3.18 Playing The Game

The delicious aromas of the Lemurian barbecue weren't only breezing through the Moha Lab, they were everywhere. Once the soldiers had broken for lunch, Bell followed the aromas down Main St in spite of his orders to stay away. The noon bells sounding from the Temple of Medel clashed violently with the harmonies sounding from the Grand Courtyard, adding to the irritation of hunger. He wandered through the maze of tents and bodies, the Grand Courtyard was packed, the music was overwhelming, the beats echoing off the wall almost vibrated inside his body. He found himself marching in time to the beat as he entered the gates… It actually sounded good… It made him wonder, how was it dangerous?

         But when he witnessed the unfolding scene, he realized what the weaponry was all about, this was some sort of psycho-weapon. Everyone was in some sort of hypnotic trance… This was sorcery….

         "Oh... My... God…" Suddenly, the pregnant goddesses caught his eye.

Horrified, he scanned the crowds for Nolan, it didn't take long to spot him up on the bleachers. Without wasting a moment he skirted the wall and made his way up the steps.

         Bell arrived with haste and paid the gods their usual respect, but they were so distracted they barely noticed him stop by. He took a seat beside Mel, instead.

         "What the hell's going on?"

         "We're not exactly sure" Mel confessed.

         "What if it’s a taste of the New Empire or something?" Dena offered, wishfully thinking.

         "Or an idiot test!" Mel torted.

         "What’s that you’re eating?" Bell noticed the uneaten cookie in her hand.

         Mel passed it to him, feeling foolish now. "Try it. I dare you!"
         Bell took the cookie, sniffed it and took a bite, his attention returning to the shocking show on stage.

         "Mmm, these are delicious…" His attention returned to the cookie within seconds. "What's wrong with thm? Where did they come from?"

         "From Vikkar's friends" she replied, smiling.

         "They're Vikkar's friends?" Bell's followed her gaze toward the Lunie camp, catching a glimpse of the Unicorn as it moved from behind a tent. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, it was real... Cookie crumbs suddenly exploded out of his mouth, he spat out the rest of the cookie with violent outburst.

         Dena giggled, briefly attracting the attention of the gods now, there was a funny side to it all, in spite of their concerns.

         Bell was deeply upset. "Why would Atalon even let them off the boat?" He raised his hands in despair, the outrageous performance was too much. "And let then do THAT on the ROYAL STAGE?"

         The goddesses were lost for any answers, it was plain to see. He couldn't believe it, it had to be a setup of some kind, perhaps a psyop. "Where’s Halki?"

         Nolan gestured to the Villa. "Halki has no idea" he informed.

         Bewildered, his gaze drifted out into the sea of aribu dancing like marionettes to the sorcery. How could it be?

         "Oh.... My.... God…" He exclaimed, standing up to get a better view. "Is that EDEN?"

         "Uh-huh" the goddesses replied in unison.

         "Oh... My.... God! What on earth is she dancing with? Who IS that asshole?"

         "The god of Death" they chimed, sending him into complete shock. For a moment he thought it was a joke but the dancer actually looked like the good Death… "THE-E-E god of Death?"

         "Uh-huh…"

         "Yeah, right!" Bell shook his head in utter disbelief, concerned now for his future, he wasn't buying it. "You can't be serious! This is a joke, right?"

         "Maybe it IS a joke!"

         Bell leaned back to check with Nolan and Torus, searching for reassurance, but they weren't even paying attention to the debate, they were seemingly entertained by the performance, accepting of the show below. Bell was at a loss, weren't they concerned?

         Nolan felt his attention and turned toward him, finally.

         "Hey, Bell, how's the storage gig going?"

         Bell felt the urge to grab Nolan's throat and squeeze it so tight… He stiffened and took a deep breath. He had to play the game right, he was getting better at controlling his urges, but they had been testing him a lot lately.

         "It's going great" he lied.
         Nolan gave a smile and a nod, then returned his attention to the stage.

Bell couldn't believe it, why were they so relaxed about it? Mel was right, it had to be a test of some kind! He turned to the Villa, it was plain to see Atalon knew what was going on... He returned his attention to the crowds below... Suddenly he spotted Adon wandering into the crowds, looking as bewildered as he was.

         "Well…" He straightened his lapel and brushed off any crumbs, handing the cookie back to Mel. "It's been good to see you all, some of us gotta get back to work."

         "See you later!" Dena smiled and sent him off with a wave.

         "Well?" Medena snapped. "Spit it out! Why is the god of Death trying to irritate you, personally?"

         Hedena couldn't answer, she was radiating hate, her inner turmoil was in full view. Medena was astounded to see her so mad… She followed her glare back towards the drama on the dance floor. Now a different picture was emerging...

         Then, as if deliberately teasing them, Neter slipped his hand below Eden's waist, his fondling gestures obscured by her lengthy tresses drove them over the edge.

         "That whore is getting skinned alive!"

         Hedena’s rage was real, Medena could almost smell the hate spewing from her mouth.

         "Is it jealousy that angers you perhaps?" Hedena was smouldering, she could tell. "That's it, isn't it? You're jealous! Ha! You want his Serpent love! Ha-haaa! You raunchy little slut!" She cackled out loud. "Tell Eden to get him up to the Villa so you can spawn with him quick, Ha-haaaaa!"

         "Shut up!" Hedena hissed, when without warning two little boys came running around the tent, almost colliding into them. The goddesses shrieked, Hedena flapped her arms, completely blowing their cover once and for all.

         Medena grabbed one of them by his arm, it was a little Lunar boy, blonde, plump and juicy. She pinched the skin around his body, feeling his muscles and tone... She felt his hair and looked inside his ears, smelled his skin and let him go. "Shoo!"

         "Don't even think about it!" Hedena hissed as the boys ran off.

         "There’s nothing wrong with using them for breeding!" She snapped. "Atalon was just stupid, he didn’t take the children away until it was too late. Nobody listens to Medena, OH NO! Imagine if we had done it like I said the first time? We'd have Stupid Beautiful. Easy Useful decades ago. Go spawn with your albino reptile!"

         "He's not an albino!" Hedena stiffened, straightened her gown and headed towards the barbecue. "And you just said they were your finest Aribu!!! Mighty Medel!!! I'm going to see what kind of POISON they're giving our Stupid, Ugly, Finest Aribu myself!!!"

         Medena simmered with regrets as her sister stormed off and trained her gaze back towards the lustful scene on the dance floor; Eden had obviously lost control. It was time to have a few words with Malodon.

3.17 You Need Me And You Know It

Tasty aromas were breezing through the ventilation shafts of the Moha Lab. Adon glanced at the hour glass; it was almost lunch time. He locked the lab and headed up the stairs. Whatever it was smelled fantastic, and it wasn’t just aromas that were floating down from above, there were strange sounds too, sounds like he had never heard before.

         He emerged from Headquarters and took a moment to study the scene below, understanding now what all the fuss was about… The sound booming from the Grand Courtyard was a shocking but pleasant surprise, what was it? He couldn't believe his ears… The sound was incredible… He had never heard anything like it before… It filled him with sensations… Happy sensations… Sensations of desire... This was the paid entertainment the moving crews were grumbling about?

         With growing enthusiasm, he trotted down the steps and made his way down Main St towards the Grand Courtyard, eager to catch up on all that he was missing. The feeling inside the celebration grounds was incredible, the sound was so powerful it was as if his entire body was resonating. Nor was it simply an attraction of aromas and sound. Never had he seen such beautiful goddesses together in one place, it was as if they had landed from another planet! Pregnant goddesses? It just didn't add up! Why were the soldiers complaining about it? Perhaps the complaint was that they couldn't attend the show?

         "So…" Nolan scanned the crowd, everyone was engaged in the show somehow. "Would it perhaps be easier to make a list of those who haven't seen the show?"

         Torus rubbed his beard deep in thought, he wasn't worried about it, he was worrying about fallout already. "I'm putting everyone on the list" he replied. "I don't need to make one. It is one." Suddenly he spotted Vikkar walking towards the Lemurian camp… And Ku... What was Ku doing there? He watched them greet and banter about with the musicians, surrounded by a swarm of stupid aribu... It was clear to see who was behind the gag by watching them: Vikkar was the real traitor here today, Atalon’s hunch was right and now everyone would know the truth for themselves. Atalon was right, Vikkar had been a valuable player and it had been important to keep him close, but the Dogon king had too much power over Atalon. He knew the unspoken truth; Atalon was weak around him, afraid of his ridiculous sword.

         "Ha!" He chuckled out loud ass the clouds cleared, all Atalon ever had to do was take the sword and Lemuria would have been his. A flash of green drew his attention back into the crowds. "Ha!" He chuckled again. Medena, trying to look discreet stood out like a sore thumb as she led her sister around the tents... He could see what they were up to, they were creeping up on Neter and Eden, they couldn't be stealth if they tried.

         "Look!" he elbowed Nolan, pointing them out below.

         The moment he spotted them, Nolan felt the need to drink. He pulled out a flask of MoonWine and took a heavy swig.

         "What if the god of Death is a step ahead of them all?" He offered the flask to Torus, expanding on his Panther wisdom. "They've been trying to capture him for years. Eden's good, but she has zero experience with the Lunies, and she's trying to handle their ring leader."

         Torus took a swig from the flask but spat it out in disgust. "UGH!" He shoved the flask back. "Don't EVER offer me any of that Moha crap again!"

         There was so much to see, for a while the friends sat in silence beneath the oak tree, taking it all in. Dena spotted Nesh again, walking across the courtyard, his dark skin glistening iridescent in the sun... She watched him flirt and mingle with the goddesses from Fina, wishing she wasn't tethered to her gig now. A flicker of jealousy inside sparked new ideas, Nolan wasn't the only one she felt lush for. There was something about those musicians from Mu, a magic, a certain something that Nolan didn't have that she just couldn't identify...

         "Would you like a cookie?"