Written by Fulgur
Illustrated by Crosschan
Chapter 8
Out-of-control Experience
Rego! Rego! The town of sailors, ships and seafood bars!
The town where all your dreams could come true!
Which, unfortunately, included nightmares.
But that was all void now, because our only wish was to have some dreams.
To sleep. We didn't even require a dinner.
We have stumbled in the first inn that was open. We got only one room,
but we were too tired to be bothered with it.
We fell asleep as soon as we hit the beds – or floor, for some of us,
since the room had, unfortunately, only three beds. Merta got one, as did
May and Soot. Grace stayed on the floor, saying that she was "used to that",
and I did because... Well, because a guy can't take space from a girl. That's
what I've been taught.
I've woken up because my arm hurt. I opened my eyes, but I couldn't see
anything. I wanted to move, but someone was holding my hands – therefore
the pain.
"What..." I started.
"Hold him firmly!" said May's voice. "We don't want him to see us now,
do we?"
"What?"
"I'm sorry," said Merta and I realized that it's her who is holding my
hands. "But we have to dress properly and we don't want you to peek."
"You could just let me sleep," I muttered.
"Ha! You could just pretend to be sleeping, in order to catch a glimpse!"
snickered May.
"May," I sighed. "I'm your brother. We used to bath together as kids,
remember? There's no part of you I haven't seen!"
"Oh, you would be surprised," muttered May.
"I'm sorry about it, Zack," said Merta. "It just seemed to be the best
way."
I sighed. "OK, OK. Just get it done with. I can't breathe in that sack."
"Uh... it's not a sack..."
"You've used my trousers as a blindfold!" cried Soot. "How dare you? Give
them back!"
"But Soot – you only have your panties on!"
"Oh, for crying out loud, this is ridiculous!"
And then I heard nothing.
Merta was shaking me.
"Zack? Zack? Wake up, please!"
I opened my eyes and reached the back of my head. There was a sizeable
bump.
"What happened?"
"Soot hit you," said May.
I looked around. All the girls were dressed by now. They presumably had
enough time while I was knocked out.
"I did it gently!" protested Soot. "There was no permanent damage done!"
"You could just tell me to close my eyes," I murmured.
"How could we trust you?"
"You trust me that I won't spank you excessively, but you don't trust
me I won't peek at you?"
"That's something different!" protested Soot. "Besides, you can't spank
me if I won't allow it."
"You would deserve it for this bump," I said.
"Come on, Bro," smiled May. "It wasn't anything serious."
"Not for you, maybe!" I grumbled. "I let you off this one time, Soot,
but do it again and you will have a close personal encounter with the hairbrush!"
Before we left, Grace had made the bed and cleaned the room a bit – her
maid training couldn't be suppressed. And we paid the bill – with money
we got from the Lord.
"We have eighty gold pieces remaining – more than enough for a cheap ship
ticket," I announced when we got out. "So I suggest we head out to the port.
We catch a ship heading for one of the islands. We lie low for a while."
"Which island?" asked Soot.
I hesitated. "How am I supposed to know? I've never been on the
sea."
"I was born on the islands," said Soot suddenly.
"You were? Well, do you know where we should go, then?"
"The island of Meneo," answered Soot promptly.
"Ah, that's where you were born?"
She looked at me. "What? Of course not! But it's close to here and the
tickets should be cheap. There's only a few villages, you know. Fishermen,
mostly."
"Does anything grow there?" I asked. "The only kind of work I know is
the farm work."
"You want to be a farmer?" snickered Soot. "When you have her? Why, Merta
could become a local witch..."
"Merta especially has to lie low," I sighed. "We will decide when we will
get there. Soot – if you come from the islands, you might know somebody who
could help
us..."
Soot smiled. "Just follow me," she said.
The ship she has taken us to didn't look especially adorable. Neither
did the captain. Soot didn't take us to him, which was probably just as
well. When she returned, she beamed at us.
"He'll take us to Meneo, no problems."
"How much does he want?"
"Ah, well, ten gold pieces."
"That's great!"
"Per person."
"Fifty?"
She shrugged. "Nobody would take us there cheaper, Zack. Plus, he's safe.
He won't tell anyone he took us as passengers."
"Not even authorities?"
She smirked. "Especially not authorities. He's an old friend of
mine."
"I wonder," I said, "what name you gave him."
Soot smiled. "A girl's secret, Zack."
"When does he sail?"
"The day after tomorrow."
"Should we pay him?"
"No!" yelped Soot. "Pay him in advance? I said he's cheap, not
honest. Best way to lose money, trust me."
"And are you honest?" I probed.
"No! That's why I know how to deal with people like me!"
"We only have thirty gold pieces left," I said to the girls. "And we need
ten to pay for the inn so we could sleep in comfort today. And tomorrow."
"So we have something left!" cried May. "Cool! Let's go shopping!"
"Well," I stammered, "if you want to buy something, just tell me. But
I'll be keeping the money. You could easily overspend."
"I never overspend," smiled Soot. "Ouch!" she cried when I gave her a
swat on the bottom. "What was that for?"
"I'm fed up with your jokes," I said. "Girls, this is serious. We don't
have that much money, you understand?"
"All right, cut it out!" said Soot. "I promise I'm not going to steal
anything, OK? By the way, what will you do?"
Merta grasped my arm. "Would you go to the town with me, Zack?"
I gave up. "Of course, my Lady," I said courtly. "OK, girls, we will meet
at the town square. At the big statue. At 1PM. Then we get some lunch. Understood?"
There was general murmuring of consent. I hoped it was consent.
"Zack?" asked Merta as we were going through the streets of the town.
"Yes?"
"Why do we need a ship?"
"We are going to an island. Ship is the only way."
"No, it isn't," insisted Merta. "I could draw an octahedron and fly us
there!"
"And what if your power drains out in the middle of the sea?" I asked.
"There would be nowhere to rest or draw another symbol!"
"What about the dodecahedron?" she asked. "We would be there in an instant."
"Oh? And do you know how to aim that thing yet? Last time you tried, you
ended up in Feltar's hands!"
Merta saddened. Then she beamed. "Maybe I could train! I still have the
book! Come on, Zack, let's go!"
We went down to the beach and Merta picked up a piece of stick. She draw
a big pentagon around us.
I was looking as she was drawing further lines.
"Twenty points and thirty lines," she said. "The most complex of them
all."
As the drawing started to come close to finish, I became unnerved a bit.
"Merta, where will this thing send us?"
She turned her brown eyes to me. "I..I don't know, Zack. But I must learn
to control it. Zack, if you want... you can step outside. There's no need
to..."
"Say that again and I will give you a spanking of your life!" I cried.
"I took the oath, Merta. I will protect you, no matter where we go!"
Merta finished the picture.
"I didn't put much power into it," she said as the dodecahedron started
to close upon us. "We shouldn't get too far..."
Then the lights went out.
"He's so full of it!" scowled May. "'You could easily overspend,' ha!
We are not stupid!"
The three girls were standing in front of a dress shop.
"I bet these are at least ten gold pieces a piece!" said Grace, dreamily.
"Yes, so we could afford two!" cried May.
"We would have nothing left to spend on food," reminded Soot.
"And these cheaper models are only for five," continued Grace.
I have five, thought May. I have five gold pieces noone knows about. And
noone can know about them. They would ask where I got them. What
would I say? I had a part-time job as a waitress? Ha! They would ask why
I didn't tell sooner. And it will all come down on my head.
"You know," she suggested, "we could go in and try them on."
"I don't think so," objected Grace. "We can't buy any of them, right?"
"If we could Zack to see us in one of those, maybe we could!" May was
unraveling her plan. This had to work! "I will choose a dress and Soot will
wait at the town square and tell Zack to come in here! Or you, Grace!"
"Why should you get a new dress?" said Soot.
"I thought you don't wear dresses!"
"No, I mean, why not Grace? Or Merta?" insisted Soot.
"Why would he buy them a dress?" asked May. "I'm his sister! And
me and Grace have roughly the same figure, so we could share!"
"Bad idea," shrugged Soot. "Anyways."
But May didn't listen. She was captivated by the dresses.
"OK, then, I'll go to the square," said Soot. "This will all end
in tears, girls, I tell you."
It was dark again. I started to pat around myself until I patted something
soft, yet firm.
"Eh?"
"Aaa..."
I let go immediately. "Merta! Are you OK?"
I started to see the outlines of things. It wasn't completely dark in
here. But you couldn't call it light, neither.
We were lying on wooden floor. The room was circular and I could barely
make out a staircase. And yes, there was a door.
I tried it. Locked.
Merta picked herself up from the ground. "Ah... I'm so sorry..."
I sighed. "Never mind that, Merta. We have to get out."
She blinked. "I could try the dodecahedron again..."
"As the last resort," I interjected. "First we try to go up those stairs.
Look where we are."
"Could I try those?" asked Merta.
"Why, yes, young lady," smiled the shop owner. She was a short, old woman
with a round face. "It's always pleasure to serve a girl with a nice figure."
"Nice figure? Do you mean it?" May blushed.
She was extatic! Yes, she didn't choose the dress she wanted Zack to buy
her, but there was still time. And there were so many!
These were one of the ten-gold-piece models. She held it by the mirror.
Incredible! She whirled.
She jumped at the sound of tearing fabric. The dress hit the little hook
at the door.
"Ah!"
"Oh, miss!" cried the owner. "You should be more careful!"
"I'm sorry!" yelped May. "I will! Are you angry?"
"Of course I'm not," shrugged the lady. "It's your dress, after all."
"What do you mean, it's mine?"
"Shop policy," she explained. "If a customer damages a dress, she has
to buy it. It's all in the shop rules, by the door."
May started sweating. She missed that.
"Well, my brother should come after 1PM, he will pay for it, but... please,
could you tell him it was just five gold pieces?"
"What?" asked the lady.
"Well, I have five gold pieces on me, so I pay a half and he pays the
rest," explained May. "I don't want to know how much this really is."
"Oh," smiled the old woman. "He would spank you?"
"Certainly!" May cried. "I don't want him to know, so please..."
Lady smiled. "You can stay here until then," she said, kindly. "But I'm
afraid I can't let you leave. Would you like a cup of tea?"
Merta's panted when we finally got to the top and entered the door there.
The circular platform surrounded a strange metal construction.
Behind the railings...
"I can see the town!" I cried. "Merta, we are close to Rego after all!
Now we can..."
"What's this place?" asked Merta.
"Eh? Well, a lighthouse, I think," I said. "They shine a light so the
ships wouldn't hit the reefs..."
She was looking terrified. "But there's no light in there!"
I looked into the middle. "Well, they probably don't use it now, so there's
no reason..."
Then I saw it.
The strange metal thing looked like a half of an eggshell. And the inside
was dark. Darker than outside.
And as we watched, the darkness started to spread.
Soot began to worry.
It was already half past one and Zack was nowhere to be seen. Nor was
Merta.
"Probably overdid it with their little date," she thought. "I'll wait
for half an hour longer. If they won't come back, May will just have to
leave her little escapade for tomorrow."
"Well?" asked the store owner. "Where is your brother?"
"I..I don't know," said May. She was close to tears. "He was supposed
to be here already!"
"I'll give him time until half past two," said the lady. "If he doesn't
come, I'm afraid that I'll have to give you over to the guard."
"To the guard?"
"I have to have a lunch, too," she explained. "You could run away. Guard
will detain you until this is solved."
May started to cry.
We watched as the darkness started to take a form. The sunlight dimmed
and the temperature dropped severely.
Then, somebody stepped from the darkness.
Or, more precisely, with the darkness. It was a girl and she was
darkness. She looked like a shadow with substance. A featureless dark spot,
however you looked. Her arms and legs could be seen only from certain angles.
Her face became illuminated by pale light. It seemed to come within and
it didn't light the surrounding. The pale lines just made her features visible.
She smirked.
"What a surprise to see you here, Raia."
I looked around. "Who are you?" I demanded.
She just looked at me. "I am called Nyx. And I have nothing to do with
you. So keep quiet!"
She turned back to Merta. "You didn't know we can track the dodecahedron,
did you? It was simple to send you here. Raia, the Queen is very angry with
you."
"I..I don't know what you're talking about," breathed Merta. "I am Merta.
I don't know..."
"Oh, for crying out loud, this again?"
Suddenly, her hand was resting on Merta's head. "I am not speaking
to you, you stupid girl!"
She punched her in the face.
Although it was Merta who was hit, the power of the punch threw me
in the air and crashed me against the railings. I looked around. Merta look
puzzled. So did Nyx, if I could read her expression with any clarity.
"What's that?" she cried. She punched Merta again, in the stomach. But
if was me who doubled over.
She slapped her and I felt the strike on my own face.
My sword amulet was starting to burn.
Merta cried out and she staggered.
And then she stood firm again and she spoke with a voice I didn't recognize.
"You made your point, Nyx. I'm here. What do you want?"
"Merta?" I asked.
Merta turned towards me. The look was different. I was used to Merta giving
me look of admiration - or apprehension when she was about to be spanked,
but now...
This was the look of a queen.
"You are..." I breathed, "Raia. Aren't you?"
"At the moment," said Merta. "She didn't kill me yet. But this is not
your business."
"I want Merta back!" I cried.
She looked at me and my legs buckled. I fell on the ground.
"Don't speak this name in front of me!" she snarled. Then she turned back
to Nyx.
"Well?"
"The Queen wants me to bring you back," said Nyx.
"Why?" spat out Raia. "To make more pitiful bastards like you?"
"She simply thinks that a monster like you, Raia, shouldn't run free,"
said Nyx calmly. "Once, you almost destroyed this world. People forgot, oh
yes, but the Queen remembers."
Raia smiled. Then her hand moved...
A shape shined in the air for a moment and then Raia was holding stubby-looking
thing in her hands.
"I know you, Nyx," she said. "And I know your weak spot."
Then the shape burst with light.
Nyx screamed and staggered back.
"The darkness in your heart has taken over your body," continued Raia.
"And there is one thing darkness cannot stand."
"Put it away!" screeched Nyx.
The light dimmed.
"You made your point!" she shouted. "But my message is clear - Queen wants
you back, Raia. And she's not nearly as bad as some of the others! Raia,
you are a wanted woman! They won't stop until they get you!"
Then the darkness started to flow back in the lighthouse lamp, and then
she was gone.
"Soot!" cried Grace when she saw the black-clad thief nearby. "Where is
Zack?"
Soot shook her head. "I don't know. Tell May to stop it."
"I can't! They won't let her out! And the owner wants to call the guards!"
Soot looked around. "That's bad," she said. "We have to get her out -
quick! I won't let my friend to the guards!"
I looked at the girl in front of me.
"Who are you... really?" I whispered.
Raia smiled. "There was time when people spoke my name with terror. My
word could destroy empires and turn brother against brother. And look at
me! What have I become? A pitiful fool trapped in her own head."
She closed her eyes. "I can't fight that girl," she said, with a sigh.
"I'm losing strength every day." She leaned onto me. "Whatever you do," she
whispered, "don't let the Queen get my blood."
Raia shivered and closed her eyes.
And Merta opened them.
"Zack?" she whispered. "I must have fainted. What happened?"
I hugged her.
"Nothing, my Lady," I answered. "There is nothing to fear." I paused.
"Please, draw an octahedron," I said. "We will fly down. It's..."
I suddenly realized how late it was.
"Oh no!" I cried. "We have to hurry!"
"It's almost the time," said the shop owner. "I'm sorry, my dear, but
I have to call the guards."
"No! Please!" pleaded May. "I'll do anything!"
"I have no choice. I have to eat, you know."
Soot entered the shop and smiled at May. Then she blinked. Once, twice.
And then she overturned a manequin. Along with an expensive dress, it
crashed down.
The owner turned around.
"What are you doing?" she cried.
May jumped and started to run. The owner didn't want who to pursue first,
and she decided to get both.
Then, the mayhem started.
"They are not here!" said Merta.
"We were supposed to meet here an hour and a half ago," I sighed. "That's
bad. I hope nothing happened."
"Brother!!!"
Grace was running towards me, flailing her arms. She was crying.
"What happened, Grace?"
"It's May! And Soot! They... were arrested!"
The women's part of local guard station was a bad place. So many girls
cried themselves to sleep here that the sounds of crying hung in the air
for all eternity. We followed the guards, in the company of the shop owner.
"And she wanted to not let you know!" she shouted. "She said you would
spank her if you knew how much the dress was! Well, no spanking can be enough
punishment for this! She should get a caning in the town square! That's how
we solved these things when I was young!"
I had to listen to this stuff for hours before the matter was settled
and they took us to pick up the girls.
"I paid the damages," I said. "And I apologized to you, Miss. And the
girls will apologize to you, too, and I can ensure you I will deal... severely
with them."
The guards stopped. One of them fumbled with the keys.
"You two get out," he ordered. "Your brother came to pick you up."
May and Soot went out of the cell. Soot looked sour. Teary-eyed May wanted
to hug me, but she quickly changed her mind after she saw my face.
"We are going out of the town," I said to them. "Then we will talk."
May was still looking devastated when we got to the beach. I could still
see the lighthouse where Nyx trapped us - somehow. And where I saw Raia.
"OK," I said. "Soot, I want an explanation."
Soot sighed. "Oh, well. May was trapped in that store and she couldn't
pay. And I couldn't find you. So I've tried to cause some ruckus and get
her out." She paused. "I know it was a stupid idea, Zack. I knew it when
I did it, but May is my friend. I didn't want to see her arrested."
"And so you got both arrested," I said. "Not just that - you caused
damages that considerably lowered our money supply."
"Oh," said Soot. "And... how considerably?"
"We have no money. None at all. We can't even afford the inn tonight.
We have to sleep here," I said. "At least it's summer. But we don't have
money for the ship."
Soot looked down. "What shall we do?" she asked, quietly.
"I don't know! But I know what I'm going to do right now!"
Soot nodded. "You want to spank us?"
"Are you actually telling me I shouldn't?"
Soot shook her head. "It was a stupid thing to do. But it was my fault.
I caused those damages. May got really scared, she panicked, but I... I
should know better. Today, I accept any punishment, but, please, don't spank
May."
I sighed. "Soot, you are noble. But Grace told me everything. The whole
thing started as May's stupid plan to get me to buy her a dress!" I was
almost shouting. I took a dirtied package and threw it on May. "OK, then!
Here it is! I hope you are glad!"
May started to cry even more.
"Maybe you shouldn't spank them now," said Grace. "Wait for a while. You
are too angry."
"That's exactly what I need to deal with them," I said. "Girls, watch
well. Soot, you realize that I have to punish you very severely, right?"
She sighed. "I won't sit for some time," she shrugged. "I'm really sorry.
OK, get it over with."
She pulled down her trousers and black panties without hesitation while
I sat on a flat rock. She was clearly troubled.
"Merta, give me Soot's hairbrush. And you, you get over my knee!"
Soot obeyed. It might be the first time I really saw a twang of fear in
her eyes.
Once I got the hairbrush, I started my work.
It was the strictest spanking I've given so far. Soot had actually a low
pain threshold and she was also feeling some real guilt, because she started
crying almost immediately.
I spanked and spanked. Her bottom became red, and started going purple.
By that time, she was simply screaming at the top of her lungs, as much
as she could.
I realized that I didn't feel any pleasure. This wasn't spanking for naughtiness.
This was real punishment, a spanking for a crime against law, and that had
to be done properly.
When I finally let her go, she collapsed on the ground. She was lying
in the sand on her stomach, crying her heart out.
"I'm... sorry..." was the only thing she could say.
I shook my head. "This is not time for apologizing, Soot," I said. "I
will only accept an apology from both of you - after you've been both punished."
I looked at May. "It's your turn, Sis."
She paled. "No, Zack... please, you can't!"
"What did you say?"
She stumbled. "Well... I know I deserve a spanking, but... tomorrow, please?
Do it tomorrow! I'll take the double punishment! Please! Let me off today!
Just for once!"
I was enraged! "Didn't you say you trust my judgment? Well, May, my judgment
says you need to be spanked right now!"
Desperately crying, she pulled down her blue panties. She took them completely
off and put them in her bag.
She bent over my lap.
"Please, Zack... not today..."
I flicked up her skirt...
"WHAT IS THIS?" I bellowed. Now I started to understand! On May's bottom
were faded marks.
"May! Last time I've seen your bottom it didn't look anything like this!
How did those bruises get there!"
She jumped off my lap and collapsed, crying hysterically.
Grace put a hand on my shoulder.
"I will tell you everything, Zack. It seems it's the only thing I can
do."
It was a half an hour later and I had listened to the whole story of May's
unfortunate attempt to become a waitress.
"I see," I said, finally.
May was still crying, but she could talk normally again. "I'm... so...
sorry..."
"That man had no right to do that," I said. "I'll kill him if I ever meet
him! But as for you - why did you keep that secret from me?"
"I... I was afraid you'll spank me for that!" cried May.
"I see," I said. "Well, you don't have to worry about that."
"I don't?"
"I'm not going to spank you," I said. "I won't spank you, ever again.
Now I see you don't trust me, May. It's my failure, as your brother."
"No! Bro! I mean..."
"It's quite late," I said. "We are going to sleep. You are going
to sleep. I... have to think."
"Please!" cried May. "Please! Forgive me!"
"I'm not sure, May," I said, sadly. "I'm not sure I can ever forgive you
this."
End of Chapter 8
May's Readers' Corner:
I'm in a pinch, ain't I? I don't know if I'm more afraid of a spanking
- or of the fact Zack seems to hate me now! Please, my readers, help me!
Waaah!!!
Grace's Readers' Corner:
I had to take
over - May is now in really bad shape. While you ponder about her fate (which
will be resolved in Chapter 9), I would like to tell you a few things about
the new and improved Geomancer.
First of all - Fulgur has changed the format. Now the story is done in
HTML, which means, unfortunately, that it will be harder to post in the groups.
This issue is still in works. Eventually, the older chapters will be reworked
into this format, too - and there is a possibility of web hosting, but I
won't tell you anything more about that - for now.
Second big change - Geomancer is illustrated now! Big applause to Crosschan,
who put her artistic talent on the line and is doing pictures. All of us
would really like to thank her. And yes, there might be some illustrations
to the older chapters, too.
Of course, while Crosschan's illustrations are considered "official",
if you really want to make a picture, please do! But here and now we state
that we do, indeed, look the way Crosschan is drawing us and we don't strive
for big changes.
Finally, we love your feedback, as always! There was none since last chapter
because this one got written very quickly - so we still want more!
Grace
Oh, this is tiring! I really hope that May will be up to the performance
the next week!
May's Retrospective Readers' Corner:
Oh, don't even remind me this chapter... Everything fell in pieces here.
And to top of that, my little ruse in the last chapter's Retrospective corner
didn't come out as well as I expected: Just look!
That, dear readers, is what a hairbrush can do to you. Especially the black
one...
Most of the things Grace wrote about got better since the time this chapter
was written (about three weeks ago). All the older chapters were reworked
- yoo hoo! That means you will be eventually able to see us all getting
spanked, not just read about it.
And yet - we are still getting almost no feedback. Thanks to Geomancer,
Fulgur has made some friends, but either the majority of his readers is invisible
or there really is no majority. Fulgur gets crazy ideas at times -
like posting a poll and requiring fifty people to admit they read his last
chapter before he posts the next. Stupid, I know, but he really likes feedback.
Ha! As if I care! My bottom hurts and I just tried a bit of fun!
Also in this chapter, the first villain of the "next generation", Nyx, appears.
For your information, Nyx was a Greek goddess of night - unless Fulgur is
mistaken, which he might as well be.
And... well, thanks Grace for taking over the Corner while I was... incapacitated.
May's Readers' Corner:
May's Retrospective Readers' Corner: