Hello there dear readers! I'm so happy to be able to bring you all the newest chapter of The Thaumaturgist! IAs always, please feel free to leave a review, and of course, I hope that you enjoy this new installment!
The Thaumaturgist (Chapter 6)
by
Elite Shade
"I'm tellin' ya, Halso, she is a beaut!" The shimmering semi-transparent life-size image of Lotan said excitedly.
"Oh?" Halso replied, boredly, as he fixed his fine suit that his aunt insisted on him wearing, ruffles and all, which his dwarven friend and on-again, off-again rival found to be somewhat amusing, as his chuckling at the sight of the skinny orc revealed. "And here I distinctly remember you hearing, quite loudly, and repetitively, after a few mugs of ale, that as far as you were concerned, all human women were much to skinny and fragile for your liking. In fact, if I recall, I also remember you saying something about rather having a woman with some muscle on her bones, preferably one capable of holding her own in a fight," Halso said after tying his coal black shoulder-length hair into a respectable ponytail.
"True enough, which this gal is more than capable of! She's as slender as a stick of Ghastwood, and yet she's strong enough to put her fist through a wall of solid brick! Which she demonstrated after one of our servants got a little... handsy... as she was making her way out. Aunt Gerdy's pretty livid with him actually, and is gonna really let 'em have it... you know... when he comes too."
"I see. So nice to know that my aunt is trying to set me up with a random brute from off the street," Halso mumbled despondently as he adjusted the two matching amethyst tusk rings his aunt had insisted that he wear.
"Hey now, she may be tough, but she's also got some serious skill and smarts in that brain of hers!" Lotan defended.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. While I do believe that aunt Gerdy had set this little meet 'n greet simply just to try and have me meet a young gal she finds to be interestin', that don't mean that she didn't come prepared. She treated this as a business brunch or so. Showin' off some seriously impressive little gadgets and devices all her own. I checked, and she has patents pendin' on all of what she showed me and my aunt here today, and let me tell ya, each and every one of 'em was a well crafted wonder."
"I see." Halso said, mildly intrigued as he looked at his reflection in his gilded mirror.
"And, accodin' to my aunt, accordin' to your aunt, she's quite the skilled alchemist as well." This made Halso pause and turn to look back at the hologram of Lotan.
"Is she now?"
"Yes. I don't got myself much of an eye for that kinda stuff, but I'm thinkin' that she'll probably have a few little potions and elixirs and what have ya's to show off to ya as well. And, if she's gonna treat this little afternoon tea o' yours like she did mine and my aunt's, she's also gonna be looking to set up a deal on some ingredients for her shop."
"Her shop?"
"Yeah, didn't your aunt Sapha tell you that's where she met this gal?"
"She might have mentioned it to me a time or two, but I'm not really sure."
"Meanin' that you just weren't payin' attention, and daydreamin' as usual."
The dark green skin around Halso's cheeks grew warm and turned a few shades lighter as he blushed.
"You make it sound like I just walk around all day with my head in the clouds."
"Dontcha?"
"No! ... I mean... not when I'm working at my lab, that is..." Halso said while looking away, ignoring Lotan's cheeky smile.
"Look, here's a bit o' advice for ya, Hal." Halso winced at Lotan's nickname for him. "You keep the smartass remarks to yourself, and maybe you can come outta this meetin' with a potential new business partner for ya. Didn't you say that you've been meanin' to start openin' your own chain of apothecaries?"
"I've been... working on it..."
"Sure ya have. Anyways, just keep from bein' snarky like yer used ta," Lotan's northern accent was becoming a little more pronounced as he continued to speak, "an' y'ell be on yer way. Piss her off, 'specially if ya go an try to jus talk her inta yer bed like ya do from time to time as well... well, if she don't go a'puttin' ya inta tha ground herself, Imma be doin' it fer her."
"Oh?" Halso smirked as he crossed his arms, his eyebrow quirked.
"Thas right! 'Cause that gal's gone and dunnit, and made me smitten with her," Lotan said with a grin.
"You? After meeting her just once?" Halso asked in disbelief. "But again, you said after a, for you, few drinks--"
"BAH! That was me back when I was much younger and less mature."
"That was last week."
"And yer point?"
Half-an-hour later...
Daso grinned as he drove up a road with several different twists and turns, passing by several different lush gardens and parks.
Orcs sure do love trees and nature, Daso thought before pulling his cart up to another set of gates. Looking beyond, after checking to make sure that this was the right address, he couldn't see the large palatial mansion he was expecting. Instead, the path beyond the gate just twisted off into a thick copse of trees.
"May I be of some service, miss?" Daso winced again at the new social title that he had yet to get used to, and looked down from his cart to see and orc standing there, in a casual suit and tie, with a walking stick, standing off to the side.
"Uh yes, I have an appointment to Ms. Contiela," Daso said, to which the orc chuckled.
"I see. You must be the charming young lady, Daso." Daso reluctantly nodded, before the gates silently swung open. "Just follow the path, and enjoy your stay," He said with a respectful bow, that Daso returned, smiling a little.
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At least he was nicer than that other guard.
The impeccably maintained paved path led Daso through the trees for a few minutes, until it came out onto a clearing. Before him was the mansion. It appeared, at first glance, to be three times the size of the MisTransire mansion, and Daso could clearly make out what was a massive and ornate-looking greenhouse, overlooking what Daso suddenly realized was a private lake.
Oh wow! Getting an account like with the MisTranshires was one thing, but this... this could grant me the opportunity to open up a whole chain of shops all over in under a month! I gotta watch myself here, and hope that there aren't any pervy wait staff here as well, Daso thought solemnly.
Daso saw Sapha as he pulled up to the front steps, she was dressed in a fine gown with a number of gems and jewels stitched into it. She even had a pair of sapphire rings on her tusks, catching the light.
"Daso, darling!" Sapha gushed as Daso stepped off his cart, his satchel slung over one shoulder. As Daso looked Sapha up and down, he started to feel a little underdressed in just a pair of jeans, a red t-shirt, and sneakers, and from the tutting sound and eye-rolling from Sapha, she seemed to feel the same way.
"My dear, that is absolutely no way for a young lady as lovely as yourself to be traipsing about!" Sapha scolded, making Daso feel a tad nervous. Sapha snapped her fingers, and three orc maids appeared. "Ladies, please lead Daso here to a private room and find her something much more appropriate to wear," she said. The three maids nodded wordlessly and smiled while leading Daso away through the great double doors and down a series of hallways, despite his attempts to protest.
"I'm fine, really," Daso said as he was led into a room filled with various bolts of cloth and several headless mannequins, some with dresses on others without. Daso was about to state that he was here simply for business, when he was surprised to find one of the three maids quickly unbuckling and removing his belt.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Daso complained, to no avail, as his shirt was pulled off over his head. He crossed his arms to cover himself, and let out a squeak of embarrassment, that the other women found adorable, when they unbuckled and pulled down his jeans. "My clothes are just fine!"
"Miss, Lady Contiela honestly doesn't mind having outfits made for her guests, especially pretty ones!" One of the maids giggled happily.
"That's not what I meant!" Daso said, his face now as red as his frilly bra and panties, which he tried to cover, until the maids worked together to get him into an evening gown. It was sapphire blue, and fit his frame perfectly. It was a little tight in the front, as it accentuated his cleavage, and tucked in at the hips, just before flaring out like upside down flower petals. His sneakers and socks were removed and replaced with a pair of blue, short heeled shoes that matched the dress, while Daso felt one of the maids going to work on his hair. The three chatted amicably as they dressed Daso, as though this weren't strange to them at all.
For all I know, this is just another ordinary day for them here, Daso thought as he continued to blush, now noticing as a heart-shaped silver pendent on a silver chain, with a heart sapphire that Daso could tell was real and of very high quality, was clasped in place around his neck, with the pendent itself coming to rest just above his cleavage. Daso blushed as the maid who had been coming and styling his raven black hair finished by tying it into a ponytail with a ribbon that matched the dress. They all stood back and allowed Daso a moment to look at himself in the mirror, before ushering him back out the door and down the different halls.
It was a few minutes of walking, or stumbling since Daso wasn't used to walking in heels, even short ones such as these, before they emerged onto an ornate terrace that overlooked the lake. Daso's breath caught as he was led to his seat. Just above the surface of the water, he could make out a multitude of small glowing figures with the wings of butterflies, dancing and zipping to and fro.
Fairies! Daso's mind was blown, having never seen one before. He also saw a large serpentine head, covered in a series of multicolored scales with six glowing violet eyes on wither side of its face, which was framed by a bright green series of frills that opened and closed, as it turned to observe Daso, before sneezing, and diving back under the water.
A live, freshwater Koalsta! Daso watched, entranced, as it's finned tail rose and slapped the surface of the water, sending out many sparks in its wake. Several fish, either dead or stunned, floated to the top, and the head resurfaced to start snatching them, swallowing the fish whole.
"I see that you've met Caesell!" Sapha said as she stepped out onto the terrace and took her place at the table as an army of maids and waiters followed, with numerous covered dishes, setting them and the silverware down before Daso, Sapha, and an empty seat. With the exception of one nervous-looking human butler, who appeared to be in his late fifties, Daso saw an otherwise all orc staff. "And I can see that my maids have fixed you up right and properly," Sapha said with a grin. "Please, stand up and let me see how it looks on you!" Daso, holding back a sigh, did as he was asked, and stood, slowly turning at Sapha's behest, starting to get the feeling that the orc woman was someone who wasn't told no frequently.
"Very nice indeed," a smooth and silky voice said from a nearby doorway, and Daso turned to see an orc man, in his mid-twenties by Daso's estimate, wearing a matching navy petticoat, with ruffles, and trousers, looking to be exactly as comfortable in his attire as Daso felt in his, confirming to him that Sapah must have a regularly...forceful, personality.
"Halso, this is the lovely young woman whom I felt that you would be interested in meeting. Daso, this is my single nephew, Halso!"
Halso bowed, and taking Daso's offered hand, intending to kiss it, and slightly stunned to find Daso tightly gripping his hand and shaking it. Daso had been expecting this since his meeting with Lotan. Halso smiled and shook back, marveling at the strength he felt from the grip of Daso's dainty-looking hand.
"A true pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Daso," Halso said before letting go of Daso's hand, and pulling out Daso's chair for him.
"Likewise,." Daso said, blushing a little, before sitting down in the offered chair, suddenly noticing that his satchel had been placed next to his feet on the floor. Feeling quite uncomfortable and out of his element, Daso decided to move the meeting along as quickly as he could, and reached down to pick up the satchel, and place it down on the table. Sapha raised an eyebrow while Halso watched, fascinated, finding that Daso so far was nothing like what he had been expecting, especially since what Lotan would call skinny, most people would call professional bodybuilder. Daso rummaged around for only a moment, before pulling out a bright green bottle, which was glowing, and clearing his throat.
"Thank you both for having me over today," Daso said as he pulled over a teacup, made from some kind of ceramic with what appeared to be small flecks of gold inlaid within it. He uncorked the bottle, and poured some of the glowing green liquid out into it. "To get us started, I would like to show you a little something I've been working on for a while now." Daso stood up and walked over to a nearby potted plant, a little unsteadily, due to the heels. "Now, you may be familiar with a certain little potion, promised by the guilds about a decade ago, that was supposed to be a miracle for farmers everywhere."
"You're referring to the little enhanced plant growth formula debacle," Halso said, finding Daso's direct and semi-blunt approach a surprise, and quite enjoyable. Daso nodded before continuing, Sapha looking a little confused at the sudden business talk, having been intending on attempting to casually find a way to finally get Halso to settle down and start a family, as his cousins from her many other sisters had already done so far.
"Correct. As I seem to recall, they were under the assumption that their product would triple the growth rate of any crop, and increase its size and yield tenfold."
"Yes, and when their product ended up killing every crop it was used on, and poisoning the very land of the aforementioned crops for about three years, there was a serious famine as a result, and numerous riots and social unrest.
"Correct again. In truth, what had happened was that their formula created a sort of loop, which they didn't catch before it was too late, at its very core level, causing the potion to increase the rate of growth for the crops to quicken as they had initially hoped and observed, but to also cause the plants to die, and break down in the rot process, even faster. The organisms that broke down the affected plants reproduced and multiplied, only to themselves rapidly die and break down, completing the cycle on smaller and smaller levels, making the very soil itself essentially toxic in a matter of minutes," Daso explained.
"Yes, this is all public knowledge," Halso said while Sapha seemed a bit lost. "And none of the alchemy nor thaumaturgy, nor even the wizard guilds could find a solution, and the farmers with the poisoned crops had to wait for the potion to simply burn itself out."
"True. Well, I was working on my own formula, and I found where they had gone wrong. Thanks to certain alchemical ingredients, found out in the Valucia swamps, I was able to create a chemical compound similar to the original idea, but without the deadly loop. Basically, this solution of mine," Daso said as he held up the teacup with the green light softly emanating from it for emphasis, "will cause plants to grow at double their original rate, and twice as big with twice as much yield, and the potion will only affect the intended plant, like so." Daso said, plucking petal from the bright blue flower in the pot, and dropping it into the teacup. As Daso swirled it around for a few seconds, the petal dissolved. He smiled, before gently pouring out the glowing liquid into the soil, and stepped back. A few seconds passed and nothing happened. Then, just when Sapha opened her mouth to speak, the flower started to glow, and grow.
Both Sapha and Halso were stunned at the sight of the now green glowing plant grew larger and larger, until it stood above the nearby doorway, many different budding flowers beginning to bloom, all much larger than the original flower had been.
"Truly amazing," Sapha and Halso said simultaneously, with Sapha looking at the plant, her precious Blue Pixie Eye, while Halso was now looking Daso over, as though truly seeing the woman before him for the very first time.
If Lotan thinks that he's going to have her all to himself, he's got another thing coming!
Several more demonstrations later...
"Daso darling, we absolutely must have you over for tea again!" Sapha gushed as she and Daso stood, observing her servants load up the back of Daso's cart with the case of the folded up dresses and gown she had had them custom make for Daso during the presentations, much to Daso's surprise and embarrassment.
"I'm very flattered with your hospitality, Lady Contiela, but I--"
"Please dear, call me Sapha."
"Oh.... alright then, Sapha, as I was saying, I appreciate your hospitality, but you did not need to have such... uh... fine gowns and dresses made for me," Daso said, shuffling from one short-heeled foot to the next, still wearing the evening gown that she had ben dressed in, against her will, earlier, which Sapha had announced was now his to keep. Sapha chuckled and waved a dismissive hand.
"I honestly do not mind my dear. Now this way, you'll have some proper attire for yourself. It would be an absolute shame for you to continue running around in anything less than something that truly accentuates your beauty!" Sapha insisted. Daso, internally, groaned.
Why'd it have to be more frilly girly stuff though?! Daso wondered as he agreed to a luncheon next week, and Sapha bade him farewell, making her way back inside, along with all of the servants, all of their jobs now done. Before Daso could leave, he was approached by Halso, just as a strong gust of wind blew through with enough force to blow the long skirt of the gown up, giving him a quick flash of Daso's red frilly panties, before the wind died down and they were hidden once more.
"My aunt can be a little... forceful... and for that I apologize," Halso said to Daso, making Daso smile.
"It's okay, after dealing with scumbags for so long, your aunt is a walk in the park by comparison."
"You truly are a mystery, Lady Daso," Halso said with a chuckle. "I am looking forward to our next meeting, but perhaps we could meet privately, at you shop, sometime before that?"
"I would like that," Daso said, unable to stop a small giggle of excitement. What the hell was that about? Daso wondered, oblivious to the fact that he was now shivering a little in the cold wind. Or he was oblivious, before Halso removed his jacket, which while definitely upscale, was not the petticoat he had essentially been forced to wear earlier; and gently draped it around Daso's shoulders, making Daso blush.
"Oh... thank you..." Daso said, unsure of what to do in this moment.
"It's truly my pleasure. And this way, I can have an excuse to drop by your shop, to come and collect it of course," he said, looking down to make eye contact with her. Daso blushed even more.
"O-Okay..." Daso said in a small voice, before she and Halso said their farewells, and Daso was driving his cart out the front gates.
What in the nineteen hells was that?! he wondered, just now coming out of his daze as he pulled into his parking garage.
There we go! Now, some of you may have noticed that Daso was no longer referred to as he or him at some points. That's because Daso, despite his transformation, still thinks of himself as a definite HE, however... that may not necessarily remain the case forever...
Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter, and of course, once more, feel free to leave a review!