4 comments/ 79913 views/ 13 favorites Tender Mercies By: Phineas This one is due to all the late, sleepless nights spent in Ken's basement as we put together the beginnings of an epic tale. None of us knew at the time just how much it would captivate our imaginations and, hopefully, the imaginations of others. Here's to Ken and Dave. Also note that this is part of a trilogy. The sequel to this is Yamara, and then the third part in the trilogy is The Chaos Blade. Chapter 1 The two combatants faced each other with legs crouched and arms spread wide. In the ceremonial firelight, the oil on their naked skin glinted. Slowly the wrestlers circled one another, waiting for a chance to grapple with the other. "Get him Nordan!" A man cried out in support of the smaller wrestler. Smaller at 6 and a half feet tall and easily 260 pounds. The larger wrestler was just shy of 7 feet tall and weighed closer to 300 pounds then 250. Catcalls and jeering nearly drowned out the cry of support as the barbarian tribe rooted on their champion, Thorgrim. His friends (most of the tribe) called him Crusher. Feigning a trip, Crusher lured Nordan to rush him. Nordan realized his mistake and tried to stop when the larger mans fist sailed out and connected with his chin. Nordan stumbled back quickly as Crusher sought to press his advantage with another swing. He was stepped at the edge of the circle as a group of barbarians caught him and pushed him back into the ring. Nordan lowered his head and went with the momentum, charging forward and roaring loudly. Crusher met the charge head on, barely moving as Nordan crashed into his midsection shoulder first. He grinned to his tribe and grabbed the challengers arm so that he could twist it up behind Nordan's back. Nordan grimaced in pain as his shoulder threatened to dislocate. "That looks painful," a dark skinned elf muttered to no one in particular. Nordan's supporter nodded his head and replied, "Aye, it does!" Looking about him, the dark elf found he was as tall as the average barbarian at just over 6 feet tall. His companion beside him was perhaps the shortest one there, save for the children, at only 5 feet 7 inches. "Why are we doing this again, Pompey?" He asked. Pompey opened his mouth to answer but grimaced in sympathetic in pain instead. Nordan's position had worsened. Crusher had maneuvered so that he know had his arms locked about behind Nordan's back and lifted him off the ground. It was his namesake position, and he was using it well to crush the life out of Nordan. "Shouldn't we do something, Kelnozz?" Pompey asked, clutching the spear he held in his fist. Kelnozz looked around at the cheering tribal warriors. "Only if you want to get us killed too." Nordan's veins were popping out in his head as he struggled to fight back the growing pain in his back. His head rocked forward and a stunned Crusher dropped him and stumbled backwards, blood exploding from his shattered nose. Nordan crashed to the ground and fell to his knees, fighting to keep from passing out. He regained his feet and walked stiffly towards Thorgrim. The larger barbarian shook his head, spraying blood everywhere, and grinned at Nordan. Nordan met the grin with his fist, bashing out several teeth. He then locked arms with the larger man and began a test of strength as they circled one another and tried to drive the other to the ground. Loud cheering erupted amongst the barbarians. It was a rarity that anyone ever challenged Thorgrim. He was the undisputed champion of the tribe. Their hooting and hollering was giving Kelnozz a headache, and making Pompey's head swim. The cheering fell quiet as Crusher fell to his knees, overwhelmed by the slightly shorter man. Nordan let go of his arms and Crusher fell to all fours. Wasting no time, Nordan grabbed the behemoth by the inner thigh with one hand and the shoulder with the other. Grunting, he lifted him in one smooth motion over his head. The barbarian tribe was stunned. As one, their mouths stood open in shock. Crusher lay stunned himself, but was amazed at the strength in Nordan in spite of himself. With a heave, Crusher went sailing into not the first or second, but the third row of barbarian spectators, taking several of them down. The crowd remained silent, uncertain of what to do since their champion had been beaten. After a few moments of peaceful respite, Crusher forced a path through the crowd and walked back out to stand in front of Nordan. With blood running down his face he grinned a broken toothed smiled and raised Nordan's hand in the air, proclaiming him the champion. The crowd slowly took up a cheer, but by the time it was done, it's volume had surpassed anything that Pompey or Kelnozz had heard before. Indeed, the sarcastic elf considered himself most likely stricken deaf by it and the ringing in his ears afterwards. An hour later, with Nordan cleaned up and once again wearing his furs, the three companions sat at a table feasting. When the feast was finished, Helmut, the chief of the tribe stood up and raised his goblet for silence. "Our kinsmen comes to us to ask for our help, he has been judged worthy by a test of strength, will you hear him?" He called out in a powerful voice. The response was overwhelming. Men beat goblets, daggers, drumsticks, and whatever else they had at hand on the table in approval. Helmut nodded to Nordan and sat back down. Nordan smiled sheepishly but stood up in spite of it. Once the cheering died down he began. "My friends and I have traveled further then most of you have. We have been to the cities across the great Lands End Mountains to the east and seen many things. We have fought many creatures, and we have lived. We have fought, and slain, dragons! Now I have bested your champion, will you hear me?" Again the barbarians cheered unanimously in approval. Kelnozz looked heavenward while Pompey found himself getting caught up in the revelry. "We came of late from Yolarch, a city that plagues our ways of roaming and living off the land as the Gods intended us too. While there, we were betrayed and barely escaped with our lives from the foul wench that rules that den of filth. I made a vow to her that I would not rest until her city was sacked to the ground and she felt the tender mercies of a pillaging barbarian hoard! Will you aid me in this call to plunder?" The tribe seemed to hesitate, thinking about what Nordan asked. Knowing that to wait was to lose his chance, Nordan jumped on the table and kicked a full goblet of ale into a group of men sitting at another table. "Her soldiers harry our ancestral lands, driving us from it. We must fight back! Fight with me and we will destroy the bitch-queen of Yolarch! I have seen her palace, and with your help, we can have much plunder. I promise you wine, women, song, and wealth unmatched if you aid me." In ones and twos, then more and more until another fevered roaring could be heard, the tribe agreed to aid their long gone brother returned home. After what seemed an eternity of it, they had settled down enough so that Kelnozz could think again. Helmut came over and sat with them at their table. "Tell me the story of how this happened," He said, bringing a haunch of steaming venison with him. The companions looked to each other and then began there tale. "We had returned to Trillindad from the east by ship. Easier that way then crossing those Lands End Mountains! We'd spent some time there visiting with Pompey's family before he got thrown out again," Nordan began. Kelnozz picked it up, "There was this nice tavern down by the docks... ...The three adventurers, having squandered all their money on ale, wenching, and other wasteful ventures, had signed up with a merchant named Therius Magnus for caravan guards. The caravan only consisted of one wagon though which meant little pay. The route was from Trillindad to Yolarch, passing along the rode through Lizardshome Swamp. For two weeks of sheer boredom the companions guarded the wagon and talkative merchant from the dust on the road and the occasional weary traveler. Then the dusty plains outside of Trillindad turned lusher and greener. Soon they passed through occasional farmlands, though the farms were rare as even this close to a major city-state such as Trillindad, bandits and roving groups of monsters were not uncommon. The green pastures and farmlands gave way to longer, thicker grasses and trees. Another day put them in the outskirts of the Lizardshome Swamp. Few travelers past this way, save in great numbers, for the lizardmen that made their home in the swamp were fierce and often unforgiving of any trespassing on their territory. Sure enough, they had been attacked. Lizardmen swung from the trees on thick vines, landing atop the covered wagon to give battle. At the same time they rose up from concealment in the waters of the swamp beside the road. The guards and merchant found themselves quickly outnumbered nearly 4 to 1. What the lizards did not understand was the prowess and might of those very same guards. Nordan, with his great strength and skill with his hammer easily dispatched the first lizardman to come at him, causing the others to advance slower and more cautiously. Pompey had set his spear and impaled a lizardman that swung down from a vine to attack. Freeing his spear, he turned to face the others emerging from the waters. Driving the wagon, Therius fought to keep his horses from panicking while the chaos of battle raged around him. Unseen by him, Kelnozz leapt from the ground to the top of the wagon, barely touching the side of it to aid his ascent, and used his twin longswords to dispatch the green humanoid about the skewer the merchant. Then he turned to deal with the other scaled attackers atop the wagon. In a matter of moments the lizardmen lay dead and the guards had little to show for their efforts save heavy breathing and a grin stretching from ear to ear on Kelnozz's face. Nordan searched the corpses, finding little of value. Even there weapons were rusty, poorly tempered, and in some cases little more then tree limbs used as clubs. They continued on, anxious to be away from the ambush site. Therius had then confided in them that they might expect a few more assaults, and not necessarily by lizardmen. The cargo they carried was none other then the magically sleeping son of the Priestess-Queen of Yolarch, Lesbiche Wollust. Prince Ragnar had been kidnapped and magically suspended several months past after a night of drunken celebration of his coming of age and acceptance by the people of Yolarch as their future king. Due to his being a loyal servant of Lesbiche, Therius had tracked him down and stolen him back from his captors. Unfortunately, only Lesbiche could perform the magical ceremony necessary to bring the man out of his sleep. Grumbling at their luck, the companions had little choice but to continue on. Word apparently spread amongst the small communities of lizardmen, for though they felt watched on many occasions, three days later they left the swamp behind them. A stream paralleled the road they were on, but other then that no reminder of the swamp was left. Another two days saw them entering the southwestern gate of Yolarch, and upon seeing Therius, the guards took them straightaway to see the Priestess-Queen of the theocratic city, though no fanfare or celebration was announced. Once in front of Lesbiche, the companions were surprised to find that court had been dismissed prior to their arrival, and further, that they met with her in her private chambers. She thanked them repeatedly, seemingly the grateful mother throughout. Rewarding them with much gold, they felt quite proud of themselves and their sudden turn of luck. Pompey, however, felt something was amiss throughout the performance. As soon as they were dismissed from her presence to special rooms in the palace she herself had arranged for, he let his feelings be known to his companions. Nordan blew such ill thoughts off, explaining that they were due the reward. Kelnozz was not so quick to invalidate Pompey's hunch, however. Either that or he merely sought an excuse to get himself in trouble again. Regardless, he was out later that night, prowling stealthily about the palace. He returned to Lesbiches private chambers and, distracting the guards by setting a harmless trap for a servant (tripping him up and making him spill his platter of dirty dinner plates), he slipped inside her suite of rooms. Immediately he felt the unexpected emptiness of the rooms. She was not there. Searching about, he discovered a secret door in a wall near her large bed that she had poorly tried to conceal. Slipping through the darkened passage, Kelnozz briefly wondered how humans and other races without the ability to see as well in the dark as he could managed to get by. Convinced even more of the superiority of the dark elven race, he stopped at an intersection of passages and realized he had no idea which way to go. Randomly choosing, he turned right at the intersection. A few more turns, seemingly random, and he opened another secret door. This one turned out to be the Queen's audience room. Shrugging, Kelnozz returned the way he had came and took a different turn at the last crossroads. He must have explored the passages for hours. He discovered a long tunnel that seemed endless. He guessed that it must lead out of the city. Another tunnel returned him to his own rooms. Further searching revealed the kitchen, two of the guard rooms, a harem in which slept eight scantily clad women, and finally the one which made him stop, a hidden room devoted to some dark god. The temple was occupied as well, by none other then the Queen herself. Therius Magnus was with her, and so were a few initiates and disciples of the evil religion. What made Kelnozz's breath catch in his throat was the figure on the alter. Her son. The Queen was indeed a priestess, but not of the order the people of Yolarch suspected. Instead of worshipping the generally benign God of Law and Order, Celos, she gave her soul to Bavorish, the God of death and murder. Kelnozz could barely stop to appreciate Lesbiches jewelry adorned but otherwise nude form. He noted that she must have magic aiding her, for she did not appear nearly old enough to be the mother of her recently rediscovered son. He turned immediately to warn his companions when he heard something that made him stop. It was the noise of whimpering. The prince, barely old enough to be a man, was magically held upon the altar spread eagled. For one so young as to have only just reached his majority, to be bound naked was no doubt a terrifying experience. He bore it well, considering Lesbiche's chanting and behavior. She held a wicked looking dagger with 4 curved blades coming out of the hilt. Not knowing how he knew, Kelnozz knew what the dagger was meant to do. Lesbiche finished her chanting and crawled atop the altar with her son. There was no doubting her beauty, for her well rounded breasts swung freely as she leaned over the boy and her curved hips settled about his waist. Her long brown hair fell about the Ragnar's face, hiding his terrified expression from Kelnozz. The dark elf watched the evil priestess grinding her hips against her sons, drawing an erection from the barely adolescent boy in spite of the terror in his eyes. Satisfied, she threw her head back and allowed everyone to see the glint of lust in her eyes and the wicked smile she wore on her face. Lifting up her hips, she drove herself down on the boys burgeoning manhood. Kelnozz's disgust took form at that point. Red eyes glowing with rage, the dark elf pushed open the secret door and burst into the room. Lesbiche's eyes flew to his and the evil grin she wore chilled him to the bone. Unholy guards came at him, overriding their surprise. Kelnozz disemboweled the first one, then ducked the halberd of the next one and drove a longsword through the mans throat. He walked towards the altar, intent upon destroying the evil priestess when he had to stop and deal with two more guards that had not reacted as quickly. The first of these felt Kelnozz's steel in his stomach, and the second fell back cursing as a deep wound opened along his sword arm. Kelnozz turned to continue his assault upon the altar when he heard Therius finish chanting and a chill crept over his limbs. He took two more steps before he found his limbs refusing to obey him. Helpless, Kelnozz watched as the boy whimpered and pleaded with his mother to release him as she raped him. Nature took its course, however, and very soon the young man was fighting against what was happening inside of him. The queen moaned loudly as her own powers were being augmented by the sexual energy flowing into her. She raised up so that she was sitting upon her son, still riding him to their inevitable orgasm. The sacrificial dagger was raised high in anticipation of the result of their writhing and pumping thighs. Kelnozz gritted his teeth and fought against his imprisonment, but other then a bare minimum of facial muscle control, he could do nothing. Behind him, Therius was using his dark powers to save the mortally wounded guard and then heal the other one. The first two were clearly dead already. Kelnozz felt an overpowering sickness pass through him as the energies in the room began to manifest. Ragnar could fight it no longer, and he thrust up into his mother, filling her with seed as though she were one of the many courtesans he had tumbled throughout his youth. Lesbiche drove the dagger down at the same time, the blades magically opening and spearing into the prince's chest. Her own orgasm overtook her then, making her writhe and grind her sex against her dying sons. They writhed against one another briefly, then she pulled the dagger free from his chest, holding his still beating heart within it's blades. With each beat blood spurt onto their naked and sweaty bodies. In spite of her sons final moments, she continued to grind herself against him, using her fey powers to draw every last bit of life from him. Kelnozz watched in growing revulsion as the young man he had returned to his doom finally went limp, seeming to sag and deflate in death. Lesbiche continued to writhe against him, milking the corpses member and bringing herself another orgasm in the process. Satisfied at last, she climbed off of her murdered son and knelt in front of the altar. She began chanting again, completing the ritual by causing magical flames to erupt within the dagger and consume the cooling heart. With the ritual completed, she rose and turned to face Kelnozz. Knowing him helpless, she walked up to him and ran her fingertips along his jawbone seductively. Inside he trembled with rage, but outside only the glow of his eyes showed his mood. "You have witnessed something few people not of our order can boast to have seen," She whispered in his ear. "But don't worry, you won't escape with your life to tell anyone of it." She backed up and smiled wickedly at him. He knew nothing of fear, only loathing and hatred of the woman before him. More so when she stepped forward again and began to undo the ties on his breeches. "It works best when the sacrifice is a virgin, but alas, keeping young Ragnar from sex would have driven his nannies insane. All the more so since one of them was his first." "The ritual has to take place when they are adult," She continued, rubbing against him with her hands. "The sacrifice to Bavorish instills me with great power and extends my life years beyond count. He may have made a good King one day, but only by deposing me as Queen. Unacceptable." "You and your companions will be killed and put on display in the public square for the murder of my son that my faithful servant Therius so readily recovered from his kidnappers," She said, having told Kelnozz all she wished of the ritual he had just witnessed. She dropped Kelnozz's breeches and took his flaccid member in her hands. "Just so you know the true futility of your situation, my son was never kidnapped, he escaped on his own when he chanced across this hidden temple to My Lord Bavorish and discovered the truth while wandering through the hidden passages in hopes of returning secretly from a celebration with the commoners of his coming of age." Tender Mercies Looking back on it all, I wonder how it ever happened. I thought I was happily married; in fact, I was. But curiosity can be a strange thing and I guess I had always wondered what it would be like to be with a woman. My husband had rented porno a couple times per month and we watched the movies together. It seemed like every movie had at least one scene of two women together. Not exactly a turn-on for me, but interesting nonetheless. Maybe it was the movies, maybe it was simply my curiosity getting the best of me, but somehow I gave in to my hidden desires. Gail and I had been friends for several years. She was almost 30, cute, with strawberry- blonde hair, a bubbly personality, and, like me, a petite body. She was eight years older than me, but we hit it off almost from the very beginning. We went everywhere together and enjoyed each other's company immensely. Sometimes we talked all night. We laughed. We cried. When I was down, she had a knack of bringing me back up. Nothing ever seemed to upset her; she was one of those rare people who always seemed to be on an even keel. We were at my house. Hubbie was playing poker with the guys. We had just come back from The Abyss, a local dive that we had gone to often to drink the night away. Gail was wearing a pair of painted-on blue-jeans; for some strange reason I couldn't take my eyes off of her nicely formed derriere whenever she turned her back to me. Her buns were nicer than mine, indeed. I was making drinks in the kitchen when I heard her call out, "Hey, Beth, what's this movie in the VCR?" Omigod! Bill had forgotten to take the porno movie out of the VHS player last night. "Oh, nothing, you are much too young to watch that sort of thing," I giggled as I tried to regain a little lost composure. I walked into the living room holding two martinis. Gail was holding the VHS tape in her hand, a wicked smile on her face. "I want to watch it. I've never seen one of these things." "You've never seen porn? My, what a sheltered life you've led," I said, handing her the drink. "They are all the same. Seen one, seen them all." "I'm serious, Beth. Maybe it will help my sex life." The smile on her face, like always, seemed to light up the night. "If you insist, my dear. I hope you don't get offended easily." I took the tape from her and put it into the player. She moved to the sofa and sat down, facing the television. I pressed the "play" button on the VCR and joined her. I was wearing a yellow cotton sundress, just perfect for a warm summer evening. The movie title appeared—"A Night to Remember. Starring Faith Hope." The first scene was the typical boy-fucks-girl. Lacking any plot whatsoever, the young couple climbed into bed. She gave him head and did a rather nice job of it. Gail giggled excitedly. He slithered down and began chomping on her pussy. Standard for all porno movies. Before long he was playing in and out. Five minutes later he spilled his seed on her tummy. I looked over at Gail. Her face was red as a beet. She looked back at me. "Whew! A bit inspiring I must say." I laughed. "These movies are all the same, sweetie. The next scene is a bit more interesting, especially if you've never seen one of these things before." Two girls in a park. Middle of the day. A picnic basket is half empty next to them. One is wearing a pair of denim shorts, the other a skirt so short it would be impossible for her to sit down without displaying her goodies. Soon they are kissing, tongue to tongue, and breathing heavily. Gail's mouth was wide open, in shocked surprise. "Look at that! They're kissing!" she exclaimed. "That's not all they're going to do." She couldn't keep her eyes away from the TV. I leaned back against the sofa and slowly sipped my drink, watching the girls in the movie go through their little routine. A hand slipped into a partially unbuttoned blouse, inching its way under the lacy, white bra. Girl in skirt moaned loudly. "Omigod!" said Gail. Without even thinking, she opened her legs just enough to bring her thigh against mine. For a moment I thought about shifting over, but decided that nothing was wrong with a little closeness between friends. The girl's hand moved inside the oh-so-short skirt and began teasing a completely bald pussy. A finger made its way into the folds, then delved inside. The other girl's gasp was followed by Gail's. "I don't believe what I am seeing!" "Shall I turn it off?" "Heavens no. This is educational!" We both laughed out loud. "All porn movies have a girl-girl scene or two," I said. "Bill even brings some movies home that have nothing but girl on girl." "And you watch them?" "It's a turn-on for Bill, I guess. And usually I am giving him head, so I don't pay a lot of attention to the movie." I was surprised by my own candor. "I hate to admit it, Beth, but I am kind of turned on by it. Sort of gets the juices flowing, so to speak." "I've always been curious about two girls getting it on," I said. "They always seem to enjoy it more than the guy-girl thing." Girl in shorts was now dipping her head into the splayed legs of girl in skirt. A close-up showed her tongue dip into the honeypot. She licked it clean. "I've read some books where two girls are doing it," said Gail, "and it seems like the girls are always so much more tender toward each other than a guy and girl." As if it were the most normal thing in the world, Gail let her head rest languidly on my shoulder. Her forearm brushed against mine. All of a sudden I realized where this was going, but there was something inside me that told me not to stop. "Girls seem to know exactly what girls want. Guys are more like slam-bam thank you ma'am," I said. "Tell me about it. George just seems to want to get it over with." Girl in shorts was now licking the entire length of girl in skirt's sex from top to bottom. Pursing her lips over the clit. Sucking. Biting. The sound of their heavy breathing filled the room. I put my arm around Gail, just to see what she would do. She almost seemed to expect it. Without a word, she took my hand and entwined our fingers together. We were moving inexorably toward something, I wasn't sure what it was, but my heart started beating faster. I moved my head slightly and planted a soft kiss on Gail's cheek. "Mmmmmm," she cooed. "I wonder what it would be like to kiss a woman," I blurted. "I think we're about to find out," she sighed, turning her head toward mine. Her lips were so close to mine I could feel her breath. I moved my other hand to her cheek and gently pulled her toward me. There was a slight hesitation on both of our parts as we realized what was about to happen. Then, suddenly, our lips met and we kissed. It was hardly a kiss at first, lips barely brushing together. Becoming bolder, I kissed her more fully, slowly churning my lips on hers. Reflexively, she moved her whole body into mine and her breasts seemed to melt into my waiting body. "Beth…" she whispered into the kiss. "Gail…" I whispered back. She was the first to use her tongue. When I felt it glide past my lips and touch mine, I thought I was going to die. Her kiss was as tender as any I had ever known. Not yet filled with passion, but somehow sweet and wonderful. The thought went through my mind that I was on a sofa kissing my best friend, but it seemed both strange and right. Like it was meant to be. The kiss lasted the best part of several minutes. When we broke the kiss, long enough to come up for air, we were both breathing heavily. "I don't think we are going to be able to stop this," she husked, her eyes looking deeply into me. "Maybe I don't want to stop it," I replied in a voice almost as husky as hers. "What if Bill…" "He won't be home for another couple hours," I interrupted, using my fingertips to brush the hair from her brow. For a fleeting moment I wondered if Gail expected us to do what the girls on screen doing—the real thing. Neither of us were looking at what was happening on the television, but the incessant love-panting of the movie stars made a eerie back-drop for what was happening on the sofa. "Am I coming on too strong?" she asked, biting her lower lip nervously. I smiled. "It takes two to tango. It felt nice." "Very nice," said softly. "Too nice." Gail nestled her head in the crook of my neck, her lips barely touching me there. She felt warm. IT felt right. I ran my fingers through her hair, exposing her left ear. Then, using only the tip of my index finger, I lightly encircled the inside of her ear. She moaned softly. "So gentle…" she whispered. Her forearm rested languidly between my breasts as her fingers played a soft tune on the side of neck. "Are you nervous?" I asked. "Very," she replied. "Me too. We can stop if you want and we'll just chalk it up to the drinks. I don't want you to do something you might be ashamed of later." Her mind was buzzing. "Maybe I don't want to stop," she finally said, echoing what my own mind was telling me. Boldly, I took the hand that had been caressing the side of my neck and rested it softly over the top of the bodice of my sundress, my breast beneath the thin cotton becoming more and more eager for her touch. At first she just let it lay there, almost afraid to take an even greater step. I knew she wanted to touch me as much as I wanted her to, so I pressed my palm over her hand and pushed it against me. Her touch was like an electric shock. Sensing that I wanted more, she cupped my breast gently and kneaded it. The feeling was wonderful! Kissing the top of her head, her hair soft as butterfly wings, I whispered, "That feels nice, Gail." One of the girls on screen was in the throes of an orgasm. Probably girl in skirt, if I remember correctly from the other night. I didn't think I would be very far behind. Gail moved her hand to the top of my bodice and began unbuttoning me. My heart was racing wildly. We had seen each other naked after playing tennis and thought nothing of it. This was different. So very different. She exposed my bra. "Very pretty," she said, looking at the cleavage and the white lace that provided a provocative peek at the pink, round areolas and the already turgid nipple beneath. I took a long, deep breath. Gail continued unbuttoning me. All of a sudden I felt ashamed that my breasts weren't bigger than they were. But, then again, Gail's would never make the centerfold of Playboy either. Wordlessly, she moved her head down and planted a soft kiss on the cleavage. Another shock went through me. On screen, the girls were done, but we were just beginning. All of a sudden I felt a wonderful wetness forming inside my panty crotch. It was a delicious feeling. I wondered if Gail was doing the same. Her lips moved from the side of my breast to the bra itself. She kissed the lace softly, encircling, but never quite touching the nipple that was screaming for relief. "You're such a tease," I said softly. "What do you want?" she husked. "Suck my nipple," I boldly blurted. She did. Pursing her lips over the lace and oh-so-sensitive bud, she took me into her mouth and I moaned loudly. I moved my hand to the back of her head and held her in place, never wanting her to let go. She suckled me like a baby, moving her tongue back and forth over the already hardened nipple. I hardly noticed that her left hand was now gently kneading my abdomen, over the top of my skirt, only a few inches above my pubis. I opened my legs in invitation, wondering if she would accept the bait. She did. Her hand moved to the inside of my knee, her fingertips playing a sweet melody on my skin as she slowly worked her way along the inside of my thigh, exposing more and more of my legs with each movement upward. She was soon perilously close to my sex. "I'm soaked," I warned her. "Let's see," she husked. She covered my sex with the flat of her hand, pressing deeply into the wetness. "Wow, it's more than just a little soaked. It's VERY much soaked! I think someone is a bit turned on." I felt her finger insinuate itself into the outer lips of my pussy, through the silk of my panty crotch, then inch upward to find the delightfully engorged nubbin. I groaned when she pressed into the very center of my being, raising my hips off the sofa to accommodate her. With her lips sucking on my nipple and her finger teasing my clit, I was too far gone to care what else might happen. Somehow I felt I had been needing a woman's touch like this all my life, and now that I had it, I wasn't about to let it go. And somehow everything seemed right because it was my best friend sharing this wonderful moment with me. There was no holding back now. I moved my hand between us and cupped her left breast, over the top of her blouse. Her sigh was enough to tell me she wanted even more. I squeezed gently. Her breast was firm beneath a couple layers of material. I ran my thumb over the nipple beneath and Gail moaned softly. "I want to be naked with you," she said in a thick voice. "Let's go to the bedroom," I replied boldly. We both arose, our faces flushed with desire, our bodies eager to do something we had hardly even dreamed about. I had enough forethought to turn off the VCR. It was guy doing girl again anyway on the screen. We held hands and giggled like teenagers on a first date as we made our way to the bedroom. I decided to leave the door open, to allow us to hear Bill if he came in early. We stood in front of the bed, facing each other. I thought my rapidly beating heart was going to burst from inside my chest. We neither moved nor talked. We just stood there, each with our own thoughts. Part of me wanted to back off, but most of me wanted Gail next to me. Slowly we embraced, melting into each other, and kissing with a renewed passion that had been missing from our earlier embrace. Tongue fought against tongue. We were breast to breast, abdomen to abdomen. Our breaths soon became more ragged. The feelings I felt made time stand still. I finally broke the kiss. "Undress me," I said. Gail smiled. Wordlessly, she undid the belt around my waist, then eased the dress off the sides of my shoulders. It fell limply in a heap at my feet. I stood there, wearing only the lacy bra, a white half-slip, and panties. She pushed the slip over my hips and it joined the yellow summer dress. I stepped out of the circle of the material and hoped she liked what she was looking at. "You are beautiful," she whispered. I laughed. "Shut up and get it over with. I'm nervous as hell." She leaned forward and undid the clasp of my bra from behind my back. The straps slid down my arms, exposing my breasts. My panties were not far behind. Soon I stood there, naked and yearning, the dark hairs of my pubis contrasting sharply with the alabaster white of my abdomen. Her eyes drank me in, and my face flushed as red as a beet. "Me too," she said, standing back. "Nervous as I ever have been. I want us to be good for each other, Beth." My greedy hands were at the buttons of her blouse in a flash. Her bra was a light tan in color. Her breasts were not a lot bigger than mine. She helped me shed her blouse. Working the jeans off was another story altogether. She wasn't wearing a belt, so I thought it would be easy. How wrong I was! There was not a lot room between her buckle and her tummy. "How did you ever get these jeans on?" I asked incredulously. "Painted 'em," she replied with a wry smile. "I believe it," I said, finally able to undo the button and pull down the fly. Her bikini-styled panties matched her bra. It took me about 30 seconds, but I was ultimately successful in moving the jeans over her hips and down her legs. Kneeling in front of her, with her jeans at her feet, I eased my fingers into the elastic of her panty-top and pulled downward. I couldn't help but stare. Her pussy hairs were as reddish-blond as the hair on her head. Carpet matches the drapes as they say. I wanted to look at her there for the next few hours, maybe the next few years, but I knew there was more of her to see. She turned her back to me and I unclasped her bra. But not before I stole a glimpse of her perfectly round and delightfully naked derriere. When she turned back toward me, I gasped. Although I had seen her naked many times, standing before me like this, before we were about to make love, gave her a glow that was about to light up my night. We stood there for what seemed like an eternity, drinking each other in. She might have been eight years older than me, but there was not an extra ounce of flab anywhere on her body. Her breasts were average in size, but they were almost conical in shape, capped by larger than I had remembered light-brown nipples that looked incredibly inviting. Her breasts were perfect, beyond compare. I opened my arms in invitation, and she moved into me slowly. This time it was different. Our naked bodies fit perfectly together. She eased the soft hair of her pussy onto my thigh and I did the same to her. Our breasts were pressed tightly together. Her turgid nipples bit into me. I could almost feel her heart beating against mine. "You feel so good," I whispered. "You feel even better. So warm. So nice and warm…" I hardly remember moving to the bed, but suddenly we were in it, still hugging each other like there was no tomorrow. This time our kisses were feverish, grinding, almost biting. I drove my tongue into her mouth and she accepted it greedily, sucking on it. I wasted no time in getting down and dirty—my hand quickly found the patch of soft fur between her legs. I didn't think it was possible, but she was even wetter than I was down there. My middle finger slipped easily into the warmth and moisture. She half grunted in acceptance of the finger inside her. Her vagina seemed to literally tighten around it. She undulated her hips as I moved the finger in an out. When I used her own moisture to play with her clit, she hugged me so hard I thought she was going to take all the air from me. Her breathing became more and more ragged. She literally bit the side of my neck as I continued my onslaught. The pain from her teeth only goaded me on. My finger was now making slurping sounds inside her. She was flowing like a river onto my hand. I felt like she wanted to swallow me up with her pussy. A second finger, and then a third, deep inside her cunt, hardly seemed to assuage her. When I wiggled a soaked digit across her clit, she moaned so loudly I thought the neighbors would hear her. She was making low, unintelligible noises against the side of my neck, even as she continued softly biting the skin. I pressed my finger hard against her clit; she pressed herself against it. "Don't stop, I'm almost there!" she cried. With renewed vigor, I raked my fingernail across her love button. She started making "Ngggggg… ngggggggg" sounds from deep in her throat. I knew she was coming when she bucked her hip once, high off the bed. "Yesssssssssssss…. Yesssssssssss," she repeated over and over as the waves of a delicious orgasm coursed through her body. I left my hand, unmoving, between her legs as she slowly came down. I was surprised to see how easily I had made her come. My hand was filled with her love juices. I felt like licking my hand clean, but thought the better of it. When she was finally able to talk, she looked deeply into my eyes, searching my soul for a look of happiness. When she found it, she smiled. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "Haven't had one of those in a long, long time." I smiled. "I thought you were going to die, girl. You sure came hard." "I did. But now it's someone else's turn." Suddenly she pushed me off of her, onto my back. She pounced on me like a preying tigress. She pinned me to the bed, then dove into me, her head between my breasts. Hardly had I time to close my eyes when her lips found my nipple once more and she sucked it hard, sometimes grazing the nubbin with her teeth, sometimes nibbling at it. She moved her head to my other breast and did the same thing. I was in ecstasy. Pure and sweet. Tender Mercies Then, almost without warning, I felt her head moving down my body, kissing the warmth of my skin during the short but wonderful journey. She paused long enough at my navel to encircle it with her tongue, then delved the tip of her tongue into it, driving me up a wall. When her head began to move lower, I knew what was about to happen. I opened myself up to her. At first she merely chewed softly on my thatch of brown hair, teasing me. I wanted her sweet mouth between my legs like nothing else I have ever wanted. I placed my hand on top of her head and almost pushed her between my splayed legs. I felt her thumbs pry my sex open, exposing the pink gash, the pink moist flesh, and the tiny nubbin that longed for relief. "Your smell is intoxicating," she said softly. She held me open for an eternity. I opened my eyes long enough to see her staring into my well opened pussy. I think I heard her whisper "beautiful" before she pursed her lips over my clit. She certainly knew what she was doing for a first-time lover. She suckled me at first, drawing my clit deeply into her mouth. Then she laved it with just the tip of her tongue, back and forth, over and above it, all over it. When she lowered her head and drove her whole tongue into my vagina, I screamed in pleasure. She literally fucked me with her tongue for what seemed like ages, paying particular attention to the sensitive outer entrance of the vagina. When she renewed her efforts on my aching clit, I knew I was getting close. This time she lightly bit the engorged nubbin before sucking on it voraciously. She alternated between biting and sucking until she heard the tell-tale moans from deep inside my throat. I took deep breaths, letting the air out slowly. Suddenly my whole body seemed to spasm. I felt a jolt that when from my pussy straight to my brain. I literally exploded on her face. I didn't exactly squirt like I had heard some women do, but I felt the warm flow of juices spew out of me. It lasted at least 15 or 20 seconds, and then I felt another even more intense spasm that went straight up my spine. The second one lasted even longer. It was the first time in my life I had been multi-orgasmic. I was delirious with pleasure. When Gail lifted her head from between my legs, her face was full of my juices. "Nice facial," I laughingly thought to myself. Gail made her up back up my body. We hugged and hugged. Kissed and kissed. Then hugged some more. I told her I had never felt so wonderful. She felt the same. Our naked bodies entwined, we were as happy as either of us had been in a long time. We certainly deserved it. "Do you think this is a one-time only adventure?" she asked with a wry smile on her glowing face. "Do you want there to be more?" She laughed. "You are never supposed to answer a question with a question, silly." I laughed in return. "Okay. You win. If we don't have about a million more of these little 'adventures,' then I will feel unfulfilled. I have never wanted anything more in my life, Gail. Please make me happy again and again." Her smile lit up the room. "And me as well. It was too wonderful for words." "Well, I may be a bit too kinky for you, dear." Her eyes opened wide. "Kinky? I think that's the magic word." We laughed again. We would learn from each other. We found the time to be with each other several times a week. There was nothing too kinky for us. But that is a new story altogether. For later. Tender Mercies "How'd you manage that?" Kelnozz's friend, a short human warrior dressed as a gladiator asked. "Not as easily as it should have been, the two of you need to bathe and stay downwind next time!" He replied. "You nearly made me lose the kill, and we would have then gone hungry tonight." The other warrior, a giant of a man called Nordan, laughed loudly and said, "If not this deer, then another we would have found! You worry too much, Kelnozz, let us eat!" Kelnozz scowled good naturedly at the gruff barbarian. Pompey knelt down and began to dress the deer. "Do we camp now or continue to the tower?" Pompey asked, trying to determine how he should deal with the meat. "The wizard's domain is half a day distant still," Kelnozz said, already surveying the area they were in for a good campsite. "Aye, it's settled then, we camp!" Nordan said happily, pulling out a skin filled with mead and draining half of it in one pull. The three companions started a fire, spit the carcass, and roasted it while setting up the rest of their camp. The sun set as they began their meal. "Do you believe the townsfolk?" Pompey asked after they finished their meal and sat quietly. "About what?" Kelnozz asked. "That this wizard is protected by demons?" Kelnozz shrugged. "What difference does it make?" "I just like to know what I'm going to be facing," Pompey grunted, irritated by the casual attitude Kelnozz held towards such powerful beings. They lapsed into silence for a time, and finally the silence was broken by the snoring sounds coming from Nordan. Kelnozz smirked while Pompey shook his head in continuing disbelief at how easily his companions dealt with things. "I'll take first watch," Pompey offered, figuring he wouldn't be sleeping for a while. Kelnozz nodded and lay down on his own bedroll. In seconds he was asleep. They moved out the next morning. Already 3 days out from the town of Sanctuary, they moved more cautiously now. Ahead lay the demesne of a powerful wizard said to plague the inhabitants of the surrounding lands. Fortunately, the only civilized lands nearby belonged to the people of Sanctuary; a rough and hardy lot to be sure. "Are the priests right?" Pompey asked during their midmorning trek. "Is this wizard truly trying to summon a being able to lead a force of darkness aimed at dominating the world in his name?" "He's a wizard, who knows what he wants," Nordan said gruffly, his distaste for wielders of magic showing. "They believe it, and more importantly, they are paying us to deal with it, which is something we need after that incident the two of you got us into when we met that merchant caravan." Nordan chuckled and Pompey sighed at the memory. "Yes, they cheated at cards better then we did." Kelnozz shook his head disapprovingly and walked on in silence. The other two followed suit. Another hour of walking had them fording a stream, and as soon as they set foot on the opposing bank all three of them felt the change. The air became colder, and a chill ran down their spines. The chatter of insects and birds dropped off abruptly, leaving them in eerie silence in an otherwise bright and cheery day. Kelnozz motioned for his friends to wait behind while he scouted ahead. Chafing at the caution, the two warriors waited while the dark elf sneaked ahead. Their wait was not overlong, though the fifteen minutes seemed to be hours. Kelnozz returned and motioned them to quietly follow him. Preparing their weapons, they followed the quiet rogue as he slipped through the increasingly dark and foreboding forest. Ere long they hid in the underbrush at a tree line where the forest ended and the clearing that the tower stood within began. The tower stretched up roughly 60 feet into the sky. A plain oaken door bound in iron stood at the base of it, with a sculpted statue of a horrific creature on each side of the door. The statues resembled a cross of something that was half vulture, half man. Pompey suppressed a shudder as they examined the tower and it's surroundings. "You know that those statues are anything but statues, don't you?" Kelnozz asked. Nordan grunted and Pompey nodded his head yes, though in truth he had no idea. "Any other ways in?" Pompey asked, hoping the magic in his spear was enough to pierce the hide of the magical guardians. Kelnozz shook his head and stood up to prepare for the conflict. He drew his twin long swords and waited for his companions to join him. "We must strike quickly and true, for the wizard will no doubt know of our assault as soon as it is begun. Nordan you take the door, Pompey and I shall defeat the guardians." Before anyone could respond, Kelnozz was off. Pompey cursed and set off after him, lowering his spear at one of the guardians. Nordan let out a war cry and joined them. As they neared the tower, the statues shimmered and came alive. Their flesh faded from a stony gray to a pallid white. They both screeched loudly, brandishing lethal looking claws. Battle was joined. Kelnozz deftly avoided the razor sharp talons and let his swords bite deeply into the demonic guardian. Pompey used the length of his spear to keep his assailant at bay, swinging it back and forth to keep the creature from closing. Nordan ignored them both and swung his hammer at the door. The door shattered in a magical explosion under the powerful onslaught. Nordan staggered backwards a few steps from the force of the explosion. Shaking his head, he shrugged off the effects of it and plunged into the tower. Kelnozz cursed at Nordan and adopted a more offensive role against the demon he fought. The demon was able to slash twice at Kelnozz in this way before the magical blades the elf wielded found a home in it's ribcage. The creature screeched weakly and dissolved into smoke, dispelled back to the hell it had been summoned from. Pompey took an opening he had and plunged his spear into the bowels of the demon he fought. It howled in rage and agony and grabbed onto the shaft of the spear. Pompey pushed forward, certain it would try to rip it out. Instead, the demon pulled on the spear and pushed it's body forward, impaling it even deeper but bringing Pompey closer. When Pompey realized what was happening, he dropped the spear and struggled to pull the gladius from his belt. The guardian was to close by then though, and it's talons slashed down at him, cutting him deeply on the arm and latching onto his shoulder. Kelnozz ran inside to find another shattered door and a entry room beyond. To the side a stair case wound around the outer wall of the tower, leading up. Seeing some blood stains along the wall, Kelnozz knew Nordan had gone this way. He followed quickly, taking the steps two and three at a time. The next room up was a living quarters and study. Great book cases lined the walls, filled with arcane texts. The stairs continued up, and now the sounds of battle came from above. Muttering oaths under his breath, Kelnozz continued up. What awaited him was a surprising sight. The wizard stood behind a podium with scrolls stretched across it. In front of him lay a summoning circle with a pentagram engraved upon the floor within it. The wizard was chanting and a white glowing portal was slowly taking shape within the circle. "Kill the wizard!" Nordan shouted. Kelnozz's attention switched to Nordan and he saw that he battled against a terrible foe. A demon with 6 arms, a cruel and wicked looking weapon in each hand. The upper body of a well proportioned woman and the lower body of a snake. The demons tail was in fact wrapped around one of Nordan's legs, immobilizing him effectively. Obeying his wishes, the elf dropped one of his swords and drew a dagger from his belt. Flicking his wrist, he smiled vindictively as the wizard jerked back from the impact and stuttered his incantation. The look of pain on his face disappeared as he realized what had happened. He struggled to regain control of the spell, but it was too late. The magical energies took on a life of their own. Reclaiming his sword, Kelnozz hacked at the tail that his friend was caught up in. In a spray of black ichor, the tail was severed and Nordan free. Howling in barbaric glee, he charged forward, swinging his hammer without abandon. Kelnozz leapt beside his friend and joined the attack, driving the wounded demon back and finally backing it against a wall. Using coordinated attacks, they beat past the 6 deadly blades it wielded and struck again and again, until the supernatural being was weakened enough to allow them to strike a blow that dispatched it back to the abyss from which it came. "You fools! You ruined my spell and caused all of us to die! But I will make sure you die first!" Both of them spun about quickly to see the wizard raising his arms. Blood flowed from the dagger still impaled in his belly, but this time the spell completed as intended. A searing beam of fire shot out from each hand, striking each of them and driving them back as the tried to escape the agony of the spell. The wizard began another spell, knowing that the invaders still lived. Before he could finish it he jerked forward. The arcing electricity that had begun to gather around his hands instead began to flow down into the wizard. It made him spasm and convulse, finishing off the job of killing him. The magical electricity arced up the metal shaft of the spear transfixing him and entered the hands and body of Pompey. Pompey was blown back by the force of the magic and slammed into a wall before crumpling to the floor unmoving. The magical summoning in the middle of the room continued to grow and pulse. Nordan finished rolling around putting out the flames on his furs and proceeded to help Kelnozz take off his nearly red hot chain mail. Once free they watched the rogue summoning, both of them injured but ready to fight again. Pompey remained motionless, with neither of them certain if he still lived. The light continued to grow brighter, and soon they could see a humanoid shape outlined within it. With a final brilliant pulse of energy the light receded and the standing figure collapsed to the floor. When their vision cleared, they saw that what had been summoned did not appear to be a ferocious demon. It did not have the looks of a bloodthirsty minion of hell. In fact, it looked about as harmless as a kitten. What it appeared to be was a wet and naked young women only recently come into her prime. Her magical origins were nearly confirmed when they looked at her though, for her form seemed beautiful above and beyond what was mortally possible. Long flowing black hair graced her head and a figure the Gods would be hard pressed to recreate. She rolled over and groaned as she opened her eyes. They saw that the only hair that appeared on her body was on her head. "What manner of being are you?" Kelnozz said, eyeing her warily. Nordan was speechless, finding the object of beauty something that nearly separated his wits from his body. The summoned creature looked at Kelnozz in surprise. She looked at her surroundings and quickly jumped to her feet and tried to back up. When she reached the edge of the circle, however, she was unable to retreat any further. "What are you?" Kelnozz asked again, taken back by the creatures defensive behavior. The girl frowned, and opened her mouth and made a noise. Neither Nordan nor Kelnozz could understand her, however. At that time the girl seemed to realize that she was naked. Her arms quickly sought to conceal herself, though obviously it did little save make her look more appealing. "Wait here," Kelnozz told them, not caring whether the girl understood or not, and went downstairs to the wizards bedchamber. He poked around very carefully, mindful of magical traps, and found a spare robe that was the wizards. He noticed the magical runes and insignias on it and shrugged, figuring it was better then nothing. Returning he found Nordan staring lewdly at the girl, who looked increasingly uncomfortable. "Be ready," He warned, and stepped towards the circle. Scuffing his foot across the line of powder that formed the circle, Kelnozz broke the circle of protection. He advanced upon the girl, his stance ready to spring away in a second if she threatened. Gingerly she reached out and took it from him, retreating beyond the circle to put the podium between herself and them before she quickly donned the robe. When it was about her, she shivered briefly in spite of the heat in the room. Less self conscious, she spoke again, "Who are you?" Kelnozz was surprised that he could understand her this time. "Nay lass, who are you?" She realized they were the ones holding the weapons and in control of the situation. "Um, I'm Alesha. Alesha Koronski." "Are you a demon?" Nordan asked, his mind free to work now that it wasn't preoccupied with her nudity. "A...demon?" she asked cautiously. "Yes, a demon... a being from the abyss, summoned by the wizard to lead his armies to conquer the world," Kelnozz said, his eyes narrowing as he examined her. "No... no, I'm just a girl. I was taking a bath and my little brother was being a brat and trying to get in the bathroom. He finally picked the lock and opened the door up quickly, it hit the sink and my blow dryer fell off and I was terrified that it was going to fall in the bathtub and electrocute me and I.... And I would die... is that what happened? Am I dead? Is this Heaven? Or...the other place?" Kelnozz raised his hand to try and stop her talking. Once started, she didn't appear to want to stop. "Nay girl, you are not dead. This wizard," Kelnozz kicked the wizards corpse, "was trying to summon a great demon or devil when we intruded upon him. We stopped him but not early enough, instead his spell went awry and it appears to have conjured you instead." "Um...a wizard? Magic? Where am I?" She was clearly having trouble absorbing everything told to her. "Where are you from that you know not of this place?" Kelnozz interrupted. "St. Petersburg. Florida." Kelnozz and Nordan looked at each other for an answer. Neither had one, so they turned back to her. "This is Belurian, two days northwest of Sanctuary," Nordan answered. "Nordan, check on Pompey," Kelnozz said, remembering their fallen companion. "Where on earth is Belurian?" Alesha asked in a small voice. "This world is known as Viconia, not Earth, though the earth is indeed beneath us." "I'm not on Earth anymore..." The girl collapsed to the ground, fainting from the sudden shock of her situation. "Some champion of evil," Kelnozz muttered as he went over to her and made sure she wasn't injured. He picked her up easily and carried her over to where Nordan knelt next to Pompey. "How is he?" Nordan looked up at Kelnozz and shook his head. "The demon wounded him badly, perhaps enough to kill him, given time. But the wizards magic made sure of it." Tightening his jaw, Kelnozz nodded. They left the tower then, leaving it as they had found it, plus two corpses. Outside the tower they noticed that the evilness in the ground and air had abated with the death of the wizard. Figuring themselves safe, they set up camp outside the tower as night was fast approaching. Alesha woke soon but stayed mostly quiet, huddling within her new garment. Finally she said, "What's this... um... this place, what's it like?" Nordan looked to Kelnozz and shrugged, indicating the elf should field the question. "What do you mean?" She forced her gaze away from the fire and looked at him. "What are you? I've seen black people before, but never like you. Your eyes... your ears... they're different." Kelnozz smiled, "I'm a dark elf. Pretty average for my race. There are no elves where you come from? She shook her head, tears coming to her eyes. "What else is there here?" Kelnozz tipped his head to the side, trying to think of how to answer her. "Well, there are dwarves, halflings, orcs, light elves, ogres, giants, trolls, lizardmen, dragons, and the list goes on and on. Most anything you can think up has existed here at one time or another." "I feel like I'm in a bad movie," She muttered, staring back into the fire again. Kelnozz chuckled at her tone, even though he had no idea what a movie was. "Kel, how come we can understand her now and she us?" Nordan asked, finishing up with cleaning the rabbits they had snared for dinner. "I think it's that robe I found for her. See the sigils on it? I believe it's a wizards robe." "Should she be wearing it?" He was spitting the first rabbit. Kelnozz shrugged. "Jesus Christ! Quit talking about me as if I'm not here!" Alesha snapped, jumping to her feet. "Who?" Both men asked, looking around quickly. Alesha's stopped pacing and stared at them open mouthed. "Jesus Christ, son of God," She whispered, afraid to hear their response. "Never heard of him," Nordan said, finishing the last rabbit and beginning to roast them. "Which God?" Kelnozz asked, trying to be a little more calming to her. Her jaw snapped shut and she closed her eyes tightly. Finally she took a deep breath and said, "I need to take a walk and get some fresh air." Kelnozz frowned but Nordan said, "Be wary, it should be safe around here, but some other minions of the wizards may still be about." "Yeah, sure. Whatever. Look, I'll be fine." With that, Alesha walked off into the darkness of night. After a few moments, Kelnozz scowled and rose to his feet as well. "Where are you going, the rabbits are almost done," Nordan said, scowling at what he knew was the answer. "I'll be back, I'm going to make sure she doesn't get herself killed." Snorting, Nordan went back to spinning the conies over the fire. The girl had stepped on rocks and sharp twigs several times so far, leaving her feet sore and bleeding. She sighed when she came to the quiet stream that marked the edge of the sorcerers lands. Sitting on the bank of the stream she let her feet dangle in the water to soothe them. She had no idea where she was or what was going on, but she did have to admit that it was very pretty here. Not to mention much cleaner. Even the air smelled cleaner. Colors seemed more vibrant and she just felt more alive then she had before. Still, she was terrified of what was happening to her. Not only was she stuck with two strange looking and acting men, but they had both seen her naked! Not even her boyfriend had seen her like that before. The black one was nice at least, but he looked so odd with those high cheekbones and pointy ears. A black Spock! She giggled briefly at the thought of it. She always hated that show, Star Trek, but her father had watched it enough she knew that Kelnozz looked like a Vulcan. Except for his eyes. In the light they looked only a little odd, being lavender in color. But when it had gotten darker, they had almost seemed to glow with an inner light. Then there was the other one, Nordan. She had known his kind before. A bully and a brute, he used his strength before what little mind he had. And when his mind did come into play, it was often his other head that did the thinking. The thing that really upset her was their response to God. She'd always been rather borderline on religion, but she had been baptized and believed in God. If they didn't know about God, then she was even more alone then she thought possible. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a shuffling in the brush on the other side of the stream. Looking up she saw it move and then first one figure came out, then another and another. Finally a full eight figures stood on the far shore, considering her. They were roughly her height, a few inches shy of six feet, but all were stocky. One of them stepped forward into the moonlight and Alesha felt her breath catch in her throat. It had a face that was a cross between a man and a pig, with emphasis on the snout.