NOVEL SIMPLE Archives: Azure Seas
27th of June, 623rd of NDE. The Great Shalaion Desert.
“Mm hhrhmrm rhh!” Karlanna mewled into her widely stretching sealing tape gag which glistened in the shadowy confines of the truck transporting her restrained, slenderly hulking form after one of the large wheels went through a protruding piece of limestone. Upon impact her arms stretched and folded onto each other – secured with both sealing tape and siphoning rope – wriggled as her wiry form lifted into the air momentarily, and as the siphoning rope and tape registered it as her trying to forcefully break free, their almost torturously tightened around her uniform clad body.
Though she could not see because of the tight silken scarf over her eyes, she still felt the air current breezing her sealed cheeks and eyes, and the forceful slap followed by the equally nasal and throaty words she could not understand thanks to the language barrier existing between her and her captors. A slap so forceful that sent her down from the comfy seats of the truck – as the truck belonged to her squad – down to the metallic floor, though the soft, folded down triangular collars of a lapis blue mixed with a mild tint of violet surrounded by the golden lining of her Skjaldinngrieth Type-II Coat’s narrow spaced, cone shaped collar with the ring zipper slanted towards the right, dangling beneath the pressed out piped top border where the golden lining bleeds into it.
“N rnchm mrr hrrnnmr!” Her pepper red soft, unblemished cheeks covered by the glossy tape reddened both from the hit, and the twinging excitement raging within her heart as the small, soft hands of her captor lifted her back up into her seating then felt her sit down on the right. Or the left, she wasn’t sure. Though to not anger them and spoil the experience, Karlanna let out a sigh and pretended to sleep as she lowered her head into her collars.
A few hours ago, Karlanna and her squad consisting of Ingoria, a fellow stygian and a Draupnaeth carrying bestial fiendish blood. Her previous more demonic animal features somewhat faded out, except for the lupine contoured ears, and an enticing face that reminded Karlanna of a gnoll – and on further thought, the soft fur on her clawed arms, feet and her throat though the latter was barely visible thanks to the sleek and oversized collars of their uniforms.
Then there was Ruta, the gorgeous sraudornian native to the chromatic desert of the far south, with an unblemished smooth complexion that bizarrely often induced a craving for chocolate in Karlanna while also making her horny. And her fellow Drengriar who contrasted and matched her dark beauty at the same time, Amalgaera the umbral elf who grew a bit annoyed with Karlanna’s concern for her being out in the sun thanks to her gleaming albino complexion, as whilst their uniform kept their bodies temperate in all climates, it did not prevented getting sunbaked.
The four of them led by Karlanna – technically by Ingoria – were sent out for the usual rounds in the worm ways beneath the sands to make sure the supply and merchant caravans traversing through won’t get surprised attacked. In recent years rebels, separatist group began to pop up one after the another after the major ones were put down by both alliances – like a Hydra as Karlanna and Hersith Aurea tended to say.
And they became just as dangerous as myriad headed Hydra – which usually grow to the size of a small mountain – and bolder evident from the bombing of the Draunneth Alliances’ embassy in Siwareen causing the death of numerous envoys and the stationed Black Roses and Snow-Scaled Hosts’ troops including Thegrith Zanis who was a close friend of the current Chancellor of Grauburg. Who then announced that from now on, there shall be a crusade against all the separatists, rebels whom he dubbed terrorists, lumping them with groups like the Coven of the Forsaken and the late Regent-President of Arghyria’s coven of necromancers.
Which then led to the four setting out from their desert base at the southern border of Kadath into the worm ways, where only after a few hours, and stepping out from the truck to check out some old ruins out of boredom led to their capture by a large group of separatists – who were weirdly well equipped and comprised of a few former Sakhrath-Ib-Anath operatives Karlanna recognized from the Great War.
And just like her Ingoria who was her senior in age, also recognized them and decided the best course was to just surrender, hoping they won’t get summarily executed then and there. Karlanna herself toiled a bit as she was craving for a battle, but as she noticed the hanging large rolls of sealing tape on the leathery belts of the Sakhran operatives, she dropped her large battle axe and held her hands up and kneeled down as the man walked up to them.
Whilst she assumed a defiant look, her lustrous red lips curved into a delightful smile as her arms were folded onto each other whilst another tapped through her dragonid leather coat after flipping over the long layered silken leather cloak growing from the cone contoured neckline wailing the large panel pressed over the front concealing the veiled placket and the zipper. Then she went full horny mode when the tape was peeled off the large roll and attached to her folded arms, quickly and meticulously wrapped over them.
As the thick siphoning rope followed on the command of one of the Sakhran operatives, she took a short glance and watched as the others got tied tightly only with the light silver sealing tape that was later wrapped around their eyes and mouths unlike hers which while stretched almost from ear to ear was only a single strip. After they were all tightly secured, they were dragged to past where she got blindfolded and sat in a circle with the others, waiting whilst their captors pondered what to do with them. Just like Karlanna who envisioned being kept as a prisoner in a small damp cell, visited and played with maybe one of the operatives before sold off to some warlord where she would escape easily.
Though in the end, she was lifted by four pair of hands and carried into their truck parked nearby still and after she heard the door’s close at the front, she gulped a little feeling a bit dejected at skipping the first part though the sweet cinnamon scent she felt emanating from beside her coming from one of the captors elevated her mood a bit as they drove off for what felt like hours, days as she fiddled around in her bindings to the annoyance of the others – her Sisters and captors included.
Then came the first stop which soured her mood even more as she heard the defiant muffled mewls and whimpers coming from Ruta was bound feet was dragged across the metallic floor before a thud signaled her being thrown out. Karlanna tried to resist, leap up and against whoever passed before her, but she was held down by firm small hands of one of the operatives who yelled at her while pressing her taped cheeks, her hot, tantalizing breath brushing against her face.
After that they drove off once more, confusing the stygian further only to come to another halt, this time came Amalgaera’s muffled grunts and the tender squeaks of her struggling in her high-grade arcane leather uniform and tight bindings, and the scraping of her boots against the floor before another thud signaled her landing in the soft sand. And they took off once more leaving as the muffled shrieking grew distant.
And the third time felt a bit shorter as she tried to wriggle free from her binds only to be slapped for the first time made her blindfolded, gagged head lunge at her unseen captor sitting on her left. Or right. Ingoria’s muffled pleading came in tandem with the warm gust of wind carrying motes of colorful sand into the back of the truck, drowning out the scraping of her boots and the squeaking of her long leather coat with a folded out rhombus shaped elevated collar surrounding her whole coal black furred neck.
Sensing that Karlanna has the best chance of getting out her bonds, the Sakhran operative ordered her to be further tied with the rope at her torso whilst they travelled longer and further before coming to a stop. Once more she felt multiple hands grabbing on her coat’s sleeves and tight breeches, and felt a bit of weightlessness eliciting a muffled giggle from her before she was thrown out. Three times she rolled downwards in the sand dune which aided in the freeing of her eyes from the loosened blindfold and as her searing fiery eyes squinted at first, then she looked at the dunes of gleaming soft sand stretching far into the scorching distance.
“Hrhh mm rrcch.” She mumbled into her gag as she tried to look over her shoulder to see the tracks of her rolling slowly fade into oblivion as a gentle, yet scorching wind breezed through her face, her long dark mane with a few streaks of red and shaved on both sides almost to her glossy pepper red skin. Karlanna already felt as the sweat coated her softly angular face and dry up in the sand.
Though the siphoning ropes and the light silver sealing tape already drained most of her strength, thanks to her fiendish lineage that granted her hulking form, she began to trash towards the north. Or south. Or east. She wasn’t sure but she began to trash hoping to find a protruding stone, or maybe a river where she could cool at least. Moreover the wide and large sealing tape widening across her face sealed her mouth to the point that it wasn’t as dry and coarse yet like the azure dunes before her as she slowly achieved standing on her firmly bound legs and began hopping in the direction she was – probably – thrown out.
“Nnphph... n... fmmm... mnrm... hnpph... phnmnnmr!” As Karlanna hopped up towards the soft azure ridge, her muffled grunts proved their intended morale boosting effect as her cheeks gained a fiery tint hearing herself. Speaking of fiery, her grunt became sibilant as her last remaining thick horn curving over her head began to heat up after swallowing in the scorching rays of the sun for the hour it took for Karlanna to reach the top.
There warm air breezed the top of her collars, the sealing tape over her lips bulging out from it as she heaved a tired sigh. Her balance quickly collapsed upon the warm wind picking up on its pace and assaulting his tightly bound form while slicing her marble smooth skin which then quickly disappeared, then reappeared as the restorative enchantments of her uniform worked overdrive halting her disfiguration to the best of their abilities whilst she rolled down azure hill.
“Fnchnng hmmmph!” Her muffled yell echoed through the desolate acreage when her momentum was stopped by a large piece of limestone protruding forth the sand, bearing a dim surface and shimmering with an iridescent glow as it swallowed and regurgitated the sunlight. With her back to it, Karlanna’s cheeks buried into her collars, pushing down the coats with her soft yet somewhat prominent chin as she took deep breaths as the pain subsided quickly. Feeling exhausted from the combination of hopping up, and the draining bindings, her eyes grew heavy and it did not took long for her to lose consciousness under the protective shade of the rock.
Then her head jerked up so quickly, and with great potency that it crashed into the limestone when the cold night wind breezed against her taped face. “MMnnnh.” A wondrous moan came forth her lips bulging forth the gleaming tape as she witnessed the glowing azure waves banishing the creeping darkness of the night. The cold air helped her calm done, collect her thoughts and after she felt satisfied staring at the picturesque aethereal vista surrounding her without an end, she began to squirm and scrape the rope biting into the thick layered cloak shrouded coat and her tender sinewy body against the rock.
Though after a half an hour she gave up, realizing that the rock behind her is too smooth and she simply was just caressing the thick coiling around her massive, slender silhouette. At once she got on her bound feet and started slowly rotating herself not to lose her balance once more as the gentle cold draught reminiscing her of the north swept against her once more.
For a moment she closed her eyes, and sharpened her hearing. She listened to the soft sounds of the dusky desert and heard the scurrying of animal crawling out from beneath the sand; the shushing of sand as the smaller worms soared beneath them, swallowing up the minerals sleeping undisturbed beneath the layers of sand; and most importantly the effervescent rutting of a river, or at least the echoing coming from the opposite direction of the moon hanging over the lit darkness.
As soon as she heard it, she recalled her briefing including on the aquatic life of the far-south who unlike their somewhat peaceful northern kindred, proved much more vicious, ravenous to the point that some of the arcane produced alloys making up the hull of river vessels had to be upgraded.
With her key to freedom revealed, she began hopping in the direction towards the north-east, surging with relief as she was now in the state of being bored at trussed up. Though it may take her some time to reach her destination as her exhausted body forced to leap mildly, only reached the next dune after two hours into midnight…
Footnote:
And another one set in the far-south. And with Karlanna who has since been enlisted into Aurea's Division for a change of scenery to massacre and well to secretly enjoy a bit of capture, even if it puts her in a dire situation.
A minor shoutout to dead auther Blackwood, as this story was inspired by his By Water short story, and by my hatred for extremely hot weather/climate.
Now just some tidbits/fun facts: Originally Karlanna wasn't planned to be the focus, instead I wanted Ingoria to be the main POV so to speak, but I was kind of mentally exhausted while writing the draft so I decided to put Karlanna in, someone who would lighten the situation a little bit.
Regarding the rank: Originally this was Skjaldmaerith instead of being an abomination of a word, that I blame on Aurea's simple mind as she proposed this to the Council of Hersiths, and was shot down by Lythienne and even Haldoreen [the other battle-junkie commander], and well everyone [some are still in need of being named].
Lastly, some news on the progress of the september story. Began work on the second to last chapter, or maybe third. Somethings got pushed as the first introductory chapter got a bit longer than I initially planned. So the story at least got a chapter longer [seven currently, maybe will be eight. We shall see].
Thank you for reading this and the story. The next short story I plan to upload earlier in next week. Till then, have a good day/week folks!