Tamer Gothic – Book Zero - Blue League Adventures
Part 7
Tower. Blue League
"How many stories up are we?" I asked Celeste, who seemed to be much more adept at exploring the large, tall building than I was "I've lost count".
She was able to avoid obstacles and deal with dangerous ledges with grace while I had banged one foot already and managed to rip my jeans in two places, thankfully both times had been well below the knee, as such my Taming tool hadn't gotten damaged.
"Maybe ten?" she said to me "We're about halfway to the top".
The tower had not looked that tall from the outside. I had to wonder if space expanding charms were in use, but I doubted that given the age of the building.
"Something tells me we have to go all the way to the top," I mused.
I did not like high places, which made scaling this tower less then fun. But no one ever said that treasure hunting was supposed to be easy.
"What a weird word" Celeste was saying "stories' I think you mean floors there aren't any tales here".
The English language hadn't changed that much over the last three hundred year. Which made no sense. Really I should sound like a character in a Shakespearean play to the people of this time, yet for some reason I had no problem being understood.
"You could slow down, you know," I then said "We mere humans aren't as agile as you sexy elves".
When Celeste only laughed in reply I was glad that Tiffany was downstairs fussing over my new Wildcat, because those two would also handle this a lot better than me. My alpha could levitate, and cat girls were all very agile.
"So we're only half way up" I then said to myself "This is gonna suck".
I figured my jeans would be in tatters by the time we got to the top floor. Good thing I spare clothes.
(Line Break)
"It's in here," I said when we reached the top floor about half an hour later.
The structure was more intact this far up, which was proven by how little rotting away there was or damage due to exposure to wind and rain the furniture had endured.
"Are you sure?" Celeste asked.
Magical wards were something that even Psychic types could detect when they employed dark vision, and that was one of my Blood Gifts, and the door we were standing before had been warded. I could see the remains of magic symbols on the parts of the wooden door that hadn't rotted away.
"Then let's go," Celeste decided.
Since the defences had long since faded away we got in without any trouble. The inside the room was pitch black, but that was no concern to me as my elf could make floating lights so soon we could see just fine. This wasn't a spell elves knew naturally, but like all magic types she could learn new spells, it just took longer and required more effort than it did for Witches like Tiffany.
"This is weird" Celeste commented.
That it was. The room was in perfect shape, there was no sign of decay or of nature attempting to retake the place. We were in a completely untouched room. Dust free red fabric covered the floor in a thick layer and the paintings didn't have any cobwebs on them
There were no windows, and at one end of the space was a large desk, made of the same dark wood as the door, only it looked shiny and new.
On this desk, centred among the scattering of small, unknown tools, pens, pencils and miraculously fresh pieces of paper was a golden orb, that was resting on an ornate, brass pedestal.
The orb wasn't that big, and it for some reason it was marked with some stars, but that didn't make it seem special. What did make it worth taking was that I could feel how powerful it was. I was pretty sure I'd been drawn to find it, although I didn't know why.
"Definitely magical" I observed.
And hopefully worth a lot of SLC. I was going to sell it.
"There's writing on the pedestal," Celeste pointed out and I followed her pointing finger, "It's elvish. At least part of it is".
The elves who lived on the surface had used the works of the writer Tolkien when creating their own language just like how the Drow had gotten theirs from Dungeons and Dragons.
"The other part is in Latin" I said, "I can translate that with my 'dex, while you do the elvish"
Celeste nodded and spoke,
"It says: gather all seven and wish upon the dragon" I was told.
That was what it said in Latin too.
"Strange" my elf whispered before increasing the volume of her voice "Why protect something that's useless on its own".
That I did not know. All I did know was that door had been heavily warded, someone had wanted this thing kept safe.
"I have no idea" I admitted, "But whatever it is, it's much older than either of us, but not that old. No one uses Latin anymore, but it was placed here after the Revenge War, we know that since you elves didn't have your language until after the fighting stopped and you started setting up the courts".
My guess was that the Latin had been used to make it seem even more interesting than it already was.
"That's amazing," Celeste said, and I agreed.
If this orb was indeed older than the setting up of the courts, then I had just stumbled across the greatest find of my career as a treasure hunter, although since I'd only been doing the job for a week that wasn't really saying much.
"You put into my pack," I said "That way if it hurts you I can put you in your pokeball before it does to much damage".
It sounded cowardly but it really was the safer option as Pokegirls were simply tougher than humans, and easier to heal.
Celeste nodded in understanding and reached forward, grabbing the orb and wincing as she did so. Nothing happened. She lifted it easily and placed it inside my open pack and I shut the flap
"That was less exciting than I expected," Celeste said with a giggle
I smiled at her.
"Sometimes treasure hunting is pretty routine stuff," I said, while taking another look around the room "But this place is so bizarre though. I bet it looks the same now as it when it was sealed up and who knows how long ago that was".
And as far as I could tell there spell behind it.
"Maybe the orb had something to do with it," Celeste said, " Maybe it preserved the room to keep itself safe. I've heard of artifacts being able to protect themselves"
I hadn't, but I was new to this.
"Come on. I want to get back to camp and examine this further" I decided "Maybe Tiff can help".
We exited the room and soon after leaving, a resounding 'crack' sprang up behind us, causing us both to jump. I whirled around just in time to see the far wall of the room crumbling away, letting sunlight pour in and illuminating the rest of the space.
In the revealing light, the room was old and dilapidated, as it should have been. The desk was nothing but a pile of rotted wood and the fabric on the floor was eaten away in most spots, in others it was grey and thin. Large portions of the floor were gone as well.
The room had become like the rest of building. Old and forgotten. Just like that.
"I guess you really can't stop the march of time," I mused "Sure you can hold it back for a while. But once the dam breaks, it all comes crashing in. Nothing lasts for ever but the earth and sky".
As a famous song had once said.
"Very Poetic, Master" my elf commented "Now come on. We've got a long trip down."
I nodded and steeled myself for the second half of harrowing journey down the tower.
(Line Break)
Tower. South Wales.
"What exactly are you doing?" Celeste asked of Tiffany later that afternoon, after she and I had made it back down to the first floor of the tower and our camp site "I hope your not playing with that thing. It could be really dangerous.
My Witch was seated on a low wall that had once been a partition, and was murmuring as she did some complex castings. She had been like that for the past twenty minutes, and while I was fine waiting for her to finish Celeste's nymphish curiosity was getting the better of her.
"She's making sure its safe" I said softly so as to not break my witch's concentration "Don't interfere".
My elf came over to me and started speaking more softly.
"So you can handle the orb," Celeste said in understanding.
This was the point of what Tiffany was doing.
"That's right," I replied.
My alpha was soon finished.
"Bring me the pack," the spell caster then said.
Celeste did so without delay.
"Let's hope that was enough" Tiffany said as she placed the item in the bag "I don't think it was dangerous, but you never know".
Magic was not only dangerous it was unpredictable, at least when compared to the technology created by science. Which was why we weren't going to do anything with the sphere no matter now safe it seemed.
"We need to find an expert" I decided.
Which wouldn't be too hard.
"In magic orbs?" Celeste grinned "Oh yeah I'm sure there's one in on very street corner".
Arch-Mages weren't that common, but they could be found if you knew where to look.
"Come on," I sighed, while standing up "Let's eat. Then we can make a plan."
Dinner consisted of dried jerky, which wasn't even really meat, and the cheese left over from lunch. While eating I chatted with Celeste about nothing at all. We were growing more comfortable with each other hour by hour. She was so easy going, curious and sexy that she drew me in without trying.
Once the meal was done I started to prepare the camp for tonight we'd need a fire, to scare away Ferals and for cooking, rather than warmth and that meant making sure we had enough wood.
"So how old were you when you left left home?" I asked as I gathered up a bundle of wood for the fire.
This time she did tell me something about her past.
"Well when I was a kid used to live in the Lake District," Celeste answered, using the sticks I'd brought her to build a sturdy structure in the fire pit, "But I won't tell you how long ago that was".
Her age wasn't really a concern for me as she was an elf, she could be a century old and not want to tell me in case the age difference bothered me.
"You don't need to," I said, while dropping my load of wood down next to the pit.
It was hot and I was sweating. Celeste watched appreciatively from the ground, not trying to hide her gaze.
"So were you kicked out or did you leave on your own?" I asked "You said before that you left on your own, but was there any pressure on you to leave".
I was still curious.
"Left on my own," Celeste said "But not before I tried to seduce some poor guy because I needed a good Taming".
I had a hard time imagining the elf failing to seduce someone.
"Tried?" I asked as I sat back on the blanket I had spread out, supporting myself on the my palms "As in you couldn't get him perform?".
The elf smiled.
"He was too scared to...uh...perform" she told me.
Celeste giggled and came over to me, then she straddled my thighs and draped her arms over my shoulders.
"Very much unlike a certain human male I've recently had the pleasure of meeting" she said.
I arched an eyebrow and stared into the depths of her eyes,
"So what do you want to try tonight?" I asked, my cock growing hard.
I hadn't even fucked her ass yet. Not that I was in the mood to as I wanted to rest, but it was important to form a bond with a poke so I'd do things to please my pokes if they so desired.
"Hmmmm," Celeste hummed, while rubbing her palms across my chest, "How about you decide. You have a look that says you know exactly what you want tonight".
Hearing that made me smile.
"What I want is to sleep" I told her "Besides its Tiffany's turn to be Tamed next. You can wait".
Plus I had my Wildcat to take of.
"Oh fine I guess we don't have to Tame every night" said my elf "Maybe Tiff will play with me".
My witch was already snuggling up to me, she'd done it without even realising that she was lying down.
"Doing so much magic made me sleepily" she said.
She needed to be held, that much was obvious so I put my arm around my alpha so that she could rest for a while. Soon Celeste got off me so that she could lie down too.
(Line Break)
Farm. South Wales.
The old farmer looked at me with obvious scepticism, his eyes narrowed to slits beneath his broad rimmed hat.
I had just informed him that I was a Tamer and asked if, in exchange for any reasonable service that I could provide as well some SLC, if he would give me one of his Ponytaurs. I'd even traded in my cat pokegirl in a nearby village as her breed didn't function very well in a harem, and there had a trader passing by who wanted to buy pokes, as such I had some credits to spend.
I badly wanted ponytaur as my Harem and I had been walking through forests for days and now that that we had found flat farm land, I wanted to ride rather than walk.
"What do you mean any service?" the farmer asked.
We were standing outside his modest looking but biggish house, his small barn and sizable stables were located to the right, and there was unploughed field to his left. He must have been a pumpkin or squash farmer if he was planting so late in the season. Either that or he had fallen on hard times. Either way, the farmer could use the services of a Tamer like myself.
"You name it and I can do it" was my reply "We Tamers have a way of getting things done you know".
Myself more than others.
"Hmph," the farmer grunted, as he scratched his facial hair.
Both Celeste and Tiffany stood to the side of me, trying not to draw any attention to themselves as a proper pokegirls should.
"Well there's a Drow-Zee in these parts" I was informed "Whose been stealing things from the farms and villages. If you were stop her I'm sure I could talk my neighbours into giving a reward which would be more than enough to buy one of my ponytaurs. But you'd have to take the Drow with you when you leave, don't hand her over to anyone I don't want any.. what do ya call it... mob justice?".
This made sense as the poke was most likely stealing in order to survive rather than because she enjoyed taking things from people. She didn't deserve to be harmed for that.
"I'll bring her in" I assured the man "My elf knows these woods very well I'm an experienced Tamer".
The farmer laughed.
"Something tells me that maybe your not just full of yourself" the man said "And I've got plenty of room for lonely travellers if you want to stay a while and help on the farm".
I'd be able to make enough money for food and shelter by working the fields, but the only way to get the steed I wanted would be to earn the bounty the farmer had set on a Drow-Zee.
"Thank you, and I promise I'll earn my keep," I said in response.
Farmers and town folk were always looking for extra help whether they would admit it or not. However most of them, like this particular farmer, would be sceptical of my skills until I had a chance to prove myself. Still many I'd encountered while in the Crimson League begged me to stay longer than my plans allowed, once they'd gotten to know me, which made sense as a strong, young man could get a lot done and there were always pokegirls around who needed a good Taming.
"Go ahead and settle up in the barn's loft," said the farmer as he jerked a thumb toward one of the buildings.
It was late and my girls were exhausted. The sun had already begun to set behind thick clouds when we had arrived at village, while looking for somewhere to stay, and now those clouds looked ready to let lose some serious ran so even a barn looked appealing.
"I'll feed you dinner for free" the man then said "but if you want to eat tomorrow you'll have to work for it, and your pokes better stay in the barn when not working. I don't want them causing trouble".
Lights flickered on in the windows of the farmer's house as a woman, his wife I guessed, started getting dinner ready, and while the house seemed rustic when compared to the nice hotels I'd stayed in, due to the weather it looked very inviting.
"As you wish" I replied.
I nodded in thanks before walking towards the barn. Tiffany and Celeste followed, then fell in step with me once we were out of the farmer's earshot.
"Can you really catch a Drow-Zee?" Celeste asked in a soft voice, "With just two pokes".
I nodded,
"I've done harder. Come on, I'll tell you how once we're settled" I said.
The barn was neatly kept, and almost bereft of pokegirls. One lonely Milktit pokewoman stood about at the back of the first floor, along with a metal bucket laying on its side next to a wooden stool. There were piles of hay for the ponytaurs that lived in the stables next door and a myriad of farm tools as well.
A ladder led up from the floor to a loft that ran the length of one side of the barn. We climbed it, and found a few forgotten or broken tools but not much else. The floor was wooden, and would about as comfortable than the ground we had been sleeping on for most of our journey. But the sky was threatening rain, and it would be nice to be out of the elements.
"No fire tonight," I grimaced.
I watched as my elf cast a spell that made a light orb, and then uttered an elven word to change its colour from a hard white to a softer yellow-orange.
"Well we can snuggle for warmth" Tiffany said, while setting out blankets.
I did so enjoy the snuggles.
"So what's the big plan tomorrow?" Celeste asked she put her pack down "How do we catch a Drow-Zee".
I started to tell them about the few plans I'd already come up with. None of them were that good or at all complete, but they were more than enough to be the foundations of a proper scheme.
"We'll need more information" I then said "If she's been spotted then the people around here should know if she is armed. They will also know at what times of the night she likes to commit her crimes".
The Drow-Zee would sleep during the day, and move about in the dark. However waiting until morning wasn't part of my plan because if she'd avoided capture until now then she had to have a very well hidden hiding place. It really depended on what the farmer had to say.
"You two stay here" I then ordered "I'm going to go talk to the farmer and see what chores he needs doing and find out what he knows about the Drow-Zee".
Once I had the info I needed then I could come up with a proper plan.