"Alpha! Alpha!"
Roffe kept his sharp yellow eyes on the map in his clawed hands. The werewolf could feel the air flowing across his pitch black fur. His pointed ears swiveled to the left so that he could hear his subordinate's voice. He didn't need to look at him. He knew who it was and could already picture the hunching, grey, slavering form of one of his pack rushing up to him.
"Yes?" he said without looking up from the map.
He heard the sound of something being dragged up by their hair. Judging by the high pitched groans of pain, the "thing" was a human woman.
"I caught the pretty lady!" the random werwolf shouted with excitement. Roffe turned his attention from the map to the member of his pack. Mainly to check that he had actually gotten the right one.
His eyes roamed the woman who was currently struggling in the other werewolf's grip. Her delicate hands tried to pry the monster's claws from her auburn hair to no avail. Her scout uniform had been ripped to pieces, exposing her nude body to the elements.
Lustful instincts tugged at Roffe's mind. He could feel his body heat up at the sight of the helpless woman just waiting for him to-
With a quiet growl he pulled his head away from the sight. He locked them onto the map once more while waving at the other wolf with one hand, "That's her. The auburn haired one. Take her to the rest of the pack and do what you will with her."
"Can I have her now, Alpha?! I did a good job so...," Roffe rolled his eyes at the sound of the werewolf licking his lips. He could hear the female's struggles get more frantic, likely at seeing what the werewolf meant by "have her now".
Roffe groaned, silently wishing that lady Olga had given the rest of his pack the intelligence she had blessed him with, "Fine. Just don't get too close. I don't need any fluids getting on the map."
Whether the werwolf heard anything after the word "Fine" Roffe didn't know. Mainly because the werewolf had already pushed the woman onto the ground by the time Roffe finished talking. The Alpha turned his back on the act. He tried his utmost to focus on the map Lady Olga had given him, ignoring the moans of pleasure and pain happening behind him.
He and his pack had spent all of last month traversing the mountains that ran from the north to the borders of Rad. The trek had not been easy. By his count his once thousand strong pack was down to a mere two-hundred. The rest either died to the harsh terrain, were crushed by an unexpected avalanche, or died of starvation and dehydration. He had remembered how happy everyone was when they finally reached the thick forest at the bottom of the mountains.
And how that happiness turned to elation when they found the five human female scouts leisurely walking along the pained moans had stopped about two hours ago. Now there was nothing but pleasure. Maybe he should-
He shook his head and started to walk away from where his subordinate was "enjoying" the last of the scouts. She had managed to escape them in the initial skirmish, so he sent one of his men to chase her down. Couldn't have her warning anyone that they were coming.
Their mission was simple. Go across the mountains, break into Rad's borders undetected, and capture Luu Luu of the Seven Shields. Olga wanted one of them captured to be used as leverage to end this war quickly, and what better than the halfling known to be one of the best smiths in the land? She knew she couldn't just send anyone for this operation. Orcs were too big, burly, unsubtle, and stupid. Even if they managed to make it across the mountains, they'd be caught almost immediately. Or maybe even completely forget their objective and just raid the countryside. Her Dark Elves were needed for more important missions, such as blunting any advances Celestine's armies may attempt into Garan. And Ogres had the same problems as the Orcs.
So, she would send them; the werewolves. Not as numerous or as strong as the Orcs and Ogres, but they had something approaching a human intellect. Enough that she knew they wouldn't be lost causes if they made it to the borders.
However, to be 100% certain her plan would work, she had used her powers to bless him with a higher than average intellect. Unlike his brethren, Roffe could plan, remember important details for long periods of time, and most importantly keep his lustful nature in check when required. Such as now.
According to the map they had taken from one of the scouts (the one being spit-roasted perhaps?), Rad was a four day journey from their current position. Longer if they tried to avoid any of the towns or villages between here and the city. He frowned and scratched at his head while trying to remember their current situation. The scouts had some food and water the remaining two hundred could share. Not to mention their bodies would keep his men's carnal desires in check for a while. But, even with foraging and hunting, they wouldn't be able to reach Rad before they started losing more of their numbers. That was a problem because they would need enough to get into Rad and capture Luu Luu undetected, and then enough to allow them to get back to the mountains and back to the fortress.
Roffe grit his teeth while the map began to shake in his hands. He cursed himself for not asking Lady Olga for more supplies or a way to quickly return to the fortress when the job was done. His only options were to attack a town or village. It shouldn't be too difficult to do. No one knows they're here and, based off how there were only five poorly trained scouts watching these borders, no one thought this place would ever be breached. But that was the problem. The moment they took down a population center, Knights and Mercenaries would be sent to deal with them.
Roffe took in two deep breaths to calm himself down. It was ok. All he needed to do, was find a place that was far enough away from civilization to not be missed. His sharp eyes scanned the map to search for such a location...and he found it.
Baskerville. Far enough that no one would know it was gone for a while, but big enough to give them all the food, water, and women they would need.
He made a small hole in the map with his claw to mark the location. Then he folded it up and began walking back to camp.
"Alpha," he stopped and turned to his subordinate. The grey skinned wolf reached down and pulled the woman's tear covered face up, "Mouth is still free. You want?"
Roffe observed the woman's face. The strength had left her body, her eyes were rolling into the back of her head. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth making him feel so-
Roffe used his claws to create a swallow stab wound in his side. It hurt, but it sent the lust away.
"No," his fellow werewolf stepped back at the angry growl that escaped his leader's mouth. Roffe fast walked deeper into the forest while shouting back, "Get back to camp when you're done. I have a plan."
The werewolf watched his Alpha leave. For a moment, his mind began to wonder about his leader. Why did he not take advantage of the women like the rest of them? Why did he always seem to be holding something back? Did have something to do with what the pretty dark elf lady did to him?
These thoughts swirled in his mind...for a moment.
Then they disappeared and were replaced with the need to breed the woman below him.
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Within the confines of the Half-Moon Inn, Lord Gwyn continued to slumber.
As he lay sleeping, his body had slowly but surely changed. It had happened at such a meager rate that even Lily, who had been watching over him for a month, hadn't noticed the changes.
He had lost some of his titanic height, though he still stood taller than most people of Eostia. His dark brown hair had regained its original luster. It fell around his rough, scar covered face, leading to a thick beard and mustache combo. They were connected through equally bushy side-burns. His mouth was set in a fine line as his chest rose and fell with every breath he took.
His skin had regained its original white pigmentation and muscle definition. Beneath the baggy brown shirt and pants he wore was the body of a Warrior King. One honed to perfection after a thousand battles against a superior foe.
As the afternoon sun's rays struck his face, for the first time since he and Lily had arrived in Eostia, he began to stir.
Then his eyes burst open. The black voids that identified him as a hollow had long since gone. Now they were replaced by surprised but sharp black irises that resembled solar eclipses.
The Lord swiftly took in the room he found himself in. He took in the bed right across from his on the left wall, the single window in the back, the locked door next to the foot of the unoccupied bed, and how he was alone.
For the first time since he sacrificed himself to the Flame, for the first time since he became a hollow, Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight spoke.
"What is this?"
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"Sorry I wasn't able to help more, Lily."
Lily waved at Clamor, closing the bottomless box on her left hip that now held the Lord of Sunlight's blade, "It is fine, Clamor. You did what was in your power to do. Once more, I must say I am in your debt for not charging me for this. I will pay you back eventually, I swear."
"I'll hold you to that," the blacksmith waved at the woman as she made her way to her next destination. Her gaze turned to the sky as she walked. Quietly thanking that the sun did not look like a giant bleeding wound in the world, she estimated that it was about halfway to afternoon. Frowning beneath her helm, she increased her pace. She would need to hurry to get everything done before her shift. She turned a corner, mind so set on her destination that she didn't pay any attention to brown cloaked man that began following her.
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He kept pace with her, slowly getting closer whenever he could slip past another person walking by. Lily's head remained focused on the path in front of her as she walked, oblivious to the approaching danger. Her pursuer's eyes were locked on the box hooked to her left hip. His imagination was running wild with what could possibly be in there and how long its contents could feed him. Once he closed the distance he made to "accidentally" bump into Lily while his right hand went for the box.
His hand was centimeters from the box when Lily's gauntlet closed around his arm. Without a word she increased the pressure on the would be thief's arm until she heard bones snap.
The thief cried out in immense pain, holding his limp arm in his one good hand as Lily let him go. He ran in the opposite direction while his arm hung limply at his side, pushing passed everyone who tried to help him. Lily kept moving forward with her mind on her destination. She reached it with just enough time left to check in on her second project before she had to return to the Inn.
She looked up to behold the building where her steps had taken her. Smaller than the other stone and thatch buildings, the place's primary defining features were happily advertised out front. From hooks hung cloths of red and blue that fluttered in the wind. The wooden door had the image of a beautiful woman on it, her emerald hair flowing down over the matching dress she wore. Her face had rounded features that many believed belonged on someone much younger than her. Her dress hugged her curvy form from waist to neck, while the rest of her body was covered by a long skirt. The only thing you could easily see were the woman's white slippers. Lily approached the door and raised an arm to knock only to stop as it was pulled open revealing the woman who resided within.
"Silver! I've been waiting!~" the girl's high pitched voice only emphasized her excitement. She was identical to the painting on the door, right down to her hair color and the white slippers on her feet. She grabbed Lily's arm and pulled her inside the home, "Come on. We don't have much time. I need to show you my latest designs!"
Lily let the younger woman pull her along while sighing, "I apologize for being late, Velina. I ended up spending too much time talking about ores and their uses with Clamor."
"Never mind that now! Get in here and wait," Velina pushed the armored woman into a side room that was only big enough to house five people. The walls were made of wood and turned into benches half way down, each one wide enough to hold two people side by side. The only way in or out was through the door that Velina had pushed Lily into. The girl closed the door on Lily and ran off to get what she needed.
Lily sat down on the right bench while the wood creaked beneath the weight of her armor. She placed her hands on her knees and kept her eyes on the door.
She was...unsure in regards to her relationship with Velina. She had met the girl the week after she met Clamor, and her first impressions of the woman had been strange. Velina had been friendly. Too friendly. She had insisted on giving Lily a tour of her home that doubled as a place of business. She always called Lily "Silver" even after Lily had repeatedly informed the girl of her name. And she never seemed to understand the idea of "personal space" as far as Lily was concerned. Velina had constantly clung to Lily's arm the entire tour through the girl's home.
While she did not dislike the girl, Lily didn't exactly enjoy being in her house for long periods of time. Unfortunately, Velina was the only person with any tailoring experience in town. And she needed her if she was ever going to complete the second part of her task: Repairing Lord Gwyn's Robes. Which wasn't going to be easy. Her job at the Inn earned her no currency as Irons took everything she made and put it towards the debt she owed on her room. Last she checked, she still had 100 Gold to pay off, and she earned about 10 per day. She had to wait at least two more weeks before she would be free of that place...but she didn't know if Lord Gwyn could wait that long.
He had been sleeping for an entire month now. And though he still breathed, he hadn't been eating or drinking at all. He had simply laid in bed, still and cold as stone. She had tried to awaken him through normal means. Even ones that she would have to apologize for once he had awakened. But nothing seemed to work. It was in the third week of her arrival to this world that she had a different idea: To repair and return his blade and clothing. Perhaps if she did so, the familiar feeling of his old items would free him from whatever held him?
Thus she had taken his blade to Clamor and his cloths to Velina. The blacksmith had been fine with taking payment once she was free of Irons. The tailor, unfortunately, would not accept those terms. Instead, she offered Lily a deal.
The door opened and Lily's eyebrow rose at the sight of Velina's new outfit.
Well...what Lily assumed was an outfit.
The tailor had forgone her relatively modest outfit for something that wouldn't look out of place on a Lady Of The Night. A velvet dress with a long cut along her right thigh, allowing any onlookers to see her undergarments should they see her from the side. More cuts were made near her waist and hips to reveal the marble white skin beneath. The chest was loose enough to let her breasts sag forward, her cleavage out for all to see and gawk at. The dressmaker leaned forward until her hands were on her knees, then held that pose while smiling at Lily, "So? Silver? What do you think? I'm thinking of maybe putting this one out front so it's the first thing people see when they walk in."
Lily looked the woman up and down. She remained silent while scrutinizing the tailor. Then she said, "It looks fine. But I don't believe it will catch the eye of any save those attempting to attract the attention of a male. For less than pure reasons."
Velina stood up while rolling her eyes, "That's the point! It's supposed to bring out a maiden's charm, so that no man can resist her."
"While I agree that having a healthy physical appearance is important for such matters, I believe a maiden's charm shows more through her actions than her outward features."
Velina waves at Lily dismissively, "You always say that, Silver! Hah, fine. I'll put this up on a rack or something. Wait here for the next one."
With that Velina was gone. Lily sighed and adjusted her posture so she was more comfortable. This was the deal she had struck with Velina. Every two days she would come to the building and Velina would show her the new dresses she had been working on. Lily would then give her assessment on four of them. In the meantime, she would work on Gwyn's clothes to get them ready for when Lily required them.
Lily didn't mind it at first. Granted she had long since replaced her sense of what "looked good" with what "looked functional" but she could still appreciate basic beauty standards. The fact that this world seemed to keep to the same standards as her own was an advantage she was glad to have. That was, until after Velina revealed her first outfit.
Velina returned, this time in a white blouse, black skirt combo that was cut far too short. It revealed everything save for her nipples. Velina spins around, her white undergarments freely revealed as her skirt flies up in a circle until she stops. She strikes a pose and waits for Lily to give her thoughts.
"Again, I feel it is more suited for Ladies Of The Night..."
"Silver!" Velina stomps on the ground before leaving the room again. Lily sighs and shakes her head. This was the issue. Velina seemed to exclusively show her skimpy and sexual clothing. Not that anything was wrong with that. It's just...Lily knew that the tailor could make regular clothes. She had seen plenty laid out in the front of her shop whenever she came by. She wouldn't mind if Velina mixed in some regular attire for her to critique. But it almost exclusively provocative clothing with few exceptions.
When she voiced this concern, Velina simply said that these were all the clothes she was currently working on. Which was what their deal stated. And since it was either endure this or lose out on possibly her only way of reviving the Lord of Sunlight...it wouldn't be the worse thing she ever endured.
As for why Velina always called her Silver...she was unsure. Outside of her armor, maybe it was just an easier way for the girl to remember her?
Two dresses later (the last one literally being strips of cloth draped over her erogenous zones) and Lily was standing alongside a now fully clothed Velina as the latter brought out Gwyn's furred and frayed outfit. The grayish garb was scorched black in numerous places, the material seemed so thin that a stray finger could break it, and the fur around the neck had shriveled into thin white strands.
"I did what I could. Patched up the obvious holes, strengthened the foundations where I could,," Velina said while shaking her head. The tailor stared at the outfit with genuine sadness in her eyes, "But, Silver, there's only so much I can do. Even if I got...whatever material this thing is made out of, I couldn't fix it. The weaving is barely holding it together. The fur falls out if you move or shake it too much. The sleeves are...this whole thing is less like something someone would wear and more like...well...trash. Sorry."
Velina winced while handing the outfit back to Lily. She had said the same thing when Lily first brought Gwyn's Garb to her. The Ashen One had yelled at her for saying such a thing about the outfit. She hadn't even tried to fix it yet! How could she know that it was a lost cause?!
But now Velina had worked on it for three weeks. If she couldn't do anything for it now then...
"I see," Lily began folding the clothing up and placing it in her bottomless box, "I guess this is the end of our deal then?"
Velina's focus was locked onto the box at Lily's side. The tailor's mouth hung open in shock while her mind tried to puzzle out what she was seeing. How had the Silver Knight managed to put that entire outfit in that small box? The thing was the size of her hand, while the clothing was made for a giant! Lily waved a hand in front of the tailor's face to get her attention. Velina blinked twice before composing herself, "Huh? Oh, yes. I...I suppose it is. But if you ever need anything else, don't be afraid to stop by. Your advice is invaluable and I always have new designs I'd like feedback on."
Velina stepped into Lily's personal space and began tracing a circle where she thought her chest would be, "Or, you know. You could just come by for whatever. We could talk, walk around the city, or I could show you more of my home."
Velina batted her eyelashes up at Lily's helm. Lily gently pulled the woman's hand off her. She placed it by the tailor's side then bowed, "Thank you, for the offers. Maybe if I have more time, you could show me some other designs. Goodbye, Velina."
With that Lily walked out the door and into the late afternoon sun. Velina waved goodbye to the Silver Knight...then her palm met her face. She groaned in frustration.
What was she doing wrong?
She was sending all the right signals! Why hadn't that guy made a move on her? Every other guy she tried that on had chomped at the bit to get into her bed. What made him so stubborn!?
She sighed before shrugging and saying out loud, "Oh, well. Can't win them all. Maybe Clamor's boy is still open?"
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"Lily! Welcome back-"
"Move, Morgan," Lily pushed the Black Dog out of her way as she entered the Inn, "Your shift is over. I'm going upstairs to prepare for mine. I trust you will be gone by the time I get down. You must have a busy night ahead of you."
Lily didn't bother stopping to check on the Black Dog or speak to anyone else. She simply stomped her way upstairs and towards her room. She made a mental note to apologize to Grace and Anna when she came back down. Right now, she had a job to do.
She had failed, but maybe this could be salvaged. Maybe Lord Gwyn would awaken if she returned his things. They should still be in her box somewhere. All she had to do was take them out and place them on his body. Should be easy enough. She's strong enough to lift him. She opened the door to her room, quickly locked the door behind her, turned around...and froze on the spot.
Her eyes widened in shock as she beheld the man currently standing up and looking out of the window. Her gaze shot to the now empty bed Lord Gwyn had been sleeping in. Her knees felt weak but she made herself move forward. Step by step she approached the figure until she was but ten feet away from him. She swallowed multiple times as she beheld the man's large, powerful back.
With a voice that cracked as she spoke, she asked the man, "L-l-l-Lord Gwyn?"
Slowly the man's posture shifted. He turned around until he was fully facing Lily. One hand remained upon the window sill while the other lay at his side. While the rest of his form was equally stunning, Lily was transfixed by one thing.
His eyes.
For within them she saw a multitude of things.
The wisdom of a King that had built an empire that spanned for eons.
The confusion of a man waking up in a world that he knew was not his.
The scrutiny that any who had fought in war had learned to cultivate and use to its fullest extent.
But the primary emotions that she saw within his eyes made her heart sink.
Sorrow.
Regret.
And pain.
"My Silver Knight," Lord Gwyn, for who else could it be, said to Lily. His voice, despite years of non use, had sounded as imperious and powerful as Lily had imagined. He stepped away from the window sill walked over to his bed and sat down. He placed his hands on his knees and said while looking directly at Lily, "Please. Inform me of the...of the events that transpired after my sacrifice."