Stitches’ eyes well up with tears as she stares up at Terror’s stone face of rage awaiting her inevitable demise. Serenity pulls her dagger from the throat of a goblin and turns her attention to Terror staring down at a now defenseless Stitches with bloodlust in his eyes.
“Please, Terror,” Stitches chokes out.
Terror’s expression changes from rage to sorrow, and he returns to his normal size falling to his knees extending his hand to run callous blood-soaked fingers across Stitches’ cheek. Stitches leans into his palm closing her eyes.
“Dahlia, Terror sorry,” he says before slumping over into the dirt unconscious.
Now drained from battle the team regroups around an unconscious and exhausted Terror. The sound of another large horn thunders like a war call announcing the arrival of a new challenger. A large emerald skinned woman adorned in armor made from thin slabs of obsidian tied together with bones and leather straps steps out of the largest bone tent in the encampment.
“Okami take her head on, I’ll flank her, Serenity take the rear, Stitches,” Mateo says turning to her. “Run.”
“I can’t just leave you guys, what happened to we win together, we lose together?” Stitches protests.
“He’s right Stitches, there’s no point in all of us dying,” Serenity says.
Stitches gives Mateo a pitiful look, and he forces a smile. She flees into the woods reluctantly.
“Pitiful creatures have come to my home with weapons brandished, let’s see, four, four, three, perhaps you were uninformed,” she says pulling a pendant with nine talons draping it over her chest piece.
“That’s not good,” Okami says.
“Wasn’t this a six-talon quest?” Mateo asks.
“Yes, and you sent our six-talon healer away so she wouldn’t die,” Serenity adds.
Mateo extends his dagger ready to challenge the mountain of a woman. Okami charges straight in hitting her with a flurry of what should be devastating strikes. They’re not so effective against the Devastator.
Deva grabs Okami by the wrists and tosses him through a tree splitting it in half. The large maple like tree topples over onto another as Okami struggles to regain himself.
The Devastator moves in on Okami unleashing her own flurry of strikes. She swings high and he ducks under it only to find himself struggling to block a knee to the face. He stumbles backward at the force of the blow, and she presses forward with a right hook. He blocks it, but not without great strain. What should be slow heavy strikes turn out to be powerful quick strikes.
Unable to hold back the relentless assault of the large orcen female Okami falls back.
“Mateo, this isn’t working,” he says wiping blood from his snout.
“You’re right, I want you to go after Stitches, make sure she doesn’t come back and get herself killed.”
“Are you sure?”
“If we all lose then that’s it, but if there is someone left than there is hope, plus, we can’t leave Terror defenseless,” Mateo replies.
Okami takes off bolting through the woods following Stitches’ scent.
“It’s just me and you then,” Serenity says.
“It’s just me and you,” Mateo replies.
Mateo voidsteps, closing the distance between him and the Devastator. His dagger strike is futile as she grabs it by the blade. That wasn’t his intention though. He returns his dagger to his inventory and uses the split second of confusion to grab the large woman’s wrist. He uses a hip spring throw lifting the large woman’s hips and legs swiftly to flip her over his shoulder. She slides through the dirt giving Mateo a little distance.
He raises his offhand to her and his blood boils as mana pulses through it into his fingertips. Long bolts of violet lightning erupt from his fingertips darting through the air like erratic missiles toward the seemingly defenseless orcen female.
Much to his dismay the large obsidian plates on her armor absorb the bolts and they dissipate into subtle plumes of smoke. She stands violet plumes slowly rising from her armor with a menacing grin running from tusk to tusk.
“You think I gained so many talons without being able to nullify a little magic?”
“I’m more curious about how well spoken you are compared to Terror, he’s all Terror this, Terror that, but you haven’t spoken in the third person a single time Devastator,” Mateo says playing for time.
“The unconscious concubine, is that the Terror of which you speak?” She asks.
Serenity shadow steps into the tree above her and leaps silently attempting to dig her daggers deep into either side of the Devastator’s neck.
“Please, call me Deva,” she says snapping her fingers.
Deva and Mateo change places and he voidsteps to avoid Serenity’s daggers. Serenity rolls forward a scowl on her face.
“Great, a godsdamn magic orcen,” Serenity says falling back to Mateo.
“What do we do now, I’m assuming she can change places with an enemy in line of sight since she was staring straight at me,” Mateo says retrieving his dagger.
“You can use magic without a signal or incantation, interesting,” Deva says pulling a large wooden club from her inventory.
Serenity speaks under her breath, “have you tried asking Natalia?”
“I don’t want her to know I have Natalia, it’s clear she wants to capture us, otherwise we’d be dead by now,” Mateo replies.
“So, what do we do now?”
“Fight, and hope that Stitches and Okami find some kind of help,” Mateo replies.
Serenity raises her daggers and Mateo readies himself for what might be their final bought.
“For what it’s worth, the sex is pleasant,” Serenity says.
“Oh, believe me I know,” Mateo replies, and they both charge the Devastator.
Serenity shadow steps behind Deva, but she twirls wildly with her club knocking Serenity from her feet. Mateo void-steps managing to get a few cuts in, but it does little more than tickle the large orcen female.
“You really think you can take me, you are sorely mistaken, maybe if you had an army of pitiful four-talons you could even begin to handle my strength.”
“Well fuck,” Mateo says.
She kicks him to the ground and steps over to Serenity struggling to climb to her feet. The large orcen woman smiles as she stares down at Serenity.
Serenity’s head bounces off the dirt as the Devastator hits her with a downward punch. Moments later Mateo reaches for his dagger as a foot slams into the bridge of his nose knocking him unconscious.
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Mateo wakes opening his eyes for a moment before closing them quickly. The enemy doesn’t know he’s conscious. This is the perfect time to use an ability he’s been underutilizing.
“Serenity?”
“Mateo, is that you, why is everything so dark?”
“You’re still unconscious, I’m speaking to you telepathically through Natalia,” Mateo replies.
“What’s going on?” Serenity asks.
“I have limited knowledge of this, but Natalia says we’ve been silenced.”
“Wait, can you do this when I’m asleep?” Serenity asks.
“No time for that, I’m going to attempt to bring Terror into our chat,” Mateo replies avoiding Serenity’s question.
“Terror, can you hear me?”
“Terror no hear you, Terror asleep, wait, Terror does hear you, why does Terror hear you?”
“We’ve been captured, I’m conscious, but you two aren’t yet, so far as I know there’s just the bounty and the necromage, we are tied to the ground and silenced so we can’t use magic.”
“Terror no need magic, Terror break chains and destroy Devastator!”
“It turns out she’s a nine-talon, we all kinda got screwed,” Mateo replies.
“You sent Stitches and Okami away, do you think they’ll bring help?” Serenity asks.
“I sent Stitches away because I didn’t want her to get killed, I sent Okami to make sure she didn’t come back to save us and get killed, I doubt they’ll find any help between here and Heroldin, and if they make it all the way back to Heroldin then it’ll be another two to three days before they get back,” Mateo replies.
“I think I’m regaining consciousness, we should cut the chatter,” Serenity says.
The three wake naked tied to posts on-top of a large diagram. It’s not the only way to silence an enemy, but having a diagram means you don’t have to constantly pour mana into it. Deva crouches down lifting Mateo’s chin with her battle scared hands.
“What are you up to human?”
Mateo stares at her voluptuous breasts with a smile.
“I couldn’t help but noticed how well endowed you were in the chest area, something I didn’t notice with your chest plate covering your um, grand melons.”
She slaps him and he spits blood.
“Perverse human don’t think for a moment that you deserve to enjoy any part of my body,” she scoffs angrily.
“No thanks, not that you aren’t appealing, you’re just not my type,” Mateo replies.
“Not your type, and why would I want to be your type?”
Mateo leans up with a smile, blood running through his teeth.
“Have you ever heard of oral foreplay?”
“This banter is unnecessary, the others will wake soon, and you can dispose of him as you please,” the necromage says angrily.
“Do not rush me Garland, I will enjoy my toys for as long as I like,” Deva replies.
“Yes, lady Deva,” he replies before taking a bow and leaving the tent.
Deva leans down running her hand over Mateo’s chest. Her dark obsidian eyes stare into his as her hand runs lower over his stomach. A grin runs from ear to ear as she grips him between his legs. Mateo grunts turning his eyes away.
“Get your hands off my jewels,” Serenity yells.
Deva stands taking a few steps over before leaning down to her. Her crooked nails wrap around Serenity’s chin turning her head side to side as she inspects her.
“So, this one is your toy, I’ll not use him too much, ofcourse, I’ll let you watch before I kill both of you, I’m more interested in your other friend, is this the one you call Terror?” She asks turning Serenity’s gaze forcefully toward him.
“Terror’s name is Terror, you are Devastator, how many spawn have you?”
She releases Serenity and approaches Terror with a wicked grin. She leans down striking him with her left palm. Terror responds with an unpleasant smile of his own.
“You hit like a virgin, I bet you mate like one too,” he says spitting blood on her feet.
She grips his jaw squeezing it in her palm forcefully. Terror doesn’t flinch as he stares into her eyes.
“I’m going to play with that toy over there while his mate watches, then I’m going to kill them both, after that I’m going to breed you like a bitch, you’ll have just enough food and water to keep you alive while I extract your seed, and when I have the spawn that I want, Garland will turn you into a walking corpse,” she says her thick lips forming an evil grin around her sharp tusks.
“Terror sees no honor in weak woman, take as much of my seed as you please, but know, it will always hate you, you will never know the love of a child, your heart will always be a barren cliff waiting for you to fall into the endless hatred that your clan has created, Terror spits on you and hopes you die screaming for mercy.”
Deva slaps him, then she slaps him again, and again. Terror stares at her his words resolute, and finite.
“Fine, I’ll start by having my way with this insignificant human,” she says stepping over to Mateo.
“Um, please spare me from your most unwanted sexual advances,” Mateo says struggling against his bindings.
“Mateo, you have an erection,” Serenity proclaims.
“Sorry, I have a thing for aggressive women, you know that.”
A heavy gust of wind blows the entrance to the tent open and Garland, the necromage, hurries inside.
“Lady Deva, there seems to be an issue,” he says raising his large staff.
It’s a wooden pole adorned with small body parts and a large rune.
“What is the problem!” The orcen woman yells angrily.
The man freezes as he stares at her. His skin turns to ice as he becomes a large block of it. Deva’s gaze turns to the entrance of the tent as she draws her large club. A figure adorned in dragon scale armor enters the tent with a look of absolution on her face.
“Jessica?” Mateo and Serenity ask.
The figure steps forward and Deva swings her club in an attempt to send it to the afterlife. A nine-talon is less than an insect to a twenty-scale Dragon Knight though.
The figure catches the club in its palm crushing it like frail glass. Deva charges forward and the figure forces its open hand forward, tearing through skin and bone like butter. Deva falls to her knees, her face reduced to an open cavity as her body slumps into the dirt.
“Now then, my name is Yasmina, second daughter of Lord Liaford, I have come to liberate…” she pauses for a moment staring between Mateo’s legs before glaring over at Serenity’s near perfect naked body. “Does he have an erection?”
“His thing works in mysterious ways,” Serenity replies.
“Hmm I would be joyed to learn the mysterious ways in which it works, are you, his mate?” She asks.
“It seems that way.”
“Perhaps we could uncover these mysteries together,” she says with a smile.
“We’ve already got a third if we need her,” Serenity sighs.
“A harem then, does it include the orcen male as well?” Yasmina says rubbing her chin.
“Yasmina, sexy dragon knight lady who isn’t Jessica, would you mind releasing us from our bindings so that we could talk in a dignified manner?” Mateo asks.
“Oh yes, but of-course, wouldn’t want to enjoy myself at the expense of your, dignity,” she says a veil of mischief covering her desired intentions.
Upon exiting the tent Mateo notices a massive ivory scaled dragon with spikes of sapphire ice protruding from its back. The creature takes notice of his gaze turning its own gaze to his. Mateo steps closer to the large beast and Yasmina goes to stop him.
“You shouldn’t approach her like that she might-,” Mateo raises a finger to his lips to shush her and holds out his hand.
The beast looms over him menacingly as the air around it turns to ice. Mateo steps closer pulling a large cloth from his inventory with his offhand as his main hand remains extended. The creature seems more irritated the closer he gets.
“Do you have a name for her?” Mateo asks.
“Lotus,” Yasmina replies.
Mateo places his hand on Lotus’s large snout gently, continuing to keep eye contact. The large beast seems to calm some but is still visibly unsettled.
“Lotus, I am going to place this cloth over your snout and hold it down, I want you to exhale not with your mouth, but your nostrils,” Mateo says raising the cloth.
“Your boyfriend is going to get himself killed,” Yasmina says staring at Serenity in disbelief.
Mateo places the cloth over the large dragon’s nostrils, and it lets out a loud snort sending Mateo and the large cloth flying backwards into several inches of powdered snow. Mateo stands brushing himself off and wads the dragon snot covered cloth up returning it to his inventory. His gaze returns to Yasmina as her dragon Lotus rubs its ivory snout against his shoulder. Mateo chuckles and runs his hand over her snout.
“Lotus has a cold,” Mateo says continuing to rub its snout.
“How does an ice dragon get a cold?” Yasmina questions.
“Poor handling, I know because Rayo got the same thing, I was letting him sleep in the floor alone, I kept getting irritable when he wanted to climb into bed with me and Serenity, then he was feeling unwell for a few days, sneezing void lightning and such, so we kept him warm for a few nights and he got better,” Mateo replies.
“Are you saying my dragon is sick and I need to cuddle with it so it will get better?” She asks.
“No, I’m saying your dragon is sick and you should take care of it,” Mateo replies.
Yasmina turns to Serenity with a perplexed scowl on her beautiful face.
“Who the hell is this guy?”
“That’s my boyfriend Mateo Ryusane, and apparently, he is far more intelligent than I thought because I didn’t catch any of that,” she confesses.
“Terror knows what Mateo says, dragon sick, dragon knight nurse dragon back to health, if dragon no get better then ride dragon into one last glorious battle sacrificing self and dragon in glorious combat!”
Yasmina looks over at Terror with more disdain than what Mateo had to say.
“Me and Lotus are going to take you guys to Heroldin since it’s so close, after that you aren’t my problem,” Yasmina says.
The group return to Heroldin where they take up one of the least popular taverns to help keep a lower profile. Mateo steps in and Stitches tackles him. Okami steps toward the Dragon Knight as if he knows her.
“Yasmina Coldthorne, I read your tomes on the theories of interspecies copulation and procreation, they were both fascinating and exhilarating, the detail you put into interspecies relationships,” he coughs pausing briefly, “my apologies, my name is Okami Moonfang,” Okami says with a bow.
“Thank the gods, finally a man of culture, so what conclusions have you been drawn to about the emergence of succubi and Demi-harpies?” She asks curiously.
“Perhaps we should take this conversation to my room, some among us might not appreciate the sciences we discuss,” Okami says holding out his hand.
“By all means, show me to your lair,” she replies holding out her hand seductively.
Mateo leans up as Stitches holds him tightly. Rayo scurries around her rubbing his cheek against Mateo with a worried squeak.
“Calm down Rayo, we’re all ok,” Mateo says patting his head.
Unfortunately, they are not all ok. Mateo has a wave of emotions eating at him. Something that he cannot contain for very long. Recent events have reawakened Mateo’s uncertainty of self and brought to light his short comings.