Vision In The Flames
The Dragon's Head Tavern and Inn, Vorland, 1439 ATC
It was another warm spring night in Vorland, most of its residents outside enjoying the lovely evening, while some remained inside, as was the case for one group of residents on the outskirts of the town. Venser Karkaldwin in specific; hosting a party at the tavern along with a bunch of his friends, family, and employees, and getting up to the usual things that happen at these types of parties. Namely getting quite drunk and playing a few light party games amidst everyone's socializing.
He had introduced billards and beer pong to the tavern and had hired a few bards.
Brea Rowland leaned against the smooth, wooden bar top, her long sandy hair dangling just in front of her eyes. She flicked her head brushing the hair away from her eyes, she lets out a soft sigh and tucks her hair behind her ear reminding herself that she would soon be in need of a hair cut. Relaxing for a moment before having to go back and serve the nany customers that were in the tavern. After Venser decided to throw a party for Nadine and do a "buy one get one free sale" on grapefruit beer and huckleberry cider.
Her brown eyes flicked over to a rowdy group of adventurers who boasted about their success fighting off a Panther People raiding party and receiving a lot of coin from the King of Vorland.
Everyone was chattering shouting and laughing. Most of them obviously drunk.
The sun dipped behind the clouds casting an orange hue over the now crowded tavern as it went down.
Natalie Nash, the new barmaid of Grigwaldian descent. A skinny redheaded girl with pale skin, dark brown eyes, and a fox like was was busy running from table to table barely able to refill one man's cup before another man called her over.
"Anyone need a refill of beer or cider?" She asked.
Upon her arrival. The table was filled with cheers and she leans over to fill their cups. She wore a modest black skirt with red laces lace stripes, her white shirt had the top three buttons undone, revealing a little bit of cleavage, upon the orders of Natalie and Brea's boss, Venser Karkaldwin, who the girl had only met twice before.
Brea tended the bar while Natalie and Thorn walked about and worked, along with a few shadow clones. Brea the sandy haired barmaid would have to leave every so often when her scones downstairs were done cooking. She was glad tonight she and the new girl had a lot of customers and orders to occupy their time, lately it had been rather slow.
But this.
This was a party.
"More booze on me! Ah ha ha ha!"
Venser laughed, raising both hands over his head, holding two bottles of cider in one hand and another bottle of Evermint Schnaps, an incredibly strong liqour in the other; all of them being grabbed from his hands as he walked down the stairs and outside where they had lit a bonfire and sat at a table they had dragged out as the darkness began to settle. Accompanying him were none other than the duo of Sanna and Madalina, along with Ceirra Dusk and Nadine of Telzar, occupying the seats at the table. The sounds of music could be heard from inside the tavern.
"Everyone enjoying themselves so far? Hic! Ooh it... Mhmph! Those snaps! Nadine? You- Hic! Good? This party is for you..."
A bonfire crackled and snapped as it slowly ate away at its meal of logs. Dancing shadows played across the ring of dense trees around the clearing behind the tavern. The cool chill of a night, engulfed in stars, batted at the defiant flames as they cast flickering embers into the air. Crickets chirped in the brush just outside the ball of light, their gazes reflecting the bright and flickering flame as they drank, smoked, and enjoyed each other's company.
"I am, I guess. Not too shabby." Nadine actually grinned at the handsome bearded man as he popped the cap off of his cider with magic, immediately taking a big swig of it, looking to the one in her own hand and taking a sip. Trying to enjoy herself and let loose for once
"A bit closely-knit for a party, but still fun. So, what should we do next?" Asked Ceirra Dusk, the leggy succubus with flowing orange eyes and an incredibly high pitched voice.
"We could do beer pong out here..." The handsome bearded man said as he looked to Madalina and hiccuped, pawing at her hand.
"Hic! I think... Did I win yet? Hic! Like... I drank more of the last bottle... Anyine want more? Nadine? Take a sip..." Venser mumbled offering the icy white bottle to her, the artificer girl's golden, almond shaped eyes looked over it fir a few seconds as she let out a sigh.
"This is a bad idea..." She muttered taking the bottle and taking a quick swig, letting out several loud coughs.
"Minty fresh? Right? Ha!"
"Ohhhh... Ah it feels like there are bears fighting in my throat!" Nadine coughed again.
The leggy succubus let out a throaty laugh, brushing back her long, straight black hair.
"That's just the good stuff. Its rough at first, but then it makes you feel good..." All before bursting out laughing and taking a drink out of a large jug of wine.
"Ah ha ha! I'm such a giggly bitch right now!"
Madalina had watched the bottles being passed back and forth, as well as the slow descent of her friends into drunken goofiness. She’d had liquor before, though not quite of this variety. After Venser began to paw at her hand and plead with her the results of the previous party game, she grinned widely enough to display her sharp canines which glinted a yellowish light in the bonfire’s blaze. After giving a quick glance to Sanna and receiving a nod with a giggle attached, Madalina held her hand out for the bottle.
“Alright, let’s give this a shot. If this stuff has Ceirra on her ass, I’ve got to try it.” With that said, she uncorked the bottle after it was handed to her and took a healthy swig. The first thing that went through her mind was the flavor, poignant and enjoyable, yet its punch was strong as fuck. The demoness turned rather white, even more so than her usual shade, and her eyes went wide after she set the bottle down and swallowed. Bad idea.
Madalina coughed violently for a minute, beating her chest with a balled up fist to somewhat alleviate the fire in her fucking throat.
“Good gods, what is this stuff? It feels like what you’d get if you could siphon the fire of the pit into a bottle! Tastes good as Coldwrought, but good grief!”
Sanna was so amused that she burst out laughing, grateful that the children of the house were being watched by someone at the moment, as she reached over and ruffled Madalina’s tousled hair. “You get used to these liquors after a while, but this one I haven’t seen. Were I not still feeding children, I’d have a nip!” More laughter poured from her full lips as she got up and decided to dance instead. The way that most knew she was about to start dancing was the posture she would come into; her left foot poised upon its toes, her right foot balanced flat on the ground and her left hip jutted out just slightly more upward than the right.
The bards caught a tune more familiar to her, and off she went.
Madalina had seen her practice, but never actually dance. Her drunken jaw dropped in awe as she watched her lithe lover glide through the air in leaps and twirls that reminded her of koi swimming in a river, their tails like her silken skirts. Giving Venser and the other ladies a nudge, including Nadine, Madalina mouthed are you seeing this before her entire attention was captured again by the sudden leg split that Sanna summoned herself into, her skirt fanned out in fluttered fashion. When the tanned dancer bent herself backward from the waist up in that position, Madalina halfway stood up, cheeks crimson from drunkenness, eyes just about bugging out of her head.
“How can she hic do that?” Madalina asked Venser with a shocked tone of awe, switching from watching Sanna’s dance and watching the expressions of him and his comrades.
It was hard to get a succubus from Coldwrought drunk but they were all enjoying themselves and the minty, strong alcohol Venser had brought. "Evermint Schnaps! Its strong... Its... Hic! Lot of mint leaves..." His emerald, slitted eyes watched the golden gypsy as she danced along to the music that came from the tavern, everything going wispy and dream like. ''Oh and...!" He gestured to the pale green liquid inside the icy bottle. "This stuff has a reputed tendency to induce hallucinations and blindness I hear but... Mhmph! We are all hear to enjoy the night have fun before whatever else we have going... Hic! On tomorrow!" He was wandering the bonfire and the leggy succubus reached out and playfully smacked his ass as he made his way over to Nadine and began patting her on the head. "Hic! And like... You're getting- Hic! Inspired right now right?" The short artificer was spacing off, the alcohol hitting her now. "Yeahhhh... I've got soo many thoughts... I hope I can... Work tomorrow..." She was just staring into the fire now.
"See! Shes relaxed for once. Beats being cooped up inside the barn tinkering with that artifact right?"
Nadine just gave an unsure shrug, and then a nod of negation.
Sanna continued to dance as Madalina overheard the bits about hallucinations and blindness, her expression of awe turning to one of concern.
"You think that might have been good to mention before I took that big of a drink, Ven?" She quipped sarcastically, though the grin on her face indicated that she was perfectly fine with it either way. "Ah, I kid. I guess we'll find out in the morn if it's permanent, huh?"
Sanna paused her dancing to kiss Nadine's cheek, as well as Ceirra's, working her way around the bonfire before pausing in front of it for a moment. "Hmm...Ven, do you think it would be safe if I tried some as well?" She asked.
"You've always been knowledgeable in the aspect of liquors."
"Oh ummm..." The quiet artificer just smiled and didn't say anything else, merely sitting there as she wasn't used to such large gatherings and the fact Venser had thrown this party specifically. While Nadine did think of it as a waste of time the next day she would double her efforts on working on her portal artifact. When Sanna came over to the tall succubus, Ceirra smirked and leaned in, kissing the golden gypsy on the lips and using her sharpened canines to bite gently on her lower lip.
"Yes yes, drink up the Evermint! Revel!" Venser yelled picking up a random bottle of huckleberry cider and gulping it down.
Madalina smirked and nodded as well. "This stuff should be fine, Sann, you'll be good to go in the morn. If all else, I'm sure we can get some help for the babes...Ohhh, damn. Ceirra, you'll make the maiden blush doing that, you know." The soldier leaned back and chuckled, somewhat losing her balance in her place and tumbling to the ground before bursting out in laughter.
Sanna, however, was a bit distracted once Ceirra turned her head. "Hmmn? Mn!" The woman couldn't help but lean into the succubus's surprise, her knees quivering a little when her lip was bit. After it was released and she was able to pull back, Sanna giggled and took the icy bottle, uncorking it.
"Well, here goes..." The dancer said quietly before tilting it down the hatch, perhaps swallowing a tad too much the first time around. Another bout of coughing rang itself around the group, this time due to Sanna's attempts to be like the rest of the group despite rarely drinking any kind of alcohol at all. "You weren't joking, this is rough! It tastes minty, though," she managed to speak in between coughing fits as she offered the bottle to Nadine again, smiling gently to her. It was clear the stuff hadn't hit yet.
She knelt down before Nadine and patted her on the shoulder. "It is alright to be shy. I am still not used to the parties and I've been here for years."
Madalina had managed to sit herself back down where she was and had a nasty case of the hiccups, watching on as Venser practically chugged an entire bottle of huckleberry cider. "Where do you -hic- put it all?" The demon slurred, swaying a bit in her seat as she looked him up and down.
Nadine was just drunk enough to look Sanna in the eyes. "Right, yeah." She looked back inside the tavern through one of the windows where a group of patrons were crowded around a table watching two men arm wrestle. "I'm not used to big gatherings andddd..." Her golden eyes widened a bit as she coughed. "Mhmph that stuff is strong..." The tall succubus looked over to Madalina and lowered her eyebrows, giving her a coy smile. The succubus was another one of Venser's lovers that shared the giant bed with him, Sanna, and Madalina. He laughed as well when she watched the warrior woman almost lose her balance. Venser just ripped off his top and slapped his stomach a few times, flexing his biceps and looking to Nadine, wiggling his eyebrows. The shirt artificer rolled her eyes and coughed. "This stuff isn't making me... I don't feel... I don't feel anything, Ven."
Why did he even keep trying? Not every woman was interested in the man.
Sanna rested a gentle hand on Nadine's cheek and nodded, still smiling in the way she did whenever she comforted or listened to someone. "Big gatherings are something I had to grow into, but I don't usually participate in them too much. I know how to dance, but not really how to talk to others. Anything I can do to help you feel more at ease?"
Madalina caught sight of Ceirra's smirking and gave her a grin, fully aware of what was on that devilish mind and she had plans for it later...thankful that the liquor was working wonders. Normally, she'd be too stiff-nosed to really notice. Getting up with a wobble, she made her way over to Ceirra.
When Nadine rolled her eyes and coughed, Sanna chuckled a bit. "It seems odd, but he really is trying to help. You work very hard, and we appreciate what you do. This is his way of showing that, you know?" She smiled, sitting beside Nadine then as a bit of a quiet comfort.
"No thank you. I think I'm just going to take one last drink and then sit here and rest before turning in for the night..." Nadine said, actually trying to relax but her mind always shifted back to her work. She was close to making her portal engine work. The girl with the orange bobcut just shrugged and let out a yawn.
"Sorry, don't worry about me. Go and enjoy yourselves."
"How about a song or something! Under a lilac moon let's dance everyone!" Soon, the hallucinogenic properties of the Evermint Schnapps would soon to take effect.
Sanna chuckled and nodded a bit. "I understand. You're dedicated to your work, and you're close to a breakthrough. Just promise me you'll rest when you finally reach it." With that, Sanna ruffled her orange locks gently and stood, humoring Venser's wild declaration for a dance as the bards struck a chord again.
Madalina was now seated beside Ceirra, watching Sanna glide into emphatic movements with grace. "Dancin'? -hic- I have...no idea how," she remarked, a shrug delivered to emphasize the point. Looking over at Sanna's fluttering silks as she moved, she started to see them like wisps or spirits of a sort.
"Whoa...there's ghosts in your dress, Sanna, get the salts!"
On Nadine's left wrist, she wore a silver bracelet with a polished blue gem in the center of it. She relaxed, focused her mind, and her bracelet glowed and she created a glowing blue, illusionary cube in front of her that split into smaller cubes and began to orbit each other as Nadine focused.
The forest behind the Dragon's head suddenly looked brighter and more vibrant. The colors of the world began to pour out and accumulate in multicolored puddles on the ground surrounding the bonfire. The trees waved and seemed to fade away and above them the nights sky shone in all it's fractal glory, its many diverse patterns repeating into infinity. The ground turned into a flat white plane, and in every direction, far away in the distance rose ancient buildings and fortresses built into the perpetually swaying and twisting in the sand. The land itself seemed to spiral in on itself increasingly the further away he gazed and eventually it became a fractal pattern itself. It was all so beautiful. The illusions that Nadine was creating with her psionic abilities were not helping either. "Oh wow... I mean... Ah ha ha ha... This happens all the time... So, how about a song everyone?" Venser asked pulling down his pants and getting naked before everyone.
"Under a lilac moon!"
He did a little jig himself.
Upstairs, Brea Rowland caught a glance out the window while holding a tray of vanilla scones to herself. "Oh boss..." She shook her head and walked back behind the bar to keep serving the patrons.
The orange eyed succubus, who stood at six foot tall and wore a simple short black dress that stopped above her knees giggled and wrapped an arm around Madalina when she sat next to her, putting one of her legs over hers. "Mhm you're so strong... How are you feeling? Tipsy yet?" Ceirra asked with her high pitched voice.
"Yeah let's.. We are all tipsy, Legs!"
Venser said to the tall succubus.
Sanna's dancing grew slower as the world began to morph around the group of hallucinating friends, as though she too were registering its changes even from the small amount of liquor she'd had. Finally she stopped, a bit woozy from the shifting world and sky around her, stepping backward until she bumped into Venser's naked form dancing without a care.
"V-Venny, the floor's...wriggling, it's weird!" She clung a bit, not used to hallucinating like this. "What was in that d-drink? Whoa...you dance really -hic- well..."
And like that, Sanna began working her hips against Venser's odd jig, dancing with him and laughing in complete distraction from her earlier worry.
Madalina, however, was unfazed by the changes to a large degree due to the focus she had on the rather long, lovely leg that situated itself upon her own. Taut, thick muscles flexed in preparation for the small amount of light weight that pressed on her, and as she was asked how she was feeling she couldn't help but chuckle. Ceirra's eyes were gleaming like fire with the effects of the alcohol's hallucinogens, dancing just as her lovers did now before the flames.
"I'm feeling fan... Fantastic. Your eyes look like the fire over there... Also how are you so light?" She asked, lifting Ceirra up by the waist with one arm and setting her upon her lap. "There we go. Comfy?"
"Its just that you're so strong...." The leggy succubus said with a soft smirk, pushing back her long, straightened hair and wrapped her arms around Madalina, her hands traveling along the woman's back. Venser disappeared in a puff of thick red smoke and reappeared a few seconds later with his bone white guitar, strumming it a few times and jumping up and down.
"You guys know the lyrics right? Clap along and... Raise your hats and your glasses too! We will dance the whole night through! We're going back to a time we knew! Under, under, under a lilaccccc moon!"
Now dancing and singing circles around the bonfire in the nude.
"The strength's intentional, Ceirra... Very intentional." Madalina purred against the succubus's ear as she felt her hands upon her back, snaking her own bulky arms around the waspiness of Ceirra's waist. Nipping at her neck, she began to more properly entertain her lap-guest in a fashion that had more than a few eyes watching.
Sanna danced as well, throwing her dress off and continuing her fluid movements in the glint of the firelight.
All in rhythm to the song that Venser sang and played.
In the flames, Nadine had a vision which was smoky, wispy and dream like.
Nadine stared off into the fire, concentrating on the orbiting shapes that rose from the center of the bracelet, until she saw something in the flames that made her watch for a moment. A pattern of cubes and other nondescript forms played out in the flicks of orange and yellow, giving her an intense rush of realization. She looked once more to the gem and its holographic image, willing the current cubes in orbit to mirror the image she saw...
And success.
Soon her portal engine would be complete.
And faintly..
A monster.
She saw four, sunken, glowing blue eyes, a narrow face that resembled the skull of a cat, six spikes protruding from its chin, four spindly arms and all of which were covered in white porcelain armor.
Doulocel of Luektorem reached out to her.
Below the surface, in the foundry, Doulocel dreamed of the orange haired inventer from another world.
Soon, all would be perfection made porcelain.