Bound in Spirals Ch. 03

Author's Note:

This chapter of my story also contains no sex, and I don't anticipate there being any for a few more chapters. If you're looking for a quickie, I suggest you look elsewhere.

This story contains minor gore and graphic descriptions of pain(Unrelated to sex). Just to warn those who are bothered by that sort of thing.

All aspects of this story are fictional. Any resemblances to real people are entirely coincidental. All characters participating in sexual acts are 18 years of age or above.

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Sam gripped his sword tightly, steeling himself. 'I should go after him.' Sam thought, watching as one of the green clad warriors ran toward an ally who was already facing off against 2 others. As Sam started to sprint, the man slowed as he approached the small group. The woman in red began to back away as the third came close, deflecting a sword away with her own. As Sam came close to his target he brought his sword up.

He swung. The man turned at the last second to see Sam's blade go straight for his neck. He felt the armor resist for a moment, then give way and the man's head fell backward silently. Blood spurted from the still standing body. The corpse fell backward and landed atop it's head, blood beginning to puddle. Sam wiped the gore from his face with a grimace and refocused his attention on the woman struggling to fend off her attackers.

Her black hair clung to her sweaty face. She gritted her teeth as she took a spear to the left arm. Sam reeled back to sever the closer man's neck, as he'd done just before, but felt something urge him to duck. It was a good thing he did. He looked up to see a lance arcing right where his head had been, and saw the mounted soldier who held it ride past a moment later. He jumped back up and found his target turning with a battle axe held high.

Sam barely reached up to deflect the axe in time, and pulled back hurriedly. Another powerful blow was swinging for his shoulder, and he blocked this one with more ease. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the rider turning to come back. 'Fuck...' He dodged the man's next heavy strike and countered, stabbing into his right thigh. The man yelped and lost balance. Sam took advantage of that moment to pierce the man's chest.

Rapidly pulling and stabbing again. It took 2 more hard strikes before the man fell back, his eyes open in shock. Sam was breathing heavily as he turned his body to the advancing winnem, he felt as though his body was in autopilot. The lance lowered toward his chest, it's silver edge glinting in the dawning sun. Sam felt his body move, and he rolled to the left, the lance missing by inches. His arm swung as he recovered and hit the scaly hind leg of the winnem, slicing off the bottom half.

'I'm sorry...' Sam thought with a frown. The creature screeched it's pain, and fell. The now clearly female rider leapt nimbly from the winnem crashing into the grass. He glanced toward his ally, and saw that the fight was evening out. Looking back to the fallen rider, he readied himself. She dropped the too long lance, and drew a short sword from her hip. Suddenly, she darted forward, crossing the distance between them in a second. Sam shuffled backward in panic, and felt a sharp pain in his leg.

He looked downward with a gasp and saw the downed axe wielder. He held a small knife, now coated in Sam's blood. Sam felt his leg give way, and stifled his scream. His achilles tendon had been cut. Pain struck in his chest and he turned to see the woman had stabbed into his sternum. He howled through clenched teeth. Fear filled him as he sought his power. He swatted away her sword as she pulled it out. He found those patterns immediately this time and embraced it gratefully.

Writhing tendrils of opalescent magic rose to his skin, and he felt his pain flee. The woman jumped back, wide eyes gleaming through her helm, and tripped. She fell onto her bottom, and tried to scuttle further away. Sam's blood streaked off her blade and returned to his chest, and sealed a second faster than his leg. He cut off his connection, and quickly turned to the man behind him. He drove his sword down hard, and skewered the man's head through the right eye.

The blade slid out with a soft squelch, and he looked back to the fumbling woman. He gasped for air, feeling an unnerving level of fatigue. He stepped forward, clutching his sword tensely. She was just finding her feet as his sword came down on her. The screech of tearing metal made Sam grit his teeth as he cleaved through the woman's plated left arm. A tormenting scream ripped into his ears as her arm clattered to the ground. She raised a shaking right arm, still clenching the sword. He struck the sword hard, sending it flying from her hand and rattling across the short grass. He hauled his arm back, and ran his blade through her heart. He held it there as her last labored breaths puffed out. He put his boot against her chest plate as she coughed, blood spurting through the slats of her helmet, and extricated his sword. As the corpse fell back limply, Sam spun and scanned the battlefield.

The woman he'd been helping was finished off, both her arms and her right leg were lost. The man she'd been fighting was also lying dead, and another was standing over her, his blade held downward. Sam glanced back to where he'd last seen Theodore and saw him struggling to stand as blood gushed from a deep gash in his stomach. He leaned against his lance, and held his left hand to his wound.

Sam's immediate instinct was to try to heal him, but decided against it. Only one other ally remained aside from Theodore, and 3 of the green armored enemies still stood, uninjured from what he could tell. He decided to go for the nearest one, who still stood above the fallen woman. 'I should have died twice today...' Sam thought, knowing then that if he made it through the day, he'd learn to fight properly so he wouldn't have to rely on magic or friends to save him.

Just as he took his first step toward the next opponent, his head snapped toward him and he felt a shiver run down his spine. The man turned fully to him and began walking, his unblemished armor clinking with each step. Sam stopped and closed his eyes for a moment, settling his on edge nerves somewhat. When he opened them again, the man who'd been walking confidently a second before was frozen still. Sam raised an eyebrow when he saw the man quivering.

"A-ARGWOLF!" The man yelled, pointing behind Sam.

'Argwolf?' Sam frowned. He turned his head. The instant he saw what the man was afraid of, he understood. An enormous dark grey beast was bounding toward them from the trees. It was still several hundred yards away, but Sam could tell that it was close to the size of a bus. He heard the sounds of metal clanging together as the remaining soldiers began to flee. Sam searched for Theodore, and found him hobbling in the opposite direction, using his lance as a crutch. He quickly ran to help him, skirting the strewn corpses.

He saw the body of one of the council women he'd seen in the tent the day before, lying face up with her throat slit. Sam wiped the blood from his sword sloppily and sheathed it as he approached. Grabbing his arm, Sam grasped his magic, and attempted to heal Theodore. As he did, Theodore turned to face him with gritted teeth. He smiled wistfully. 'It's not working... It's not working! C'mon, c'mon... Heal goddammit!' Sam thought, grimacing with his growing desperation. 'Please...'

Then, as he was ready to give up, he heard a voice in his head. 'Focus. Direct your magic into him. All you're doing now is holding your power and touching him. You need to force your intentions into the magic.' Sam didn't take the time to question it and did as he was told. He closed his eyes, and could feel his whole body thrumming with power. He imagined the magic extending from his hand, and into Theodore's body.

He opened his eyes, and saw tendrils of his magic connecting to Theodore. Like wispy roots, the thin lines pulsed as power moved through them, running along the erratic patterns. Strings of crimson started to stream into Theodore from various places on the battlefield, and his wound was healed in a matter of seconds. 'Phew...' He released his magic as soon as he saw the unblemished abdomen seal up.

The tendrils of magic snapped free of Theodore's arm and sucked into his fingertips. His forms settled back into his skin, like a net into water. Theodore stared at Sam with eyes wide in shock, and suddenly wrapped him in a strong hug.

"Th-Thank you Samson, I thought I was going to die there..." He said, tears in his eyes. "I owe you my life..."

Sam felt himself begin to feel choked up by the sheer amount of emotion that was unmistakeable in his voice.

"Don't thank me just yet, I owe you mine just as much. Regardless, it seems like we might have even bigger problems incoming." Sam said, clapping Theodore on the back and pulling away.

"Yeah, we need to run. Now!" Theodore exclaimed, already beginning to sprint. "If that thing catches us, not even your healing will save us!"

Sam glanced over his shoulder only for a second as he started to follow Theodore, not far behind. The great monster had cut the distance to 75 yards, and with each stride covered another 25. The men who'd been trying to kill them moments before were now running from a common threat, their original goal already forgotten. Then, Sam saw something ahead that made him stumble to a stop.

Lying face down was a familiar looking body. Her torso severed from the waist up, intestines spilling from the bottom. Her lower half was sat on it's knees a few feet away, the blood stagnant. Sam had to know for sure. He walked to the upper half and turned her over. Frenna's eyes stared past him lifelessly. Her face was stark white beneath the dry dusting of dirt. She was cold.

Sam closed his eyes for a moment, and slapped himself hard. 'No time to feel bad...' He thought and opened his eyes, his expression now grim. Quickly, he brushed her eyes shut, and ran off with renewed haste. He could feel the vibrations of the ground now with each of the argwolf's heavy steps. Taking a moment to look back, Sam's fear rose drastically.

The wolf was on the battlefield now. In one bite it swallowed a fallen winnem, it's long, thin snout snapping loudly. It's large, pitch black eyes seemed to Sam as though they contained a terrifying level of intelligence for an animal. As he looked, the beast caught his eyes for a moment, and he felt dread chill his spine. He felt momentary relief as the inimical gaze left him, and the creature turned it's maned face. Sam turned his attention back to his front as he sprinted for his life.

Ahead, the diffuse groupings of trees steadily transformed into evergreen forest. 'That thing will probably be eating the bodies back there, should be enough time to get into that forest.' Sam thought. Theodore glanced back and slowed slightly, seeing how far behind Sam had fallen. As Sam fell in line next to him, Theodore spoke.

"The argwolf won't be occupied for long, it'll ignore those who were armored. Then, it'll come for us. Our best bet is to split up once we reach the forest." He said between breaths.

"Split up?!" Sam asked, not liking the idea one bit.

"Yes, it will follow one of the 6 of our scents, you get the idea. If we stick together both of us lose." Theodore explained. "You know how to whistle right?"

"Yeah, I do." Sam replied, still not confident in separating.

"Okay, we'll use that to find each other when we're safe." He said, just as they reached the tree line.

Sam looked back one last time, and was disheartened to see the argwolf swallow a final corpse and turn it's piercing gaze to the fleeing humans.

"Try to find water and lose your scent, once it catches someone it might try to go after a second if it can." Theodore finished, and diverted to the right.

Sam cursed under his breath and started going left, jumping over a moss coated log in his path. If Sam had the time, he probably would have admired the beauty of the colorful forest. The low hanging branches slapped his face with their thick green needles as he tried not to trip in his boots. The trees gradually grew larger the deeper he went, it seemed most of the dark reddish brown trunks were close to 5 feet in diameter. He heard the skittering of small animals as he ran recklessly through the brush.

He stumbled over a slow moving creature in his way, it's rocklike appearance deceived him as it walked into his foot. The thing hardly moved as his heavy boot impacted it's hard carapace. Sam jumped over it and continued his course, barely glancing at the small bewildered animal.

After about 5 minutes of sprinting, Sam heard a piercing scream in the distance off to his right. For a moment he felt afraid for the fate of his new friend, but calmed himself with the realization that the voice was too high pitched. 'I wonder who the wolf got...' He pondered as he evened his pace. His eyes widened as he ran straight out into a clearing in the trees, only stopping a foot in front of the trickling stream that crossed the glade.

Sam caught a glimpse of a large deer type animal, before it fled with a flash of blue-grey. 'Jump!' A panicked thought entered his head and he heard a hushed thump. He heeded the strange voice, leaping forward as swiftly as his legs allowed. It seemed it was just in time. As he cleared the small creek, he heard a loud snap vibrate through the air behind him. Turning his head, Sam saw a fearsome grey beast bearing down on him. It was the argwolf.

The bottomless black eyes penetrated his own, and he felt his bladder dangerously close to releasing involuntarily. An enormous paw swatted at him, and he only dodged it by a hairs breadth. Sam felt another gust of air as the 4 foot jaw cracked down inches from his head, the noise was deafening. Unfortunately, Sam's lucky evasions ended there. The heavy right paw slammed down on his left arm, breaking it in countless places and shredding it with long claws.

Sam let out a howl of pain as his arm flopped to his side, only connected by a few strands of delicate skin. He franticly seized his magic, grateful that it had gotten easier to reach as of very recently. His momentum was redirected as the left paw swung in from his right, impacting his side brutally. The wind was knocked from his lungs as he crashed back first into one of the sturdy trees lining the area. By this point, more bones were broken in his body than not, but he felt his power rapidly beginning to reverse that.

'Let me take over!' Said the voice in his head that had warned him previously.

'Who...?' Sam thought back.

'No time! Relax your mind!' The voice responded, 'Hurry!'

Sam's pants were wetted by warm liquid as the argwolf stepped over the water in his direction, knowing it had already won.

'Stop trying to move!' The voice screamed at Sam mentally. Finally, Sam released his control, and his body fell limp.

Suddenly, his limbs started to move on their own, like he'd been put in autopilot. The argwolf suddenly stopped, a few feet from his body. In it's large eyes, Sam saw his body reflected, glowing fiercely with effulgent forms writhing along his skin. The panic escaped him and pain was relieved rapidly. In the black eyes he could see his bones snapping back into place, like powerful magnets aligning.

His flesh wrapped around and skin sealed, faster than any of his previous reparations. The argwolf was suddenly looking hesitant as Sam's body rose, his affliction fleeing in only a second. Sam's body suddenly lunged forth, moving with an agility he wasn't aware he had. His hand touched down on the argwolf's left paw, and he felt his magic shift as a bind was set. The beast snarled and bit at Sam, but he was already out of it's range. It wound back and leapt forward, but it was halted by it's bound paw and pivoted awkwardly.

The wolf pulled back as far as it was allowed, cautiously watching Sam, it's hackles raised. It let out a deep bass growl that shook the air as Sam's body began to walk straight toward it. 'What are you doing?! Just kill it or something!' Sam thought toward the foreign mind.

'No.' It replied firmly.

'Are you trying to get me killed?!' Sam struggled to retake his body, but couldn't do it.

'No, I'm not. If you die, I die too, so just trust me for now. You'll thank me later.'

Sam wasn't convinced he would, but it didn't seem he had much of a choice at this point. As his body came close to the wolf, it snapped forward. It missed by several feet, and Sam's hand contacted the wolf's right forepaw. The creature turned and crunched down again, but Sam's body was already safely out of reach.

"You should submit now argwolf. Now that both paws are bound, it's either this or a slow painful death." Sam heard his own voice, but not his words.

'What the hell are you doing? Why are you trying to talk to it?' Sam thought.

'You already know, I know you saw it. The intelligence of this animal.' The voice thought back. 'In it's eyes, you noticed it.'

Sam focused his attention to the terrifyingly huge argwolf, and understood what this person meant. The wolf growled in defiance for a few moments longer, then stopped. It closed it's eyes and huffed loudly through it's nose in apparent annoyance. The great grey body relaxed suddenly, lying itself down with it's snout resting on the ground. Sam's body strode confidently right up to the yielding wolf.

Sam had the urge to flail against this other mind to stop again, but held himself back, knowing it would be fruitless. His right hand rose and reached out. The feeling of soft fur brushed his fingers as he touched the top of the wolf's head.

'Don't fool around while I do this, if you do... Well let's just say it could turn out badly.'

Sam instinctively tried to nod his assent, forgetting he wasn't in control of his body. Apparently the other mind got the message though, as he began. Sam felt an immense amount of his power rise to his right hand, and stagnate there. Then, just as quickly, it poured out like liquid and spread across the head of the wolf like a web. The beautiful magic patterns pulsated outward along the lines from his hand.

"Great argwolf, from now until your release, you shall be my familiar." The words came from Sam's mouth in a tone of confidence bizarre to him.

As he finished, the magic sucked inward and concentrated around the wolf's head. It shone fierce enough to cast shadows on the surrounding evergreens. Then, it faded into the skull of the beast, until it vanished completely. Where the patterns previously sat, the dark grey fur was lightened into the intricate spirals of his magic. Finally, Sam's hand pulled away and the wolf opened it's eyes.

Deep inside the formerly inky black eyes, Sam could see the faint whirls of his power, appearing like galaxies in the darkness of space. His body kneeled down and touched each of the argwolf's paws, and removed the bind's that had been placed there.

'It is done. I will retreat from your mind for now and release hold of your magic.' The voice told him. 'This argwolf is now yours, you may communicate with it much in the same way you have with me.'

With that, Sam's mind was left to him and his power receded.

'Wait! How...? Who...?' Sam thought, turning around. He scanned the area, forgetting momentarily that the person had been in his head. He sighed frustratedly. 'Why is it so damn hard to get any answers out of the people here...'

Another loud huff startled him back to his senses, reminding Sam that the argwolf was there. As he turned back, he saw that the beast had made itself comfortable, it's long muzzle resting on it's huge paws. He decided to try to speak to it.