Intimancer

The first thing he noticed was a series of slow claps echoing throughout the space.

Rick was back within that white void.  Sheer, all encompassing brightness seared into his very being, rendering all his senses useless.  Except that wasn’t exactly true.  The odd sound of occasional clapping seemed to sharpen.  No longer was it echoing out from everywhere, but instead all stemming from a singular point in front of him.

“Well done, my herald!”  A voice called out.  It was low and sonorous but inarguably feminine, with just the faintest hint of amusement to give it color.

Water crashed against his bare feet.  The sudden sensation caused Rick to yelp in surprise and stumble back.  Water splashed around and up his leg as his soles impacted against wet sand.  Rapidly blinking his eyes, his vision cleared and he could finally glimpse his surroundings.

He was standing in the shallows of a sandy beach.  Gentle waves crashed down upon the pristine pearly white sand before briefly retreating back to rush the shore again.  The water felt cool, but not cold, against his skin while the sun above was warm and welcoming.

“Please excuse the time it took to bring you here fully.  It’s best to pull people in slowly when opening up our domains.  I’m pretty sure both of us would prefer for your mind to remain intact.”

Rick turned around and saw a woman slowly padding her way through the surf towards him.  Her appearance looked somewhat polynesian or some other pacific islander, with deeply suntanned skin and a soft but sturdy frame clothed in a simple gray chestwrap and a matching lopsided skirt.

Rick could instantly feel his body reacting to the woman’s presence.  Her every move was seductive, from the gentle sway of her motherly hips, to the way the wind lifted her wavy blue hair to frame her heart shaped face in a way that put magazine covers to shame.  Her thick brows arched in a questioning glance that showed she knew exactly what kind of reaction she induced.

Memories of what her voice kickstarted Rick out of his lustful stupor.  “I’m sorry, Harold?  My name is actually Rick.”

Her laugh was like the roar of a bonfire.  So warm, powerful, and inviting.  The woman could command an armada to sail in her name if only to hear her laughter once more upon victory.  A part of him simply wished to kneel down and worship her on the spot.

“Ah, I knew I chose well with you.  Such an adorkable man with a big heart.”  She said while wiping a stray tear from her eye.

Despite her positive reaction to his lame joke, something about her words stuck out as strange to Rick.  “Chose?”

The woman’s stormy eyes flashed with mischief.  “Yes Rick, I have chosen you to be my herald in this world.”

Alarm bells rang inside his skull.  “Who are you?  Where am I?”  He asked, suddenly realizing that he had no memory of where he was or how he got here… again.  He was getting really sick and tired of it.

“Calm yourself Rick.”  The woman said in a soft yet firm tone, much like a mother would to a small child.  “To partially answer your questions;  I am no danger to you, and you are merely dreaming at the moment.”

“Dreaming?”

The woman nodded her head.  “Yes.  It is much safer and easier to connect my domain into the land of dreams.  Thankfully, you will fully remember this conversation once you wake up.  I really don’t miss those early days when I would have to repeat myself over and over again just to convey the simplest of messages.”  She said with a theatrical sigh and shake of her head.

Memories flashed through Rick’s mind.  How they had left the underground catacombs with the unconscious Lady Rivenmoor and her mercenaries.  Their encounter with the city guard and Ariwyn agreeing to testify about what she had seen and experienced.  How the five lovers had all taken a much deserved bath that quickly devolved into an intense orgy the moment their soaked bodies made it into the bedroom.  And of course, how they had all snuggled up close to one another on their oversized bed, happy but worn out from their ordeals.

“So you say I’m currently dreaming, and you can reach out and talk to me like this?”  Rick questioned the woman.

She nodded her head once more.  “That is indeed what I had just said.”

“But why?  Why would you need to go through so many hoops in order to contact someone?”

The woman smirked and bent down slightly so they could be eye to eye, giving Rick a perfect view of her considerable cleavage.  Her brown skin was covered in tattoos.  Beautiful swirls and angular patterns of dark ink that rather than come across as doodles on a notepad, artfully enhanced her extreme proportions and exotic nature.  Rick gulped and did his best to keep his eyes northward.

Her smirk deepened.  “You ask why, but I know you’re a smart boy.  Why don’t you try and figure it out, hm?”

Rick snatched at the opportunity to solve a puzzle rather than ogle a stranger's painted breasts like a drowning man to a piece of driftwood.  Sure they were one of the finest pair he had ever seen, but that was no excuse to continue being rude.

Shaking his head, he did his best to focus on the clues already provided.  There admittedly wasn’t very much.  Just a woman who looked like she was born on the ocean, she had the ability to invade people’s dreams, and that she had called him ‘her herald’.

Suddenly, it all clicked.  “The goddess of the sea…”  He whispered.

Her lips curled upwards.  “Got it in one.”  She cooed and stood back up to her full height.

Rick’s mind swirled at the implications.  This made absolutely no sense, what could a literal goddess possibly want with someone like him.  So much so that they personally allowed his mind into touching their domain.

At the thought, he looked at his surroundings in a new light.

“Why yes, we gods do tend to deal with more obvious symbolism.”  She gestured at their feet.  “We are literally at the meeting point where my domain brushes against the shores of your consciousness.”  She then cocked a hand on a wide hip.  “I still have no idea why that one movie needed to have an avatar of the sea walk around in a bucket to do something similar when he just had to stand three feet to his left.  Ah well, it was probably put in as a gag, nothing more.”  She said while shrugging her bare shoulders.

“Wait… You know about movies, and have watched enough of them to make a pop culture reference?”  He asked incredulously.

“Yes and no.”  The goddess replied.  “While I had some previous knowledge of your old world and its many wonders, that specific reference was pulled directly from your memories.”  She gave him a sultry wink.  “How else would I have deemed you worthy enough to represent my interests on Parva?”

“Previous knowledge…”  Rick muttered to himself.  Suddenly his head snapped up and he glared at the goddess in front of him.  “It was you!  You were the one who plucked me away from my family and threw me here!”  When she didn’t say anything to deny the accusation, he continued.  “I had a life, a family!  Sure, it wasn’t the most cohesive, but you had no right to take-”

“Stop.”

That one word, that one command, tore through Rick like a tsunami.  His mouth clacked shut, his motions ceased, even his breathing froze mid-exhale.  It was then the more rational side of his mind caught up to just who he had attempted to tell off.  It was then his mind registered that the being in front of him was far from human.

Little details suddenly stood out, as if a curtain was lifted from his subconscious.  Details like how her gray clothing was more pale on the front.  Or how the long part of her skirt narrowed before forming a distinct crescent shape.  The shash mark tattoos on her neck seemed to pulse in time to her breathing.  Most obvious of all, Rick could see that her open mouth contained rows of wide, razor sharp teeth.

“Listen here boy.”  She hissed, practically spitting out the last word.  “Being my herald allows you a considerable amount of leeway in how you address me.  But let me make one thing perfectly clear.  I own you.  From the very moment you were conceived, your body and soul were mine to use however I see fit.  Understand?”  She asked with a snarl that showed off her deadly chompers.

Rick could feel the immense pressure on him ease up just enough for him to give a weak nod.

“Good.”  She said softly and released him from her mystical hold.

Rick’s mind was racing.  How could the goddess hold claim over him so completely?  His family had no altars dedicated to the ocean at home.  They barely even went to church!  And yet, he knew down to the lowest pits of his soul that she was telling the truth.  He was hers, he just never knew it until then.

“Why?”  He asked softly.  That lone word heavily laced with meaning.

The goddess’s scowl softened, appearing almost apologetic.  “Because your mother was barren.”

“Wha-?”  Out of all the answers Rick had anticipated, he could have never guessed she would tell him that.

The goddess looked out towards the sea, deeper into the doman she ruled.  “Your parents tried unsuccessfully for many years to conceive.  Eventually, when all other options failed, your father turned to prayer.”

“My father?”

“Indeed.”  She confirmed.  “Somehow, his heartfelt wish made it all the way to me, and I answered.”

Anger slowly overrode the shock Rick felt at the revelation.  “And so he sold me off?”  He growled.

The goddess silenced him with a look.  “Whatever you may think, never believe for a second that your father didn’t love you.”  She sucked in a deep breath, as if her next words would physically hurt.  “Neither of us had a choice.  Despite not being a malevolent god, the bargain struck was no less faustian in nature.”

“And why didn’t you have a choice?”  Rick asked, his turbulent emotions still smoldering beneath the surface.

“Everything has a cost, young one.”  She whispered.  “Especially for a goddess who had no foothold in your world.  Your father’s price was a life.   A life, in exchange for the ability to create life.”  She reached down and placed a tattooed hand upon his shoulder.  “I was more than fair.  I could have taken you seconds after you were born.  Instead, I gave your family eighteen years.  Nearly two decades to love and cherish their firstborn before his destiny came calling.”

“But… I…”  Tears were welling up in his eyes.  His family loved him, and he squandered it, doing everything he could to push them away.  All because he felt like he didn’t belong.

In a way… he didn’t.

Soft arms wrapped around his shoulders, cocooning him in a blanket of warmth.  “Shhhhh… It’s okay… let it out.”  The goddess cooed from atop his head.  “They did their best to hide it, but the knowledge that you were never theirs to keep was too much to bear for your parents, especially your father.  But even though they were distant, they never once regretted having you.”  She said before letting him go and bending down so they were eye to eye.

“Take it from the goddess of love, alright?”  She said with a wink.

“Wait… love?”  Rick asked while wiping his face with the back of his arm.

“Of course!”  She giggled.  “With the way people have always yearned to sail into my embrace or how bards have waxed poetic about the seas for nearly as long as spoken language, is it any wonder I would come to represent that aspect of life as well?”  She cocked a wide hip and gave Rick a teasing smirk.  “Or did you think there was some other reason you ended up with that vocation?”

Rick shook his head to clear away the swarm of questions threatening to overwhelm his mind.  He needed to keep focused and not wander down every rabbit hole the goddess presented to him.  He had no idea when or if he would be able to talk to her again, so getting the big questions out of the way was paramount.

“So, if I’m your herald, what is it you want me to do?”

She grinned widely.  “An excellent question.  To keep things short and simple;  Just keep doing what you’ve been doing already.”

It was Rick’s turn to raise a brow.  “And that is?”

The goddess gave a soft snort that still managed to come across as sexy.  “Love and be loved.”  She said simply.  “Your vocation is a gift, one best shared with those who could appreciate it for the miracle that it is.”  She held a hand to her chin as if in thought.  “Although… Not even I anticipated that the first human in centuries with the ability to become a magus would instead choose to become an intimancer, let alone that the vocation would suit her so perfectly.  Ha Ha!  Man the little bug was sooo pissed when she found out!”  The goddess remarked with a few malicious chuckles.

“The little bug?”  Rick asked.

The goddess waved her hand dismissively.  “I am not at liberty to talk about that.  While we gods are powerful, there are certain lines we cannot cross.”

“Okay… I guess that's fair.”  Rick said awkwardly.  “So what do you get out of all this?  Me having sex with a bunch of people.”

“Gods need worship.  You are mine, and every time you make love to your women, you are engaging with my domain.  Thus, worship.”  She explained.  “Plus, while I receive a portion of the coital energy you all generate, that little spell the stupid elf hit you with drained you both and sent all that stored energy directly to me.”

“So… Sade and I were just drained?  No other nasty side effects?”

The goddess shook her head.  “Nope.  While it's a shame you two have to start over from the beginning, I can’t really complain with the results.  It's how I was able to gather enough power to contact you in the first place.  Normally it would have taken three or four years to get to this point.”

Rick furrowed his brows.  A goddess needing years just to talk to someone?  That didn’t make much sense.

“I can see the gears turning in your head.”  The woman laughed.  “While you’re not nearly at the same level as that young woman you fancy, I know you’re smart enough to figure it out eventually.  But just this once I’ll give you a break and explain as best I can.  So, to once more keep things simple;  Me and the rest of my pantheon are working to establish ourselves in Parva.  It’s been slow going, but we’ve recently reached the point where we can empower a few mortal agents like yourself.”

The goddess sighed.  “I sadly had to use a bit more power than I preferred to bring you over here, but the cost has been more than worth it.”

Rick’s throat tightened at the mention of being plucked away from his old life.  “Will… will I ever see my family again?”  He asked tentatively.

“Yes.”  She replied softly.  “It will take some effort on your part, but I promise I will help you contact your family.”

“Thank you…”  Rick sighed, then realized something.  “Come to think of it, I never asked you your name.”

The goddess of the oceans and love let out an amused giggle.  “Now now, I believe that’s enough answers from me.  You’ll have to figure that one out for yourself.”

The tide at their feet suddenly started to pull away swifter than before, taking the goddess along with it.  Rick wanted to chase after her but found his feet buried in the sand all the way up to his knees.  He could only watch as his vision once more started to turn bright as the goddess became smaller and smaller.

“Remember, you are not alone in this world.  Trust your new family.  We shall meet again soon.”

With those final words, Rick’s vision faded away, the sound of laughter and waves being the last thing he noticed before drifting back into true sleep.