Two weeks had passed, and Hugo had reached out to find magicians. He had not received word from Alma Kinan, and Aila was still somewhere with Geddoe's group, but despite that short notice, he had been able to recruit two magicians. Now he was in his hut, setting out with Nera, Jeane and Rody. When he looked at Nera, she smiled back at him. She was still wearing the top that showed ample cleavage, but she also had a fur cloak that would keep her warm in the autumn chill.
Hugo's scouts had reached Estella from the north, but while she had not come herself, she had sent Rody with a letter assuring Hugo of her student's great skill. The Karaya chief hoped he could trust her on that, at least. As for Jeane, Hugo had gone personally to Brass Castle to ask for her help. He would not soon forget how he had come upon her.
* * *
After a brief meeting with Eike in the Brass Castle library and training center, Hugo had headed for the runemistress' shop. Upon entering, he was met with the sight of the beautiful runemistress bent over her desk, and a young man behind her.
"What the?" said Hugo. The man took note of Hugo, stopped and stared at him, and Hugo did likewise.
"Don't stop! Don't stop!" gasped Jeane, and sent shivers down Hugo's spine with how alluring her voice sounded. The young man resumed fucking her as if nothing was amiss, and Hugo closed the door behind him. The familiar-looking man had a blue shirt, keen eyes and dirt grey hair, and Hugo could almost picture a red scarf around his neck.
"Melville, is that you?!" he exclaimed, with some shock.
"Hugo! Uh, yes," the young man replied.
"Ahhh, Hugo! What a pleasant time for you to come and see me, tee-hee," giggled Jeane, with Melville all the while pushing into her.
Both still had their clothes on. Jeane was wearing a black dress similar to what she had often worn six years ago. The fabric had been pushed aside from her full breasts, which would have been completely exposed, if they weren't pressing against the desk. Hugo couldn't resist moving closer, and when he did, he noticed that the white pearly decorations on her dress had been supplemented with a more haphazard pearly white here and there on the black fabric. She had always had a deep-cut slit in her dress, exposing much of her left leg, but whether this dress was cut even higher or if it was just torn, it had been easy enough to push the fabric to one side and completely expose her taut buttocks, which Melville was now slamming as he fucked the runemistress. She looked much the same as six years ago, as if she had not aged a day, but Melville had obviously grown. He seemed to have a lean but strong build, and he had kept his serious demeanor, which fit better on his facial features now that they were more masculine.
"Are you just going to watch?" asked Jeane.
"I, uh, I needed to come..." he stuttered.
"Yes, I can see that," she said with a smile.
He had ended up fucking her over and over again with Melville, covering her and her black dress in copious loads of white cum, until the dress was a tattered cummy mess and the curvy runemistress was drenched with their sperm. Her desk was sprayed and spotted by slick seed that had missed her stained white dress or dripped off from her milky skin. By then, he and Melville were panting, exhausted and completely spent, their dicks dripping the very last drops of their seed. It was only then that he was able to gather his thoughts enough to make his request.
"Oh, help you with the Fire Rune that we put away? I'd be happy to," she said, swooping some spooge from her tits and licking it from her hand.
* * *
And now she was standing there, smiling at him or spirits knew what, and Hugo felt a slight pressure in his pants. He almost couldn't believe what she was wearing now, especially with the increasingly chilly autumn weather and rains. It was another black outfit, but much more of her skin was exposed now. The top part looked like a partial vest, with straps over her breasts, tied to a collar around her neck. Her midriff was completely exposed, and skimpy black strings barely covered her nether regions. The outer sides of her legs were covered with what could charitably be called pants, though cut open in the front and back. She was wearing a warm cloak at least, open from the front, but it did cover her half-bare buttocks.
Rody was at least more sensibly clothed, wearing a warm-looking earthy green robe over his neat clothes. His style and looks had not changed much despite him growing older, and he had obviously spent most of the intervening years glued to books, with barely any muscle definition to speak of. And he was still carrying that broom.
So, in his party Hugo had a runemistress who looked more like she was going to perform on the stage for the pleasure of men, and Rody, of whose skills Hugo only had the assurance of Estella, who had once advised him to improve his affinity with his rune by having a dragon breathe fire on him. He was glad this was not a life-or-death mission, and that retrieving the Rune was not critical or mandatory. Six years ago, there had been more magicians present, and they had assured him that re-awakening the Rune would be easier and simpler than sealing it, should he want it.
Then Beecham entered the hut. Despite his age, his strength as a Karaya warrior endured, and Hugo put high trust into his capability and advice as his lieutenant.
"The wind spirits bless us. Their storm has calmed down. And the rain is moving south."
"Thanks, Beecham. Alright, everyone! Let's get moving!"
"May the spirits travel with us," uttered Nera.
With Beecham included, the party of five set out from the village. While the storm had passed, there was still a chilly autumn wind, making the travelers hold their cloaks and robes tight. Yet despite the lightness of her clothing, Jeane didn't seem to have any problem with the cold.
Their travel under gray clouds was uneventful. They encountered a few minor beasts, but they dispatched them easily. Day turned to night, they set up camp, another day arrived, and another night, and another day, as they passed the plains of Amur. The clouds above dispersed, giving way to the sun, then gathered again, and they moved ahead in a light drizzle. Hugo tried to steal a glance at Jeane, but she caught him. Her hair, skin and skimpy clothes were wet from the rain, but she was still in good humor, and gave him a mischievous smile. Hugo felt a pressure in his pants, and wondered if he could sneak off with Nera when they next set up camp. Or even the mysterious runemistress herself?
But when night came, Jeane, Rody and Beecham were sitting comfortably around the fire, having a good time. Hugo stood to the side, pondering if he could tempt Jeane away from them, when Nera came next to him.
"Need me now, chief?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said and they went off. Jeane giggled to herself, leaving Rody and Beecham slightly more perplexed as they enjoyed her company.
Another night passed into another morning. They were close to Duck Clan lands, but instead of paying a visit and getting to sleep in proper beds, they headed further north, to the Ancient Highway.
The entrance to the underground Sindar passage looked like just a stone formation in the middle of nowhere, but once you knew where to look, the mechanism that made it open was relatively easy to trigger. After Hugo opened it, the party headed inside, and the doorway closed after them.
The dark tunnel was surrounded by smooth, finely sculpted stone for as long as they could see. That wasn't far, but there was some dim lighting in the tunnel, seemingly radiating from the walls themselves, and their eyes quickly adjusted so they could at least see some distance around themselves. Vines and other vegetation covered the roof, but whether it was the work of the Lizard Clan or something else, the rest of the passage was clear.
"Huh. This place looks exactly the same as during the war," mused Rody.
"Yeah, hasn't changed a bit. Those Cyndar knew how to build 'em," said Beecham.
"At least we're safe from the elements," observed Nera, shaking off some rainwater from her fur cloak as they walked. "But the air here is still chilly, and stuffy too," she continued.
"Yeah. But if all goes well, we'll be back in the fresh air soon," affirmed Hugo.
"Tee-hee. I smell excitement in the air," commented Jeane.
"What's that--Watch out!" exclaimed Hugo suddenly.
An armored apparition appeared from thin air, and slashed at where Nera's back had been, if Hugo hadn't pushed her to the side.
"Phantoms! Everybody watch your backs!" yelled Hugo.
The Phantom disappeared from behind Nera, and appeared again a short distance before them, and two more of its ilk appeared to its side. They looked like armored knights, wielding large bastard swords, wearing horned helmets and spiked armor, but their faces were unmistakably inhuman.
The two other Phantoms disappeared, and one appeared before Jeane, slashing at her with its sword, but Jeane easily dodged. Then two other Phantoms appeared behind Hugo and Nera, slashing mercilessly. Hugo got out of the way in time, but Nera got a wound on her arm.
"Aaagh! How many of them are there?!" the Karaya scout cried.
"It's the same one! We must disperse!" guided Hugo.
"Like them, you mean?" commented Beecham, but he moved further away from the others, checking that Rody and Jeane weren't too close to the others but also not too far away.
A sudden rain fell on Hugo and Nera, and just them. Rody's Kindness Drops healed Nera's wound, and reinvigorated Hugo. Jeane had also chanted a spell. The runemistress raised a hand, a Thunder Rune flashed, and sizzling spheres of electrical energy smashed against the Phantoms, giving the apparitions visible pain. Nera scored a hit with her bow, and Hugo ran forward, slicing the same creature. But whatever instincts powered these creatures, they were sharp. It disappeared out of the way from Hugo's attack, and appeared straight back to counter. Hugo barely dodged, but Beecham managed to stab one of them. It grimaced in a strange, inhuman manner, vanished, and didn't appear back anywhere.
"Watch out!" yelled Nera, and Hugo and Beecham stepped back just in time as icy shards encircled the Phantoms. Rody stopped his chanting and opened his eyes, just in time to see the two remaining Phantoms vanish.
"Well, at least he's good," commented Hugo. Beecham nodded stoically, eyeing their surroundings. But there were no more Phantoms to be seen.
"Whew. These guys were no pushovers compared to what's out there in the fields," said Hugo. "Stay sharp, everyone. I hope there aren't much more of these."
However, they didn't meet any more hostile creatures, not until they got to the entrance of the old Sindar ruins connected to the Ancient Highway, at its halfway point. And those were being taken care of.
There were two Phantoms, but two men were circling them rapidly, and then they made a sudden combined strike from front and back, hitting the Phantoms simultaneously. And then the creatures were dispatched.
"Yay! Go Riou! Go Jowy! Yaaaay!"
Besides the young men, there was a woman, who looked to be around 20 years older than them, and she seemed to be cheering the young men. At Hugo's quietly gestured instruction, the party sneaked behind the abundant stone pillars and other cover littered around the Sindar ruins entrance.
They watched as the two youthful men collected themselves after the battle. One of them had brown hair, a red shirt, black pants, and used tonfas as his weapons. The other had long silver hair, a blue shirt, white pants, and used a staff. They looked to be around 20 years of age. The older woman, who looked like she might be almost twice the men's age, had long brown hair, tied down at the end in a braid, a long reddish-orange coat, and long yellowish green pants. In a jumble next to her, there was a white coat and a dark green coat, presumably belonging to the other two.
But then they started examining the Sindar ruins entrance, and Hugo tensed.
The silver-haired one in the blue shirt went closer to the doorway, and looked at the entrance. "I can feel something in the Rune," he said. "Riou, come over here. Maybe we can get in?"
