Tales Of Skatara: Danger, Love-potions, and Tigerstripes Part 7

Chapter 7: Partners?

In the myths and legends of yore, spells of desire and love happened to be some of the greatest treasures one could find. The ability to make a person love you regardless of anything was almost as powerful a motivator for adventure as the quest for immortal life, or riches beyond even the greatest kings. All happened to be rare, and all happened to be fought over. And among these prized charms love potions themselves happened to be near the top of the heap. One could only make them with tears from broken-hearted virgin demons(themselves being a rare wonder) and one drop in somebody's food would make that person utterly inraptured with the first living thing they saw.
Naturally that in itself was enough for Shakti who desired only the most simple things in life and among them was the love of somebody special. Ga'Ja on the other hand had several mixed feelings on the matter. The upside was that it could make her enough money to keep the kamrai in wine, gavleh, and dancing girls for the rest of her life. The downside was that holding on to it would most likely get them killed in ways both quick and painless, and slow and painful. Love potions dispite their seemingly romantic natures happened to be more favored as weapons, and means to advance in politics than anything else, which usually meant violent people searched for them, and violent people usually in the end posessed them.(Indeed two such queens of Dalcada came into their stations due to love potions) Sadly at this moment, chained to the bed and gagged that she was Ga'Ja really could put no argmuent forth to Shakti, who at this moment gazed longingly at the item.

"It makes sense now after studying this item, why people would want to kill you over it." Shakti said gazing ito the green liquid . Ga'Ja gave a helpful nod even as she lay helpless. Of course Shakti didn't know that others had already been killed, others that happened to be more lethal warriors than she. "Mghmfhdmfh..." Ga'Ja moaned jiggling the cuffs that held her trapped wrists and Shakti looked up from the potion. "Are..are you calm now?" Shakti asked nervously "Because I really mean no harm, and you know I don't want to hurt you, and I'm sorry for your situation now, and I only wanted to..." Ga'Ja interrupted the witch's nervous apologizes by rattling the cuffs more. "Okay, okay.." Shakti said as she walked over to the bed and pulled the gag away from Ga'Ja's mouth. "My dear witch if you honestly think posessing that potion is a good idea, then please let me tell you that it's an insanely bad one." Ga'Ja said as politely as she could. "I know the dangers, I know the problems, but don't worry I'm not going to be careless here." Shakti said and Ga'Ja took a nice long laugh and laid her head back down. "Look I hate to sound insulting here, but some of the others looking fort his item are a group of dangerous assassins led by a legendary sadist named Ingrid Du'Lac, and the criminal underworld of Dalcada which as you know is led by one Morgana Le Chance who once cut a man's head off because he sang off-key." Ga'Ja said looking straight at Shakti who seemed to rattle around these thoughts in her head. "Furthermore I'm sure enough time has passed to allow every single rogue mage, love struck nobleman, idiotic adventurer, and psychotic criminal enough time to find out about this potion and come to kill you for it." Ga'ja finished as Shakti nervously bit her lip.

It was working and Ga'Ja knew it. Shakti was seeing the insanity of this excersise and would realize the best bet was to let somebody like Ga'Ja handle it. "What..what would you do then?" Shakti asked the cat-girl on the bed. "I'd take it and toss it in the river, then lay low for a few months." Ga'Ja said lying..after all her intention was to take it back to Morgana who perhaps wouldn't demand Ga'Ja's flaying. Shakti thought about this option for a second and knelt down near Ga'Ja's ear. "Ipis ra..' Shakti whispered and without warning Ga'Ja could feel something form around her neck. It weighed heavy, yet was light as air at the same time, and looking down Ga'Ja could see a faint outline of a ring around her neck. "That's a collar of binding.." Shakti whispered as the catgirl moaned. "It'll force you to go where I go, and help me if I need help." Shakti said holding the potion firmly in her hands. "You little witch!" Ga'Ja shouted struggling even harder in the chains before Shakti put her hand on the kamrai's shoulder. "I'm going to free you, and I'm going to do your idea." Shakti said in a calm voice hoping to stifle the cat's fury. "I just want to see somebody first, and once I'm done we can go our own ways." She said before flashing a pleasant smile to the Kamrai. "So how does that deal sound?" Shakti asked almost nervously at the figure on the bed, who for her part sighed and shut her eyes. "Yeah I'll help you." Ga'Ja mumbled as Shakti walked to get the lock for the chains.

Well I'll help you now." Ga'Ja thought to herself wondering when Shakti would give her the oppurtunity to grab the potion and dart away. Shakti meanwhile was pondering something else, like "Can this really make Tirana's heart belong to me?"