Lethelan is the second child of the Elvenhan and considered the heir to his father. He is the god of battles, strategy, war and storms. Well known for both his use of cold strategy and subterfuge he teaches to those who lead the armies of the elves and the wild rage some elves are known to release in desperation. He is well known to not want the throne of the elven pantheon and it was his appointment as heir that drove his older sister Jailia to betray their parents in a coup that he caused to fail.
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Adrian
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The surprise teleport in ambush ends as swiftly as it started, and aside from everyone having blood splashed on them we are unharmed. It really was stupid of them to attack a pack of werewolves under the full moon without a weapon that can deal lasting harm or any casters. That does however also mean that the casters that sent the men are still out there somewhere and this may have been a recon attack and the men were all disposable, though they seemed well trained.
My thoughts however turn elsewhere as I see what Danny looks like in her natural form, the silvery-blue scales that cover her body seem pleasing to my eyes and for some reason I find my eye following the curvature of her horns, how they go in almost mirror opposite to my own curving backwards and up into a hook rather than forwards and then up, or how her tail is thinner proportionally to my own.
Moonlight Runner however decides that I can think about such things later as she moves in between the two of us before brushing up against me and her tail wagging faster as she trots off to the side and looks back at me, her rear end on full display. I don’t get why she is acting this way specifically, but Ria does and whispers “she wants to have fun.”
That however stops my thoughts for a moment, this is Moonlight Runner calling me out for a boody call? I don’t really want to do her in that form though. I wonder if she can take on Kythia’s human form or at least a hybrid form. . . Wait, I can remember her doing something like this once before. She took K’s shape then when I asked her to, can she do it now? If it was due to her taking over much of K’s spirit then. . .
Still, I follow my canine companion off into the woods followed by Ria. At least I started to before Abagail shouts out, “you can’t just leave us here. What if they attack again?”
That does cause me to stop. I don’t want to lose the elves and my draconian pet just because I was off having fun with my girls. “Moonlight Runner, we probably need to stay nearby” I whisper into her ear, not sure if I am allowed to let Ria know her name.
“Why? I wanted to play chase the fox like you mentioned to my soul-sister” she answers and while that does sound very appealing I respond with “I don’t want to leave them unprotected if we are attacked again.”
Moonlight Runner frowns at that and says, “the only one that can’t defend herself is the tiny girl.”
“The elves alone would have died, and they are friends of the pack.”
Another wolf walks over to us and speaks, “my soul sister Kylana wants to know if you can block the moonlight for a few minutes.”
“Okay? Just give me a moment, I'll try” I start before looking up at the moon and grabbing ahold of it’s light in my mind. Pushing my will onto reality, I bend its light away from the few feet around Kylana's wolf. The werewolf before me slowly begins to shrink, her fur ungrowing before my eyes.
It is at this moment that a voice I do not recognize saying, “you needn’t, I know the spell she would use.”
I turn towards the voice to see an elf standing in black, red and gold robes that he wears as if they were a cloak open just enough to show the chain shirt that lays underneath. His dark red hair the color of spilt blood and while I do not recognize him, I can only assume that this elf is the one that Kylana told me about earlier today. And he is not someone that I could fight without taking full advantage of my Ravnos magic. I drop the manipulation of light and Kylana’s wolf quickly regains what she had lost.
“I assume you are the one Kylana told me about earlier?” I ask.
“I am, and it seems we have a common enemy” he answers while walking towards the corpse who had the best clothing before his mauling.
The elf then begins to chant in a tongue I doubt I would recognize even if it were not masked by the mana he is using. The night seems slightly darker and I wonder why Abagail hasn’t started yelling for a moment before I look over to find her unconscious by the hand of Shadow-Bryan.
A chill passes through the air as I look back to see the elf pouring a glass on wine into the mouth of the corpse and a glowing specter of the dead man rises from his own corpse screaming incoherently though I think some of it is cursing the elf. The elf just stands there for a moment before speaking another mana concealed word that seemed to be a command that silenced the spirit.
Then Damû commands “speak your name.”
“Sir Francis Baerrien, Knight in the service of the Holy One through the order of Unstained Blades, you unclean abomination” the spirit answers with a sneer.
“Who were you sent to slay?”
“Some nameless rouge Called, but if we had known the depth of his. . .”
“State his name and all the information you were given on your target.”
“Adrian, last name unknown. Suspected elementalist, but dispute his great skill was labeled as a waste due to nearly no magical potential. His companions have moderately high potential, but their association and lack of preparatory training left them not worth the effort.
His most dangerous ability is to call lightning down from the sky. Suspected links to a thieves’ guild and theft of an unregistered kitsune slave. The kitsune knows how to call on foxfire.”
Barely any of that information is accurate, so that’s why they were shielded against fire and lightning but not to several hundred-pound death machines.
“How did you know to strike here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Will there be another attack?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where is your base of operations?” Ria interjects and the specter sneers at her in contempt.
“Answer her questions” Damû states.
“Two days straight west of the gate of dusk.”
“What else is there?”
“A great many things, hundreds of axes, one handed swords, two handed swords, . . .”
“Skip all items worth less than ten thousand gold.”
“. . . there are a total of one hundred and seventy six chests of coins in the coffers, the mages of the Order of Exaltation and Purification perform experiments on those we are sent with capture orders, they have two labs in the basement, there is a library used in the training of acolytes, apprentices and knights, the office of the Knight Commander for the order is well decorated.”
“What are the actions this Order of Exaltation is making?”
“Potions, potions that make the drinker permanently stronger and purer.”
“How many?”
“Enough for all officers and leaders in all the Orders.”
Stat potions? They’re mass producing stat potions? How?
I turn to Analais and Kylana's wolf and ask, “that is on the way right?”
“It is now” Analais answers with a grin. I think he wants in on this.
Them there is a flash of bright white light and a robed man stands next to our unwilling informant.
“Tainted Abomination release the spirit of the faithful!” the angel? shouts.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Damû smirks and twists his hands and the spirit of the man falls into pieces. The winged man frowns as he charges to attack only to be parried by the elf’s blade. I stand for a moment and just watch as the elf stands bored as he parries the attacks of his assaulter. Did he really just destroy the soul of that man?
“Care to help?” Damû asks.
“You seem to be doing well enough” I answer.
He then nods before saying a single word in an unknown tongue and in a blur of movement ending with his blade through the chest of the angel. The angel screams as he seems to be sucked into the blade as it glows in a sickly dark green light, trails of black smoke rising up from the angel as he disappears. Time Stop and a Soul Trap? I need to make sure none of those I care about ever end up on the wrong side of his blade. . .
“I will be in touch, I’ll see you when you look into the information you overheard” Damû says before he vanishes leaving the rest of us alone with the various dead bodies of the Althaen strike force.
Moonlight Runner then nudges me and says “nothing is going to happen, and the blood elf will be watching them anyways. We’re playing hunt the fox.”
She then turns to Ria who nods before running off into the woods before I can get another word in and I can feel her wanting me to play along through our bond. She wants me to chase her down through the woods, or maybe what comes afterwards, I’m not sure.
SC
I look into Moonlight Runner’s eyes for a moment, unsure if I really want to go down this road in the shape she currently holds but I do love her as I love Kythia. I rub my head against hers and ask, “how much of a head start should she get?”
“How much of a run do we want?”
I shrug, not sure. To which Moonlight Runner slowly stands up and says, “now then.”
With that she runs off faster than I could possibly keep up with in human form, but I am still in my hybrid shape. I charge after her using my wings to make short bursts of flight to keep up. Four legs are better than two at speed and maneuverability.
It is only a fraction of a minute before Moonlight Runner catches sight of Ria, but I know it’s an illusion as my bond shows her in a different direction. I don’t say anything as she tries to tackle the illusion to the ground only to hit her head on a tree but once she realizes she was fooled she looks over to me as I rush off in the correct direction.
It does not take long for her to pass me and once more see Ria running away from us. Another attempt at tackling only leaves Moonlight Runner with a shower of dirt and leaves to show for it and I can’t help but wonder if she could catch Ria alone.
Neither of us say anything as we go off after Ria once more, but I can’t help but enjoy the chase. The cool night air running over my scales and wings and how Ria keeps getting Moonlight Runner to go after an illusion rather than her real self.
It is not long however before Moonlight Runner catches on and slowly gets closer and closer to the actual Ria rather than the illusionary ones. At the same time Ria gets closer and closer to me as her illusions are destroyed one after another by Moonlight Runner.
Eventually though, Ria is caught pinned down by Moonlight Runner. She growls as she forces Ria to lay on her back with her belly and throat exposed to us. Moonlight Runner looks at me with her tail wagging for a moment before growling “I win.”
With that Moonlight Runner lets Ria up in favor of rubbing against me before taking a step back and looking at me for a moment.
She stands up on her hind legs and shifts, become more humanoid; not morphing back to the human form my K has that I enjoy so much but one that resembles the same balance between man and ‘monster’ I currently am in. The light of the full moon reflecting off of her silver fur covered mounds as they grow to mirror K’s and to a size that would be too large for me to enjoy outside of my own larger draconian form. . .
I take a step towards her, I wonder if they have the same perfect firmness as her human form does. . .
Moonlight Runner doesn’t stop me as my advance and while I can feel the firmness I enjoy so much, though the scales that cover my clawed hands dull the sensation. They’re still fun to touch but I can’t feel the same level of detail that I do when in human form. For a moment I think of shifting back to that very form but Moonlight Runner is not as patient with foreplay as K, “push me down and take me” she growls into my ear before forcing me away from her chest.
My tail flicks behind me, a mirror to the tiny bit of annoyance at not getting to play as I wish but if she wants to be pushed down and breed like an animal. . . I can always play with them after forcing her to howl out my name. . .
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Moonlight Runner
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My mate stares at me for a moment, my own eyes scanning over his scale covered body. Its uglier than his usual pink two-legs form but he is strong. He is my mate and he will be the one to sire pups on me; even if I would rather he take the form of a wolf to mount me.
The only warning I get before he tackles me to the ground is a single step before his tail takes my legs out from under me and I find my back pressed against the ground. He stares at the breasts that will nurse our pups for a moment while holding my arms over to the ground. I try to move them, but he holds them in place, keeping me pinned as a bit of scaleless pink flesh begins to exit from the hidden pouch that kept it from view.
He presses it against me as it grows, whispers into my ears “Moonlight Runner, I will be playing with your breasts later.”
He pauses for a moment before licking my face, my heart flutters at the display of affection while his manhood just keeps growing making me think that my soul sister’s dream memories might not have exaggerated it after all.
I feel him move my arms together, so he can hold both in one of his scaled claws, his tail wraps around my left leg and the recently freed hand forces me to spread wide. I struggle for a moment, refusing to be completely dominated by my mate but he has too much leverage. I look down staring at the flesh spear in a mix of fear and wonder, knowing that he will stuff every bit of it inside me like my soul sister. That in a moment I won’t care for anything else but getting more of it. . .
He slides down, lining the pike up to my entrance before sliding upwards. Like sister I yelp as I am spread and stretched to accommodate our mate. His scaly body feeling wrong as he rubs against my fur but at the same time, I like just how full he makes me feel. How the edges of his spearhead run against the folds I did not know I had within me. How even my breath forces me to know just how thoroughly I have been claimed.
My mate lets a light growl of approval into my ears as he savors his first taste of my flesh, his manhood pulsing within me each time growing and pushing back against my flesh a bit more as he quickly reaches what I can only hope is his full size. With another lick to my face he begins to move, slowly as I adjust to him at first but with growing speed and strength as he holds me under him.
Each thrust knocking against something deep within me, sending an enjoyable feeling through my loins yet also a growing need. I want more, but each time I struggle to force him to do just that he slows; nipping my ears as his breath like mine grows heavier, “not this time” he whispers. . .
“this time, is mine. . .” he continues into my ear, demanding and enforcing the demand I submit. Rewarding me with quicker more powerful thrusts as I give myself letting him do as he wants.
“More” I half whimper as he recedes from me, before saying “harDEr” as he hammers into my depths.
A smile covers he faces as he bares his teeth, doing just so as something in me snaps, a wave of pleasure an instant after he doubles his pace. Somehow in that moment, I break his grip or he lets go, and I cling to him not caring how the scales feel wrong against my fur as I let loose a howl.
And he continues driving into me faster, another wave of pleasure spreading from my depths before he makes one last thrust slamming into me harder and shudders growling into my ears as a flood of warmth spills from his spearhead as he vibrates within me. He stays there for a moment holding me as I take his seed, some of the warmth spreading past the barrier he kept striking as we lay still, seeding my womb as I stare into the moon above and lick his face no longer caring how odd the scales feel against my fur.
Slowly he shrinks within me but lets me continue to hold him close. Not wanting the moment to end, I move his hands to my breasts. I don’t understand why he likes them, but he slowly begins to grow within me and I slowly let go, letting him play before taking me again.
I growl at the fox when she gets near, she just pouts and says, “Ria wants the next round then.”
I start to growl a “no” but my mate still mounting me growls “be nice to your den sister” and all I can do is grudgingly accept . . .
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Adrian
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The next few days are uneventful, more traveling and practicing magic. Abagail has been silent for multiple days, probably struggling with her love for the monster Bryan now is. How come she never had this problem before? Then again, we never did tell her about Bryan turning himself into some sort of shade-lich.
As we haven’t been bothered by another attack from the church, they must be waiting for something; an optimal time to attack. I and most of the others agree that their next attack will be under the new moon. A greater concern however is that we can’t figure out how they are tracking me. I must be marked in some way, but we can’t find anything. Maybe they have a piece of me that they are using as a Scrying focus but none of us can figure out anything to do about however they are doing it.
Danny has however been rather helpful if still scared of me. Even if I am having trouble duplicating the dragon magic she has been showing me they are all interesting. Unfortunately, they are fully internal and that is stopping me from being able to use the blood magic Kylana is teaching to get more practice.
Today however we are arriving in a small village roughly two hours from the place Damû interrogated out of the dead man. I don’t know if they are expecting us or not, but I can only assume they are at least on guard from knowing I am so close.
The village itself is little more than a dozen houses and takes up almost as much space as the one the Bloodclaw kept but they have a store and a tavern rather than a training field. Which is of course where we go after walking into the unwalled settlement.
The Fragrant Fish is the name of the tavern and while the place does fit its name it is not in a pleasant way. The meat in the far too thin stew was charred and the vegetables discolored. After the first bite I simply refused to eat any more of it and was not alone in the decision.
As we sit around a table a little too small for our group we begin to discuss a plan.
“I don’t know if I should go with the attack, they are tracking me” I start.
“You could be a good distraction, fly to the far side of their compound and raise some chaos” Analais says in response.
“But that would cause them to be on alert as I approach.”
“They’re probably already alert. We’re rather close right now” Bryan days though the lycanthropes don’t respond to it. Yearlings don’t have a say in pack actions though I know they listened to his words.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to attack them. Won’t that cause them to counter attack and send even more people after us?” Talia says.
“But sister, if we take out our enemies we pick the field of battle” Lysan interjects.
“If they come on the new moon with silver weapons we will suffer casualties. Whatever method they’re using to track Adrian is there and once that is done with we’ll have little opposition the rest of our way to elven lands” Analais adds.
“It is still risky” Talia counters.
“What do you think they’ll do when we reach the border?” Ria asks.
“Desperate all-out attack, sending soldiers into Alamar would cause them a lot of political problems” Kylana answer though frowning that it is Ria who brought it up.
“So, should I be a distraction or keeping them from knowing you’re closer than the tracking spell says?” I ask.