Chapter 17
Harry and H'earring struck out at the coliseum but managed to find a decent deal for a skeletal steed in the market, of course Harry had a hard time finding the right skeleton to chose to ride.
While the standard horned horse was cool he wanted something with a little more bite to it, the tiger and lion ones went out since they didn't really click with harry.
The shark and whale ones where to big, the gorilla just looked weird and don't even get him started on the wolves, after a good three hours of looking, Harry and H'earring made it into the magical creature portion of the skeletal steeds. Harry was interested in the snake ones but some just didn't come in the right size, the chimera just wouldn't be the most comfortable to ride, the hydra had to many heads and the centaurs just felt uncomfortable to even think about.
But just as Harry was about to give up hope, he found it, a beautiful winged serpent, almost as big as a subway car and as tall as Harry himself, wide enough to block most of the street.
It apparently used to be something called a Amphiptere, before it was killed and had runes placed on its bones to bind the sprite until either the power left it, or the skeleton was completely destroyed.
Harry fell in love with the way it seemingly glided through the air as if it wasn't even trying, it's skeletal bat like wings almost looked like they grabbed the air as it moved, making turns that no bird could ever hope to make. So Harry and H'earring make their way to the booth and spend the next five minutes haggling for the Amphiptere, and after they had talked the owner down to five thousand dollars, Harry handed it over and took the saddle to his newest ride.
Once Harry had been put as the new owner in the rune system, the Amphiptere lowered itself awaiting Harry to put the saddle on, after another couple minutes, Harry finally sat on the back of his new ride and was excited to take it for a spin.
Pulling H'earring up behind him, Harry quickly sent the Amphiptere into the sky and began to test the limits of his new ride, corkscrews, dives, and pulls that made it feel like his skin was about to peel off left Harry with a smile that left his cheeks hurting.
H'earring knew that once Harry had pulled him on he was going for the ride of his life, so he just buried his face in Harry's back and didn't look up until Harry finally landed. Dismounting, H'earring feel on to his knees then face planted with a sigh of relief, while Harry just laughed at his friend and put his new ride to rest in the small summoning rune he had on his new gloves.
Harry had landed them at H'earring house and was helping his friend into his house when a voice from behind catches their attention and makes Harry straighten up once he hears it.
"Well, well, well, what have we here, someone from the pride ring all the way down here, color me surprised, I thought all you pride folk where to big and important for us."
Turning around the pair saw what looked like liquid shadow with glowing green eyes move from where they had been hiding before and into the light. The creature that stood before them clearly was a women, with a bust that was modest yet still plump enough to draw the eyes, hips that looked prime for breeding, and an ass the was almost a shelf.
The figure had no feet or legs, just a rolling curtain of liquid shadow that roiled and moves as if in a breeze or stream.
Harry couldn't help but hope that she hadn't seen the incident at the border or that he hadn't come and found her first when he got here. H'earring though just acted like he didn't fear a damn thing even though Gary could feel him shaking like he was a rabbit.
"Blaaxa, it's been a while, good to see you, what brings you down to my humble abode?"
The now named Blaaxa continued to stare at Harry as she answered the question H'earring asked her.
"Well H'earring, a colleague of mine told me that they saw an interesting site while shopping."
The sound of her voice was like a hushed whisper brushing against your ear carried on the wind, soft, powerful, and full of promise.
"They told me that they saw yourself and someone from the pride ring walking around and shopping for something."
Harry was sweating and trying his best to keep eye contact with Blaaxa, mean while H'earring is trying to not make it obvious he's heading towards his door and about to abandon Harry to her.
"I thought that maybe they where wrong, so I decided to take a look for myself, and imagine my surprise when I not only see they told me the truth, but that it was Harry you where shopping with."
The amount of threat put into his name made Harry almost call out his new ride and try to fly away, but he knew that wouldn't work, H'earring was almost to his door and about to open it when he decides to answer Blaaxa.
"Well I just wanted to help a friend out with getting a new ride, and since I'm done with that and been given a ride home, I'll just leave you two to talk it out, see ya Harry, Blaaxa."
With that, H'earring swings his door open, jumps inside, and slam it shut behind him, the sounds of locks and bolts being slammed shut can be heard as the pair of Harry and Blaaxa are left staring at each other, waiting for the first move.
Harry gulps and feels cold sweat flood down his back, he knows that one wrong move and he would have to pay a heavy price for not telling her he was here.
With no hint she had moved Blaaxa stood next to Harry and pulled his face to look at her, the cold feeling of her liquid shadow like body making him shiver as she uses her almost talon like nails to hold his chin and make him look up.
Bright glowing green eyes stare him down as Harry let's his mind run, trying to find an answer that won't result in him getting hurt or losing a good portion of his face to this being that haunts the shadows of the underworld. Blaaxa simply moves his face closer to hers and in a move that surprises Harry, she locks lips with him and almost devours his lips in a hungry kiss that steals his breath and leaves his legs boneless.
After what felt like hours but was really only a couple of minutes, Blaaxa finally pulls back from the kiss with a smirk firmly planted on her lips as she looks at the panting, breathless form of Harry in her grip.
"Next time, don't keep me waiting so long for you, then you might have been the one to leave me breathless my little serpent."
She nips at his lip and pulls him almost into her body as Harry finally gets his breath back and smiles up at Blaaxa's teasing before he grabs her hips and lifts her off the ground, throwing her over his shoulder.
"Maybe next time, I'll just skip the shopping trip and drag you around for hours to find a decent ride."
He walks towards the coliseum distract, Blaaxa over his shoulder, before she shifts her form to sit on it, one of the skulls Vanna uses as a head moves up to coo at Blaaxa who pets the parasite attached to Harry.
"Have you been a good girl Vanna? Have you been protecting my serpent from those shameless harlets."
Vanna nods her head rapidly and with crones and chirps tells Blaaxa about the demonette at the border crossing and how she almost ate her before stopping for fear what she might contract.
"Aww, my poor little baby, you almost had to taste something nasty, once we get to my place we'll get you some necro energy to eat."
The purring noise that rumbles across Harry's body almost makes him stumble and drop Blaaxa before he catches himself and continues to match to the coliseum distract.
As he does, he and Blaaxa with some interruptions by Vanna, talk about what they missed while apart, how Harry was going to the mortal world soon and that he finally made his first real demon deal with some mortal who was trying to bring him back to life. Blaaxa shared some of the information on the missions she had been carrying out for Chaor to stop Lord Van Bloot from taking over the underworld, including some interesting tidbits about the new wildlife she found while on that job.
Soon enough they reached Blaaxa's house and as Harry sets her down and begins to give her a kiss goodbye, Blaaxa grabs him by the collar and drags him inside, shutting the door firmly behind them.