bursts open and the former has dragged John over to the bed before tossing him onto it.

John finally gets a moment to realise what is happening and is all for it. Meanwhile, Kyuala's hungry eyes scan John's body, and she likes what she sees.

Kyuala then walks over to him, climbing onto the bed and gets very close to John's ear before speaking just above a whisper, "Remember what I told you during the battle?".

A grin appears on John's face as he coyly replies, "You might have to refresh my memory".

Kyuala slyly chuckles, "I said... when the battle was over... I was going to fuck you for a week straight. So... I hope you got enough rest... because I plan to do... just... that".

Kyuala then begins to nibble on John's ear lobe, and it gets John's blood pumping, especially down south.

Kyuala eventually stops, staying beside John's ear before whispering, "I'm going to get us something... special. When I get back, I expect you to be rid of all of those clothes, or i'll have to punish you... understood?".

John's grin spreads from ear-to-ear as he whispers back, "Yes, ma'am".

Kyuala pulls back, her eyes burning with passion and desire as she stares deeply into the windows of John's soul. After a few seconds of staring, Kyuala finally manages to tear her eyes away from John before she leaves the room.

Just as Kyuala shuts the door, John immediately begins to shed his clothes. His shirt, pants and shoes all fly off in a matter of moments, his socks quickly following as well. The last part of clothing left is his boxers, John is about to take them off when he suddenly stops, wondering if he would wait for Kyuala to come back before whipping them off. The deliberation goes on for a few seconds, but he eventually decides to do as Kyuala ordered and takes his boxers off. Now, all he has to do is wait...

---

A FEW MINUTES LATER:

John is still sitting on the bed in his birthday suit, waiting for Kyuala to return. He wonders what could be taking so long, but he quickly gets the thought out of his mind, so he can stay in the zone.

He then begins to ponder on how he should pose when Kyuala comes back, "Should I lay on my side like the guys in the movies? Nah, I don't have nearly enough abs for that. Should I sit on the edge of the bed? Maybe have my legs open a little? God no, that's creepy. Ahh... I dunno... What I do know is that I should definitely get hard before she walks in, being soft isn't exactly a great start".

Just then, John hears footsteps coming up the steps and assumes it is Kyuala, so he quickly begins to work his shaft to get prepared.

After a few seconds, John's member has stirred awake and is ready to go as the footsteps get closer to the door.

The door handle then begins to move and John quickly gets onto his side, choosing the movie position with his leg cocked up... and his cock up.

The door then opens up and in walks Kyuala with a few bottles in hand, "Oooh, seems you listened... good... because I have a surprise for you...".

John is intrigued and excited about this supposed surprise. He prepares himself for something like lingerie, or something to that effect.

A moment then passes by before the door opens up again, and John is shocked as he says, "Tally?!".