8: The Magic Forest
While the center of Leon City had very little green outside of Central Park, a dense forest had grown up behind the large steel suspension bridge to the east. Many myths and legends surrounded it, as well as the odd shivering tale that discouraged residents from venturing longer walks through it. Many times in the past, attempts were made to cut down the trees and to open up the land for more houses and skyscrapers, but something always went wrong when the logging was to begin. The machines started to strike or the forest became home to rare nesting birds, so that the project had to be postponed further and further and finally came to nothing. The inhabitants of the city did not know that in the middle of their mysterious forest, a lonely stone old wooden hut stood, in which centuries ago, two of the probably most powerful beings had settled, which ever wandered on earth. Phaelyn, a female angel, and Ifry, a female demon, had deserted their homeland and their armies after countless battles to build a new life together outside their war-torn world. Their choice fell on the hut near, at that time, Leon's Keep. Far from human eyes, they lived a peaceful and even passionate life there. The bond that united the unequal pair was formed in their last fight. When both, exhausted from days of dueling, launched a final attack, their heads collided and within a split second they saw each other's lives flash before their eyes. Saw each other's ups and downs, their dreams and desires. What's more, the look was shared with each other. Phaelyn's normally golden blonde hair was parted in black, hiding a red eye, and a small demon horn sprouted from her head. Ifry's pitch black hair got a golden patch from which a golden curl curled and hid a sky blue eye. They knew that after this experience they could never fight each other again and fled the battlefield and their world together. Only when they were sure that they were not being pursued did they realize that they had shared not only their appearance, but also their magic, which after years of peace and sporadic use was only a shadow of its former strength. Their power was still enough to drive away curious people or to disable the machines that wanted to burn down their forest.
Until now.
"Phae? Can you please clear the table?" asked Ifry, annoyed, after her celestial friend had once again left her dishes lying around. But she didn't expect a positive answer, knowing what would await her in the living room of their shared hut. After hundreds of years of living together, Ifry was able to interpret the signals her friend had sent her during the meal with certainty and precision.
"NO!" it came back short and cheeky from the living room and Ifry chuckled while clearing Phaelyn's plate. Ifry sighed theatrically and said with affected disappointment, "Then I guess I'll have to teach you some manners. Take off your clothes and get on your knees!"
Phaelyn giggled in anticipation as Ifry appeared in the doorway. The angel had already fully undressed and was staring at the demoness promptly, but made no move to sit on the floor. Ifry strode into the living room and with a magical flick of her hand, she shed her own everyday clothes consisting of a pair of jeans and a shirt with Daddy's little devil written on it. Instead, black shiny fingerless gloves materialized around her arms and a bra adorned with buckles and chains around her breasts. A miniskirt that would not even begin to pass the fingertip test rounded out the image of a lustful demoness. A riding crop appeared in Ifry's hand with its tip resting under Phaelyn's chin.
"How many times do I have to punish you until you finally put your plate away?" asked Ifry with a smile, pushing Phaelyn's head up with the crop. The angel's face flushed red and Ifry raised an eyebrow.
"How can you still be embarrassed after all this time?"
"What …? It's just the anticipation of what's to come!" Replied Phaelyn hastily, turning her head to the side to hide her even more flushed face.
"Anticipation aha," said Ifry, walking past Phaelyn," Eyes straight ahead!" ordered the demoness, giving the angel a quick smack on the butt with the crop as she turned her head so as not to lose sight of her friend. Phaelyn squealed in surprise as a short pain shot through her body. Ifry smiled deviously and raised the crop from behind in front of Phaelyn's nose.
"Hold on!" She commanded and the angel dutifully took the proffered object between her teeth. Ifry conjured a blindfold in her hands and pulled it over her friend's eyes, who turned her head back in surprise only to receive another slap from Ifry's hand.
"Didn't I also tell you to kneel down?" whispered Ifry in Phaelyn's ear. She gently pushed her friend to the floor and helped her kneel down.
"You know what I'm going to do to you now?" asked Ifry, biting Phaelyn's neck, causing her to drop the crop as she groaned lustfully. She shook her head slightly, enjoying the sensual pain.
"Whatever, I…" Ifry suddenly fell silent as the night sky flashed. She furrowed her brow and let go of her friend to walk to the window. Phaelyn tilted her head in wonder and finally pulled down the blindfold when her friend didn't return.
"What's wrong?" asked Phaelyn curiously, coming to stand next to Ifry.
"I… um… nothing," lied Ifry, staring into the darkness, "Let's better call it a night… I'm not in the mood right now."
Phaelyn wanted to disagree, but she saw the seriousness in Ifry's face and sighed. Pouting, she wiped her hand over her body and a pair of white leggings and a wide light blue hoodie appeared on her skin. Phaelyn grabbed her headphones from the table next to the sofa and laid on them. After a quick search of her phone, music began blaring from the headphones and she closed her eyes. Ifry remained standing by the window for a moment before turning around and joining her friend on the sofa. Phaelyn rested her head on Ifry's thigh and began softly humming the tune of "Wicked Game" while Ifry kept her eyes on the window and stroked her friend's shoulder.
"No, I wanna fall in love, with you" she sang softly as the song ended and Ifry frowned.
"Isn't that called No, I don't wanna fall in love?"
"I like that version more," Phaelyn murmured and after a moment's hesitation added, "Did I… did I do something wrong?" and lifted her headphones to better hear Ifry's answer. The latter averted her eyes from the window and looked down at the angel.
"No, no Phae… I mmh…" Ifry tried to explain but she didn't want to worry her friend. After all, it was impossible that they had been found by their own kind, wasn't it? But who else could have released this enormous amount of magic? In this world, she and Phaelyn were the only beings who could use magic on such a scale. They had convinced themselves of this before settling down in the hut. Ifry shook her head and put on a smile.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you."
"Protecting me? What do you mean…" Phaelyn fell silent as another wave of magic swept over the house, lighting up the night sky. At the same moment, a bang resounded through the forest and they heard something massive shatter. Now Phaelyn knew why their fun evening had come to such a quick end.
"What was that?"
Ifry blinked in confusion.
"That sounded like a destroyed Magic Barrier… but not ours. Did you create more?"
Phaelyn shook her head and got up to walk to the door.
"Wait you can't just…" began Ifry, but her friend had already opened the door to go outside. Annoyed, Ifry followed her and they both stopped in front of her home. Ifry's breathing faltered as magic both foreign and familiar wafted toward her. It was coming from deeper in the forest, and the two of them couldn't figure out how they had missed the fact that there was already a barrier right next to them, deceiving them for over 700 years, even in their prime.
"Shall we go see?" asked Phaelyn hesitantly, and Ifry looked as if she had something unpleasant on her tongue. She exhaled heavily and nodded.
Quickly they had left the warmth of their hut behind and the tall trees swallowed the light of the full moon as they walked deeper into the forest, leaving the familiar paths behind. Ifry thought she heard the sound of battle and she quickened her steps closely followed by Phaelyn.
"Don't you think we should be a little more careful?" asked Phaelyn as she tripped over some roots again.
"Why? By fighting, they'll never pay attention to us." said Ifry tersely, ducking under a branch.
"What if they ambush us or set a trap?"
"Then they're cowards and we'll just wipe them out." replied Ifry as the noise of battle suddenly faded and silence reigned again.
"So what now?"
"See who won. After that we can still see if we should run." said Ifry and took a step forward. She felt herself sink slightly into the ground, but paid no further attention and dragged her other foot with the same result. She stumbled as her feet refused to obey her and seemed to stick to the ground.
"What the …?" she muttered, looking down in confusion. She pulled laboriously on her leg but it remained rooted to the spot.
"What's wrong?" asked Phaelyn worriedly, crouching down next to Ifry.
"I stepped in something!" muttered Ifry angrily, pointing her finger at her legs and shooting a magic ball out of them. The ball hit the ground underneath her, but it didn't have the desired effect. Instead, she felt something start to vibrate slightly underneath her and her feet grew tall. A transparent beige dome formed underneath her and grew up her legs with alarming speed. Immediately, both of their pulses started racing and Phaelyn grabbed Ifry's hands to pull her out of the growing bubble.
"What the hell is that!" gasped Phaelyn strained as the bubble encircled her friend's knees and made no move to slow down. Ifry said nothing and cast another spell on the bubble. This too simply fizzled out and the normally calm demon turned chalky white.
"There's a device under me, can you turn it off?" asked Ifry as she saw something metallic on the floor below her through the bubble and realized that any pulling of Phaelyn was useless. The angel did as she was told and let go of Ifry. With a flick of her hand she wiped the earth aside while Ifry lost her hip. What appeared was a metal puck with several lights shining on it. Instead of reading the human writing, Phaelyn cast a spell on the strange machine but nothing happened.
"What is that!" asked Phaelyn again this time more desperately, looking up at her friend.
"This is an invention of a close partner of mine and I would ask you not to break it!" the two heard a female voice say and they whirled around. Ifry with some difficulty. They saw a woman hidden in the shadows watching them.
"Who are you?" asked Phaelyn belligerently, putting herself between the stranger and Ifry.
"I could ask you the same question, after all you have been living in my forest for quite some time!"
"Your forest?" asked Phaelyn in disbelief, letting magic flow into her hand. The figure in front of them tilted her head in interest as the bubble engulfed Ifry's breasts, and in one leap, her hands and elbows.
"Didn't think it would happen so fast. Mr. Webber designed something great there." The woman murmured, ignoring Phaelyn's question. She twitched one eyelid and threw her magic at the woman. She wiped it aside with a flick of her hand as if she were trying to swat away a fly.
"Pretty rude of you, after all these years of not asking for rent from you. Time to make up for it, I guess." The woman muttered and looked past Phaelyn to watch Ifry's head disappear under the transparent sphere with a soft plop. The demoness was finally able to move freely again, even if it was limited to the inside of the bubble, and began to strike at the trap. The walls of the bubble threw her fists back with no effect, and her attacks on the puck itself did not seem to damage the metal. Desperately, Ifry gathered all her magic into one last attack, but stopped when she felt the bubble touch her head and seem to shrink again. Ifry's eyes snapped open as she realized the membrane was beginning to wrap around her body. Her spell instantly fizzled out and with it went her freedom. The bubble had wrapped itself tightly around her body in no time and held her in a tight grip. She immediately turned red when she saw the stranger's fat grin and Phaelyn's face also turned red when she could see every detail of Ifry through the membrane. Had the situation been different Ifry would have enjoyed it for sure, even if she would never admit it.
"Let me out of here!" she snarled at the woman, but she only giggled briefly and pulled out a white ball which she threw in Phaelyn's direction. The angel stumbled back and cast a quick protection spell for fear of an explosion, but nothing happened.
"Looks like your toy is broken!" laughed Phaelyn triumphantly, getting ready for another attack.
"Unfortunately no, from my own experience." sighed the woman, pointing at the sphere. Phaelyn looked down and was startled when a golden liquid suddenly poured out of the sphere and splashed in her direction. Her protective spell went out in an instant as she lost her concentration and the liquid dyed her entire body gold. Phaelyn tried in vain to brush off the gold, but it clung to her body and made her movements difficult. Desperately she fought it, but eventually her legs were glued together and her arms to her body. She swayed menacingly as she blindly lost her balance and landed on the soft mossy forest floor.
"What are you going to do with us?" asked Ifry, and for the first time in centuries she heard fear in her own voice. She cursed herself for it and struggled against the embrace of the trap, which only seemed to grow stronger.
"Chat and maybe test some of my products on you." the woman said calmly, and with a wipe of her wrist, the puck on which Ifry was fighting the bubble and the Golden Phaelyn, who was mummified so tightly she could only groan, rose. Ifry wasn't sure if she couldn't hear a hint of pleasure from her friend's moans.
A short walk through the forest followed, where Ifry could now and then catch a glimpse of the kidnapper. The shadow of the tree had previously hidden the woman's long red hair. They fell down to her buttocks and gently swayed back and forth with each step. Her body was hidden by a black dress that elegantly hugged her waist. But Ifry noticed that she also wore gloves. She could see them only briefly each time the moon found a gap between the branches and illuminated her hand. A dark glint which reflected the moonlight unnaturally in Ifry's eyes. Arriving at a clearing, Ifry's breath caught as she saw a massive mansion to which they were led by the woman. Around it stood smaller buildings with different purposes, but Ifry did not understand. How could something so huge have remained undiscovered by the two of them all this time? This woman was powerful and she had been hiding right under their noses!
"Home sweet home," the mage murmured, and with a flick of her hand, a trapdoor opened in her front yard, where Ifry and Phaelyn disappeared while she took the front door. Ifry thought she heard voices for a moment until the trapdoor closed over her and they were both deposited in a dungeon. With renewed zeal, Ifry struggled against her prison, but the membrane only seemed to tighten around her. Phaelyn meanwhile also tried to free herself, but against the rubbery, now stiff, liquid she could do nothing but roll back and forth. Ifry looked up when she heard a door open. She heard whispering and eventually footsteps coming down a flight of stairs.
"So what are you two doing in my forest?" they heard the redhead's voice echo down the hallway, "a friend assured me you two pose no danger and yet now you've trespassed and attacked me!"
Ifry was silent as the woman stepped in front of the cell. She still had her dress on, but Ifry noticed that the woman was not wearing gloves under her robe, but a full body suit of latex that accentuated her figure and lifted her in just the right places. Ifry sighed. This was all that was needed now. She and Phaelyn, trapped by a sadistic bitch far more powerful than the two of them combined. Her normal magic had been sealed by the trap, but perhaps her demonic abilities could help. She concentrated for a moment and her demon eye lit up as she used her mind control on the woman.
"Let us out!" Ifry commanded in a thunderous voice as she sensed she had connected with someone, though judging by the woman's uncaring face, not with her. The dungeon door opened again and they heard someone coming down the stairs. The woman looked around at the stairs in confusion, grinned briefly, and a quick, "BABE!" was heard, followed by another whisper and the closing of the door.
"Interesting, you must actually be one of those demons who destroyed my barrier."
Ifry turned pale when she saw the woman's grin and hastily shook her head.
"Speak then." the woman said tersely. Shaking her head again. The mage didn't look amused, snapped her fingers briefly and a small cardboard box and a water pistol appeared in her hands. She opened the cell door and let Phaelyn's body float out into the cell across the street while she opened the box and poured a circle of salt on the floor around Ifry. The demoness swallowed. The woman reared back in front of her, flicked her finger again, and the puck finally let Ifry out and flew into the corner. At the same time, the rubber cocoon around Phaelyn gave way and she immediately jumped up. She put her hands on the bars and started to push but nothing happened. Ifry didn't even try to cross the salt circle, Phaelyn had played a similar prank on her 200 years ago that had earned her a few good smacks on the butt when Ifry finally got free.
"We're going to play a little game," the woman said, pointing the small water pistol at Ifry, "You angel, answer my questions or I'll spray your girlfriend with holy water," she said calmly, and Ifry and Phaelyn's eyes widened in horror. Holy water can be lethal to lower demons. Though Ifry was a higher class demon and part angel, she still didn't want to get it on her.
"What are you doing in my forest?"
Phaelyn hesitated, but eventually opened her mouth.
"We noticed that a barrier had been destroyed and wondered who was hiding in the forest right next to us."
"And what were you hiding for?"
"We deserted from our armies and hid from them. I suppose the demons who attacked you were looking for my friend." Phaelyn avoided mentioning Ifry's name so that the woman would not gain control of Ifry. If she was such a gifted mage, she surely knew the power names had over demons.
"So you yourselves pose no threat to me or my friends?"
Phaelyn shook her head.
"Mmmh from a scalar of 1 to 100 how kinky are you?" the woman asked after a moment's thought, looking at Ifry's clothing. She hadn't changed after the aborted game night and was still standing in front of the mage in the way too small miniskirt and BDSM bra. Ifry immediately turned red and Phaelyn answered as if shot out of a pistol.
"69."
The woman grinned in amusement while Ifry slapped a hand to her forehead.
"And what is your name?" the woman asked calmly and Ifry immediately shook her head to silence her friend. If she found out Ifry's name, the woman could do whatever she wanted with her.
"That… I can't say," Phaelyn murmured, lowering her gaze.
"Understandable," the woman muttered and pulled the trigger. A jet of water released from the pistol and hit Ifry in the face. Phaelyn cried out in horror while Ifry gasped and braced herself for the pain that failed to materialize.
"No sweat, it was just sugar water," laughed the woman, nipping at the pistol. She pointed to the salt circle," that's also just sugar."
Phaelyn slumped to the floor in relief while Ifry blushed with shame and anger.
"Fuck you," she threw at the woman and angrily wiped the water from her face, "Let us out of here now!" the demoness demanded again and kicked at the circle. The sugar scattered in all directions and ricocheted off the woman's legs.
"I'll let you out don't worry but wouldn't it be better if I gave you something first so you can protect yourselves against the demons," she glanced briefly over her shoulder at Phaelyn, "and angels?"
Ifry fell silent and Phaelyn said, "You would do that for us?"
"Well not for free."
"What do you want from us?" growled Ifry, and the woman smirked.
"What a coincidence you ask. I'll just get something, by the time I get back I want you to be undressed." the woman said, beaming, and walked back down the hall, up the stairs. Ifry stared after her, stunned, while Phaelyn hesitantly fiddled with her hoody.
"You're not seriously considering undressing!" shouted Ifry over to her cell, and the angel shrugged guiltily.
"Well, having her as a friend might have its advantages, don't you think?" the angel asked, and with a flick of her wrist, conjured her clothes beside her, folded neatly on the floor.
"Pfff." said Ifry reluctantly, bracing her hands on her hips.
"I don't trust her. She hasn't even introduced herself yet."
"For the same reason you haven't, isn't it?"
"Well with her name we'd be in a better position already," Ifry said, thinking of what she could do to the woman should she learn her name. The door to the dungeon opened, once again, and they heard the woman running down the stairs.
"Took me a bit to find the old thing, but I hope you're ready and undressed!" the redhead said, sliding a pool table-sized frame with a shiny black canvas mounted in its center into Phaelyn's cell. The angel covered his body and blushed as the woman gave her an appreciative smile. Ifrys again will studied her with a raised eyebrow.
"I actually thought I'd give you two a good time, but if you don't feel like it you're welcome to watch us," the woman said, instructing the angel to climb into the frame. Phaelyn hesitated briefly and her eyes looked pleadingly at Ifry. The demoness cursed inwardly. If she hadn't stopped their evening game, Phaelyn certainly wouldn't be so eager to follow the woman's orders, would she? Ifry sighed and conjured her clothes on the floor next to her. The woman started grinning again and opened the cells so Ifry could go to her friend.
"Now what?" the demoness asked, trying to hide her blushing face.
"Well, get in there! I saw something the other day that I wanted to try out and you're the perfect candidates for it!" the stranger explained and while Phaelyn was still a little hesitant to take the first step, Ifry grabbed the opening of the frame and climbed between the shiny latex canvases to quickly get it over with. The first thing she noticed when she put her legs into the vacuum bed was the inside which was extremely slippery, almost as if the woman had spread a whole bottle of lube between the latex layers.
"Why does this have to be so slippery?" asked Ifry indignantly.
"This is what I want to try." she got back in reply. Ifry rolled her eyes.
"Gross." she commented as the black latex swallowed her.
"And what about you?" the woman asked, prompting Phaelyn, who nervously hopped from one foot to the other.
"Is that what I think it is?" she asked.
"Climb in and find out."
Phaelyn bit her lower lip and followed her Demonic friend who was waiting for her with her arms crossed. Careful not to slip, she lay down next to Ifry and felt for her hand. The demon rolled her eyes, but released her hand from her chest and handed it to her friend.
"Don't worry you should be able to breathe in there, are you ready?" the woman asked but didn't wait for an answer and closed the latex sheets over them and sealed them in the bed. Phaelyn trembled with excitement as the friends felt the walls closing in while Ifry tried to keep calm and remain master of the situation as best she could. With each passing second, the friends lost more space to the latex until it sucked at them and robbed them of their senses. From the outside, the woman watched intently as the perfect images of the two intruders formed, and she smiled in amusement as Phaelyn began to struggle against the latex to test her limits while Ifry lay stubbornly beside her.
"The lube should give you a little more freedom of movement than usual, try it little angel," the woman prompted Phaelyn and sure enough, she found that while she couldn't fight the latex, she could press her limbs between the latex sheets with some force. Immediately a thought occurred to Phaelyn. She released her hand from Ifry's and struggled with it along Ifry's body until she arrived at her hip and pressed her hand across the latex sheet until she arrived at Ifry's crotch.
"What are you doing?" asked Ifry immediately when she felt her friend's attack and instantly turned red.
"Taking the fun you denied me tonight!" countered Phaelyn and started massaging Ifry's crotch. At the same time, she moved her other hand to her own chest, mimicking the motion.
"Phaelyn! Not now, the woman is watching!"
"Yes now!" Phaelyn demanded while Ifry awkwardly tried to push the angel's hand aside.
"I can see you're having a great time! I'll be right back, don't run away you darlings!" the woman said and disappeared.
"No more excuses!" shouted Phaelyn and started with new zeal, while Ifry became a touch redder in the face and finally gave up and felt for her friend's crotch. It felt strange to move between the slimy latex layers and Ifry didn't know if she could ever admit that she secretly liked being squeezed and hugged by the latex.
"Soo, are you ready for a little competition to see which one of you gets out first?" the stranger asked, holding two crystals in her hand which, of course, the two of them couldn't see.
"But I don't want to go out yet!" Phaelyn exclaimed in dismay.
"Don't worry I said first, not right away." replied the woman, placing the crystals on the two friends' crotches.
"You already have a very good idea of what we are going to play now! Namely, whoever comes first from you two has lost and is at the mercy of the other. Have fun!" said the woman and turned on the crystals, which immediately began to vibrate.
Immediately Phaelyn started to work on Ifry's crotch even more intensely, causing the demoness to freeze with fright and have to pull herself together not to lose immediately.
"Phaelyn, stop! We're not going to bring each other to orgasm in front of the stranger, are we?" hissed Ifry.
"Each other? Only one of you has to come!" the woman said mockingly, and Phaelyn laughed maliciously.
"Thank you darling, for sacrificing yourself so I can be your mistress for a change!" laughed Phaelyn.
"Ohohoho you'd like that wouldn't you?" asked Ifry and began to move her fingers rhythmically in Phaelyn's crotch while trying to suppress the increasingly warm feeling in her own.
"Finally!" the woman laughed, watching her guests. While the demoness was fully focused on bringing her friend to climax and preventing her own, the angel didn't seem to have quite understood the rules as she was still massaging her own breast. The dark shimmering latex gave the two a dark beauty that the mage had not seen in a long time. She bit her finger as the frame of the bed began to groan as the angel reared up against the bonds of the latex and began to breathe faster.
"Oooh? Are we getting closer to the finish line?"
"NO!" the angel lied and began to gasp followed by a scream echoing off the walls. The mage smiled in satisfaction as the angel lay almost lifeless in the vacbed. Only her slowly rising and falling body indicated that she was all right. The demoness continued to play with Phaelyn until the mage opened the bed and fresh air flowed over their sweaty bodies. Phaelyn had a blank expression and stared dreamily at the inside of the latex bag while the demoness withdrew her fingers and smiled softly at her friend. The mage waited a moment before helping Ifry out, wiping all the slime from Ifry's body with a flick of her hand.
"Did you like it?" the mage asked softly. Ifry nodded hesitantly and looked down at her friend.
"When she can speak again she will tell you the same. I haven't seen her like this in years. Can we borrow the vacuum bed? Like among neighbors?"
The mage giggled.
"Sure, go wild with it. I'll be upstairs if you need to rest some more or play some more with her as you like."
"Thanks."
"Oh for what? You guys did all the work, didn't you?" Laughed the mage and waved it off.
Phaelyn breathed quietly and regularly in Ifry's arms after she had gone back to the vacbed. The latex, though not stretched, lay gently on the unequal pair, like a blanket, and they felt safe. The angel had closed his eyes while Ifry stroked her hair and they enjoyed the silence that reigned in the dungeon. Sometimes Phaelyn mumbled something unintelligible and each time Ifry pressed her friend a little tighter until the angel's eyes finally fluttered open and she cleared her throat.
"Really a great neighbor we have there. Do you think we can come back again?"
"I'm sure we can. After all, we have to return the Vacbed at some point."
"We get to take it with us?" asked Phaelyn with sudden new energy in her voice, beaming at her friend. Ifri just nodded and smiled.
"Shall we go home now? I'm sure the woman would like to go to bed, too."
"If we must… can I sleep the night in here if we're already taking it home?" asked Phaelyn.
"Why did I know you were going to ask that?" asked Ifry, crawling out of bed and helping her friend get out and onto her wobbly legs. After getting rid of the slime, they lifted the Vacbed by its frame and carried it upstairs where the woman sat at a glass table sipping tea. A book lay before her and Ifry could see it was about demons and celestials.
"Studying about the enemy?" asked Ifry, earning a rib jab from Phaelyn.
"Well, if any more of your friends come, I want to be prepared," the woman said calmly, closing the book.
"I hope you both enjoyed it?" the mage asked as she placed a wooden box in front of the couple. Phaelyn nodded eagerly.
"And we can really take this with us?" she asked, pointing joyfully at the vacbed.
"Nah sure," the woman said, "and I want you to put these on."
She opened the casket to reveal two bracelets with an embedded colorless crystal.
"What is this?" asked Ifry hesitantly while Phaelyn was already curiously taking one of the hoops in her hand for a closer look.
"Magic batteries you might say," the woman explained, "These bracelets collect the magic you naturally exude and store it in the crystal. They will hide your presence and ensure that if you are attacked by your "friends" you will be able to defend yourself better if you draw on the stored magic. Also, I would like you to come and train from time to time. This is a peaceful world and I want to keep it that way."
"Understandable." said Ifry curtly and took the other bracelet. They put on the jewelry and immediately the bracelets filled with their magic. While Ifry's crystal turned black with a small white dot, Phaelyn's turned white with a black one.