Gemwright Ch 17

*Author's Note* There isn't much intimacy in this chapter. Whatever happens is short enough I didn't bother to mark it.

Bor'wa smiles boldly at me. "I am brave!"

I smile back, slyly. "We'll see. I have a suspicion this will be so terrifying you scream out loud. But don't worry, you will be perfectly safe."

I walk her over to Rin's cart because it's closest, and show her how to operate the door. After she demonstrates that she can open and close it, I tell her, "Your challenge is to stand in the cart with the door all the way closed for 10 seconds. That's it." I open the door again, and will the lights off. The cart is suddenly rather dark inside, lit only by the outside. "It will be complete darkness, no light at all. Can you do it?"

Bor'wa's expression sinks. "Why is it so dark in there?"

Okay, I think I'll have to add standing in a dark room to the trials. "Because the light can't reach inside. So? Can you do it?"

She looks up at me with misty eyes. "Can you come in too and hold my hand?"

Ah... fine. "OK. Tell me if you want to leave and I'll open the door."

She grabs my hand and slowly walks up the stairs. I go up a few stairs and lean against the wall. "Ready?"

She nods. I close the door. Pitch blackness.

"One. Two." I count upwards. I don't need to telepathy, I feel her trembling through her hand.. Aww. Let's help out. I deepen the connection, and push confidence, security, and carefree feelings at her. It seems to help. "Ten." I draw back from her mind a bit, and open the door.

Bor'wa, "That was the most afraid I've ever been in my life. But.. You helped me somehow."

Me, "You took the first step. I just helped with the second." I let go of her hand and walk towards my cart. "Unfortunately, that's all the entertainment I have on offer. You can play with the birds as much as you like. I've got to work on a jewel."

She looks at me curiously then nods.

Alright, I've got work to do. I grab a few birds... wait why are my leftover birds on her? I summon two of them off her and disconnect them from her eyes, I need those. Then I pick up my gems and gold from the table. Man I did a number on these things didn't I? I straighten them out. It's much easier while sober. I sit down on the stairs and close my eyes, opening four black ones.

I work for a while, and it starts to take shape. The gemwork is almost rote at this point, but I do try to clean up the interior and surface of what imperfections my enhanced eyes can see. The three gems are done, and fit together nicely.

Next is the new part, enclosing it in gold. I think this should be easy. I just carve out a hunk, shove it in, plug it into the holes in the gems, then scrape off the parts that aren't in Wed's picture. It's hard to get the gold to behave the way I want it to, but I want to get it done tonight so Wed can sell it. I owe him a lot. Probably? I feel like I do. Well, even if I don't, he makes me comically rich. I wonder how much gold I actually have? I should ask him sometime. Or Hana, she seems like the purse-keeper sort who would know that. I've got it stored in a locked container in my cart, but maybe I should... I don't know, make a secret compartment on all of the carts, and just squirrel away some of it? Or in that satellite I've been thinking about...

I should think seriously about satellites. Hmm... is now the time? I still haven't even begun experimenting with Topaz. And I need Topaz to actually work in order for outer space to be realistic. Either that, or thousands of birds, and I think I'll need the birds to be larger to last long enough to fly into space even with a relay. If Topaz portals work the way I think they do, I can just have a single bird fly up, maintain connection via the portal, and recharge the bird as needed through said portal. Hmm. I pause my work, and flick my vision out to all of my crabs. 9 of them are still walking around on the ground.

One of them is on the side of an underwater cliff. The cliff appears to be made almost entirely out of Topaz rough.

Odd. I connect to Sentral. ¬hello Sentral# is this Topaz£)¬

¬yes)¬ comes the reply

¬why didn't you inform me you'd found it)¬

¬I did)¬

Hmm. ¬was I asleep at the time)¬

¬yes)¬

¬I see# okay thank you)¬

I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I've finally found a good source of Topaz! What the hell is this though? I really doubt this is natural. Frankly this entire island is suspect as hell, but I've got more important things to do. I hew off a big chunk of rough from the wall (draining a strangely high amount of mana from Sentral) and order it be brought back here. I disconnect, and finish working on the gem. Looks good... let's see if I can make the gold surface a little cleaner though.

Hana knocks, and I let her in. ¬Grey= come down to the village= we've got two surprises= one of them you're expecting= but the other will knock your socks off=)¬

I smile, and put the gem back on the table. I'll put the finishing touches on tonight. The sun is starting to go down, dinner should be soon, and if I guess her meaning properly, I'm about to meet that stunning beauty, whose name might be Ban'yun. I decide to call over a bird. The 11th crab... won't really fit in my pocket. I leave it in the water pot. ...why am I storing the crab

golems

in a pot? Uhg, whatever, I'll figure out what to do with it later.

I put myself through a quick shower, and put in a fresh pair of clothes. That hamper is getting full, I really need to do the laundry soon. Mostly it's just sheets, but...

I shake my head. Focus. I put the spare bird... where'd it go? I look through its eyes, and it's running through the jungle? Bor'wa...

I recall all the birds to Sentral, diverting one to me, and have them break their sight to Bor'wa. I hear her shout her protest somewhere to my left. "We're going back to the village! That's all for today, Bor'wa!"

I hear her jog up to me. She hands me the blindfold back. "Thank you for letting me play with the birds. It was a lot of fun."

Me, "Of course. Now, Hana says she has two surprises for us. I was only expecting one surprise, so let's go see her."

Bor'wa, "Okay!"

I take the bird and put it on my arm, then have a couple of the spares fly out to the trees surrounding the village. I don't look through their eyes though, it would spoil the surprise.

We arrive, and it seems there's a crowd. Almost everyone's gathered around, and even the pot chef is taking frequent glances over. Oh, this should be good. I approach, noting that almost everyone is holding a spear. The people who see me make way.

In the middle, I see a few islanders, Hana, Rin, and a very large feline, currently laying down. It's orange and white, and looks like it stands about 4 feet tall. My first thought is tiger, but it doesn't have any black coloration. Otherwise, it's fairly similar. "Is this a kurs?"

Hana laughs. "It's a kurs! It tried to eat me, so I crushed it's mind instead. It won't hurt anyone. I told it to lay down and not defend itself when I'm not riding it or giving it orders. He's a good boy, aren't you?" It purrs, or something. "He's going to die in a few days, and we'll butcher him then, but for now he's so cuddly!" she gives the tiger... kurs a big hug.

The chief speaks up. "I have decided this qualifies. I will give you the necklace awarded to our most skilled hunters, the kurs slayer necklace. It's traditional to decorate it with a fang of the slain kurs, but yours will have to do without until the kurs passes away."

Hana looks at him, then at the kurs. The kurs opens its mouth and pulls back his lips. Hana brutally yanks out one of its teeth, and hands it to the chief, who makes a complicated expression while accepting it. The cat doesn't seem to be in any pain, it didn't make any noises at least.

Hana looks at me. "It will need to eat in the short term. Did that chicken arrive?"

Me, "It did."

Hana, "Good! Now. Let's meet the Hardbark guests who will attend the feast tomorrow. This is Chief Ter'kama. He has come with the traded hardbark, and will stay the night to attend the feast." She goes on to introduce a few other Hardbarks who came along to see me, or make a social visit. "And this is Ban'yun. She was curious to meet you too. We talked a lot on the way back."

Up close, she's... simply the most beautiful female I've ever seen. About 6 foot zero. A smiling face with thick red/pink lips, brown eyes, and mid length black hair. Chocolate skin. Those same massive, F-cup breasts with large pink areola, with a perky upturn befitting her youth. Tight musculature across her arms, stomach, legs, shoulders, arm. Wide hips. Her gaze, however, rests on the bird on my arm.

Ban'yun, "The way your bird glitters, how beautiful.."

Ah, she likes gems? "Would you like to hold it?" I move my arm forward, and she imitates my gesture. I have the bird flutter over to her. She looks at it, moves it around, smiles again, and looks back at me.

Ban'yun, "Chief A'yado had praise for your abilities. I look forward to getting to know you."

Hana, "And that's everyone. Dinner is ready, right? I'll put this kitty away somewhere and rejoin you."

A'yado, "We welcome our guests. Most of you have been here before, the guest hut is the same. Coral Trees, disperse. Guests, join me at the cooking pot." He catches my eye, and nods at Ban'yun. I guess I'm accompanying her. A happy little conspiracy. We head over to the stew.

It looks more or less the same as yesterday, so I get my meal. I offer to carry Ban'yun's since she's still fascinated with the bird. I carry a plate of sides with telekinesis, as I don't have enough hands.

For the moment, it's just the two of us at the table. She sets down the bird. "I'm a newcomer to this island. I can speak your words to some degree, but I would like to connect to your mind in case I make mistakes with your language."

Ban'yun, "Telepathy right? Hanamaya explained it to me. She liked it too. Although, I think she is already a skilled speaker of our language."

I connect to her mind, and she accepts. She looks curious, "Hmm, this seems hollow compared to hers."

Curious. I deepen the connection. She says, "This feels more like how she did it." she smiles. "I can feel your emotions a little now."

I smile, and before digging into the stew, ask, "Tell me about yourself, Ban'yun. What do they have you do on a day to day? What kinds of things do you like?"

Ban'yun, "I'm usually working on the hardbark trees. Sometimes growing, sometimes felling. I'm a strong woman, I'll have you know." she flexes an arm. The dense muscle bulges, before settling back into its normal impressive shape. She smiles.. Did I leak any emotion just now? ¬he liked that# good)¬ I tighten on my end to choke the amusement. I wonder how bad I was when I started with Hana? I was an open book to her. I thought maybe Rin was the exception, but it seems she was the norm. "I sometimes weave vine threads, and sometimes join the hunting team. I've been lucky; before today, I've never seen a kurs."

Me, "It was my first time seeing one too, other than a pelt."

Ban'yun, "To think Hanamaya could tame one. I am humbled. Let's see. What do I like? I like gonberries, the beach, fish, the Hebat Valley views, the pleasant exertion of swinging an ax into hardbark. I enjoy looking after the toddlers, but they don't listen to me, and I don't have it in me to be firm with them, so Ban'had, my sister, usually gets assigned to them."

She suddenly looks at me, and frowns. "Stop that."

I'm surprised. "I'm sorry, what?"

Ban'yun, "You're hiding your emotions. Be open and honest with me. I will not even consider being mated to a man who hides from me."

Ah. "Forgive me. I hadn't meant to be secretive. I did not want to subject you to.. my lust. In other cultures, it would be considered rude. Shall I open up?"

Ban'yun's anger turns to confusion, "Are you not trying to take me as your mate? I expected you to desire my body."

Ah, so they already told her. I loosen up on my connection.. Then make an effort to loosen it more than usual. "I see. I hadn't expected they'd told you that was what I wanted. Yes, I'd like to take you as my mate. Your beauty is incomparable, and your personality is pleasant."

She smiles at me, happy again. "I'm glad. This Telepathy is a wonderful thing. I wish I knew it. Hanamaya has offered to teach me. She asked for me to call her simply Hana. She is incredibly powerful. It will be an adjustment."

Me, "Rin was afraid of Hana at first, but I believe they are friends now." I guess I should bring it up... Ban'yun must have felt it, because she looks up at me. "In the spirit of honesty, then. I am keeping secrets, regarding the outside world, and a few about myself. I cannot tell you everything. And until you agree to leave with me, there are some things I can't talk about on the topic of the world outside this island."

She smiles. "They told me something similar. But you didn't know that, did you? I appreciate the honesty. I will expect it from you, as you can expect it from me."

I feel... a warmth there. I smile. I feel like this will work out wonderfully.

Rin and Hana, as well as Bor'wa, join us shortly after. Bor'wa goes first. "Hi! I'm Bor'wa. Watch this!" she reaches her hands towards my bird.

It fucking flies over to her, and lands on her arm.

What?!

Me, "How... how did you do that?"

She closes her eyes. The bird looks at me, and Bor'wa herself grins. "I just reach out and they listen to me! But only the little ones listen to me. Mister Sen'tral refuses to do anything." Using the bird to see, she starts eating her stew.

I look at Hana and Rin. "You two have never been able to get my gems to respond, have you?"

Hana smiles, and Rin frowns. "Nope." "I haven't."

Well, this should probably be concerning. She doesn't mean any harm, though, so I'll let it be for now.

Ban'yun, "You like the pretty birds too, Bor'wa?"

She answers, "I do! I like all the birds! Having twenty eyes is so weird and so fun!"

Rin, "I prefer the view from thousands of feet in the air, myself. When the bird dives, it is, what's the word.. Exciting."

Ban'yun, "The bird dives... while you watch through its eyes? That must be amazing."

Rin nods. "I love it."

'Yun looks at me. "And what of you? I've heard of your strength. But what drives you?"

I put down my spoon and repeat for her my desire to see the world. "Beyond that, to grow in power so that I can always protect myself and those close to me. To see every sight, try every food, observe every culture, experience all this world has to offer."

Ban'yun, "That all sounds grand. I would like to join you for this wonderful trip around the world."

My heart jumps. She's all but agreed to be my mate, which means sex. She feels it from me, and smiles while she eats her stew.

Alright, now the downsides.

Hana cuts in. "She agreed to the Euko tea. But, since her prospective mate was one year from adulthood, the condition is you will begin breeding her within one year."

Perhaps I'm thinking with my dick, but that sounds... yeah, an entire year? Alright. "Then, within one year, I will ask you to stop drinking Euko tea, and give you a child. I accept."

Ban'yun smiles. "There's a few other conditions I have, but Hanama.. Hana said you wouldn't mind them. That was the only one that mattered to you."

I nod. "Hana knows me very well, but I would like to hear them nonetheless."

Ban'yun, "We will perform a pairing ceremony in the way of the Hardbarks. This involves you picking specific flower from the mountain, and we will change our name." Interesting. I look at the girls. "Ah, their names will not change... Unless they wish to? There isn't a precedent." The girls shake their heads, so I affirm the condition; just us two. "The second condition is that I be allowed to try to convince you to give me a child earlier than that, especially while we are planting love." To be honest, she's asking me permission to talk dirty during sex. This is a plus, more than anything.

Ban'yun, "The last is that, when we mate, you will always finish by seeding my garden, and never anywhere else.'' She gives me a smile. "Unless I am with child. Then you may do as you please."

Me, "Reasonable. I accept." I turn to Rin and Hana. "Did you also tell her about the three trials?"

Rin shakes her head. Hana says "We haven't. I thought we should leave that for you."

I nod. "It's less about measuring your ability, and more about making sure you can cope with life outside the islands. I will subject you to cold water and complete darkness. The second trial, what you will contribute, you are exempt from. The third trial is simply an interview where I try to discourage you from joining. Life outside the island is different than you might expect. Better in some ways. Worse in others."

Ban'yun, "I would take your trials as soon as possible. But I would prefer to contribute, if I can. What kind of tasks need done on your travels?"

How admirable. Or maybe she just doesn't want to be bored?... Let's go with the former. "I'm looking for specialists. One is for a chef. Another is for a gemstone polisher, which would require training. I will hire someone to provide that training. There may be other jobs, but I need to speak with Wed tomorrow."

Ban'yun, "I can cook, but it wouldn't be my passion. What would a gem polisher be like? And who is Wed?"

Hana answers for me. "You use various cloths and the like to make gems shine brighter. Doing so makes the gems more valuable. As for Wed, he's a really nice guy who will do anything you ask him to. If you need help and we're not around, just ask him! He has 10 people that work under him. Oh, 11, now that Rin's brother is in training. If he can't attend personally, one of them will."

I smile. "He, and his crew, are reformed 'criminals'. They're good people now, but they used to get by doing bad things. I'm unsure how you will feel about this, but they will be our traveling companions."

Ban'yun looks confused. "Why would they do bad things? Would they not be shunned?"

Me, "The outside world is complicated."

I finish my stew, and start on the sides. Oh, radishes today. Or something like them. Yum!

She nods slowly, and eats some more stew. Drink? What's the right word? Consumes.

Rin, "Will you be building her a cart home, too?"

Me, "That's the plan."

Ban'yun, "Wait, surely even in your culture, mates live together?"

Me, "You can think of it as a space to store your things, if you want. One or both of my women tends to sleep in my bed at night.

Bor'wa speaks, a little quietly. "Do you sleep with the door closed? It was really dark..."

Me, "I usually do yes." I turn to the girls. Huh, those two will soon no longer be the entire collective by that term, won't they? "Bor'wa bravely stood in the dark for 10 seconds, and didn't ask to come out early. But it might demonstrate that islanders are afraid of total darkness, since they don't have a dark night here. I added it to the 'trials'."

Ban'yun, "I'm curious, but a little offended. Come, we have finished eating, no? Show me this darkness, and this coldness. I will show you I am made of tougher stuff than even hardbark!"

I look around, and it seems we are indeed about done. "Shall we?" Bor'wa volunteers to take the bowls and plates back. I'm sure she'll catch me up; she's been focused on me. I guess she likes the novelty of me and my gemstone golems.

Hana splits off, then gives Ban'yun a fright by coming over on a kurs. I guess she's going to ride that thing everywhere? Well, not that I mind. I note that the side of its face is bloody, then remember that Hana pulled its damn canine out of its face. Well, it tried to kill her, so I don't care.

Rin, "Grey, do you want to touch it? The fur is bristly, almost painful. Its muscles are intense. If one of these bites you, it would be all over."