The Bridge of Shadows

“We were already a little late to arrive here,” Thea huffs, her glaring gaze very briefly darting towards the Drakling that she is clinging so closely to the side of. Or, more accurately, towards the skimpy sleeveless shirt that said Drakling is wearing. It is to blame for that delay, after all. Even if she was the one who decided that Krvavy should change into it. “But now you want to put off dinner and the planing for my wedding even further?! To step through some treacherous doorway made of darkness of all things?!”

“It will only take a few minutes.” Rina calmly returns, hands held together in front of her hips. “We will be back before the table is set, before our meal is ready to be eaten. So...?”

“Hmph! Fine!” The silver-blonde brat tries to push Krvavy forwards, but she doesn’t have much luck with that. The much bigger barbarian is considerably stronger than she is, not to mention that Khalia – and Adeline as well, for what it matters – is holding Krvavy just as tight as she was. “What?” Thea meets her Draconic lover’s questioning gaze with a sneer. “I am not going in there!”

A long, slow sigh escapes past Krvavy’s pale lips, her carnivorous teeth coming to lightly bite the bottom one. Her brow furrows a bit as she peers past the Countess, emerald eyes piercing deep into that (presumably) perfect picture of the night sky, stars twinkling like brilliant gems.

Each second that passes sees Krvavy’s curiosity grow. She can guess where that portal will go, but still... this is a real, actual portal...

“Alright.” The Drakling gives her first fiancée a soft squeeze, her arm getting shrugged off that girl’s shoulders a moment later. She glances towards Khalia.

The well-trained Were-Beast simply nods, knowing what is being asked of her. Though it does take another second for that good girl to release her grip on Krvavy’s arm, padded fingertips trailing along black scales one last time before pulling away.

“B-be c-care-careful...!” Adeline quietly squeaks, releasing her grip on Krvavy’s tail without needing to be prompted.

A bit of colour fills Thea’s cheeks as that adorable bunny-mouse girl latches onto her instead.

“Come now, there is no need to worry~.” The slightly teasing amusement underlining the Countess’ voice doesn’t quite inspire confidence. “This is perfectly safe. I would not risk using it myself, were it not.” She turns halfway towards the magically infused archway in question, looking it over for the first time since it has been activated. “Here, I will show you.”

It takes but a single step for that elegant half-Elf to reach the portal.

Rina raises a hand, pressing her palm into that inky, shimmering night sky. A ripple echoes out from her touch, like a droplet of water that had fallen into a pond.

“A fair bit of force is required to pass through the membrane.” That vertical pool of darkness bends as Rina pushes against it. “Otherwise insects and small creatures, as well as the air and even water were this area to flood, would be able to freely pass through. Which would be an unnecessary drain on the mana used to maintain it, to say the least.” Slowly, she shakes her head. “But once you overcome that resistance...”

An empty pop echoes through this basement as the starry night sky of that portal rebounds, surging forwards as a jiggling wave that engulfs the Countess’ hand and sucks in her delicate wrist.

“... it will begin to pull. Weakly, at first. Easy enough to resist if need be.” To prove her point, the pink-skinned half-Elf effortlessly drags her arm back, hardly more than the tips of her fingers remaining inside that portal. “But it can be a bit more intense when half, or more, of your body is within. So I recommend leading with a foot, stepping through with purpose. Otherwise you may lose your balance. And we would not want you to fall flat on your face as soon as you make it through, now would we~?”

The Countess bobs her head to the side, those four moon-like pearl earrings jingling as she gestures for Krvavy to come closer. Her smile grows a little wider and a little warmer as the Drakling does just that.

Krvavy catches the tip of her tongue between her front teeth, resisting the anxious urge to gnaw on the inside of her cheek. She raises a hand and, mirroring Rina, presses it into the portal.

That magical membrane is... cool. Not wet, not dry. Krvavy is touching something, but it feels like nothing... Her brow knits together. She pushes just a bit harder, and harder, and harder, until... With another empty pop, the semi-solid surface of that portal suddenly gives in. A gentle suction surrounds her fingers, her hand, her wrist, the echoing waves lapping at her pale skin and black scales.

It... almost reminds Krvavy of being engulfed by a slime. Albeit without the tingling sensation of something attempting to digest her. And of course it isn’t anywhere near as wet, as slimey. But still... the closest comparison that Krvavy’s mind can make to this is... is touching her tamed slime, Lynn.

“Come, let us pass through this together~.”

“Ugh, stop flirting so much, you fiendish floozy!” Thea hisses, heel clacking into the ground as she lightly stomps that foot down. “You damned devil! Succubus slut!”

Rina raises a single delicate eyebrow, looking up at the Drakling all but towering above her. She maintains her gaze for a few long seconds, a question regarding those insults dancing across her amethyst eyes... only to be dropped with a soft shake of her head. The toe of her own heeled shoe peeks out from beneath her regal dress, a ripple is sent across the night sky as she presses it into that portal.

Graceful fingers brush over the barbarian’s hips – that perhaps a little too intimate touch hardly dulled by the thin layer of tight fabric which clings to black scales and pale skin alike – as the Countess of Raseyne confidently pushes forwards, disappearing into the darkness with an empty pop.

Krvavy can’t help but glance back over her shoulder, looking towards those three girls of hers.

A gentle, reassuring smile plays at Adeline’s little lips, her expression no more nervous than usual. Above that tiny bunny-mouse stands the most beautiful brat to ever be, her soft-blue eyes narrowed in warning. A warning directed towards her Draconic lover. As if she is telling Krvavy to behave herself, to not be seduced by this cunning and conniving Countess.

Beside those two blondes looms a ferocious Were-Beast, clawed fingers outstretched and curled slightly, ready to rip and tear apart any threat that would dare pose a danger to this Dragon’s most precious treasures. Likewise, her sharp teeth and four pointy little tusks have been bared in a wide, snarling grin. The steady wagging of her shaggy tail doesn’t quite match that performative menace.

The Drakling stifles a sigh as she turns back towards the portal. Her inhuman foot has already lifted off the ground. Her clawed toes push against a magical membrane, that false night sky shimmering like the surface of a somehow vertical pond. The force that she is exerting suddenly becomes unnecessary, the portal pulling at Krvavy with ever increasing strength as she steps into its embrace.

For a brief moment, it feels as if Krvavy is falling.

A dark and endless sky flashes by her eyes, that infinite expanse of utter black speckled with sparkling stars... many of which have been swept along to be carried by the currents of countless swirling streams. Some of those shimmering motes are close enough to touch, zipping by in an instant, while others are far enough away to be utterly static and unmoving.

With but a blink, the barbarian steps onto solid stone once more, her tail slipping free from the portal behind her without a sound.

Quite quickly, a frown finds its way onto Krvavy’s face.

That cloudless night sky still hangs overhead, in all of its unnatural glory.

“Beautiful, is it not~?” Rina’s voice is hardly more than a whisper, yet still it seems to echo into eternity. “I never tire of seeing it~...” A wistful sigh passes through her painted lips, amethyst eyes peering up into the heavens above, watching that aurora of stars aimlessly dance. “Though, until recently, it only existed in my dreams.”

“Where are we?” Tension lingers in that question, spreading throughout the barbarian’s body as she sweeps her gaze from side to side, taking in the sight of her surroundings.

The horizon is bare and empty in all directions, melting into a mirror that reflects the shining stars above. An unmoving ocean, dark and unfathomably deep. Rising from that still sea is the tower on which these two Champions stand, a circular platform of a decent size, surrounded by crenellations more decorative than defensive. Ahead, opposite the shimmering portal, stands an empty archway. Beyond that is a bridge, leading all the way to an identical tower far in the distance.

“A space between spaces,” the Countess cryptically replies, “a sliver of reality. One which exists on the border between the physical world and the elemental planes. A burgeoning realm nestled in the shadow of my Patron’s Domain.”

Naught can be heard but the beat of the barbarian’s heart, whatever breath she may take getting caught in her throat. Air tinged with the faint scent of lavender lingers in her lungs, stagnant... yet still so fresh.

The Countess smiles towards her fellow Champion, warm and reassuring. “Recently, I have come to call this place... the Bridge of Shadows.”

“Fffn...!” Krvavy snorts, half a laugh passing through her pale lips. “You really don’t come up with the most original names, huh?”

An almost pouty look finds its way onto Rina’s face. “Is that name not fitting?”

The Drakling’s heart flutters as meets the gaze of that usually so composed noblewoman. “I mean, kinda?” Krvavy replies with a shrug, cheeks tinged a rosy hue. “But... well... You already have your ‘Shadows’ – which fit it much better than this, mind you – so using that again here... It just makes you feel a bit... one note?”

Rina crosses her arms, delicate brow furrowing a bit more as her painted lips push out slightly, looking dangerously kissable. “What else would you have me call it?” She asks, a tinge of indignation in her voice

Krvavy does her best to not peer down through the window in Rina’s regal dress, that half-Elf’s pink-skinned breasts pushed up and put even more on display than before. “Well... there are a lot of stars here...?”

Those amethyst eyes narrow as a proper scowl comes into being. “Would you call this, the stone and brick beneath your feet, a ‘Bridge of Starlight’? Does that not elicit an entirely different structure than what you stand upon?” Her pointed ears twitch in a way not unlike how Beryl’s move when that tomboy is a little ticked off, moon-like pearls jingling just a bit. “Uninspired it may be, leaning into the ‘Shadow’ theme is appropriate and suitable. We are at the border of the elemental plane of Shadows. Not to mention that I am the Champion of the Mother of Midnight, an accomplished mage with a talent in Shadow Magic first and foremost.”

Awkwardly, Krvavy raises a hand and rests it at the back of her neck, slowly rubbing the spot where skin and scales meets hair. She opens her mouth to say... something. Possibly an apology? But before she even has to think about that, the Countess cuts her off with a sigh.

“I apologize for that... outburst.” Genuine embarrassment underlines those words. “You struck a... a nerve of sorts, I suppose. But that is no excuse. I am sorry, truly. Now...” She takes a deep breath, holding it for hardly more than a single second before very slowly exhaling. “Would you like to see more of this... bridge?”

“Sure.” Krvavy nods, relieved to be moving past that awkwardness, even if she wasn’t the source. “But, uhm... can I test something first?”

The Countess curiously quirks her brow, the dignified composure that she usually displays returning in full. “Go ahead,” she nods.

The barbarian lightly bites the inside of her cheek, finding herself glancing back towards the portal. It takes just a bit of focus for her will to stretch through the band of silver and black sitting snug on her lower right horn.

⟨My dearest love?⟩ Beryl’s voice comes through after just a moments wait, speaking straight into Krvavy’s head. There is a slight bit of distortion to how she sounds, a hint of an echo and the mildest amount of muffling, but her words are still audible and easily understandable. ⟨It is a bit early fer bed, so... is everythin’ alright?⟩

⟨Yeah, everything is fine.⟩ Probably. Nothing bad has happened yet. ⟨I’m with Rina and... Well, does my voice sound a bit off?⟩

⟨Aye, a little. It’s almost like ya’re under wa’er. Not quite the same, nowhere near as bad, but...⟩ The tanned tomboy trails off, no doubt with a shrug as well. ⟨Ah take it ya’re testin’ somethin’, aye? Did the Countess cast some obscurin’ or silencin’ magics? Oh! Did she shut Thea up~?⟩

The slightest of smiles tugs at the corners of Krvavy’s lips. ⟨No, it... I’ll explain later. Inanna will probably want to hear all about this.⟩

⟨Alrighty. If tha’ is all then... Speak ta ya soon, my dearest love~.⟩

Silence fills Krvavy’s head, the connection having been cut before she could so much as say goodbye. Which means that she has to call Beryl back later, so that this Drakling can tell her delightful Dryad just how much she is loved~.

“I take it that your Far-Speaking jewellery works just fine in here?” The Countess correctly guesses, idly rubbing the ring which gives her access to that same network. “And do not look so surprised~. I could tell that you were ‘talking’ by the movement of your throat.” Those moon-like pearls sway like chimes in the wind as the pointy ears on which they dangle wiggle with amusement. “Did Theadosia have some more strong words to say about me~?”

“No I, uh, called Beryl. She’s further away, so it felt like a better test, and...” The faint flush colouring Krvavy’s cheeks returns, growing noticeably more red. “She was kinda on my mind...”

A warm smile spreads across Rina’s face. “You have not been parted from Beryl for too long, yet still you pine for her presence... how sweet~.”

The barbarian’s blush burns ever brighter. “Ahem...!” She clears her throat and steps forward, swiftly crossing this round platform and heading straight for the empty archway opposite to the portal behind her. “You wanted to show off the bridge?” She, perhaps pointlessly, gestures at the long stone structure in question.

A twinkling light dances across this half Moon Elf’s amethyst eyes. “Yes, let us head to the other side~.” Her delicate fingers hook onto the Drakling’s larger ones, leading her fellow Champion onward. “When I opened the first portal, the one which we are heading to right now,” the Countess speaks in a casual tone, as if hoping to calm Krvavy, “all that existed in this sliver of reality – beyond the endless but empty ocean and sky, of course – was that single tower. This bridge had not yet come into being.”

Krvavy’s heart hammers away within her ears, too loud to be ignored. She tries just that nonetheless. “So more will appear with each portal you open, creating a... a network to traverse?”

“Indeed~.”

That... just further undermines the name Rina came up with. Even ignoring that the eponymous Bridge of Shadows wasn’t even there at first... that name implies just a singular bridge. Not the many that will no doubt eventually come to be.

Krvavy keeps that thought to herself. “Guess that’s a benefit of none of this being... real?”

“Oh, this is all real... albeit in a more metaphysical way.” Rina responds, thumb brushing across the black scales resting on the back of this barbarian’s hand. “You would not be able to, say, remove a brick from this realm. It would melt into shadows before even reaching the portal. But anything that enters – the two of us, for example – need not fear that same fate. We are not so far from reality; the rules of which we are familiar with still hold sway over us, over our forms and the expressions of our souls. Which is for the best, really. And on that note...”

Amethyst turns towards emerald, the Countess’ gaze piercing into Krvavy’s own.

“Do not fall off the bridge.” That warning is genuine. Serious and sincere. “I am not entirely sure what may become of you, down there.” Rina glances to the side, towards the still and endless ocean that stretches beyond the horizon. It is not too far below, this bridge and these towers perhaps only three or four stories in height, though how much that matters in this dreamlike realm... “But, at the very least, there is no easy way back up.”

“Got it.” The Drakling nods, deciding then and there to not go near the crenellated railing. That she is a fair bit taller than it also helps. Honestly, the lower crenels are more of a tripping hazard than anyth–

Krvavy suddenly cuts that thought short. Her brow furrows quite deeply.

“Notice something~?” A teasing smile plays at Rina’s painted lips, her fingers playfully squeezing around Krvavy’s hand.

“We’ve been walking for a little while now,” Krvavy plainly comments, “and that tower hasn’t gotten any closer.”

“No, it has not~.” The pink-skinned half-Elf’s pointed ears wiggle with amusement. The nebulous gem that she wears almost like a circlet catches the starlight as she briefly tilts her head to the side, gesturing behind them. “And neither has the one we departed gotten any further~.”

A quick glance back over the Drakling’s shoulder confirms that, the empty archway just beyond the reach of her tail. Krvavy narrows her eyes and glares down at this smug, elegant noblewoman holding onto her hand, stopping her apparently useless advance down this bridge.

“Do not worry, this is merely a security feature which I wished to show off~.” Those delicate fingers continue to caress along the lines between pleasantly soft scales. “As I had previously mentioned, this realm exists in the shadow of my Patron’s Domain. What I had not mentioned was that it – or at least the ‘physical’ aspects on which we stand – was sculpted, in part, from my soul and from the essence of my being.”

Krvavy slowly inhales, the scent that hangs in the air filling her lungs once more. She can almost taste it... the vague impression of the colour purple, beneath which lies the sense of a cool and calm night, gentle breeze blowing through a beautiful garden where lavender flowers flourish... perhaps alongside some lilacs as well...

The rosy hue that has been colouring Krvavy’s cheeks ever since her hand got grabbed grows increasingly intense, burning brighter and brighter and brighter still.

This scent... this sweet and delicious scent... is the exact same as what this Drakling tasted each time she devoured Rina... when her tongue pistoned into that perfectly puffy pink pussy... when those lewd liquids gushed into her mouth...

“Thus,” the Countess continues, ignorant to the throbbing bulge in the barbarian’s too tight pants. “I have been afforded a measure of, primarily subconscious, control over all around us. Which has resulted in none being able to travel between these towers without my blessing, implicit or expressly stated. And you, Champion whom I desire,” the faintest of pauses, hardly even a second, follows that word, “to be close allies with...”

Krvavy’s fingers twitch, curling into a fist as that captured hand is pulled right up to the Countess’ core... pressing into a valley of vibrant pink cleavage.

“You may have free reign in this realm. You and your girls alike~.” Those pointed, Elf-like ears wiggle and waggle in just the right way to cause Krvavy’s heart to skip a beat, the pearls dangling from them jingling and jangling to a gentle melody. “More than that, this realm will even favour you and yours~.”

“Uh, th-thanks...!” Quickly and incredibly awkwardly, Krvavy turns her head away and steps forward.

Only for her vision to sway, the far horizon staying still as the bridge blurs by, the tower ahead rushing towards her.

“Careful!” Dozens of hands formed from purple mana grasp at the barbarian’s body, holding Krvavy steady. “I was about to warn you of this: just as an intruder could walk for days and move not a single step, those favoured in my realm can do the opposite, crossing a distance that should take days in just a single step.”

Krvavy’s elbow, the one belonging to the arm not nestled in the Countess’ cleavage, presses into the empty archway opposite this second portal, bracing herself as those Spectral Hands fade away.

“Are you alright?” Growing concern clings to the Countess’ words. “Not nauseous or dizzy? I can tone it down slightly, for the return trip and all future journeys, if needed.”

“I’m good...” Krvavy very slowly exhales. “That just... caught me off guard.” And, thankfully, it also distracted this Drakling from the flustered embarrassment that had overwhelmed her. “Let’s just go through the portal already... It leads to Raseyne, right? Your basement, I’d bet.”

“Aww... there goes my surprise~...” Rina slowly shakes her head, smiling once more. Her heels clack across the real-but-not-quite stone platform as she leads Krvavy to their destination. “Exiting from this realm is marginally easier than entering. You will still need to use some force to make it through the membrane, though not as much as is required when entering.”

“Got it.” Krvavy nods, taking one last breath of this almost flowery air before pushing her way into that shimmering night sky.

A slightly disorientating sensation sweeps over the barbarian’s very being, her heart jumping as if she was descending down some stairs only for the last step to not be there. The stars, swirling steams and static specks alike, flash on by in an instant.

She blinks, clawed toes quietly clicking into neat brickwork tiles. A shallow, domed ceiling hangs overhead. Crystal lamps have been set into the walls of this round room, separated by doors and shelves and countertops.

“My Lady~!” The warmth and joy that fills a certain albino maid’s expression swiftly sours, pale pink eyes narrowing into razor-sharp slits. That hateful glare, emphasized by the lenses of some rather thick glasses, finds itself focused on the Drakling’s hand. A hand that is quickly pulled away from the Countess’ cleavage, its owner aware of the crime which has been committed!

“Vera, dear,” Rina softly sighs, the faint hint of disappointment in her voice causing her maid’s spine to straighten. “You did not need to wait here for us. That said~...”

A rosy hue colours the cheeks of that antagonistic albino, burning brighter and brighter as delicate fingers cup her chin. Vera swoons slightly, her apron-covered chest rising and falling at an increasingly rapid pace as her head is tilted back, her Lady leaning in and –

Krvavy turns away, mere moments before black painted lips press into a pale pinkish-white pair.

“Mwhhh~...! M-my Lady~...!”

“Now now~,” a teasing light shines in Rina’s amethyst eyes, her delicate fingers squishing the brightly blushing cheeks of this albino maid of hers. “I know that you want to return to Svaneti with us, but you cannot. People would question your sudden appearance. So bear with our separation a little longer, my dear. It will only be a few more days...” The very tip of her thumb glances across the lips she had just kissed, touching the smeared mark that she had left on them.

A pair of pale, pinkish eyes dreamily stare up at the Countess. Vera nods as best she can with her head held as it is. “Yesh... my Lady...” To think that this maid, melting as she is into her Lady’s hand, normally looks so mean and murderous...

“Now...” The Countess leans in one last time, gently pecking her loyal maid on the cheek, leaving more evidence of her affection. “You have duties you should attend to. And we,” those amethyst eyes turn towards the Drakling, “should not leave your girls waiting for much longer, Krvavy. They are likely already growing worried. So come, let us depart back through the Bridge of Shadows.”

The mention of that name sees a scowl spread across the albino maid’s face. A scowl which deepens as the Countess’ tender fingers grab onto and then interlock with the brutish barbarian’s much bigger ones.

“This may not have been the best way to show that we are, in fact, within Raseyne...” A light shrug accompanies that comment, a teasing glint entering Rina’s eyes. “But I doubt that your fiancée would appreciate being made to wait even longer simply because I wished to take you on a stroll through my estate~.”