Abandoned

City of Color: 30 Galleries ago

*KNOCK KNOCK!*

Who could that be?

I was in the middle of theorizing when two loud knocks suddenly echoed from my door. To my surprise, HE was standing outside. I recognized that black case (jacket) from anywhere.

When I opened the door, I was greeted with his a friendly smile. What could he want with me?

"Still busy with your studies I see." He smiled.

"Oh, not really studies." I said. "Just some theories."

"About?"

"Just about these creatures known as Wanderers. I wish I could meet one, but rumors say that they went extinct or something."

"Oh. Well, that's too bad. What kind of creatures were they?"

I mean, I know all about them since I AM one; how do I dodge this question without seeming too dumb about it?

"Too be honest, there's not much about them that's recorded in these texts." I "answered." "However, there discovery apparently goes way back in history. All the way back to when the Corruption had first started. Perhaps even further than that even…"

I tried to sound as enthused as I possibly could about it. Though, my interest in Wanderers was half true. Mostly because my goal is to find where they are. All Wanderer's went extinct? Heh, what a load of shit. My people are way more resilient than that you damn Felinians.

"Wow, even before the Corruption." He said. "Must be ancient creatures. Perhaps they're as old as the beginning of this world."

Is he indirectly calling me old?

"Oh, by the way, I never got your name." He said, switching the subject. "You mind if I ask what it is?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's Rosary." I answered nonchalantly. "What about yours, Summon?"

"Mine's…Kaleb."

He seemed like a nice guy. He never really talked about his life, but he meant well. At least, it seemed like he did.

Gleam summoned him from another world. A Summon is what we call those who were brought here. Basically, Gleam would look across different planes of existences and find those who have a strong desire to be here. I don't really know much else since she keeps her lips shut pretty tightly about things like this, so I'm not really sure what the point of this really was.

Maybe it was to find someone who could fix this Corruption issue? Or maybe there was some deeper meaning? Something that only those who were of Gleam's status could know.

I never really cared to know. As long as they weren't evil or messed with me or my people, I wasn't very interested in them. However, for some reason this Summon, who's name was Kaleb, was very fond of me. I had no clue why until…

"Hey, you mind if I ask you something?" I said one day when he came to pay another visit.

Would be the 20th visit in 8 cycles.

"Sure thing. What's up?" He asked.

"Well, why do you visit me so much? Are you wanting to know about Wanderers, or are you just simply bored?"

"You want me to be honest?"

What's that supposed to mean?

"Um…I suppose?" I said, a little puzzled by his response.

"Well, it's because, and…please don't laugh but, …it's because of your ears…"

Well, I wasn't expecting that.

"My…ears?" I tilted my head.

"Yeah." He nodded. "They're…very pretty."

"…"

"…"

Is this what they call flirting? Is he trying to be my mate or something? I mean I wouldn't mind I suppose, but what reason would he have to mate with me? All I ever really do is write documents on history and stuff. Plus, I'm kind've a Wanderer…

No. That can't be why he said that. I mean, please. Visiting me just to see my ears? Surely there's more to it than that.

"I guess…you could say that in interested in you…" he suddenly said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

…

"…eh?"

"Wait wait wait, you were a WHAT back in your world?" I asked Kaleb as we took drinks from our glass's of haze.

"A scientist." He repeated. "Basically, someone who goes out and studies the world. Well, not study its history, but the life within it. Things like medicines, chemicals, and even our own bodies. Basically, anything that can be studied was considered science."

"The closest people we have to that are called Magic Seekers." I said. "However, they're mostly made up of Knights."

"We don't really have magic in my world. Seeing it in this world kinda makes mine look a little boring… Hey, how's the wine?"

"It's called 'Haze' here, but it's lovely."

The drink had a nice bitter taste with a hint of blood-plant. There was another flavor I could taste, but I wasn't sure what it was.

I felt something warm rubbing on my leg. I looked to see Kaleb had one of his hands resting on it. Heh, a classic move. A little amateurish, but not bad. Does he just want to touch, or maybe he wants much more than that?

"I'be said this before, but I'm glad you gave me a chance." He said squeezing my thigh a little. "You're very sweet, and beautiful. And…maybe this'll grow into something more serious."

He's got some confidence.

"I think you're sweet too." I said to him. "And this is my first time having a mate, but I am enjoying this."

"Heh. I'm glad." He chuckled.

This indeed was my first time being someone's mate. My knowledge about romance doesn't really come from my experience, but rather from the experience of others that I've witnessed for countless Galleries of my life. The things people would do just for the thrill of it was quite interesting.

Some of which seemed dangerous, and some extremely raunchy.

"Hey, can…I kiss you?" Kaleb had suddenly asked.

Another thing that I've never done before. Why's he asking me though? Shouldn't there be a mood set? You know, like a hand on the cheek as you inch closer and closer while you stare into each others eyes?

"I…wasn't expecting you to ask, but sure." I said.

A bit of an odd way to try a first kiss, but…oh well.

Kaleb brought his hand up to my cheek, slowly messaging my skin as he inches closer to me. His hand felt rough, but also gentle. Very big too. Probably twice the size of my hands.

His lips looked so inviting too…

I suddenly found myself leaning forward instinctively, our lips meeting for a few seconds before slowly disconnecting.

"They're so soft." He whispered. "And pretty."

I'm not sure how lips can look pretty, but the compliment felt nice.

We leaned in again for another, but this time it was much more intimate. At first it was a simple kiss, but then we both slowly started to open our mouths and taste each other's tongues. His was bigger and much more rough than mine as he easily overpowered me. I could feel myself slowly falling down onto my back as he ran his hands through my hair, caressing my ears every so often.

Woah. He's actually a pretty good kisser. I know this is my first one, but I can barely keep up with him. This is kind've fun.

I felt my crotch tingling a little as my body grew more and more excited from this. Most of my body was growing so sensitive that even the clothes touching my skin was turning me on.

Kaleb's hand found it's way onto my right breast. They weren't exactly big, but enough to fill his hand.

"Oh…s-sorry." Kaleb suddenly said as he brought his hand back. "I…didn't mean to go that fast."

"Heh, it's fine." I said to him. "I don't mind. I was kind've getting into it too."

Kind've? I was COMPLETELY into it! Why's he gotta stop now?! It was just getting good too!

After that moment, we talked for a bit about Magic Seekers and what the world of science was like in his world before he decided that it was getting late and that he should head home.

But before he left…

"Mmm…"

He gave me one last kiss as well as a few strokes on my ears.

"I'll see those pretty ears of yours tomorrow." He said. "Goodnight, Rosie."

"Hmm. Goodnight."

And with that, he left.

I guess he prefers to take things slow. Let things develop a little longer. I guess that's fine as well.

I leaned against the wall that was right next to the doorway as I let my mind wander a little bit.

Rosie…

At this point, we've been mates for about three rows now. He'd grow more and more interested in my studies, but mostly when it was about the Corruption. I wish he'd show a little more interest in Wanderers.

Today, however, was much different.

"I brought some haze." Kaleb said after greeting me at the door. "It's a little different to the usual, but I bet you'll love it."

He was somewhat delicate when it came to how he handled the bottle. Carefully popping open the insert, slowly pointing out the liquid, and even when he handed me the glass. It was barely even halfway, but he was still oddly careful when he handed me the glass.

Eventually, my curiousity won me over.

"Is this drink valuable or something?" I asked.

"You could say that." He answered rather vaguely.

A weird feeling began rising up in my chest. It wasn't excitement, but I could figure out what it was. It was as if a sixth sense awoken within me.

What's my body trying to tell me?

When I couldn't figure it out, I just gave up on it and downed half the liquid in one gulp. As I did, my eyes went a little wide.

"How is it?" He asked.

It was way sweeter than what I was used to, like syrup. It tasted like honey and cherries, and it was very easy too drink.

And then there was that taste again. It was always there whenever he offered me gaze, but this was different. It was…stronger or something.

"This seems a little dangerous." I said to Kaleb as I set the glass. "I could end up drunk if I finished tha-"

Suddenly, before I even finished my sentence, Kaleb leaned in quickly with a deep kiss. And by deep, I mean his tongue wriggling it's way into my mouth while his hands grasped the sides of my face rather tightly.

Woah… He's being much more…assertive? Weird. He's always been the shy type. I guess he finally got over it or something? I mean I'm not against it, but why the sudden change.

Does he wanna have sex that badly?

"Sorry." He whispered. "I just…felt hot all of a sudden."

"Hmm…please stop apologizing." I said to him, caressing his face. "You don't need to try so hard. If you wanna have sex, just set the mood. I've…been wanting to as well."

Kaleb smiled when I said that, then brought both his hands under the hem of my tunic and lifted it up.

"Try not to rip it." I chuckled.

It was a black tunic with a picture of a flower stitched in with red and green strings. It was my favorite shirt.

Once it was off, and gently folded and set to the side, his hands made his way onto my exposed breasts.

"You don't wear a bra?" He asked me as he gently messaged them.

Does he mean a Hold?

"I have them, but I rarely-haahhh…~ …leave my house." I said to him, moaning in between my words.

He's pretty good with his hands. This feels nice, but I wish he'd be a little more rough. Come on. Grab them. Pinch my tips. Suck on them a little. If I wanted a message, I can do that myself.

…maybe that's a little too harsh? I could try pushing him a little.

Before I made an attempt however, his hands let go of my breasts and made their way up to my ears.

"Such pretty ears." He said as he rubbed his thumbs against the interiors. "When I first saw them, it was like love at first sight. I wanted them…so badly that it killed me. They're such gorgeous ears…"

That's right. He told me that my ears were pretty when we first met. He even said they were the reason as to why he kept visiting me. I found it a little odd, but I knew he was serious.

"So beautiful…so sexy…mmmlem~!"

He suddenly started licked them, starting with the right one by licking upwards on the sides and then sucking on the tip of it a little. And then, he started lapping at the interior of it before he ended it off by sticking his tongue inside the canal.

This feels amazing~! Wow, he's good with his tongue. A little too good! I'm starting to get shivers up my spine from this.

But…what was the point in taking off my tunic? I'm enjoying your infatuation with my ears, but my boobs are right here as well. I'm starting to get a little cold too. *sigh…* I should've put on a fire-

*SCHLIK!*

"EEP!"

Suddenly, I felt something a little thicker going inside the canal. It caught me off guard, making me yelp a little when it happened. When I comes myself a little, I realized that it was his finger that I was feeling inside my right ear. And soon after, another finger had found its way inside my left one.

"K…Kaleb? Um…ahh~ haaaah~…"

Why's is this feeling so good? I clean my ears on a day basis and I've never had this feeling before. He's even being really rough with his fingers and it still feels amazing.

Wooow~! If his fingers feel this good in my ears, how good would it feel if he stuck them inside my crotch?

Speaking of my crotch, it was starting to feel really moist and hot.

"H-Hey, Kaleb?" I said through the pleasure. "Can't you…touch my crotch a little? Like…do with it what you're doing with my ears?"

"Hmm? Oh, I don't really care about your pussy." He answered, focusing his attention back to my ears. "I've gotten bored of that part of a woman. I'm more interested in other things."

Bored? Oh, is he referring to other mates he's had in his world? But why would he get bored of it? Exactly how many times has he had sex?

Wait…does he want to…with my…?

Suddenly, a heavy feeling washed over my entire body, causing me to fall over to my side. It was like I had suddenly gotten really tired; I was unable to even lift myself back up.

Weird… I know I sleep enough. Why do I feel so…sleepy? It feels weird…and kinda good… So good…

"Finally…I found it." Kaleb said, his voice sounding oddly distorted. "Took me a couple Galleries to find it, but looks like all that time paid off."

Found…it…? What?

I couldn't turn to face him, but I could see his shadow dancing around a little. It looked like he had squatted down, then picked himself back up. Picking his left leg up and then back down…and then his right.

"I don't really need to be here anymore now that I've found it, but I've always wanted to try this." He said, his voice sounding closer. "You might end up deaf on your right side, but it shouldn't kill you. Besides, the formula should make even something like this feel really good."

What's he saying all this for…? I…can barely keep up…

So…tired…

Sorry Kaleb…maybe tomorrow…

I just…wanna…sleep…

Goodni-

*FWOOM!*

Suddenly, all hearing on my entire right side went blank. And then…

Then…

I…can't remember…

It was something…pleasant…

Right…?

Wasn't it…?

Wait…why…why can't I…remember…?

"…ry…!"

"…o…ry…!"

Who's-

"ROSARY!"

*CRACK!* *KABOOOM!* *FWOOOOSH!*

I was awoken by a violent storm, feeling myself get rocked back in forth as hard rain stabbed into my skin. Hiro's face was the first thing I saw along with Xylvia panicking as she struggled to keep herself balanced.

"Thank god, you're ok!" Hiro exclaimed, hugging me tightly as he looked like he had been crying for awhile. "I didn't think you'd wake up!"

"HIRO! HELP ME!" Xylvia shouted.

A huge wave came crashing onto the side of…a carrier?

No…it wasn't a carrier. A boat?

"GOT IT!" Hiro screamed, bringing his hands up as the sparks covering his palms were aimed at the roaring waves of the sea. Then, as if he were controlling it, the wave split into two. Narrowly missing the boat as they went crashing on both sides of us.

"What…happened…?" I asked, still a little dreary. "Where…are we?"

"That son of a bitch got away and took Wanderer with him!" Hiro explained, his voice barely getting through the monstrous storm.

"…what?"

1 Section earlier

"You?!" I exclaimed as I examined the man in black. "You're the previous Summon?!"

"In…the flesh…" he said as he spat out some fresh blood.

"How? Didn't you guys say he was dead?"

"He's supposed to be!" Xylvia said. "The reports said that he was ripped to shreds by the Corrupt."

"Rosary, you have any idea?"

"…"

"R-Rosary?"

When I looked over at Rosary, she looked like a ghost had possessed her. She wasn't even blinking. Just…standing there lifelessly.

Suddenly, Wanderer stretched out an extra set of tendrils to wrap around the previous Summon. Then, he carefully walked over to Rosary.

"Hey, are you ok?" He asked.

No response. She continued to sway a few centimeters left and right as she continued to stare off into space.

"You know, I never…thought she'd be a Mistake…" the Summon spat. "Fuck… Knowing who I stuck it in… Ulgh…I wanna vomit."

Xylvia quickly gave the man a kick in the abdomen after he made that comment.

"ACK!" He groaned.

"Want me to help you out with that?" Xylvia threatened. "Can't promise that it won't end up being blood you cough up though."

"Urgh…eh…hehe…I wonder…if she'll remember…" the man sighed as he struggled to stay conscious.

"Remember what?" I asked, a little disgusted by his creepy smirk.

"Don't bother." Xylvia said. "He's just gonna try and make you look like a fool. We should take him to Gleam. Pretending to be a god the way he was should be enough for her to take action."

I remember Xylvia telling me that Gleam couldn't take action against world problems and that the only way she could was if this man were actually a god. Since she didn't do anything, she took a guess that he wasn't a god.

Thank god, or goddess I suppose, that I ended up trusting her.

To use the Corrupt as a weapon though. Rosary did tell us about this, but seeing it work like this was horrible.

The thought of killing this man must've crossed my mind at least hundreds of times. Leaving him with Gleam is probably the best idea. Might get some answers as to how he was able to survive an attack that should've killed him.

"Wanderer, carry this scumbag to the Carrier." Xylvia instructed. "Make sure he has no room to make a move. I'm gonna go check on Rosary. Hiro, keep the door open."

And with that, we got to it.

"Heh…heh…yoooooou're alllll going to diiiiiieeeee…" the man creepily sang as the Carrier started to take off.

Looks like the loss of blood finally got to him.

"How's Rosary?" I asked Xylvia, who stayed kneeling next to the unconscious Wanderer.

"Yeah, how's Rosie? UMPH!

Wanderer stretched out more tendrils to keep his mouth shut.

"Keep your fucking mouth shut." Wanderer growled.

Xylvia bore a very worrying look on her face as she kept her eyes focused on Rosary.

"Well, she's breathing at least." Xylvia sighed. "I'm worried though. It was like…that name was a trigger or something. She didn't start freaking out like that until he called her 'Rosie.' Hmm…when I find out what he did to her, I'm gonna make sure he spills every last detail. Otherwise, I'll rips the cords out from his throat."

Xylvia unsheathed her claws again and kept them resting on the man's neck. Her urge to kill him and her self-control looked to be conflicting with each other, but I trust that she'll make the right decision.

I'm not sure exactly which one is the right decision, but as long as this problem gets sorted out then I'm fine with whatever happens.

"Hmmmmm…Hmmmmm…hmmm…hmmm…"

Suddenly, the man started to hum in a familiar tone.

"Hmmmmm…Hmmmmm…hmmm…hmmm…"

I looked over at Wanderer, who's face was conflicted with negative emotions. He knew. It was the same tone that Wanderer used when he banged that piece of metal onto the wall. And the same tone the man used when he was whistling.

Two high, loud rings that were followed by two softer rings.

He suddenly stopped…and locked eyes with me. It was about right there when I noticed something about his eyes. It was really small and subtle, but noticeable enough for me to go wide eyes.

A tiny little dot in his iris that shined that ugly shade of purple.

Suddenly, everything went white…

*KABOOM!*

…and before I realized, I was falling straight to the ground.

When I came to, it was met with a light drizzle of rain tickling my face. My ears rung like crazy as my head was throbbing painfully. The scent of the sea filled my nostrils as I felt like I was rocking side to side. I tried to get up, but I felt myself lock up.

My arms and legs were locked tight by what looked to be metal bars. I could barely turn my head, but I could make out the figures of both Xylvia and Rosary who were both unconscious.

"Nice of you to wake up just in time."

When my vision finally cleared up, the man dressed in black was standing tall above me. His foot planted on the edge of whatever I was strapped to. Behind him were a group of men dressed in what looked like the cult uniforms that Josiah's men were dressed in.

An unconscious figure was being held captive by two of them.

…Wanderer…

"Wha…Wanderer…?" I groaned as I struggled to wake up.

The man leaned down a little to face me. All the bloody cuts and bruises he was covered in looked to be healed as he wore only a few bandages.

"You should be thankful for this opportunity." The man taunted. "You're a new Summon, and you got to experience the city, this island, AND the Infinite Storm."

Infinite…Storm? Island… Wait, the island Rosary mentioned. The one with the slave trading?

"You may not be able to hear me, but I'm disappointed in you Rosie." The man continued. "I warned you that your friends would wish death came for them before I did. And now look at them. I should've made you go deaf permenantly if I knew you'd be this much of a menace."

He then pulled out what I thought was a handkerchief made of fur…

He started kissing it gently as he smiled at the unconscious Rosie.

"Your ears…are still the most beautiful thing ever."

Her…ears…

I managed to get a better look at what was in his hands…

How the fuck…?

"What the fuck is wrong with you…?" I muttered, utterly shocked at what I saw.

"Nothing really." He answered nonchalantly. "I just simply like different things compared to the average person. Anyways, time is research kid. Wish I could chat longer, but I got bigger things to do. And don't worry, I'll be sure your Mistake will be taken care of. It's scoring me a pretty penny after all."

And with that, he pushed the floating furniture me, Xylvia, and Rosary were strapped to out into the sea. As we drifted further and further away from him, he shouted one last thing to us.

"Make sure you survive that storm!" He exclaimed. "And when you do, please come back to me! I'll be sure to have lots of fun in store for you!"

And with that, the light drizzle turned into a complete downpour as the lightning became visible and the thunder exploded violently. And the roaring waves came crashing into the sides of the raft.

Yeah, screw bringing this man to Gleam. I'm gonna kill this son of a bitch.