BXBX NOVEL Chapter 498 497: Ba'Ruk (1)
Feeling my knot swell again, I pursed my lips before shrugging, mounting the unconscious Vampire and awakening her with something hard, laying on top of her back and relishing the softness below me as I made love to her, starting our day off right.
It took me a little longer to finish as we reveled in the early morning warmth of each others body, occasionally glancing over at the other pair that were doing the same thing we were, only much messier and far louder.
Shrugging, I rocked back and forth until completion, moaning softly as I kissed the Vampire and showed her how much I desired her, our tongues dancing even as our bodies remained stationary.
When I finally got off of Leone, she was left sprawled onto the bed, her stomach curving outwards more than normal as she groaned quietly to herself, trying to find the strength to get back up.
Jahi and Kat continued on with their indulgence, the two so far into their own world that they didn\'t see me walk past them, nor hear me as I said their names, making me shrug again as I entered the bath, getting myself cleaned off quickly.
Leone joined me eventually and I rolled my eyes as the Vampire pouted at me, presenting herself and demanding some reciprocation for earlier.
Doing what she wanted, I stood up and wiped my lips clean before finishing with my cleaning, brushing my teeth and drying my hair and fur as I stepped out of the bath, finding the two still going at it wildly on their bed.
Rolling my eyes, I dressed before peeking back in on Leone, who was dozing inside the warm bath.
"Leone, I\'ll be visiting the Palace\'s forges, alright? If you need me, or they need me, you know where to find me."
She nodded, idly waving her hand as she sunk further into the water, her eyes still closed.
"Only a few days to revert to a bunch of sloths..."
I shook my head and smirked as I exited the room, listening to the even breathing inside the other room, as well as the muffled moans coming from their bath, making me roll my eyes again as I realized just how much it ran in the family.
With a bundle of materials slung over my shoulder, I exited the Palace\'s interior and made my way towards the large complex nestled into the mountain, tall chimneys poking out of the cliff face above and belching out smoke into the cloudy sky.
Made from dark black bricks that were polished to a sheen, the Palace Forge was an ornate complex designed entirely for one purpose; to produce the finest arms and armor the Empire would ever see.
Each brick that comprised the buildings walls were intricately made and engraved with the name of the smith who made them, leaving behind their legacy on this world, whilst the glass windows and wooden doors were just as perfectly made as the brick, given a level of care that many wouldn\'t bother with for such a structure.
Opening the dark red door and entering the forges, I was met with a familiar heat that made me smile, whilst the scent of smoke and metal began to coat my lungs, no longer as acrid as it used to be but instead something I welcomed.
The sound of hammering echoed around the open complex, dozens of anvils set out and manned by various black scaled Lizardkin, whilst the giant furnaces rising from the ground shone with vibrant flames that threatened to consume the smiths if they grew careless.
Looking around, I found the taller, more muscular and most important looking person inside the forge and began to approach them, maneuvering through the forges and reaching him, waiting for his hammer to fall silent on his anvil.
A long orange bar of metal was slowly being lengthened even further and kept straight as he alternated the sides of the bar he struck, the heavy hammer in his hand flattening and pushing the metal with ease.
As he shaped the metal into what he wanted, I observed him and how he worked, taking note of anything new or different.
Like the others, he was coated in black scales as dark as coal, whilst his orange slitted eyes shone in the firelight.
The red apron he wore to cover his chest was laden with smaller hammers, chisels, files and tongs, whilst the belt around his waist that kept his dark brown leather pants up was cluttered with tools as well, guaranteeing he would have what he needed.
His arms were far darker than the rest of his body, and the muscles beneath his scales were almost large enough to force the scales to snap off, each movement rippling as he raised the hammer up before slamming it down, striking true on the orange metal.
This time, he left the hammer on the metal and sighed, looking towards me.
"What d\'ya want, Begum? As ya can see, I\'m in the midst of forging somethin\' for the Empress and her family..."
I nodded, my ears twitching as I focused on his raspy voice in an attempt to tune out the hammering around me.
"I know... The Empress said I could seek out Ba\'Ruk and ask to learn under him for my stay here... You are Ba\'Ruk, correct?"
He nodded, his orange eyes roaming my body for a moment before he nodded again.
"You\'ve a decent build... still, I need to see it in action first, Begum, before I let ya remain \'ere. No point keepin\' ya \'round if yer useless."
I held back a snort, placing my bundle down where he told me to before moving to stand in front of the anvil, taking his spot.
"Alright, lemme see ya hammer some metal, Begum... Lady Lorelei wants another staff, y\'see? To start, lengthen the bar some more..."
Looking at his hammer that rested atop the metal, I shook my head as I handed it back to him and grabbed my own, catching the nod from the Lizardkin as I did so.
Observing the metal, I tapped my own hammer against it a few times before grabbing some tongs, steadying it.
I lifted up my hammer and struck the bar, a small smile on my lips as I began to forge for the first time in a long time.