Welcome back everyone to the last chapter of The Runesmith Chronicles: Oni and the Farmer!
I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I have written a book... gotta say, it feels pretty damn good. I should start posting chapters for book two in a few weeks as I'm still working on outlining and planning right now. Just want to say thank you all for coming along on this wild ride with me!
For those of you reading The Runesmith Chronicles for the first time I recommend going back and starting at Chapter one. Mostly so you have a better understanding of how things like the magic system works and what's going on as I often reference earlier chapters.
Keep an eye out for updates to my profile in the next couple of weeks I am currently going back over Ch 1-12 and doing some reworking. Better continuity with later chapters, sentence structure, etc. I plan on posting the edits all at once instead of by chapter.
As always votes and feedback are greatly appreciated!
Enjoy!
Blu
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Edited by: Old Fart
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Ikuno, Perra, and a slightly pregnant looking Aradelle all stared off to the west expectantly, each one almost vibrating with excitement. Kal smiled at the women, hardly able to blame them. It had been only a couple of days ago that he had made a mad dash, with Gerda's help, to the northern side of the mountain range then ran full tilt off to the east, towards Bea's nest. Arriving a short while later at what looked like a gigantic off-white cocoon laid over on its side and stretched between two large oak trees.
Kal had assumed at first that she had an arachne construct it for her and was surprised to find that the silk her home was built with had come from Bea. While showing him the tiny spot just below her tailbone where her silk was produced, she explained that butterfly girls were backwards from their smaller cousins and were unable to make silk until just before they became an adult. Kal reasoned that giving the ability to an adult butterfly girl, rather than a human-like baby who is unable to take care of itself, must have made more sense to the monster girl's creator when he was designing them.
Seeing the yellowish-white silk cocoon outside, Kal hadn't expected the inside to have smooth clay walls and floor. Upon closer inspection Kal noticed that the clay was pressed into the silk of the cocoon, holding it in place along with giving her a means of displaying the variety of trinkets Bea had collected over the years. The clay only went partway up the sides of the cocoon, leaving bare silk for the ceiling. When the sun shone down through the trees and struck the top of her home it made the gossamer material glow on the inside, giving Bea a light source besides that filtering in from the entrance.
Bea's nest was sparse aside from her knick-knacks in the walls. Since she went out and collected her food daily and didn't wear clothing, she had no need for storage or a place to prepare meals. This left her only requiring a bed which was placed at the very back of her home. Kal quickly discovered that a bed made entirely of silk was extraordinarily comfortable.
He also learned during one of his visits that there was a magical component to Bea's dust. After a vigorous bout of lovemaking, they both dozed off only for Kal to be awakened by getting smacked in the face with one of Bea's wings. Sitting bolt upright, and covered in the dust from her wings, he waited for the telltale erection and swelling in his scrotum. When the expected reaction never came he excitedly collected some of the dust directly from a very satisfied Bea into a vial. He then dipped a finger in and touched it to his tongue, no reaction. Kal then pushed some magic into the dust, much as he would one of Ikuno's potions, and tested the dust once again. Luckily for him, Bea was more than willing to help him with the discomforts of her natural aphrodisiac for the next half hour.
After the end of his rush to her house a few days ago Kal had found Bea on her knees in front of her egg as it rocked back and forth, held in place by Bea's silk, as she encouragingly called out to her daughter. Kal was honestly alarmed. He had helped with a couple of deliveries back in Telsin by this point and knew that a newborn should not have the kind of strength needed to rock the egg in such a manner. Once it finally split along one of the eight ridges, Bea pounced on it like a cat on a mouse, frantically stripping away the rest of the shell before gently lifting her daughter to her breast for her first meal. Kal was shocked by the size of his newest little girl. Despite only two months inside Bea and a month in her egg, the young butterfly girl was closer in size to a human eight-month-old.
Now it was time for his newest daughter to meet the rest of the family, except Gerda and Bas. Bas lived too far away to make it in time and Gerda couldn't be convinced to be away from the safety of solid stone for their little get-together. However, she was as close as she could comfortably get, even if it was nearly a hundred paces straight down.
There was a collective gasp from the girls as Bea came flitting over the treetops holding a small bundle wrapped in a blanket of gold-tinted white silk. She landed in front of Kal and after a quick kiss handed their daughter to him. "She just ate so she might be a little sleepy," said Bea.
Turning around, he smiled at the women. "I'd like to introduce you to mine and Bea's daughter, Adalena."
"Named by her father," interrupted Bea with a huge grin.
Kal smiled at her before turning back to the others, "Since Aradelle told me that Bea and her smaller cousins are often the first ones she sees after winter I did some studying and came up with Adalena. Ada -- first. Lena -- butterfly."
"Good job, Kal," Perra deadpanned, "now gimmie," she said holding out her hands and largely ignoring Kal.
Kal shook his head and clicked his tongue at the girl, "Aradelle first, she has something for Bea," he said nodding at the alarune's slightly swollen belly.
"Sorry Perra," said Bea, "butterfly girls don't leave their eggs once laid. I haven't eaten for a month except for what Kal has given me." Kal blushed bright red as he handed the little bundle over to Aradelle. 'Dell only held her for a few seconds before a couple of her vines came up and made a cradle beneath Adalena then carried her over the side of her bulb so all of the girls could gush over the baby. Kal noted that Ikuno magically dulled her claws before touching the tiny butterfly girl.
True to Bea's description Adalena looked very much like a human baby that had a slight tint to her skin that made it look like she was constantly in shadow. Two light orange streaks started at the top of her head and ran down her back though at the moment they could just barely be seen through her sparse hair. Bea had also been correct about Adalena being sleepy after having her belly filled, even with all the commotion she didn't open her eyes until Perra ran her finger across the little girl's cheek.
Perra gasped, "Kal! She has your eyes!"
Bea had come up beside Kal and was resting her head on his shoulder radiating pride as the girls fawned over her daughter. At Perra's comment, she lifted her head and smiled. "She won't get these until she spins her cocoon and comes out as a butterfly," she said tapping her face beside her eye.
After a couple of minutes, Aradelle passed off Adalena to Perra and beckoned the new mother over.
"Oh, thank goodness," he heard the butterfly girl whisper as she kissed Kal on the cheek and walked over to the alarune's side. Kal was well aware of how Bea usually got nectar and was mildly thankful when instead of presenting her sex to the butterfly, Aradelle leaned over and kissed her. Such activities would have seemed hardly appropriate with Perra and Ikuno making a fuss over Adalena right next to them. A few seconds later, as the kiss went on, Kal noticed Bea's throat moving as though she was drinking. A quick flash of disgust ran through his head as he thought of a baby bird being fed but he quickly pushed it away with the knowledge that the body of 'Dell's avatar didn't work like that. It also helped that he had been the one to ask Aradelle to store up some nectar at Bea's request. This saved her from visiting other alarunes to replenish herself now that Adalena was born.
Bea's bodice clicked and moved to the side as her stomach expanded from what Aradelle was feeding her. A few seconds later they broke the kiss and Bea leaned her forehead against 'Dell's. "Thank you so much," she said, then looked down at her body. "Dammit, I just got my boobs small enough to close that last time she ate."
There was a general chuckle of amusement until a sound like grinding rocks came from behind Kal.
"Can... I... hold... her?" came Gerda's voice in the halting monotone of the translation spell.
"Gah!" cried out Perra her hand diving for the belt pouch that held her earpiece. Kal's hand did the same but instead of putting it on he went over to where Bea was cringing from the sound of the golem's voice.
Once the initial shock of Gerda's appearance had worn off Perra quickly ran over and wrapped the golem in a hug. "Gerda! I'm so happy you came up!" Kal followed with his own hug and kiss for the golem for which he got a new earpiece in return, she had made a couple of extras for Bea and Aradelle when she decided to show herself.
A moment later Bea walked over and put her arms around the golem, "I'm so happy to finally meet you. Of course, you can hold Adalena. Though you might have to wrestle Ikuno for the privilege."
"Hey now! I'm not that bad!" said the oni indignantly. "No wrestling while holding the baby but it will cost you a hug," she said shifting Adalena to one side and holding out the other arm.
Gerda held up a finger asking the Oni to wait while she went over and presented the other earpiece to Aradelle.
The alarune smiled, "Thank you, Gerda, but I don't need that. I hear through vibrations in my vines and I'm guessing that since some of my vines are underground it's acting like one of those earpieces." She glided forward and wrapped her arms around the golem, "Like Bea, I'm very happy to finally meet you and I want you to know that there are few places safer for you on the surface than right here. Feel free to relax a little."
Gerda took a deep breath, which seemed odd to Kal since she didn't need to breathe, and nodded in understanding. Smiling, and looking about as relaxed as Kal had ever seen her on the surface, she made her way over to Ikuno, "A hug for a baby? Seems kind of unfair."
Ikuno raised an eyebrow, "A hug and a kiss?"
"Do I get to choose where you kiss me?" the golem said with a smirk.
