Chapter Seven : Elysia Brenna the Wild Child

So it’s Elysia Brenna checking in and all I can say is that I have reached the point where I can no longer resist the constant strain the Stone of Tongues is placing on all of my erogenous zones ever hour after I touch it to enable me to understand the infernal languages of this world called Emerald. The band of adventures I had been travelling with at the moment included Shiron the Kensai, my infatuation Nialla the Warlock and beloved Morgan the Ninja while at any moment we could be joined by Buerick the Druid, Ragoff the Barbarian, Malcolm the Viking, and even Null the Priest. Now of course the others were at the moment spending quality time within the pocket dimension located within the Stone of Tongues no doubt having the times of their lives. While I was stuck out here on what was starting to look like a suicide mission with a bunch of repressed boring stuck up sexual prudes. Now I realize that I might be sounding a bit harsh but the Stone of Tongues was starting to work on my sanity. While I had been trained by a Beguiler of legendary skill at her craft I was beginning to feel the strain of constant exposure to the artifact I have called the Stone of Tongues. There is an expensive and exotic aphrodisiac called Golden Haze it normally costs around seven hundred and fifty gold pieces (750gp) per dose and the effect it has on the body is exquisite but it only last for around two hours but what a two hours and if you partner was ever thinking about resisting you then they will think twice after being dosed with Golden Haze. Now the downside is of course if you take more than one dose per twenty four hours then you will find your libido suppressed and you will find yourself slumped into a deep depression. Well after being exposed to the strongest known aphrodisiac I have learned to tolerate it and even get used to the depression if I was ever overdosed but to have all of the benefits without any of the drawback which would cause everything one looks at to acquire a golden glow was maddening. I truly began to realize perhaps the only place I might be able to find peace was to travel back within the dimension within the stone myself where granted I was sure once I arrived I would experience another mind overwhelming orgasmic experience I would at least be able to recover in peace without having to touch the Stone of Tongues every hour and be constantly left with an itch that none of my seemingly useless companions seemed willing to help me scratch. Truth be told I really needed some time away before I began thinking I would be better off without the lot of them. After all I wanted to believe they were my friends but I know if any of them needed me to help them if they had a problem I would not leave them tortured and forced to deal with their situations alone.

So it was that I remembered the ritual my Mother had taught me that would allow me to banish from my psyche my fiendish heritage forever. If all went as planned then by Aphrodite my fey nature would be revitalized I would have gained enough strength to resist the Stone of Tongues influence. There would be a price it would mean replacing Loki my current patron with Aphrodite a deity I also revered and giving up the pure chaos I had come to embrace for so long and brighten it with the light of love. I realized that I was giving up a lot and my quest for power would now be a more difficult road to follow but I also realized that I needed to change things or the future that Sully the Moonbeast might very well come true. I needed to change some things and stop being the presumptuous Markessa De’Mornae and start thinking like the loving and caring Elisa Brenna that I used to be so many years ago. It might take anywhere from six to twenty four hours for me to find the right focus to perform the ritual and as I prepared to enter the dimension within the Stone of Tongues I removed the bag from my Backpack of Containment that held our local currency which now valued at one hundred and thirty three point seventy five (133.75) and six red (6r) and handed it to Nialla and then I touched the Stone of Tongues and vanished and I reappeared where I had desired near a stream deep within the forest. I could feel the orgasmic aftermath from my transition to this realm and for awhile I lost track of time as I disrobed and entered the water to begin the ritual. I needed to cleanse both my soul and body of the taint that I had allowed to take hold within me that while I knew that the side effects of the transition would cause me to be a little shakier than I had been in the past I felt confident the rewards would be worth it. As exited the stream I could hear the sounds of the forest calling to me and I could literally feel my resistance to enchantments growing even as I felt my skin begin to tingle I knew that soon cold iron would be my enemy but most other types injury I would be able to ignore and I could feel my mind altering and new magical abilities coming within my reach. From now on I would be able to charm others with my words or even cause them to succumb to a deep slumber or even if my Hat of Mystery ever failed me I would be able to duplicate its effects and alter my appearance and while these abilities would only be available once per day each they were mind to command and the feeling was exhilarating. For a moment I felt as carefree and wild as I had been when I had first spent time with the Nymph Arethusa known to my Mother who had first taught me how to explore my sexuality. Of course later on there was the Dryad Naida who had taught me how to be patience and caring lover and of course there had been Oren the Satyr with whom I had gotten out of hand which had eventually led to my association with the Cult of Dionysus and of course after much debauchery had let eventually to Loki the Trickster at which point my Mother had stepped in and taken me to me away from the Fey Court and when we arrived at the Elven Court I had became her ward Markessa De’Mornae never again to become Elysia Brenna and realize that I had been tricked by Loki and given up my other birthright until now. As I reclaimed my cloths and prepared to emerge from the realm within the Stone of Tongues I realized that change was good and sometimes it’s alright to be a little wild.

Well speaking of wild it seems that my departure had indeed brought out the wild side within my companions. For as I looked upon the arch that would allow me to see the world outside the Stone of Tongues what I beheld was sad and evil and while before I might have laughed and claimed any who stood in our way deserved whatever they got. My reality was no longer the same and what I saw now almost made me sick to the stomach so much so that I needed to return to the stream once again to cleanse myself in preparation for when I needed to face my companions again and try not to judge but love them. Now you might be wondering what I had beheld that could cause such a reaction and was almost bringing tears to my eyes. Well what I had beheld was that Buerick had exited the realm within the Stone almost exactly at the same time that I had entered. Now was I will admit strange was that I knew I had been in the midst of my ritual for at least six hours as I had been able to focus and accomplish my task of renewal but it seemed as I looked out that my friends had only recently gotten underway in the taxi they seemed to have been caught up in some sort of investigation on the road. It seemed they were being redirected to a ferry to cross the lake before they were to be allowed to get underway. It seemed they were the only ones on the Ferry at the time which made it look like a trap to me. I would have tried to exit the Realm of the Stone then but at the moment I was still concentrating on assimilating my new abilities and I could not yet split my concentration to try and warn them. Well sooner than I expected they once the ferry had gotten underway and they were lounging somewhat either within or outside the taxi. A De’Moulay and three of his De’Moulay henchman started to approach and seemed to be questioning my friends. Which was when all hell broke loose of course for no sooner did Nialla step out of the taxi then at a signal from the cloak wearing De’Moulay the three support soldiers started draw their firearms. Well that was when Morgan the Nimble literally sprung into blinding action for he immediately leaped over the taxi while drawing his short sword and prepared to do battle with one of the soldiers. While Shiron drew his katana but seemed equally prepared to fight without it. I saw Buerick start to cast a spell while Nialla began unleashing her eldritch bolts of mystical power. I will not relay a second by second of what happened next but I will make note that both Morgan and Shiron would have fallen if it were not for the actions of my beloved Nialla. While without the versatility and tenacity of Buerick one of the soldiers and perhaps even the De’Moulay would have escaped in the lake but by transforming into a shark he made any attempt at fleeing impossible. As it was only one of the soldiers was dead struck down finally but one of Nialla eldritch bolts. It seemed that perhaps Nialla might have had a plan but it seemed that after Shiron heard an answer that displeased him the struck the De’Moulay and ended his life while gesturing to Morgan to do the same with the others which Morgan did with one who was barely conscious and another who had chosen to surrender. About this time Malcolm showed up and seeing me asked me if I would be offended if he took a bath and I told him of course not and I also told him the waters I had found quite soothing and cleansing. He told me that a Asgardian clansman of his had been wandering within the forest and he had recently found him and his name was Erik and he was of their Silver Dragon Shaman and that he had changed cloths with him and he was going to replace him on the mission. As I looked back on the scene on the ferry Nialla seemed disgusted and walked away while I felt for her and Morgan. Nialla because I knew for her killing in the midst of combat was one thing but killing captives in cold blood was another and Morgan because I knew he had a bloodthirsty streak that if he was not careful could lead him down the same dark path that I had only recently abandoned. I could see that Erik seemed to be in a heated discussion with the others regarding their actions while Shiron and Buerick spoke. I had a feeling that I might be seeing them soon. For within moments Nialla had used her eldritch power to remove physical remains of the De’Moulay and her men while I could see that the captain of the ferry seemed to have escaped and Shiron seemed in the mood to spare the taxi driver. I saw Buerick hold up the Stone of Tongues and I saw each of my friends as well as Erik vanish. I then saw the Stone seem to take off into the air no doubt Buerick was using his shape changing ability to take the form of a bird which he would use to enable us to escape the scene. I had a feeling they would transition near the drudical grove and since I was nearby they would no doubt find me in short order If they were looking. After witnessing the cold blooded slaughter by my friends I needed to once again cleanse myself within the stream and prepare myself to receive them for I did not want them to think I was judging them since if it were not for my recent transformation I realized I would not have let the ferry captain escape or the taxi driver live to ever have the chance to tell the tale.

Morgan was the first to find me no doubt his excellent senses had alerted him and the fact that I was singing a sylvan melody I knew would help him to locate me. I also saw Erik coming a few feet behind him but in truth my eyes were only for Morgan. I will admit in my life I have become a mistress of expressing emotions as well as perceiving them and on his face I could read conflicting emotions when he laid eyes on me enthrallment, torment and the slightest bit perhaps of longing when his eyes met mine. He seemed to be mumbling under his breath walked to a nearby tree and slumped next to it. I could tell that he had been in a fight his blood was everywhere and his cloths were a mess. Erik spoke to me and I noticed that in all the excitement I had lost track of Malcolm but not matter I had more pressing things to attend to at the moment. As I rose out of the stream I tumbled out to help dry myself and conceal my features as I went to put on my cloths and my equipment. I spoke with Erik who seemed to rightfully be calling my friends murderers and deranged killers and while I could not really question his logic I did work my charm to try and convince him that they were highly stressed out and felling overwhelmed and perhaps not that he had arrived perhaps we would have the balance that in the past we had lacked. He seemed to calm down and seemed to need the spring as had I moments before to help cleanse his body and mind. While he cleared his thoughts I crossed to Morgan to console and comfort him. I will admit the thought to take advantage of him did cross my mind but those were thoughts of the past and now Morgan needed a friend not a lover. I could now hear what he was still mumbling “To Close, To Close, To Close” I kneeled next to him and asked Morgan was to close you are scaring me what happened. He told me his version of the tale and how close he had come to dying and how he had chosen to listen to Shiron as he gave the order to kill their hostages. Morgan was conflicted because he had been enthralled by the power he felt over life and death as well the torment he was now suffering through because within his heart he wanted to remain a good man. As I took his hand and helped him disrobe as I left my cloths and gear at the tree I guided Morgan with me back to the stream and while I tried to conceal it he saw my tears. He asked why I was crying and I told him because I was sad that I had left him and Nialla alone and they had been forced to perform acts that would now mare their souls. I asked him why he had followed Shiron’s orders and he told me he had felt at the time that it was the wisest decision to make at the time while I methodically cleansed and purified him within the stream. I also started to sing an old elven lullaby to help Morgan relax and as I led him back out of the stream I reached to my Backpack of Containment and pulled fresh cloths for him to wear. And while we both dressed I let him rest and he leaned back and I told him to rest here he was safe and that I would be nearby. I told him relax and that Elysia would sing him a song and he asked me if I wanted to know his real name and I told him I only was giving him my first which was mine to give. I continued I would be honored to know his name if knowing it betrayed no one he held dear. He told me he was the last of his clan and that his name was Alex and I smiled and said thank you and then I told him to rest while him could. Within moments Morgan was resting or the elven version of it anyway and rose to check on the well being of my beloved Nialla.

Along the way I caught sight of Captain Shiron who seemed suddenly in the mood to step up and become the groups commander or perhaps even leader. As I approached I had no tears for him as I was sure I would have none as well Buerick at least for now. I greeted Shiron and I told him I had seen and now heard what had transpired. We then started into a conversation about the trap the Ves had set for us with the assistance of their De’Moulay forces. I asked him if he had realized they were being led into a trap and if so why had he allowed the confrontation to occur in the first place. He explained to me that he had felt something was odd since the roadblock but he had wanted the Ves to betray their hand and have a chance to find out firsthand what they were capable of as well as what information that could be gained from them. I apologized for being busy and I told him I was sorry that my absence may have helped cause the need for the others to almost lose their lives. He told me I had nothing to be sorry for while I realized that perhaps I needed to explain a little more so he might have a better idea of what I was talking about. I explained to him that I needed to change some things about myself and what he saw as I pointed to my elegant figure was the result. I informed him of the vastness of the information that had overwhelmed my mind during my contact with the mind of the Moonbeast and how the Stone of Tongues and even my friend Morgan had led to me realize that I had to make a change in my life for the better. He questioned what I was talking about and I used my beloved Nialla since she was on my mind to explain. I informed him that Nialla was no doubt right now going through a bout with her sense of good and evil. For as I explained her powers might come from Infernal connections and ties it was her will and her heart which is pure and good that allows her to use the powers granted to her for the cause of good. I explained how in my life my Mother and I had had a conversation years ago about the paths that I could chose that she could live with. She had always told me whatever path I chose as long as I did not become evil in my heart she would forever love me. I explained that in the past the path to power for me was a seductive one and I had chosen the quick and easy path but I had never forgotten the ritual my Mother had taught me that I could use to reclaim my connections to the Fey. He questioned the reasons for my actions when in reality he could never really understand well perhaps in time but I doubted we had that much time. I tried for a simpler approach and asked what he saw when he looked at me. He told me a woman of magical powers of his world and then he asked what else did he need to see? My answer while perhaps a little vague was as much truth as I could offer him for I told him that in the past I had chosen a darker path but that I hand now abandoned that path forever. I informed him that while I knew he was not exactly a man of faith I was and while I had recently changed my devotions and in so doing I now no longer felt the need to believe that this world would one day serve my needs. I now felt that while I would refrain from violence myself when necessary I fully understood that it was often necessary and to those who performed the tasks needed to preserve our world and way of life I would not judge but instead offer comfort and love. I told Shiron that I had made some bad choices in the past and the events not just any one had led me to the choices I had made and that I was completely on board to save our world and find out the truth at any cost. I told him my name was Elysia and that I could now call myself that name again for my Mother had made me swear a vow to remain Markessa until the day came when the mention of my name would never embarrass her and that day had come. I told him in the past Markessa might not have been as lenient as he had been for the cab driver as well as the ferry captain escaped but that now I could understand his desire to show compassion for those who were civilians. For a moment I began to wonder if he thought I might have a mental disorder but I smiled and assured him that all was well and that not to worry and that I would work on a way to hide our scent as well as our physical appearance. I then bid him a pleasant time in reflection and realized as I departed his presence to seek out Nialla I realized I would have to keep a very close eye on Captain Shiron for if left to his own bloodthirsty desires anyone who raised a weapon in our direction would be receiving no quarter. I felt sad for Shiron for he was like the opposite side of the coin from myself for while in the past I would have embraced and believed that complete chaos molded by intelligence was the path to power I felt Shiron felt that order regardless if it served the purposes of good or evil if our world was saved then petty things like morality and right and wrong were small prices to pay. Perhaps he might be right but tears still came once again fresh to my eyes as I realized the price for if I was not careful might very well be my beloved Morgan’s and Nialla’s immortal souls.

I did not have to look far to find Nialla and as I saw her from the tenseness in her beautiful shoulders she was still suffering from the actions in which she had taken part. For once again I knew she had been forced to destroy evidence of murder and this time the victims had been helpless prisoners. I know that Nialla’s heart is a good one and that she struggles with Infernal Devilish forces every day of her life. She believes she can use the powers granted to her by pacts she has made with such dark forces to do good. It is not for me to judge but to believe in my friend and give her comfort and love during the times when the struggle seems as if it could at any moment overwhelm her. As I drew closer to her I could see that she was putting several items back into her sidebag while getting ready it seemed to destroy two other devices. I silently walked to her and knelt by her side and once again tears came to my eyes she saw and asked me what was wrong. I told her as I came closer to her and hugged her I was sorry for what she had been forced to do. She smiled back at me and I could see when I asked her what she found that the technology was a perfect distraction for her and it seemed to be helping her overcome her disgust at the blatant evil actions of our group. I did not figure now was a good time to discuss Shiron or Morgan for this was about Nialla and her needs so therefore I allowed my closeness remind her that she had a friend who was devoted to and loved her. I was so happy to not have the burning within my body that would have driven me to throw her to the ground and ravish her and that I could just be with her as she explained the new devices she had found on the De’Moulay team. The items that had survived her demolition were a one shot missile launcher, tear gas grenade and three guns with six clips. Nialla asked me if I wanted on and I told her of course since if figured I still needed to learn if the weapons used by the Ves and the Hub were specific to their own divisions or universal like their missiles. So I took one of the firearms and two of the clips and realized now that I held the weapon perhaps I should find somewhere to practice once we arrived back on the world of Emerald. I could tell Nialla was enjoying my company and I was so enjoying not having to act like someone else like I had been for so many years. To finally be able to talk to someone who I realized I loved and whose beauty rivaled that of a Dryad was so stimulating that I lost track of time. Nialla told me that we needed to rise for she was aware that time passed differently inside the Realm within the Stone and since Buerick was flying us to the hills of Central City she told me we would be due to arrive soon. I told her just give me a moment to collect my stuff and I will be ready and it was then that the reality really hit me. I would need to of course adapt another disguise and be prepared to create new ones for the group as well which was fine by me. The only snag of course might very well be the presence of Scrounger when I realized that the De’Moulay on Sandbar had no doubt turned us over which could cause problems but at sensitive area’s we could always hide Scrounger back within the stone. As Nialla walked with me back near the stream I asked Scrounger if barring a description from the cab driver or ferry captain could they had acquired a picture of us that they could use. He told me from what he was aware we would have to have been standing still for a longer period for such picture to be taken. I will admit I was mildly irritated since in my mind the knowledge of space ships and particle beams really seemed to me like Scrounger had said in the past primitive by comparison but I had to admit that they did seem organized enough that we needed to stay on our toes. Well I was once again fully dressed and I set my mind and prepared myself just in case the arrival back to the world of Emerald had the same mind wrenching orgasmic side effect.

I was overjoyed when I arrived back and looked on the night we seemed to be in an abandoned building several stories up as they were called and the area that Buerick had chosen was exposed to the night air. But what was even more amazing was that with the exception of a slight tingle on my fey skin I felt fine and the final test was soon to come. As the others arrived I could see that Buerick was holding the Stone of Tongues and that Shiron had already arrived and they were talking. I approached them and thanked Buerick for his efforts and I bowed to him as I touched the Stone of Tongues and once again said the words which for the hour would give me the ability to understand the people of this world and I spoke “In the brightest day, In the blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight, Let those who worship evils might, Beware my power…, Green Lanterns light!” and it was done and once again besides a milder tingle across my skin I felt the same. Well let’s be honest I always would be happy to spend some quality time with Morgan or Nialla or both together if Shiron would ease up on the bloodthirsty orders which Morgan felt compelled to obey which obviously I knew would work to drive a wedge between them. Well if I had my way I planned to be the wedge that drove them back together and with that settled I put my sexual feeling to the back of my mind so I could focus on the task at hand. I will admit I am more hedonistic than most but the truth is I enjoy studying and in that I have always taken pleasure and my mind is like an organized puzzle box and now without the Stone of Tongues ripping my well constructed emotional construct to shreds and forcing me to do everything in my power to keep from ripping off my cloths and jumping someone or ever worse charming one of my friends to serve my sexual needs I was at peace. So I was not surprised when I overheard the others talking about checking out the area and that perhaps Morgan would be best suited for the task. As I looked around this area that Buerick had chose was completely gutted every building around us seemed in the same pathetic shape. While I thought about this Eric the Dragon Shaman asked me if I could help him with his beard and I had to admit I liked him and I told him it would be my pleasure. As I went to work on Eric I looked around and realized that if memory served Eric could heal it would just be a matter of filling him in and letting him understand why the others had felt the need to take such drastic actions. I also came to the conclusion that Buerick should be able to heal Morgan as well. For I knew if I waited for Morgan the Iron Willed to say something about his wounds which were still severe I would be an old woman before he said something so it would be up to me which was fine by me for that’s what friends were for. It was decided that we would likely camp here for the night while I will admit I wanted to wait until Morgan came back just to be sure and I knew I would want Scrounger in this conversation since I realized that we seemed to constantly only about one step ahead of our enemies of which meant they could afford to mess up if the liked and miss their chance to catch us but we did not have the same luxury. So it was going to be time to show the group and this world of Emerald exactly what a Fey Beguiler was capable of and since I no longer feared being turned toward my former Abyssal nature all I could think about was look out Cthulhu we are coming for you.