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Last time on Plan B: Ballad of Swords
Ness and Rock arrived in Pherae in search of the new Champion of Fire. After being denied entrance to the city for not possessing the proper paperwork, the boys were left with little other choice but to find a way to sneak inside. After finding an area of the wall that appeared to be scalable, the two began their climb up the tall structure. Before they reached the top they were spotted by a guard who began lobbing arrows at them. Rock told Ness to stay out of the fight as he challenged the guard himself. The two clashed over the wall and into the city. After it appeared that Rock was on the verge of losing the battle, Ness intervened and blasted the guard with his lightning magic, only to find out the tussle was friendlier than it appeared as Rock was familiar with the guard named Pit.
Stationed in Pherae as the personal bodyguard to the Grand Duke's son, Roy, Pit was able to help Ness and Rock make the acquaintance of the Grand Duke Eliwood and his family. When Ness told the duke of their mission and pulled out Mario's enchanted hat, it came to light that Roy was new Champion of Fire. Reactions from Roy's family were mixed as Eliwood forbade Roy from adventuring out with Ness and Rock as he felt his studies were far more important, and offered that he and Hector would accompany the boys in Roy's place. Ness wasn't thrilled with how things turned out, but met up with Roy and Pit again as they toured Pherae at which point Roy promised he'd find a way to accompany them despite his father's wishes.
Chapter 8: Together We Ride
One eye slowly opened, then the other, "Where?"
The black haired boy slowly sat up. He was on a makeshift bed in what appeared to be an attic.
"You're awake!" A girl's voice called quietly from a corner of the room.
"Tracy?" the girl put a finger to her mouth to quickly shush the boy.
"Shh, not so loud Ninten, no one knows you're here," the girl kneeled beside her cousin and felt his head, "Your fever finally broke, we were so worried for a while."
"What?" Ninten was completely confused. "What's going on?"
"You were poisoned," Suddenly the memories started rushing back into Ninten's head, the night the empire attacked, the battle in the middle of town, and then something stabbed his neck. "You've been asleep for over a week. You had a bad fever most of that time and no one knew how long you would stay asleep for."
"Where's Ness, what's happened since then?!" Ninten began working himself up as he scrambled off the mattress.
"Keep it down, you never know if someone might be walking close by," Tracy shushed him again.
Ninten ran to the slit covers of the attic and twisted one open to see outside. The first thing he noticed were the two airships that were circling around the city. Another one was docked in the city center down at the bottom of the hill, and soldiers of the Golden Empire marched openly through the streets, "This…"
"Onett was declared empire territory after that night," Tracy began to explain. "Mom and I got jobs making deliveries across town to earn ration tickets."
Ninten's mouth dropped as he continued to stare at the outside. Swiftly he closed the shutter, "Where's Ness and Rock?"
Tracy sighed, "They had to run away. That night, they brought you back home, but the empire knew who you all were. Mom said that Ness is part of a legend now, that he's the Champion of Thunder, and because of that he had to run away before the empire could find him. Rock went with him to protect him. Mom was able to hide you so when the empire's soldiers searched the house she was able to say all three of you left the city."
Ninten sank back down to his bed, "I should be out there with them…"
"It'll be okay Ninten, we just need to keep you hidden for a while longer." Tracy sat down beside her cousin, "I'm sure Ness is just fine wherever he is."
"Yeah…" Ninten let out a sigh, "He better be…"
Morning light once again woke Ness from a restless sleep. He realized it looked a little later than he normally slept to and sat up in bed while scratching his messy hair.
"Good morning," Rock looked over from his tinkering, "You don't look like you slept well.
"Not really…" Ness grumbled as he stretched and climbed out from under the covers.
Rock noticed the bags under Ness's eyes but decided against adjusting his response to better suit Ness's mood, "Sorry, the hot water was so relaxing I was out as soon as I lied down."
Still groggy, Ness tripped over nothing. Ness reached out for something to hold onto but caught only the bed coverings which were easily pulled off the mattress as Ness fell to the floor. A frustrated grunt came from the ground on the other side of the bed once everything settled. Rock gently cleared his throat, "Maybe you should get dressed and we'll go get some breakfast."
"Sounds… good…" came the sleepy disembodied reply.
A short while later, the door to the guest room finally opened as one boy stepped out looking prepared for the day, and the other hid his face in the shadows as he avoided looking in the direction of the sun.
Ness nearly plowed into Rock's backside when the boy in front came to a halt and said, "Good morning everyone!"
"Morning you two," Roy waved and casually led Pit and Lilina toward the two guests.
"Yeah…" Ness turned away as he could feel himself blushing from the memories of the previous night that still refused to stop replaying in his head, "morning…"
"He didn't sleep well," Rock explained, "He'll be in a much better mood after some breakfast."
The smile on Roy's face widened, "We were on our way to find breakfast in town, would you like to join us?"
Ness tried to subtly get Rock's attention but Rock was already speaking on reflex, "Of course, that'd be great!" With an unnoticed sigh of exasperation, Ness followed behind Rock and the others.
Pit jumped onto Rock's side and draped an arm over his shoulder, "Hey Rock, let me see one of your metal disks!"
Rock lifted one eyebrow at Pit, "Why?"
A nervous hum echoed into Rock's ear, "I've been practicing my metal magic and I want to see if I can change their shape."
"You can't use metal magic on something that already has a metal enchantment on it," Rock sounded annoyed as he explained.
"But I've been practicing, that's why I wanna try!" Pit begged.
Rock narrowed his eyes and shook his head, "All the more reason to keep them far away from you."
Lilina laughed as she walked along Roy's side, "You can tell they've known each other for a while."
"What gives it away? The way Pit is trying to mooch or the way Rock can already tell that Pit will break something if he gives in?" Pit glared over the back of Rock's shoulder at Roy for a moment before he went back to pleading.
Ness's eyes kept shifting between Roy and Lilina as they laughed together, but he still refused to make eye contact with anyone.
Once at the restaurant, Pit had yet to give up on his quest to convince Rock of his trustworthiness and had Rock pinned against the wall on one side of the table while Lilina and Roy sat on the other side. Ness gulped as he realized he had no choice but to sit beside either Pit or Roy.
"This side is probably safer," Roy read the apprehension in Ness's face, even if he wasn't correct on its cause, and patted the seat beside him.
"Thanks," Ness barely whispered as he quickly sat down and went back to looking away from everyone.
Roy tried pointing to something on Ness's menu, "You should definitely try the mutton while you're here, these guys know how to cook it so it comes out juicy and not so tough, the flavor just explodes in your mouth. I don't think many other countries make it like we do."
Ness gulped nervously and tried not to blush again at the way Roy described the dish as 'explodes in your mouth', "I'll try it, thanks." Immediately he shoved his face back into the menu.
The response was a little odd, Roy and Lilina looked at each other and both shrugged so Lilina leaned forward to try striking up a conversation, "So now that you've found the Champion of Fire, where are you going to be travelling to next?"
Ness looked up from the menu as a realization dawned on him, "I… I don't know…"
Rock saw the distressed look on Ness's face and pulled out the notes he'd brought with him, "Actually, that's what I was working on last night."
A look of relief washed over Ness, "I'm glad you think ahead on these things."
Rock grinned and tapped on the pad, "We were lucky to end up in the Mushroom Kingdom where we got our hands on a relic that belonged to the old champion of fire, Mario, to help us find Roy, but now we're going to need help finding the other champions or we'll just end up wandering forever."
Lilina looked over Rock's list, "What are you suggesting?"
"We're missing four of the new champions now," Rock began to explain, "If we were able to get our hands on items that belonged to the four old champions then maybe we could get them enchanted again by someone like Princess Peach to find the other new champions."
"Enchanted to find the new champions?" Lilina looked up as she thought, "You mean like how a successor potion would?"
The others at the table stared at her oddly. Roy was the one to ask, "A what?"
Lilina rolled her eyes, "Have you really been so concerned with using magic solely to create fireballs that you paid no attention to what else it's capable of?"
"Ummm…" Roy rubbed the back of his head nervously.
"A successor potion," Lilina began, "Is typically used to divine insight towards the successor of powerful leaders. Religious sects have used them for centuries to find their next overseers, and they've even been used in monarchs to resolve disputes when there is no clear heir to the throne."
"That sounds exactly like what we need!" Rock bolstered excitedly, "How does it work?"
"Extremely simple," Lilina made a motion with her hand as if she were holding something in her left and pouring something onto it with her right, "The hard part is mixing the potion, once you have it simply pour it over an item of great importance to the predecessor and the item will guide you to the proper successor."
Ness nodded as he took in the information, "That's how Mario's hat led us to Roy."
"I was more surprised that Mario's hat found Roy without components or a potion," Lilina tilted her eyes in thought, "Princess Peach must be extremely powerful…"
Ness closed his eyes to remember clearly, "And that was while she was trapped in a painting too…" He shook his head as a new concern crossed his mind, "Wait, where do we even find stuff that belonged to the old champions?"
Both Rock and Lilina grimaced as the notepad was passed across the table, "We may have to visit all the lands they came from…"
Roy took the pad next and read off the listed locations, "Earth, Kong Island; Wind, Hyrule; Ice, Altea; Water, Dreemlund."
"I picked up a map yesterday," Rock unrolled a world map and placed it on the table, "We're in Lycia right now, on the eastern continent. Altea is to the north, but it's a long way off. If we go south though we can take a ferry through these island chains to Hyrule, then hopefully find a larger ship to sail out to Kong Island and Dreemlund, and eventually make our way back around to Altea."
"Sounds like a long trip," Pit took the map and leaned back in his seat.
"It's going to be longer that that even," Rock plucked the map back out of Pit's hands. The brown haired boy scowled at Rock but didn't say anything, "Remember, that will only get us the items we need to hopefully find the new champions. We'll still have to travel to wherever they are and actually find them."
"Oh yeah," Ness sulked in his seat, "This could take a while…"
Rock grinned, "You weren't expecting an overnight trip were you?"
"No… but…" Suddenly Ness appeared very downcast, and Rock felt he had a good understanding as to why.
"I know… But try not to worry too much about home for now. And besides…" Rock motioned to the area on the map where Onett was, "There's no reason we couldn't make a stop in Eagleland once we're back on the western continent."
The statement made Ness grin.
"Like Roy said yesterday, this is an adventure," Rock winked at the champions across the table, "we have to enjoy it to make sure we're saving a world worth living in."
"That's right!" Roy cheered and wrapped an arm over Ness's shoulder. With a plan in place, Ness's mood obviously lifted. Though he blushed yet again as he realized Roy still had his arm draped around his shoulder.
"Sorry for the wait," The moment was broken by the server who took their order. The conversation continued more lively between everyone now that matters pertaining to their impending mission were settled.
As Rock had predicted, Ness found the awkward feeling he'd dwelled in before breakfast subsided after having a good meal. The group left the restaurant, Ness walked alongside Roy and Lilina and joined in their conversation and joking. They proved easy to talk to which made Ness unable to keep himself from wondering out loud, "Do you two like… like each other?"
Roy and Lilina both stopped, their eyes widened, they looked at each other, and in the same moment began to laugh. Ness scratched his head in confusion until Lilina explained, "Don't get me wrong, I love Roy, and I know he loves me, but…"
"...I call her father uncle as she does mine. There is definitely no romance there," Roy completed the sentence.
"And besides…" Lilina put a hand to her chin as she looked Ness up and down. Ness's became slightly nervous under the scrutiny. Lilina finally looked back over to Roy and nodded, "Mmm-hmm."
She just walked away as Roy shook his head and followed leaving Ness feeling even more bewildered, "What does that mean?"
"Well…" Lilina sang out teasingly.
"Don't you dare!" Roy demanded.
"I didn't say anything!" Lilina defended herself.
"You're implying it!" Roy began to look flustered.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lilina grinned and skipped ahead.
Ness gulped as he watched her go, "Should I be worried?"
Roy shook his head, "I'll explain later… maybe…"
The group turned the last corner towards Roy's family manor and immediately Ness ground his feet to a halt. Everyone turned around to see Ness staring forward, wide eyed and obviously anxious.
Rock hurried back to Ness's side, "What's wrong?"
Ness pointed a finger forward, "That carriage… it's the same one that was at the Minch's house the day Onett was…"
Roy finally noticed the out of place carriage, painted black but garnished in gold, "The Golden Empire… they're here…"
In a flash Roy ran forward, past Pit who shook his head vigorously as he watched Roy run, "Wait!" Pit dashed after Roy. Lilina was close behind.
Rock remained by Ness's side making sure he was alright, "We should see what's going on."
Ness nodded and the two ran after the others.
"Hurry, this way!" Pit waited at a door for Ness and Rock to catch up. Once inside, Pit led them down another hall and up a stairway.
Roy leaned against a door with his ear pressed up against it as he tried to listen to the discussions inside. Pit looked really anxious as he ran past the others and leaned against the door beside Roy, "I didn't think the reps from the empire were supposed to be here until tomorrow?"
"They weren't!" Roy spoke in a quiet but firm voice.
"You knew the empire was coming here?!" Ness exclaimed a little too loudly and was hushed by Roy and Pit.
Roy closed his eyes and sighed, "I'm sorry. Yes, I was going to tell you when you mentioned that it was the Empire that attacked your home, but I was hoping we'd have time today to go through the whole story. Instead they're here a day early and I need to know what's going on." The boys could hear the sounds of a loud discussion coming through door, but it was still too difficult to discern what the voices were saying.
Roy looked to the others and whispered, "The room on the other side is a balcony overlooking the meeting hall. When I open the door stay low and get to the banister. We should be able to listen in on what's going on without being seen."
Everyone nodded as Roy very quietly opened the door and let the others inside before silently closing the door behind him.
Immediately the discussion became clearer, "With the treaty now officialized in Lycia it is only a matter of it being ratified by the city-states such as Pherae and Ostia. I believe you'll find everything in order with our proposal."
Five heads stealthily looked over the railing; below they could make out Eliwood and Hector seated at one side of the table, while two men in dark clothes sat across from them.
Rock leaned in very close to Pit's ear and whispered, "Do you smell that?"
Pit nodded, "I can't quite put my finger on what it is…"
Eliwood seemed to be nodding as he read through the documentation, "So, in exchange for coming to the aid of any territory of the empire that is within proximity to Lycia, the empire will permanently bolster the defenses of our city-states?"
"Indeed," the embassador from the empire was cloaked in a black cape and wore a hat that draped down his back that slightly concealed his greyish pale skin and hair, "We are prepared to station two hundred troops in Pherae alone."
"Sounds like it's quite a deal…" Hector leaned back in his seat as he read through the papers regarding Ostia, "What are the territories that the empire is so concerned with protecting in the area?"
"There are seven nearby," A fat man with a twisted mustache spoke with a tone that made the listeners above shiver, "These territories are under almost constant threat from a neighboring kingdom."
Hector squinted his eyes, "You're talking about the autonomous territories which used to comprise The Mushroom Kingdom?"
"The Mushroom Kingdom is long since defunct I'm afraid," The cloaked man shook his head, "What remains are splinter cells of terrorist groups with aspirations of wreaking havoc upon the land the empire wishes so desperately to make peaceful and successful once again."
Eliwood took a deep breath, "We are not interested in aiding in any further expansion of the empire, nor would we assist in any attack on the sovereignty of another nation."
"Most definitely not," the cloaked man pointed to something on the document, "This treaty specifically states that our alliance only binds us to aid in each other's defense."
"Very well," Eliwood took a quill and dipped in ink.
Ness took in a deep breath and tried to stand as though he was about to interrupt, but Rock quickly put a hand around his mouth to pull him back and keep him quiet.
The quill approached the the parchment.
"WAIT!" Roy clenched his eyes knowing what he was doing was a bad idea, but he looked again at the panicked expression on Ness's face and stood so he could be seen by everyone below..
"Roy?! What are you doing?" Eliwood stood from the meeting table and looked up to the observation deck.
Roy gave the others a weak smile before he flipped over the banister and landed to the side of the meeting table below.
"Remain hidden," Lilina whispered to the others before she stood in order to be seen as well.
Hector grinned and shook his head as Roy approached his father.
"Do you have a good reason for interrupting a treaty negotiation, son?" Eliwood's stern voice boomed through the room.
"I am sorry father, I meant to speak with you prior to this meeting, but it seems it began earlier than expected," Roy eyed the representatives of the empire carefully as he approached his father.
"Speak your point son," Eliwood seemed eager to rush through.
Roy took a deep breath and tried to speak in the most calm voice he could muster, "Only that I believe we need more time to fully understand this treaty with the empire. I believe it would be best to take more time to weigh out all of the conditions."
The large man from the empire became aggravated, "The conditions of the treaty have already been thoroughly vetted by the central republic of Lycia. Are you trying to insinuate that you're own Lycian League is unfit to properly draft foreign treaties?"
"That's not what I meant at all," Roy refused to look at the man behind him and continued to give his father an imploring look, "I'm only inferring that we in Pherae should fully understand our commitment to the treaty before we sign it."
Eliwood's eyes narrowed as he gauged his son's words, "That's reasonable, now tell me the truth of why you want to delay the signing."
Roy cringed as his father saw through his attempt at diplomacy, "I would rather speak of it in private father…"
"You've gone as far as interrupt an important assembly," The harsh tone in Eliwood's voice even caused Hector to look concerned, "You will speak the truth and do so quickly."
"I have reasons to doubt the empire's sincerity," Roy quickly responded.
"That is preposterous! Under what grounds do you make such a claim?" The large man yelled out in aggravation.
Roy finally turned to face the two empirical representatives, "I've received information that a republic by the name of Eagleland in the western continent was attacked by the empire without provocal cause, and this news has caused me to have some doubts in relation to the empire."
The two men looked at each other for a moment. Roy couldn't read their expressions, but the large man then broke into a wide confident grin, "I'm actually quite familiar with the situation in Eagleland. My brother is the Gamgi representing the empire in the area. I can assure you the empire was begged by the people to intervene."
"How so?" Eliwood seemed to take an interest in the story.
"The empire was contacted by the citizens of a northern town in Eagleland, I believe Onett is the name," The large man twisted his mustache as he spoke, "The Eagleland government seized all the farms and food production resources of the nation and then hoarded the food from its own citizens. The empire found the people of Eagleland starving while government warehouses were overflowing with food and supplies. The empire had the decency to feed the people of another nation, and when the military of Eagleland attempted to force the end of our charity we were left with no choice by to defend ourselves."
The hair of everyone in the room began to stand slightly as the static level raised. Ness shook in rage, his fist clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. Rock continued to hold him close to try and provide some kind of emotional comfort. Rock hoped the the representatives of the empire wouldn't detect the sudden scent of ozone filling the room. Hidden under the ozone there was definitely a second odor and Rock was growing concerned that it was getting stronger.
"That's terrible," Eliwood shook his head, "That a nation would act in such blatant disregard for its people is appalling."
"Father!" Roy turned and was about to argue further.
"That's enough Roy," Eliwood silenced Roy before he could say anything more, "You made your concern known and Gamgi Wario has addressed it; the time for debate has ended."
Roy held his hand out as Eliwood dipped the quill once again and without hesitation signed the treaty, "Gamgi Wario, Gamgi Vaati, I look forward to a mutually beneficial alliance between our states."
"Most certainly," Vaati clapped his hands, "And Sir Hector?"
Hector sighed as he brushed his pen over the Ostian papers as well.
Vaati elatedly retrieved the documents, "This calls for a celebration, Nabooru!"
Roy was taken by surprise, he had completely failed to notice the woman standing behind the Gamgis. Even now that he knew she was there, it was difficult to watch her movement, as if his perception of her was askew.
From the pitcher Nabooru carried, a dark liquid was poured into all of the chalices on the table, "The finest wine from the Spools of Holodrum."
Eliwood and Hector rubbed their eyes as well as the wine was poured. Eliwood nodded in Nabooru's direction, "Thank you."
"Then our meeting may conclude," Wario stood from the seat across the table, "We still have important business to address while in your fine city."
"Oh?" Eliwood looked surprised at the offhanded comment, "What sort of business?"
Vaati calmly replied, "One of the highest priorities we've been given is to seek out the crystal shards of the grand elements. Our scryers detected a very strong probability that one was in Pherae yesterday."
Roy's eyes widened for a moment but he tried not to let on that he knew anything, "Why is the empire collecting the elemental shards?"
"After the champions failure," The bite in Wario's tone unmistakeable as he mentioned the champions, "the empire has taken it upon themselves to collect the shards and find another means of bringing the elements under control."
Eliwood looked curious, "How does the empire intend to do this?"
Vaati's cape ruffled through the air as he turned to answer Eliwood, "The crystal forms of the elements are, in essence, physical binds to their aetherial power. Our intention is to collect every shard of every crystal in order to trap the element within it. With the crystal acting as a prison, the power can be allowed to flow slowly and avoid any major global catastrophes."
"I see," Eliwood nodded, "But what of the legends that state new champions will rise to save the world?"
Vaati began to laugh, "While I cannot fault you for clinging to hope in such childish tales, the truth of the matter is the people of this world placed their faith in the fulfillment of such a providence once already this generation. It is not in the official belief of the empire that there will be a second set of champions of the six elemental aspects. I am certain, however, if the legend were to come to pass that the empire would take great interest in recruiting them into the cause to bring everlasting peace upon the globe."
"That is quite the noble endeavor," Eliwood nodded to the Gamgis and lifted his chalice, "A toast, to this everlasting peace."
The four men at the table lifted their chalices high before holding them to their mouths. Vaati and Wario watched their two opposites carefully before putting their chalices down. "Duke Eliwood, Duke Hector, we thank you for your hospitality," Vaati bowed, "Please do inform us if you come into any news, even rumours which may assist us in finding the shards of the elements."
"We will have to convene again soon on such matters, now however I'm sure there is other business I must see to," Eliwood cast a glance at his son before seeing the Gamgis out of the hall.
Roy remained where he stood as the door closed. Lilina led the others to another staircase and into a back door into the meeting hall. Eliwood scowled at Roy as he returned to his seat, "I cannot begin to express the embarrassment you caused today."
A shocked expression fell over Roy's face, "Embarrassment? Father you're not…"
Eliwood cut his son off before he could explain, "What on earth were you thinking?! Jumping off the balcony in a reckless display of self-import in front of official diplomats? And then to indulge in such baseless accusations!"
"Sir," Ness lifted his hand nervously, "What Roy said about the empire was true, I was there. The empire was the one who tried to burn the food that Eagleland meant for the people to have, and when the people stood up to the empire they were attacked, doomships fired on my hometown with no warning. They hurt and even killed lots of innocent people just because they didn't get what they wanted."
Eliwood shook his head, "While I mean no disrespect to your inherited title, you are obviously still a child who does not understand the world. You cannot be expected to understand the subtleties of politics and find truth with the knowledge of only that which you can see."
"Father, this isn't like you!" Roy shouted again, "My whole life I've known you to be wise, thoughtful, and considerate of all possibilities, why today is everything so different?"
Eliwood rose a hand as if he were about to argue, but shook his head and rubbed his hand against his temple, "There's no need… to consider that... which is certain…"
Both Roy and Ness watched the man in confusion when Rock snapped his finger, "That smell, of course! It's an alchemical incense that's putting everyone in a state of heightened emotion!"
All eyes looked up to Rock. Pit nodded as well, "It had to have been that woman in the room, Nabooru! I knew it was weird that I could hardly even look at her!"
Rock nodded, "And the two Gamgis of course knew about the effect and used it to push their agenda with less question. When Roy jumped in, he introduced an unstable element into their plan which is why tensions rose and they suddenly rushed to finish their business and leave, they knew their chances of being caught had skyrocketed."
The color began to drain from Eliwood's face, "You're saying the representatives of the empire used alchemical methods to sway the outcome of our meeting with one more favorable to them?"
"I'm sorry sir," Pit bowed, "I believe Rock is correct, we should have detected the scent sooner."
Eliwood's breathing was beginning to show signs of stress, "Find them… Have the Gamgis of the empire return at once!"
"Eli…" Hector gasped before he slumped from his seat.
Everyone's eyes widened in horror. Eliwood reached over towards his friend but then he too slumped forward, unable to breathe.
"FATHER!" Both Roy and Lilina rushed their father's aid.
"Oh no…" Rock climbed over the table and kneeled beside the two dukes, "No no no…"
Roy shook his father, anxiety climbing by the instant, "What happened?! What's wrong with them?!"
Rock looked over his shoulder at the goblets of wine which remained on the table, "...They've been poisoned." He held his hand over Eliwood's mouth, "No breath, this is the same poison they used on Ninten…"
Lilina immediately calmed herself, "I will find poison salves."
Rock took in a deep breath as he assessed the variables of the situation, "Ness, once the salve is administered it will be up to you to force their hearts to beat to get it moving through their blood, just like you helped Ninten."
"I can do that," Ness gulped as he readied himself.
Lilina ran back into the room with two small bottles in her hands as well as Lyn and Florina behind her, "Here are the salves."
"Perfect," Rock took one and prepared to inject Hector while Pit took care of Eliwood.
"That's all of it," Pit announced as he threw the bottle away.
Ness nodded as he rubbed his hands together to generate some static. With a gentle force, Ness put his hands against Eliwood's chest. The shock caused Eliwood's entire body to jump. Ness then repeated the process on Hector.
Rock felt for a pulse, and then checked for breathing, "I think that's going to work, they're both breathing again."
Roy began to shake Eliwood, "Father, can you hear me?"
Rock put his hand on Roy's arm, "It's still going to take time for the poison to run its course, I doubt they'll wake up before their bodies expel the toxins."
Roy bit his lip. His worried expression turned quickly into one of anger, "Pit, with me! We're going to find the Gamgis who did this!"
"Wait, Roy!" Lilina hurried to her feet as Roy stormed out of the room.
Ness watched anxiously as they left, "We have to help them!"
Rock nodded in agreement and they ran out as well.
Ahead Roy was moving at a brisk pace; he stopped at the armory to collect his sword before marching in the direction the carriage of the empire had been parked, "I swear, when I find them…"
Pit's solid plate armor formed around his body as he walked along Roy's side, "We should summon the rest of the guard, we don't know how many empirical troops we might be up against."
"They could have brought their entire army for all I care!" Roy reached the entrance to the estate and pushed the large gates open.
The sun was still hanging just over the top of the nearest building casting a glaring light at the gate as it opened. Once eyes adjusted to the light it was obvious the estate was indeed surrounded by a crowd of hundreds.
"There he is!" Came a shout from the crowd. They were not soldiers, Roy looked around and saw hundreds of faces he recognized as the citizens of Pherae. "The boy who would kill his own father!"
"What…?" Roy stood in shock as the crowd jeered angrily towards him.
"To think he would kill his own father just for money and power!"
"You should be ashamed boy!"
Rock grabbed onto Ness's arm, "This isn't good. This is very very not good."
Roy finally began to shake off some of the awe, "My father is not dead! The empire tried to have him assassinated, but we saved his life!"
"The boy lies!" A girl who stood out in the crowd, she wore heavy lipstick and had a huge pink bow in her hair that did not match the local style in the least, "Our duke Eliwood sought only to ensure the protection of Pherae through negotiations with the Empire, but his son feared his eventual plans of domination would ruined by the presence of an outside force!"
Roy's mouth hung open and he tried to call out again, "You can't believe that!"
Pit looked deeper into the crowd. Besides the girl who they had heard speak, there were several other strangers amongst the people. All of them appeared somewhat outlandish, but most importantly they were all making wild arm gestures as they spoke, and a faint smokey haze was spreading from their cuffs, "Do you see that?"
Rock grit his teeth, "More of that incense…"
Not only did the crowd continue to yell, but their facial features grew angrier, a group fury was settling in as if it was feeding off of itself.
The crowd began taking steps forward. Before they could come too close a powerful bolt of lightning dropped from the sky and struck Ness on his skyward pointing finger. The deafening crack of thunder was enough to stop the crowd from coming closer, "Listen to yourselves for a moment! Roy lives here, he's one of you! You all know him! Do you really think he would do something so horrible as kill his own father for money or power? Don't let the empire trick you! Manipulating people is a game they play, they're doing it here to you just as they did in Onett!"
"So who are you then?!" A voice shouted from the crowd.
Ness stared at the ground for a moment before he stepped forward and shouted back, "My name is Ness, and I'm the Champion of Thunder!"
The shouting stopped again for a moment, whispers began circulating through the crowd discussing the validity of the boy's claim.
The girl in the crowd wearing the lipstick turned around as if unsure what to do. Her gaze went to the back where the others finally saw the Gamgis from earlier. They made a hand gesture which seemed to deliver a message to the girl.
The girl began waving her arms again, spreading more smoke from her wristbands, "That can't be true! The Champions all abandoned us! Don't believe him!"
The crowd slowly began building up in ire again.
"Listen!" Roy hoped to use the momentary lull of emotion to make a logical appeal to the people, "There is much confusion right now I understand, but pray look around you and you'll see many amongst you who are outsiders seeking to turn us against each other. My father is alive, and everything can be concluded justly, but I need you all to calm down and listen to me!"
The appeal succeeded in quieting the people once again. The call for peace was then undone with a single question, "Where's the duke then if he's not dead?!"
"Yeah! Where is he?!"
"We demand to see Duke Eliwood!"
"He's…" Roy choked on his words as the people were quickly turning on him, "Unconscious…"
The people continued to take aggressive steps toward the estate.
Roy wasn't sure what to do. The actions which had seemed so clear to him moments ago were now buried in obscurity. He could just make out the site of the Gamgis standing behind the crowd. The smiles on their faces declared their victory without the need for words. How Roy wanted to push his way to them and deal them a crushing blow. Subconsciously Roy reached for his sword.
"Roy…" Lilina put her hand against Roy's before he could draw the weapon, "Your valor is not in question, you spoke of willingness to fight through the army of the empire to bring justice to those who hurt your father, but this is not their army, they are your people. You mustn't strike out against them!"
"Then what do I do?" Roy gulped as total uncertainty washed over him.
Lilina pulled him back as Rock and Pit hurriedly shut the gates to the manor and barricaded them.
Pit turned to Roy as soon as he had ensured the barricade bar would hold, "We have to run."
"This is my home!" Roy's fist shook as he seethed, "We can't just abandon Pherae!"
"It will not be abandoned!" Lilina turned Roy and stared deep into his eyes, "Mother and I, we will make all haste to Ostia with father and your parents. If we leave now we can arrive before the empire and secure Ostia against them. By the time your father awakens we will have allies in the Lycian League who will be ready to remove the empire's presence from Pherae."
Roy took a calming breath as he realized Lilina's plan was logically sound. Then he realized something was missing from the plan, "You and your mother, what of the rest of us?"
"Your destiny is elsewhere Roy," Lilina looked to the door as it shook from the people outside beginning to bash against it, "Ostia is in the wrong direction, you must travel south to the coast and gather the other champions of the elements."
"But…" Roy shook his head, "We should be keeping you safe…"
"Roy, your mother will be with us," Lilina stated so flatly that Roy couldn't help but finally chuckle.
"Very well," Roy turned to Pit, "Prepare horses and supplies, I'll gather what I can and then we meet at the tunnel." Pit nodded and ran toward the stable. Roy turned to Ness and Rock next, "I'm sorry, it doesn't look like we'll be riding with the army of Pherae to find the rest of the champions."
Ness shook his head, "We make it work, that's how this all started and it's what we'll keep doing."
Roy grinned, "Then hurry and retrieve your belongings from your room, we don't have much time." The group split and quickly grabbed what they could. Eliwood and Hector were moved into a carriage with the help of aids who had not been placed under the empire's influence, and through the tunnel they fled.
The barricade bar of the estate gave way and a mob of angry townsfolk rushed onto the property. It was immediately apparent the property was deserted.
Outside of Pherae, Roy pulled the hood down from over his head as he rode up alongside the carriage his family remained inside in, "This is where the road forks."
"Roy," he watched as his mother climbed onto the driver's seat wearing full armor and with two swords on her belt, "Don't worry about Pherae, the moment your father wakes we will retake the city, your concern is now to the world. It's up to you and the other champions to set things right."
Roy nodded, "I'll find them, and then we'll make sure the empire never does anything like this again."
Lyn nodded as the four horses rode off towards the plains to the south, "It's entrancing, watching a new legend ride away into the distance."
Hours of riding went by in silence. No one wished to interrupt whatever was going through Roy's mind. They all intrinsically knew it was a lot to take in. The sun was setting as Pit called out to the group, "We should make camp soon."
"Thank you!" Ness cried out in exasperation, "I feel like I've been spanked non-stop for the last few hours on this thing!"
Roy couldn't help but laugh at the unexpected statement, "Then let's find something close by." Roy picked out a secluded spot while Pit went in search of firewood. In short order, Roy had a fire lit and Rock offered to heat up the food for the night.
Roy leaned against a boulder while staring at the stars that were beginning to dot the sky. Beside him, Ness slowly lowered himself to the ground, "Ahh!"
Roy chuckled, "Have you ever ridden a horse before?"
Ness shook his head, "Nope, I've always walked or ridden in a carriage."
"Then you did really well," Roy spoke encouragingly, "you are going to be sore for a while though sorry."
"Thanks, I guess," Ness shifted his weight, trying to sit in a way that wouldn't aggravate his soreness. He sighed as he tried to stop fidgeting and look seriously at Roy, "I didn't come over here to talk about me, I wanted to know how you're doing."
Roy nodded, "I'm fine, really."
Ness looked skeptically into Roy's face.
"Seriously," Roy assured again, "I mean, believe me, this was not how I thought things were going to go. I had this plan that once you and Rock had left with my father that Pit and I would ride unseen beside you until you boarded a ship bound for another continent. Then once that far from Pherae and heading further my father wouldn't be able to argue over my presence… Doesn't sound like that good of an idea now that I'm saying it outloud."
Ness shrugged, "I think it would have worked."
Roy sighed, "I wanted to be a part of this adventure. Last night I could hardly sleep, I was wishing so badly for something to change my father's mind and let me go. Since we left Pherae I was feeling guilty over having those thoughts just yesterday."
By the fire, Pit tried to dip his finger into whatever Rock was cooking. Rock swatted the hand away with a spoon and immediately the two started arguing.
Roy shook his head and laughed, "Honestly though, I'm… well I'm worried about Pherae, but not terribly so. I know everything there will work out fine."
"How do you mean?" Ness pushed now curious as to the source of Roy's confidence.
"I know my parents," Roy chuckled, "Once my father wakes, he and my mother will have Pherae under control in no time at all. They're both heroes of the nation after all. A foreign power coming in and inciting a minor riot, that's nothing compared to things they've had to deal with in their lives already."
"They sound awesome," Ness smiled.
"Yeah," Roy agreed, "so that means it's up to us to be awesome in what we have to do now."
They both looked up as Rock was struggling to hold Pit away from the pot, "You need to add salt!"
"It gets plenty of salt from the meat in the stew!"
"Why did I agree to let you cook?! Moron!"
"Well next time you cook, and no one will be able to eat at all!"
"I'm a great chef in case you don't remember!"
"Right, this coming from the guy who used to put eggplant on everything!"
Ness leaned closer to Roy again, "You don't suppose they're still under the effects of that incense a bit do you?"
"Eggplants are delicious!"
"Only in whatever strange mutant alien universe you crawled out of!"
Roy shook his head, "They seem strangely at ease at each other's throats."
Ness looked confused, "How do you mean?"
"Watch," Roy cleared his throat loud enough to get their attention, "Are you two almost done making out or would you like some privacy while you hold each other?"
Both Pit and Rock blushed and grew quiet. They separated and Pit pointed a finger at Rock, "He's the one that started it!"
Rock crossed his arms and turned his back to Pit, "By offering to make dinner for everyone? Oh please forgive my hostility."
"Mrow!" Ness cat called to punctuate the moment.
Pit puffed out his cheeks indignantly before he sat down in a huff and things went back to normal. The food was ready and Pit finally relaxed his posture as he was offered a bowl.
"Well?" Rock still sought Pit's opinion.
"..." Pit was silent for a moment, "Okay it's not bad."
After cleanup, Ness stood expectantly by Rock, "Are we going to keep training with new spells?"
Rock looked off at the horizon, "I'm a little worried that we may still be too close Pherae to do anything big. It would be pretty obvious for miles around that your lightning magic was going off if you start throwing super bolts around."
Ness nodded dejectedly, "Yeah I guess you're right."
"So instead I want you to practice your magic circles," Ness grinned as Rock gave him a thumbs up.
"You can use magic circles?" Roy asked curiously.
Ness nodded and began to explain, "Yeah Rock taught me while we were underground, they're great at amplifying spells when there are no other conductors of magic nearby." Ness pointed a finger in front of himself and began making circular motions with his arm. The air in front of him began to crackle and formed a large circle at least four feet across. In the center was the rune of lightning Ness had learned, and other symbols of the arcane surrounded it in a row along the circle's edge, "The more complicated the circle, the more energy it can amplify, but they take a lot of concentration to manifest. This circle has one ring of arcane symbols, so it's a level one circle."
Ness held his breath and rotated his hand faster. The circle doubled in size, and a second ring of arcane symbols appeared on it. Ness tilted his head and never stopped rotating his hand as he kept his concentration on the circle while he tried to describe it, "Now there are two rings, so that makes this a level two circle. Ummm…" Ness lost his words for a moment as the circle started fading from view, "The more rings and arcane symbols, the harder it is to keep focus on it, and it loses its effect if it starts to fade like that…"
"I'm impressed," Roy smiled he studied the symbols on Ness's circle, "Only very powerful battle mages ever used magic circles at the academy, they always stressed that one must have absolute control of your elemental aspect before you start experimenting with them."
Rock nodded, "It's supposed to be reserved for experts, but I think having a shard of the elemental crystal of lightning made it easier to tune into the energies needed to use a technique like that. The only thing left is to use more complex circles and try and reduce their size. As it is now, a circle that size is totally advertising to any skilled mage what you're about to do."
Ness nodded as he let out his breath that he'd been holding and the circle faded away, "Those circles are actually less than half the size they were when I first started, I was able to make a level three circle, but it was bigger than the room we were in at the time." Ness stretched his arm, "You should totally try it!"
"I've seen a magic circle of fire before…" Roy thought about it for a moment. Pit took a step back by Rock and Ness as Roy extended his hand forward in a similar method that Ness had used. He focused on what he wanted to see and used the motions of his hand to help keep the mental picture he had for it going. It took a few minutes of intense concentration, but a flame lit in the air in front of him and slowly it morphed into the rune of fire. Roy smiled to himself as the red energy spread into a ring to form the circle and the symbols he needed began appearing. It took a few more minutes to fully construct, but Roy had created his first magic circle.
The practice continued for several hours until mental exertion became its own kind of fatigue. The four boys lied on the ground in a plus shape with their heads near the center. Ness stared into the night sky and came up with an observation, "You can still see all the constellations from Eagleland from here."
Pit chuckled to himself, "Of course you can, no matter where you are, it's still the same sky."
"The sky is the same, but the constellations we know might be different," Roy pointed up at one, "Like in our stories, those eight stars there represent Dayan, The Silver Wolf. He was a legendary warrior, existing between the sky and the earth. He spread freedom through our continent and liberated the city states from their oppressors."
"That's really cool," Ness pointed to a cluster of stars that intersected through Dayan, "We call that one Brick Road, The Dungeon Man. They said he wanted to make a dungeon so bad that he used his own body to become an unnavigable maze. Anyone who entered him would be lost for eternity."
"That doesn't make any sense…" Pit tilted his head trying to get a better view of the constellation, "How does someone turn their body into a dungeon? And then anyone who went inside him? That just sounds dirty."
The others giggled to themselves at the remark. Pit put a finger in his mouth and made a loud pop sound to keep the laughter going.
Ness tilted his head back to get a better look, "It sounds like you're pretty good at that Pit."
"Maybe I am! What you think of that?!" Pit tilted his head back as well and grinned at Ness.
Remembering the night before, Ness blushed and went back to staring up the sky. His heart started beating faster as he so desperately wanted to ask something, but wasn't sure at all how to breech the subject.
Roy heard Ness sigh so he reached over his head and poked the boy, "What's up?"
Ness tilted his head slightly in Roy's direction, "You guys, if I told you something, would you promise not to get mad?"
"Of course," Roy replied immediately, "I don't stay upset for very long. I mean, I may swear vengeance on those who have wronged me or my friends, but then I move on until the time is right."
Pit laughed, "He's scary patient when it comes to that stuff too." Pit tried to also look reassuring to Ness, "Don't worry, I may yell at Rock anytime I feel like it, but I think you're cool."
Rock crossed his arms again and continued listening.
"Okay, here it goes…" Ness took a deep breath, "After I took my bath last night I was walking through the halls back to the guest room, and I walked by your room Roy."
"Yeah?" Roy wasn't sure what Ness was trying to imply.
Ness continued, "I didn't mean to spy on you guys, but I heard some noises coming from your room and well…"
All at once it hit Roy what he was doing the night before around the time Ness would have been walking by.
Pit scratched his head, "Where is this going?" Roy reached an arm over and jabbed Pit in the shoulder, "Oww, what?" It then clicked in Pit's head too, "Ooooooh…"
Rock's curiosity peaked as he remained perfectly silent and waited to see how this was going to play out.
"Well…" Ness took another breath, "I'd never seen anyone getting their dick sucked before."
Rock's eyes widened as he shifted to look between Pit and Roy.
There were a couple different scenarios going through Roy's head on how this could play out. Deciding to be a bit risky he turned his head to Ness and asked, "So what did you think?"
"Huh?" Ness blushed again, "What do you mean?"
"I mean…" Roy gently poked Ness's shoulder, "Did it turn you on?"
"Y…" Ness had to turn the other way so he didn't have to say it while making eye contact, "Yeah."
Roy rolled over so he could see Ness's face despite him looking away, "And you wanted to try it." It wasn't a question.
Ness turned his head and looked at Roy before nodding his affirmation.
Roy grinned and gave Ness a squeeze on the shoulder, "There's nothing wrong with that. It feels really good, I promise you. Pit and I, well… we started playing like that about a year ago, and it's fun. So, whenever you feel like you're ready to try it, just give the word."
Ness was shocked by the easy going reaction, "Wait, really? That's it?"
Roy nodded, "Why Not? I was actually kinda worried that we wouldn't be able to do those sorts of things while we were around others, but if you're cool with it, or even better want to be part of it, then we can all still have a lot of fun!"
Pit rolled over and grinned at Ness, "So what have you and Rock done together?"
Rock scrunched his face, "He never said that we…"
Pit quickly rolled from his position and climbed onto Rock who allowed himself to be pinned down. He leaned in close to Rock's ear but whispered loud enough for the others to hear, "I bet you have!" Pit grinned teasingly, "I saw that look on your face when Ness mentioned what he saw. You were kind of excited weren't you?"
Rock narrowed his eyes and glared at Pit, "Maybe."
The teasing look never faded from Pit's face, "Have you ever been sucked off before?"
Rock looked away slightly, "No."
The grin on Pit's face grew even wider, "This is new, I've done something you haven't!"
"Yeah whatever," Rock wasn't one to take it lightly that one of his peers was more experienced in something than he was. Ness knew it was Rock's experiences that allowed him to keep that grounded demeanor of always knowing how to deal with anything. Some of the annoyance faded from Rock's face as his eyes met with Pit's, "So are we gonna do this or not?"
Excitement glimmered in Pit's eyes as he leaned back off of Rock. He started stripping Rock of his clothes, first he pushed the jacket off his shoulders and sat him up enough to pull it out from behind him, and then pulled off Rock's muscle shirt while he was in a good position for it. Immediately Pit pushed Rock back to his sleeping mat and leaned back on his knees.
Rock tried to watch as Pit unclasped his boots and pulled them off along with his socks. Pit leaned forward and grabbed tight onto Rock's pant covered thighs. Pit's face was so close to his crotch, and Rock watched intently as Pit rubbed his cheek against the tent in his pants.
Just a few feet away, Ness watched with his mouth slightly open as Pit molested his best friend. Roy sat up and moved closer to Ness, "What do you think?"
"It's…" Ness gulped hard.
"Just keep watching for a while then," Roy encouraged and left a little bit of distance between them.
Pit undid Rock's belt, then tried unclasping the buttons to the pants but only managed to get the top one undone without difficulty. Rock shook his head as he watched Pit tug on the buttons, "Here, let me help."
Pit made no comment, but once about four buttons were opened Pit pulled the pants off Rock's legs. Pit's fingers took hold of Rock's underwear. He looked up to meet eyes with his friend, "Ready?"
"Are you?" Rock challenged.
Pit snickered to himself as he quickly pulled the last garment off Rock's body, laying him bare under the star lit sky. Pit took a moment to look over Rock's body and nodded to himself, "Eh, about what I expected."
"I swear to…" Rock started to protest but Pit literally grabbed him by the balls before he could say anything more.
"That's a good boy," Pit grinned as he lowered his face between Rock's legs. "I'm gonna do this for real this time, so..." Pit's right hand angled Rock's penis upward as his tongue took its first taste of Rock's skin over his jewels. The tongue licked up several times over each testicle.
Rock exhaled deeply as his head sank back, his vision focused away at the night sky. He could feel the combination of Pit's tongue on his sensitive skin and then the cool night breeze as it whisked past the dampened skin which made the sensations even more intense.
Slowly Pit's tongue began to climb higher, up the pole towards the head. Pit paid close attention to the texture, he could feel what were almost like ridges under the skin on the right side of the shaft. It was different from his own or Roy's which excited him. Over the top and and he opened his mouth wide. Rock could feel Pit's warm breath over his dick and leaned up to watch again.
Ness's mouth went dry and he watched Pit begin to lower his mouth over his best friend's penis. Very slowly the rod was disappearing behind Pit's lips.
"Fffff…" Rock squeezed one eye shut while the other remained just barely open to watch what was happening.
Ness slowly moved a little closer to get a better look, "How is it?"
"It's…" Rock gulped then chuckled nervously, "It feels really good…" Pit sucked harder and purposefully made an obscene slurping sound causing Rock's eyes widened again, "He's doing something with his tongue, oh crap!" Ness smiled as he watched Rock tense up.
Ness leaned in and lowered his head so he could see whatever Pit's mouth was doing. He figured he was invited to watch so it was okay to really get a good look at what was going on.
Pit noticed Ness was pretty close and watching intently. He lifted his mouth off Rock's cock, a string of saliva connected them still until Pit wiped it from his lip. He rubbed the glistening member up and down with his hand and smiled at Ness, "So does it look like something you want to try, or have done to you?"
Ness didn't seem to have much of a voice when he opened his mouth. He had to take a moment and try again, "I think so, but I think I'd like to feel what it's like first."
Ness had almost forgotten that Roy was just behind him until he heard the crimson haired boy whisper in his ear, "Get your mat and put it next to Rock's."
There was an excitement in Roy's voice that only added to Ness's. He nearly scrambled to where he had his sleeping mat and quickly dragged it over. He rolled on top of it as soon as he had it positioned next to Rock's.
Roy grinned to himself as he watched Ness psych himself up for what was coming. He reached over and mussed Ness's hair to keep things playful, but felt something as his hand made contact with Ness's skin. His eyes widened as he pulled his hand back and looked at it closely. It was almost like a shock, it left a his hand tingling, a sensation that was far from unpleasant.
Once Roy turned his gaze from his own hand back to Ness he realized he must have felt something too as he was rubbing his own hand against his forehead. Ness gulped as he relaxed a bit, "Your hand was so warm."
Without wasting anymore time Roy began helping Ness pull his clothes off. First his tunic top, boots, and then pulled his pants from his legs. Every brush of Roy's fingers left trails of heat along Ness's skin. The warmth lingered only for a moment after contact was removed leaving Ness craving more.
Roy's fingers gripped onto the band of Ness's underwear. The tent in them flexed a few times as Roy watched, "Ready?"
Again Pit slurped loudly and Rock let out a low moan. Ness watched Pit's head bob up and down a few more times before he turned back to Roy and nodded, "Yes, please."
Roy laughed and shook his head before he gently pushed Ness down by his chest. Ness could feel the warmth of Roy's hand filling him and took a deep breath as the hand moved from his chest, across his stomach, and again to his underwear where it began to pull the last garment down.
Ness's dick sprang free from the band of his underwear and Roy licked his lips as he looked it over for the first time. Gently he took it into his hands to see if the effect they'd been experiencing would persist. Ness let out an immediate moan as Roy cupped his balls with one hand and wrapped the other around the shaft. To Roy the sensation was, if anything, more intense. The tingling that was coming into him from Ness was now working its way up his arms. It made him feel both weak and invigorated at the same time.
A minute passed in which Roy simply felt and observed this new body in front of him. Deciding it was time, Roy lowered himself between Ness's legs. First he blew his breath gently over Ness's crotch. Ness sighed deeply as even Roy's breath carried with it an intense warmth which would then immediately contrast with the breeze of the cool night.
Finally Roy's tongue reached out and touched smooth skin.
"Oh gods!" Ness spasmed as the tongue made only a teasing contact with his glands.
To Roy, it almost felt as though every slight contact of his tongue against Ness was drawing sparks. He let out a deep breath as that thrilling sensation began to climb over his tongue.
Deciding he'd waited enough, Roy positioned his head slightly over Ness's abdomen and began to take the tool into his mouth. Ness immediately groaned as his entire penis was encircled by something wet and so very hot.
Both Rock and Pit stopped for a moment themselves and watched as Ness's entire body spasmed slightly while Roy's head continued to slowly take in more of his twitching rod. Rock leaned over to get a view down Ness's body, "How does it feel?"
Without opening his eyes, Ness replied, "So good… I've… never felt anything like this…"
Not about to be outdone so easily, Pit chose that moment to resume sucking hard on Rock. Rock shivered and grinned as pleasure coursed through his body and caused him to return to his laid back position, "Yeah."
Roy raised his head up and off of Ness's member for a moment and touched his own tongue as if to confirm what he was feeling. He was also breathing hard as he tried to determine what was going on. He looked down at Ness's face and could see the desire Ness had for him to continue so he imagined Ness must also be feeling something extraordinary, but any questioning would have to wait.
In a rushed motion, Roy managed to pull his own shirt off, then lifted Ness's legs over his shoulders. Ness was confused for a moment but then also felt the heat coming into his body from the contact his legs were making with Roy's back while Roy shuttered from the electrifying contact against his own skin.
Without wasting anymore time, Roy lined Ness's penis up and engulfed it. Without meaning to, Ness lifted his hips forward, he could feel the head of his dick hitting Roy's throat. Roy's tongue was also sliding across every part of his tool, he could feel it even if he couldn't see it.
Ness couldn't stop himself from groaning as his eyes lidded over; his gaze fixed on the empty night sky. His body was overloaded with sensation; even his ears were focused on the sounds of both Roy's and Pit's slurping.
Ness was almost unaware that his breathing was picking up speed. Each breath was shallow and seemed to hitch in his chest. Rock reached over and ran his hand through Ness's hair. Ness squeezed his eyes tight and nearly shouted, "Oh! I'm gonna!"
Rock grit his teeth as he watched Ness tense up. His stomach muscles were contracting hard enough to lift him slightly from the mat. Roy gripped onto Ness's hips and made several hard sucks. Ness's hands were frantic for something to grip onto, eventually settling for Roy's hair as his body finally went over the edge, "I'm…! OH!"
Roy's mouth was filled with the salty contents of Ness's orgasm. He savored the taste for a moment before he swallowed down as much as he could.
Ness let out several long labored breaths as he completely emptied into Roy's mouth. "Oh gosh…"
The scene had proven itself hot for Rock as well and he knew he was quickly approaching his limit. "I'm almost there too, do you want me to pull out?"
Without stopping his head bobbing or sucking, Pit managed to shake his head and hum out, "Mmm mmm."
Ness turned his head to watch as Rock experienced the throws he was still coming down from.
Rock nodded as he closed his eyes and thrust his hips up to meet Pit's mouth a few times, "Yeah, that's it, I'm cumming!" Rock took in a deep gasp like breaths as. His body twitched and spasmed so Pit pinned his hips to the ground to better suck every last drop out of him.
Pit kept Rock inside his mouth for a minute, making sure to lap up and straggling sperm that might still leak out. Rock twitched every time Pit's tongue swiped across his sensitive head. Eventually Pit pulled off and Rock shivered. Pit had a proud look about him as he watched how much Rock was quivering, "So what did you think?"
"It was alright," Rock said simply as his breathing slowed and his eyes remained only slightly open.
Pit frowned at Rock's reaction and was about to shout at him when he noticed both Rock and Ness were practically asleep already. Pit crossed his arms, "It was alright… You'll be begging for it again in no time, just watch!"
Rock and Ness curled against each other almost naturally as they fell asleep. Pit shook his head as he watched them quickly doze away, "Ungrateful…"
Roy laughed as he pulled Pit over to the other mats, "First timers, come on we'll take care of you next."
Pit grinned as the two saw to each other's needs in the darkness.
End Chapter
Thanks again for reading another chapter of Plan B! It's not even a surprise anymore that this chapter took another forever. What is surprising is that the next chapter is already done. I just have to edit it and then It will be up next week.
Hope to hear from you!
