Long story short looking at show homes and going on vacation consumed a week and work plus card hunter (that game chews up time) ate up the time from this week.
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Lust looked down at the dried up husk of what used to be a bandit in disgust, his soul just tasted terrible. But her master's life force would taste simply ecstatic, just thinking of it made Lust's body twist in pleasure; such an unobtainable delicacy.
"Jeed what's taking you so long?" The trees behind Lust rustled an another bandit appeared, "Err... Umm... Hi." Lust's lips curled up into a smile.
"Why hello there," Lust got close to the bandit and caressed his face, making him look directly at her, "What's your name?".
"Bra-Brant," Lust's eyes glowed pink as the bandit stumbled with his words, "My Lady." As Lust's magic took over, his eyes became glazed over and lifeless almost as if he was a wood puppet.
"Now, let's get to know each other shall we?" Lust tangled herself around Brant, "Tell me everything."
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A bunch of ramshackle wooden buildings camouflaged into the surrounding forest with various vegetation made up the bandit's makeshift base. Stationed around the walls were several bored bandits, often found with drinks, food or dice with them.
"What do you think is taking Jeed and Brant so long?" A bandit with a red bandanna asked the bandit across from him as he threw a pair of dice.
"Who knows, maybe they found some stray woman along their way," The bandit gave out a shout as he won the round. "That's three coppers now you owe me."
"Tch, my luck has been shit ever since Jeed left." Bandanna bandit scratched his head and stopped to listen to some rustling.
"Stop trying to stall for time, it's probably another animal."
"Alright alright," Bandanna rolled the pair of dice again, both of them landing on sixes. "Ha! Finally some luck, try and beat that!"
Grumbling the other bandit picked up the dice as a voice came over the wall, "Oi! It's me Brant, let me in!" Getting up the two bandits looked over the wall in the direction the voice came from,
"Who's the lady with ya? Hmm? Where's Jeed?"
"Did ya finally kill him off?" The two bandits broke out in laughter at their own joke, as much as Brant and Jeed fought there was no way they would kill each other.
Brant waved his hands, "Hurry and open up the gates for me." Then he paused for a second looking back at the lady before turning back to face them, "No clue where Jeed went, he'll come back when he wants to, probably off chasing some animal or something."
As the bandits went down the steps, the one with the bandanna hollered towards one of the bigger buildings, "Oi Boss!!! Brant's back... and he's brought a girl with 'im."
As Bandanna and the other bandit opened up the gate they were greeted by glowing pink eyes that seemed to drag them in, "Thank you boys." As they stood there dumbly Lust walked right by towards the gathering group of bandits, Brant following behind.
"You're late Brant!!!" A rough looking man walked out from the building, chain mail jingling. His face deformed into a malicious grin as he saw Lust, "At least you know how to apologize even if she's a bit on the small side, you're excused." He waved his hand at Brant then proceeded to reach out for Lust. "Let's have some fun now shall we?"
"Sorry for being on the small side." Lust mirrored his grin as pink light poured out of her glaring eyes blasting him in the face. Grunting he fell down on his knees as all the other bandit's bodies slacked, their eyes dull. "Oh my, you're resisting." Lust's lips twisted in a way that would make demonic nightmares tremble, "I think I'll have some fun with this."
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The bandit's hideout was practically a village, minus the food producing utilities that would be needed to keep the population of forty four (not including the recently deceased Jeed) and five horses fed. Of course they didn't need to produce their own food, as they were bandits they took the things they needed from unfortunate travelers and villagers.
"Hmm, so you're funded by this mysterious noble to attack certain merchants and other important figures." Gak nodded dumbly, as Lust sat on his padded chair checking her nails. "Well I don't really care who the noble is, when does his messenger usually arrive?"
"Dunno, she shows up whenever we have a job to do." Normal charms only allowed simple actions but a charm from a high level demon like Lust gives full control while barely inhibiting the subjects abilities.
"My lady!" The bandit with the red bandanna walked in through the door before being immediately plastered to the floor roughly with an invisible force.
"Remember to knock next time alright?" Although her face was smiling the aura she exuded was the very opposite. "Now what is it?"
"Y-yes my lady," despite the force being lifted off of him bandanna stayed lying on the ground, "The three who left earlier to pose as guards for a caravan are coming towards to ambush spot... what should we do?"
Lust pondered for a moment before answering, "You were going to attack and take the goods were you not? Proceed with that plan but if possible take them alive, including the three."
"Yes, my lady." Getting up and bowing he left through the door, dust trailing behind in his wake.
"Why alive?" Gak looked over a puzzled look on his face,
Lust opened the door behind the desk and walked through sighing, this was the problem though with her charmed targets; they ask so many questions. She turned back towards Gak who was in deep thought. "You won't understand even if I told you. Now come here, we have some time before they arrive." Her tone seductive she beckoned Gak towards her as she lay on top of his large but simple bed, clothes already undone.
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Comprised of three wagons and six guards it wasn't a big but it was one that Farrad has built up from travelling around with a pack of goods. Looking back at it he can't help but feel accomplished, but of course he wasn't going to stop with just this. Kane was a city of riches but only a few can rise up while the rest get trampled into the ground, being one of the few that rose the sky's the limit. Or that's what he thought, before a bandit ambush took everything he had, "Keep moving." Being pushed forward he almost fell over, only held up by the grip that held the ropes tying his hands behind his back.
It was a sudden attack, out of nowhere a group of bandits appeared, armed with makeshift wooden clubs. The six guards who were armed with leather armor and blades shouldn't have had any trouble dealing with the ten poorly armed bandits, he even felt sorry for them. Certainly they must have been the unfortunate lot that were kicked aside by the ones that rose. That was before half of his guards turned on him, surprised the other guards quickly fell two wounded and one dead, all incapacitated.
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The two drivers and him sat there in shock at the sudden betrayal, easily suppressed by the bandits. A cleric that was travelling with them put up a better fight, giving one of the traitors a bash to the head with his mace before being knocked out, unfortunately the bandit only suffered some light injuries.
"Who sent you?" It wouldn't be surprising if they were told to attack him by someone who didn't like him rising up, especially since the three 'guards' were introduced to him by a respectable inn master. All he got in answer was a smack to the head, guess that would be considered mild.
"Let go of me!" One of the other guards, a female warrior named Jan was trying to fight back while she was being striped by the three bandits lust clearly on their face. With one arm disabled it was hardly any resistance to three men and there was nothing any of them could have done to help.
*Smack
Everyone had frozen at the unexpected sight, even Jan who was struggling with all her might before stopped as one of her assailants was slumped over on the ground knocked unconscious by one of the other bandits.
"Wha-" Before he could protest another had been hit over the head, the last one was barely able to pick up his sword before being incapacitated. Infighting within the group maybe? But there had been no time to take advantage of that as they were quickly tied up and dragged into the forest, three of the bandits remained behind to drive the wagons and clean up the mess.
So that lead them to were they are now, Farrad , the three traitors, Jan, the unconscious guard Harold, the cleric who's name Farrad can't recall, the two drivers: a middle aged man named Gent and his son Trent were being dragged through the forest. The bandits had been eerily silent the entire time, neither bantering, insulting them, assaulting them or other things that bandits would typically do. Their unusual behavior just made Farrad fear what was waiting for them, especially since Jan was otherwise untouched except for the ropes restraining her after they had dealt with the three. Normally a quarrel would happen over money, women or power but in this case it was non of them.
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"That was disappointing." Lust was getting dressed after cleaning herself off, looking back disapprovingly at the pile of twitching bodies on and around the sullied bed. Gak barely lasted an hour and the others even less leaving Lust unsatisfied. She started playing with herself half dressed, "Master should hurry and come back." the life force of the chosen of the Reaper, just fantasizing about it made her want it even more.
*Knock knock
"My lady the group is back." Lust narrowed her eyes at the sudden interruption, the door was opened by an invisible force and the bandit was pulled in.
"I'll deal with that later, but first" Lust straddled him violently, his red bandanna falling off in the progress, "You will please me." He had no chance to reply as Lust started assaulted him and filled his mouth with hers, some where deep inside where his original consciousness still resided he felt like he was in heaven.
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They were unceremoniously dumped into an open area after they were brought to the bandit's base, one of them walked towards the biggest building before being pulled through it with an invisible force. Farrad hoped that the bandit had done something to displease their leader and was on his way to death...
Ten minutes later they were still kneeling there, all through that time the bandits around the fort just stood or sat there watching them. Jan was breathing heavily almost feverishly, she had laid where they threw her without moving; probably didn't have the energy to. Her right shoulder where a blade had been stabbed was still bleeding and the way her hands were tied behind her back was not helping at all.
"Ugh.." The cleric groaned as he regained consciousness, his brown hair and robes dirty from the dust. Shifting his weight he slowly managed to get into a sitting position, if anything at least they weren't bothered too much, no excessive brutality which made Farrad wonder what their goal was. If eliminating him was what they were told to do there was no reason for him to be alive, maybe to sell as a slave but since slave trade was more or less illegal now there would be little merit to expose themselves like this; especially since they knew where the base was. If they were hoping to get ransom it was useless cause there's no one that would pay for him and as far as he knows it's the same for the others.
"Untie me please," Did Farrad just hear wrongly? What is the cleric thinking?
"Be quiet! You want to get us all killed?" Farrad shouted out agitated, even if he doesn't know why they are being kept alive as long as he's alive he'll grasp onto the hope that he could escape; that means not agitating their captors.
But cleric just ignored him and looked at one of the bandits, "The two guards need help otherwise they'll die." Certainly Jan's face was getting paler every minute and Harold hasn't regained consciousness once yet. The bandits however just stood there silently watching. "I won't try anything, please..."
At their continued silence the cleric got up slowly, it may be partially do to having to get up with out his hands or that he didn't want to alarm the bandits but there was no reaction from them. Crouching down awkwardly next to Jan he tried to place his hands on her wound without leaning onto it, at his touch she gasped out in pain. At that the bandits moved and pulled him away from her, slamming him into the ground where he began and seemingly knocked him out in the process. Farrad looked on in shock as they returned to their places, rather than people they seemed more like... puppets.
Once he had heard in an inn from a drunk that there was magic which could control people, make them dumb only able to obey simple orders... The only things able to use that magic according to the drunkard was demons and vampires, Farrad gulped hard, he had disregarded it as a tale made up under the influence of alcohol if it was true... what awaited them?
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I may or may not do one of Shin training, but what the next chapters look like are: Wrapping up of the demons stories, princess side story, and maybe one about the rest of the party (I half want to just leave it a mystery and half want to write it out, well I'll see when I get to it.)