A Scandal of a Magical Sort

Chapter 8 - The Shadows of Aggameth

AN:

As you will soon see, this chapter is quite complex, both in writing and in the plot. So while all feedback is greatly appreciated, I would especially like constructive critique for this chapter in particular. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy!

Mels was comforted knowing he was not the only one clutching tightly to their weapon of choice. Walking through the stone tunnels, their only source of light was the softly glowing runes lining the walls, the whole party moved carefully, taking note of every placed step. Aylala led the charge, followed by Gallard, Christi, Mels himself, and Korgon at the rear. Before they had entered, Gallard and Aylala had cast a spell over the group, explaining that it would make them invisible to the eye and suppress any noise they would make. Even still, everyone moved along a razor's edge, tightly grasping onto their staff, wand, or sword. And in their silence, the groaning and whispers echoing through the tunnels were all the more amplified.

To compensate, Christi thought it would be a good idea to inflate her ass for Mels' viewing pleasure.

He couldn't decide whether or not he was disappointed with himself that it was actually working, giving a few glances at the way the shelf of bubbly flesh would wobble back and forth in front of him. She would look back occasionally, purple eyes bright and playful. Between her glances and Korgon responding with knowing pats on the shoulder, he did feel a bit more at ease. Nevertheless, he kept a tight grip on his sword.

For several minutes now they traversed downward into the Veins at a steady pace, stopping occasionally to gather their bearings and refer to their map. The tunnels would wind back and forth like snakes, with more than a few instances where the tunnels would split. Eventually, the tunnels plateaued, becoming straighter and more recognizable as hallways. The leading mages informed them that this was where they would need to be even more careful here, as this is where they would start to encounter cultists. And indeed, they soon did, as they approached a t-section, and the flickering lights of a torch alerted them. With an unseen spell, Mels felt himself be pushed against the wall, along with the with the rest of the party, letting the entourage of cultists pass by.

Mels did not know what to expect, but their appearance didn't seem to scream "cultist" to him. They were all nymphlings, and they wore stone masks consisting of a wide, fanged mouth and a glowing purple rune above it. The rest of their clothing, if it could be called clothing, merely consisted of a couple of straps of black fabric resembling tentacles, runes similar to the ones lining the walls inked into them, and they appeared to be moving slowly across their bodies. As a result, they would only occasionally cover their genitals or breasts, yet they did not seem ashamed of their nudity, as they talked and even laughed as they passed by. The group waited until the light of their torches disappeared around the corner before they decided to move again. Mels silently thanked his Owlith mentor for her invisibility spell as they continued onward.

As they walked, Mels noticed that Aylala and Gallard were looking at walls, occasionally brushing against them when they encountered a door. It occurred to Mels that they were working in a private room, somehow using their magic to determine their safety. After avoiding a few more cultists, they came up by a stone door and stopped. After Aylala brushed her staff against it in a few passes and turned to nod to rest the group in affirmation. Christi responded by giving her fat rump an enticing bounce. After looking down the hallway to confirm no one was around, she slowly opened the door. Even with the spell muffling it, the door swung heavily with a groan, and Mels cringed as he watched for potentially approaching cultists. She opened it just wide enough for her to walk in and gestured the others inside.

When she closed the door behind them, using her staff the rub the door and presumably cast another spell, Mels relaxed fully and looked around the room. It seemed to be a bedroom, consisting of simple blankets and a pillow, a floating glass lamp close to the ceiling, and a detailed hanged painting of a nude nymphling with red skin, horns, and a spade tail, presenting her busty chest. Mels felt the energy shift around him, figuring that their invisibility had been dropped.

"Everyone, come over here," Gallard said softly. "Don't worry, Aylala is making sure we aren't heard or interrupted. We need to discuss what we are doing here." Mels and Christi joined him in the center of the room where he was laying out some parchments, conjuring a small flame to read them, followed reluctantly by Korgon, who was quite entranced by the sexy nymphling.

"We're undoubtedly in the thick of things now," he explained, referring to the maps of the Veins. "I've made new lines for the new hallways we've encountered, but that means we are officially in uncharted territory, and we still don't have any idea where Lady Evette could be."

"Why not just head here?" Mels asked, pointing to a large, circular spot at the center of the map. "That has to be where they do their rituals right?"

"Indeed," Gallard confirmed, "but we must consider that as a last resort. If the ritual has already begun then, well, at least we could save ourselves."

"So what's the plan then?" Korgon asked as he splayed out his equine body. "Grab someone and interrogate them?"

"I'd think that would be too risky," Christi said, silver eyes glowing in the firelight. "All the cultists seem to be moving in groups." After thinking for a moment, she turned to Gallard. "Do you think you could write a spell that could read a cultist's mind from a distance?"

Gallard scratched his beard in deep consideration. "Perhaps, but it would take a while. Madam Aylala, do you think we could stay here and prepare such a spell?"

The owlith in question brought the tip of her staff from the door and turned to the rest of the group. "I wouldn't recommend it. Though nobody has passed through the hallway yet, we would not have enough time to leave undetected should someone come by." That caused everyone to ponder in silence, thinking of what to do next. Mels looked down at the scattered maps and writings of scriptomancy. As he was studying, and Gallard started to jot down the beginnings of said spell, Korgon started breathing heavily beside him. Looking up at the centaur, he was a bit unnerved by his heaving, bare chest, which was also growing sweaty. He made no effort to keep his tongue in his mouth.

And his cock had flopped out of his sheath.

"Uh, Korgon?" Mels asked, shuffling away from him. "Are you ok?"

"Fuuuuck," was all Korgon could manage, as he began to pat down his armor. He was searching for something. "Someone, get my grimoire, I think.... fuck, I think this room is laced with something."

Gallard moved first, reaching across to Korgon who had now flopped onto his side, shamelessly flaunting his rapidly hardening horsecock. Christi and Mels moved out of the way.

"Should we leave?" Christi asked, trying to keep quiet despite the freak reaction. "I don't really smell anything."

"Me neither," Mels confirmed.

"Centaurs have a heightened sense of smell," Aylala clarified. "Whatever is in this room, it must only be affecting him." She brought her staff back to the door, which glowed softly. Christi moved beside her mentor and grabbed onto the staff as well, and Mels recognized that she was attempting to amplify the spell. All the while Gallard managed to remove an elaborately designed book from his side, presenting it to Korgon. He took it and lazily flipped through its pages, groaning as his cock throbbed and leaked profusely.

"I can't... I can't fucking concentrate!" he whined. Mels at the statement, suddenly began to feel holy magic swell in him. Though a bit reluctant, he was compelled to move to Korgon's side and placed his hands on his temples, right below his bull horns. He compelled the holy magic to flow from him through his fingers into Korgon's temples. The writhing centaur's breathing slowed and steadied, and his eyes focused on his grimoire, flipping through it.

It's working

Mels thought to himself, a glimmer of pride forming in his chest. Korgon had settled on a page and began to speak in a foreign language. Though he could not parse what he was saying, Mels assumed he was reading from a story, as he paused and put an emphasis on certain words and phrases. As he finished, the writing in the book glowed an arcane blue, its pages flipping and eventually shutting closed. As it did, Mels watched in astonishment as Korgon's human have began to grow fur and his hair grew longer. His face shifted and stretched as he grew a snout and whiskers. In moments, Mels realized that his human half transformed into something resembling a man-shaped lion as he grew claws and his mane filled out down his back. Looking down, he saw that his hooves had shifted into paws, and his tail flicked into a long cat's tail.

By the end of the transformation, all that remained of his previous centaur form was his horse cock, which was now shrinking back into his sheath. Both Gallard and Mels stepped back as Korgon stood up proudly, reaching to the ceiling to stretch his new body. He then looked at Mels' spellbound face and grinned.

"That right there is a fable!" he said proudly. Mels watched as lines of blue runes formed on his arms and belly.

"So, you're better now?" Mels asked.

Korgon breathed deeply out his nose. "I'm still horny, but I can manage it better now," he said, shaking his wavy mane. "That shit's strong, too. Thanks, by the way. Whatever you did helped."

Mels gave him a small smile as he looked at the old mage beside him. Gallard was lost in thought, though his eyes widened in sudden realization. "Do you think you can tell what that smell is now?"

Korgon tilted his head as he closed his eyes, sniffing with his new feline nose. Everyone watched as his head swayed back and forth. He turned in place as he followed the scent, coming to a stop and facing the painting of the nymphling. He leaned in close and whiffed deeply, reacting with a satisfying moan. He traced a claw along the edge and licked it.

"It tastes like Braided Lilies mixed with some sort of incense," he explained. "I heard that shit can make you lucid dream."

"Precisely," Gallard said, moving to gather his parchments. "Our escapee recalled a similar smell during the few rituals she would partake in. She said it would put participants in a sort of lustful trance so that they could 'see beyond the dark,' so to speak. I'm guessing this room's resident stole some for their own benefit. All that's left is to find the room where Lady Evette is being prepared for the ritual."

"How?" Christi asked. "We still don't have an idea where she could be without a complete map."

"That's simple," Aylala said, apparently picking up on Gallard's plan. "We follow our centaur's nose."

Korgon nodded in confirmation, tapping the side of his nose. "Ya'll some lucky bastards, huh?" he said cockily. Mels wanted to comment on his new prideful personality but considering their current circumstance, he held his tongue. They all stood up, lining up the same as before with Korgon now leading the charge. The familiar energy of Aylala's invisibility spell blanketed them, and with a tap on his flank, Korgon pushed through the door. They all passed into the still-empty hallway. They waited as the lion-taur sniffed the air, nodded to the group, and moved forward.

The group fell back into the rhythm of their traversal from before as they followed Korgon. He would occasionally follow his nose in a wandering pattern, away from the wall, but otherwise, their new plan seemed to go without a hitch, again avoiding a few more groups of cultists. Mels felt his anxiety rising and longed for holy magic to manifest once more. He reached in front of him to grab Christi's hand. She looked back with soft, purple eyes, and she held on tightly.

A couple of minutes into their journey, Mels noticed that they began to move slower, pausing every couple of steps. When he looked to the front of the line, he noticed Korgon was heaving once again. Aylala had stepped forward beside him, rubbing at his back and whispering into his ears. We must be getting close he thought as he gripped Christi's hand tighter. It was then he realized he did not have a hand on his sword.

The party, despite moving slower, eventually came to a stop at a corner. Korgon looked around it, and whatever he saw caused him to stumble back, stopping beside Gallard. He said nothing as he covered his mouth, sweating like before, but he nodded with a serious look.

He saw Aylala gesturing for the whole group to get close to her. He pressed his body against Christi's as they moved up far enough to look around the corner. He looked down a short, arched hallway that led into a large circular room, almost resembling Mizoleta's room. The room was lit by rings of purple runes running along the walls. Straight ahead against the far wall, they saw her: Lady Evette, chained with her hands above her. She was stark naked, damp black hair falling in front of her obscuring her face, and her tall, curvy body hunched over on her knees. Her pale skin was drenched in sweat, and she was breathing like Korgon. Around her were five cultists, kneeling in a semicircle around her in meditation. Between them were smoking urns, confirming the location of the incense from before. One more female cultist stood before Evette, her ribbons of fabric laced with gold jewelry, designating her importance. She paced in front of Evette like a wild cat, stalking her kill.

The corruption around Mels pricked at his skin like a thousand knives. Goosebumps were an understatement for the sensation that crawled along his skin as he began to feel the effects of the aphrodisiac, igniting his nerves. In spite of himself, he began to grow an erection, and his bare belly began to sweat as well as he tried to resist the lingering smell.

With his efforts to resist the incense, the oppressive air of corruption, and his heart beating in his ears, he almost forgot that he was surrounded by four others. Feeling as though he was about to pass out, he suddenly felt someone's breasts pressed up against his body. He returned to reality to see Christi looking at him with wide, silver eyes. Everything else seemed to fall away, time slowing to a crawl, as she cupped his face in her hands, smiling brightly. He returned the smile as he placed his hands over hers. They didn't speak, but it felt as though hundreds of words were exchanged between them. She took one of his hands and held it to his belly while placing her other hand on her own. Looking down he saw a sigil draw itself on their stomachs, and he recognized it instantly.

The insignia of the House of Sorisancta, a woman wreathed in four wings raising a sword above her head, glistened gold on their skin.

Christi then leaned in close enough to whisper sweetly in his ear: "I promise I would be more fun."

At that moment, everything became a blur as time resumed. To the best of his ability, Mels could tell that Aylala moved first rushing into the room. Before the cultists could move she whipped her staff around her, the orb its tip glowing iridescent, and a turbulent wind manifested in the room. It quickly sped up to be as fast as a tornado, and three of the five cultists almost instantly were pressed against the stone walls able to move. The leading cultist standing in front of Evette crouched low, managing to stand on her feet. It looked as though she was trying to shout over the wind, but they easily drowned her out.

The two cultists who had not been thrown back looked at her viciously. Their ribbons for clothes came alive and shoved themselves into the ground. After which, tendrils of stone sprouted from the ground, growing in the direction of the owlith.

Before they could reach them, a golden fireball containing Mels and Christi slammed into one of the cultists, and Korgon, having now turned into a bear-taur, attacked the other with his warhammer. The leading cultist used her own ribbons to try and attack Aylala but was countered when Gallard, standing beside the owlith, produced tendrils of bark from his staff.

Mels felt numb from overwhelming holy magic as he exited the fireball, and took a stance before the last cultist with his drawn sword. Christi, however, remained engulfed in a golden flame, hovering just above Mels with her hands clutched onto his shoulders. He did not question it as he advanced on the cultist. He used his tendrils to stab at Mels, and as he parried them, he realized the fabric became hard as stone. Nevertheless, Mels' reactions were steeled as a deflected each attack, looking for an opening. He found one when the cultist was pushed back by the wind. Mels stepped forward and, with his burning sword, swung forward and kept swinging.

The cultist was pushed back but remained determined as he blocked with two ribbons and attempted a stab with two others. The flaming Christi responded, wrapping around Mels like a flaming snake, and with an outstretched hand, blocked the stabs. Mels saw, rather than felt his body whip around clockwise at blinding speed, bringing his fiery steel down on the cultist. He attempted the block but was blown back into the winds surrounding the room, which pushed him against the wall, successfully defeated.

On the opposite side, Korgon stood above the unconscious yet bruised body of his defeated cultist. That just left the leading cultist, who was advancing on Aylala and Gallard despite the old mage's efforts. Mels first tried to move towards her but was pulled back by the flaming Christi. He watched as she pointed to the windwall, and without a word he understood immediately as he and Christi became a fireball once more, allowing themselves to be picked up by the wind. They circled the entire room in their intangible form getting faster and faster until they resembled a ring of fire. And in a moment, they flew from the wind wall like a catapult directly at the remaining cultist. She did not have time to react as she was crushed into the ground, strong enough to make a crater, making a sickening crack. Her ribbons fell lifelessly around her as she fell into unconsciousness.

When Mels came to, he found himself and Christi standing above the motionless body of the leading cultist, who was breathing softly, yet was badly bruised and burned. He was breathing heavily as he stepped back, wheezing in pain as his muscles were now incredibly sore. He fell onto his rear and looked around at the other knocked-out cultist as Aylala slowed the wind to a halt. Christi fell beside him, leaning on his shoulder.

"Damn!" Korgon exclaimed, breaking the tension. "I might have to become religious if holy magic can do that!"

Aylala chuckled at his comment. "I'm afraid it's not that simple Korgon, but you're welcome to grow your faith any time you'd like." she moved beside her sitting students, crouching low to meet their eyes. "How do you two feel? Melyssi?"

They could only respond in deep breaths, but Mels did manage to nod, and Christi followed suit.

"You two certainly have gotten more creative," Aylala said with a wink, as he offered talons to pull them to the feet.

"That's fine and dandy, but have we forgotten where we are?!" Gallard said as he walked past them to Lady Evette. "We need to leave with Lady Evette quickly! We've certainly kicked the hornet nest now, we must escape before we're overrun!"

Mels, despite being sore all over, moved to help with Lady Evette, who managed to look up at her rescuers. In her doe-like blue eyes were distant and faint purple waves swirled in them. He continued to work on the chains, trying to use magic to break open the cuffs, until Korgon, still in bear form, stepped up behind them.