Wizardquest Part 22: The Journey Home Pt. 1

Chapter 208

 

Selene races you through the mountains, snow whipping past your face as you travel far, far faster than poor Mr. Ed ever could have, even with your lightened load. You don’t being held in Selene’s arms as she jumps through the trees and snowbanks though, her paws springing lightly as she moves.

She said that her strength is diminished but you have to wonder, because she doesn’t seem to tire at all as she carries you. When you ask her about it she merely shrugs and says that she’s plenty strong enough before, so perhaps it won’t affect her as much as the others. She assures you that you didn’t make a pact with the God of the dead for nothing.

The rush of cold air hits your reddened cheeks again and you wince as Selene stops, landing lightly upon the branches of a large fir tree, her tails working as stabilizers to keep both of you from falling. She gently lets you down so you can stretch out. As the two of you stare out at the early evening mountains, you realize this is near the place you viewed the snowbanks with Saya and the others.

The two of you stand there, basking in the sun as it slowly slips past the horizon. You place your arm around her waist, doing your best not to fall, and pull her in close to you. She gently lays her head on your shoulder and you feel her ear twitch across your neck as she snuggles in close to you.

“I haven’t been this content in awhile…” She murmurs, sighing in relief.

You think about it for a moment and then nod. “It’s like… our worries are behind us, you know? For the past, Gods, it feels like seven months, all I’ve been thinking about is traveling and moving after goals, whether the Galmathorian Glass or after the elixir… It’s odd to feel like there’s nothing pressing on you, you know?”

“Yeah.” Selene whispers, nuzzling your neck.

“Uh, you do still need to get back to Sanctifrond and make sure the Aspirant doesn’t die. Maybe fix some teeth, work on the lizard’s legs, you know, nothing major.” Delilah says, still attached to your belt.

Selene frowns, looking down at the head. “Really, I don’t see why you wanted to come along, you’re just so negative.”

“Well, I am technically undead.”

“Point.” Selene mutters before sighing and standing straighter. “The head is right, I suppose we should continue then.” She moves to pick you up as a sharp blast of wind slaps you across the face and you shiver in response.

“Ugh… maybe traveling in the night up here isn’t the best idea.” You say, groaning.

Selene chuckles, “Oh it’s fine, I can see in the dark well enough, and if you get cold, I can always warm you up…” For emphasis, she pulls you into her chest and you feel a soft warmth spread through your face as you press up on her. You blush a little as her breasts sandwich you with their soft, yet firm embrace. You consider snuggling closer to her when she pushes, shivering.

“Okay, that may have been a bad idea, you’re practically freezing, love.”

Curse your damn frozen face for ruining that. Bah. She had a point though, you are really, really cold. You shake your head, thinking about what to do. You can always go back to El Dorito, that place is nice and warm all the time, but for some reason you want to stay alone with Selene. Well, as alone as you can be with a severed head and two dead Monster souls, but hey, close enough.

A chunk of snow falls off the tree, hitting the ground in a “thwump,” and your eyes go wide as you have an idea. You look about, cocking your head as you try to get your bearings, when you spot a familiar landmark.

You point in the distance and Selene follows your direction, squinting. “There’s a cave somewhere around here. A Yeti lives there, she should be amiable to letting us stay the night.”

Selene gives you a sidelong glance before raising an eyebrow. “You’ve been staying with Yetis hmm?”

You roll your eyes and pinch her cheek. Goshes you’re bold these days. “Oh come now, nothing happened or else I wouldn’t have been able to kill a Dragon, would I?”

“We, we killed a Dragon.” Selene says, a smirk on her lips.

You roll your eyes. “Okay, okay, WE.” You shiver again. “Anyway, her name is Fran, lets hurry up before I become a fruit flavored ice treat.”

Selene chuckles and picks you up again, disengaging her tails before leaping off toward the destination.

————————————————————————————–

It doesn’t take terribly long before you find a tall, lone figure standing in the snow, surrounded by what looks like tiny trees that dance around in a rhythmic fashion. You and Selene both look at each other curiously before landing in the middle of the pile, next to the larger creature.

Your entrance surprises all of them and everyone takes a reflexive step back as Selene whips her tails about, poised and ready to strike at whatever comes near. For your part, you have your staff ready and roaring to go as you carefully scan about the outside of the circle at the dancing trees which, on closer inspection, are obviously Monsters.

They seemed to be garbed in large, white cloaks with glowing red eyes and horns that cover a much smaller looking Monster who resembles a little girl. Although with the depths of the cloak, it’s difficult to see much within. They gibber amongst themselves, clearly not knowing what to do, giving you the opportunity to look up at the larger Monster to see, with relief, that it is indeed Fran.

“Fran, are you alright?” You ask, making a menacing gesture as one of the little things takes step forward, gibbering, before stepping back with a little hooting noise.

Fran looks at you and Selene with a stunned expression. You snap your fingers and she sudden shakes herself, coming back into reality.

“W-wha? Wizard? Is that you? What are you doing here?” She asks, stammering as she tries to wrap her head around things.

“Oh you know, having a fun trip in the snow.” You say with a flippant tone, “But what the hells are these little Monsters?”

Fran looks to the creatures and frowns. “Wendigos, annoying little things, they pester everyone out here.”

At this, one of the Wendigos hops forward but is slapped by one of Selene’s tails. It flies back, muttering as its friends swarm around it. They look back to Selene before squabbling about and then fleeing. You all watch as they go before collectively loosening the tension about you, Selene dropping her tails into a relaxed manner and you lowering your staff.

Fran sighs, putting a fuzzy hand to her chest. “Thank the Gods, those things can be SO ANNOYING.” She shakes her head. “I tell them every week, no, I don’t want to go build a snow fort with them.”

You and Selene exchange flat glances before looking at Fran, who seems oblivious. “So! What brings you and uh…” She looks at Selene before smiling some, “Your lady friend, out here?”

You shiver, the night air starting to pierce your very coat. “We were hoping to find somewhere to stay the night.”

Fran nods her head, beaming. “Well I’d be just pleased to let you into my little cave! Come on then, we best be going before those Wendigos come back, and in greater numbers.”

She starts trudging through the snow like it’s nothing and the two of you follow after her, the cold air biting at both you.

 

Chapter 209

 

You reach the cave soon after. Selene starts a fire quickly and the two of you bask in the beautiful warmth of the flames. You sigh in relief as you feel your numb extremities begin to thaw, your robes hanging over the fire, drying the wet snow off them. Fran busies herself making a little meal of fresh river fish from the nearby streams. You ask how she caught them, but apparently that’s a trade secret for only Yetis to know.

Selene whispers to you that they flail about in the water until they catch some. It’s not really a secret.

Soon enough, all three of you are munching on baked fish, and Fran sighs out contentedly, patting her exposed belly.

“Ahhh, nothing like good fish, right?” Not even waiting for you to answer she waves the stick her fish is impaled on, smiling. “Soooo, this is the lovely lady you spoke of huh? Well good for you!” She raises an eyebrow, “Have two of you uh… you knoooooow?”

“Had sex? No, not yet.” Selene says, polishing off her meal before tossing the remains into the fire. “Soon though, oh ho, soon.” One of her tails brushes against your back in a slow, sensuous motion.

You flush at that and cough into your hand. “Ahem, uhm, anyway, Fran have you noticed anything… I don’t know, strange over the past day or two?”

Fran thinks for a moment, tapping her chin with a finger. “Uhm, not really. I mean there was this big explosion at the keep near here which was really loud and cool, but otherwise, not really.” She shrugs. “It snowed again?”

Selene asks, slowly, “Do you feel… weaker?”

Fran cocks her head, thinking. “Maybe? I went to go pick up a boulder and throw it at a deer but it was too heavy so instead I picked up a log, which normally aren’t that heavy, but this one must be made of hardwood…” She giggles for a moment. “Anyway, it was heavier than normal, but I still threw it!” She looks down, pouting. “I missed though.”

You and Selene look to each other before nodding. Perhaps it really had worked…

“Thank you Fran.” You say before stretching and leaning back. You notice how she looks at Selene with a longing gesture, and you remember her speech about being lonely. Feeling a pang in your heart, you look down and sigh.

“Fran, have you ever considered leaving the mountains?”

She blinks, seeming startled. “Leave? Oh no, no I couldn’t… do that.” She says, mumbling.

“What about to find a husband?”

She looks aside before sighing. “It’s not like I haven’t thought about it…” She rubs at her arm. “But what if someone else got trapped in an avalanche out here and no one was there to help them? I don’t think I could live with myself if I let someone die because of that…”

You and Selene look to each other before Selene sighs, a soft smile on her face. You nod your head, thinking about it for a moment. “That’s very admirable…very admirable indeed. Still…” You sigh. “Maybe the Hero could put in a good word about the north now, maybe some people might come up here to explore, ski, whatever.”

You look up into her eyes, “Of course, there’s many dangers out here, someone may be needed to help keep them safe in case there are any accidents…”

Fran blinks before realization hits her and a large grin splits her face.

————————————————————————————–

You and Selene prepare to leave as the morning sun rises in the sky. You both bid your farewells to Fran, who gives you a big hug, much to the chagrin of Selene. She then receives her own big hug, the pressure seeming just as bone-breaking as before, before Selene picks you up and the two of you continue again on your trek.

It’s a fairly boring journey after that point, the two of you merely chatting about various things, mostly of the gaps in your adventure that Selene missed. Sure, she had read your cyan runes, but she wanted to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth as it was. By the late morning you begin to leave the snow and return to the cool, but tolerable lands at the base of the mountains.

You reach the point in your tale where you talk about the adventure in the Juliant manor around lunch and Selene frowns while munching on a heated bread pouch, one that you had held from El Dorito. Not the exploding with magic kind, as you don’t feel having a sticky explosion inside of Selene.

Well, not like that anyway.

As you have this thought, your mind drifts off and you look over at Selene, who currently has a long string of cheese in her mouth, slowly pulling it from the heated bread pouch in a slow, sensuous motion. You flush as you realize that she knows you’re watching. You feel yourself begin to grow a little hard, okay maybe more than a little, and you cough into your hand, feeling like a fifteen-year-old who just discovered the dirty sections of the Communion Matrix.

Selene slurps up the strand before licking her lips and then turning a predatory glance toward you, her eyes sparkling. Your heart beats fast as she crawls toward you, her face looking up into yours as she says slowly,

“Ara ara, jumping around like this has made me awfully thirsty for a little something thick and rich…” She traces a finger along your chest, and you feel your heartbeat increase even more as she lazily draws downward. She looks up at you innocently and asks,

“Do you think you have anything like that?”

You gulp and lick your lips. You had dreamed of things like this, even jacking off to it once, so long ago. It almost felt surreal, like you were in a daze as you reply in an uncharacteristically husky voice, “Yeah, I think I do. Y-you’ll have to work for it though.”

She squeals a before using her tails to quickly remove your belt and trousers, exposing your erect shaft to the mid-day air. Without even thinking, she removes Delilah and tosses her aside again, much to the Dullahan’s annoyance. Selene’s eyes twinkle and she reaches out to grasp you with one of her furred hands, preparing you for the excitement to come.

You feel a shock of pleasure spread through you as she begins to slide up and down your manhood, her dexterous movements sending a pulse through you every time her fingers slide across the head. Her fur tickles your shaft as she moves through what seems like slow, lazy motions. She looks up into your eyes, using one of her tails to move a strand of hair out of her face before she lowers her head toward you, kissing the tip softly with her lips, the smooth, soft embrace making you shiver in delight.

She takes her tongue and gently glides it around the head, using undulating motions that make your cock twitch in delight. The delicate movements slowly make their way along the underside, sending up jolts of electricity that even make your hips tingle. She looks up at you, smiling, before she lowers her full mouth upon you.

You gasp as you feel a warm, wet suction upon your member as Selene begins giving you a blowjob. You almost trying to force yourself into her as she works her tongue in rhythmic motions while sliding her head up and down your shaft. Each time she plunges forward causes you to gasp in pleasure. The feeling is compounded by the fact that one of her incredibly fluffy tails has wrapped around the base, and is constricting in time with her head motions.

You feel your cock begin to twitch as a stream of pre-cum begins to leak from the tip, the liquid only furthering Selene’s fervor. She increases in intensity and you watch in fascination as she removes her tail and then swallows the entirely to your cock into her mouth.

You grunt at the sudden motion, the unexpected feeling making something familiar well up within you and you gasp out, rather suddenly, “Shit, Selene, I’m about to-!”

She doesn’t relent however, and you feel the surge within you spill out violently as the years of pent-up emotions spray out of you in a tidal wave of cum, ejecting forth from your cock right down Selene’s throat. You feel with each ejaculation a wave of ecstasy wash over you and you almost thrust yourself into her mouth in some instinctual bid to force it as deep into her as possible.

She makes no move to stop, merely closing her eyes as you impregnate her mouth, your sticky juices pumping into her until, after what seems like an eternity, you subside into a mild aftershock. Only then does she release her hold upon your manhood, freeing the beast from her mouth with a soft, popping slurp, a thin line of semen connecting your penis to her mouth. She gently follows it like the cheese string from earlier and, with a small yank that make your tip tingle, she slurps it up and uses a hand to cover her mouth as she swallows all of it.

Selene shivers in delight before making a small tittering noise. You feel a wave of pleased weariness come over you at the sudden feeling and you sigh out in content relief as Selene snuggles up next to you, pressing herself in close as you wrap an arm around her.

“So…” She murmurs, cheeks still flushed in excitement and lust at the deed, “How was it?”

“Gods damn, I can see why Solos tried to keep Wizards from having anything to do with sex. That’s dangerously addicting.”

Selene chuckles, “Ara… I take it you liked it then. Well, let me tell you this…” She pulls up close to your head and whispers, her breath tickling your ear, “Sex is way better.”

Your cheeks heat up as a primal surge of energy flares within you, wanting to take Selene and pin her down, forcing yourself inside her. The thought is powerful, but you restrain yourself with effort, though you see Selene’s ear twitch, her face suddenly annoyed. Fearing you’ve upset her by not forcing yourself upon her, you move to say something when you hear in the distance the sound of hooves beating on the path. Faster than you can believe, Selene cleans you up with her mouth in expert motions before pulling up your pants with her tails and dragging you into some bushes.

You watch as a Centaur, a pretty little pony-breed, rides past, her expression rather mute, as if she’s just going along her day. As she approaches the bushes you’re hiding in she stops, sniffing the air. She frowns, looking about, before muttering to herself and dashing forward, apparently not wanting to bother with anything out here. You and Selene merely watch as she leaves before you sigh.

“I’m actually not certain why we’re hiding to be honest.”

Selene shrugs, “No reason not to, besides, it could have been anything on the road.”

You raise an eyebrow, “Anything with hooves eh?”

Selene rolls her eyes and sticks out her tongue, “Whatever, it could have been an Ogre with a pair of coconuts, you don’t know.”

“Okay, sure.” You say, taking her hand and rising. Looking about, you’re surprised to realize that you’re close to the Juliant manor. Your spine shivers as you remember that place. Not exactly something you’d like to remember, especially since that maid is still there, the one who went and survived a [Plasma Blast] without any trouble.

“Hmm, you know, let’s visit that manor! I’ve seen it before, but I never had a reason to visit the place.” Selene says, as if reading your mind.

You sigh. Oh good.

 

Chapter 210

 

Selene lands before the gates of the Juliant estate, letting you down as you look out at the manor. Surprisingly the gates stand wide open. Maybe Xanthia is lonely, or maybe she just doesn’t care. You feel it’s the latter, as long as the trespassers aren’t unruly. You have firsthand experience in what would happen then.

“Careful Selene, the maid could be anywhere here, she could even be under us at this very moment.” You say this with an air of forced calm, even though it takes all your effort not to shiver.

Selene rolls her eyes and takes your hand, giving you a half-hearted smile as you walk through the gate. “Oh, look at the mighty Dragon-slayer, getting so worked up over nothing. It’ll be fine.”

“The Cat o’ Nine Tails is correct Master Wizard. Should I wish to end your existence, I would have done so long ago.”

The two of you jump, Selene giving a squeaking noise before whipping about, tails readied to strike.

Xanthia merely stands there behind you, hands clasped before her at her waist, that disturbing smile on her face as she looks over the both of you. “Welcome back. Please come inside, I have refreshments ready.”

You gulp, remembering what the refreshments are made of. “We… we’ll be fine, thank you.”

She doesn’t move an inch, but her eyes slide to meet yours and suddenly her expression seems like the most horrifying thing you’ve ever seen in your life. You begin to shiver and shake, your mouth going dry as she politely smiles at you. Though you try to summon your [Inner Guardian], it does nothing as this isn’t a mental attack, not this time.

This is just Xanthia.

“I insist.” She says, smiling sweetly.

You nod your head meekly in defeat.

————————————————————————————–

Carefully sipping the tea Xanthia hands you, you find it to be utterly delicious, which is just wrong. Selene sighs in delight as she sips her own tea with one of her tails however, a content look upon her face. Xanthia stands before you in the sitting room, the couches appearing just as they had before. It hasn’t been that long since you were last here, but for some reason all the paintings have a less color than they had before. You don’t really want to elaborate on why that is.

“So, miss… Xanthia, was it?” Selene asks, placing her cup down on her saucer. “I am only passably familiar with your species… Shoggoth, was it not?”

Xanthia nods her head politely. “That is correct Madam Selene. I was summoned from a ritual performed by my Lady after her transformation using the souls of many that she had kept trapped in the confines of these halls.”

You cough, choking on your tea as she says something like that so candidly. She doesn’t seem at all concerned by this, nor does Selene. To your mild discomfort, your love nods her head in understanding.

“Of course, I know of a few types of Monster which are not native to our realm. Normally they do not sustain themselves as well as you seem to.”

Xanthia nods again at Selene, her smile never changing as one of her tentacles reaches over Selene’s cup. “That is true indeed. I do not know the means of the ritual used, but I remember being summoned and setting upon my tasks. It is a good life.”

You look down into your cup before looking back to Xanthia. “So why do you stay here? Your lady is gone…” You wince, “Sorry about that…”

Xanthia’s smile falters for only a moment before she resumes her normal expression. “She had been unwell for quite some time. Perhaps it was the best medicine for her soul to be reunited in death with her husband. As for myself, I do not have any other purpose, nor do I search for one, though I am yet bound to this estate. I am content.”

You nod your head at her, but she continues to speak again, catching you off guard. “Master Wizard, if I may be so bold, where are your traveling companions, and your daughter?”

You look at her quizzically before answering, “They are somewhere safe and warm.”

“Ah, of course, forgive my outburst, I was merely curious.” She bows her head. “I had wished to speak with your daughter again though, as it is rare to see another life from not made from natural means.”

You look to Selene who merely sips at her tea, not acknowledging the statement as anything special. Frowning, you reply with some concern in your voice, “What would you wish to speak with her about?”

“Merely to ascertain how she treats life, the world around her. I am afraid our last encounter may have shaken her, but I saw that she is not quite used to her body as it is. I had hoped perhaps to speak with her about such things. Perhaps over the course of time.”

You raise an eyebrow. “What, like a boarding school?”

Xanthia’s eyes flicker, as if in concentration. “Perhaps that is an adequate term.”

Selene lets out a small chuckle into her teacup as you consider the implications of sending your daughter to live with an eldritch horror. You feel terror on multiple levels at doing such a thing, but if she can learn to control herself without the need a skeleton, wouldn’t that be the best thing for her? You look to Selene again for help and she shrugs.

“Why don’t you just ask her? Maybe she’ll like it.”

You consider this a long time before you say, shakily, “I…I’ll talk with her about it after we reach Sanctifrond.”

Xanthia bows and you can swear her smile is a little more real somehow.

————————————————————————————–

You leave a little later that afternoon, not wanting to stay overnight. Selene thinks you’re overreacting but you still shake at the thought of being in the same house as Xanthia. It’s a legitimate fear, anyone has to admit, and if they don’t admit it, they’re lying to themselves out of sheer terror.

Or they’re Selene. But she’s special.

So, you continue through the late afternoon, hopping along the trails like a bunny… cat… or something. As night begins to worm its way back into the world you hear the beating of hooves again and Selene moves to pull the two of you out of the way but stops, cocking her head. “Wait… those are normal horses.”

“Are you sure?” You ask, giving her a sarcastic look, “They could be Ogres with coconuts.”

“Hush.” She says, bopping you on the head. You grumble as three horseman ride up, encircling the two of you with weapons drawn, their stances wary.

You notice at once that they wear a uniform of Fort Carlsbad, similar to that of Carla’s, which makes them scouts. Seems they’ve decided to travel in groups now instead of just going alone, which is probably the smartest move they could make. They look over you critically before one speaks, a young man with short, well-groomed hair and an air of nobility, obviously the one in command.

“Identify yourselves this instant or be attacked as enemies in a time of war!” He shouts, his blade leveled at you.

Selene rolls her eyes. Should it come to a battle, they wouldn’t stand a chance against either of you, but they don’t know that quite yet. Still, bloodshed will get you nowhere, so you raise your hands in a non-threatening gesture, still holding Chaika just in case.

“We mean you no harm. I am a Wizard, and this is my…” You pause for a moment and Selene gives you an anticipatory stare. Gulping, you say quickly, “My wife-to-be, Selene.”

Selene, your wife-to-be, blinks in rapid succession, obviously stunned by you outright saying that in a time like this. You yourself seem a little perplexed that you went and said it also. Goshes you really have gotten bold.

The man points at your belt, “Why do you have a head on your belt?”

Delilah looks up and him and rolls her eyes. “I have a name you know.”

The man shakes in surprise as one of the other soldiers rides up to the officer and whispers in his ear, causing him to frown and look at you more critically. “Wizard huh? The same one that brought that abomination into the fort?”

Oh right. That. “Uhh… Well, you see those were extenuating circumstances and-“

The man grits his teeth, “Where is the Hero and the others you traveled with.”

You wave your arms, “Woah, woah, easy now, easy now! Look, Blake is fine, everyone is okay for now, but we need to get to Sanctifrond for medical treatment after our battle with the Monster Lady.”

The man snorts, “Battle with the Monster Lady? Hah! As if you’d survive that.”

Selene moves in close to you, her stare icy cold as she looks into the eyes of the rider. “Oh, he killed the bitch, I can assure of you that. I should think that your Commander would love to hear how you attacked the man who stopped this coming war in its tracks.”

The officer returns Selene’s stare for as long as he dares before looking away, making an annoyed noise. “Ugh… who are you anyway?”

“Selene, though you might know me as ‘The Hunter.’”

All three of the soldiers inhale sharply, their hands starting to shake. The officer slowly licks his lips before taking a deep breath and sheathing his sword. “I- I see. This way then…”

Selene gives a predatory smile that makes you feel at once proud and terrified as she coos out, “Good boy…”

 

Chapter 211

 

“Let me get this straight.” Commander Creador says, elbows resting on the table before him, hands clasped together before his face. “You want me to believe that the Monster Lady is dead and that the Hero and his retinue are in a mystical Wizard-land called ‘El Dorito’ as you make your way to Sanctifrond to see the High Hospitalier for treatment of your wounded.”

You nod, “That’s pretty much it, yeah.”

You and Selene sit in a small interrogation room, closed and barred off from the rest of the fortress, a ring of guards around you. The Commander sits before you, still bearing bandages from his earlier wounds inflicted by you and Saya. He sighs and shakes his head a few times before pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I can’t tell if you’re idiots or heroes.”

Selene quirks an eyebrow and all the guards get a little twitchy in the room. You see the construct and the sorcerer from before glaring at you, ready to attack on a word, but they stay still, even as Selene leans forward, staring at the man.

“I’d watch your tone. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve leveled part of this fortress.”

Creador, to his credit, merely waves a dismissive hand. “I don’t doubt you’re a Temple Guardian, but don’t think you can intimidate me.”

Selene flashes a smile of respect before continuing, “You’ve surely noticed the Monsters in this region have started to disperse into infighting or have started simply wandering around without any control. Not like Valinthia was leading that well, but now that Tolosh is no longer relaying orders, they’ve become a loose mob. You’ve probably already heard of minor skirmishes and attacks on outlying towns, haven’t you?”

The Commander gives her a level look before nodding slowly, “Aye, that’s the truth of it. We’ve been a little short-handed, but it’s manageable. We’ve yet to hear of the bulk of the Horde in Galmathoria so we’d wondered if what was happening here was due to infighting since it’s so disorganized. The Monsters seem disoriented too, because they don’t seem to put up nearly as much of a fight as before. Hells, I heard of a single a man fight down a Minotaur on his own. Generally it requires at least three people to put one down.”

You and Selene trade knowing glances and Creador furrows his brow. “This was your doing, hmm?”

“It was.” You say, nodding your head “But I can’t really explain it, just know that… things will change.”

The Commander grunts. “Well, I don’t have the power to really detain you, nor do I really care to do so. You’re free to go, as soon as possible.”

A thought comes to him. “Where did that abomination go anyway?”

You frown at the mention of your daughter as an abomination, but you just shake your head instead of calling him on it. “She… was too unstable, she didn’t make it on the journey.”

Creador sigh. “For the best I think. Well anyway, you can stay the night under lock and key, or you can get out.”

Selene raises an eyebrow. “Lock and key, huh?”

Creador grunts again, “Fine, whatever. Do what you want.” He goes to rise when you raise a hand,

“Excuse me, Commander?”

He turns, giving you a glare which you let slide off you as you continue. “Yes, well, you see, I noticed last time I was here that you had multiple old constructs in your warehouse that were gathering dust.”

“Yes, and you took one with you, speaking of which, where is it?”

“Destroyed by a Dragon, anyway I will require two more.”

He narrows his eyes in suspicion. You shrug, “You weren’t using them, right? So just let me have them.”

The sorcerer in the corner grinds his teeth as you thumb toward him. “He’s not bright enough to use them either.” You turn and flash your teeth at the man. “Or did you want a pit fight? Cause I can assure you that a pit-fight would be neat to see.”

The sorcerer’s eyes flare up before Creador just walks out of the room, not even acknowledging you.

You call after him, “Is that a yes?”

“Fuck off.”

Looking to Selene, you give her a toothy grin as she rolls her eyes, “I think that’s a yes.”

————————————————————————————–

A short while and a fair amount of bullying of guards later, you stand again inside the old, dusty warehouse filled with relics of the past. Selene giggles as she stares at some of the treasures, relating to you stories about how grand or worthless each one actually is. Most of them are worthless honestly, but you already knew that. The real treasures are the constructs, which you pull the covers off of again, revealing three units, all of older make.

Harmony and Chaika both mentally whistle as you reveal these units. Maybe you should have gone shopping before, because these ones are much sleeker and smoother than even the one that Harmony had beforehand. Looking down at one you see that, while it doesn’t have eyes, merely a visor over a flat mouth, it has what could be considered a very curvy, bipedal body. You check it over to see that it’s in functioning condition before looking at the others.

One is a large, hulking construct that seems made of multiple layers of adamantium, the other a delicate thing with a small, lithe frame that, when you inspect further has a set of what looks like sails attached to the back of it. You and Selene pull it out, finding it to be surprisingly light and small. It’s mostly intact too, although one of the sails is ripped and torn.

“By the Gods, I remember this unit.” Selene says, shaking her head. “I shot it out of the air as it was battling a Harpy division. Damn thing nearly electrocuted half of the flyers before it was grounded out of commission.”

Harmony seems incredibly giddy about the prospect and you inspect it to find that it too is intact.

{Well?} You send to Harmony, looking it up and down. {What about it?}

{Oh, oh, oh, wings! Wings!} Is all she says. D’aww, you almost get a sugar imbalance from her positivity. Turning back to looking over the other unit, the sleek and sexy model, you hear Chaika mutter,

{What’s the point of looking this one over, she likes the other one.}

{Well, obviously this one is for you.} You say, as if it’s well and truly obvious.

Chaika seems stunned at these words, merely going silent. A moment later she whispers in your mind, {You’d truly do that for me?}

{Why not? You’ve proven yourself through this adventure.} You smile, the sensation traveling through the mental link, {Unless you’d rather stay in the staff, which is fine by me!}

{No! No!} She says hurriedly. {This is fine, it… it’s a wonderful gift.} She pauses before muttering, {Thank you Wizard…}

A sense of warmth flows through your mind as you fit Harmony into the damaged frame, once more going through the process of her booting it up. The expressionless nature of this unit once more greets you with a soft hum of power behind the eye-sockets of the mask. You hear static come through the mouth plate as she speaks, “Oh, it fits like a glove compared to the last one!”

Smiling, you then move to affix Chaika to the other unit, removing an old and cracked AI crystal before somehow jamming a dagger into the insertion port. This, of course, fails as you’d expect, and you start to get frustrated before Selene drops a gem into your hands. You look at it, frowning as she points over your shoulder to a box with labeled with ‘construct use only.’

“Lots of empty ones in a box over there.”

You shrug and transfer Chaika to the crystal, then place her into the construct. It chugs and hums for a long moment before it stutters to life in twisting jerks. A red light comes on behind the vigored eyes and the unit focuses on your face. Chaika slowly raises a hand and places the cool, metallic fingers against your cheek before she smashes her metal face into yours in some attempt of a kiss. All it does is manage to head-butt you, causing everyone to yelp, knocking Chaika over.

Everyone is silent for a long moment before Harmony bursts out into laughter, the rich sound frayed with a minor amount of static. Selene soon joins in and even you as well, laughing heartily as Chaika fumes, laying on her back, arms crossed.

“Ha ha. Now help me up, I don’t know how to use legs.”

————————————————————————————–

You, Selene, and your two constructs decide to stay the evening in the cell… err, guest rooms, again. You and Selene share a bed while the other two talk in hushed whispers about the finer points of arms and legs. Delilah gets swaddled in a blanket, groaning in annoyance.

You sigh, looking over a stack of papers Selene had found in the warehouse. It’s in old, old script, and it has runes obviously used by Wizards, but you can read most of it. Seems like it’s an old manual on the maintenance of the constructs, although nothing is in there about the artificial intelligences. Still, it’s invaluable and, as you pour over it, you think of a way to fix these two up and maybe create more in the future.

The possibilities are endless! If you can find a way to make pieces that could be integrated into living beings…

You look up to see Selene pouting at you. She pushes the papers down and waggles a finger at you. “Come on love, let’s get to sleep, we have a big day ahead of us.”

You look back at the papers, sighing. “I just want to get past this next part and-“

Selene kisses you on the mouth, her lips caressing yours, pulling your thoughts away from anything but her. You flow into it, your lips moving in rhythm with hers, your tongues starting a tango in time before she pulls away, eyes flashing as you feel a stirring in your loins. Moving to press upon her, you notice the sound of gentle giggling and look over to find the others staring at you intently.

“No, no, please continue.” Chaika says. You’re glad the constructs don’t have moving mouths or else she’d be giving you a shit-eating grin.

“Ugh…” You say, the mood spoiled.

Selene glares at them and they shrug and turn away. She shakes her head and gives you quick kiss. “Don’t worry, we’ll be alone soon enough.”

You feel that “soon enough” isn’t soon enough.

 

Chapter 212

 

You depart early the next morning, ready to leave the rather hostile confines of the Fortress. It isn’t that any of you are afraid of them or mean them any ill-will (except that sorcerer, who refused your challenge, much to Harmony’s chagrin), but a lot of blood had been shed here- best just to go.

You leave Harmony and Chaika back in El Dorito, as there’s just no way they can keep up with Selene’s pace, at least not without some serious repairs to the sails on Harmony’s chassis. They protest, rather strongly, but in the end they had to relent when Chaika fell flat on her robotic face, again. Just as hands are hard for Harmony, legs are going to be quite the trip for Chaika.

Being down two of your passengers, you feel elated. Sure, you love traveling with the two revenants, but being alone with Selene sends a fire up in you that you can barely control. Hells, the knowledge that there are no more restrictions upon you makes your head swim as you consider increasingly lewd thoughts, some that have difficulty keeping inside of you.

“Damnit Wizard, stop thinking about dicking the cat, I keep slapping my face onto your boner.” Growls Delilah, head rocking back and forth in the wind as Selene leaps down the road.

Well, it would have been difficult if Delilah weren’t here anyway.

You sigh and readjust your position in Selene’s arms before glaring down at the head. “You know, once again I wonder why you’re here.”

“Because it’s so boring in El Dorito.”

You narrow your eyes further. “Are you sure? Are you sure it’s not because you just want to cock-block me?”

Delilah snorts. “Sure, whatever you want to think buddy.”

“Children, quiet.” Says Selene with an air of authority. “I’m willing to turn this hot, sexy body around you know.”

You and Delilah sigh and shake your heads, which is easier for Delilah because she’s just a head shaking in the wind anyway, but you do your best to keep up.

Looking out at the landscape before you, memories of your journey come to you unbidden and you feel a little stirring, utterly opposite to what you felt before, within your chest as you remember the times you had with Blake and the others. Despite it being morning, you spot broken wood from a crate, and tug on Selene, pointing at the sight. She cocks her head but nods, stopping to let you down

There are the hallmarks of a campsite long ago used. It isn’t like people come here very often, and you can still see the ashes of your campfire ground into the dirt. The bits of wood on the ground are a stark contrast to the rest of the tableau, showing a scene of violence and destruction. You gently pick up a piece of the wood and smile before dropping it and shaking your head.

“This is where Saya was born, you know.”

Selene walks up to you and places a hand on your shoulder as you stand up straight and take in a deep breath. “At first, I didn’t know what to think of her. I thought she was some abomination I had created, a mistake. Hells, I even told her that to her face.” You shake your head. “If I had known what a wonderful thing I had done then, two people wouldn’t have lost their lives and-“

Selene puts a furred hand on top of your head and rubs it, smiling at you. “Love… you told me about her birth, and I know it eats at you at times, but she loves you, both of us do, and she knows that we both love her.”

You wrap a hand around Selene’s waist and pull her in close, giving her a light kiss before nodding your head. “Yeah, you’re right…”

You frown then, remembering something.

“Speaking of which, what did you say to Saya underneath the Keep anyway?”

Selene just pokes your nose and smiles wickedly. “It’s a secret between girls.”

Your narrow your eyes as Selene chuckles and picks you up again, dashing off back onto the trail, wind whipping once more through your beard. Selene refuses to say much else on the subject so you merely pout as you’re transported.

“It’s okay, it’s not so bad being in the dark.” Says Delilah, hair flapping in her face without any apparent discomfort.

“Of course, being dead, it’s not that big a deal for me.”

You kindly ignore the undead head on your belt.

————————————————————————————–

About an hour later you hear the soft sounds of a stream rolling past and Selene suggests stopping to get some water. You feel a nagging sense that maybe you shouldn’t stop at this place, especially as you see a bridge connecting the road, but for the life of you, you don’t remember why.

Selene stops next to the bridge and the two of you drink, refilling your water skins, refreshing for a moment. Selene decides to dash off soon after to uh, well, you best not say, leaving you alone with Delilah. You sit down, resting on the green grass as the sun drifts lazily overhead, basking you in warmth amidst the cool breeze drifting down from the mountains far in the distance.

You sigh in content at the warm sun when a shadow falls over you. Gripping your hand on your staff, which is now merely a spear with some magical talents, you whip around, shouting as magic charges within you, but you stop when you see very tall, beautifully radiant creature standing before you.

She’s maybe seven feet tall with a gorgeous, slender body that is nonetheless toned with layers muscle, helping her hold a large, yet familiar club with delicate, slimy green fingers. She wears a wet vest and trousers that cling to her curvaceous body, a small star affixed to her breast which gleams as if polished. Her raven black hair clings her gorgeous face and, despite the smell, it somehow magnifies her beauty. She smiles at you with perfect, yet pointed teeth, and says in a voice that is diametrically opposed to her visage,

“Ya ain’t passin until ya pay the toll.”

You stare in shocked silence before realization hits you. Holy fucking shit biscuits, this is the Troll from before! This is the bridge where you scammed her out of her money!

“H-how… but you and… who?” You stammer, trying to make sense of things.

The Troll narrows her lovely eyes and rubs her chin with a slimy hand. “Ayyyy, I remembers ye, yer the Union official you are!” Her face splits into a wide, toothy grin. “I best be thankin ya then, cause this gig is the best thing’s ever happen to me!”

“Uh…T-thanks.” You say, still taken aback. You thought you had emptied your pockets of sauce covered noodles days ago, but damnit, it clings to every little crevice of you, huh?

You wave a hand in a rolling gesture toward her. “You uh, look uhm, different.”

The Troll lets out a loud belly laugh, slamming her club on the ground as she does. “I knows, right? See, soon after ya left, these men come by, sayin they with the Union an all, and one of em says he’s an aes…aesthe… uhhh.”

“Aesthetician?” You say, trying to help her out. Aestheticians are an odd type of sorcerer, especially since they use the same name as regular old hairdressers or whatever. Those who work beauty magic are few and far between, mainly because it’s a rare talent for sorcerers to have, and Wizards mostly didn’t give a shit. Mostly…

“Right, that. Says he’s here to give me some of dem der ‘Union perks'” She waves her hand over herself and shakes a hip. “An wadda ya know, lookit me now eh? Hells, I went rounded me up a husband already too! He helps with the tolls and uh… other things, ya get me?” She raises her eyebrows over and over.

“Yeah, I get you…” You mumble. Geez, how things can change this much in only a short period time?

“Anyways, so normally I’d bash yer face in if ya didn’t pay the toll, but youse a good guy, so I’m gunna let you go.” She winks at you, which is disturbingly alluring for a Troll. “Just don’t tell da otha Trolls, right?”

You nod your head as she lumbers away back under her bridge, her glorious ass shaking in her trousers. Dear Gods, what hells is this that the second most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen is a Troll?

“What are you staring at there, love?” Says a venomous voice from behind you.

You gulp and slowly turn around to see Selene standing there with a smile on her face that doesn’t match the look in her eyes. You lick your lips very slowly as you say delicately,

“Official Union business?”

————————————————————————————–

You spend the next few hours apologizing to Selene as she bounds through the landscape, Delilah cackling the entire time, the insolent little twerp. Eventually Selene forgives you, and you have a feeling that she was only half-heartedly flagellating you anyway. If she really wanted to take skin off your back, she could use her tails. Guess that’s where the torture device came from!

As you continue to leap through the land, an odd sound comes from somewhere around you, like a bird of prey crying out and you look up a hair after Selene does to see a figure swooping down at you, a glowing nimbus of electricity around her as she dives down. You’re reasonably sure you know what’s happening here and, not wanting to hurt anyone, you pluck Delilah off your belt and hurl it at the assailant.

“Fuuuuuucccckkk youuuuuuuu!” Delilah shouts as she sails through the air and clocks the Monster, which is obviously a Thunderbird, in the head, causing her to lose her bearings and tumble from the air, hitting the ground mere feet from you.

Delilah follows a moment later, landing forehead first before going into a string of obscenities. She’s fine.

The Thunderbird groans and struggles to pick herself up. Selene walks up and places a bladed tail to her throat, crossing her arms and giving the smaller creature a glare.

The Thunderbird, to her credit, merely looks at the tail, then to Selene, before licking her lips. “Pleasant weather we’re having?”

You study the bird, narrowing your eyes. It isn’t Harmonious, but one of the normal Thunderbirds from the caves near here. Ah, you hoped they wouldn’t be so aggressive anymore, but well, you guess they still needed to feed or something. Frowning, you kneel down and ask, “How’s Harmonious?”

The Thunderbird looks at you oddly, blinking a few times before her eyes go wide. “Y-you’re the one who the Queen caught! The one who escaped the caves!”

“Yes, yes, that’s me, now I think I asked you a question.”

The bird grits her teeth before sighing, seeing no reason to fight. “She’s been a little shaken after you escaped… says she remembers seeing her grandmother or something. She just hasn’t been the same…” She glares at you, “What did you do to her?”

Rubbing at the back of your head, you sigh. “I didn’t do anything, she actually was visited by her grandmother, or well, sort of anyway.”

“The hells does that mean? Ugh, whatever, just let me go. I was hoping that if I brought her back a man she’d feel better or something.” The Thunderbird flares with some electricity but it subsides as Selene gives her a level look.

You stand up, putting your hands together as you think things over. You didn’t think that you’d caused that much of an uproar, but if Harmony knew that her sort-of-granddaughter was feeling so depressed, she’s be pretty bummed to. You could just not tell her, but that isn’t fair. You told her that she could go at anytime with a body of her own, and to deny her something like this…

Gritting teeth, you finger your [Pocket Dimension], thinking about opening the rift here, but you reconsider. Harmony’s chassis is damaged and you can tell that she felt a little embarrassed by it. Besides, she can’t make it to the caves without flying.

You nod your head and wave for Selene to let the bird go. She does so reluctantly and you offer a hand to help the Thunderbird up. The Monster looks at you curiously, her blue and black hair trailing an electric charge as her feathers ruffle. You give her a soft smile as you say, “Go back home, tell the Queen that someone very special is going to see her soon. Tell her not to despair, and that if she doesn’t continue to live on, her ancestors will be disappointed.”

You turn to go before snapping your fingers and tapping the bird on the forehead with a knuckle. “Oh, and no more abducting men. Just ask them, alright?”

The bird puffs out her cheeks before looking down and then sighing. She turns away and runs to gather speed before jumping into the air and flying away. You both watch the Thunderbird vanish into the distance, and Selene cocks her head before turning to you.

“You really got into some odd adventures when I was gone, huh?”

“Yep.” That’s really all that needs to be said about that.

 

Chapter 213

 

The afternoon sky greets you as you see Cair in the distance, the ruins of the Coliseum still dominating the skyline of the city. You seriously consider just skipping past Cair as there are way too many bad memories here, but you figure you should see first-hand the destruction you caused. Had the Invasion come to pass, then without the Coliseum, the city might have been…

Well, best not to think about that.

You both walk into the city, there being no wall and no one willing to stop you. One of the guards cocks his head and looks at you a little strangely though, as if trying to remember something as he watches you pass. You sweat a little and hide your face. Best not to be remembered here.

The two of you wander the streets, watching the people in the city go about their hedonistic lives, but you feel an odd undercurrent around you, like some sort of normal dynamic was shifted. You frown as you watch an Oni apologize to someone who bumped into her instead of just punching their face in. The two leave on amicable grounds, but the sight still shocks you.

“The power dynamic has changed.” Selene says, nodding her head. “In a large city like this, there’s no chance it wouldn’t be noticed soon. I suspect it’s going to be a bumpy ride from here on out.”

She smirks, “Looks like when they re-build the Coliseum, the Minotaurs aren’t going to be able to rely on brute force anymore. Makes for more skilled Monsters, maybe respecting humans a little more.”

“So, what, I made everyone into a Lizardman?”

Selene sticks out her tongue as if she ate something disgusting. “Eww, no, gross. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a bonnet.”

“But Tabitha never wore a-“

Selene holds up a finger, “I bet you, if you give you a bonnet, should would wear the hells out of it.”

You consider this for a moment, remembering her and her hat. You mentally substituted it for a bonnet and your eyes went wide as you see the mental image.

“By Solos…” You whisper.

“Uh huh, see?” Selene says before pointing ahead. “Look, the coliseum is up there, but first…” She looks at you with another predatory grin that makes your stomach queasy and your dick hard.

“I’m a little famished…”

————————————————————————————–

Selene chews on a leg of roast-beast, which you’re fairly certain is just turkey, making delightful sounds as juices roll down her chin. You have a leg in your hand as well, but you eat it a little more delicately, shaking your head as she goes to town on the meat like a starving dog. Or well, cat in this case.

“Honestly…” You begin, sighing. “I thought you meant something else.”

Selene looks up at you as she tears off another chunk of meat. “I vas hungrish.” She says, mouth full of food.

You roll your eyes. “I swear, are all Monsters like this? It’s like watching Hala eat, it’s not lady-like.”

Selene swallows the meat and waves her half-mauled leg of roast-beast at you. “I ain’t no lady.”

“Actually, I think you technically are, and you obviously read my cyan runes.”

Selene laughs heartily before putting an arm around your neck and pulling you in, giving you a sloppy kiss that leaves a film of grease on your cheek. “Aww, don’t be like that, yes this may be out of form, but it’s fun to act like an uncivilized lout every so often.”

“Are you saying Hala is an uncivilized lout?” You ask, quirking an eyebrow.

“Are you saying she’s not?”

You raise a hand in defeat, “Point.” You shake your head, smiling. “Still, I’m glad we met her. She may have literally been raised in a forest, but I think she makes Blake happy. I hope the two of them live a good life together.”

Selene smile softly, putting her meat down. “So, you think he’s going to marry her?”

You chuckle, “I don’t think she’ll give him the choice, besides…” You lean your head back, “They’ll make cute puppies, don’t you think?”

Selene nods her head and then touches your chest. She pauses then before looking up at you and seems conflicted to say something. Eventually she looks down and sighs, lowering her finger. You furrow your brow in concern and ask, “Selene? Something wrong?”

She shakes her head, “Oh, nothing, I was just thinking that maybe we should get them something, you know when they inevitably marry or whatever.”

You think she’s trying to dodge the subject, but you merely shake your head and play along with this. “Sure, sure.” You think about it, tapping your chin. “What about rings?”

Selene blinks, thinking about it herself before smiling. “Rings huh? That sounds perfect! Maybe it would give the lad some impetus to ask and-“

“H-hey, isn’t that that guy who fought that thing in the Coliseum?

The two of you look up as you see a crowd forming around you, all whispering with concerned looks on their faces. Oh dear, you were afraid of this.

“Yeah… I’d remember that goofy beard anywhere!” Someone shouts. “The Coliseum exploded after he fought that thing!”

“He blew it up! The damn sorcerer blew it up!”

You and Selene stand up, dropping your lunch as you form up, weapons at the ready to defend yourself from the mob. No one makes an obvious gesture to attack you, but you feel mounting tension, needing only a small spark in order to set this whole powder keg off.

You lick your lips, thinking that the only way out is to use the most important skill you possess, the one that had saved your ass so many times in the past.

Diplomacy.

“Hey, my beard isn’t goofy!” You shout. “And I didn’t mean to blow it up!”

This only makes the crowd even angrier as they mill about, balling fists up.

Oh, right, diplomacy is that thing you’re the opposite of good at. Bad, you’re bad at diplomacy, that’s right.

Selene growls like a cornered cat and puts an arm around your chest, obviously meaning to get you out of town ASAP. You feel her tensing, ready to spring out when a loud, amplified voice booms through the crowd,

“OTA NOBU NO CHUKA DOGO KA!”

The people in the crowd part as men in armor make way for a palanquin that bears a grotesquely large Slug Girl, slime dribbling down her cheek as she burps. She looks over the crowd and then to you, the scene somehow diffusing as the people pull back, obviously not wanting to interfere as the slug speaks again, pointing a meaty finger at you.

“Gobada naga noog nok.”

Selene’s tails drop from her defensive gesture and she lets out a breath of pent-up energy. You look back and forth between the two of them, confused as the hells.

“You speak slug?” You ask Selene, who stares the Slug Girl in the large, bulbous eyes.

“You don’t?” She asks, giving you an odd look. You… you honestly have nothing to say to that. Obviously you missed that lesson in school.

A man walks forth from behind the slug and you recognize him as the guard captain who pressed you into fighting in the Coliseum in the first place. He looks at you without expression before waving a hand.

“The Countess has requested your presence at the Coliseum site. It would be advisable if you came with us.”

You and Selene trade glances before you ask slowly, “And if we don’t?”

The man shakes his head, “Don’t be obtuse.”

“Hey, this is a very acute situation, I’d rather not- murgh!” You’re cut off as Selene jams a fluffy tail in your mouth to shut you up.

“Love, this situation is not right for us, let’s just go along with the nice people.”

You roll your eyes but nod your head slowly as Selene lets you go. “Fine… if it puts us on equilateral grounds.”

The Countess rolls her eyes. Obviously she doesn’t have a sense of humor.

————————————————————————————–

You find yourself in a booth outside the Coliseum, watching as men and Monsters work together to form scaffolding alongside the still standing section of Coliseum. As it turns out, when you vaporize something, clean-up generally doesn’t take very long, who would have thought?

Turning back, you look at the Countess, who is the daughter of the poor Slug Girl that died in the [Plasma Blast]. She had taken up the reins of power admirably and had quickly kept the city in order while re-building the number one source of income for the city, the Coliseum.

“Uh huh, uh huh. Oh, is that so?” Selene says, nodding her head as she speaks with the Countess.

You sigh and walk up to her, shaking your head. “What’s she saying?”

Selene looks to you and smiles, “Well, first things first, they don’t want you dead.”

“Yay?”

“After speaking with a sorcerer who managed to escape the scene, it was obvious that the creature needed to be destroyed.” She shrugs, “Had that been it, still annihilating the arena would have earned you a death sentence, but…” She raises a furred finger and smirks,

“The blast unearthed sections of catacombs no one knew were there. As it turns out, there are many, many treasures found down there, some being ancient relics from the city’s founding.”

The Countess licks her thick lips, making a gurgling chuckle. “Ooogada…”

Selene looks back to her and nods. “The riches found are worth far more than the coliseum, and it’s attracting all sorts of explorers and attention from all over the Kingdom. The influx of money has been… staggering.”

You sigh and put a head to your forehead. “So… you’re telling me that the only reason they’re allowing me to live is because I made them filthy rich?”

Selene snorts, “Where do you think we are?”

 

Chapter 214

 

You both leave a little later, Selene grabbing another leg of roast-beast on the way out, her appetite larger than you expected. You watch as an influx of people and Monsters pass by trading outposts of tents that had begun to form around the town, make-shift camps for those traveling north in search of work at the Coliseum, or there to delve into the catacombs.

The sun begins to lower on the horizon and you consider asking Selene to stop for the night, maybe finding some shelter in a shanty town around here, when you see in the distance the flat, nearly sunken forest of dark trees that heralds the swamp. After only a moment of thought, you ask her to press forward. She looks at the swamp, frowning, but continues as the sky turns dark

You arrive at the swamp after darkness falls across the land and you immediately feel stupid for asking Selene to take you here. You can’t see a damn thing, and even though Selene’s feline eyes can see just fine, she doesn’t feel comfortable dashing through the trees while carrying you. Swamps are dangerous for many, many reasons, and your options are either to turn back around or press on by foot, which can easily result in you getting eaten, slipping and breaking your neck, or all sorts of other things.

Delilah finds the place wonderful. She makes sure you know that.

You consider turning back when Selene’s ears twitch again. Closing your eyes, you strain to hear the sound of panting and furious, wet footsteps as someone runs toward you. The two of you get ready for a fight, you igniting light from your staff as a figure runs in, stopping with wide eyes as she sees the two of you.

It’s a Danuki. In fact, it’s the same fucking Danuki from before!

You point a finger at the creature, throwing back your head and making a sort of roaring gurgle that causes Selene stare at you with a startled expression. The Danuki curses, turning around to run smack into a solid wall of scaled flesh. She looks up slowly, a horrified expression on her face as a Jaga-Jaga warrior gives her a toothy grin.

————————————————————————————–

A short while later, the two of you sit in the village of the Jaga-Jaga, both of you sweating like pigs as you eat a meal of fresh gator, (the irony) and other various swamp vittles. Selene eats with gusto as Jaga-Jaga mill about, talking with themselves under the light of candles placed in poles all around the swamp. They seem much happier than they did before, but that’s probably because when you walked into the village you noticed right away the presence of men, obviously brought in by the trade to Cair.

The door to the hut you’re in opens and a man steps in. His eyes widen as he sees you, however. “Well, I’ll be damned, if it isn’t the Wizard.”

You cock your head, “Do I know you?”

The man chuckles, “I was that sad sap you interrogated awhile back, the caravan guard? I heard that damn Danuki was back so…” he shakes his head as a familiar Jaga-Jaga guard swaggers up and takes the man around the waist, pulling him into a deep kiss that he reciprocates. You and Selene both cough into your hands as the kiss starts to get a little heated and the man pulls away, coughing into his hand.

“Ahem, well, excuse me, I have duties to attend to, nice seeing you again.”

The two of them walk away and you shake your head, snorting. “I said they’d make cute babies.”

“Wassa this bout cute babies eh?” A familiar voice rumbles. You stand up as Madam Rapodaie enters the room, smiling widely with her crooked grin. She walks up to you and gives you a big hug, which still hurts your back and you return the gesture, patting her as you wheeze. “Ack… a little much Madam…”

Rapodaie releases you, huffing as she puts a hand on her hip. A smile is still on her face as she looks you over. “My, my, my, thisa little Wizard-man comin backa here all big man now, eh?” She looks to Selene and grins, “Oh and wassa this? He dun bringa a fine little somthin to missa village eh?”

Selene bows her head politely, “My name is Selene, pleased to meet you. My dear here has said much about you.”

“Oh, I betta is all good eh?” Rapodaie says, chuckling. “Wassa bringin you back here, eh? You lookin to refill my stocks?”

You blush and shake your head furiously. “No! No! We uh, we’re just passing through, on our way to Sanctifrond.”

“Issa that right?” She says, pretending to be disappointed, although the corner of her mouth lifts up. “Lossa people been through recently, lossa men come, see da Jaga-Jaga, say they wanna sell us some tings but they end up stayin.” She smiles again, laughing heartily

“Is a good time to be Jaga-Jaga, no?”

You smile in return, happy for that things are going well. “What about the Swamp Horrors?”

Rapodaie shrugs, “Haven’t seena dem since you came through. We be watchin, dun you think othawise, but worst we seened these days be Danuki.” She frowns at the name, as if it’s physically distasteful.

You nod your head sagely, “Of course. I saw you captured one when we came in here?”

“Ah, thassa one crafty, she escape us, but we bring her back, makea her pay for her crime. Be a lesson to da others.”

“What, do you tie her to a stick so all the other Danuki know not to enter?” Selene asks with a mocking tone.

Rapodaie nods her head, “Yessa.”

Selene falters, caught utterly off guard by that answer. You pat her hand gently. “Let me tell you about Benny Garitine sometime, dear.”

Rapodaie stretches and waves a hand over your food. “You be enjoyin yoselves, ya hear? Yousa stay the night, have a little Jaga-Jaga hospitality, maybe hava yoself a good time, you hear?” She says that last part with a wicked smile on her face.

You look to Selene, who wipes a trickle of sweat off her face with a tail before giving you a toothy grin. Heart beginning to beat faster again, the two of you set to finish your meal with thoughts other than the food in your head.

————————————————————————————–

The two of you retire to the little room prepared for you by Rapodaie, who very sweetly takes Delilah off your hands, having uh, “questions” for the head. You know it’s just a ruse by the wonderful, beautiful, amazing, Jaga-Jaga shaman. Thank the Gods for her intervention.

You close the door behind you, plunging the two of you into pure darkness. Frowning at forgetting to light a candle, you just shrug, sending power into your staff to make it flare to life. As the red glow of your staff suffuses the room, you freeze in place as you see Selene, her torso bare to the world and shimmering with a thin layer of sweat, in the middle of the room, a wicked grin on her face.

Gently, you lay your staff in the corner, keeping magic in it to make the light continue. You slowly remove your robes before taking a deep breath and then striding over to Selene, pressing in close, and kissing her.

You can taste salt on her lips, a product of the sweat that covers her body, her apparent immunity to the cold not extending to the heat. Sliding your hands down her back, you lose yourself in the kiss, the two of you laying down on the little pallet in the room.

Both of you quickly become breathless as you have a duel of the tongues, your breath mixing together, taking only occasional breaks to make sure you don’t asphyxiate as you ravage each other. Her soft, fluffy tails slide along your backside, occasionally making scratches as the blades drag along, but you barely notice. Pulling away for breath, you find yourself panting atop her, the two of you dripping as you look into each other’s eyes, twisted smiles on your faces.

You look down at her breasts, her glistening mounds of flesh that were kept in place by really the thinnest of clothing. Somehow without it, they seemed so very different, so incredibly alluring. Her smile widens as she notices your gaze and she takes your hand with one of her, placing it on her left breast and forcing you to squeeze the soft, yet firm lump of flesh.

She lets out a gasp as you move your hand, massaging her chest. You feel yourself grow even more impassioned as your fingers work, gliding delicately over her stiff nipple, each pass causing her to let out tiny moans which send shivers down your spine. She fits so perfectly into your hands, her breasts not large enough that you feel like you can’t get a grip, but not small enough that there’s nothing there to work with. You wonder what divine providence allowed her to be so perfect as you continue your assault, to her squirming.

“You know,” You whisper, voice almost a growl, “I always wondered why you wore such a revealing outfit all the time, but now I think it was just to entice me.”

“H-hey!” She gasps out. “I can wear other clothes too!”

You chuckle, lowering your head toward her chest like you saw in your eastern theatre, which is all you have to go off of honestly. Your hot breath spills over her chest as you mutter, trying to seem cool, “Well, I like it better like this.”

Lowering your mouth to her breast, you suck her mound delicately. Her eyes open wider at the sudden sensation and the looks at you with a fire in her eyes, little gasps of pleasure escaping her mouth as you work your tongue around her, tasting the sweet and salty flavors of her body. After feeling that you had neglected the other breast, you move to it and begin a similar assault. Selene begins to squirm, tracing a larger furrow into you back, and you feel a little well of blood start to form.

Grunting, you pull back and Selene makes a throaty purr as she rises, pushing you onto your back. She then exposes your shaft to the air, it too glistening like a pillar covered in morning dew. She purrs again, delighted, before she looks you in the eyes, licking her lips.

“You like my breasts that much, hmm?”

You can’t find the appropriate words to describe such a thing, so you settle for nodding your head. She grins and then places your manhood in between her breasts, trapping it between the two orbs.

A delicate pleasure washes through you at the pressure as she pushes her breasts together against your cock. Their size is perfect to engulf your base while leaving your head sticking out, twitching in response to the assault of pleasure upon it. You let out a gasp as she begins to work her breasts back and forth, sliding them up and down your shaft in alternating motions of rolling and milking, each gesture sending a new trickle of pleasure down your spine.

To compound matters even further, she bends her head down and begins an oral assault also, your sensitive head forcing your hips to twinge as she performs fellatio. You do your best to survive such an assault, trying to last for Selene, but what can you do? She’s got centuries of experience on you and Gods damn does her tongue feel good.

You grunt, trying to warn her of your impending explosion, but she does this… something, with her tongue before you can and you feel yourself orgasm, spraying your hot sperm all over her mouth. Even though you had been milked yesterday, the force and surprise of it is enough to have Selene pull back, your throbbing head spraying sticky juices all over her face and breasts in ropes, mixing with the sweat and saliva.

The two of you pant, looking into each other’s eyes, knowing that this is where it happens, where the boundaries are crossed. Gods be damned if either of you are going to let any modicum of control come between you. Only an act of the divine can keep you from ravaging each other’s bodies in a fit of furious lust.

Well, that or the fact that the door crashes inward, a pack of Jaga-Jaga, Rapodaie included, falling into your room with a clatter, sending your staff flying as they tumble all over each other. They roll about before stopping and staring up at a furious, semen covered Selene, her face red with lust and rage as her tails rise into the air with menace.

“You better have a damn good excuse.”

Rapodaie licks her lips and gulps, trying to find a way out of obviously spying on the two of you, before saying, “O-official village bidness?”

You dodn’t continue your little romp after that, but Rapodaie does learn that Selene’s tails can leave marks in even in her rough hide. She’ll get over it in the morning, but Gods be damned if she didn’t learn her lesson.

Just like your eastern theatre.

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