15th of Ymiden, Mid-Day, 718
Again and again, the narrow bullwhip slashed forth. His arms ached and his back was starting to join in on the festivities. Sweat rolled down his back, and the Ymiden sun was starting to challenge the cool regency of his personal river spot for temperature. Never in his life Jon imagined it would get so damned hot in the woods. Even right next to the river with the water flecking at his skin. There were a few seconds of blessed coolness, then that gave way to more sticky sweat. He'd shed right down to his smallclothes, the rest of his clothing had been thoroughly washed and was drying on the river stones. The Ymiden heat had to be good for something, and laundry was as good as any. Here he could take a bath when he was done practicing and put on clean, warm clothing.
Hob was standing in front of him, waiting, and Jon obliged him. He needed to get better at his speed and accuracy. Now that he'd been able to manage a convincing forward snap, he needed to perfect it a little more. Hob was currently the only target he had, and the Harvester had been somewhat amused at the prospect of learning to dodge human weaponry. It could come in handy for the Harvester later. Jon was realizing that while Harvesters were the main guide for Aberrants, Aberrants were active teachers of the basics for their Harvesters. They taught them language, history, weaponry, and little social intricacies that would become useful later when the mage died (of old age or the addiction) and the Harvester was free to move on. It could be said that one could measure the age of a Harvester by his knowledge. In that way, Hob was middle-aged. He knew a lot of things, but not as much as older Harvesters such as Oor, who had adopted human language and made it their own.
Jon cocked back his arm and flung it forward. Hob was ready, and the whip snapped on open air. The Harvester laughed and reappeared. Jon had to be faster. The mage smirked and played at resting for a few moments, then turned and snapped the whip toward Hob. Again, the Harvester had been expecting the deception and moved somewhere to his left. Jon struck there, and was rewarded with a surprised growl from the Harvester. Had Hob been in a conjunction, he would have been hit. "You tell me to be faster, that's the sort of thing that got you shot by a hunter." Jon teased him.
Hob pursed his lips. 'You humans are always crowing about your success the moment you win any sort of com-'snap!
Jon reeled the whip back in as Hob began to glare at him. He'd clearly never been interrupted by his own mage before and the prospect wasn't that amusing to him. Jon had just liked wiping the look of smug superiority off of his face. 'Alright. Let's see you try.' Hob growled.
Their practice devolved into a fury. Jon had to retract the whip almost as fast as he flung it out again in order to strike at Hob. He was improving with every single forward snap. Now he was able to inject a little more power into it, and target it correctly. Here a strike at Hob's long ears, there at his legs, again at his chest or one of his smaller arms. The hellish fury was making the burn in Jon's arms and back a screaming cacophony of exhaustion...but he was hitting the Harvester consistently now. Hob was getting more and more frustrated. He started making false charges at Jonathan, flipping up his ears to try and startle him out of concentration, or just appearing at a dead run. Jon had honed his concentration by now on Transmutation and wasn't about to be deterred. He simply blinked sweat out of his eyes and struck again at his target. He'd need to be faster and stronger if he wanted to turn this into a nighmarish weapon.
Right now, he seemed to be testing his Harvester's patience. He'd teased Hob with the promise of more dream pleasure if the Harvester would consent to being used as a target. Even the promise of a good long fuck in Emea was starting to lose its glamour a few hours in. Jon leaned on his knees with the whip coiled in his hand, panting. His arm was almost numb and he couldn't move his shoulder anymore. He was completely physically tired. Hob seemed to be panting a little more too. Whipping in and out of manifestation that quickly had put a little bit of a toll on him as well. That didn't mean Jon was getting away with anything.
'Let's make this a little more interesting.'Hob said. 'Form a conjunction. If you can stop my attack, I'll let you out of the deal. If I reach you, and close the distance like a real enemy would, I get to do whatever I want with you.'
Jon laughed, punctuating it with a little coughing from his tired lungs. He looked wearily at the Harvester. He wasn't sure he could attempt such a thing, but he liked the challenge. He wasn't sure exactly how frustrated Hob was or if the Harvester would hurt him, but he trusted him. This was just a game and Hob didn't like losing. He doubted he would kill his mage over such a triviality, especially given that he'd shown contempt for Harvesters who did such things in the past. Jon recovered his breath a little bit and straightened up, setting the whip down in a neat coil at his feet. An orb grew between his palms and he stretched it, wide and larger with each bit of ether he pushed into it. It was making a doorway, a bridge between Idalos and Emea. Such things were dangerous and the last time they'd attempted it, Hob had been injured. "You sure about this?" Jon asked the Harvester. Hob just nodded, and stepped through.
Manifestation was always amazing but seeing the Harvester was enchanting. Jon smiled and put his hand on Hob's chest, standing on tiptoes to offer him a kiss. Hob smirked at him, lifted his head out of range, and went to go stand at the whip-range again. Jon smirked. Alright. All business. He uncoiled the whip, and Hob charged. It was truly a disarming sight to see. Hob's ears flung back, his eyes widened, and his jaws opened impossibly wide. Had Jon not known any better he could have sworn the monster scrambling over the rocks was there to kill him. He flung the whip forward, and Hob ducked low. The whip cracked on empty air, and when Jon moved to pull it back Hob pounced on the snake-like trail. Hob wound the whip around his fist and yanked forward.
That Jon hadn't been expecting. He yelped and stumbled forward, almost off the rocks entirely. While he struggled to get his footing, Hob grabbed him and slammed his back against the stone. Jon sucked in a breath, stunned. He hadn't been expecting that, and that was Hob's point. Not to get cocky or arrogant. A few good snaps didn't equal combat ability. He panted, blinking to uncross his eyes and looking up at the Harvester looming over him. Hob was horrifyingly close with that expression still on his face and a loud rumbling snarl in his chest. He drew back his jaws, and spread his tongue wide into those eight tentacles. For half a second Jon felt cold fear wash deep down in his guts. Hob wasn't that angry with him was he?
The Harvester burst out into laughter. He licked Jon's cheek and used his four arms to prop himself up. He looked down at Jon, amused.
'And this is why you don't get arrogant. Mm. Now I get to do anything with you I like...'
Jon chuckled nervously. "Well...uh...whatever it is, do it quickly, I can't hold the conjunction for very long." he grinned. Hob laughed and licked him again. He recognized the next growl that came out of Hob, and settled more comfortably onto the rocks. He didn't know how they would do it here, or how he would keep the conjunction open that long...but he'd try. He pushed more ether into it, but he was too exhausted. The conjunction collapsed. Hob was forced to fade back into Emea, and rely on manifestation alone. The feeling of Hob left him, and they were back to that strange little illusion. The image of Hob but nothing else. Jon sighed in disappointment and sat up. He had to get better at that. Then again, if he didn't, it wouldn't be such a bad thing. Hob couldn't use himself to the full extent when he was manifesting, but keeping him in Emea kept him safe. Even so, he couldn't help but wonder what their coupling would be like out of the dream.
'You have to wait for the dream.'Hob teased. 'Now I think if you got better at yanking that whip back, you could prevent something like what just happened. You need to have a backup plan. Let go of your weapon and use your magic, that should stop you from being dragged forward like that.'
Jon nodded. "Release the weaker weapon so my opponent's hands are occupied." he said. "Then blast them to hell with an ether missile and hope they drop a weapon they can't use. I'm hoping I can start to imbue the whip."
Hob laughed. 'Find somewhere to take a nap so I can have my payment for being your target.'
Again and again, the narrow bullwhip slashed forth. His arms ached and his back was starting to join in on the festivities. Sweat rolled down his back, and the Ymiden sun was starting to challenge the cool regency of his personal river spot for temperature. Never in his life Jon imagined it would get so damned hot in the woods. Even right next to the river with the water flecking at his skin. There were a few seconds of blessed coolness, then that gave way to more sticky sweat. He'd shed right down to his smallclothes, the rest of his clothing had been thoroughly washed and was drying on the river stones. The Ymiden heat had to be good for something, and laundry was as good as any. Here he could take a bath when he was done practicing and put on clean, warm clothing.
Hob was standing in front of him, waiting, and Jon obliged him. He needed to get better at his speed and accuracy. Now that he'd been able to manage a convincing forward snap, he needed to perfect it a little more. Hob was currently the only target he had, and the Harvester had been somewhat amused at the prospect of learning to dodge human weaponry. It could come in handy for the Harvester later. Jon was realizing that while Harvesters were the main guide for Aberrants, Aberrants were active teachers of the basics for their Harvesters. They taught them language, history, weaponry, and little social intricacies that would become useful later when the mage died (of old age or the addiction) and the Harvester was free to move on. It could be said that one could measure the age of a Harvester by his knowledge. In that way, Hob was middle-aged. He knew a lot of things, but not as much as older Harvesters such as Oor, who had adopted human language and made it their own.
Jon cocked back his arm and flung it forward. Hob was ready, and the whip snapped on open air. The Harvester laughed and reappeared. Jon had to be faster. The mage smirked and played at resting for a few moments, then turned and snapped the whip toward Hob. Again, the Harvester had been expecting the deception and moved somewhere to his left. Jon struck there, and was rewarded with a surprised growl from the Harvester. Had Hob been in a conjunction, he would have been hit. "You tell me to be faster, that's the sort of thing that got you shot by a hunter." Jon teased him.
Hob pursed his lips. 'You humans are always crowing about your success the moment you win any sort of com-'snap!
Jon reeled the whip back in as Hob began to glare at him. He'd clearly never been interrupted by his own mage before and the prospect wasn't that amusing to him. Jon had just liked wiping the look of smug superiority off of his face. 'Alright. Let's see you try.' Hob growled.
Their practice devolved into a fury. Jon had to retract the whip almost as fast as he flung it out again in order to strike at Hob. He was improving with every single forward snap. Now he was able to inject a little more power into it, and target it correctly. Here a strike at Hob's long ears, there at his legs, again at his chest or one of his smaller arms. The hellish fury was making the burn in Jon's arms and back a screaming cacophony of exhaustion...but he was hitting the Harvester consistently now. Hob was getting more and more frustrated. He started making false charges at Jonathan, flipping up his ears to try and startle him out of concentration, or just appearing at a dead run. Jon had honed his concentration by now on Transmutation and wasn't about to be deterred. He simply blinked sweat out of his eyes and struck again at his target. He'd need to be faster and stronger if he wanted to turn this into a nighmarish weapon.
Right now, he seemed to be testing his Harvester's patience. He'd teased Hob with the promise of more dream pleasure if the Harvester would consent to being used as a target. Even the promise of a good long fuck in Emea was starting to lose its glamour a few hours in. Jon leaned on his knees with the whip coiled in his hand, panting. His arm was almost numb and he couldn't move his shoulder anymore. He was completely physically tired. Hob seemed to be panting a little more too. Whipping in and out of manifestation that quickly had put a little bit of a toll on him as well. That didn't mean Jon was getting away with anything.
'Let's make this a little more interesting.'Hob said. 'Form a conjunction. If you can stop my attack, I'll let you out of the deal. If I reach you, and close the distance like a real enemy would, I get to do whatever I want with you.'
Jon laughed, punctuating it with a little coughing from his tired lungs. He looked wearily at the Harvester. He wasn't sure he could attempt such a thing, but he liked the challenge. He wasn't sure exactly how frustrated Hob was or if the Harvester would hurt him, but he trusted him. This was just a game and Hob didn't like losing. He doubted he would kill his mage over such a triviality, especially given that he'd shown contempt for Harvesters who did such things in the past. Jon recovered his breath a little bit and straightened up, setting the whip down in a neat coil at his feet. An orb grew between his palms and he stretched it, wide and larger with each bit of ether he pushed into it. It was making a doorway, a bridge between Idalos and Emea. Such things were dangerous and the last time they'd attempted it, Hob had been injured. "You sure about this?" Jon asked the Harvester. Hob just nodded, and stepped through.
Manifestation was always amazing but seeing the Harvester was enchanting. Jon smiled and put his hand on Hob's chest, standing on tiptoes to offer him a kiss. Hob smirked at him, lifted his head out of range, and went to go stand at the whip-range again. Jon smirked. Alright. All business. He uncoiled the whip, and Hob charged. It was truly a disarming sight to see. Hob's ears flung back, his eyes widened, and his jaws opened impossibly wide. Had Jon not known any better he could have sworn the monster scrambling over the rocks was there to kill him. He flung the whip forward, and Hob ducked low. The whip cracked on empty air, and when Jon moved to pull it back Hob pounced on the snake-like trail. Hob wound the whip around his fist and yanked forward.
That Jon hadn't been expecting. He yelped and stumbled forward, almost off the rocks entirely. While he struggled to get his footing, Hob grabbed him and slammed his back against the stone. Jon sucked in a breath, stunned. He hadn't been expecting that, and that was Hob's point. Not to get cocky or arrogant. A few good snaps didn't equal combat ability. He panted, blinking to uncross his eyes and looking up at the Harvester looming over him. Hob was horrifyingly close with that expression still on his face and a loud rumbling snarl in his chest. He drew back his jaws, and spread his tongue wide into those eight tentacles. For half a second Jon felt cold fear wash deep down in his guts. Hob wasn't that angry with him was he?
The Harvester burst out into laughter. He licked Jon's cheek and used his four arms to prop himself up. He looked down at Jon, amused.
'And this is why you don't get arrogant. Mm. Now I get to do anything with you I like...'
Jon chuckled nervously. "Well...uh...whatever it is, do it quickly, I can't hold the conjunction for very long." he grinned. Hob laughed and licked him again. He recognized the next growl that came out of Hob, and settled more comfortably onto the rocks. He didn't know how they would do it here, or how he would keep the conjunction open that long...but he'd try. He pushed more ether into it, but he was too exhausted. The conjunction collapsed. Hob was forced to fade back into Emea, and rely on manifestation alone. The feeling of Hob left him, and they were back to that strange little illusion. The image of Hob but nothing else. Jon sighed in disappointment and sat up. He had to get better at that. Then again, if he didn't, it wouldn't be such a bad thing. Hob couldn't use himself to the full extent when he was manifesting, but keeping him in Emea kept him safe. Even so, he couldn't help but wonder what their coupling would be like out of the dream.
'You have to wait for the dream.'Hob teased. 'Now I think if you got better at yanking that whip back, you could prevent something like what just happened. You need to have a backup plan. Let go of your weapon and use your magic, that should stop you from being dragged forward like that.'
Jon nodded. "Release the weaker weapon so my opponent's hands are occupied." he said. "Then blast them to hell with an ether missile and hope they drop a weapon they can't use. I'm hoping I can start to imbue the whip."
Hob laughed. 'Find somewhere to take a nap so I can have my payment for being your target.'
