Endangered Ch. 07

Unperturbed, Annabel beamed evilly down at him and began rolling her hips back and forth ever so slowly. She was so fucking horny. Thinking about what he'd done to her with his magic was making her excited these days rather than raising her anger. Bartholomew scuttled around happily too, very eager to have his mistress and creator reunited.

"Hello, Chris here," He answered breathily.

"Chris! Stephan Sibon. How are you my boy? I've found what I believe is the perfect property for your needs. Would you be interested in seeing it tomorrow?"

"Hi Stephan. Um, yeah, I think that could work, so long as it isn't too far away? I have an appointment in the late afternoon." Chris' voice reflected his sudden excitement, he hadn't thought he'd hear back from the werebison so quickly. Getting stuck into some real work and helping build his own home was something Chris was looking forward to immensely.

"Excellent," Stephan's voice seemed to be full of vigour as well. "I can pick you up at around 1pm and we can take my truck, I'll drop you back off when we're done so that will keep the time down."

"That sounds great. Do you have room for Lillian and Olso? I'm not sure who will come along but they don't let me go anywhere alone."

"Yes, plenty of room in the truck, even for Oslo. Though I hear from a certain young lady close to my heart that you've been spotted around town and it appears you'll be the one who needs to sit up front for the extra room."

"Yeah, there have been some changes. It will actually be my first time in a vehicle since the change so we'll just have to wait and see. Tell Hailey I said hello and not to believe everything on those god-damn gossip boards, it seems like that's all people use Maginet for," Chris hadn't been able to resist peeking in on the speculation surrounding him on the Being's magical communications network. There was some serious hero worship shit rearing its ugly head. These people didn't know him whatsoever but where taking great enjoyment from dissecting and speculating on every aspect of his life. It was a little creepy, but he was going to have to get used to it.

"Ha! That ship has sailed I'm afraid Chris, her mother is almost as bad and they seem to feed off of it like vampires. Okay, so tomorrow at one pm. I'm looking forward to getting started, I've got a good feeling about this place and I can't wait to sink my teeth in, figuratively of course."

"I'm excited as well, Stephan. It's been too long since I did something with my hands. See you tomorrow," Chris hung up to find Annabel stilled, watching him.

"So, when are you going to finally tell me about your plans, Mr Budding Architect?" she asked with a scowl.

He lent up, kissing her cute nose affectionately before depositing her nearby and swinging his feet to the floor.

"You know I want to keep that as a surprise, Annabel," He saw she wasn't satisfied with his response. "Okay, okay, I'll give you the basics. My biggest concern is security and discreetness and maybe it's just my dragon talking but to me that means building underground, like the Compound. I've hired Stephan to do most of the work and planning, but I'll be helping with labour. From what Oslo tells me, he's pulled off some seriously impressive projects. Other than that, I don't know yet."

"See, that wasn't so hard," Annabel smiled. "I'm fine with having a surprise but I'd rather not be kept in the dark completely."

"Fair enough, Dee."

"Master?" The sprite flitted out of the bedroom, woken from her nap by their voices.

"Yes, Immi?"

"It's almost time for your lesson with the chocolaty-elf-man. I would like to be fed first, please," Her tiny eyelashes batted up at him expectantly.

Chris had no intention of denying her but it was still fun to see that she put in the effort. A few moments of concentration later, Immi was munching away happily from her perch on his knee. She no longer pigged out quite as violently as she first had. Living with the dragon, she was growing accustomed to having as much sustenance as she could ever want. It was a sprite's dream come true.

Annabel watched her bring the cube to her perfect little lips, nibbling a corner delicately with her eyes closed in rapture. On her hand, Bartholomew seemed very eager about Immi. He was prancing back and forth, tail wagging, wings twitching. Perhaps he was curious what the little sprite was eating?

She reached forwards gently and the tattoo positioned himself right at her fingertip. Millimetres away from the sprite, a shock ran back up her arm and the room reverberated with a tiny pop.

The startled sprite opened her eyes to discover her precious morsel had vanished, a belligerent little dragon staring back at her.

"Thief!" Immi shrieked in outrage. "You nasty little thief-dragon!"

Bartholomew raced back up Annabel's arm in an attempt to find cover in the safety of her small bosom.

Annabel squawked as the angry sprite's tiny claws were unsheathed and she lunged after the tattoo.

Chris laughed, plucking Immi out of Annabel's armpit where she'd been trying to burrow her way underneath the Annabel's blouse to enact revenge. Annabel caught her breath, having almost been tickled to death by the two little creatures.

"Master he stole it!" Immi wailed, her little blue body quivering. Moisture gathered in her eyes, her pointy little elf's ears drooping dejectedly.

"I know, little one. I didn't know he could. Here, I'll make you another."

She instantly brightened, leaving Chris to believe that the tears she'd almost shed would have been decidedly crocodilian.

As Chris worked on replacing the sprite's meal, Bartholomew poked his head out from under Annabel's clothes tentatively.

"Bartholomew!" Annabel scolded. "That wasn't nice at all. Immianthe is a friend, just like Susan and Lillian and the other dragonesses. I want you to apologise to Immi right away."

The little dragon's tail went limp and his wings sagged in response. It was adorable, he clearly knew he'd been a bad boy. He looked at the sprite, holding his head low and bobbing it up and down a few times before rolling to expose his belly.

Immi stuck her tongue out at him and took a greedy bite from her fresh treat.

"Were you hungry, Bartholomew?" Chris leaned close to ask the little dragon on Annabel's wrist.

He nodded back.

"Annabel and I didn't know you needed to be fed. Please ask in the future whenever you're hungry, okay?" he asked.

"Maybe it's because we haven't been having sex?" Annabel wondered. "Susan says he grows with the energy you give me."

The dragon's little head popped up at the word sex and his tongue snaked out to scent the air hopefully. Annabel giggled.

"He is definitely very excited when we do make love and I have noticed him being a little subdued lately," She mused.

"Okay then, I'll make another cube for him now but maybe you should reconsider my punishment. There are cute, innocent, little creatures suffering because of your personal vendetta, Annabel," Chris couldn't keep a straight face and ended up laughing the last couple of words out.

"Hardy har," Annabel retorted. "You'd like the very much, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would, Dee."

Chris focused on creating a third cube of the stable purple-grey energy. Completed, he placed it on Annabel's hand. Bartholomew was quick to gobble it up with a pop. They both watched in wonder as the cube was somehow pulled into the dragon's little cartoon universe where he scarfed it down with relish.

"I don't know if I'll ever forgive him but he is incredible," Immi chirped. "You two need to get back on schedule with the fucking! He's a growing boy and he needs regular meals."

"You try waking up with your pussy throbbing like crazy and this perv saying that he's put an enchantment on your snatch!" Annabel laughed.

"Mmhhh, so lucky, Mistress" Immi purred. "I would gladly endure any discomfort to be able to couple with Master. Furthermore, you are his familiar, he may do with you as he pleases."

"I can't win, I must be the bad guy here," Annabel threw up her arms in mock disgust.

Someone rapped loudly on the front door.

"That will be Arvil," Chris leaned over to kiss Annabel's temple, collected Immi, and got up. "We'll be back in a few hours."

"Okay, have fun Babe," She replied.

"Hey, where's Lillian? Is she supposed to come with me?" Chris couldn't sense the vampire's presence in her room or any of her other usual lurking spots. Normally she would have answered the door if she'd been here.

"She's working with the other security guys, remember? They're planning or strategizing or something down in the security office. She said you'd be okay because Arvil was collecting you and you weren't going outside the compound," Annabel replied.

"Okay, bye Dee."

Chris checked the door and opened it to greet Arvil who was patiently leaning against the opposite wall.

"Hey Arvil, sorry about the wait. I've had Immi and Annabel's enchantment, Bartholomew, fighting over food and Annabel is still busting my balls."

"You lead a tribulatious life, young Christopher," Arvil smiled at the large man.

"I know, right. It's not fair," Chris joked, placing Immi on his shoulder as they strode off down the corridor, their long strides eating up the richly carpeted distance.

This would be their third training session and Chris was looking forward to it. In the last two, Arvil, with Immi's insistent supervision, had been working Chris into exploring his powers. Those related to the Ether were the elf's special interest.

Arvil himself was an experience Ether mage and delighted to have the opportunity to take such a gifted student under his wing. They'd started out with some simple tests, observing Chris in his element, assessing the extent of his natural energy reserves, basic phasing, creative movement, the simplest direct energy attacks, the list went on.

Chris was also instructed thoroughly in concealing his presence and more importantly, being able to hold it in a relaxed state. It seemed like that was going to take a lifetime to master.

Arvil explained chakras to Chris, who'd heard the term before but never put any stock in the idea. The elf explained how mastering the flow between the energy centres of his body would unlock greater control and finesse of his abilities.

They practiced summoning energy quickly vs efficiently, both from inside himself and from the Ether. The sprite and elf duo also explained the basics of different techniques which could be used to cast spells. Through invocation of powerful ancient words, through runes and symbols, through conduit objects, through recipes and materials, and finally through intention.

Chris was already using intention to guide his magic, an advanced technique. They warned up one side and down the other about the dangers of errant thoughts, distractions, and strong emotions. All of which could all disrupt his ability or even have drastic and unforeseeable consequences when constructing a spell. Still, it was the method which dragons found instinctively at their use.

Arvil was learning too. He had to adjust his lessons on the fly. For instance, it was very unusual to have a student who didn't tire or deplete their energy in just a few simple spells. Chris could stay in the Ether indefinitely which was very refreshing to the experienced elf. He was used to complaints from his few students of how it sapped too much energy. Beyond that, the dragon's aura actually kept the elf's own reserves topped up during their lessons. This allowed him to demonstrate techniques without hesitation. It was a delight to use magic so freely and not be overly worried with replenishing his loss.

It was a different dynamic and Arvil understood this from the start. He was instructing a Being who was superior in talent but simply lacked experience.

Because of this talent, the lessons seemed to progress quickly and were quite fun for both student and teacher. Arvil found he liked the young man, who seemed very grounded and extremely modest for his power. Beings like Chris were usually old, serious, arrogant, and self-centred. The boy was the opposite.

They began today's session with quick fire phasing, trying to improve Chris' speed and accuracy to pinpoint levels. The key to success was clarity of the mind. The body was still involved, of course, and Lillian's brutal training helped Chris keep his breath as Arvil pushed him to phase around and around the room.

He popped into the Ether, sprinted to the next point, popped out, rang the little bell hanging in the corner, and popped back into the Ether before running on the next bell. Arvil had placed one in each of the four corners of the rectangular chamber as well as one suspended high on the ceiling. Chris' challenging work soon filled the space with happy jingling.

"Enough," Arvil called and Chris came back to stand in front of him, breathing heavily. "You're doing well so we're going to move on, you can practice this in your own time. You said your vampire explained how devastating correctly controlled phasing can be in combat so let's practice an advanced technique. You could already use your ability to reposition quickly, disorientate, escape, demoralize, etcetera etcetera. What I want you to practice now, is ringing the bells with only the tip of your finger. Ideally, the rest of you should stay in the Ether as much as possible. It will take a considerable amount of focus and speed to succeed. The key is to initiate the phase with your fingertip in mind, touch the bell, and at the same time abort the phasing and slip back in. You cannot purposefully leave the finger in the Norm and the rest of you in the Ether; it would probably fall off if such a thing were possible. However, the transition between Norm and Ether is not truly instantaneous across the whole body and this is what we exploit with this exercise."

It was hard, the hardest thing they'd practiced yet. Chris took several attempts to even be able to cancel his phase before he'd come all the way across. Damn you had to be quick! He found eventually that creating a pattern and planning his exact actions in advance was the key to making it possible. After an hour he was still not there, though he had improved to the point where sometimes only his arm or upper body would be visible for a tiny moment before he phased back into the Ether.

"What do you use this technique for?" Chris asked as they took a break and he drank some cool refreshments.

"That one is actually why phasing is considered unsportsmanlike in any sort of duel and why phase-users have such a deadly reputation. Never mind that only a very few ever master the technique, we are all branded with the same iron," Arvil began.

"That sounds about right for Beings," Chris muttered.

"It is not necessarily a bad thing. That false reputation grants even weaker ether-mages a measure of respect amongst other Beings. For instance, fear of my retribution has dampened the slights I otherwise might have received due to my mixed heritage. Especially when I was young, it saved me a few beatings from the older lads."

"That's terrible, at least it helped you."

"Indeed, a few demonstrations of my abilities as I grew dissuaded the bullies even further. But I wonder off topic...At least a thousand years ago, there was a young goblin who put his abilities to great use, thieving his way around Europe.

He could phase so quickly in and out of the Ether that it's said he could've lifted the purse off even an elder vampire. By accident, he discovered that the same technique could be used to kill with deadly speed, any unshielded or unsuspecting opponent. Of course, anyone who can phase can stick their hand in someone's chest and displace vital organs when they merge back. It's surprisingly ineffective against anyone with half decent training. The resistance involved in such a displacement makes the process slow, allowing time to move out of the way or activate a defensive charm. The young goblin's technique is devastating because the transition is initiated in such a small area, then cancelled immediately. This means there is far less resistance to the phase and very little time to react. An accurate nick to the heart, spine, brain, or major blood vessels can be instantly deadly."

"That's pretty brutal," Chris frowned, he knew his skills could be used to deadly effect. The fateful trip to Scotland was still fresh on his mind. This one that Arvil was teaching him seemed very unfair if it was so fast and hard to react to.

"Indeed. I would advise you never to use such a technique on another soul unless options are limited. Given your powers, there should always be another way to subdue an opponent," Arvil warned. "That goblin went on to become a master assassin and plagued the Synod for over fifty years. You would do well to use the technique for what it was first intended for, stealth. I can personally attest to its usefulness in lifting items from a person or interacting with objects whilst staying concealed."

"Okay, but when am I ever going to need to steal something?" he asked.

"You never know when such a skill may save the day, Master." Immi spoke up from her perch on top of a bookshelf. "I had to steal for many years just to stay alive by myself out in the Ether."

"Your case is perhaps on the extreme end of the scale my dear sprite," Arvil chuckled. "A more practical example I have found useful in recent years is to disable the human's cameras and security devices."

"Oh, cool. I hadn't thought of that. So, you could knock out a camera without it ever getting a glimpse of you?" Chris was right on-board with that. Having 007 level spy skills at his disposal sounded badass, not that he'd need to use them unless he was doing something illegal but you never knew.

"Correct. Have you ever read in the human's news when things go missing or get stolen and no one can explain how the thief pulled it off? It's usually Beings responsible," Arvil explained.

"Huh, I guess that makes sense. Hey Arvil, I was wondering, all these times I've been in the Ether why do things have a presence there? Immi's bookshelf, you, the bells, everything has a ghost of a presence. What's the reason?" Chris asked.

"That is indeed a mystery, Chris," the elf answered. "As you know, the presence is tangible, offering some resistance to push against or work with but still easily overcome. As to what causes it? I cannot give you a compelling answer except that all matter must be somehow inherently linked to the Ether on a fundamental level. At least that's how I explain it. There are many aspects of magic we cannot explain but that doesn't stop us from using them nonetheless."

"I understand that, it's like just because I can't explain the inner working of a combustion engine, it doesn't mean I can't drive a car. I just thought it would be cool to know," Chris couldn't help seeing a pattern emerging and wondered how widespread the issue was. How much magic was practised without understanding?

"Okay Chris, I think we'll stop here for today. I'll escort you back to your room and we can pick up again tomorrow and work on your remarkable teleportation."

"Thanks, Arvil, I had fun today, it was good to let off a bit of steam."

***

As it turned out, the property Stephan had found was a small old warehouse just outside what was considered the Being district. As he stepped out of the werebison's double cab pickup, Chris got a good feeling right away.

Lillian and Oslo were with them. He liked the company but did feel a bit guilty about taking up their time with babysitting him on his errands.

"So, what do you think?" Stephan asked, enthusiasm clear in his deep voice. Once the man stuck his horns into a project, it consumed him. It was a treat to be working with the dragon and he was really looking forward to it. His daughter Hailey had certainly never taken such an active role in prodding him into a job before.