The Fantasy Trove

 

[tags: rough, blowjob, masochism, violence]

 

Bobby is given another mission. Hopefully, this one goes better.

 

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Chapter 12

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Gnolls and Slaves

 

“Everything okay in the ol’ Bobby household?” Al asked me as we stepped into his Jeep.

 

“What do you mean?” I asked, then felt a jolt from Charlotte. It’s hard to describe what that felt like. Somehow I knew she was disappointed in my question, why she was disappointed, and how she wanted me to respond to Al’s question. All of that without her saying a word. “Oh, that? Yeah, I was just a little rough after getting home. I guess they’re still recovering.”

 

“Yeah, I guess I can see why they’d act a little distant if they’re recovering from a rough fucking,” Al chuckled softly before a big grin split his face. “Man, you’ve got to treat your toys better. They won’t leave you, but if you want them to last… Well, for instance, I gave Jolene a nice foot rub last night before we—”

 

“Do you know what Consul Willmont wanted us for this morning?” I cut him off. It was that, or punch him. Hard. Shayna and Elly weren’t toys. I recalled that he had a foot fetish, so I knew that that foot rub wasn’t as much for his wife as it was for him. I liked Al, but my opinion of him dropped a bit.

 

“I’m not sure,” the man that was more freckle than normal skin answered. “If we were heading to his office, I’d say it was a mission. But since we’re heading to his house, maybe he wanted to treat us to coffee and breakfast? He didn’t seem too urgent over the phone, but you’ve talked to him more than I have. Oh! Maybe it’s a covert op he doesn’t want on the books. Maybe we’ll infiltrate….”

 

I tuned Al out as he droned on. So Wilmont wasn’t in a rush when talking to Al? That didn’t bode well. He was furious when he called me. A covert op didn’t seem to be something that would end well for me, either.

 

Especially not since the last mission he sent you on got us both killed, Charlotte reminded me. And since it was a Knight that blew himself up to do it.

 

Maybe it was a different department within the Knights, I told her. It didn’t make sense for Willmont to send me to investigate the brothel, then send in someone to blow it up.

 

Unless he did it to kill you and get your pendant, Charlotte argued with my unspoken thoughts.

 

He gave me a pill to detect you magical creatures, I mentally snapped at her. He was pretty clear those were rare. Why give me something like that if he didn’t intend for me to use it fully?

 

Not as rare as your pendant, Charlotte refused to let it go. Besides, I’m pretty sure there’s no such thing as a pill to detect magic. Don’t forget, I have access to your memories. That upset stomach you had was nerves, not because of whatever he gave you. It didn’t detect Mana or myself.

 

Wait a minute! I thought at her; something occurring to me that should have some time ago. Why don’t I have the same access to your memories? That’s not exactly fair.

 

Because you can’t handle all of my memories. Charlotte’s tone sounded pompous, but her emotions were of caution. Okay, fine! Listen, your human mind can’t handle the thousands of years’ worth of memories I’ve built up. If I gave you access to all of them, you would be swept away, and Bobby Brody would no longer exist. But, on the other hand, your twenty-two years are nothing for me to sort and manage as separate from my own.

 

“Thousands?!” I asked, shocked, forgetting to keep that within my own head.

 

“What?” Al asked as I interrupted whatever he’d been saying.

 

“Sorry,” I said, thinking fast. “I was just going over some numbers in my head. I still haven’t gone shopping for a vehicle, and I’m also not used to having an unlimited-use credit card.”

 

“Oh, uh, sure….” I could tell I’d hurt his feelings, having ignored whatever he was talking about. “Well, anyway, we’re here. But you should know that card isn’t unlimited. Spend too much, and they’ll start asking questions.”

 

“It’s worth more than I ever had before,” I confessed. “My dad was a Knight, but he kept my mother and me living in poverty. I’m still trying to get used to it all.”

 

Al didn’t say anything to that as he parked in a massive driveway. I mean, the driveway alone was bigger than the house my mom still lived in. The five-car garage—five car!!—stood at the top of a slight incline, and I won’t even begin to describe how opulent the house was. Suffice it to say that I couldn’t imagine anyone actually living in something so large or lavish. Also, how would you keep it clean? What was the point of so much space? It boggled my mind.

 

Feeling numb and wondering if I could have grown up in a mansion like this if my parents hadn’t been trying to hide everything from me, I followed Al to the front door. It opened before we could knock, ring the doorbell, or whatever it is you do to announce yourself in front of a house worth more than some small countries’ GDP.

 

“Master Mckay and Master Brody, please follow me,” a woman dressed in a French Maid’s outfit said as she bowed. Her skin was the darkest black I’d ever seen, but her hair was straight and white as fresh snow. She turned before returning upright and started walking with a hunched back.

 

Stepping across that threshold gave me cold chills. I don’t know what or why, but it felt like entering a dangerous beast’s den.

 

No fucking way! Charlotte shouted in my head. I can’t believe it. There’s just no way. She can’t be... It’s impossible!

 

What are you talking about? I demanded of my passenger.

 

Uh, nothing, Charlotte responded too quickly, and I didn’t believe her for a moment. Okay, fine. I’ll tell you once I’m sure. Her mind is a little hard to read—fuzzy somehow—but if she’s what I think she is….

 

Charlotte didn’t finish that sentence, and my mind was brought back to reality as we entered what I think is called a foyer. Four marble columns rose up from the floor three stories. The massive pillars were at least two feet thick and spaced about twenty-five feet apart in a square. Three long white leather couches filled some of the spaces in a U shape. The fourth gap was left open, but my eyes were drawn to the man walking in.

 

“Gentlemen!” Consul Willmont greeted us with warm smiles. “So glad you could get here on such short notice. Please, have a seat. Are you thirsty or hungry? I know it’s early, and I called you away from your morning routines. I can have my maid get you anything you need. No alcohol, though. Need to keep our wits about us.”

 

I stared at the brown-skinned man, wondering if he was the same man that yelled at me for not answering my phone promptly. Was he unhinged?

 

“I could use a coffee,” Al said, lifting his mug to emphasize his point. I wondered how much caffeine the man needed? He’d had a refill at my place and already needed more? How had he drunk it so fast, as hot as I knew it to be?

 

“You!” Willmont snapped at the white-haired maid. “Get him a coffee. And anything for you, Carpenter Brody?”

 

My mind stuttered. The well-built man went from imperious and demanding to acting the gracious host in the blink of an eye.

 

No! Charlotte screamed at me before I could nod and ask for the same thing.

 

“Uh, no. I’m good, Sir. But thank you,” I said, only partially surprised that I trusted the demon in my head more than the human man before me.

 

“Can I get three tablespoons of cream—french vanilla if you have it—and no sugar. Just fill it to the top,” Al told the maid as she accepted his mug. “And thank you.”

 

“Don’t thank her,” Willmont said as he again indicated for us to sit. “She’s a simple-minded thing, only capable of following simple tasks.”

 

I noticed Al’s eyes followed after the dark-skinned woman, and I elbowed him in the side. Wasn’t he madly in love with Jolene?

 

Al glared at me, rubbing his side where I’d connected, before turning back to face Consul Willmont.

 

I didn’t like the glint I saw in the older man’s eyes as he said, “She might be dumber than a cat chasing a laser, but she has some skills in the bedroom. Prove yourself, and I’ll let you get a crack at her.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” Al nodded as though the proposition was ordinary.

 

We heard footsteps approaching from the same area Willmont had entered, and I took a moment to elbow Al again.

 

“What?” Al glared at me again and scooted further from me on the couch.

 

“Jolene?” I hinted at him, reminding him that he was married.

 

The redhead looked confused for a moment, then shook his head with a rueful smile. “I keep forgetting that you don’t know these things. She doesn’t care. Neither will your wives. It’s part of the—no way!”

 

Those sons of bitches! Charlotte cursed in my head, but I wondered what had distracted Al.

 

I followed Al’s line of site to see a very tall man walk in with a shaved head. I was more than a bit surprised to see him since I knew him also.

 

“I see the fourth member of our team doesn’t need an introduction,” Willmont grinned from ear to ear.

 

“Team?” I asked, wondering if we were about to play basketball, but Al shouted over the top of me.

 

“Introduction? Derrick Rhinehardt is the hero of Atlanta. The only man alive known to go up against a wendigo by himself and survive. His record and career are legendary. I even heard he once went into a den of vampires alone, and they offered him their teeth if he let them live.”

 

The giant man chuckled in a way that told me he’d heard this all before, but none of that was why I knew him.

 

“That Wendigo was weakened after I hit it with a semi,” Derrick gave us his game-winning smile. “And as for the vampires, well, they didn’t offer them up to me. They also didn’t leave with their un-lives.”

 

I found myself on my feet as I literally looked up at one of my heroes. The man stood over seven feet tall and seemed even larger in real life. “You scored more than seventy points combined during the last playoffs and was picked as the MVP for game two. It’s widely believed that if you hadn’t sustained that injury in the third game, the Lakers would have won. I can’t believe you’re here!”

 

Willmont chuckled again as he claimed, “Like I said, no introduction needed.”

 

Derrick Rhinehardt, NBA superstar, rubbed the back of his neck with a hand almost as large as a dinner plate. “That injury was actually from the night before. I kind of got into it with a naiad. She didn’t know I was a Knight and wanted a little of my celebrity dick. She got more than she bargained for, but I’d twisted my ankle in the scuffle.”

 

“You mean you played the first half with an injury?” I asked, shocked. I couldn’t imagine playing with a hurt ankle.

 

Derrick started to nod, but Consul Willmont cut in. “You two may address him as Guardian Rhinehardt. I expect you to follow his orders without question. He’s your superior, and you will report to him after today. I am no longer your direct supervisor. I never should have been in the first place, but the way you both screwed up on First Knight left us with few options. Luckily, Guardian Rhinehardt has agreed to take you both on.”

 

“Pending their performance on our task this morning,” Derrick broke in. Willmont nodded, and the NBA star continued. “You both know of me by reputation; however, I expect you to treat me as a Knight of higher rank. Therefore, I will not be giving out autographs, nor will I show up to any special events you might have, just because we know each other. Am I understood?”

 

“Yes, Sir,” Al and I said in unison. I’ll admit, I was more than a little intimidated by the giant man. He stood nearly a foot taller than me, and I wasn’t short, at just over six feet tall.

 

“Good,” Consul Willmont said with a satisfied smile. Now that that’s understood, let’s get ready.”

 

“Um, ready for what, Sir?” Al asked, and I wondered the same thing.

 

“To see if you have what it takes to be trained by one of our greatest,” Willmont said, and for some reason, I noticed Derrick’s cheeks redden. I couldn’t imagine a person with his fame being embarrassed by the comment.

 

Even I am aware of him, Charlotte said. I wish I could read his mind, though. His body language seems off.

 

I noticed Willmont staring at me, and even though I knew he couldn’t read my mind, I told Charlotte to hush. Then, when he continued to look at me, I asked, “What is the mission?”

 

I really hoped it ended better than my last mission.

 

“My maid will get you kitted out,” Willmont said with a wave of his hand. I turned to see the midnight-dark-skinned woman had returned, holding Al’s coffee. Her head remained bowed as she held out the drink.

 

“Follow me, please,” the maid said after Al took his drink. Once again, she remained with her head lowered until she turned around. Even then, her shoulders remained hunched as she guided us. I wondered if her face was disfigured or why she kept it hidden. Considering Willmont’s apparent disdain for her, I wouldn’t doubt it. Despite my feelings about Al considering Willmont’s offer with the maid, I couldn’t deny she had a nice figure. The black and white French maid’s outfit only accentuated her coloring and shape. However, I’m not attracted to unintelligent women, and I had enough on my plate with Elly and Shayna.

 

The dark woman led us to a smaller room that was only smaller in comparison to the foyer. It was still larger than my kitchen in the home I shared with my wives. But it was as different from a kitchen as a room can get, except for the various knives hanging in one corner. Next to the blades hung a few swords, followed by maces and then spears. Multiple guns were locked behind a grate, and I even noticed an RPG and rocket launcher. Growing up in California, you’d think I’d know a little more about guns, but other than they were all different shapes and sizes, I can’t tell you what they were. I mean, I saw pistols and rifles, but I couldn’t identify the calibers or models.

 

On the opposite wall hung various armors. Considering the other medieval weapons, I almost expected to see suits of armor or maybe a leather cuirass or two. But instead, there hung many modern body armors and pads.

 

“Let me into these guns,” Al told the maid, but she didn’t move to comply.

 

“Please forgive me,” the maid dropped to her knees and pressed her head to the floor in what I thought was panic. “I was told you could pick any weapons and armor, but the guns won’t be used. Please, I’m only doing as my master commands!”

 

“It’s okay,” I said, dropping into a squat next to her. “No one’s going to hurt you. We’ll pick something else if we can’t use the guns.” I lightly rested my hand on her upper back to console her, but she flinched, and I pulled my hand back. She hadn’t moved away from me, but I sensed my touch frightened her.

 

“You may… touch me if you desire, Master Brody,” the wretched creature shuddered, and I felt sick to my stomach. “I am not worthy of rejecting a Knight. I am only allowed to serve.”

 

I stood up and took a step away, wondering how terrible her life must be. I didn’t think I could be any more surprised to see a person acting so debased, but when she shifted and looked up at me, my mouth went dry.

 

She wasn’t disfigured or ugly. Quite the opposite! Her ebony black skin was smooth and unblemished, with high cheekbones and piercing red eyes. Her eyelashes and brows were just as bleached white as her hair. Her chin came down to what I can only think to call a rounded but sculpted point. I knew immediately that she wasn’t human, even without her unearthly beauty and pointed ears.

 

Holy fucking shit! Charlotte screeched in my head, making me flinch. The maid mistook that and dropped her head back to the floor, begging to be forgiven for looking at me.

 

“It’s okay,” I tried to console her but didn’t move any closer. She wasn’t human. She was one of those freaks! And yet, her behavior broke my heart.

 

I can’t fucking believe it! I thought… I’d hoped when I saw her, but they were supposed to be extinct. Do you know what this means?! Charlotte sounded beyond excited.

 

I have no idea what you’re freaking out about, I told the succubus while staring at the creature cowering on the floor.

 

She’s a drow elf! Charlotte sounded so excited, but I couldn’t understand why. So what if the maid was a dark elf? Yes, I know what a drow is. I’ve played enough games with them that I knew a bit, at least. But they were almost always the bad guys. No, no, no! Elves were thought to be all but extinct. There was only one elf left—and let me tell you, she’s quite the bitch! But there are other elves! Or, at least, one other elf.

 

“Are you okay?” Al asked me, breaking me from my internal conversation.

 

“Huh?” I stared at the redhead, then nodded. “Yeah. Just not used to seeing or being this close to a non-human.”

 

 “You looked like you were ready to eat her,” Al chuckled. “And you were getting on me about staring earlier! Your two wives not keeping you satisfied?”

 

“What? No!” I said, feeling my temper rise at the double accusation. “My wives are doing just fine, thank you.” I almost told Al that I could never be interested in a freak, but she looked so pathetic, groveling there, that I couldn’t get the words out.

 

It also helps that you find her extremely attractive, Charlotte accused me. I’m finally softening you up. You know, I could take on her form tonight after you go to sleep, if you’d like?

 

Shut up, I told the succubus before walking up to the wall with body armors and grabbing one that looked light and flexible. Beautiful and svelt as the maid was, her attitude was unattractive to me. I know some men enjoy an extremely submissive woman—and in the bedroom, I’ll admit I might as well—but outside the bedroom, I desired confidence. “Come on, Al. Let’s get our gear ready before Consul Willmont wonders what we’re doing in here.”

 

Al shrugged before saying, “Suit yourself, but I plan on taking him up on his offer to try her out after the mission.”

 

“And what about your wife?” I asked, more than a little surprised at my fellow Knight. “Won’t Jolene have an issue with that?”

 

“Why?” Al looked at me as though I spouted nonsense. “Man, I keep trying to tell you. Our wives won’t mind. Hell, maybe I’ll have Jolene join us. What a sight that would make, huh? Jolene’s pale skin pressed against this thing’s black back. Have you ever seen skin so dark? Ebony and ivory.” Al adjusted his crotch and hummed happily to himself as he went to inspect the blades.

 

I decided it was best to ignore his crude comments as I donned the armor. I liked Al, but he was starting to remind me of Adam. Before joining Al by the weapons, I also snagged knee and elbow pads and a set of sturdy military-style boots with built-in sheaths for blades.

 

“Hey, um—” I paused, unsure what to call the maid before driving on. “Do you know anything about the mission we’re going on?”

 

Her head lifted enough for her red eyes to land on me before dropping back to the floor. “My master has only told me that we will be underground.”

 

We? I wondered but dismissed it. That would explain why guns were a bad idea. Ricochets would be unpredictable.

 

With that information in mind, I ignored the spears and longer weapons. Instead, I reached for a couple of stilettos, and then it hit me. This mission would be dangerous. I know I should have realized it before, but after having died on a mission that was supposed to be simple, I found my hands sweating and beginning to shake.

 

I willed them to close over the hilts of the two long blades. I tried to convince myself that I was stronger now and much harder to hurt, much less kill. I felt Charlotte reinforcing my positive emotions, but it wasn’t enough. Was I going to die again, this time with no hope of being reincarnated? What hope or chance did I have? I wasn’t trained on how to fight and kill magical creatures. I knew martial arts, but what good would that do against a hydra or a basilisk? Those lived underground, didn’t they? Lizard-people?

 

You’ll have two fully trained Knights with you, Charlotte tried to console me before my mind screamed off in a panic.

 

One of which sent me on the last mission where I died, I argued back. And according to you, he has my pendant.

 

Okay… Well then, you have me, and I know how to fight. I promised to keep you safe and will continue to do that, no matter what. The sincerity in Charlotte’s voice broke through my rising terror. It didn’t go away, and perhaps it was helped by the succubus’s ability to bolster my emotions, but I felt better.

 

It struck me then that despite my best efforts, Charlotte was winning me over. I trusted her. Regardless of her motives for hijacking my return to the living world, she worked hard and sacrificed her freedoms for me. Of course, I didn’t like what she was, but perhaps I didn’t have to make her existence so difficult.

 

Awe, I love you too!

 

Shut up. She had to go and ruin my epiphany.

 

“Master Brody, may I assist you?” the maid’s voice directly behind me caused me to jump and drop the blades. Before they had an opportunity to fall far and impale my innocent feet, my hands shot out, gripped both hilts, and slipped the knives into my boots. By the astonished look on Al’s face, it had to look incredibly cool. However, my heart was in my throat because I knew it was Charlotte’s skill.

 

Turning around, I faced the woman. Her eyes stared at her feet, but at least she was standing again. This close, I noticed how tall she was. With her head bowed and shoulders hunched, the top of her head was eye level with me.

 

“Any weapons you’d suggest we take?” I asked her after swallowing hard.

 

“I am not allowed to touch a weapon, but I would suggest a short blunt weapon in addition to the two blades.” Her eyes flicked up to mine again before she dropped her gaze.

 

“Hey, I could use some help too,” Al said, sounding more than a little jealous.

 

“Of course, Master Mckay,” the maid said and moved over to him. Her frilly skirt swayed hypnotically as she moved, and I shook myself to focus back on the weapons before me. “I would not recommend this spear. It’s suitable for keeping enemies at bay but challenging to wield fully when in cramped areas. This cane is a good choice if you know how to use a short sword. It has—”

 

“A cane?” Al asked with a grimace. “I don’t need help walking. I want to kill monsters.”

 

“Let me see that,” I asked and waited for the maid to hand over the cane hanging on the wall among the short swords. When she didn’t move, I remembered that she wasn’t allowed to touch the weapons and pulled it down myself. It appeared to be made of oak but was too light and sturdy. The head of the cane bent and formed the shape of a viper’s head. I noted a slight indent near the bend, and upon pressing against it, the cane’s weight shifted. I heard the metal clatter on the floor before I understood what had happened.

 

“Please be careful with that blade, Master Brody,” the maid warned me as she bent to retrieve what I now understood to be the metal sheath. The blade stretched for about two feet and was no thicker than half an inch at the widest. The shiny surface reflected light back with an oily sheen. “The inside of the cane is coated with an incredibly dangerous poison.”

 

I accepted the base of the cane from her, curious that she could touch this but not the whole object. With the blade removed, I could tell it was metal, despite its outward oak appearance. With extreme caution, I seated the weapon back inside the base and moved to put it back. I didn’t want something potentially dangerous to myself.

 

No, keep it, Charlotte warned me as my arm stopped under her control. I also noted the hungry gleam in Al’s eyes as I brought it back to my side.

 

“This was a good suggestion,” I told the maid with a smile she didn’t look up to see.

 

“Anything else I should look for?” Al asked, sounding more than a little miffed.

 

In the end, I slipped another blade into my left elbow pad and hooked a wicked-looking baton with a retractible hook onto my belt. Al opted for a silver-coated gladius, a few knives, and a spiked mace in addition to similar body armor to my own.

 

Consul Willmont looked us over as we walked out of his armory with a critical eye.

 

“Interesting choices in weapons,” he told me with a frown at the cane. “Be very careful with that. The blade’s poison coating is derived from the wandering spider’s venom. It would be quite the hassle if you accidentally nicked yourself or one of us.”

 

For some reason, Charlotte snickered at that. Was she imagining me accidentally killing my allies?

 

Nope! She was quick to answer. I solemnly swear that’s not why I’m laughing.

 

I wondered if the wandering spider was some mythical creature, but I didn’t dare ask, and Charlotte didn’t offer any information.

 

I noticed that Consul Willmont wore padded leather armor and carried two short blades on his back. Apparently, the prohibition against guns didn’t apply to him, as I noted the pistol on his hip. Derrick trundled out in chain mail and leather armor. He even carried a black motorcycle helm under one arm.

 

Compared to him, we’re all underdressed, I thought to Charlotte.

 

No kidding, she agreed. You’d think for such a vaunted hero and warrior, he wouldn’t weigh himself down so much.

 

Unless he knows something we don’t, I thought. Still, a glance at Willmont showed that he also regarded Derrick’s heavy attire with curiosity.

 

If the giant man noticed our stares, he didn’t comment.

 

“Well, if we’re all ready to go?” Willmont glanced around before pointing to the front door and facing Al and me. “You two follow after us. We’ll be driving for a couple hours. If you need to use the bathroom, now’s the time to do it.”

 

We were on the road a few minutes later, following a heavily tinted white SUV.

 

I’m not going to write about the boring drive there, except to say that Al talks a lot! Charlotte thinks Al is generally a good guy, and I should ignore how much he drooled over the maid. But, of course, she doesn’t see a problem with a man lusting after another woman and even told me that most men have much worse thoughts, though they keep them to themselves. I won’t pretend to be a paragon of virtue by any stretch of the imagination. After the incident in Utah with that wife-trainer, I have to concede that I’m not much better.

 

A little over two hours after leaving, I regretted not having more to eat. My stomach rumbled as we traveled down a bumpy dirt road before parking in a rocky, hilly area.

 

“You boys ready?” Derrick asked with what sounded like a forced chuckle as he got out of the back seat of the SUV. The maid stepped from the other side, and I couldn’t help but notice her straightening her uniform as she opened the back of their vehicle.

 

The maid rummaged around for a moment in the SUV before pulling out some sandwiches and handing them out.

 

“Best to eat now, before the fun begins,” Consul Willmont told us. “The smell shouldn’t be too bad, but if it is, we’ve got something for that. Better to have something in your bellies than nothing at all.”

 

“We still don’t know what we’re doing, Sir,” I said and took my sandwich from the maid. I was getting rather hungry, but the meal was little more than a slice of ham and cheese on white bread. Bland, but better than nothing. At least Charlotte wasn’t warning me off of this food.

 

“You boys are in for a treat,” Willmont said around a mouthful of sandwich. He took a swig off a canteen, making me realize I didn’t have anything to drink. “A small group of gnolls was spotted entering a cave a few minute’s hike from here.”

 

Knolls? I asked, confused. Isn’t a knoll a grassy hill?

 

Yes, but he’s talking about gnolls with a G instead of a K, Charlotte told me. Gnolls are humanoid-hyena monsters, very vicious and short-tempered. They breed like rabbits and will eat almost anything. They’re worse than cockroaches. Usually, I wouldn’t agree with anything the Knights do, but I can’t argue in this case. A nest of gnolls should be cleared out as soon as possible.

 

So you don’t have a problem killing them? I asked, feeling sick to my stomach. I’d never killed anything larger than a bug. I’d almost killed someone once… but that was…. Well, the less thought about that, the better.

 

“Are you okay?” Al asked me with a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Gnolls are pushovers. Barely smarter than a dog and easily cowed. We’ve nothing to worry about.”

 

“That’s true unless they’re in large groups,” Derrick chimed in. “That’s why it’s so important to find nests and stamp them out when they’re small like this one.”

 

Just be quick about it and don’t let them suffer, Charlotte answered my previous question.

 

Willmont gave us a few last-minute tips, like going for their throats, slash instead of stab, and watch out for their bites and claws. After that, we started hiking.

 

It wasn’t hard to find the cave, and I wished I hadn’t eaten before. The stench of death and rot was overwhelming. Flies choked the air and filled it with an incessant buzz.

 

“Here!” Willmont handed each of us something soft. Then, through eyes that watered from my attempts not to vomit, I saw him wrap something around his mouth and nose.

 

I quickly did the same with the large bandana and found my breaths coming easier. The cloth held the strong scent of mint, almost enough to block out the other stench.

 

“This doesn’t look good,” Derrick said, wide-eyed. “I thought this was supposed to be a small group. Instead, this smells like they’ve been here for a while.”

 

“I’m sure my information is good,” Willmont said, not backing down. “We’re too close to the road for a large group to go unnoticed for long.”

 

I glanced back, wondering if he meant the dirt road that had appeared little used.

 

“I’m sure we can handle any group with you on our side, Guardian Rhinehardt!” Al said with too much enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the tall man didn’t look as enthused.

 

I glanced at the maid, wondering what her take was, but she kept her eyes down.

 

“Derrick, take point. You—” Willmont pointed to the maid, “stay right behind him and warn if you see anything. Al, Bobby, you take the center and try not to stab one another. I’ll guard our rear. Let’s move and get this over with.”

 

Is that the first time he’s used your first names? Charlotte asked.

 

I nodded, wondering what it meant as I stepped up to Al’s right. I hadn’t paid much attention before, but I noted he carried his short sword in his left hand. I brought my cane up but didn’t unsheath the blade. I thought about using my daggers but had nowhere to store the cane.

 

“Once more unto the breach,” Derrick murmured and began walking forward.

 

That’s not the proper use of that phrase! Charlotte groused in my head.

 

I mentally nodded, knowing it’s supposed to be a rallying call to attempt something dangerous again. At least, I hoped this wasn’t the second attempt to clear out this cave.

 

Thin grey clouds filled the sky, making for a cooler day than it could have been, but I still felt sweat gliding down my spine as we approached the entrance to the cave. I noted how the tip of my cane shook despite my best efforts to calm myself. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I entertained the thought of turning and running back to the vehicles. I wasn’t ready to die again. Was I prepared to kill?

 

Take a deep breath, Charlotte’s soothing voice called to me, and I felt her calming emotions envelop my psyche. I can handle the actual fighting—if you’ll let me. I know you have skills also, but I have experience. I can’t do it if I’m fighting you for control, though.

 

I looked back and noted how closely Consul Willmont watched me. Did he know what I was thinking? Was he waiting for me to turn traitor and run?

 

I loosened my white-knuckled grip on the cane and squared my shoulders. If we run into problems or get overwhelmed, jump in. Otherwise… I swallowed hard as we passed the entrance to the cave. Otherwise, I need to know if I can do this.

 

After only a few paces, Derrick and the maid stopped.

 

“Gnolls are nocturnal creatures,” Willmont said in hushed tones as he handed out headlamps. “Keep your eyes and ears open. They’re dumb creatures when they don’t have an alpha, and this nest is too new to have one.”

 

I placed the light on my head and flipped it on. It was dim, but my eyes quickly adjusted with some help from Charlotte. In fact, as we moved deeper in, I heard Al mutter that he could barely see, but I could easily make out every rock and crevice. Finally, it occurred to me that I could no longer smell the stench of the place.

 

You’re welcome, Charlotte said to my un-voiced appreciation.

 

Just as I began to wonder how deep the cave went, and where these hyena creatures were, Derrick stopped us. The two higher-ranking Knights conferred in whispers that my internal succubus informed me even she couldn’t hear.

 

“How. Are. You. Breathing?” Al asked me between shallow breaths. He then leaned over, lifted his mouth covering, and lost what was in his stomach.

 

I waited for him to wipe his mouth, and we took a few steps away from his wet pile before I answered him, pretending to struggle with gagging.

 

“I spent some time in juvenile detention as a kid. The bathroom there was about as bad as this, but maybe with more ammonia stench. Cleaning it was a real bitch.”

 

“You’ll… have to—urgh—tell me about that… after we get out of here,” Al tried to speak through his nausea. He gave me an odd look, staring directly into my eyes before shaking his head.

 

“No, I won’t,” I told him with finality. That wasn’t a time I cared to think or talk about.

 

We were saved from further conversation as Derrick and Willmont finished their discussion.

 

“Let’s move!” Willmont said in a firm but quiet voice.

 

Your basketball star is afraid, Charlotte told me. I can’t read his mind, but his body language is clear.

 

Probably just nervous having a couple rookies behind him, I said, though she knew I didn’t really believe that. Someone with his reputation shouldn’t be afraid of dumb creatures, right?

 

I felt Charlotte shaking her head as some of her anxiety leached into me. A group of gnolls are easy prey for prepared fighters, she told me. As long as the nest isn’t too large or if they have an alpha.

 

My eyes searched our surroundings, examining every nook and cranny as we walked. I hoped with all my heart that she hadn’t jinxed us by bringing up the alpha. So what’s the big deal with an alpha? That’s just a bigger, stronger one, isn’t it?

 

Before she could answer, a weird laughing yip echoed inside the cavern. The sound triggered some ancestral memory, and I stopped moving, terrified. I’m honestly surprised I didn’t wet myself.

 

“Alpha!” Guardian Rhinehardt shouted. “I fucking told you!” His eyes grew large as he looked behind me to Willmont.

 

As if my neck consisted of rusty gears, my neck slowly turned to face our leader.

 

He wasn’t there.

 

“Willmont, you fucking bastard!” Derrick screamed, then shook his head and took charge. “Everyone, move so our backs are together. Maid, if you don’t want to become their next meal, stay between us. I’m not going to risk my life to save yours, so watch out and let us know if you see anything. You other two, we’re going to move slowly back the way we came. Trust each other to watch your backs, and we’ll get out of here.”

 

Even though he was taking charge, and his advice sounded fair, I could tell he didn’t believe that last statement. Regardless, we did as he ordered, forming a triangle with the maid behind each of us.

 

“I can see clearly,” I said, moving to take the point.

 

For a moment, it looked like Derrick was going to argue, but he took one look at my face and said, “What the fuck is wrong with your eyes? Never mind. If you can see, take the lead. The maid can warn us when they attack.”

 

I wondered what he saw in my eyes but didn’t argue. I wanted to get the hell out of there and started walking. It took all of my willpower not to break into a full-on sprint. Even so, Derrick had to tell me to slow down.

 

Sweat liberally dripped from my brow and down my body, despite the cooler temperatures inside the cave. That laughing yip repeatedly sounded, spurring us on, but the attack didn’t come.

 

“Why aren’t they attacking?” I asked, gritting my teeth against my building nerves.

 

“Damned alphas,” Derrick responded as though that said everything.

 

Alphas are smart, Charlotte informed me. They terrorize their prey. The nest is much bigger than Willmont thought, and we’re surrounded. We’re not getting out of here without a fight. Um… Do you remember this fork in the cave?

 

“Damn it!” I swore before calling back over my shoulder. “Guardian Rhinehardt, left or right? I don’t remember this fork.”

 

“What fork?” Derrick shouted back, then dropped a string of curses. “Can you see our tracks coming in?”

 

I scanned the ground, but the rock floor was heavily scuffed in all directions. “Looks like they covered our tracks,” I said back.

 

After another set of curses, he ordered, “Go left. Always go left in a dungeon.”

 

I thought it was always go right, but I followed his command.

 

“Ugh, I think it’s actually starting to smell worse,” Al complained.

 

“Stop complaining and keep your eyes open,” Guardian Rhinehardt snapped.

 

“The stench is making them water,” Al complained, though barely above a whisper.

 

Awfully cheery but hollow laughter echoed through the passageway. That sound is going to haunt my nightmares for years to come. It followed us down that cave as I searched frantically for any sign that this was the right way. At the next fork, I didn’t hesitate and took another left.

 

Then we ran out of cave to move down.

 

Our path was blocked by a solid rock wall in a slightly bigger room, and we were no longer alone. However, it wasn’t some hyena monster before us, but something much worse.

 

Bones, or rather the broken remains of bones, littered the floor and were piled up along the edges. I couldn’t identify what animal most of them came from, but I recognized a couple of human skulls. Every single bone I could see was picked clean and even had the marrow sucked out. A single, slim path beelined through the center and up to a massive monster.

 

Okay, under the duress of Charlotte’s insistence, I will write that it wasn’t completely a monster. Still, I’d argue that just made it worse.

 

This area had a higher ceiling and widened walls and still looked small compared to this creature. It had to be twelve feet in height, not counting the long snake-like tail that made up its lower half and coiled on the floor. Its upper half was that of a well-built woman that… I’m going to be blunt here. While I consider myself well-built, my muscles toned and well-defined, hers were better. And yet, on her chest hung two massive tear-drop breasts that would typically be fake on such a fit woman, but their shape and how they hung on her chest made me think they were genuine. In addition, she had six long arms spread out around her with her back to the rock wall.

 

“What the hell is a lamia doing tied up down here?” Derrick demanded, applying a name to the monster woman.

 

That’s not a lamia, but a nagini, Charlotte informed me. Before her words, I couldn’t tell you the difference between a lamia and a nagini. After her annoyance echoed through me, I suddenly knew.

 

“I think that’s a nagini, Sir,” I said before thinking better of correcting him. “Lamia are smaller and human-sized. Those six arms—never mind. Shutting up now.” I quickly shut my mouth at the man’s glare.

 

“None of that tells me why she’s tied up,” Guardian Rhinehardt growled and approached the creature.

 

I hadn’t noticed before, but her six arms weren’t just spread out but shackled to the wall. Her coils were also tied up in ropes and attached to metal hooks in the ground.

 

“To act as bait to lure in more of her kind,” a raspy voice sounded from the way we’d come, making every human jerk to face that direction. “Never thought I’d collect some Knights as well.”

 

A true monstrosity came into view. Over eight feet tall, yellowish-brown, spotted fur covering it from head to toe, and the head of a jackal, the thing stood blocking our way out. If I thought the snake creature behind us was well built, this thing was a diesel truck on steroids. However, where the nagini had a smooth musculature, this thing was all crags and hard angles.

 

“Alpha,” Guardian Rhinehardt hissed as though I couldn’t have figured that out. The thing let out the same laugh that haunted us throughout the caverns, only now it didn’t sound so hollow. It was hungry.

 

“Save the female, my children,” the alpha stated and pointed at our group. “You can eat the rest.”

 

More yipping laughter filled the room, and that’s when I noticed all the eyes reflecting the light of our headlamps behind the hulking brute.

 

“Shoulder to shoulder, men! Don’t let them through!” Derrick shouted orders. Years of listening to a coach bark orders had trained me to comply with that tone, and this time was no different. Derick took the center, two long daggers in his hands, with me on his right. I unsheathed the blade in my cane and held the sheath in my off-hand to act as a club.

 

Free the nagini! Charlotte ordered me next. She wants to help us. We’ll need all the help we can get.

 

“We should—” I never got the words out before smaller versions of the alpha swarmed us.

 

My arms either moved on instinct or under the succubus’ control, but my blade stabbed through the ribs of the first gnoll to reach me. I had to plant my feet as its weight tried to push me back. I could feel its fetid breath on my face before it slumped and fell to the ground, dead. Exhilaration at surviving the first attack warred with disgust at having killed the hideous creature.

 

My blade caught as it fell, almost ripping it from my grasp. Distracted by the sudden terror that I would be defenseless, I yanked hard on the hilt, not seeing the dead gnoll’s sibling leaping over to bite me.

 

“Focus!” Guardian Rhinehardt screamed and cut the thing’s head off in one smooth motion.

 

My blade yanked free as I turned my back to the taller man and let the headless beast stumble past me. Instead of responding, I followed his advice, remembering I was supposed to slice with my blade, not stab.

 

Charlotte warned me a moment before another one swiped from my throat. Bringing my blade up, I used its momentum to slice its wrist, spraying blood across the ground and my front. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to kill or remove it from the fight, so I brought the sheath around, clubbing it on the head.

 

“There’re too many of them,” Al gasped. I couldn’t spare a glance beyond the gnoll in front of me, but I couldn’t miss the terror in his voice.

 

My blow to the gnoll’s head must have dazed it as it blinked at me a few times, then gave off that eerie laugh, grabbed its crotch under its loincloth, and….

 

Is it…? I asked, wondering how hard I’d hit it.

 

I heard Charlotte laugh as she ordered me to focus again.

 

I took advantage of the beast’s frantic masturbation to slice its throat. Its hand didn’t release his bulbous tool even after death.

 

I wanted to ask what the hell was going on but was hard-pressed to defend against the next attack. And they didn’t slow. More than once, a claw or tooth slipped past my guard, and pain would distract me for a moment. In those moments, Charlotte took over and defended us with incredible skill and precision. She even saved Guardian Rhinehardt a few times.

 

These are just the canon fodder, Charlotte said as we were slowly forced back. Between the piling bodies and their sheer numbers, we were in trouble. If the alpha joins in, we’re fucked!

 

Her words acted as an omen as the alpha laughed angrily. Then, with no other warning, the tide of gnolls cut off.

 

If I give you complete control, can you fight him? I asked in a panic.

 

No.

 

That single word filled me with a new level of terror. Other than its size, what made it so formidable?

 

The three humans panted as we stared at the giant hyena-man walking toward us. The smaller gnolls stood back, watching and laughing as their big brother took the field. The massive brute licked its black lips as we waited for the inevitable.

 

I blinked—I swear it was no more than a blink—and it vanished. I heard a grunt to my left and saw Al on the ground, motionless, his headlamp extinguished. I forced my eyes to remain open as Derrick swung his blade at the monster, but I still couldn’t see it move. One moment it stood laughing over Al, the next, it was behind Derrick, clobbering him on the back of the head with a bowling-ball-sized fist.

 

Less than a second later, his light went out.

 

Having seen enough anime, I shouted a loud “Ha!” and spun to strike the empty air behind me.

 

My shout became a squeak as my wrist stopped in a vice grip. The monster brought its face close to mine and let out its softest laugh. Honestly, it was probably the most horrific sound so far, seeing as it was filled with yellowed teeth, rancid breath, and malicious glee.

 

The hyena’s head turned to sniff my blade before splitting into a tooth-filled grin. I felt and heard my forearm snap as it twisted its grip and brought my blade around to slice my cheek. My numb hand still held the hilt.

 

I screamed in agony, liquid fire burning along all my injuries. The alpha backhanded me, sending my agonized body into one of the bone piles. Charlotte’s cries of torment filled my head as my own filled my ears.

 

Through the pain, and as I awaited death, I became aware of another issue. Through the haze of my tortured body, I began to understand why that masturbating gnoll acted as it had.

 

All the blood remaining in my body apparently decided this was the right time to focus solely on my crotch. My manhood thickened and throbbed, adding a new level of torment. Using my uninjured left hand, I fumbled to undo my pants to release my cramped manhood. My entire world centered around my crushed right arm and engorged cock. I gripped myself at the base and felt the slightest bit of relief. The pain didn’t go away, but it was better than a moment before.

 

As I gripped my angry cock, I had enough cognizance to realize that the pain in my right arm was receding. In fact, all awareness except for my burgeoning need to masturbate receded into the background.

 

I desperately wanted to use my other hand, but it was useless. Even without the pain of my twisted arm, I couldn’t move that hand. So with my non-dominant hand, I massaged my girth, trying to find relief.

 

Stop… Focus… Words floated through my head, but I ignored them. They weren’t necessary. Good, but… no. Stop!

 

I lost control of my one good hand as Charlotte took control. I had just enough awareness to see the alpha gnoll fighting something massive before turning to what mattered most. The fact that my hand was now feminine didn’t matter as long as I could force it back to my rod. Thick veins stood out along my length in the biggest boner I’ve ever sported.

 

“He’s been poisoned,” someone said over me, but I was too busy trying to grip myself to look at her.

 

“Kinda busy,” someone else grunted with a singsong accent.

 

“Sleep, Master Brody,” the first voice commanded as a cool hand pressed over my eyes, and I obeyed.

 

*    *    *    *

 

There were no dreams or visits to Charlotte’s mind world this time. Instead, one moment I struggled to literally get ahold of myself, and the next, I found myself looking up into the maid’s red irises. I was still in pain, but it remained centered around my groin and not all over.

 

My mind was also clear, even though my crotch stood tall and proud. I realized my head lay on her lap and sat up, moving a couple paces away from her. Then I remembered where we were and got to my feet, brushing dirt and bone pieces from my body. My pants were still undone, and there was no way I could button them up with my rod as thick and firm as it stood.

 

“We should talk before I wake the other two,” the maid said.

 

I tried to cover my sex, but every touch sent electric jolts through my nervous system. At least the maid kept her eyes on my face.

 

“We can take care of that after we talk,” the maid spoke in a calming tone as though not to startle a skittish animal. “We don’t have much time before the poison overwhelms you again. The Nagini can only hold it at bay for a little bit.”

 

Talk of the nagini made me look around, and I found the giant snake woman wrapped tightly around the crushed corpse of the alpha gnoll. Her eyes were closed with all six hands clasped in front of her, one pair near her groin, one at her sternum, and the last set at eye level. It reminded me of a Hindu painting of one of their goddesses. Her fingers were laced together, with the pointers extended, their tips touching.

 

“What—” I tried to say and found my mouth was parched. I tried to work moisture back into my mouth, but the maid covered it, keeping me silent. Her hand smelled of dirt and grim, but I found myself thinking of sucking on her fingers.

 

What was wrong with me?!

 

“No time!” the maid snapped at me before continuing in a rush. “You must understand that my master knows you have something else in you. He’s been spying on you through your home. He intended for you to have an accident if you survived the gnolls. Master Rhinehardt and Master Mckay don’t know. I can’t do anything against my master, but you have been so kind to me, I had to warn you.”

 

The swelling in my crotch grew steadily worse, fogging my mind, but her warning cut through that with sudden fear for my wives. I needed to get back to them as soon as possible. But, unfortunately, I also needed to fuck something right away.

 

No! I need to focus! I demanded of myself, wondering why Charlotte was staying quiet.

 

I nodded to the dark elf, and she removed her hand. Apparently, she was much more intelligent than Consul Willmont gave her credit. “Where… Willmont?” I managed to speak around the dryness in my mouth.

 

“He’s still alive,” the maid informed me. “That’s all I know.”

 

“Hurry!” The nagini gasped, and I noted the sweat beading on her forehead.

 

The maid nodded at the snake monster before turning her red eyes on me. “In a moment, you will lose control. The poison will take over, and you’ll be consumed by lust. Know that I have experience with this. As long as you don’t fill me with your seed, I’ll be fine.” Before I could respond, she told the nagini, “Let them go.”

 

The other creature dropped all six of her hands and slumped forward, over the alpha gnoll still clutched in her coils.

 

As her hands fell, so too did my sanity. My mind felt aflame with one desire and need. My cock thrummed as I focused on the beautiful creature in front of me. It didn’t matter to me that she was attractive. All that mattered was that she had holes I could plunge my rod into again and again.

 

As if sensing my desire, the maid gripped my length hard and dry-stroked me in a way that should have had me howling in pain. But instead, it felt incredible as her two slender hands worked me.

 

It wasn’t enough. I needed more. I needed—

 

Her head dropped, her bright white hair hiding her actions, but I felt the moment her mouth slipped around the tip. My head fell back as I howled in pleasure! Even as I felt her teeth grazing my sensitive flesh, my body shook with the pleasure of it all. My thoughts were too consumed with lust and need to question why something that should have hurt felt so divine. But as I write this experience down, it boggles my mind.

 

This time as I desired more, the maid didn’t act fast enough. I grabbed her pointed ears and vigorously forced her head down. Somehow, even as thick as I am, she managed to take me into her throat. I then used my grip to move her up and down at a brutal pace, only concerned with my pleasure. I heard her gag and grunt but strove on, nearing my climax.

 

I used her throat as my own personal fuck-toy for several more seconds, moaning and grunting with my increased bliss. Finally, just before I blew, the maid managed to slip my grip and pull away. Her right hand stroked me as her left grabbed something and held it to my tip. Electrical fire coursed along my nerves, scouring my soul clean as I filled the object with my ejaculate.

 

I don’t know how long the orgasm lasted. It felt like hours but was over too soon.

 

I sensed, more than I saw, the maid stand and turn away from me. I wasn’t done, though. Even as incredible as the climax was, I needed more.

 

A female voice echoed in my head, More! I need more! So good… so good!

 

I moved to my feet with more speed than I knew I was capable of. The maid had just enough time to look over her shoulder in surprise before I lifted her skirt and attempted to thrust inside her.

 

“What?” she squawked, trying to pull away, but my grip on her skirt was iron-clad. “Normally, once is enough!”

 

“Do you need help?” the singsong voice of the nagini asked, though I could tell she was still exhausted. I noticed her delicious breasts on display and misinterpreted her question. She had holes I could fill!

 

I let go of the maid to go to the other woman, undaunted by her size or the fact that she wasn’t human.

 

Fuck her! Fuck them all! I don’t know if that was my thought or Charlotte’s.

 

The maid moved to get between us, her hand gripping my manhood once again, making me moan and shudder in delight.

 

“No, I need to finish this,” she told the snake lady. “His precum has an aphrodisiac effect, but his actual spend is deadly. I can handle him.”

 

She started rubbing me against her wet slit, but it wasn’t fast enough for me. I needed to be inside her. So even though she stood a couple inches taller than me, I gripped her waist, lifted her up, and then dropped her onto my turgid length. Even as wet as she was, she was tight! As I stabbed deep into her slick channel, I heard her grunt in pain. She didn’t fight me, though, as I combined moving my hips and using my strength to lift her up and drop her back down. As I controlled her movements, I felt her legs wrap around my hips as her hands gripped my shoulders.

 

As good as her throat had felt, this was incredibly better, but it was missing something. I needed more. My mind swirled, unable to think beyond the compulsion to fuck to understand what it was.

 

Then I felt the maid’s teeth sink into the juncture of my neck and shoulder and understood. I also needed pain. Never before had I considered myself a masochist, but something about the mixture of pain and pleasure elevated the experience to a whole other level.

 

Her teeth released me, but I felt her nails dig into my back as she cooed in my ear, “That’s it. Use my body for your pleasure. Doesn’t my tiny little cunt feel good sliding up and down your thick cock?”

 

If she has time to talk, you’re not fucking her hard enough, Charlotte told me, and I took it for the challenge it was.

 

Firming my grip on the maid’s hips, I increased my pace and force. The midnight-skinned woman grunted with each impact, her nails drawing gouges in my skin as the sounds of us fucking reverberated around the cave.. Something warm and wet dripped down my back, and I knew she’d drawn blood. But, despite the pain, it only spurred me on, and soon I’d worked up quite a sweat.

 

“Cum…” the maid gasped, and I thought she was telling me to orgasm until she threw her head back and groaned. “Cumming!”

 

As a new warmth dripped from my scrotum, I felt her inner muscles squeeze me hard. I felt another climax coming on me, and I couldn’t wait to fill her insides with my seed.

 

So good… The other voice in my head crooned. But wouldn’t it be better to paint her face? You don’t want more babies, do you?

 

I didn’t give two fucks about getting her pregnant. However, the mental image of her on her knees, mouth open as I sprayed my seed across her beautiful face, became too appealing to resist.

 

Her body remained limp as I pumped a few more times into her tight channel before lifting her up and setting her on the hard ground. As her knees touched upon the filthy floor, she came alive. Moving with an alacrity that belied her earlier daze, she grabbed the same bottle as before but not before a spurt of milky white seed flew from my tip. She dodged its aerial projection and pressed the opening to my tip as fireworks of ecstasy exploded through my system.

 

My knees grew weak as my orgasm ebbed, and I took a couple stumbling steps. Something caught the back of my leg, and I toppled over its soft and warm form.

 

Sanity crept back into my awareness, and I glanced around, trying to think through a forming migraine.

 

“What… happened?” I mumbled through a mouth that still felt dry. The stench hit me then, and I leaned over to empty my stomach of its remaining contents.

 

“Here, Master Brody” Something was placed before me, and I looked up into the sweaty face of the maid. She held the bandana I’d used earlier to help with the smell, and I quickly tied it around my face.

 

“What happened?” I asked again, my head clearing as time progressed.

 

“You almost killed me, Master Brody,” the maid said with too much calm.

 

You’re welcome for redirecting you; by the way, Charlotte informed me.

 

Memories of the last few minutes flit through my head as though they were a dream. Had I really lost all control while in this hellish place? What was wrong with me? I felt sick all over again, but this time it wasn’t due to the smell of rot.

 

“I’m so sorry I did that to you,” I told the maid. “I don’t think I can ever make it up to you. I—”

 

“I already told you that I forgave you for what you would do. I knew what was to come and went into it willing.” The maid’s soft words made me feel even more retched as she tried to soothe me. How could a creature with such a caring demeanor be so nonchalant about how I’d manhandled her? “I must admit that it was a more pleasant experience than my previous times assisting those poisoned by that blade.”

 

My head snapped up at her words, realizing that she must have suffered far worse while working for Consul Willmont. That’s when I noticed what I’d tripped over. Derrick Rhinehardt lay on the ground, unmoving. Not far away lay Al Mckay.

 

“Oh, shit!” I moved to check out Derrick, but another voice made me freeze, its singsong accent pulling me up short.

 

“They only sleep, human. The drow suggested we let them rest until I am free of this lair.”

 

I looked up, and then up, and up some more into the beautiful face of the snake woman. Terror gripped my heart, but just as fast, it was smothered.

 

Had she wished to harm you, you’d be as dead as the alpha. A glance to my left showed the mangled corpse of the deadly creature.

 

“Are there any more of the gnolls around?” I asked, suddenly worried for a different reason.

 

“Alphas draw their strength from their packs,” the maid told me. “The larger the pack, the stronger the alpha. That one was barely a pack alpha. However, the drawback for them is that if the alpha is killed, the pack dies with them.”

 

If that one was barely an alpha, I didn’t want to think what a more powerful one with a larger pack could do. It’d wiped the floor with us.

 

“Thank you for saving us,” I said and meant it with all my heart. At that moment, I didn’t care that she wasn’t human. They were still freaks, but they’d saved my life.

 

“If you are well enough, we should go,” the nagini said, ignoring my appreciation.

 

I nodded, not wanting to be in this place a moment longer than I needed to. I realized my pants were still undone as I got to my feet. My raging hormones were back under control, and I fasted my pants up with a sigh of relief. I noted the dark stains on my clothes and only then remembered my broken arm. Except it wasn’t broken. None of my injuries from the battle remained. Before I could ask how that was possible, the maid spoke.

 

“There is one more thing, Master Brody?”

 

The meekness in the maid’s tone caught my attention more than the fact that she was asking me for something. I turned to face her as I fingered the holes in my armor, finding no wounds. “Yes?”

 

“Master Willmont is dying,” she said in a tone I couldn’t read. Was she happy about that or sad? “When he dies, as his bonded slave, so will I.”

 

“Wait, what?” I asked, shocked by her revelation. “No, that’s not… I mean… How? Why?!”

 

“It’s the slave magic,” Charlotte’s voice came from my throat. I covered my mouth, but the damage was done. Willmont’s slave now knew that something else was inside me.

 

Except she didn’t look surprised. Even the nagini barely seemed to notice.

 

“They already knew I was in you,” Charlotte said as my hands dropped back to my sides. “Maybe not what I am, but they knew there was more to you than a normal human.”

 

“You moved with too much grace in the fight,” the nagini said. “And you can see in this darkness.” I also remembered how Charlotte had tried to fight me when the poison first took effect. My hand had changed into a slender feminine one.

 

The maid merely nodded, and I focused on what she’d said a moment before, though I wasn’t sure what darkness the snake-lady meant.

 

“You saved my life. Is there any way, or anything I can do, to save yours?” Even if she wasn’t human, I felt I owed her.

 

“There is nothing I can ask of you,” she said, a note of sadness finally entering her calm voice. “If we hurry, we may make it out of here in time to assist my master.”

 

Read between the lines! Charlotte snapped at me as I began to feel genuine sympathy for the woman’s plight. What did she—Oh!

 

“Nothing you can ask, but something I can offer,” I said aloud. But what could I do? I couldn’t undo the magic tying her life to Willmont’s.

 

Take over the bond. I was about to tell Charlotte that I didn’t know how, but she continued, I do.

 

I don’t want a slave! I snapped before she could say anything more. But then I saw the look of hope in the maid’s eyes and remembered how she’d saved my life. Maybe my mother would know of a way to break the slavery bond if I couldn’t free her outright.

 

“How do I take over the bond?” I asked Charlotte out loud and felt a little better at how the maid’s face lit up with hope.

 

“I can’t ask—” she started to say, but I cut her off.

 

“I’m telling you that I’m going to do it. You saved my life. I don’t care how forgiving you are about how you did it; I still owe you.”

 

“I still can’t—”

 

This time it was Charlotte that cut her off. “I know how. Where is the spell brand?”

 

Why do you know how? I demanded of the succubus, but she ignored me as the maid turned and lifted the back of her shirt. Her meek demeanor had returned as she followed orders.

 

Had I noticed the brand before, I would have thought it was an intricate tramp stamp. Raised black lines that were actually lighter in tone than her skin drew an intricate pattern.

 

“Is there a clean blade?” Charlotte asked, holding out my hand.

 

The giant nagini placed the hilt of one of my daggers in my palm as I mentally demanded to know what Charlotte needed the blade for.

 

The blade’s tip poked my left index finger in one swift movement. Then, as blood began to well from the point, Charlotte moved that finger to an ornate swirl in the center of the patterned brand.

 

Focus your will on this point, she told me. Concentrate on your essence taking over. I can feel the bond weakening. Don’t hesitate, or she will die.

 

Can’t you do it? I asked, still uncomfortable with having a slave.

 

If I do it, she’ll be my slave. It has to be you!

 

Flustered and feeling more than a little pressured, I still did as she bade. I concentrated on the tip of my finger, willing a piece of me into that point and taking control.

 

I felt no different, but after only a moment, the maid pulled away, and I found myself within her embrace. I’m not going to lie; it was a little weird getting a hug from a woman that was taller than me.

 

“Thank you, my new master!” I felt something wet drip onto my head and wondered if she was crying. “I promise to serve you well until the day I die!”

 

“I don’t want a slave,” I groaned but was ignored.

 

“I will help you carry these two, and then I must leave to find my family,” the nagini said, recalling me to the fact that we were still deep inside the gnoll’s fetid lair.

 

Grumbling, I moved to grab Al, but the maid stopped me.

 

“I will carry Master Mckay, Master. He will not be a burden to me.”

 

I turned to Derrick, but the nagini already had him on her snake’s back.

 

“I don’t know the way out of here,” I told the ladies, realizing they wanted me to lead. It also dawned on me that my headlamp was the only one that still worked. Despite that, I could see clearly and wondered if I even needed the light.

 

“I can guide us,” the nagini said and slithered forward.

 

We walked silently for a couple minutes before a question occurred to me. “By the way, I don’t know either of your names.”

 

“I do not have a name,” the maid informed me. “My previous master didn’t see a reason for me to have one.”

 

As if I needed one more thing to be upset with Consul Willmont about….

 

“I am the Royal Princess Ashani Devesh Aaban. If you were not a Paladonic Knight, there would be great reward for saving me. However, they will likely kill you on sight if my family ever meets you.”

 

*    *    *    *

 

1072 A.D.

 

Ardin waited as the sun set below the hills. His plan was reckless, but it’d taken him almost five days to figure out that this massive edifice was the pagan temple. He’d mistaken it for an official’s residence or maybe government offices. It didn’t look like what he’d expected a pagan temple to be.

 

Where were the bloodstains? The sacrificial goats? The women dancing around naked and calling out to false gods or the devil?

 

None of that was visible. Instead, a massive pale stone structure sat high, with beautifully worked columns and frescos. Ardin hated to admit it, but it was beautiful to look upon.

 

One of the other reasons he’d mistaken it for a standard building was the guards patrolled and turned back people. Their robes carried a stylized cross, so Ardin knew they were upstanding Christians. Then why would they be guarding a pagan temple?

 

Once he’d realized this was his destination, he’d considered going up to them and asking to be let inside. But after they beat an older woman when she approached, he decided on a different plan. Unfortunately, it took him two more nights to find a way in.

 

Guilt washed over him as he backed away to wait a little longer. How many commandments had he broken so far? He’d been unable to keep the Lord’s sabbath while marching and committed adultery. He’d committed murder while in a rage as another man copulated with his mistress and had impure thoughts about other women. He’d stolen food to survive and planned to steal from this temple.

 

Instead of dwelling on his failures, he turned his mind to his successes. He still honored his parents and hadn’t worshipped any gods besides his true Lord and Savior. And he hadn’t born false witness against anyone. Of course, it wasn’t much, but he held onto that with his remaining sanity.

 

As the sun kissed the horizon, Ardin knew it was time. Slipping from his hiding spot, he walked a path to the temple that was out of eyesight from the guards. He’d witnessed a young boy make this trek the evening before. He could make it to one wall if he remained within the long shadows and moved when the guards had their heads turned. The boy had vanished, and Ardin suspected there would be some way inside.

 

Following the same path he’d witnessed the boy take, Ardin only had one scare. As he reached the halfway point, he heard a shout and froze. He was between shadows and exposed, should anyone look his way. Ardin looked to where the cry originated, with his heart pounding, then rushed to the next shadow. He couldn’t hear or understand what was said, but it appeared another guard was joining the first two. That shout must have been a greeting given from a distance.

 

His progress was only hampered by his bandaged hands and pain in his back. He still had sores from the last lashings, and his hands were blistered and beginning to stink. He knew that was a bad sign but didn’t dare see anyone about it. Not that he could speak the language.

 

Reaching the pale wall, Ardin saw a wide crack in the foundation hidden behind a growing bush. As significant as the crack was, it was smaller than he’d hoped. The boy would have no problem slipping through, but even with the weight he’d lost recently, it’d be a tight fit for Ardin.

 

Unwilling to give up, he dropped to the ground and started crawling on his hands and knees. The wall was several feet thick, and as he ventured deeper, the walls grew closer. Soon, Ardin found himself inching forward on his stomach. The sides pressed against his shoulders and arms., He felt the sores on his back reopening as they scraped with his passage. The puss-filled bandages around his hands unraveled and loosened, allowing dirt into the popped blisters.

 

Ardin didn’t stop. He was so close to his destination. He didn’t know how he would return to his wife, but his instincts told him to get the fruit, and the rest would come.

 

Had she given birth yet? He didn’t think so, but he’d heard of women delivering early. The babies always had a hard time when that happened and rarely survived. He couldn’t waste any more time. He needed to steal the ambrosia and get back to her. He’d confess his crimes and sins to his wife and the priests when he made it back. But one thing at a time.

 

He knew Venita would forgive him. He’d done it all to protect their family. He hoped it was enough for God to forgive him.

 

His finger found the crack's edge, and he used his flagging strength to pull himself forward. Unfortunately, that’s when he finally became stuck. He couldn’t push himself back with his arms out in front and couldn’t gain any purchase with his feet. He also couldn’t bend his legs enough to try and push forward.

 

Panic welled up in him as he pictured himself dying here, under the wall of a pagan temple. This seemed the worst of all the ways for him to die since setting out on this cursed mission. A runaway slave in a foreign land, dying because of his own foolishness. He should have found another way. He should have turned back before now. But instead, he was stuck.

 

Closing his eyes, Ardin prayed to God. “Please, forgive me my transgressions. If it is your will, allow me to escape and make it back to my family. Take my hands and pull me free. If not, please accept my soul, filthy and worn though it is. All I ask is that my family be safe, and if possible, let them know how much I love them.”

 

He felt calm as he accepted his fate. This was in God’s hands now. Whatever would be, would be.

 

He heard a noise ahead of him, and he held his breath. Fear warred with hope that it might be a guard. Even though it would mean facing them for trespassing and being a runaway slave, it would mean his life.

 

A firm grip slipped into his outstretched hand. The walls seemed to retreat, releasing their prey as Ardin was pulled free.

 

Once free, Ardin dropped to his knees and spoke, knowing that the guard wouldn’t be able to understand him. “Thank you! I owe you my life. I would have died in there if not for you.”

 

“Heh, well now,” a deep and sonorous voice boomed in Ardin’s tongue. “It’s been some time since I’ve been owed one of those. So what’s your name, boy?”

 

Ardin looked up at his rescuer, grateful to hear his own language so clearly. Unfortunately, gratitude was soon replaced with a fresh wave of dread. It wasn’t a guard that’d pulled him free but an impossibly tall, white-haired and bearded man wearing a bright white toga. Despite how dim and dirty the room they were in, the toga and hair seemed to glow. The man stood half again as tall as Ardin and wore a laurel wreath on his brow.

 

Ardin knew this giant by the images he’d seen in his mistress’s private chambers. This was the false god, Zeus.

 

“Your name, boy?” Zeus demanded, his bushy eyebrows drawing together. “I want to know the name of the life I now own.”

 

It took him a few moments to work moisture back into his mouth to speak. “A-Ardin, Sir.” His voice cracked, but he managed to be heard. He didn’t know if he was more terrified that a guard would hear Zeus or that the being would fry him for being a Christian.

 

“Aardinsir, huh?” Zeus gave him a strange look, then shook his head. “I don’t know many from your lands, so I guess that’s probably a common name down there. Now, why don’t you tell me why you’re sneaking into my favorite daughter’s home? Not that she’s alive to defend it… Arelius dropped off his offering last night, so what brings one of the faithful here?”

 

One of the faithful? He knows I’m a Christian! Ardin thought as he moved his tongue inside his mouth to build back the moisture he’d need to talk. No, he thinks I follow after him and his ilk. Maybe I can use this? Venita didn’t warn me that a fake god was guarding this place. Did she know?

 

He didn’t know much about these creatures, but he needed to get that ambrosia.

 

“Oh, great and mighty Zeus,” Ardin dropped to his knees and spoke as words came to him. He didn’t know what to say but hoped his imagination was up to the task. “I have come a long way, seeking the means to protect my family. My wife told me about a fruit that would save us.”

 

“You’re wife?” Zeus interrupted. “Is she hot? You’re filthy, but I can tell that some women would find you attractive once cleaned up. I’ll bet your wife has a nice figure.”

 

“I…” Ardin worked to reorder his thoughts. He reached into his pockets where the broken silver chain and pendant resided. “She is the most beautiful woman in the world. Even in all my travels, I haven’t seen a woman with more natural beauty.”

 

“Oh really?” Zeus stroked his beard in thought. “And what is that in your pocket? I sense a totem of power.”

 

“All I have is this gift my wife gave me on our wedding night,” Ardin pulled the metal disc and chain out. He gripped the chain with his thumb as he showed off the jewelry. He feared the being would snatch it, but he only looked at it with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Oh, ho! Your union was blessed by Aphrodite, huh?” Zeus chuckled, and the sound made the walls shake. “Either she has taken a shine to you, or your wife is a true beauty, indeed!”

 

Inside, Ardin cringed to think that this gift may have been blessed by a pagan god. But, on the outside, he offered a smile.

 

“The most beautiful I’ve ever seen,” he reassured the man.

 

“Hmm,” Zeus looked deep in thought as he alternated between licking his lips and shaking his head. Ardin left him to it, unsure of any wisdom in speaking.

 

With each passing moment, though, he grew more worried. The guards never left their post at the entrance, but surely they heard the large man when he spoke and laughed. He was neither silent nor subtle.

 

After several minutes, Zeus spoke again, his voice solemn. “What you ask for is no small boon, Aardinsir. The very last bit of ambrosia resides under my care. It’s why I remain here in my dead daughter’s temple. Her wisdom has fled this world, but I stay to guard it. One bite holds incredible power. Athena would advise against giving you what you seek if she were here. Instead, she’d say something about the journey being its own reward.”

 

Ardin’s hopes dwindled. Even if he were fully healthy, he didn’t stand a chance of getting past this beast of a man. Wounded and exhausted, Ardin knew his quest was hopeless.

 

“But Aphrodite would say to follow my heart, and there is no mistaking the heart that beats within you,” Zeus went on, his voice changing to one filled with joy and hunger. “I see how weak you’ve become, yet you still fight for this love of yours. So I will grant your request.”

 

A single tear slid down Ardin’s cheek at hearing those words. Zeus held out his empty hand. For the briefest moment, Ardin feared the pagan deity wanted the necklace. Then, a bolt of lightning flashed without warning, and thunder reverberated within the enclosed space. Ardin’s ears rang, and when he touched his left one, it came away wet with blood.

 

But when he saw what lay in the giant hand before him, everything else faded away except the reddish-gold fruit shining in Zeus’s hand.

 

With trembling hands, Ardin reached out and accepted the offering. Zeus said something, but Ardin couldn’t hear, so the deity mimicked taking a bite. Hesitant but too dazed to resist, Ardin brought the goal of this quest to his lips. The first thing he noticed was how fragrant it smelled. Somehow the scent reminded him of laughing next to Venita in the flowery fields and the joy he felt when they married. Then, he recalled how his eyes lit up when she told him she was pregnant, and he began to laugh before he even took a bite.

 

If just the smell brought that kind of euphoria, what would the actual flesh of the fruit do to him?

 

Unable to hide his excitement, Ardin sank his teeth in. Sweet nectar, unlike anything he could have imagined, washed over his tongue. His mouth tingled as he bit off a piece and chewed. When he swallowed, he felt light and strong. His heart hammered away at his ribcage, but it didn’t hurt. In fact, nothing on him hurt anymore. In awe, he examined the hand holding the locket. It was whole and healthy, but the craziest part was that he glowed!

 

Ardin turned his gaze back to the miraculous fruit and saw that the bite he’d taken was healing. New flesh grew over the missing piece, but the fruit as a whole became smaller. He didn’t know if the core was edible but suspected that there were about two or three good bites left before the fruit was gone.

 

He looked up at Zeus, wonder and joy written across his face. “Thank you,” he told the being, meaning it with every ounce of his soul.

 

“You did say your wife was beautiful, right?” Zeus asked, stroking his beard and giving Ardin a look that bore equal parts hunger and joy.

 

Even the joy of being whole and able to hear again wasn’t enough to squash the worry in his heart at that look. Had Ardin made an unwitting deal with a false god? He’d pretended to be a follower of the pagan belief to get what he needed, but now he worried he’d gone too far. Hadn’t Zeus claimed he owned Ardin after saving his life in the tunnel? Would he have to give up his wife in repayment?

 

Before he could burrow too far down into that pit of despair, Zeus’s eyes grew large, and he looked behind him. Then he did something new and actually lowered his voice. “I’ll be watching you, Aardinsir. I can’t wait to meet your wife.”

 

Zeus vanished before Ardin could respond, and then he heard what’d spooked the pagan creature.

 

The guards were coming, and they didn’t sound happy. They shouted for whoever was inside to reveal themselves and come out or face their wrath. Instead, Ardin dove for the crack he came in through. Part of his mind noted that he moved through it easily, only having to hunch over. But when he turned back, he couldn’t see the opening behind him. Had Zeus somehow manipulated its size? If so, then did he really owe the thing his life? It was a pagan god, and though he’d been gracious enough to give Ardin the Ambrosia, he didn’t trust the giant.

 

He didn’t have time to contemplate that as he made it out into the night. Ardin ran as fast as his legs would take him, which was faster than he’d ever run before. He headed for the edge of town and wasn’t even winded when he passed from the cobbled road to the hard-packed dirt.

 

In fact, it wasn’t until the sun began to rest behind him that Ardin finally slowed and looked for a place to sleep.

 

He spotted a viable place a little way from the road under a broad tree and nestled against the trunk. Only as his eyes began to close did he realize he’d understood the guards perfectly, though he knew they spoke their own language. Then, as sleep took him, Ardin realized that he’d broken two more commandments that night, having born false witness as he pretended to put a false God before his real one.

====================

From the Author

====================

Sheesh, you'd think the hero of an erotic story would have an easier time of things... If that's what you're after, you haven't been reading my other stories. Life has to get hard, before it can get pleasant. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Maid

Bobby

Ashani Devesh Aaban