A Long Time From Home

Author's notes:

About the language and notation:

The Baylon language is a predecessor to Latin, which is why it looks like Latin at a glance.

Mental communication is denoted by a < and ends with a >, so a mental communication will look like this: "< Who are you? >"

Some warnings

:

This is erotic action adventure, meaning that there will be both sex and violence, but I don't mix the two.

This part of the story was written some ten years ago, so any resemblance to the Covid 19 epidemic is purely coincidental.

This story is posted on the Literotica website and the author does not give permission for it to be reposted or reprinted anywhere else without consent.

P.S. I haven't gotten an editor yet, so any mistakes are mine. Interested editors are welcome :)

P.P.S. While you're here anyway, please rate the chapter and leave a comment :)

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Chapter 24 -- Flashback: Disaster strikes

Arcem Discendi in Lescare, Ca. 1221 BCE

Verina was standing in a tower, looking down into the courtyard and talking with Decimus Varro when I came up.

"Hey there."

Both gave a surprised yelp and Verina turned to send me an angry look. "For the love of the Goddesses, stop doing that!"

Varro nodded in agreement with her. "Yes, please! Stomp your feet when you walk or something. It's freaky and downright unnatural to walk that silently."

I shrugged the complaints off. "In that case you guys shouldn't have named me Spectre in the first place."

"The other way around, Emilian." Said Varro with a grin. "You got the name, because you move like a freaking Spectre and not vice versa."

"Details, details." I said with a grin. Since a Spectra is an incorporeal undead, that is almost invisible and soundless, the call name the others had chosen for me was really a compliment. "What were you looking at?"

"The new students." Said Verina. "Arriving two weeks ahead of schedule."

I took a step forward and looked over the edge. In the courtyard below, a group of young candidates was lined up, listening to the Dominus Grande's welcoming speech exactly as I did myself when I first came here.

They looked excited, fit, and older than the ten years of age that we had been when we stood there. In fact, most looked to be at least fifteen and three or four looked like they were in their mid-twenties and should have finished their education by now.

"Either these are way less talented than we were, or something have happened." Verina said thoughtfully. "Most of these candidates look too old."

I agreed, thought about the facts, and almost doubled over as it felt like I had been hit in the stomach with an Ice bolt. Varro must have come to almost the same conclusion as I did because he looked pale as well.

"What?" Said Verina.

Varro sighed, "Most organizations only start to take in less likely candidates, when they miss a lot of people and that means that something has gone really wrong somewhere and a lot of people are dead." He looked at me. "Same result?"

"Worse. " I said and leaned against the battlement for support. "Since the candidates are so much older, chances are that it's not the Ordo Praesidium that have the problem, but the people we recruit from." I sighed. "And when we're talking Baylon that is a

lot

of people."

Verina shook her head. "Let's go ask someone, before we speculate too much."

She started to walk towards the staircase and Varro, and I followed her.

---------

Four glasses later, I felt like vomiting as I was sitting by the window in my room, drinking a cup of tea. We haven't been wrong. If anything, it was worse than we thought.

An epidemic was spreading in the Baylon Empire and it was killing people like they were flies.

It had started about half a year ago. People had flooded the health centres, complaining about a cold, followed by headaches, stiffness in the neck and sensitivity to light and loud noises. The doctors had tried to treat it with medicine, Ars Mentalis and Ars Magica, but managed only to remove the stiffness of the muscles.

The headaches had grown worse until people lay screaming with pain or became insane and had to be subdued by medication or other means. At some point after that, their brains had died, followed by the rest of the body. The mortality rate was reported to be more than nine out of ten.

The disease only attacked a part of the brain known as the

Centrum Potentia

(Baylon: 'Centre of Power'), which is the source of both Ars Magica and Ars Mentalis. As it was unique to Baylons, humans were immune the Disease.

Any contagious disease is a bother in a society like ours, where people can travel instantly from place to place before they even know that they are sick, but a disease that was deadly, contagious,

and

immune to our healing was disastrous.

Specialists had been magically gated to the affected cities to help, but not only did it not help, but some of the specialists had also contracted the disease, which led to another disaster as a few those specialists were sent home before the symptoms broke out.

The same had happen with the high-powered Ars Magica and Ars Mentalis users as they gated and teleported to other cities to get away from the Disease or those who had travelled to other cities, unaware that they carried death with them.

Most of them died as well, but not before some of the people around them had contracted the disease and then the ball was rolling.

Both Ordo Ars Magica and Ordo Ars Mentalis had lost a lot of their best members and a whole generation of students at the various Schola had been wiped out.

Besides the deaths, other disasters had happened as high-powered mages went insane by the disease, blowing up buildings, burning libraries and starting earthquakes or storms, killing even more people.

In general, it was chaos.

All major cities, colonies, trading posts, Chapters of the Ordo's and schools were in quarantine, laws and magic forbidding teleporting and gating into cities had come into effect and in many places, it was simply illegal to leave your home, while researchers worked to find a cure.

For several of the big cities it was too late and some of them had been wiped out by the Disease and nobody had a clear view of what was going in all the smaller cities in the areas surrounding them.

The only reason that Arcem Discendi was spared, was that people rarely came here, since it was a training castle in the middle of nowhere as far as most Baylons were concerned, and nobody really came here without a good reason, a permission and a purpose.

I sighed and drank some more of the tea, wishing that the nausea would stop, while hoping that my family was okay. Luckily, the disease hasn't reached Grove yet, which meant that they were most likely alive.

I suddenly felt like hitting something, so I took Shadow Fang and went over to the training area to punish some training dolls. Something had to pay for the way Baylon was screwed by fate.

--------------

The training area was completely empty, so I walked to the middle of the room and stood still. I had intended to start the training room immediately, but in a fit of frustration, I decided to try something new.

According to Yang Zheng, all swords that are used in Vis-combat has a true form, that depend on the user of that sword. She even learned a few of us how to call it out, but also warned us not to try it before we were ready.

I felt ready as never before, so I slipped into Vis Meditation, concentrated on Shadow Fang, and said "Verum Forma." (Baylon: 'True Form')

Vis Vitae flowed from me to the sword in a silent explosion and I could feel the adamant in the sword contract, as it became thinner and sharper, while the hand guard changed from oval to two claws with a skull in the middle, mimicking a Spectre. It was truly my sword.

I had been prepared for the change in the sword's appearance, but not the incredible feeling of wellbeing that came with it. The sword and I were one and it felt... fantastic.

Whirling it into a ready position in a one-handed grip, I took a deep breath and used Ars Mentalis to enhance my strength, before I said, "Practice. High difficulty level. Engage!"

A light went on as magical targets started to move to the attack.

I went into action, flowing into

Mutatur Tempus Mente

as I almost danced around the targets, dodging this way and that to avoid being hit.

More targets appeared, and I slipped into Vis Meditation for a second and activated Pugna Promptu so I would know when and where an attack was coming without even being able to see it. More targets fell to the ground and disappeared as I danced on.

Slipping into Vis Meditation yet again, I activated

Vigor Pugio

(Baylon: 'Energy Daggers'). Immediately a shimmering throwing dagger of concentrated Vis appeared in my free hand and with a flick of the wrist, I sent it into one of the targets that was furthest away, looking like a mage. Another dagger appeared as I dodged an attack, slicing the magical target in two with the sword and then send the next knife into another target.

"Faster!" I commanded, and more magical attackers appeared. I knew that they were only illusions of a sort, but as the magic was set up, their attacks would still hurt a little when they hit.

Time stood still as I lost myself in the mock combat.

Illusionary fighters, archers, Mages and Mentats showed up and went down as I danced and dodged to avoid their attacks, while attacking them with sword, Ars Mentalis and Vis. Using every trick, I could think off, to avoid thinking about the situation back home.

Eventually, the amount of Vis in me reached a level where I couldn't use any Vis powers without damaging myself and as my mental energy likewise became exhausted, I drew my scabbard and fought on, using only my martial skills and natural abilities.

Suddenly there were no more attackers coming and the light blinked twice to signal that the session was at an end just in case I had overheard the "Training session had ended."

Breathing heavily, I stopped moving and left the secure world of

Mutatur Tempus Mente

, winching as I suddenly could feel every hit that I had taken during the session. Not only did my body feel like it was on fire, but my arms also felt like they were about to fall off from wielding weapons for so long.

Letting go of the true form, I sheathed the sword and placed it back in the belt, before I turned to walk back to my room, but stopped as I discovered that I wasn't alone anymore.

Just outside the safe zone stood Dominus Grande Kaeso Maximus, which was embarrassing enough all by itself, but he wasn't alone, which was even worse. Standing to both sides of him were all the new candidates and I suddenly remembered, that on the first day it was customary to give the new candidates a guided tour of the castle and by forgetting that fact, I had become part of the tour.

I became even more embarrassed, when I discovered Varro, some of my classmates and even some teachers standing behind the candidates.

Apparently, I had become the show of the evening.

The Dominus Grande bowed slightly to me and turned towards the candidates. "Now that Spectre has demonstrated just about every combat skill you need to learn here, let us go have something to eat in the mess."

The candidates nodded wide-eyed and silently started to walk off along with most of my classmates and a moment later only Varro was left.

He shook his head with a chuckle and walked over to me. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again: You are fucking insane!"

"No argument from me." I said tiredly. "But what were you all doing here?"

He lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "Well, I don't know what you did, but there was a burst of Vis Vitae that could be felt all the way to the mess."

"Ah shit." I mumbled, as I remembered the explosion of Vis when I released the true form of the sword.

He laughed. "Relax, it was awesome and remind me never, ever to pick a sword fight with you. Any duels will be conducted at a distance of a hundred paces, using elemental magic as any civilized person would do."

I shook my head a bit to clear it "Can I ask you a favour?"

"Sure... What is it?"

"Help me to my room." I said helplessly "I was hit so many times I almost can't move."

Still laughing, he bowed down and picked me up, so I was placed on his shoulder and started to walk, but not towards the tower.

"Where're you going?"

"To Verina's room." He said in an amused tone. "I might not be a healer, but you need a massage to loosen those muscles, or you'll be lame for a week."

A little while later, I was flat on my stomach, while Verina applied oil to my skin. A moment later her strong hands started to work on my cramping muscles.

"From time to time, you're an idiot." She said with a chuckle as she smacked my butt hard enough to make the sound echo in the room.

"Guilty as charged." I sighed. "But I needed to work out some frustrations."

"Well, if it's any help, I can tell you that your family is okay."

"How do you know?"

Verina laughed. "Because while you were busy killing target dummies, I contacted the Internal Security chapters and inquired about it. According to them, your father pulled a 'I'm a Prince of Kemet' trick and your whole family is currently on an extended vacation in Men-nefer, being safe from the Disease."

I felt enormously relived by that thought and sent her a mental kiss "Thanks, Verina. That's good to know. What about your own family?"

"Mostly safe. A few of my more distant relatives have died, but my parents and my sister are safe for now." She paused as her strong fingers start to dig into my lower back and work their way up to my neck and shoulders. "The Varro family was hit harder, loosing many of their best Magi, but his parents are still alive."

"Good to hear." A thought hit me. "By the way, are you even allowed to use the Security Interna telepathic network for that?"

There was a snort. "I cleared it all the way, before I started."

I chuckled. Verina was a better bureaucrat than I would ever be. "Sorry."

"You're welcome... Oh and I'm looking forward to seeing the recording of the stunt you pulled of earlier, 'coz I was too busy to watch it." She laughed softly. "According to rumours, you scared the crap out of the candidates, and I have to see that."

"I doubt it was that terrifying, but you can always check." I told her. The training area magically stored everything that went on in there, so the teachers could use it to point out errors to their students or praise good moves and tactics.

"Oh, I will do that later." She said, "Now shut up and relax."

I did as she said and enjoyed the feeling of her talented hands loosening my muscle.

It took a while before she was satisfied, but finally she poked me and said, "Are you still awake?"

"Barely."

"Good. Then turn around, so I can do the front."

I did as I was told and after applying more oil to my skin, her warm oily hands were on my chest kneading my pectoral muscles. It was painful and I had to take several deep breaths to avoid tensing up again.

Verina clearly heard my sudden intake of breath and went a little easier on me for a while. That helped and her hands moved upwards to work on my neck and shoulders.

"Please don't resist this." She whispered and I forced my natural resistance down, as a wave of Vis Energy rolled through my body, erasing soreness as it went. It wasn't a technique I had experienced before, but it was effective, and I started to feel like I might live through this after all.

Verina started massaging again and now that most of the soreness was gone, my body had its own response to her hand, and I felt my dick stiffen. Verina ignored it and continued her massage, so I closed my eyes, relaxed and eventually my body did the same.

That changed when her strong, but gentle hands worked their way down my body, stopping just above my groin area to work on the muscles there. Occasionally the tips of her fingers would lightly brush against my dick, causing it to stiffen immediately.

"Lightning reactions as always." Verina commented with a little laugh. "Even when you're clearly not in any shape to share pleasure."

"Oh, I don't know." I said without opening my eyes. "It's in exactly the same shape as last time and I didn't hear you complain then."

"Good point, but you're the one that needs the Vis energy, not me." She moved her slick hands to my cock, spreading the warm massage oil over it. "That is going to be tricky, since I'm really not in the mood for sex right now and it will take a few days for you to regenerate that amount of Vis."

The hands suddenly stopped moving and I knew she gotten an idea. "What's on your devious mind, Verina?"

"Oh nothing." She said innocently. "Please don't resist this."

Again, I forced my natural resistance down and a moment later everything went black.

------------------------

When I woke up again, I felt better for having slept, but for some reason Verina had blindfolded me while I was asleep, making me wonder what she was up to.

"Ahh. You're awake," whispered Verina from the right side of me. "Now, don't take the blindfold off the and lay still. You're going to love this."

There was a rustling sound, and a moment later, a pair of soft hands slipped up my legs, found my hardening dick and caressed it. One of the hands stopped touching me for a few heartbeats, and then I felt something being poured over my dick.

From the feel of it, it was some kind of slippery oil and the hands immediately started to spread it by carefully running the palms up and down my shaft, alternating the rhythm from time to time. Hand over hand motions, long strokes with two hands, slow and forceful, then soft.

It felt incredible, but before it became too good, the hands went back to sliding down my legs.

Suddenly the bed moved as another person crawled onto it. A hand touched my body, sliding down my chest until it closed around my hard cock.

I was wondering if it was Jia, when a soft leg was positioned on each side of my body. The hand on my cock guided it until I could feel it pressing against a damp opening. A moment later, I felt myself entering a tight warmth, as she lowered herself on me with exquisite slowness, engulfing me in a hot, tight, and lovely tunnel. Whomever it was whimpered softly as she took me in.

I wanted to caress her me, but almost as soon as I moved my arms, Verina whispered. "I said 'Lay still' for a reason!"

A few heartbeats later, a warm soft body lay down on each side of me, pinning my arms under them. Soft flesh and pillowy tits pressing against my body.

It felt wonderful, but not nearly as good as the feeling of the women on top of me, who was now riding my full length with slow deliberate motions, her wet pussy caressing me with every move.

The whimpers turned into groans while she rode and after a while, I felt to hands on my chest, as she leaned forward to change the angle. Then she picked up the speed, slamming herself up and down on me, making the bed shake slightly.

That too felt fantastic, but before I was even close to coming, the woman convulsed as she came with a soft cry, her body suddenly rigid against mine.

Enjoying the feeling of her coming, I absorbed the Vis she emitted, immediately feeling less tired.

The woman on top of me rose, letting my dick go and was gone, but one of the women on my side slid on top of me instead and before I could move my arm, it was held in place by a pair of hands. A moment later, the person sat down on my hand, positioning herself, so her wet pussy pressed against my fingers.

Accepting the invitation, I parted her lips with my fingers, playing gently at the edge of her opening with just the tip of my fingers, causing her to sigh happily.