Aftermath

She had flown far. Streaking through the cool air, her Midnight hair flowing behind her like a river of darkness as she fell towards the palace of Ivory and Emerald that she had not returned too in many months... Her mind was less focused than usual, her brain usually a sharpened edge, a blade not welded entirely by herself.

But tonight as she fell through the sky, Her thoughts were her own, and they lingered on the male that she had interacted with.

Nero, she would not soon forget that name, or that face, or that power that she sensed... She could not recall ever feeling the way that she did with him before in her life, not that she could recall without meeting barriers, but with that Male: Nero, she felt her heart thump in her chest, the rushing of her blood in her veins, for the first time in a time before memory, She had felt alive, really alive.

She was drawing nearer, she would have to lower her speed else her plummeting result in colliding with one of the high Crystal arches in a splattering of ****... she considered it for a moment as she always did when **** could be felt breathing down her neck, but as always the voice called to her, commanding her will

YOU WILL NOT DIE.

She reached inside, Her Glyph burning harshly against her skin as she pushed against the quickly approaching balcony, gravity switching against her unaturally and her descent slowing gradually until she was floating solemnly to the long Ivory balcony.

Her bare feet touched softly on the smooth marble as her make-shift coverings of Fur shimmered in the wind.

She never enjoyed her visits to the palace, yet again see never enjoyed much at all, Her senses and emotions were in such a perpetual sense of grey that all was numbed to her mind, but Home... was one of the things that she really despised, more than anything in the world.

She moved through the Golden archway, littered with flora of Red and Orange into the antechamber that was lit by torchlight and Bolt anchors of shining, glorious gold.

She admired none of the decorations of wispy white and gold, she had no time for gayety or girlish lingering, she had time only to reach the tall doors of heavy polished Silver, pushing them open with Her powerful arms to enter the main chamber.

The Sentries, Silhouettes of Silvery white crystal opened their spiked jaws at first, their gangly body's shifting from smooth and womanly to jagged and fierce... but as always, within seconds of seeing her midnight black mask, they stood down, relaxing back into a womanly shape, stepping back to their octagonal podiums to freeze into a statue-like posture.

She continued past them, ignoring the high comfortable and beautiful tower chamber to look around for Her Mistress.

She awakened Corpus, her body flaring with such enhanced sensitivity that she could feel every little vibration in the tower, the birds perched on the polished corners outside, the gentle snores of the sleeping guardsmen 12 floors bellow and... the gentle vibrations of the bathing quarters in the east wing.

Walking along the stark white walkways under the Midnight sky, She crossed through the short but highly decorated passage to the Door to the Royal Bathing quarters, waiting patiently for a call to enter "I will receive no response at this time, without but a knock." She reminded herself briefly, before raising her fist to gently knock in a 4/2 rhythm on the door.

"Enter." She heard a voice say, and she pushed open the doors, a cloud of steam erupting from the room as she entered.

The Bath Quarter was thick with sweet-smelling vapour, the Golden stones that bathed the Room in low light, reflecting dully on the waters of the Hot bath, a Woman's dark silhouette sat behind the wall of vapour, her Great horns that splintered off into elegant branches reaching high above her head.

She knelt low in deep respect to the silhouette, her head so close to the marble floor that Her Head nearly touched it.

Her Mistress acknowledged her with a lazy wave of her hand before speaking in a voice that sliced the air with its frosty commandant "Report."

"As ordered I and Legionnaires Two, Five and Six followed the Griffin to the Eye, Mistress." She answered, short quick and to the point, Her mistress nodding sightly as her shadowed form ran her incredibly long hair through the water "We had arrived just before she had used the Key, Mistress. We had commenced in battle with Her and some of the Savages patrolling the area."

"And...?" Her mistress demanded, clearly very bored by the details.

She took a breath "It is as the prophecy said Mistress, Crimson fell from the sky, the collision and resulting explosion killed most of the Litchen, all three of My Legionaries and left me Heavily damaged, Mistress." She said cooly. Her Mistress, turned at this, Her Violet eyes shining as they pierced the mist

"Hmmmm, so the Son of War has arrived?" Her Mistress asked in a dark tone.

"No Mistress, I searched the Crater but found nothing, if anything was there then I did not find it." ...What was she saying?

Her Mistress stared quizically "Is that so? how pray-tell did You escape?"

"I managed to escape the crater after the Collison by stealing the power of the few surviving Litchen." She was Lying? She was lying to the Mistress, she didn't remember the last time that she ever lied to the Mistress, if she ever had, what would possess her to ever do such a thing?

Her Mistress's eyes studied Her for a moment before she turned back around to bathe in the hot waters "The Legionnaires will have to be replaced, Make arrangements. I have already sent a Frigate full of Zealots for the Heart, I want a message sent to that frigate: alter course for the Litchen's Valley, they may be slow but it will send a clear enough message." Her Mistress commanded.

She got to her feet, bowing deeply before turning to leave "Stop." She heard Her mistress order and she did just that, halting in place as Her Mistress' icy voice called out "You have failed Me, Thing. Do not think that Your punishment will be lightened by Your recent obedience, I will see You on the Dusk and You will pay for Your failure, Understood?" Her Mistress said, her tone like a merciless blade in the air

"Yes, Mistress." She replied, not looking back at the shadowed figure and Violet eyes behind her. Her Mistress Grunted

"Get out of my sight." She followed Her command, leaving the Misty chamber and making her way back through the Royal Chamber.

She did not quite feel like staying at the Palace that night, departing from the Palace in an explosive burst of speed, Repellere scorching harshly on her as she hurtled through the dark sky, ignoring the life of the city bellow.

Why would she lie... Her Mistress took the information, but that was because she could never lie before, what was happening? she felt fundamentally wrong... and yet, paradoxically free.

It had been a while since she had stayed at her Tomb, most of her business had been conducted outside of the Capital, she didn't know if that was on purpose or not but it meant that she had lived outside of any comfort for months now, living in barracks and dungeons with the Legionaries was something she was used to, but sort to avoid when she could.

The Tomb was only a short journey by flight from the Imperial Palace, she would follow the Sky-Saphire; the great Blue star in the night sky westward, toward the City's edge, were nestled into the foot of Mt Hera was The Tomb.

The Tomb was a small fort, unguarded and unnoticed in the shadow of the Mountain-city, it's single tower of pitch-black shiny stone coated in a thick layer of rust, for no one came to scrub the stone with oils after a storm, the Tomb was Hers and hers alone.

Slowing her decent with Repellere, she floated slowly towards the Black tower, landing in an elegant roll across the Tower's smooth precipice, slipping swiftly into the rusted trap door where she fell shortly through the shoot that lead into a fireless room, swathed in darkness.

Though Her sight was poor, even with the lenses of her shadowed helm, she did not see the way, for she knew it better than the wrinkles on the back of her scar-ridden knuckles. Her steps echoed through the dark stairway as she made her way down, taking in the silence and shadow, moving calmly and thoughtlessly through to the Tomb's underground living quarters.

It was in the dark central chamber that she finally moved to the Bolt anchors, watching their Golden light ward off the dark as she activated them in each corner of the room, rows of gems shining brightly and illuminated the place that she would call her escape.

She reached up, her finger's undoing the buckled around her neck and jaw, letting loose the midnight helmet and mask that covered her face. The cool air tickled her face as she set the Helm on its stand, the relief of absence on her helmetless head soothing her already stormy mind.

In the large, circular room was a place where she had once practised her science, a place where she had once spent many days examining potions and mixing herbs in the order of recipes of old. she had not had need of it in the past years... but this night, she walked briskly up to the station, picking up a vial which she relieved into.

She had kept half a cheek of his seed stored for a long time, Nero's seed. It had unfortunately swallowed a small amount during her journey, the sweet cream slowing into her as she flew through the sky, but a little had remained, three or four ounces of the Semen sitting in the vial which she had intended to test since she had used her mouth to stimulate him. There was only a small chance of the Sperm surviving, it would be a miracle if the milky liquid had not died in its journey, but if Nero was who she suspected, then the seed would be strong enough for later analysis.

Her mind wandered as she spent herself in the bath, warmed by the Hotspring's water's that flowed through the Blackstone walls and into the baths which rejuvenated her tired body. "Black of hair, Gold of eye, Skin of crimson, Horn of Briskwave." She thought to herself as she sat in the warm water, memorising the features of the male... who's face and body were cemented in her thoughts, his strong jaw, his button nose, his Briskwave Horns that ribbed back like waves, the muscles on his biceps, his abdomen and the sharpness of his waist, the length and girth of his cock in her mouth...

An unfamiliar sensation burned in her hips, a gushy, warm, alien feeling that flowed like a river down to her slit, the waters of the hot spring concealing the wetness that would inevitably be there "Arousal?" It had been... well, she didn't think that she ever had ever really been aroused, if she was it was hollow and ****, and never just with the thought, especially just from the memory of someone, and a Male to boot.

She thought about it for a moment, her fingers hovering lightly above her slit, her left hand exploring uncertainly along her small areole and nipple that hurt in just the right way when she pinched it.

The smallest of Moans escaped her lips, Her fingertips snaking across the nub of her clit, sending a wave of pleasure up through her abdomen and shivers up her spine. This was a first for her, sure she had tried it before but never had she ever been so utterly lost in it, nor had it ever felt this good, a long groan escaping her as she finally slipped a finger inside, the tightness of her cunt sending a jolt of relaxation that made her rest weakly against the warm stone, her body submerged in the water's of pleasure as she walked down a sexual path that she never had before.

She smiled then, for the first time in a long time "Nero." She thought, her gasps of joyous delight echoing in the dark chamber, in that dark tomb.

"Agh, ow that hurts!" Nero growled as Griff pulled his ruined arm carefully on the stone table

"Don't be such a big baby, come on now, stay still." She said softly, straightening his limp limb with gentle hands as Ulsa stood by, watching with intrigue as Fiore gripped Nero's other hand tightly, her smile never leaving as He winced from the crackling, white-hot pain.

Griffin closed her ocean blue eyes, her palms hovering just above the surface of his bicep and forearm, her fingertips lightly brushing the tattoed surface as she began to draw on her power. Nero watched with wonder as One of her Glyphs began to exude a gentle red light, the shine creeping like smooth smoky tendrils down her arms and across her shoulders.

further, the light crept along her skin, weaving through her fingers and down her palms, converging downward to Nero's broken limb. The light was warm to the touch, it's bountiful ripples enraptured his skin like dipping it in a bubbly bath. He gasped, relife swelling in his chest, the tendrils pushing away the pain like a gentle wave, Griffin's exhale soothing him.

He did not feel the pain of the bones cracking and sealing, though his burnt fingers and fractured wrist clicked back into place. Griffin, her eyes still tightly closed and face wrought with the purest focus, extinguished the Glyph of Additio as Nero now recognized it "The Addition Glyph, so she's transferring her energy to me to heal the bones... amazing" the smokey red light dissipated into the air and his arm, weak, but healed, was allowed to feel and move as if he had not ever blown it up in the first place.

"By the Sovereign..." Ulsa muttered, watching as Griff opened her eyes and stood, Her left arm trembling slightly as she smiled

"There You go, I fixed the major damage but it might be a little stiff for a day or two but then again so will mine." Griff flickered her trembling fingers at Nero who balled and unfurled his fingers, apart from feeling a little numb and overused, his arm was fine

"That is incredible..." He said, enjoying that fact that it didn't feel like he had jumped shoulder first into an active volcano.

"As incredible as it is, I'd prefer if You didn't go around breaking bones, I take on a little bit of that pain when I transfer my Energy like that, as You will soon find out."

"I will?" He asked innocently, Griffin nodded, her pitch-black ear-length hair swaying as she did

"Well I can't heal this Ankle on my own, I can't add my own energy to myself!" She said rather enthusiastically, _"She must have a really high tolerance for pain, the woman's a tank for sure." _Nero nodded kindly, kneeling before Griffin and taking it upon himself to undo the straps and buckles on her boots, She blushed at this "Oh... You don't have to"

"I don't want You hurting Your self anymore, it's cool I'll get it for you." Griff sat after a moments pause, allowing Nero to carefully undo her boots as the Cheif looked at her eagerly

"Fioremika told me of Your skill and bravery in defeating the Mandari Griff-Griff," Ulsa said, nodding approvingly

"...." Griffin stared, Nero could tell that she was trying to decipher what it is that she had said

"She is praising You, for killing the Manticore." Nero finally said _"This language barrier is really becoming a hindrance now." _Griff smiled at Ulsa and Fiore, the Litchen women casting looks of respect to her that they hadn't before

"I'm flattered, but Nero and I did it together, and of course Fiore and the other hunters put up a very impressive fight, I hope that they find peace in the afterlife. I was just one-Gah shit!" Griffin winced as Nero carefully slipped the booth off, revealing her ankle with was blacked and bruised "...Piece of the puzzle." She said as Nero set her boot aside.

He translated and boy did they like that, Ulsa even bowed to Griffin, another of Fiore's hands resting comfortingly on Griffin's shoulder... Nero could have sworn that she had flinched at her touch, but she smiled at the two of them warmly "You know we are really gonna have to do something about the language barrier... maybe I could use Animo, try and pass on some of the Latin I know?" He said, Griffin smirked

"Look at You, already thinking of ways to use Your powers. One thing at a time hot-stuff, focus on my ankle, for now, we don't want You adding something to me that You didn't mean to." Nero flushed as she gave Nero a quick wink "So flirty... I wonder what she would say if I came up with a little retort?" He thought, his mind casting back to when she had pulled away from their kiss

"You had better teach me well then, I intend to bestow myself only in good time." Nero smiled devilishly, Griff rubbed her lips together to contain her smile, averting her eyes a little from him as her expression became rosy.

Additio

People often underestimate Additio and the Benefactors that wield it, pouring one's own power and life **** into another does not seem practical in a land-hungry for battle, but the wielder's of the Additio: Benefactors are far from jumped up healers. hardening and sharpening steel beyond his average capabilities, overflowing an allies vessel with strength to boost them to unrivalled levels, or more frighteningly passing on traits than the target would otherwise prefer that a Benefactor keep to themself...

"...You're saying that I could give someone a disease or something, that's insane!?" He said kinda nervously, He didn't wanna give her a cold or something, who even knew if Vermillico could survive a human sickness like that

"Relax. I trust You. just do it like a told You and everything will be just fine." Griffin's voice was so soothing when she wanted it to be, God she was so beautiful, Hot and sexy was one thing but this horned beauty was something else.

"Alright then... here we go... I guess."

Nero held his hands above Griffin's bruised and broken ankle, closing his eyes and taking in a deep, focusing breath. "have You ever gone rustling through a bag without looking? fingertips feeling along within until they reach the object of your desire? Additio is a lot like that. feel the heat on Your skin, use it's fire to reach inside, find what You need, take only what You need and pass it onto me... just be careful, a little bit of the damage might reflect onto You if You push to much of it out at once." That is what Griffin had told him to do and He aimed to do it right, awakening additio and preparing to gift Griffin his strength.