WARNING: This story contains mentions of soft, oral, male/male vore. Additionally, it contains digestions, albeit magically non-fatal and painless digestion. Furthermore, it contains a male/male pairing. If any of these are not to your tastes, I strongly suggest that you click away now. If you don't know what vore is, take a look at my profile for more information. If you are curious, I urge you to keep an open mind and respect those of us who do like it, as we are not hurting you with our personal enjoyment of such works.
Disclaimer: I do not own Richter, Emil, Ratatosk, the Giant Kharlan Tree, Derris-Kharlan, etc., they belong to Bamco. I make no money from this fanfiction, it's just to show my love for the characters in my own (warped) way.
Spoiler Warning: Mild spoilers for an incident in ToS2 (specifically, how Emil and Marta ended up near Iselia the first time_, but if you're reading this I'm sure you've played the game.
A/N: This wasn't originally supposed to be a full story, but then oops. OH WELL. Enjoy the fact that it turned into one.
Also, I swiped the term "half-self" from a fanfiction author who wrote some rather nice RataEmi stuff a while back.
Once again, if you do not know what VORE is, I strongly advise you to check my profile for more information.
Richter yawns sleepily, shifting his position a little. He's not sure what drew him from his slumber, but he senses a presence nearby. Still feeling very full and sleepy, he slowly blinks his eyes open, just now realizing how stiff he feels. He thinks that next time he eats Emil, he'll have to remember to lay down before falling asleep. Sitting against the cave wall for a while isn't very comfortable.
He frowns slightly, eyes finally registering the sight before him. He's looking up at a familiar blond young man, but that's not possible. Emil can't be standing there, the younger male is still inside him. His enlarged gut gurgles quietly, and he can feel his stomach churning, working on breaking down his mate-though Emil is quite alright, the half-elf will simply reform him later.
The figure laughs, and Richter finally registers the red eyes glinting from under his bangs. The half-elf growls softly, still disliking the Summon Spirit a great deal.
Ratatosk just sits down on the ground beside Richter, grinning. A quick glance from Emil's clothing scattered on the floor to the redhead's enlarged midsection tell him all he needs to know about his counterpart's current location. When Richter asks what he's doing here, the Summon Spirit simply smiles and says "What, I can't wonder what my little half-self and his mate are up to?"
Richter just shakes his head, annoyed with this interruption of his nap. He's caught off guard when he feels a hand against his stomach, and looks up sharply, seeing Ratatosk's arm attached to said hand, a strange look on the Summon Spirit's face.
Ratatosk gently presses on Richter's stomach, curious and amazed. Judging from the size of his gut and how it's pretty soft, I'd say Emil's mostly digested by now... Amazing. His voice is a soft whisper when he speaks. "I didn't think there were any of your kind left."
Richter stares at Ratatosk, very confused. He frowns, not really liking the way Ratatosk is running a hand over his belly, but his desire to know what the Summon Spirit meant outweighs his desire to smack the offending hand away. "What do you mean?"
Ratatosk glances up. He seems to realize what he's doing and quickly removes his hand, though his expression is strangely soft when he looks at the half-elf. "I mean, I didn't know there were any Monster Elves left." He hastily elaborates when he sees the offended look on Richter's face, "No, no, that's not an insult, Abend. It's a title! But then, you wouldn't know the history of your kind, would you? It's been lost for generations, even the elves no longer remember it..."
The redhead shifts his position again, one hand coming up to absently massage his Emil-filled stomach, finding himself curious about what the Summon Spirit knows.
Finding that Richter looks curious rather than annoyed with him, the Summon Spirit hesitantly begins to speak again.
"You have monster blood in you, Abend, faint though it is after all these generations. Monsters once roamed the homeland of the elves, you know. I created them, granted them abilities I myself possessed as well as many others I did not. They evolved overtime, but still, those core abilities stayed with them. Long ago, so long that it's hazy even in my memory, when my Tree was still young... Sometimes, monsters would take elves as mates."
Seeing the rather disgusted look on Richter's face, Ratatosk laughed. "I assure you, it wasn't as disturbing as what I assume you're just imagined. No, monsters once possessed the ability to change their shapes to elven form. Some still do possess the ability to curse others, to force them into another form. Emil encountered quite a few monsters who had been trapped in human form when he helped out with quests set forth by the Katz.
"Over the years, they have lost their ability to speak with those who are not bound to them or who have not learned their language, but once they could communicate freely with elves-and even with humans. Because of this, they were close to the elves, living with them in peace. Sometimes they would assume elven form, as I said, and take elves for mates. Children born to such unions often had powerful magic, and the gifts I had bestowed upon my creations-you're familiar with the most basic of these, and I suspect you've been putting them to regular use," Ratatosk grins at Richter who fights back a blush, mildly embarrassed and muttering something about Emil not minding.
"I figured he'd enjoy it, he really loves you. Anyway, as I was saying... Children who were half elf and half monster were actually treated very well. They were revered, treated almost as if they were gods and goddesses. Those abilities bred true, and they were given the title of "Monster Elf", because that's what they were. Such practices were already dying out by the time the elves came to live on this planet, and the history was lost over time.
"I'd have thought the trait was bred out of their race by now, but obviously it's still showing up sometimes. And it's still potent, too, if you can use all of the basic abilities with ease."
Richter sits in silence, watching Ratatosk, unsure of what to say. He's amazed to learn of this tale, but he's not sure if the Summon Spirit is being truthful. He continues to think over this revelation on his possible heritage, glancing away from the other and to his midsection. He's rather surprised to realize how long the Summon Spirit has been speaking: his stomach has reduced in size quite a bit since Ratatosk began his tale.
Ratatosk watches Richter for a while longer, that strangely gentle look still on his face. To think, such abilities still exist... Amazing.
Richter hesitantly asks a question of his own, then, "How can I be sure you're not just making that up?"
"That's easy. If he hasn't already, ask Emil to tell you about the time he and Marta were swallowed up by a monster-and spit out quite a ways from where it gulped them down! They were sure they'd met their end as a snack, but they weren't hurt one bit. That's because the monster didn't intend to harm them-not once it realized who it'd swallowed, at any rate. Tenebrae, as my Centurion, is able to work the pact magic on any type of monster-and he as the ability to communicate with them as well, even if he can only assert control over darkness-typed monsters. He used the magic he knows to communicate with it, and to let it know who I was. It agreed to transport Emil and Marta near their destination. Tenebrae himself can confirm that, though Emil and Marta never knew how they'd survived.
"Aside from that, I could perhaps teach you new abilities. I'd said what you knew were only the most basic, didn't I? Monsters have many more abilities than you know, and if the abilities in you are strong enough, you may be able to use them. But beyond that... I can teach Emil to do what you do."
Richter's jaw drops. He tries to form words, but is unable to find any and falls silent after a few minutes of trying.
Ratatosk just laughs before explaining, "Emil has his own body because of me. He still shares some of my power, even if he doesn't show it. That's how he can live as long as you, I allowed his body to age that way. I told you, I granted the first monsters abilities of my own-I possess the control over my digestive system that they do. Emil, as part of me, also possesses such powers."
Richter manages a small sound of amazement, his brain still unable to properly wrap itself around that concept. But he can't help a small, hopeful smile from tugging at the corners of his mouth, he's always wondered what it would be like to switch places with Emil… A moment later, he frowns slightly again, thinking, and says, "You said… These were basic abilities?"
The red-eyed Summon Spirit nods. "Yes. There are more. If your powers are strong enough, you could have Emil curled up inside of you and walk through a crowded room with nobody around you aware of anything odd at all."
"That's impossible."
Ratatosk shakes his head. "No, it's not. I suppose you've always chalked it up to magic, and many monsters do use magic for many things, but… Have you never observed a monster that would spit water as an attack in battle? No matter how long the battle goes on, it still can continue to spit water as long as it has the strength to do so?"
Richter nods, thinking. He's fought monsters that would do that, sometimes in groups that could drag a battle out quite long. He'd always assumed the apparently endless supply of water they could regurgitate was because of magic generating that water. Was there really something more?
Ratatosk continues, "You see, monsters are very special. Inside of them, they possess… How to explain it… I suppose, each contains a special dimension within itself. Someplace only it can access. Some monster parents use these 'pocket dimensions' to store their young when in danger, others use them to hold many gallons of water, or to store a good deal of venom. They can also store prey in these places. And yet, even when stored in such places, they can feel whatever is in them. So, you could feel Emil moving around even if it wasn't visible to the outside world." Ratatosk hesitates for a moment, then says, "Would you… Like for me to try and teach you to use this power, Richter?"
Richter begins to nod, amazed, but then stops himself, eyes narrowing. "Why are you being so nice, Ratatosk? You never behave this way."
The Summon Spirit sighs softly. "I suppose… This discovery… I can't help but feel a certain fondness for you, Abend. The monsters… Well, the original monsters, anyway, were like my children. Back on Derris-Kharlan, the Monster Elves were also like children to me. I cared for them and taught them to master their powers. I won't say that I like you all that much, but you are kind to Emil, and you possess my powers. I suppose… I can't help feeling fondness for you because of the past."
Richter remains silent for quite a while longer, thinking. Finally, he says, "…Teach Emil, and I'll believe you. Then we'll see if I can learn your abilities."
Ratatosk smiles. "Of course. I'll look forwards to it."