Chosen, Chapter 48: Preparations at Dawn

AidanThe RealmsSecondday, 1st week of the 8th month, Godless Age 597NightStarchaser Village, Mistvale Highlands

"We are gathered to resume deliberations on the question of inducting Aidan Lostlorn into the tribe. Do any wish to speak before we take the vote?" Fionn's deep voice rumbled out.

Aidan waited to see if any of the Councillors were going to speak up, then stepped forward. "Pardon me, good Councillors, I do not know if I have the right to speak, but I would like a few short words if I may."

"Are there any objections?" Fionn looked at his peers; his gaze lingered on Anwn, but she shook her head. "Proceed, Aidan."

"Thank you, Councillors. I will not take much of your time. I do not come before you tonight asking you to vote in favor of it. Instead, I request that you delay the vote until after the business of Ceallach Macht is finished. I appreciate what Councillor Ailis said in making this proposal. Still, after speaking to each of you individually and spending considerable time contemplating my future, I believe that it would be best to wait a little longer. The City of Dreams is a far more pressing issue than I am, and it is by no means certain that any of us who go will return.

"Furthermore, I intend to lead a team into the heart of the city to deal with the Tannath Taig permanently. Judgment, for or against me, seems premature at this point. Let the actions and results of that raid speak for me." He bowed to the Council. "Thank you for your consideration."

"It is slightly irregular, but would you like to take up young Aidan's motion, Ailis?"

"How can I argue against the one whose benefit I am seeking? Pray, let it be as he asks."

"Any objections?" None of the other Councillors spoke up. "Then let us reconvene on this matter in a week. Next, we have a proposal by..."

Aidan and Brighid quietly withdrew from the hall, their business done. Neither of them had any interest in listening to the boring minutia of a typical Council session. Brighid asked Aidan as they walked home, "Why did you do that? It would have passed tonight."

"Because I'm thinking long-term. You're right; I believe it would have passed at two votes for and one or none against, but even leaving aside my quest, it will be best for me if they are all in favor. I might not get Anwn's vote, but four 'Ayes' is still a much better result for me than two." Brighid nodded, accepting his reasoning. Aidan opened the door for her, then followed her into their home. "Now then, I'm a half-level away from gaining a Profession. Let's see what we can do to fix that, shall we?"

AidanThirdday, 1st week of the 8th month, Godless Age 597Pre-dawn

CONFIRM/DECLINE

Aidan pondered for a moment, looking at Brighid slumbering by his side. This was a big choice; most people in the Realms would be lucky to qualify for more than one Profession in their lives. He, though, would be able to take as many as he bothered training up. Still, both Brighid and the prompt hovering before his eyes implied that a Profession was more than just a title. Was he willing to be defined, even in part, by sex?

Fuck it, he thought, only partly for the pun, if this is a valid path in this world, why not? My magic will provide all the income I need. He hit CONFIRM.

Hmm, 80 points? 10 per level? I'll ask Brighid about it later. Several other prompts were demanding his attention, so he moved on.

It didn't take Aidan long to find his new Talent screen, and he eagerly opened it up. A window opened in his mind with a large sphere labeled "Courtesan," with narrow golden threads leading to smaller nodes. More strands snaked out from the central orb, but Aidan couldn't see where they went; presumably, he didn't have the prerequisites for them. He focused his attention on the ones he did have access to, one by one.

All-Nighter I

Requirements: None. Effects: -5% Stamina drain and fatigue buildup from intense physical activities; +10% orgasm control. Cost: 3 points.

Dominating Presence I

Requirements: Novice rank in Dominance. Effects: Individuals within 5 feet of you are up to 20% more likely to obey your commands, based on their attraction to you, their arousal level, and their Skills. Note that individuals with specific Skills, such as Command or Dominance, may be less likely to obey your commands instead. Cost: 4 points.

Erector Set I

Requirements: Male genitalia, ovipositor, or another similar sexual appendage. Effects: +2.5% sexual appendage dimensions; +10% slowed onset/reduced effect of erectile dysfunction. Cost: 4 points.

Inhuman Advantage I

Requirements: More than one appendage suitable for sexual penetration. Effects: When penetrating a single partner with more than one appendage, cause +5% pleasure; when penetrating multiple partners, gain +5% coordination. Cost: 2 points.

Magic Hands

Requirements: Novice rank in Foreplay; hands or other appendages capable of fine manipulation. Effects: Grants the Magic Hands Ability. Cost: 20 points.

Muffin Stuffin' I

Requirements: Have caused an orgasm while sexually penetrating a female. Effects: While you are sexually penetrating a female, you gain +5% control over the pace and strength of their orgasms. Cost: 2 points.

At first, Aidan was filled with buyer's remorse. The Talents available to him were boring and didn't seem especially useful at first glance. Magic Hands, though... Aidan could think of quite a few ways to make use of it, even in non-sexual situations. He went ahead and purchased it. Instantly, the node pulsed in his mind's eye and more Talents appeared attached to it.

That Loving Feeling

Requirements: Magic Hands talent. Effects: When using Magic Hands, you may choose to experience everything as if the created body part(s) were your own. Cost: 5 points.

Extra Magical I

Requirements: Magic Hands talent. Effects: You can create and control 1 additional body part with Magic Hands. Cost: 2 points.

Aidan let those be for the moment and returned his attention to the first set of talents. On closer review, he realized that several of them had non-sexual applications. All-Nighter worked for any intense physical activity, and Dominating Presence worked for any commands he gave. However, it wouldn't be as effective on people who weren't aroused and sexually attracted to him. He went ahead and purchased both.

All-Nighter II

Requirements: All-Nighter I. Effects: -5% Stamina drain and fatigue buildup from intense physical activities [-10% total]; +10% orgasm control [+20% total]. Cost: 6 points.

Gratification Escalation I

Requirements: All-Nighter I. Effects: Your and your partners' orgasms are up to 10% longer and more intense based on the amount of time spent having sex and the number of previous orgasms. Cost: 4 points.

Refraction Subtraction I

Requirements: All-Nighter I, suffer from a refractory period after orgasm. Effects: Your refractory period is reduced by 10%. Cost: 3 points.

Submission to Erudition I

Requirements: Dominating Presence I. Effects: Individuals affected by your Dominating Presence gain Skill experience as if their affinities were 2% higher when carrying out your commands. Cost: 10 points.

As he suspected by the names, some of the Talents had multiple ranks. Aidan was a little surprised that Dominating Presence II didn't open up, but he decided that it must have an additional prerequisite, possibly Initiate in Dominance. He was even more surprised by the Talent that it opened up, however; Submission to Erudition was a "rule-breaker," capable of effectively increasing the affinities of anyone he gave commands to. It was expensive, though, and limited by the Dominating Presence Talent that he wasn't able to advance. It still seemed worthwhile, so Aidan spent the points, then went ahead and bought the remaining tier 1 Talent as well, just to see what they opened up.

Submission to Erudition II

Requirements: Submission to Erudition I. Effects: Individuals affected by your Dominating Presence gain Skill experience as if their affinities were 2% higher [4% total] when carrying out your commands. Cost: 20 points.

Erector Set II

Requirements: Erector Set I. Effects: +2.5% sexual appendage dimensions [+5% total]; +10% slowed onset/reduced effect of erectile dysfunction [+20% total]. Cost: 8 points.

Inhuman Advantage II

Requirements: Inhuman Advantage I. Effects: When penetrating a single partner with more than one appendage, cause +5% pleasure [+10% total]; when penetrating multiple partners, gain +5% coordination [+10% total]. Cost: 4 points.

Muffin Stuffin' II

Requirements: Muffin' Stuffin' I. Effects: While you are sexually penetrating a female, you gain +5% control [+10% total] over the pace and intensity of their orgasms. Cost: 4 points.

Giving Tail I

Requirements: Inhuman Advantage I, a tail with suitable flexibility and dimensions for sexual use. Effects: You have +10% degree of control and precision with your tail. Cost: 2 points.

The Right Stuffin' I

Requirements: Muffin' Stuffin' I, Erector Set I. Effects: When you sexually penetrate a female, your partner suffers 10% less discomfort from your size. Cost: 4 points.

The Sperm Must Flow I

Requirements: Erector Set I; able to produce sperm. Effects: Your sperm and semen production is 10% faster. Additionally, your chances of successfully impregnating a female are increased or decreased by 10%; this choice is made upon purchasing this Talent and cannot be changed. Cost: 2 points.

The only new option that interested Aidan was The Sperm Must Flow, which he immediately bought up to level 2. He chose the increased fertility option when prompted—he saw it as a clear step 1 in fulfilling his promise to Brighid—which unlocked another Talent.

Ease the Burden I

Requirements: The Sperm Must Flow I, chose increased fertility. Effects: Women who are impregnated by you experience 10% reduced discomfort, mood swings, and hormonal imbalances due to pregnancy and have 20% reduced risk of miscarriage or birth defects. Cost: 2 points.

That looked like a Talent he was likely to invest in in the future, but not something he needed right this second. Looking over his choices, Aidan decided to take the Magic Hands enhancers.

Extra Magical II

Requirements: Extra Magical I. Effects: You can create and control 1 additional body part [2 total] with Magic Hands. Cost: 4 points.

When no new Talents were revealed, Aidan decided to reserve the rest of his points until later. Hopefully, advancing his Skills more would unlock more options. Seeing that Brighid was still asleep and realizing an opportunity, Aidan slowly, carefully disentangled himself from Brighid, tugged on a pair of pants, and made his way out to the forge. He donned the apron, gloves, and hat, then started the fire in the furnace. Once it was hot enough, he grabbed a nearly-used-up bit of chain stock and shoved the end of it into the coals to heat.

While he waited for the metal to come to temperature, Aidan bowed his head and said the first formal prayer he had ever uttered in either world. "Birgitte, Braihan, I do not know if Brighid's belief that you are my Patrons is true. Even if You are not, she believes in You and does her best to honor You, and this is to be a gift for her. I know my Skill is not up to the task on its own. If You love her as much as I do, please: guide my hand this morning."

He pulled the rod out of the furnace, its tip glowing yellow-white with heat, then set to work. First, he flattened it out into a rough circle, then folded it in on itself and pounded it flat again. He repeated the process several times until he had a rounded square shape. At that point, he clamped it to the anvil and began to engrave a stylized, Olde English-style capital A onto the small object. Finally, after heating it one last time, he punched a hole through the top, then plunged it into a barrel of oil to temper it.

With the hard work done, Aidan spent a few minutes on the grindstone, smoothing the edges and polishing the front and rear surfaces. The last step was to snip off a tiny section of thin steel wire and bend it into a circle, threading it through the hole at the top of the tag to make a ring to hang it by.

Token of Aidan's Love. A simple iron tag, made with care and love.Rarity: Unique. Item Quality: Well-Crafted.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Aidan closed the door on the furnace, removed the leather protective clothing, then slipped back inside the house. Somehow, Brighid was still asleep on the bed, her arms wrapped around a cushion. He retrieved the wooden box Siwan gave him from his backpack, slipped the tag inside, then re-joined Brighid in bed. He hid the box under one of the pillows and set to awakening his love, stroking her skin and fur with light touches and kissing her shoulder. After a minute or so, she turned her face to seek out his lips, and a moment later, her emerald eyes opened, and her arms slipped around his shoulders. "Mmm, good morning, my love," she whispered to him.

"Good morning, flame of my heart. I have a present for you." Brighid brightened even further, sitting up as Aidan reached under the pillow for the box. Brighid beamed at him and took the box from his extended hand, then opened it. Her head tilted to the side, and she looked back up at him, puzzled. "It is something from Earth, a symbol for those with less mainstream intimate lives. I can explain it to you in more depth later if you'd like, but the essence is that the choker is a symbol of sexuality and submission, and the tag indicates who the wearer has given themself to. It isn't an indication of ownership, like the collar a pet might wear, but rather a statement of trust and control on the part of the wearer. When you wear that choker with my tag on it, you are telling the world that you have willingly given yourself to me. I made the tag there in the box this morning; Siwan made the choker at my request. As my gift to you, it is yours, and only you can decide when to wear it and whose symbol to hang from it. When you wear it, if you wear it, is entirely up to you." Brighid watched him, unblinking, as he explained. When he was done, she nodded once, closed the box, and set it aside.