Asher's Futa Fantasy Ch. 14

It's always best to be prepared. Unfortunately, there are some things you can't be prepared for.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 14

ASHER

I learned James and Shae had left in the middle of the night on some emergency they didn't elaborate on. They didn't leave a note or message or anything. So, I wouldn't find out what Shae had been trying to tell me for quite some time.

Remmi confided in me that she'd lost control of herself when she attacked me right before I passed out. It scared her, and she wanted to hold off on anything else until she could practice more control.

I didn't mind; I wanted her to build up her confidence and told her I'd help her practice anytime and any way that she wanted. And I totally didn't add any leer or sex kitten into that statement.

"Hey Patty," Remmi said as we entered the surgery a week or so later.

Patty was reorganizing again. It seemed that every time she got new supplies, she had to rearrange the whole place. She said she kept getting new stuff and needed to have everything just right in case of an emergency.

"Hey, girls! How are you?" Patty said, turning and waving at us with her tail.

"Good," Remmi said.

"Need help with anything?" I asked.

"Oh no. I've got a system, and it would take too long to explain everything," Patty said, waving off our help.

"That's new," I said as I pointed to a metal medallion she was wearing on a leather thong around her neck.

"Oh, yeah," Patty said, touching the medallion. "Carfen found it for me. It's the sigil of Cammot.

"Cammot?" Remmi said. "That healer God?"

"Yep, that's the one," Patty shrugged. "I'm not one to knock something that works. Whether it's luck, coincidence, or divine intervention, it helped with your mom, so maybe it will help again when I need it."

"Can't hurt," I said.

"Did you girls need something?" Patty asked.

"Uh, actually, yeah," Remmi said and looked around.

We were alone.

"What do girls here use for... contraception?" Remmi asked.

Patty's eyebrows shot up.

"Well," Patty started. "The women here use a daily herb that's supposed to help prevent pregnancy, and if that fails, there's an elixir that can be made that acts as their morning-after pill. But it's nasty and will probably put you off ever having sex again." Patty grinned.

"Now to the real question," Patty leaned in close, speaking conspiratorially. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, you know Asher, and I don't believe in premarital sex--" The Remmi burst out laughing, and we joined in.

"Sorry, I couldn't even get through that one," Remmi said. "But seriously, I was just curious. You know, be prepared and all that."

Patty looked at me. "I thought you couldn't get a girl pregnant unless you wanted to."

"That's true," Remmi said as I nodded along. "But... you know... other people don't have that ability."

"Oh, don't worry, your Dad does," Patty patted Remmi's arm while Remmi stared at her with wide eyes. "You do know he tells me everything, right?"

"I do now," Remmi squeaked. It was cute.

"Hmm," Patty said. "Now, for anyone else, you'll need to worry. The problem is, if you'll excuse the crudity, with how you girls are made, you're not exactly 'normal.' I have no idea if these methods would have any effect or not."

Remmi frowned.

"What about condoms?" I asked.

"Uh-uh," Patty said, shaking her head. "Not that I'd found. So far, pulling out is the guy's only recourse."

"Of course it is," Remmi frowned.

"Are you girls planning on having some adventures?" Patty asked. "With all the options available to you, I'm surprised you were looking elsewhere."

"Oh, no, that's not it," I said. "We just want to be prepared for anything... just in case, you know?"

Patty smiled kindly at us.

"I was young once, girls. I understand," she said and patted us each on the arm. "I'll see what I can find out, and I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Patty," Remmi said.

"You sure you don't need any help?" I asked.

"No, now skedaddle. I've got stuff to do," Patty said and shooed us out of the surgery.

"Can I ask you a question?" Remmi asked me.

"Of course," I said, taking her hand. "Ask away."

"You got any idea what's going on the Rhi and all them?" Remmi asked. We were heading over for blade practice, and the small area we'd set up was isolated enough that we could talk without worrying about being overheard.

"Honestly? No. But the grown-ups know something," I said as I leaned my sword and scabbard against the wall and opened the small practice weapon box.

While the gestalt were still here, they'd purchased blunted metal weapons for us while in town. They shouldn't cut us or give us a serious wound. But we'd feel it if we got hit. It was the next step up from the wooden swords we'd been using.

I handed Remmi her pair of knives and took out the sword I normally used.

"They do?" Remmi asked as she accepted her blades. She didn't carry her knives on her.

I only carried my sword when I was leaving The Roadhouse or when I was heading to practice. Otherwise, it stayed locked in our room.

"Yeah, Dad told me they'd been sworn to secrecy over it for some reason," I said. "He told me to talk to them and find out about it before I got involved with James."

"Not much chance of that anymore, huh?" Remmi teased me.

"Shut up," I replied and gave my sword a practice swing.

James had been my initial interest in the gestalt, but so far, he's the last one I might possibly sleep with. It seemed like the longer I went without trying, the less I was interested.

"Besides, if this keeps up, I won't want to by the next time I see him," I said.

"We both know that's not true." Remmi grinned and began going through a series of practice moves she'd been assigned back when Tara was still here. "Anytime you get an itch, you won't stop till you scratch it."

"Well, plenty of others have scratched it for me, thank you very much," I said as I started my own set of practice moves.

"We both know it doesn't work that way." Remmi grinned over at me.

"I know," I groaned and missed a step, causing my sword to smack into the ground, jarring my arm.

"That looked painful," Thomas said as he and Terri finally arrived.

"Bout time you two showed up," Remmi said, twirling into her routine of swish-swish-stab. "It's getting late."

"Hey, he's here to practice," Terri said. "I'm just here to drool."

Terri hadn't taken up any weapons, instead choosing to rely solely on her magic for protection. So far, it had worked out for her, her magical skills being rather impressive. The problem was that she had yet to be tested in a real fight.

"Well, I'm not taking my shirt off," Remmi said. "Not again."

"Aww," Terri pouted.

Thomas picked up his own practice sword and began to limber up.

"So, are you guys ever going to come to bed with us?" Terri asked, causing Remmi and I to both fumble our routines. Terri giggled.

"Tell us how you really feel, Terri," Remmi said.

"If I didn't know you better, I'd say you do that just to watch us screw up," I said.

"Hey," Terri said. "It's your own fault you can't focus. You need to practice more."

"And I'm sure you know exactly how we need to practice, don't you?" I asked.

"I have a few ideas," Terri said with a touch of sultry in her voice.

"Give it a break, babe," Thomas said. "No means no, remember?"

"Awww, spoilsport," Terri pouted.

We each went through our assigned routines the designated number of times.

"Did this really help you take down that... wolfpig thing?" Thomas asked me.

"It's a Shilak, and yes," I said. "When I got into it, things moved too fast for me to stop and think. The moves just took over." Which was true.

"Huh," Thomas said and continued his routine.

Half an hour later, Terri was getting bored watching us.

"Oh, check this out!" Terri said, drawing our attention from practice. She pointed her hands at the ground, and a small flame appeared.

At first, it looked like a candle's flame was just sticking out of the ground. But as we watched, the flame grew until it was about six inches tall. Then, it sprouted arms and legs. It looked like a head was going to appear, but it never did.

"Still trying to get the head right," Terri muttered.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I don't have a name for it yet," Terri said. "During the last bonfire, I was herding some stray embers back into the pile, and one just stopped. The more I tried to urge it, the bigger it got until I had this little guy."

"Does it move?" Remmi asked.

"Oh yeah," Terri said. "It's kinda like a puppy. I'm slowly training it."

"It remembers?" I asked, slightly freaked out.

"Sure," Terri said. "I mean, fire is essentially alive. It's simple elemental science."

"Elemental science?" Remmi asked.

"It was in that magic book," Thomas said, not looking very happy. He looked jealous.

"It's like being a weatherman who knows the formulas to how elements work," Terri said. "So far, fire is the only element I've been able to get this to work on."

We watched for a few minutes as Terri moved the flame around. After a few minutes, Terri looked tired, and the little flame snuffed out.

"The more I practice, the longer I can keep him around," Terri said, sweat visible on her brow.

"Cool, but don't hurt yourself," I cautioned.

"Yes, mom," Terri said sarcastically.

We'd been doing this practice every day since the gestalt first left. I was hoping Rhi would give us some new moves when they finally came back. I was getting bored with these. I'd started branching out, making up my own moves based on what felt right. But I had no clue if they were "right" or something that was going to get me killed.

It was dark by the time we finished practice and got everything stored away.

The smells of dinner had filled the inn when we walked in.

Mom was at the bar, frowning at one of the lanterns. It was dim and barely giving off light.

"Hey, Mom, Dad in the kitchen?" Remmi asked.

"Uh-huh," Mom said without looking up.

"I'm gonna go give him a hand," Remmi said.

"Cool, I'm gonna grab a quick shower," I said. I was usually pretty ripe after a workout.

"K," Remmi said and gave me a peck on the cheek before she bounced off into the back.

"What's up with the lamp, Mom?" Thomas asked as he walked up.

"No idea. The damned thing was working just fine yesterday," Mom said, frowning at it.

"Let me see," Thomas said, taking the lantern from her.

All the lanterns had been working perfectly since Mateo recharged them during his visit. To my knowledge, this was the first one to give us any trouble.

"Hmmm," Thomas said as he looked at the tiny stone that was glowing dully inside. He glanced at Terri and then back at the stone. "Seems simple enough," he muttered.

"I think I'll join you," Terri said as she followed me upstairs to our family's private bathrooms.

When I opened the door to the shower, Terri followed me right in, closing the door behind us.

"What?" Terri said innocently. "I said I was going to join you." She grinned at me mischievously. "That a problem?"

In response, I pushed her up against the wall and started kissing her. My leg went between hers, pressing my thigh into her, causing her to gasp.

Blade practice, while tiring, always made me horny. Then again, what didn't?

Terri was pulling my shirt up over my head as I was fumbling with the laces of her blouse. Before long, I was pressing my breasts into hers and trying to see how far I could get my tongue into her new mouth.

"Turn the water on, bitch," Terri said in a gasp.

I reluctantly turned away and reached for the water. As I turned it on and adjusted it, Terri's fingers were pulling my pants down.

Even before my pants were off, Terri's long fingers were slipping to my sex and teasing me relentlessly as I tried and failed to get the water temperature right. She was just too distracting.

"Are you so sexed out of your mind you can't even turn on some water?" Terri said, her voice in my ear as she bent over me and made the water right.

I was frozen, her fingers expertly teasing me.

"You're too easy," Terri said with a sigh and withdrew her fingers.

Finally free of Terri's fingertrap, I span and grabbed her by her ears, making her yelp in surprise. It wasn't hard to wrestle her face to my cock where I forced her tongue to slide up and down the bottom of my shaft.

It would have been too easy just to get her to pop her mouth open and invade. Instead, I used her ears for control and made her lick me all over.

Terri didn't seem to complain. In fact, she was moaning the entire time.

I pulled her under the spray of the water, not bothering to rid her of the rest of her clothes, which were promptly soaked through. Only then did I make her take me into her mouth, but by then, she was so eager it took little persuasion.

I watched her beautiful elven lips slide down my length as the hot spray of the water pounded our bodies. I continued to manhandle her long ears until she looked up at me one too many times.

She didn't even gag once as I forced myself into her throat and began to madly blow my load down her throat. Terri expertly swallowed, her throat massaging my spurting cock as I rode her head through my orgasm.

When I finally released her, I leaned against the wall, collecting my breath and watching as Terri delicately dabbed at the edges of her mouth.

"God, you have a good memory," I said between pants.

"Of course," Terri said as she rose to her feet and slowly began taking off her pants.

The water made the material skin tight as she took her time showing off for me. Her slow shower striptease had me hard just as she'd bent over, pointing her luscious ass at me and slowly peeling her pants down off it.

I let her get just far enough before pouncing on her.

"Oh fuck!" Terri said in alarm as my cock found her entrance and slid into her pussy with practiced ease. She let go of her pants and grabbed the side of the shower as I continued to work my cock into her tight pussy.

"Eager are we?" Terri teased.

"It's your fault," I replied, grabbing her hips and pulling her against me just as I finished sinking into her. "You wave this weapon at me, and you know I'm going to protect myself."

"And shoving your dick in me is protecting yourself?" Terri asked in amusement.

"Who's got control of who at the moment?" I asked as I started to stroke.

"Good point," Terri said in a pant as she braced herself for my assault.

Terri's ass was a lovely teardrop shape. Nicely firm, but with just enough cushion to it to make it enjoyable. I put one hand on her back to brace her as I continued to slide my cock in and out of her.

Soon, we had the motion just right as we were starting to get serious. That was when I grabbed her hands and pushed her flat, up against the wall. I adjusted slightly for the new angle and then continued thrusting deep inside her.

"Damn, where'd this come from?" Terri asked.

"Got tired of you girls always taking control of me. I wanted a chance to use you for once," I hissed in her ear as the tingling in my cock told me I was getting close.

"Well," Terri said over her shoulder. "As much as I enjoy being a 'free use' girl, you really think you're in control here?"

Her grin made me start to hammer into her harder, wanting to wipe that grin off her face.

"Just fucking take it, slut!" I growled and let fly inside her. Thrusting in time with each of my spurts, I ground myself into her as I rode her ass through my orgasm.

Shower sex was never my favorite. I'd never turn it down, but it was like leg day at the gym. It was fun while doing it, but afterward, you could barely walk.

Terri startling giggling as I stumbled back, my cock slipping free of her.

"God, I love fucking with you," Terri said as she gently pushed me against the opposite wall and started kissing me while her hands slid across my body.

"Dinner's ready," Rachel's voice came through the door, causing us to freeze and look at one another.

"OK," Terri answered for us.

"Don't take too long, Ash," Rachel said and was gone.

We both started laughing and kissed again before cleaning up and heading downstairs.

I didn't see it happen. I was just sitting down at one of the tables with Terri when there was a strange sound, and Thomas started screaming.

Blood was everywhere, and Thomas was on the floor, still screaming.

"What happened?" Dad yelled as he came from the back, followed by Remmi.

We all converged on Thomas nearly at the same time.

Thomas was rolling on the floor, his arms covering his face.

When Dad pulled his arms away from his face, there were shards of brass and glass protruding from his face and even more in his hands. Plus, one of his fingers was missing.

"The lamp exploded in his hands," Mom cried, her hand over her mouth.

"Patty!" Dad called out.

"She's outside," a workman called out.

"Ash, go find her. Meet us in the surgery." I was out the door before Dad finished the sentence.

I found Patty with Carfen near the stables. Before I could finish explaining, Patty saw Dad carrying Thomas and was moving faster than I could track towards the surgery.

"Get him on the table!" Patty cried as she turned up the still-working lanterns in the room.

Thomas was still crying out, but his screaming had stopped.

"Hold him," Patty said as Dad grabbed his arms, and I grabbed his legs.

"Remmi, keep the rest out, especially Terri," Patty ordered.

Terri tried to protest, but then Rachel was there and dragged her outside.

"Keep him still," Patty said as she went to a drawer and started pulling things out.

"Anything I can do?" Mom said from the doorway.

"Get out," Patty said, not looking up.

"Everyone, hold your breath," Patty said as she returned to the table, a damp cloth in her hands.

Dad and I stopped breathing as Patty laid the cloth over Thomas's face. A few moments later, Thomas stopped struggling.

"Don't breathe unless you have to, and try not to breathe any of that in if you do," Patty said, seemingly unaffected by the fumes coming from the cloth.

She went to another drawer and brought over several things I didn't recognize. There was a small brown bag that appeared to be full of fluid. As I watched, she attached what looked like a pink tube to it and then a large quill.

"I knew I should have tried this out first," Patty muttered and grabbed Thomas's arm.

Thomas's hands were still dripping blood but didn't appear to be gushing like they had been at first. He still had all his fingers. The one I'd mistaken as being missing was still there, just nearly off his hand.

"There we go," Patty said and moved back to the head of the table.

When I looked, the quill was stuck in Thomas's arm in what looked like an improvised IV.

Patty took the cloth off his face and put it back where it came from.

"OK, you should be able to breathe now," Patty said.

Dad and I both gasped. I'd snuck a few shallow breaths by turning my head away when I did.

Thomas's face was bad. He had several large pieces of shrapnel from the exploded lamp, including one that looked like it was either in or right next to his eye.

All the times I'd had to skin and prepare animals since I'd arrived on this Bio Hab had served to strengthen my stomach. But as I looked at the ruined face of my brother, I felt bile starting to rise in the back of my throat and looked away.

I couldn't watch as Patty began to work on him. I did see when she placed both his hands in pans of some fluid, but I refused to look when she started removing shrapnel from his face.

I don't know how long we were there, but Dad and I didn't move. We held him down, just in case whatever Patty was using to keep him unconscious wore off. I tried shifting my weight each time one of my legs went to sleep.

An eternity later, it was over.

"That's as much as I can do right now," Patty said in an exhausted voice.

I looked up and saw both of Thomas's hands and his face wrapped in bandages. He looked like a mummy wearing clothes.

"How bad?" Dad asked.

Mom, who'd been standing in the doorway, came in and stood beside Dad, who put an arm around her. She'd been crying; her face was red and puffy, while Dad's eyes were red.

"Infection is going to be a concern. I have already started him on what I have available. It's the best in the area. Most the rest is going to be ugly scarring." Patty took a deep breath. "He may lose the eye. We'll have to wait and see on that. But he'll definitely have a loss of dexterity in his hands. How much? That's a waiting game. What exactly happened?"

"He was looking at a lantern that wasn't working right when it exploded," Mom sniffed.

"He was trying to recharge it," Terri said from the doorway where Rachel still had a hand on her shoulder. Rachel's hand looked more comforting than restraining. "He was feeding the lantern power, I felt that right before it blew. Probably trying to copy Mateo."

The room was quiet a moment.

"Is there anything we can do? Anything you need?" Dad asked.

"No, aside from a few special orders, I've got everything there is here. I made sure of it just in case." Patty said with a sigh.

"What about Carfen?" Mom asked. "He helped me." She said hopefully.

Patty turned and went to the door that led next door. She knocked before opening it.

Carfen was down on one knee at the front of the small chapel with his eyes closed.

"Carfen?" Patty asked quietly.

When he didn't answer, Mom started to say something, but Patty held her back.

A minute later, Carfen rose to his feet and entered the room without a word. He looked Thomas over for a long time before returning to the head of the table.

"Did you read the book I gave you?" Carfen asked Patty.

Patty touched the medallion around her neck.

"Do you remember the process?" Carfen asked.

"Ye... yes," Patty said, unsteadily.

"Do you believe it will work?" Carfen asked.

"I've seen it work," Patty said, then continued. "I know it will work."

"So be it," Carfen said and turned to the room. He started to speak but caught himself and stepped back, turning to Patty.

"I need everybody out," Patty said, her voice shaky.

"What are you going to do?" Mom asked.

"I'm going to ask for help," Patty said.

"Why you?" Mom asked, then looked at Carfen. "Why not him? He did it last time."

Dad put his hands on Mom's shoulders as she was starting to work herself up.

"I am a priest of the gray benefactor," Carfen said simply. "While she is a disciple of Cammott. I asked for help through a third party. She is asking the source."

"So? If it works, it works," Mom said.

"Angela," Dad said softly. "Let them work."

Mom gave Dad a look that would wilt flowers but allowed herself to be moved from the room.

"You don't need me to hold him?" I asked.

"No, he'll stay out long enough for this," Patty said.

I looked at the doorway where everyone had gathered and made my way to the empty chapel door instead.

Patty looked at Carfen, who simply nodded to her. She turned back, placed her hands together, and closed her eyes. She stayed that way for a long time, making no sound. Then her hands parted, palms facing the floor, and they began to slowly lower towards Thomas's head.

"Son of a bitch!!!" Patty screamed, dropping to her knees.

"Patty!" I yelled and lunged forward. "Are you--SHIT!" I yelled and jerked my hand back from her. Touching her was like sticking a penny in a light socket... not that I'd ever done that as a child.

"Don't touch her!" Carfen ordered.

"No shit!" I yelled back.

Patty was still on her knees, her hands still out in front of her but not touching anything. As I watched, she slowly rose to her feet, her eyes still squeezed shut.

Her hands reached forward and brushed Thomas's hair, and that was all it took. Whatever had been inside her, grounded into Thomas, and his whole body jerked.

Then her hands cradled Thomas's head, and she stopped.

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as silence filled the room.

When Carfen had touched Mom, there had been a pop, and he'd jerked away, the job done.

I never saw Patty touch Thomas before she cried out. It was like someone had knocked her down before she could get to Thomas. Then she fought her way back up to him.

I saw workmen crowding the door to the chapel, watching the spectacle. I wasn't sure if they'd been there before or not.

When Patty finally opened her eyes, she fell backwards, and I was there to catch her this time. She was heavy, and I grunted as she hit my arms.

"Move!" Carfen ordered and pushed his way into the chapel. He appeared a few moments later and knelt beside me. He ground two leaves together between his fingers and held them near Patty's nostrils.

Patty's eyes flew open, and she jerked in my arms.

"What?" Patty said in confusion.

I helped her to her feet, and she immediately started checking on Thomas.

The makeshift IV had been pushed out of his vein, and there was no sign of the entry wound.

Patty started checking the bandages on his face first. The first one revealed a red line where she'd stitched up the wound. The red line turned out to be the damp thread she'd used in the stitches laying atop his skin. The next bandage revealed the same, only there was a clattering on the floor.

A small piece of brass was lying on the ground.

"I must have missed it," Patty whispered. "And it was pushed out!" She just stared at the metal shard, looking afraid to touch it.

All the wounds on Thomas's face were healed, even his eye. When she checked his hands, it was more of the same. Everything was healed without a trace of ever having been wounded. The only exception was a red line that ringed the finger Thomas nearly lost.

"It's a miracle," Patty whispered just loud enough for me to hear. I don't think anyone else heard it, save Carfen.

"No. It's Cammott," Carfen said and pointed at Patty's chest.

"What?" Patty said, not able to see where he was pointing.

"It's your medallion," I said quietly. "It's gone."

"Gone where?" Patty said, touching her chest where the medallion of Cammott had rested before.

Now, the symbol seemed to be embedded in silver on her chest.

"You've been accepted," Carfen said.

This caused murmurs from the workmen standing in the doorway to the chapel, but my family drowned them out as they crowded into the room.