By Pety
Lord Bhludo faced the open window in the study of his large estate home with unseeing eyes. His mind darted from idea to idea, as he searched his memory for possible answers to his problem… How could he cast a spell that required the blood of his lineage? He had no living relatives that he knew of. Turning the problem over and over in his head, he felt a headache growing right behind his left eye. He could not solve this problem. It was not possible. No matter how desperately he tried to substitute that specific ingredient, the spell Rebika described would not work. Rebika would not be pleased. Assurances had been made; he had guaranteed her that he was up to the task. The enigmatic woman had hinted repeatedly that she worked with various masters in all the magics in The Land. Rebika would think him a fraud, a loser… a waste of time.
His mind growing weary of the problem, his thoughts turned to Rebika, as they often did. Rebika was the most compelling woman he had ever met. She always dressed in dark, textured robes and carried herself with a severe dignity. All one had to do was look at her and know that there was a promise of something softer, yet hungry, behind her eyes. The night he met her had changed the course of his future. Every conversation challenged him and made him feel more powerful. Rebika would tell him of her friends, the other mages. A hint here, a hint there about if he could cast just this one spell they would agree to meet him. By the banished gods, he could not allow her to find him to be so pathetic. The possibility of disappointing her had been haunting him for several nights now.
The spell Rebika suggested would impress anyone. She had told him that it was called Rift of Reality. The spell, if cast correctly, would remove a being from this dimension for a designated time period, then return them. All he had to do was speak the time period desired during the casting. The possibilities for such a spell were mind-blowing! An enemy leader could be removed prior to a major combat, breaking the morale of the enemy. If a person were removed from their home, a thief could remove every valuable from it. If a person were removed for greater time periods… you could take over their life. The caster could simply move into their home and pretend to be them. Given some persuasion, a person could acquire their spouse, their occupation, or whatever else they wanted. The possibilities were truly endless! There was, of course, a downside. Like all Eldritch spells, it came with a cost greater than that of the spell. To remove someone from this dimension, one must also permanently remove someone else from this dimension. That would normally not have been a problem, except that in this case, the fact that it was Eldritch Magic required that the sacrifice must be blood-related to the caster.
Eldritch magic, considered evil by many, truly earned that reputation with this spell. Those that were not willing to pay such prices, though, were nothing but fools that did not know what paths to power they were missing! The feeling of trading the essence of one person to force another to do what you wanted was intoxicating. Rebika had shown him one such charm-type spell. It had been merciless and the target had not even remembered being charmed. She showed him, but would not teach him that spell, until he had proven that he was able to wield Eldritch magic without succumbing to it. Rebika, had explained that every spell cast felt like a small orgasm. She had stated even the small spells gave her a rush better than any intoxicant she had ever tried.
Waiting to collect the ingredient for this spell had been torture. The prize, and the possibilities of Rebika’s respect and affection, his only goal. Yes, he would find a way to bypass the cost. There must be an answer somewhere. When asked, Rebika had no suggestions. When voicing his concerns, she only smiled in the seductive way she always did and told him she knew such a wise man would figure it out. She just repeated to him occasionally that her friends would need to know when he wished to cast the spell, so they could come witness it.
Just as Lord Bhludo was about to take a break from his deep ponderings, he heard a small sound in his hallway. It was Yennifer. Banished Gods, this annoying woman did not cease to interrupt his work! She always had a question or some request that would surely take more of his time. He only tolerated her, because she was willing and adept at satisfying his carnal desires, which allowed him to spend less time searching for women to rut with on a nightly basis. His appetite for power was endless, whether it was for magic or carnal conquests. Though, until lately, he had not grown tired of her as much. Now, she was a distraction he just could not afford. She was not beautiful, but definitely better than average-looking. What made her ideal was her creativity and discretion. Yes, those traits made her worth the annoyance… most days. Today, she stood outside his doorway and he could practically hear her trying to muster the courage to knock. He took a few deep breaths to make himself sound pleasant before speaking, so she could hear him through the door. “Dear, do come in. I can hear you out there.” Yennifer meekly pushed the door open and smiled at him. He managed to quell his annoyance and smiled back, then motioned for her to speak. This would go more quickly if he was pleasant to her.
Yennifer cleared her throat lightly before starting, “I would like a chance to speak with you, Lord Bhludo, if you have time.” She was being more coy than usual, Lord Bhludo immediately noticed. He wondered what was going on. Had something happened; had someone come to the house while he was occupied and started asking questions? An uneasy feeling began to creep up his spine.
Working to keep his anxiety under control, he continued calmly, “Of course, darling, whatever you wish to speak about, you may do so now. I am quite finished with my work.” What trouble have you brought this house woman, he thought. She crept forward and sat lightly on the edge of an armchair across from the identical one he was sitting in. It took her several agonizing seconds to begin to speak.
He was just about to snap at her, when she blurted, “My love, I am with child.” Her face burned brightly and she stared at the ground. He could tell she was terrified of his reaction. As his first thought was to throw her out the window, she was certainly right to feel this way. Then, he had a terrible and glorious realization: His lineage! The woman held his lineage… The answer to his problems was inside this peasant! He quickly schooled his expression to one of doting love and, in an enthusiastic voice, responded to the questioning look in her eyes; “My dear. This is wonderful news.” Yennifer gasped and looked up, disbelieving as he continued, “I am so pleased to know we will be welcoming the bounty of our love into my home. Please. Allow me to bind us as a family. We will make things official later this week.” He stood and walked to his safe, placed by his desk, and retrieved a small box from it. He had no plans to propose to the girl, but by coincidence, his mother’s ring was inside. He did not like to trust such an expensive jeweled ring with this bed-trash, but he could think of any other way to ensure she would believe he wanted her and the baby. He had been quite clear of his thoughts about her background and that he was not interested in progeny from her.
He opened the box and held out a gem-encrusted ring. Yennifer’s eyes widened in absolute shock as Lord Bhulto proffered the ring before her eyes, then moved it to her left ring finger and placed the ring on it. “This, and now you, are my most dear and valuable possessions. Wear it, here, in our home, so that I may watch over you and our expected one and keep both of you safe until we are wed. Once everyone knows that you are a Lord’s Lady, you will, of course, be able to travel and even inform your friends and family of this wonderful news.” Weeping tears of joy and relief, Yennifer agreed to stay until they were wed.
If you too wish to write for the Red Venom Plains, please contact Auditor Rusty on our discord channel. Please note this is the only currently acceptable means of writing stories in the Land for those of us that are not Aleron Kong
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