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New Life in a New World Ch. 01

By: johneb87



I would like to give a huge thanks to ShadwNinjaX, author of the "Blazing Glory" series, for his inspiration and support with this. This may have never gotten off the ground without his help. Thank you!

[Insert lawyer voice here] This story contains scenes of graphic sex and violence. No one under the age of 18 or 21 (depending on your local law) should read this story. Any characters depicted in sexual or suggestive scenes are intended to be 18 years or older. While inspired from many sources, the story and characters are original. Any similarities are coincidental. Enjoy.

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"Young, watch that left side!" the Sergeant shouted.

Corporal John Young and his four man squad were almost finished clearing a remote village in the mountains of Afghanistan. They quickly moved through the village going door to door clearing each building. Their intel had warned them that this village would be full of Taliban fighters, however, they did not see a single soul since they arrived. The entire place was a ghost town, no one was to be found civilian or hostile. This put everyone on edge, either the intel was off or they were walking into an ambush. While John attempted to remain cautious, he knew they had a job to do and attempted to keep his mind on the task at hand.

John honestly didn't mind the danger too much. At age 16, John tragically lost his entire family. Practically without a family, when John turned 18 he enlisted in the US Army. John completed several tours of Iraq and Afghanistan and eventually made his way into the Special Forces. At the end of this deployment John would be promoted to the rank of Sergeant. Before leaving, John had submitted his application for Delta Force and was eagerly awaiting to hear if he had been accepted into the selection course. Now 26 years old, John wanted nothing more than to stay in the fight and on the front lines.

The squad continued to move through the village. All of them were highly trained and experienced, but John was most certainly the youngest. John was no body builder, but had a decently toned body for his five foot and eleven inch frame. His dark brown, nearly black hair was longer than most soldiers but still cut pretty short. He had a goatee on his chin that John tried to keep groomed. However, after going several days without shaving John was looking quite ragged. All of this matched well with his dark brown eyes.

John felt a slight ache in his shoulders and lower back. The backpack he had attached to his vest was starting to feel quite heavy. They had been advised to travel light but John had a habit of packing a few extra things. John had packed some extra ammo, explosives and even his dark grey fleece just in case they were going to move up higher in the mountains. While this may have been excessive, there had been a few occasions where those extras had saved their asses. John was able to shed some weight by removing the bullet proof kevlar insert in his vest. This was normally a big no-no and John would likely get his ass chewed out by his commander if he found out but John didn't care, kind of hard to be yelled at when your dead.

The squad finally reached one of the last huts they would need to clear before they could move on to the LZ for extraction. The hut was separated from the rest of the village, almost on the outskirts. They carefully scanned the tops of the buildings and the hillsides but could not see any movement. The continued to approach the hut.

"Alright, stack up and prepare to breach," ordered the Sergeant.

Two of the squad members moved to the left side of the door, pressing themselves against the wall. John and his Sergeant moved to the right side.

The Sergeant looked back at John, "Ok Young, you're up."

John nodded in acknowledgement and moved away from the wall and stood in front of the door. John took a deep breath and was just about to kick in the door when he heard a soft, electronic ringing from inside the hut.

"Is that a cell phone?" one of his squad mates asked with a look of confusion.

The Sergeant thought for a moment then suddenly his eyes opened wide with a horrific expression on his face.

"I.E....." the Sergeant did not get a chance to finish his sentence as the hut suddenly exploded. The Taliban had placed a trap for them in the form of an IED rigged to a cell phone so it could be remotely detonated.

John was thrown several feet back by the blast. While lucky that the concussion alone did not kill him, John felt the painful impact as pieces of wood, stone and metal shrapnel entered his midsection. John landed painfully on his back, he tried to get up but found himself unable to move. John's vision started fading out as he began to lose consciousness. When the ringing in his ears finally faded out, he could hear the exchange of gunfire and his squad mates yelling. John could hear his Sergeant calling for air support just before his world went black.

When John finally started to regain consciousness, the first thing he noticed was the silence. He no longer heard any gunfire or the shouting of his squad, instead he heard birds chirping and the sound of leaves rustling in a gentle breeze. John finally opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of a lush forest canopy. He felt the ground beneath him and instead of dirt, he grabbed a fistful of green grass. This was not Afghanistan, was he dead?

John tried to sit up when he felt an incredible sharp pain in his left side. He laid back down on the ground and placed his hand on his left torso. John could feel the wetness of the blood that had soaked through his shirt and could tell that he still was bleeding. He painfully rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself to his knees. As he looked down, he noticed his M4 rifle was on the ground next to him. John also realized he still had all of his gear on. John figured that if he still hurt like hell and still had his weapon, he was still alive.

John unbuckled his vest and took it off. He looked down and could see large holes in the shirt where the shrapnel tore through. His blood was clearly soaked though his dark brown shirt. John opened a pouch in his vest where he kept all his medical supplies, nothing special just bandages and some morphine. He grabbed a large sterile gauze pad and some gauze rolls. John winced as a sharp pain shot through his body when he pressed the pad to his wound. He quickly wrapped the gauze around his waist, trying to keep pressure on the pad and wound. John finally got used to the pain from the pressure, but it still hurt to move. John thought about giving himself some morphine to help cope with the pain but decided against it. With daylight fading, he would be wandering through the woods alone and needed to stay alert.

His bandaging was not great, but it would hold for now. John put his vest back on, tightening it a bit more than usual to help hold the bandages in place. He picked up his rifle and pulled back on the charging handle, making sure a round was ready to go in the chamber. With a groan, John managed to get himself to his feet. He stumbled briefly as he regained his footing. John knew this would be difficult, but had no other choice. He needed to find some form of civilization and get some real medical attention. John started walking west, toward the setting sun.

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The little red skinned imp flapped it's wings, staying above the forest canopy. He watched the unusual human make his way through the forest. By the way he was dressed, he could only assume the human was some kind of warrior. However, none of his weapons were recognizable. This human was certainly not from this land and no foreigner like this human had ever visited their lands before. He understood why his master was interested in this human. Earlier that day, his master felt an unusual presence enter their realm.

He watched the human struggle, he was beginning to succumb to his wounds. The imp had always been disgusted with how fragile humans were. The slightest pain or wound and they were useless. He understood why his master hated mortal beings so much. There was nothing the imp desired more than to send a fireball straight at the wounded human, it was always entertaining watching humans burst into flames. However, his instructions were to simply observe and to not intervene in any way. If he killed the human now, he would most certainly face his master's wrath and that terrified him to his very core.

He spotted movement not too far behind the human. Someone else was interested in this man as well. The imp could not see who it was at first, but eventually, he caught a glimpse of the follower through the trees.

"Well, isn't this interesting," the imp said quietly.

******************************************************

The sun had finally set and the forest was now bathed in darkness. John was finding the terrain much more difficult to navigate and his injuries were making the task that much harder. The dark blue light of early evening seeping through the forest did contrast the trees from the rest of the forest allowing John some ability to navigate. This ounce of light eventually faded and the pitch black of night finally flooded the forest. John was forced to stop for a moment. He looked down at the black PEQ box attached to the front left side of his rifle. The PEQ box housed a laser sight and flashlight. John considered turning on the flashlight so he could navigate better. However, he decided that turning on a light source would make him easy to spot. John waited for a minute for his eyes to adjust to the point where he felt confident to continue moving.

Every step was starting to becoming more difficult. The pain from the wound was starting to spread through the rest of his body. John started to feel a bit dizzy, likely from the blood loss. John stopped for a brief moment and leaned against a nearby tree. He must have walked for at least several miles. His rifle started to feel heavier, only the vertical forward grip he had attached to the bottom of the rifle made it easier to hold. His body was getting fatigued and was demanding rest, but John refused. He forced himself to start walking again, he knew he needed to keep moving.

Just then he heard several growls behind him. He turned around and turned on the tactical light on his PEQ box. The light illuminated several sets of glowing eyes staring straight at him, a large wolf pack was approaching their wounded prey. John brought his rifle up and switched the fire selector from SAFE to SEMI. He slowly started to back away as the first wolf lunged for him. John fired two quick shots that echoed through the forest and stopped the first wolf in midair. John turned to the second wolf running toward him, fired another two shots and the wolf's lifeless body tumbled to a stop. He then tried to fire on a third wolf.

Click!

"God dammit!" John shouted, his M4 had jammed on him.

John quickly held the rifle sideways to attempt to block the third lunging wolf. But the wolf managed to sink it's teeth into John's forearm. John screamed in pain but felt lucky that the wolf had not managed to snap his arm in half. John slung his rifle to his side and used his now free hand to land a direct punch on the wolf's head. The hard shell over the knuckles of his gloves added to the impact and the wolf let go but not before taking some flesh with it.

John could feel the blood flowing freely from his left arm. He made sure he could still move his left hand then used his right hand to draw his M9 pistol from his thigh holster. He managed to get a few more shots off and take down a couple more wolves before he realized this was a losing battle as more wolves joined the fight. John made a break for it.

John ran as quickly through the woods as his wounded body would take him. At this point the adrenaline was in full control. John skidded to a stop as he came to the ledge of a large ravine. He estimated it to be about 75 feet down. He looked back at the wolves fast approaching him.

"Bones heal," John said to himself before leaping into the ravine.

John did his best to control his slide down the steep walls of the ravine, but he still fell too fast. When John hit the ground, he heard a loud snap as he felt the bones in his lower right leg break. John howled in pain as he landed hard on his back. Once the initial shock faded, John aimed his pistol at the top of the ravine. He struggled to keep his aim as he looked at the ridge above him. The wolves were at the top, looking down at him. However, the wolves did not have an easy way to get down to John so they eventually turned and left.

John breathed a small sigh of relief. He tried to stand back up but his body had given up on him. He had massive shrapnel wounds in his left torso, his left arm was ripped up and his right leg was broken. John had been shot, burned and blown up before, but this was pushing it even for him. A small voice within John was telling him to just give up. After all hadn't he been looking for the sweet release of death for nearly the last 10 years? John just never thought it would end like this.

He almost gave in until he heard the sound of a river at the end of the ravine. When he heard the sound of the rushing water, a new feeling of hope flooded him. A new voice inside him demanded he make one last effort for survival. If he continued to follow the river, he had a better chance of reaching a village or settlement. John worked to clear the jam in his rifle. He slapped the bottom of the magazine, making sure it was locked in place. He then pulled back on the charging handle, John could see the round eject from the rifle. He let go of the charging handle, letting the bolt slide back in place then pressed the forward assist on the side of the rifle. John pulled out the remaining gauze from his pouch and wrapped his arm. Even after he was finished, blood had already started to seep through the bandages.

John started clawing at the ravine walls, trying to grasp anything he could use for leverage. He managed to grab hold of a tree root and pulled himself up. He inadvertently tried to push himself up with his broken right leg, he winced in pain as he started to put his weight on the leg and nearly let go of the root. John quickly switched legs and managed to pull himself back up. John started to make his way toward the river, but only got about twenty feet before he collapsed to his knees.

The pain and blood loss had finally taken it's toll. No matter how much John commanded himself to keep moving, he couldn't. His strength started to leave his body and his vision was fading. He heard someone moving behind him. John attempted to reach for his pistol when he finally collapsed face first in the ground.

********************************************************

It was no longer the dead of night when John finally awoke. The dark blue sky of early morning contrasted against the blackness of the still dark forest. John's eyes still felt heavy as he slowly opened them. He found himself sitting up against a tree. He looked up at the sky, stars slowly fading while being replaced by the morning sky. Once again, he had cheated death and was still alive. However, instead of felling relief or joy, John felt annoyed.

"You can't just let me die, can you?" John said out loud, as if speaking to God.

"If you wanted to die, you should have said so," replied an unknown female voice next to him. "Otherwise I would not have bothered to heal your wounds."

John's heart skipped a beat when he looked over at the beautiful young woman sitting next to the dying campfire. Looking at her stature, John estimated that she was probably three to four inches shorter than him. She was fair skinned but still had the right amount of color and looked silky smooth. Her breasts were not huge but not too petite, probably C cup sized, yet still a wonderful sight for the eyes. They were barely contained by the small white chestplate she wore that looked more like a bra than a piece of armor. Several black rectangular plates tied together made up a spaulder on her left shoulder, like a piece of samurai armor. What looked like a large, black fur hide covered her right shoulder. She wore a short, white leather skirt that showed off her well toned creamy thighs. Was that a tail just above her perfect ass? No, that's got to simply be part of her outfit. His eyes followed her legs until they disappeared into her knee high leather boots. He looked back up to her face, framed by her long white hair that flowed down to her lower back. She wore a red leather headband that displayed a brass inverted triangle with an amber jewel in the center. Her face was probably the most beautiful he had ever seen. While beautiful, the way those intense golden eyes glared at John made it clear that she was not someone to be trifled with. The katana she wore on her hip reaffirmed that. Then John noticed something unusual about her, a pair of pointed, wolf like ears emerged from the top of her head. They were covered in a short white and black striped fur. This did not detract from her overall beauty, but what was she?

John's shoulder started to feel sore, like it was twisted the wrong way. However, when he tried to move his arms he discovered his wrists were bound behind his back. John tried to break free, but he was only was greeted with more pain when he struggled. He also realized that he was no longer wearing his tactical gear or weapons. John looked over by the woman and saw his vest, rifle and thigh holster on the ground next to her.

"Why the hell am I tied up?" John demanded.

"You can at least thank me for healing you," she replied in an annoyed tone, "It was a lot of work considering the extent of your injuries."

John looked at his midsection and while his shirt was still stained with his blood, he had a fresh set of bandages wrapped around him. More importantly, he no longer felt any pain on his left side. John saw some bloodied metal pieces on the ground that was likely pulled out of him. While John could not see his left forearm, he could only assume that had fresh bandages as well. He looked down at his leg and saw a splint tied to his leg below the knee.

"Thank you," John said in a mockingly sincere voice, "Now untie me!"

"No!" the woman shouted, "Not until I take you back to my village where you will answer for trespassing on our lands and killing our kin."

Her kin? Was she referring to the wolves? John once again studied those animal like ears on the top of her head. No, that's impossible. She probably meant "kin" in a spiritual sense like the Native Americans.

"Are you kidding me!" John rolled his eyes. "First off, I don't know how I got here but I certainly don't want to be here and second, if you're referring to the wolves, it was your furry friends who fucked up my arm. So it was them or me, I had no other choice."

The woman quickly stood up, unsheathed her katana and moved toward him. In a swift motion, she swung her sword at his head but stopped short of cutting it off. She let the blade rest against his neck.

"If I was not under orders from my father to keep you alive, you would be dead already," her eyes narrowed clearly showing her anger.

John smirked, "Well, be sure to thank him for me."

"You can thank him yourself when you are before him and he decides what to do with you."

*******************************************************

The morning sun had risen to wash away the darkness. John was led out of the forest and into an open valley. He now had a much better view of the land. In the direction they were heading, East, John could see the valley end at a small village about five miles away where the tree line picked up again, wrapping itself around the valley. While John did not see any major elevation changes to the North, he did see massive snow capped mountains rise from the South and East.


New Life in a New World Ch. 01



John was literally being led through the valley like a dog. The woman had tied a rope around his neck and was pulling the end like a leash. She had tied the other end in a loop and ran the rope through it. If John tried to run, struggle or simply attempt to be difficult, she would simply yank on the rope and it would tighten around his neck, choking him. His hands were still bound behind his back. As she led him along, she had his rifle slung over her shoulder and carried his vest and pistol holster in her free hand. Despite his situation, John closed his eyes and smiled when he felt the warmth of the morning sun on his face. He reopened his eyes and took in the wonderful sight of the sun bathing the mountains and valley in a warm orange glow. If there was a chance he would be executed, he would at least enjoy one last sunrise.

There was another sight John was enjoying as well, the beautiful woman walking a few steps in front of him. He could not help but stare at that wonderful ass as she walked. What he thought was just part of her clothing was indeed a tail emerging just above her rump. Her tail had white hair until that ended with black hair at the tip. If her ass was not seductive enough, watching her tail flow back and fourth was only adding to her sexiness.

She must have sensed John gazing at her because she soon gave the leash a quick yank, snapping him back to reality. John coughed as he briefly lost his breath from the collar choking him. John was getting annoyed with this woman and his current situation. But what the hell could he do? He had spent the last hour while they were walking attempting to break free of his binds but the rope was thick and the knots were too strong. The skin on his wrists was rubbed raw from the rope.

"What's your name?" John asked. John got no response from the woman, she did not even bother to look his way to acknowledge him. Normally John would not tell a captor anything about himself, but fuck it, those rules went out the window as soon as he entered this place.

"My name is John, what's yours?" still no response from the woman. John let out a frustrated sigh, "Fine, I'll make up one for you. Hmmm, how about Queen Bitch."

The woman finally stopped walking, she turned to John clearly irritated. "My name is Lydia! Lydia Ulrica," she snapped back.

"See, was that so hard....Lydia?" John replied with a smirk.

Lydia rolled her eyes, "Could you be any more difficult?"

"I don't know, is that a challenge?" John could tell that she was getting pissed off, "But really, you have no real reason to complain. After all, I'm the one tied up. Maybe you should learn to have better control of your prisoner."

John kept pushing the limits of Lydia's patience, he knew one of three things would happen. First, if he was really lucky, she would give in and start to deal. Getting the binds or the collar off of him could be a good start. Second option, he could get Lydia angry enough that she would make a mistake. If John could get Lydia close enough to him, he could attack her and get away. However, at the moment she seemed to be determined to keep her distance and still kept a strong grasp on his leash. The third possible outcome, Lydia would simply kill John. As grim as that sounds, John was fine with any of those outcomes.

Lydia took a deep breath and clinched her fists, attempting to maintain control of her anger. She closed her eyes to gather her thoughts and when she opened them, she seemed to be calm and collected.

"Look," Lydia said, "If you are a good boy and can keep quiet until we get to my village, your binds may be removed."

John nodded in acknowledgement with a smug smile, his stubbornness paid off and Lydia was forced to make the deal. The village was not that far away so John could hold out for at least that long. Lydia continued to lead the way back to the village.

They started to pass some of the farms located on the outskirts of the village. The village itself was tucked in at the end of the valley with the hills on either side. It was not long before they entered the village. The houses were built about a foot or two off the ground, John assumed that this was in case of any flooding in the valley. The walls of the houses were made of wood planks, the roof made mostly of straw. Pillars, about the thickness of a tree trunk, supported the outer edges of the roof. The larger buildings were similar but had their roofs made up of wood and were more elaborate. The architecture definitely looked like something out of the dark ages, perhaps almost close to ancient Nordic.

Despite everything John had gone through in the past twenty four hours, the biggest shock came when he saw the residents of the village. While some were like Lydia, half human and half wolf-like, the majority looked like full wolves. They stood on two legs, crooked backwards like the hind legs of a dog and had five fingers on each hand with claws for tearing flesh. Many stood well over six or seven feet tall. Even more startling, their heads looked exactly like that of a wolf. John thought back to the fantasy stories his parents used to read to him as a child, these were real lycans.

Lydia continued to lead him deeper into the village. John noticed that the half-lycans seemed to stay isolated in their homes, only peeking out to see the stranger walking down their streets. It seemed that with the exception of Lydia, half-lycans were second class citizens. The full lycans however were dressed in much nicer clothing and proudly roamed the streets. But once John had entered the village, all activity stopped. Those in the streets moved out of the way to let Lydia through before turning their gaze to John. While some had an initial look of curiosity, that quickly changed to hatred. John heard manly low growls in quickly gathering crowd.

"Filthy human!" one of the male lycans growled next to John.

Holy crap, it talks! Where the hell was he? John turned to look at the lycan, his head was lowered and claws extended, desperately wanting to tear John to shreds. John lowered his head and brows, he clinched his jaw in an attempt to stare down the lycan. John and the offended lycan made direct eye contact with each other, neither wanting to back down. A sudden yank on John's collar pulled him away and forced him to continue following Lydia. He could hear several taunting laughs behind him.

They finally approached a large, elaborate building near the center of town. John could only assume that it was the town hall. The building was at least two stories with carved wooden wolf heads extending from the roof. Several stone steps led to a pair of large doors. However, Lydia and John did not have to go inside because it seemed that their arrival was expected. This seemed to even surprise Lydia as she saw three male lycans step out of the town hall and approach them.

The lycan on the left had brown fur and wore black plated armor over a red robe. Since the outfit looked more ceremonial than practical, John assumed that this was a palace guard. The lycan on the right was the exact opposite, he had black fur and wore black steel armor over chainmail. He was battle ready, and not just by his outfit. Like almost all the other lycans in the village, he looked at John with hatred and malice. The scars that were visible through the fur showed that he had been in many fights. John's gaze then turned to the lycan at the center. He was clearly older than the others and had a thick coat of white, almost grey fur. He wore an elaborate white robe with red and gold lines that twisted and crisscrossed like vines. Unlike the others, he did not look ready to kill John, instead he looked at John with intrigue.

John looked over at Lydia, "So, this is the part where you release me."

"I said I may release you," Lydia said with a smirk, "I never said I would."

John couldn't help but smile a bit, he got careless and he just got played big time. The guard moved behind John and grabbed his arms. Lydia removed the leash from his neck and moved toward the white furred lycan at the center. The guard kicked John behind his right knee, forcing John to kneel. John lead out a small groan as a jolt of pain shot through his broken leg, he may have been doing better but his leg was still in bad shape. John tried to do his best to hide his pain, but it did not go unnoticed by the leader.

"That will be unnecessary Rollo," said the white furred lycan in a deep voice, motioning to the guard.

Lydia gave the leader a small bow, "Father, I found him trespassing in our territory. From his clothing and weapons, I do not believe he's from any nearby lands."

Father!?!? That would explain why Lydia, a half-lycan, did not fall fate to the second class citizenship as the others. But at the same time, it deepened the mystery for John. John could see some resemblance between her and the leader. However, he did not see any other humans in the village, so where was her mother? Plus, if humans were so hated why would the leader even mate with one?

The black lycan scoffed, "Why did you bother bringing this beast before us? If you had any brains in that tiny head of yours, you would have killed him. I guess you are also growing a soft spot for humans."

"Hold your tongue Ulfric or I'll rip it out," the white lycan growled, "You may consider yourself our best warrior, but I'm still leader of this village. I had instructed my daughter to return any foreigners she found to me alive."

Ulfric backed down and looked away in frustration.

"My name is Radulf, you are in the village of Wolfdell," said the white lycan. "Now, who are you?"

"Corporal John Young, United States Army Special Forces," John decided to throw out all the rules and decided to give honest and direct answers.

Radulf raised an eyebrow, "And where exactly is United States?"

"In relation to here?" John replied with a nervous laugh, "I sure as hell wish I knew."

"So how did you even get here?" Radulf asked, looking even more curious.

John shook his head, "Again, I have no idea. One moment I was in my world, I was knocked unconscious and then I found myself here."

Radulf's eyes widened in intrigue, what did he mean by his world? Did he simply mean some other far away land? No, he had to be from someplace that did not exist in this realm. Everything about this human was strange, his clothes, his weapons and the way he showed little fear around the other lycans. This certainly could not be the warrior the prophecy spoke of, could it? How could someone who was not from this world and had no reason to fight for this world save it? But he simply could not disregard this man, there was still a chance he could be the one. He would need to send John to the Lady of the Mountain to confirm it.

"So you truly are a foreigner," Radulf said with a smile.

"Father," Lydia interjected, "This man has killed several of our kind, he must be punished."

A wicked smile appeared on Ulfric's face, "Your daughter is right, I say we hang him from a tree at the edge of our lands and tear him open. He can serve as a warning to the neighboring human villages."

"No!" shouted Radulf, looking back at Ulfrick, "What exactly do you think that will accomplish? I am not looking to start a war with the humans."

"But father!" Lydia shouted with frustration. Radulf raised his hand, cutting her off.

"I am well aware of what happened with the wolf pack," Radulf motioned toward a group of wolves that John could only assume were the same ones that attacked him the previous night. "I am also well aware that the wolf pack attacked first. I am not going to condemn a man who was simply acting in self defense."

John knew something was up, but could not figure out what it was. While the rest of the village would certainly love to tear him to shreds, the very leader of the village was insisting that John remain alive. He was surely not the first human that Radulf had come across, so why was he worth protecting? John could tell that Ulfric and Lydia could not understand either. Radulf knew something that the others did not know about or refused to believe. As John was thinking about his current situation, a flock of birds caught his attention except that something about them did not seem right.

"Rollo, remove his binds and collect his weapons from Lydia," Radulf ordered, "We will hold onto them for the time being."

Rollo pulled out a dagger and cut the binds on John's wrists. A surge of relief flowed through John as he could now finally move his arms. He quickly rubbed his wrists and aching shoulders. John was allowed to slowly get to his feet. Lydia moved over to Rollo to hand off his weapons. Just as Lydia started to pass John's M4 rifle to Rollo, John quickly moved over and snatched the rifle from Lydia's hand. John switched off the safety and aimed the rifle directly at Radulf's head. The village leader's eyes opened in shock, he feared he had been betrayed by the young human.

"Get down!" John yelled at Radulf.

The lycan ducked giving John a clear view of the bat like creature that was swooping down for Radulf's head with claws extended. With a loud bang, John fired a single shot. The hideous creature let out a high pitched scream as it fell to the ground. John looked at the creature he just killed. It was the size of a large bird, like an eagle. It's skin was a dark, blood red. Two sunken black orbs made up it's eyes. Despite it's size, it had long razor sharp claws that could easily tear through any hide.

"An imp!" Ulfric said as he gave the creature's corpse a slight kick, making sure it was dead.

The group looked up to see a dozen more imps swoop down into the town square and start attacking the citizens of Wolfdell. Rollo, Ulfric and Lydia unsheathed their swords, the villagers started screaming. Rollo attempted to get Radulf to safety while Ulfric and Lydia split up to fight. Despite still recovering from his injuries and his broken leg, John entered the fight too. Almost immediately, an imp made a beeline directly for John. He calmed his breathing and forced himself to focus past the pain, his hands started to steady themselves. John smiled as he recalled how growing up, his parents would take him pheasant hunting in upstate New York. He brought down the imp with a couple quick and well placed shots. The loud, ear-splitting shots from his rifle seemed to draw more imps to him. Another imp made an attempt to dive-bomb him on his left. John quickly turned, switched his M4 to full-auto and with a quick squeeze of the trigger sent a three round burst knocking the imp out of the sky.

Lydia and Ulfric had each managed to hack and slash their way through a couple more imps. Rollo managed to score a kill too while protecting Radulf. Lydia swung her katana, slicing another imp in half, blood spraying into the air. She looked over at John with amazement, not only was he fighting alongside them but he would also place himself between the imps and other lycans when needed. John turned toward Lydia to see her staring at him. Another imp approached from behind her, John raised his rifle and fired another burst. Lydia could hear the sharp crack as the bullets passed right by her head at supersonic speed followed by the high pitched screech of the imp behind her getting shot down.

With each step, another sharp bolt of pain shot through John's left leg. Fortunately, the imps focused their attack on the center of town so he would not need to make an attempt to move across town. John could now only see a few imps remaining. John then heard the sound of a child screaming. John looked over to see a small lycan girl face first on the ground with an imp on her back, clawing at her back and head. Her arms were flailing, attempting to get the creature off of her as she screamed in terror. John aimed his rifle but then soon realized he could not take the shot without risk of hitting her as well. John lowered his rifle and limped over to her as quickly as he could, the pain ever increasing in his leg. When he reached the girl, he grabbed the imp at the base of it's wings, pulled it off the child and threw the creature to his side. Just as the creature tried to get up and fly away, John turned and shot the creature.

"Are you ok?" John asked the child, helping her to her feet.

She nodded but John could see several deep gashes on her back. John helped her into a nearby building where other lycans were taking shelter. Not more than a moment after getting her inside, something impacted John's chest with enough force to knock him flat on his back. John looked up to another imp on his chest, the imp immediately started clawing into his chest. John screamed in pain as the imp's sharp claws tore into his flesh. He instinctively grabbed the head of the imp and jammed the muzzle of his rifle into it's face. John pulled the trigger, the force of the bullet caused the imp's head to explode in John's hand. John tossed the corpse to the side and looked at his rifle, the bolt had locked back indicating that John was out of ammo. John had not gotten his vest back yet and therefore did not have any extra magazines to reload with. Fortunately for John, he saw Lydia, Ulfric and Rollo sheath their swords indicating that all the imps had been killed.

John looked down at his shirt, the front was torn up and blood was starting to soak through. John slowly stood up, his leg throbbing in pain. Ulfric made his way over to John and with a growl, snatched John's rifle away from him before handing it to Rollo.

"You're welcome, asshole" John said with a sneer.

Ulfric quickly grabbed John's neck and started to squeeze, making it very clear that he could rip out his throat in an instant. John was not going to let himself be intimidated, he stared directly into Ulfric's enraged eyes.

"Try it," John managed to grunt despite Ulfric's firm grip. "Trust me, you'll be doing me a favor."

"Ulfric! Enough!" shouted Radulf. "Go and check the rest of the village and tend to the wounded."

Reluctantly, Ulfric released John and stormed off. John rubbed his neck, taking a moment to catch his breath. Lydia was standing at her father's side and for the first time John could see Lydia smiling at him, just barely. A warm smile emerged on Radulf's face.

"Young man, you are the first human to ever fight alongside other lycans and for that I thank you," Radulf looked at one of the dead imps. "We should consider ourselves lucky, these were just lower imps. The other ones can produce fire and we would be putting out an inferno about now."

John was astounded by how casually Radulf talked about these creatures. John didn't know what to believe anymore. He had a lot to learn about this world, but at least he made one ally today. John gripped his chest as the adrenaline wore off and the pain from the wound started to overwhelm him. Radulf's expression turned to concern, he turned to Rollo.

"Rollo, please quickly take him to Anya," Radulf then turned back to John, "She is our very best healer, she will take care of you. Once she is finished, your weapons will be returned. Since I suspect you have nowhere else to go, please consider Wolfdell your home."

*********************************************************

John followed Rollo to the edge of town. John pressed a clean piece of cloth that Rollo had given him earlier against his chest to keep pressure on the wound. John tried to strike up a conversation with Rollo but the lycan did not say a word, guess he was the strong and silent type. They finally arrived at a medium sized home, John guessed it served a dual purpose as a clinic and as a residence. Rollo opened the door and motioned John inside. Inside was a living area with a dinner table, chairs and a fireplace. A curtain marked the midway point of the room and created a divider.




New Life in a New World Ch. 01



"Hello?" John said quietly, no one was inside.

Rollo moved past John and pulled back the curtain slightly, John slipped through to the other side. John saw two beds on one side of the room and a cabinet that looked to contain herbs, cloth bandages and other medical supplies on the opposite side. At the center was a wooden table that was waist high and with a pillow at one end. This was their version of an examination table. John sat patiently on the table as Rollo left the house. Just like back home, he was sitting by himself in a doctor's office waiting the doctor to finally arrive. John smiled, guess some things never change. A few minutes later, he heard the door open and close again as someone entered the house. As the curtain pulled back, John expected to see Rollo but instead a female lycan entered. She was shorter that the male lycans but still taller than John. Her fur was primarily reddish in color with white around the lower half of her muzzle and down to her chest. Her hair however was brunette and flowed down her back. She wore a dark, emerald green dress with yellow detailing that followed the curves of her body and neckline. A slit in the right side of her dress exposed her leg from the mid-thigh down.

"I am sorry to keep you waiting", she said in a tender, almost motherly, voice. "I'm Anya and you must be the human everyone is talking about."

John nodded, "Yes, name's John. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Well enough with the pleasantries, we need to get you fixed up quickly," she said putting her hands together, "First thing's first, please remove your shirt."

John pulled stripped off his t-shirt and tossed it aside. It was covered in blood and ripped up from the imp and the IED explosion earlier. John got a better look at the bandages that Lydia had wrapped around him while he was unconscious. John noticed Anya's nose flinch a little. John realized that he had not had a shower in three days and probably did not smell pleasant.

"Sorry, I bet I smell like a yak."

Anya smiled, "You probably have not smelled a lycan that had just come back from a one week hunt during a rain storm. So don't worry, I've smelled worse. Now please lay down."

John laid down on the table, resting his head on the pillow. Looking down at his chest wound, blood was still flowing out and over his chest. Anya walked over to her cabinet and pulled out a jar that contained a fine, black powder. After scooping a handful of the powder, she sprinkled it over John's wound. John flinched as initially it stung, however the stinging faded and was replaced by a tingling sensation. The blood started to coagulate at a much faster rate than it would normally, the bleeding eventually slowed. 

While Anya was observing his progress, she placed her furred hand on John's toned abs. As soon as she touched him, her heart started to flutter. She let out a small gasp that did not go unnoticed by John. When he heard her gasp, John raised his eyebrows with a slightly worried look. John was afraid that she found something wrong, other than the fact his body had gone through hell in the past twenty four hours. Instead she turned to and gave him a flirtatious smile. Was she attracted to him? That question alone planted a dangerous seed in his mind.

He looked her over, despite not being human her feminine qualities were very clear. The plunging neckline exposed the tops of her ample breasts. The form fitting dress hugged her torso and showed off her womanly hips. Even her wolf-like face was beautiful in it's own way, he was even captured by her icy blue eyes. What the hell was wrong with him? Beautiful or not, she was a lycan and he was a human. But that still did not keep him from admiring her.

"Take off your pants," Anya said, breaking John's train of thought.

"Wait Wha..?" John was caught completely off guard. Anya pointed to the splint tied to his leg and he realized what she had meant. John unstrapped his kneepads while Anya assisted with untying his splint and boot laces, she did not want him moving his legs too much. Once he unbuckled his belt, she helped pull his ACU pants off of him. Now in only his underwear, John felt more exposed than he wanted to be and that made him rather uncomfortable. As Anya worked his calf, John decided to strike up a conversation to help ease the tension.

"You and Radulf are not like the other lycans, you both have shown kindness toward me. Why is that?"

Anya smiled, "I can't speak for Radulf, but some of us have not let ourselves get caught up in the anti-human sensationalism. Also, I owe you for what you did for me today."

"Oh?" John was puzzled, they had only just met and he did not recall seeing her during the attack.

"You saved my daughter today and I can't thank you enough for that."

Her daughter? John replayed the imp attack in his head and remembered the little lycan girl. John didn't really think much about what he did, he was simply trying to protect those in harms way.

"The little girl, right?" John replied, "I hope she's doing alright."

Anya nodded, "She had deep lacerations on her back but the important thing is that she's alive, thanks to you. Because of that, you may always consider me a friend." Anya patted his shoulder, "Word is already getting spreading about the human who protected the other lycans, which I think may change a few perceptions around here."

John looked back down at his leg, his calf was very swollen. He grimaced when she touched the break. However, despite having two inch claws, she was rather gentle with her hands. She reached to the table next to her and grabbed a towel which she handed to John.

"It's a nasty broken bone, but nothing that can't be fixed."

Fixed? John wondered how exactly they could fix it. Obviously they did not possess any real technology yet Anya acted like his broken bone was nothing more than a wound that needed to be stitched. 

"Out back you will find a warm bath, water's already heated. Flip the sand timer and soak until the timer has finished."

"What about these?" John asked, pointing to the gashes on his chest. The bleeding had stopped but the wounds were still wide open, possibly prone to infection.

"Don't worry," Anya said reassuringly, "It will all be taken care of during your bath."

John continued to stand there in disbelief and started to doubt her medical ability. Sure she had the hemostat powder, which did seem pretty advanced for this kind of culture, but she would have at least put stitches on him. Noticing that he had not moved, Anya shot him a seductive look.

"Did you want me to join you?" she said with a wink.

John gulped, "Nope. I...uh...think I'm ok."

John quickly turned and made his way toward the back of the house. A pair of sliding doors opened up to a patio in the back. At the edge of the patio was a large metal tub lined with wood with artistic engraving on the outside, it looked nice enough to put modern day Jacuzzis to shame. Underneath, John saw a small, smoldering fire. The water inside the bath was not clear, it was cloudy. He could smell an herbal scent coming from the water, almost like lavender. At the foot of the tub was a large hourglass, about two feet high. John turned over the heavy hourglass, he guessed it would take a few hours for the top bulb to empty.

"I hope she doesn't plan to eat me," John laughed to himself.

John stripped off his underwear and placed it along with the towel on a table that stood next to the bath. John cautiously placed one foot in the bath, the water was very warm but not scalding hot. His foot then touched the bottom of the metal tub, he breathed a sigh of relief when it did not burn him. He put his other leg in and sat down until the water came to his neck. John noticed a pillow behind him, he moved it closer to the edge of the tub and rested his head. The sun was directly above him, but it was cloudy enough that John's face would not get sun burnt. He laid back, letting the warmth of the water envelop him. The lavender scent relaxed his muscles and his eyelids felt heavy. It was not long before John drifted off to sleep.

****************************************************

It was a beautiful Tuesday morning, sunny without a single cloud in the sky. In fact, John could not recall any other time that the sky was so vividly blue. The cloudless day allowed no impediment to the sun's warmth. You could not get a more perfect day than today. Unfortunately, John was stuck in his windowless third period math class. He was sixteen and starting off his junior year at his New York high school.

He never liked his math class, or many of his other classes. He did ok, got average grades but struggled sometimes. The only positive thing about high school that he could think of was the fact that his best friend Terry attended the same school. To make matters worse, the period had only just begun. A sudden announcement over the intercom interrupted the monotony.

"Teachers, we ask that you continue with your lesson plans for the day. You will be notified if there are any changes. Thank you!"

"What was that all about?" one of the students asked. Everyone turned to the teacher, expecting an answer.

"I really don't know," she replied. She was just as confused as her students, but was determined to find out. She walked over to the phone on the wall and dialed the number for the main office, "Barb, it's Jill. What's going on? My students are getting frightened."

There were a few silent snickers and giggles in the classroom. No one was frightened, but the teacher was being her typical drama queen self. Suddenly their teacher let out an audible gasp and covered her mouth in shock. The room became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. The teacher hung up the phone, her hands were visibly shaking.

"Um...class," she said, the shock was still noticeable in her voice. "I want you to open your books to page thirty seven and complete problems one through five."

"What's going on?" another student asked suspiciously.

The teacher shook her head, "No more questions, just get started. I will collect these at the end of class." A chorus of groans filled the classroom as students reluctantly started to pull out their books and papers. "You may work with a partner if you wish," the teacher added now attempting to smile again and act like everything was normal.

Like most activities, John chose to work alone. He opened his book and began working on the first problem. If there was one thing that made this math class so terrible, it was the textbook. It was worse than useless as far as he was concerned. Each question had five parts that consisted of first answering the question then rerunning the calculations four more times just to be sure it was right the first time. The only light at the end of the tunnel was that John would not have to take any more God forsaken math classes next year.

With ten minutes left in the period, the teacher's phone suddenly rang. John seemed to be the only student to take notice as everyone else was scrambling to finish their assignments. John looked up as the teacher answered the phone.

"Hello?" she then looked directly at John, "Yes, he's here, why do you ask?"

John quickly looked back down at his book, hoping the teacher did not notice him eavesdropping on her. He glanced back up and saw that his teacher was still looking at him, except something was not right. She looked at him with sadness and sorrow. She proceeded to hang up the phone and breathed a heavy sigh.

"John, you need to report to the office. Bring your things with you."

There were a lot of "Oohs" coming from the students as John packed up his things and walked out of the classroom. It was not the first time John had been to the office. As he walked down the hallway, he glanced into some of the other classrooms. Almost all the teachers had serious and mournful looks on their faces and even some of the students were crying. This had to be more than just getting stuck in school on a sunny day. When John entered the office, his best friend Terry was sitting in the lobby. Terry's mother was sitting next to him. Their families have been very close to each other ever since Terry and John became friends in kindergarten.

"What did you tell them I did this time, Terry?" John laughed, still clueless as to why he was there.

Terry and his mother were not laughing and neither was anyone in the office. Instead, they all looked at John with the same look his teacher had given him earlier.

"John," Terry's mother replied with a shaky voice, holding back tears. "We are taking you home with us, something's happened."

*************************************************

The sun was fading as John awoke, painting the sky in bright red and blue. He glanced over and saw that the sand timer was now empty. The water which had been warm earlier had now cooled and the lavender smell had faded. The water had also cleared up and John could see his own body beneath the surface. However, what he saw amazed him.

The open wounds on his chest were completely gone. Only a few, faint discolored lines remained like the last signs of a fading scratch. However, some of his older war scars still remained. John removed the bandages on his torso, there was almost no evidence of the shrapnel wounds at all. He reached for his lower right leg, his muscles were still sore. He prepared himself for some pain when he grabbed his leg, but felt none. In fact, he did not feel any break at all, his bone was intact. What astonished him was that it was like his body has healed naturally. Whatever was in the water must have forced his body to heal itself at a significantly faster rate than it normally would.

John stood up and climbed out of the bath when he realized that he was not alone. He looked across the courtyard to see Lydia standing in the doorway, catching him exposed. Her soft golden eyes were fixed on him as he stood before her in all his glory. John quickly grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his waist, covering himself. Lydia had already seen everything, she was transfixed on his near naked body. She bit her lower lip as she thought about what was beneath his towel, igniting a desire with her.

"Um, can I help you?" John asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lydia was snapped out of her daze, blushing when she realized that John had caught her ogling him. She was so distracted by what she had saw that she had completely forgotten why she had come there. She continued to stand there, stupefied until she realized that she was holding his folded clothes in her arms.

"Y...Yes," she managed to sputter. "I have your...um......clothes here. I will...uh...will wait for you outside. I'll take you to where we...uh...I mean you will be sleeping."

"Ok?" John replied awkwardly. Lydia walked towards him and set his clothes and boots on the table. He reached for his pants when he saw that Lydia was still standing there.

"So, I'll meet you outside?" John said trying to grab her attention.

"Uh, yes, of course," she replied, embarrassed. In a hurry, she left the courtyard.

What the hell was that!? John pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to make sense of what just happened. Less then twenty four hours ago she was willing, no, eager to kill him. She wanted blood so bad that she argued with her own father, the leader of the village. He figured that his actions earlier would have earned some respect from her. But he did not expect her to act like a distracted, horny schoolgirl around him. At least he was making progress. The cold air was starting to get to John, so he continued drying himself off. It had been a few days since he had a proper bath and boy did it feel good. He then dropped the towel and reached for his pants.

"I can see why she likes you," came a voice from the other side of the courtyard.

John looked back across to see Anya now standing in the doorway. Again, he was caught completely exposed.

"Jesus!" John cried, scrambling to grab any article of clothing to cover himself with. "What is with you people and barging in like that?" John grabbed his pants and made an attempt to haphazardly cover himself.

She simply shrugged in response. Unlike Lydia, Anya was not embarrassed to have walked in on him. Instead, she looked him over sizing him up. The wolfess had a hungry, predatory look on her face and a devious smile. Her icy blue eyes giving him a come-hither look. John simply stood there slack-jawed, completely caught off-guard by her brazen advances. While flattered that she found him attractive, he still could not get over the whole non-human thing. However, a part of him did suggest that it could be fun.

"You human males are so easy to tease," Anya laughed. "You want to say no, but a part of you is thinking about it." She giggled again watching John struggle with a reply. "Don't worry, I won't force you into anything....yet. Besides, I think Lydia wants you first."

"Oh?" John was able to finally say.

"She was watching you, intensely for a whole fifteen minutes before you woke up."

As she turned to leave she gave her ass a little shake in John's direction, her tail accentuating her movements. John looked down at his crotch, clearly aroused by the situation with both women. It betrayed his rational thinking and was begging him to accept Anya's invitation.

"Shut up," John said, looking down at himself.

******************************************

Lydia stood nervously outside Anya's home. Her legs were shaking and hands twitching as she thought about what had happened between her and John. She had never felt this way about anyone, much less a human. Despite being half-human, she spent her life trying to be accepted by the other lycans. She pushed herself to become one of the best hunters and fighters in the village. She did not have the brute strength that full lycans had, but she was quick and agile. Like most lycans, she disliked humans. They were dangerous, uncaring and unkind creatures who wrongfully called themselves civilized. They took what they pleased and killed what they did not understand. She had always considered her human side a curse. She could never be fully accepted in a lycan or human community, only tolerated.

Lydia thought John was like other humans, dangerous and cruel. When she found him wounded, she wanted to leave him to die. But her father gave her strict instructions so she tended to his wounds. She noticed many older scars on his body which she assumed were from past battles. She almost felt sorry for the suffering he had gone through, however, she had no idea just how deep that suffering was. Then she saw him help defend her village, at that moment she had a window to his heart. He had been beaten and bullied by her people and had no reason to fight for them. But that did not stop him from risking his life to help others, even those who hated him.

Her heart began to flutter as she thought about him, she quietly put her hand over her chest. This man had ignited a flame inside her and she could feel it consuming her. She wanted to feel his touch, his caress, his lips against hers. She pictured his naked, athletic body that she got a glimpse of earlier. A wetness formed between her legs as she imagined her hands on his broad chest. She wanted him badly.

There was one thing she needed to take care of first. Tomorrow she would take him to the mountains to see the one who best understood the prophecy. If her father was right about John, they would have a long journey together. When she was asked to take the adolescent lycans on their first hunt, she would spar with each one of them. That way she was confident that they could fight to her standards and she planned to do the same with John. She cracked a small smile when she realized she could also get back at him for being difficult earlier.




New Life in a New World Ch. 01



John finally emerged from Anya's house. As he walked toward Lydia, he was still inspecting the repairs on his shirt. It was quite impressive, the stitching was so barely noticeable that his shirt looked almost as good as new. Best of all, he could now enjoy the feeling of clean clothes. With a smile, he walked over to Lydia.

"Thank y...." he tried to say before being interrupted by Lydia.

"This way," she motioned as she led him back toward the center of the town.

Night had fallen and the streets of Wolfdell were empty. The town was now hidden in darkness save for the ambient lights coming from inside the homes. Eventually Lydia led John to a small shack near the center of town. The first feature he noticed was the small, covered porch in front with a single table and chair. She opened the front door and motioned him inside. The shack consisted of a single room furnished with only a bed, dresser and a bedside table. John saw his vest, pistol and rifle on top of the dresser. An oil lamp on the bedside table lit up the small cabin. The door slammed shut behind them.

John was about to turn around and address Lydia when he suddenly felt a kick to the back of his head. John stumbled forward, gripping his head in pain. John was still seeing stars when he turned to see Lydia in a fighting pose, ready for her next attack.

"That was your first mistake," she growled. Before John could answer, she thrust her fist forward, landing directly on his chest with enough force to knock him back. "That was your second."

John grabbed his chest, coughing as he tried to breathe again. What the hell had gotten into her? Once again, he tried to say something to grab her attention when he saw her throw a right hook aimed directly for his head. John ducked just before her clenched fist made contact.

"Look, I don't want to fi...." his words were cut off as she spun around and landed her kick directly on the side of his head. John found himself face first on the floor, shaking his head trying to see straight again.

"Get up!" Lydia shouted.

John slowly got to his feet, clenching his jaw and narrowing his eyes in anger. If she wanted to fight, he was going to give her a fight. Lydia spun around again, her white hair flailing as she tried to land another spinning roundhouse kick. John managed to catch her kick under the crook of his arm. He immediately grabbed her neck, picked her up and threw her into the wall. She grimaced as she dropped to the floor, but she did not let up. With a quick sweep of her leg, she knocked John's feet out from under him. A loud thud filled the room as he landed flat on his back. John had the wind knocked out at him on impact, he gasped for air and tried to control his breathing. Lydia now in a crouching position, flipped forward with her leg extended. John looked up to see the heel of her boot coming down directly toward his head. He managed to roll out of the way at the last possible moment, he could hear the sound of cracking wood as her foot connected with the floor. 

Both Lydia and John simultaneously got to their feet, but Lydia would stay on the offensive. She threw another jab directly at John, only this time he was ready. He side stepped the jab and deflected it off one of his hands. When she connected with nothing but air, her momentum carried her forward. John brought up his knee into her midsection and threw his elbow down, striking her in the back. She let out a painful yelp when his elbow impacted her spine. Lydia stumbled forward, catching herself against the wall. She cracked a small smile. She was enjoying their fight and if he was this vigorous fighting, she could only imagine how he would be in bed. But she was not ready to give up yet, she wanted to see how far she could push John first.

John could also see her resolve, but unlike Lydia, he wanted to end the fight quickly. Lydia turned to face him and returned to her fighting stance. John saw that behind her was the dresser and more importantly his pistol. His plan was not to kill her but to get an advantage over her, forcing her to submit. Lydia took a few running steps and leapt into the air. John saw her beautiful, slender body twist in the air. His momentary lapse of concentration prevented him from blocking her flying back kick. She connected directly on his chest sending him stumbling back further. Once again he had to quickly catch his breath, this time he was determined to end this fight here and now. 

John quickly got his footing and charged at Lydia. She swung her arm trying to connect a right hook to his head. John managed to dodge her right hook and grabbed her wrist with his right hand. As he moved behind her, he pulled her arm away and pressed on her back with his left hand. This push above her center of gravity allowed John to force Lydia down to the floor. Normally he would follow through and make sure that his opponent would remain down, but instead he made a beeline for his pistol. He removed the safety strap from behind the pistol and slipped it out of the holster. He turned around but was greeted by Lydia's dagger pressed firmly against his throat. She smiled triumphantly thinking she had won, until she heard a loud click between them. Lydia looked down to see John pull the hammer back on his pistol, pointed at her midsection. Now John was the one smiling. Lydia reached her hand behind John's head, he tightened his grip on the trigger thinking she may go in for the kill. Instead, with the dagger still pressed to his throat, she pulled him in for a deep kiss. His eyes shot open in complete surprise as she continued to press her lips firmly against his. John pulled back when Lydia finally loosened the grip on his head.

"What the hell was that!" John yelled, still shocked from her brazen advance.

Her big, beautiful golden eyes met his own as she smiled seductively, "Foreplay."

John raised an eyebrow, "Foreplay! Bullshit, you just tried to kill me."

"If I had tried to kill you, you would be dead already," Lydia replied with a deep laugh as she moved the dagger away from his throat. "Consider this a test of your fighting skills, something that I look for in a companion....and in a mate. Now, are you going to stand there or are you going to fuck me!"

John looked over the half-lycan beauty in front of him. Her eyes, her fair skin, her wonderful slender body, even her wolf ears and tail, he was taken in by all of it. From the moment he arrived in this world, he could not take his eyes off of her. It was also not just her beauty that captured him, but her inner strength as well. She truly had the heart of a warrior, John had never met a woman with so much resolve. But now she was giving in to her inner desires, and so was John. Whatever resistance he initially had faded away. If she wanted him, she could have him.

"Goddammit, you're crazy," John put down his gun and slapped the dagger out of Lydia's hand sending in clattering to the floor. He swiftly moved toward her and pulled her in for another kiss. Practically melting in his arms, she reached right behind his broad shoulders. They remained lip-locked, breathing heavily as they enjoyed feeling each other's bodies.

John's hands moved down her back and came to rest on her tight, round ass. He tightened his grip and pushed her into him. Lydia closed her eyes and let out a small moan against his mouth as she started to grind against his crotch. John moved his hands around her thighs and under her skirt, his thumb reached the soft folds of her pussy. Christ, she was not wearing any underwear and she was shaved completely bare.

John broke the kiss for a moment, "When did.....?"

"Back at Anya's," she replied, anticipating the question. "I slipped them off on my way out and left them with her."

John realized this is what tipped off Anya to Lydia's intentions. Thinking about the way Anya looked at him, he wondered if Lydia was going to encourage her to have a go with him as well. Either way, he was going to show Lydia a good time. He moved his hands back to her rump and lifted her against him. Instinctively, she wrapped her slender legs around his waist and locked her ankles behind his back. Lydia started to let out a small gasp but was immediately silenced when he pressed his lips against hers.

Her bare and exposed pussy was now in direct contact with his pants. John pushed his hips forward and rolled her hips against him. The rough texture of his pants was now rubbing against her sensitive region. Lydia started moaning as the roughness stimulated her pussy, building up a charge within her. John could hear her muffled moans increasing. He released himself from her mouth and started kissing his way from her cheek down to her neck.

"Oh Gods!" she moaned, her head tilted back. John continued encouraging the rolling movements of her hips and it was not long before she was moving them on her own. Her legs squeezed his midsection with her every grind encouraging his own movements into her and keeping him on rhythm. She breathed in a deep gasp as John kissed the sensitive crook of her neck, where her neck met her shoulder. The feeling of his lips there created a wonderful tingle within her body, making her even more sensitive. The mixture of feeling was almost becoming more than she could handle. Her big golden eyes squeezed shut as her breathing became ragged. She moved her hand behind his head, with her encouragement he kissed his was down to her breasts. She then pressed his head into her, burying his face between her tits.

God he loved her body, her breasts were not huge but they were big enough. He enjoyed the warm, soft, fleshy pillows that pressed against his cheeks. He did not care if she was practically suffocating him, there was no where else he wanted to be other than smothered in her bosom. As she rubbed against him, his cock became ever increasingly harder. He could feel her heat through his pants, the fabric separating him and the heaven between her legs. He wanted her to enjoy their dry humping session, but he remembered that there was one other place he would like to be.

Lydia was now grinding harder against John's crotch, her pace becoming more frantic. Her firm hand kept his head in place, he smiled between her soft valley as he pushed his hips against her even harder. A series of small cries escaped her lips as she tightened her legs around him. That special spot between her legs had reached a boiling point.

"Gods YESSS!" she cried as an explosion of pleasure tore through her body. She clinched her hand, grabbing a fistful of his hair. She slowed her movements as she came down from her moment of bliss. Finally, she lifted John's head from between her breasts. He gasped for air as he stared into her welcoming eyes, she smiled at him cutely. Lydia unhooked her legs from behind his back and John set her down.

"Aww man," John moaned jokingly looking down at the wet spot on the front of his pants from Lydia's cum. "I just had these washed."

"You're damn fault," she replied as she grabbed his chin beard and pulled him in for a quick kiss. "I want you to be my first," she whispered in his ear.

"You're a..." he was silenced by another kiss.

Lydia pulled away and untied the straps to her armor, letting it fall to the ground. She then slipped off her skirt and boots and stood before him completely naked. John drank in the sight of her, he could not wait to feel her soft, fair skin against his. John could see her sexy tail sway in anticipation as he kicked off his boots. As John started to remove his shirt, he felt a pair of hands unbuckle his belt and slip off his pants. Clearly, she could not wait either. In one swift yank, she pulled off his underwear and now had unrestricted access to his cock.

Gods it was big. It may not have been as large as a lycan's but certainly larger than most humans. Lydia gripped his member tightly in her hand and with a small moan, she wrapped her lips around his cock, engulfing him. John nearly lost his balance as the sudden surge of pleasure made his legs weak. She continued to pump his shaft with her hand as she devoured him. She ran her tongue along the underside of his tip, causing him to let out a loud moan. Once she was sure he was as hard as he could get, she pulled herself off of him with a loud slurp. He started to groan in protest.

"Nuh uh," she said in a sultry tone, "It's time for us to fuck."

She laid back on the bed and spread her creamy thighs invitingly. John kneeled down between her legs and began to lick her bare pussy lips. Lydia squirmed and she squealed in delight as his tongue worked her over. She suddenly gasped and her whole body convulsed when he stuck his tongue between her folds and flicked it over her clit. John was loving this, he thought about how he could do this all day as he greedily drank down her juices. He then felt her grab a tuft of his hair and pull him up toward her until their eyes met.

"When I said fuck me, I meant now!" she growled with a hungry expression on her face. She reached down and grabbed his cock, guiding toward her core. "I want this thing inside me now!"

John didn't need to be told twice. In one swift motion, he thrust inside her moist pussy. Lydia let out a small scream and arched her back when she felt his cock invade her. She wrapped her arms around his back, holding him close as she adjusted to him inside of her. John was in heaven when he felt her soft body against his, her embrace made his heart go soft. John started to slowly move his hips, he could not believe how tight she was. She loosened her grip on him as he began to build up a rhythm. John looked down and admired the half-lycan's exquisite body. Her white hair was spread out on the bed sheet, she was an angel.

Lydia began to thrust back to his movements, matching his rhythm. Soon he was picking up speed and she was mashing herself against his pelvis. Lydia closed her eyes and pawed at his muscular chest. John leaned forward and caught one of her pert breasts in his mouth. She let out a low sultry moan when he started to lick her nipple.

"Mmm....Oh, that's so good"

She raked her nails against his chest and wrapped her legs around his back. He plunged deeper inside her, burying himself to the hilt. Lydia was starting breath louder in between moans. She loved how he filled every inch of her. She smiled deviously as she began to work him with her muscles. John let out a loud deep groan, it was like a velvet hand was working his cock. She flexed again, tightening herself around him.

"Oh, dammit!" he moaned against her breast. John smiled as he gave her nipple a small bite. She let out a loud scream as she arched her back again. She was getting hotter as their lovemaking continued, beads of sweat caused her body to glisten.

"Is that all you got?" she panted. John accepted the challenge and started thrusting into her with everything he had. The room was filled with the sound of his hips slapping against her and her nonstop moaning. "Oh...fu...fuck. That's what I'm talking about. Fuck me you wonderful bastard!" Her eyes rolled to the back of her head when she felt the tip of his cock touch her cervix. "Oh Gods, I'm about to cum!"

Lydia was like a wild animal beneath John. Her limbs started thrashing in every direction, she was thrusting her self against him uncontrollably. With her head tilted back, she was screaming like a possessed woman in need of an exorcism. One of her hands managed grasp his arm, another grabbed his back as she held on for dear life. She wanted this man all to herself forever.

"That's it! Cum inside me! CLAIM ME!" She suddenly let out a near inhuman howl, her entire body spasmed as she came. Her cum coated John's cock, he had reached his breaking point. With a mighty roar he came inside her, filling her womb with his cum. His body shook as his racing heart started to slow down.

He pulled out of her and collapsed on the bed next to Lydia. They looked deep into each other's eyes until they fell asleep, tangled in each other's limbs.

************************************************

A lone figure stood in a dark cavern, lit by the dancing light from the fires that lined the walls. His clothing was all black along with his slicked back hair but contrasted against his red skin. The light from the fires danced off the cavern walls. It was almost like home, before he was banished to this forsaken world. The demon, Solomon awaited to hear news from his imp servant. After thousands of years, his plans were coming to fruition. However, the presence he felt enter this realm could change that. He soon heard the sound of flapping wings as the imp finally entered the cavern.

"Master," the imp said in a raspy, high pitched voice. "I followed him as you requested, he is truly not from this realm."

"Where is he now?" Solomon asked.

"Please forgive me master, but the wolf leader's daughter did manage to get to him. He is currently under her care."

"I see," Solomon replied, his eyes narrowed. "Tell me about his weapons."

"Master, they are unlike anything we have ever seen before. I sent some imps to attack the village and.."

"What!" Solomon shouted. He could not believe the arrogance of the imp. It was bad enough that his enemies even knew about his plans. But, they did not know just how close he was to completing them. An attack like this could ruin his advantage.

The imp quickly cowered, "Nothing big, small group, won't be traced back to you." The imp breathed easier when he saw his master calm down. "But master, anything he simply pointed his weapons at was destroyed."

Solomon stroked his beard, this visitor could indeed be a problem for him. However, he knew exactly what his next move was going to be. He would destroy this foreigner before his journey even started. Soon this world and everyone in it was going to burn.



New Life in a New World Ch. 02



[Insert lawyer voice here] This story contains scenes of graphic sex and violence. No one under the age of 18 or 21 (depending on your local law) should read this story. Any characters depicted in sexual or suggestive scenes are intended to be 18 years or older. While inspired from many sources, the story and characters are original. Any similarities to any real or fictional persons are coincidental. Enjoy.

Once again, a big thanks to ShadwNinjaX for his help!

===========================

A sixteen year old John sat bawling his eyes out in the room of his best friend Terry. John had been brought to his friend's New York apartment by Terry's parents straight from school. It was already late in the evening but John had been sobbing nonstop since midday when he heard the news on what would have been an otherwise sunny, cloudless Tuesday.

"They killed them! They fucking murdered them!" John cried in a mixture of grief and anger.

Terry was doing his very best to comfort his closest friend. "You don't know that. They have search and rescue workers down there, I'm sure they will be dug out of there, as will many more people," Terry said. "Besides, they may not have even been there when this all happened."

"Then why have I not heard from them!" yelled John.

Terry looked through his door and down the hallway toward his parents who were sitting in front of the TV hoping they could give him any comforting news to relay to his grieving friend. His mother simply looked at him somberly and shook her head.  

Terry's parents were watching the news, along with the rest of the world, covering the aftermath of the immense destruction that tragically struck lower Manhattan earlier that day. They watched as rescuers combed through twisted rebar, steel and concrete looking for any survivors out of the thousands of people that were there during the incident, including John's entire family.

*****************************

The first thing John saw as he woke up was the unlit oil lamp on the bedside table next to him. Through his lazy half opened eyes, he looked around the small shack. The morning sun crept through the slightly open windows and the small cracks between the wood planks in the walls. He could hear the birds outside chirping and the sounds of the villagers beginning their day.

John lay naked under the cool bed sheet wearing nothing other than his dog tags. He was still slightly sore from the ass kicking session he received from Lydia the previous night that soon turned into one of the most intense love making sessions he had ever experienced. John rolled over to wrap his arm around his new lover, but only grabbed the bed sheet. He opened his eyes the rest of the way only to see the spot where Lydia was, now vacant. He frowned in disappointment as he felt the empty spot on the bed. She must have left a while ago since her side of the bed was no longer warm. He looked past the bed to the dresser on the other side of the room. His clothes were no longer scattered on the floor but folded neatly on the dresser, obviously Lydia's doing.

With a loud groan, John finally rolled out of bed and made his way to the dresser. After putting on his clothes, he gathered his rifle, vest and pistol and made his way to the door. John squinted his eyes as the rush of sunlight nearly blinded him until his eyes finally adjusted to the light. He was greeted by the cool morning air that enveloped him. He stepped out to the small porch on the front of the shack. A few lycans passing by stopped and turned to look at John as he stepped out. A few made threatening low growls, but eventually went on about their day. Considering how none of them actually tried to kill him, this was progress.

John grabbed the chair next to the door and placed it in front of the table, the perfect size for a workbench. He set his rifle and vest on the table. Reaching into one of the pouches attached to his vest, he pulled out a small cleaning kit he always carried with him. He popped out the small takedown pin at the rear of the rifle. The front and rear of the rifle separated, pivoting at the front like a hinge. He removed the bolt assembly and began cleaning the parts with a small rag he kept in the kit. John actually enjoyed cleaning his rifle, he found it rather calming. It would give him a renewed sense of faith in his weapon. In his kit was a small spray bottle of lube that he used to spray each part of the bolt assembly before putting it back together. John reassembled his rifle and smiled when he heard the satisfying click when testing it.

John set down his rifle and turned to his vest, he started to go through the attached pouches. John wore a MOLLE vest which allowed him to position each pouch the way that worked best for him. On the lower front of the vest held the magazines for his M4, three pouches each holding two magazines. He removed one of the magazines and inserted it into his rifle. He had two more magazines in his backpack and a few more pistol clips. However he would still need to try and conserve ammo as long as possible. He removed the radio pouch attached to his left shoulder and tossed it away, he certainly would not need it here. He opened up his backpack and pulled out his Ka-Bar knife and attached it to the shoulder strap of the vest where his radio was before. In one of the smaller pouches, John found his favorite paracord bracelet. It was made out of parachute cord colored in an ACU pattern in an intricate crisscross weave. If he needed to, he could unweave the bracelet and the cord would be strong enough to be put to use for any survival need.

"It looks like you are preparing for battle," said a voice next to him. John looked over to see Radulf standing on the porch as he put the bracelet on his right wrist.

John smiled, "You never know. I've been attacked twice since I've been here."

Radulf picked up John's M4 rifle, "I have never seen anything like this before."

He studied the weapon made of a dull, black metal. It felt very light like a feather to him, but only because of his lycan strength. He could imagine that for a human, it would have a bit more weight to it. Radulf believed and had witnessed magic, but he was wise enough to know that this weapon was much more mechanical. He marveled at the complexity of it, the only people in these lands that would remotely be able to grasp it's workings would be the elves far in the East. At the same time, Radulf was slightly terrified. What kind of world did John come from that would require such destructive weapons?

"I'm sure you have a few questions for me," he said, placing John's rifle back on the table. "But this is a conversation best kept out of earshot of others. Let's take a walk."

John started to gather his gear and rifle when Radulf put up his hand.

"You will not need any of that," Radulf said reassuringly. "We will not be going too far."

John set his vest and rifle back down on the table, but kept his pistol and strapped the holster to his leg. There was no way that John was going to leave completely unarmed. Radulf seemed to accept this compromise and turned to lead the way with John following.

*****************************

Lydia made her way toward Anya's house to pick up some supplies for their upcoming journey. She would be taking John to see the Lady of the Mountain and it would be a full two days of traveling just to get there. She did not know much about this Lady of the Mountain, only that she was the keeper of an important prophecy. It was obvious to Lydia that her father knew what the prophecy was about but refused to share that information with her.

Three months ago, a woman dressed in a black cloak came to visit Radulf. The woman's face was well concealed but Lydia would never forget those stunning blue eyes she saw. When the woman left, her father started sending Lydia on daily patrols of the outer boarders of their territory. Her father's specific instructions were to keep a lookout for a human warrior not from these lands and bring him in alive. As Lydia reflected on this, she wondered if the mysterious woman was indeed the Lady of the Mountain and if John had a role to play in this prophecy.

Lydia felt a little bad about leaving John in bed early in the morning, but she wanted to get an early start to the day. She smiled as she recalled how peaceful he looked as he slept. It was Anya who suggested that she give in to her feelings and after an incredible night filled with passion, she was glad she did. However, she knew Anya wanted to experience John's love as well. While Lydia was fine with that at the time, she was now reluctant to give up John. The previous night sparked new feelings within her that she had never experienced before. She may have barely known him, but could already tell he had a kind and loving heart. Lydia wanted to remain with John and possibly have him as her mate.

As she turned the corner, Ulfric was standing in her path with a devious smile on his face. Wanting nothing to do with him, she looked to the ground and tried to move on past him. In an almost threatening manner, he moved to block her path.

"I know you slept with the human," Ulfric said with an insidious tone.

Lydia froze; Ulfric had been spying on them. He was cold and calculating, he would not bring this up unless he could use it to his benefit. What was he up to?

"So what if I did?" Lydia said defiantly, "What are you going to do? Tell my father?"

"No," Ulfric laughed, "I had a better idea. Your father is going to name you the new leader when he steps down, against my better judgment."

Lydia had always wondered who her father would name as his successor. Lydia was the logical choice since her family had led this village for generations, but she felt it was a long shot due to her half-lycan status. But this was the first time she had heard it sound like an absolute.

"What you probably don't know is that your father will step down sooner than you think," Ulfric continued. "I also don't think you realize just how much support you have with the village. If you take over as leader, while uneasy, the majority of the village will accept it."

For Lydia, this was a startling but welcome revelation. Despite everything she had done for the village, she had never felt truly accepted. Everything she had ever done was to prove herself to the other lycans. If she could be accepted as a leader, she could truly prove herself and bring acceptance to other half-lycans.

"However..." Ulfric's said as his eyes narrowed and a devilish grin spread across his face. "Should you take that human as your mate, I guarantee that the people will turn against you. Your human lover will be slaughtered in the street and his mutilated corpse put on display. You will be chased out of the village and hunted for the remainder of your life."

A cold fear gripped her heart. She wanted to remain with John and honestly felt that she could be truly happy with him. But her decision to stay with him would not only doom herself, but also result in a gruesome death for her lover as well. If she truly wanted to keep John, she could no longer be with her people and everything that she had worked for would be for nothing. She would be an outcast. Lydia would have to come to a tough decision, John or her people.

"Why tell me this?" Lydia asked defiantly, "Why not just chase me out?"

"Because you still have some use to me," Ulfric replied. "You will owe me for keeping this a secret, but I will collect on that later. For now, consider this as some...helpful advice."

Ulfric pushed past her, shoving her aside like she was not even there. Ulfric never made empty threats. Lydia knew if anyone could turn the village against her, Ulfric had the influence to do it. A chill ran up her spine as she wondered what he might ask of her.

Ulfric looked back at her, "If the human is not who your father thinks he is, only bring him back here if you plan on publically executing him. That will truly show which side you are on."

******************************

John and Radulf had been walking up the steep dirt path for the last fifteen minutes. They were well outside the southern edge of the village and making their way up the valley walls. The forest was thick and John could not tell just how high up they exactly were. Radulf moved at a steady but quick pace, however this was a normal walking speed for a lycan. He looked back, expecting to see the young human struggling to keep pace. But Radulf smiled when he saw John right behind him, having no trouble keeping up. John remembered the long and intense runs during training, this was no problem for him.

"We're almost there" Radulf said.

The trail then veered to a sudden right. Eventually the trail came to a small clearing at the top of a tall bluff. Near the edge of the bluff stood a single cherry blossom tree, some flowers blooming and others struggling to fully come out.

"It will be beautiful one it fully blooms" Radulf said, reaching up to examine one of the newly bloomed flowers.

John moved to stand next to Radulf. From the top of the bluff he could see all of Wolfdell directly below him, cradled by the valley. Looking directly in front of him, to the North, John could see more forest over the next hill. From the bluff, he could get a better view of the magnificent snow-capped mountains to the East. He looked back down at the village below. This was the best view that he had of Wolfdell. John spotted the two-story palace at the center of town. The buildings got smaller as they extended out toward the edge of town, finally ending at a few small farms just outside the main cluster of buildings.

Back home, John never quite enjoyed big city life. It was always too loud, too busy and too many questionable characters roaming the streets. As he spent more time away on deployment, his disconnect with society became greater. At one time before he had given up being able to reintegrate with society back home, he thought about moving to a small, rural town. Unlike the big cities, he could be alone in a quiet and peaceful environment. At the time, John felt it was his only way to regain some sense of normalcy. But he had eventually given up on that idea as well.

"This is a beautiful place you have here," John said, turning to Radulf.

Radulf smiled, "It is a beautiful place. However, from up here, you would never know that so much hate flowed down there."

"So why do lycans hate humans so much?" John inquired.

"Most lycans would ask the same thing about humans," Radulf replied turning back to John. "Neither side inheritably hates each other, it's merely the product of a misunderstanding that has lasted generations."

"Misunderstanding? Sounds like you are putting a more rosy twist on the story than there really is. I mean, how did this all start in the first place?"

"Again, your answer would depend on which side you asked. Humans would say that we attacked and killed their people when they traveled through the woods. Lycans would say that humans were trying to actively hunt us down."

"Did your people attack theirs unprovoked?" John asked.

"Perhaps a few lycans did long ago without the knowledge of the rest of the village. On the other hand, the humans could be placing blame for regular wolf attacks on us and as you discovered that's simply in their nature."

John rubbed his forearm as he recalled the wolf pack attacking him the first night he arrived to this world. He had seen those same wolves roaming around the village since he had arrived, but they were much tamer. But once they were outside the village, John could only assume that their natural instincts took over. When they saw John in the forest, badly wounded and weak, he was the perfect prey.

"I guess it's also in human nature to fear what's different," said John, "Perhaps that's why other humans tried to hunt your people down."

Radulf smiled and nodded in agreement. "However, it's amazing how a single enlightening experience can shatter all preconceived notions and completely change your outlook toward others. An experience that you and I both had."

John raised an eyebrow. Just what experience was he referring to?

"During the imp attack," Radulf answered, clearly seeing the confusion in John's expression. "John, I know when I see the heart of a true warrior. You did not care that those who were attacked hated you, insulted you and held you against your will. You simply saw others in trouble, others who needed protecting. You saw past our differences and followed your heart to do the right thing."

"So what was your experience?"

Radulf closed his eyes and looked back up at the cherry blossom tree. "Like many lycans, I once despised humans. I hated them for what they had already done to my people."

This was a revelation to John. He had always assumed Radulf had always been above the fray of hate and anger. Radulf had shown him, a human, nothing but kindness since he arrived. John found it difficult to imagine Radulf as someone who hated humans like Ulfric did. However, John knew from experience just how easy it was to let unbridled hate infect oneself.

"One night I was roaming the forest hunting," Radulf continued. "Suddenly, a loud scream caught my attention. I went to investigate and found a group of human bandits surrounding a helpless woman, they were going to rape her. While I was sickened by their barbarism, there were more of them than I wanted to confront and they were well armed. I was going to pass silently by and leave the woman to her terrible fate, but I felt something that I had never felt toward a human before."

"Compassion," John said, completing Radulf's thought.

"I saw the terrified look on her face as the bandits approached her, like predators savoring the upcoming kill. I knew right then that human or not, this was someone who needed help and I was the only one who could save her. So I rushed in, managed to take the first two bandits by surprise. After that, well, let's just say it was a rough fight. In the end, I had managed to kill all the bandits but I was badly wounded myself. As I sat there bleeding, I noticed that the human woman was still there. But she did not look at me in fear or hatred, instead, she came over and helped tend to my wounds. I did not know just how safe she would be in the human village, so I snuck her into the palace here in Wolfdell. She was only going to stay for a day or so, but then something happened."

John's eyes widened when he realized what had happened.

"I fell in love with her," Radulf continued. "I had heard about lycans selecting humans as mates before, but never understood how it could happen until then. I had never loved anyone as much as I loved her, but our love was still forbidden. I managed to keep it secret for a year or so, but once Lydia was born, the rest of the village found out."

"So the leader of the lycans takes a human mate and fathers a half-human, half-lycan daughter. I take it that did not go over well with the rest of the village." said John.

Radulf turned away from the cherry blossom tree and looked back down at the village below. "Traditionally when a lycan takes a human mate, they are exiled from our lands. I did have my supporters who stood by my decision, but there was still a coup." His white, furried ears lowered as his face saddened, "I fought, killing many of my own friends. In the end I managed to defend my name, my throne and my daughter. But I was unable to protect my mate, she did not survive the night."

"I am so sorry," John said sympathetically.

"I take it you've lost a loved one before?" Radulf asked, turning back toward John.

John nodded. "There's one more thing I don't quite get. If you won the battle, why are the other half-lycans treated like second class citizens? Why don't they have the same privileges as Lydia?"




New Life in a New World Ch. 02



"It was not a complete victory, closer to a stalemate. When after much fighting, my detractors agreed to end their attack as long as we came to an agreement in order to end further bloodshed. Lycans, their human mates, and offspring would be allowed to remain in the village but could never have the same rights as any other citizen and had to remain in their homes whenever possible. However, part of the agreement was that Lydia was allowed the same rights as any other lycan." Radulf smiled slightly but still showed a sense of regret, "It was my most selfish decision as a leader...but my best decision as a father."

John was astonished that Radulf would be this open to him. Sure he had asked Radulf about his past, but he could have easily dodged the question. Instead, he opened up to John and gave him the intimate details to his past. John never revealed his past to anyone. The more recent events in his life were tragic and dark, but he never wanted the sympathy of others. However, Radulf's actions inspired him to open up just a little bit.

"You mentioned earlier that I had the heart of a warrior," said John as he rubbed the back of his neck apprehensively. "Truth is, when I decided to join the Army it was for less than noble reasons."

Radulf laughed a little as a thoughtful smile spread on his muzzle, "Does it matter why an artist decided to paint a picture or why a storyteller decides to write a book? The 'why' is not important, what is important is the outcome." Radulf moved over to John and placed his large hand on his shoulder, "You will soon find out why you are here. But what you should then focus on is what you plan to do after, that's what people will remember you for."

John lingered on those last few words. Did Radulf know why he was here? Was this why he spared John's life? What was Radulf hiding from him? John was so lost in thought, he was oblivious to the fact that Radulf had started to make his way down the path toward the village. When John snapped back to reality, he rushed to catch up to him.

"What was her name?" John asked as he finally caught up to Radulf.

"Anara," Radulf replied, looking back at John. "Her name was Anara."

Radulf and John made their way back down from the hillside and back into the village. John looked up to the sky, by the position of the sun he guessed it was about late morning or in the early afternoon. Shortly after they entered the village, they passed through a small street market. Lycan vendors were selling food, clothes and jewelry to other lycans in the village. For John this was still an unusual sight to see creatures he had only read about in fantasy stories performing such normal daily tasks. Other lycans nodded to Radulf in acknowledgement as he passed by, but they seemed to ignore John completely. Then Ulfric walked by giving John a low, menacing growl as he passed. The upper part of his black furred muzzle curling up, exposing his fangs.

"What the hell is his problem?" John asked once Ulfric was out of earshot.

"Ulfric is simply stuck in the old ways," Radulf replied casually. "But he and I have been friends ever since we were pups. However, he still does not believe that lycans and humans can co-exist with each other. Yet, he still stood by me during the coup and ended up saving Lydia."

"So you're saying that his bark is worse than his bite?"

Radulf tilted his head back and laughed loudly. John looked back at Ulfric as he walked out of sight. Perhaps he misjudged him? However, something about him still did not seem right. His gut was telling him that this guy was trouble. John knew he would still have to be on his guard when around him.

"Mister!" said a childlike voice to John's side. John turned to see a small lycan girl run up to him and hug him round his knees, almost causing John to fall down. He realized this was Anya's daughter who he saved from the imps. "Thank you for saving me from those monsters yesterday," she said looking up at him with a cheerful smile.

"It was no problem," John said cracking a smile, "Are you doing alright though?"

The lycan child let go of his legs and backed up a couple steps, she then nodded proudly. "Momma fixed me up, but I was worried about you. I heard you got hurt really bad."

"I did a little bit," John replied with a reassuring look, "But your mother fixed me up too so now I'm good as new."

"Zana," Radulf said as he kneeled down in front of the child, "Do you know where we can find your mother?"

Zana nodded, "She's over at the guest house with Lydia."

"Ah good, we were heading there anyway."

Radulf and John continued on back toward the small shack. John turned and waved goodbye to Zana, she smiled as she skipped away. As they approached the shack, Anya and Lydia were both on the porch. John could see that they were going through the backpack and pouches on his vest, adding items in them.

"Ah! there you are," Anya said as John and Radulf stepped onto the porch, "We were wondering where you two were."

"Radulf and I were having a talk," John replied carefully looking at what Lydia was doing with his vest. "Why are you two rummaging through my things?"

"Don't worry, we didn't remove anything," Anya reassured him, "We only added a few extra provisions. Besides, Lydia is carrying enough already." Anya motioned to a large pack sitting against the wall along with a bow and quiver.

He looked glanced over at Lydia who had just finished putting the last item in his pack and closed the zipper. She handed him his vest, but she did not even look at him. There was no loving expression, no sign that she was even glad to see him. This bothered John, in the span of a few hours she had gone from seemingly falling head over heels for him to almost not wanting to acknowledge his existence.

"Come on! We must be leaving," Lydia finally said impatiently.

John put on his vest as quickly as he could, struggling a bit with a pair of straps that ran directly under his arms since the buckles were in an awkward place. With a bit of effort he finally heard the click of the buckle and tightened all the straps on his vest until it felt comfortably snug. The vest and pack felt a bit heavier with the extra provisions loaded into it but he would still be able to manage. Lydia folded her arms and lightly tapped her foot impatiently as John put on his gloves and kneepads. Lydia grabbed her pack, bow, and quiver and started to head off without him. John grabbed his rifle and started to try and catch up with Lydia when Anya placed her furried hand on his abs, stopping him.

"Tread lightly around her," Anya said quietly leaning in next to his ear, "Something has her upset. She arrived to my house in tears earlier."

John nodded but he would still try to find out what exactly was wrong with Lydia once they were well on their way. Suddenly, he felt Anya's other hand firmly grab his ass.

"Be careful out there, I want to have some time alone with you when you get back," she said with a flirtatious smile before finally letting John go.

John stopped in front of Radulf. "Thank you for you hospitality," said John.

Radulf smiled, "Remember, no matter what happens, listen to your heart. Don't try and over think things, just trust yourself to do the right thing because more than you know could depend on you."

Once again, John knew that Radulf was hiding something from him. But he did not have time to think about it now. John ran to catch up with Lydia. Something inside John told him that he would not have to wait long for answers.

******************************

High above the forest canopy and out of sight flew another one of Solomon's imps. However, Solomon himself was watching John and Lydia through the eyes of the imp. Solomon stood at the edge of a small pool in the corner of the cavern. He wore a black, silk robe with red trim along every edge. A magical blue light illuminated the pool, blue waves dancing along the ceiling of the cavern from the water reflecting. The blue light contrasted against the reddish light from the torches.

Solomon stared at the picture of John and Lydia that shone through the water. He watched as the couple left the lycan village and moved east into the forest. As he predicted, she was going to take him to the Lady of the Mountain. He was amused by the title that the other races had given her and yet they had no idea exactly who, or more specifically what she was. He cracked a small smile as he considered allowing him to live just to see if the Lady of the Mountain would declare him the one foretold in the prophecy. Then just as the others put their faith in him, he would be killed and their hopes crushed. No, he would take a proactive approach and kill the young warrior before his journey had even begun.

Solomon thought about the other mortals who attempted to kill him over the millennia. Most he usually struck down with ease, but a few he allowed to experience a much more terrible fate. They would suffer longer and more agonizing deaths. He would torture them, skin them, and burn them alive. He even loved to drive them insane, forcing them to kill themselves or he would release them back to their villages where they would soon go on a murderous rampage. One time he brutally tortured a man for several days, breaking both the warrior's body and spirit. He then brought in the warrior's young daughter and told the tortured man that he would end the pain and let him go if he killed his own child. Sure enough, the dumb bastard murdered her in order to save himself. Solomon recalled watching the warrior stand over his daughter's corpse, a renewed sense of hope in his eyes as he awaited his release. With a smile, Solomon had set him aflame and burnt him alive. Providing false hope was something he was never able to do in Hell.

"Dear husband," said a womanly voice behind him, "Come back to bed."

Behind him was his wife, for lack of a better term, Lilith. Solomon looked back at her as she approached him. Her long, black hair flowed straight down to her lower back. Her eyes were dark purple, giving her a dark beauty that captured her victims. Her skin was pale, currently covered by her black feathered wings. A pair of pointed ears gave a shadow of her former self.

Lilith was once a fair and kind elf. However, at a young age she was married off to a wealthy baron. While she lived in luxury, she was considered nothing more than the baron's property. As the years dragged on without any freedom, bitterness and hatred took over her heart. This growing darkness within eventually drew Solomon to her. While even he was taken in by her beauty, it was her potential capacity for evil that interested him more. It was not long before he fully seduced her and she gave herself to him and to the darkness within her. To prove her devotion, she gruesomely murdered her husband, her two children and her parents. In return, he gave her the gift of immortality and transformed her into a succubus. Now her cruelty and evil nearly rivaled Solomon's.

She moved up behind Solomon, pressing herself against his back as she slipped her hand into his robe. She caressed his chest, lightly raking her long, sharp nails against his skin. Solomon looked back to the reflecting pool as he continued to watch the two warriors. Lilith pouted disappointedly, she looked around her husband's shoulder and into the pool. She smiled as her attention immediately focused on the young human warrior. He tightly gripped his unusual weapon, carefully observing his surroundings as he moved through the forest with his half-lycan companion. She liked the ruggedness in his face and the intensity in those brown eyes. His body was fit and youthful, her sex quivered at the idea of having him between her legs as she drained his life from him.

"Mmm...he looks yummy," said Lilith in a low moan.

"Sorry dear," replied Solomon, "He's going to be dead very soon."

"Well that's a damn shame," said Lilith, pouting once again. She then moved her hand further down inside Solomon's robe. "Thinking about having him has caused me to get quite aroused," she said as she wrapped her hand around Solomon's large cock.  

"Not now," Solomon sighed, "I have more important matters to deal with."

"Are you sure?" Lilith said seductively. She gave a quick tug on his cock, forcing him to spin around and face her. Lilith took a couple steps back as she unfurled her wings, revealing her voluptuous naked pale body. Even though she was beautiful before her transformation, her body was now built only for seduction and sex. Her nipples perked from her perfect large breasts. His eyes followed down her slender hourglass shaped body, leading him to her perfect bare pussy lips. Her arousal was quite clear as the wetness from her sex was dripping onto the cavern floor, as if it was drooling in anticipation for it's next meal.

Solomon smiled at the dark beauty in standing naked in front of him. He figured he could use a little diversion for now. Lilith walked toward him and grabbed onto the edges of his robe. In one swift motion she pulled the robe off of him, revealing his own naked body. There was not a single ounce of fat on his body, all muscle. Just like how a succubus was designed to have the perfect female body, he was the perfect male specimen. His brute strength was enough to challenge a lycan, but his swiftness was even deadlier. His dark red skin was branded with pentagrams and various other demonic symbols from his tenure in Hell.

Lilith wrapped her slender arms around his neck as she pulled him close. She kissed him deeply as she crushed her breasts against his chest. She broke the kiss and slid down his body, raking her razor sharp nails against his skin. Lilith settled on her knees and engulfed Solomon's member in her mouth. Solomon may be a demon that specialized in suffering, but that did not stop him from enjoying pleasure as well. Lilith gripped the base of his cock, giving it a few playful squeezes as she bobbed on his length. It was not long before she felt him harden in her mouth. Lilith looked up to see Solomon with his eyes closed and a devilish smile on his face. Solomon let out a quiet moan as Lilith used her other hand to caress his testacies. With a loud slurp and a pop, Lilith released his cock from her mouth once he fully hardened. His cock stood fully erect and was large enough to put the most endowed human man to shame.

Lilith reached behind Solomon and grabbed his firm, muscular ass. She gave it a little squeeze before she slid her hands up his back and slid back up his body, now standing in front of him again. She wrapped a leg around his waist and raised her hips, her dripping sex teasing his tip. She ran her fingers through his raven-black hair as she prepared to lower herself onto him. As much as Solomon was sure to enjoy this position, he wanted to remind Lilith who her true master was. He also knew how she would really prefer to be taken by him.

He reached up and grabbed a fistful of her hair. He then violently pulled Lilith off of him and threw her into the wall. She threw up her arms in time to catch herself from slamming into the rock. She looked back at her husband and smiled, sticking out her ass and displaying her aroused pussy. Solomon walked up behind her, wrapping her hair around his hand like the reins on a horse. In one single thrust, he buried himself inside of her up to the hilt.

Lilith screamed in delight at the initial pain as his cock stretched her pussy, her wings spreading wide. Solomon did not start slow or even build up pace, he immediately pounded into her like an animal rutting it's mate. Lilith was used to being the dominant one with her victims, but it was only when she had sex with her husband did she allow herself to be dominated. She reached one of her hands down between her legs and furiously rubbed her clit.

"Enjoying yourself, my love?" asked Solomon as he continued to thrust in and out of the succubus.

"Mmmm..fuck," moaned Lilith, "What can I say, I'm nothing more than a little demon whore."

"No," replied Solomon as he pulled on her hair causing her to yelp, "You're MY little demon whore."

"Oh, FUCK! I love it when you hurt me!" she screamed as she bucked her hips against his thrusts.

Solomon slapped her perfectly shaped ass, the smack so loud that the sound echoed through the cavern. Lilith once again screamed in pleasure and in pain. Her breathing became wilder. She thrust harder against him as her excitement was building up. She heard a groan behind her as her vaginal muscles expertly worked his cock.

"You may know how to overpower me," Lilith said with a wicked smile, "But only I know how to make you truly cum."

"You evil bitch," Solomon laughed.

He reached around her and pinched her nipple hard. Lilith was screaming obscenities as the two demons fucked wildly. Solomon ran his hand down her smooth back and around her slender hips, his own release drawing close as her sex squeezed tighter around him.

"Fuck yes!" she cried on the brink of her climax, "Oh, fuck me....YES!"

Her pussy clamped down on him, encouraging his release. Through his gritted teeth, Solomon groaned as he released his demon seed into her unholy womb. His climax triggered her feeding reaction. Lilith's sex greedily sucked at his cock, trying to coax every ounce of cum from his body. While he came long and hard, he was immune to her attempts to feed and would not share the same fate as her victims.

When her attempts to feed off on him finally subsided he pulled out of her, his cum dripping out of her and onto the rock hard ground. When she finally caught her breath, she turned around and pulled Solomon into a tight embrace as she kissed him deeply. She eventually broke the kiss and stepped back, wrapping her wings back around her body.

"That was wonderful dear husband," she said giving him another light kiss, "But I think I need to visit the village and find myself a real meal."

*****************************

John and Lydia had crossed over the elegant wooden bridge that arched over the river at the east edge of Wolfdell and were now back in the forest. John had no real idea where they were going, only that it was a day's trek eastward toward the mountains. Lydia had briefly told him that almost all the valleys were connected together and that they would be moving through them. Lydia led the way through the forest. In addition to her katana and dagger strapped on her hip, a quiver with multiple arrows was strapped to her back. She carried the bow on her left shoulder, opposite to the shoulder that carried the large fur pelt.

Lydia had not really said anything to him. Ever since he saw her this morning, she had been impatient and short tempered. However, since they left, Lydia had hardly even said a word to him. She had not even looked back at him as she led the way. Lydia was not acting like the woman who he had made love passionately to the previous night, the woman who called him her mate and that he himself had started to fall for. She was now acting like the woman who captured and bound him on the night they first met. John desperately wanted why the sudden change in attitude but did not want to directly confront her about it.

Unlike Lydia who seemed to be walking casually, John had a firm grip on his rifle as he carefully scanned his surroundings. He felt like was getting careless in the last couple days and was trying to get back into the mindset he was trained to be in. He wanted to move at a slower and more cautious pace, but Lydia's pace forced him to move faster. Every so often he would hear a snapping twig or see the shadow of movement through the trees and would quickly raise his rifle in response.

"Would you relax," Lydia finally said looking back at him, "My people travel this way all the time. It's completely safe."




New Life in a New World Ch. 02



John lowered his rifle and relaxed his arms but still kept a watchful eye for any trouble. "So where exactly are we going?" asked John.

"We are going to meet someone," Lydia replied, "We only know her as the Lady of the Mountain but she will be able to tell you why you're here." Lydia then pointed toward a snowcapped mountain very close to them, "She lives up there somewhere, but we're not sure exactly where."

"So are we just supposed wander around the mountain until we find her?" John asked sarcastically.

Lydia rolled her eyes, "When we get close enough, she'll find us."

Radulf was not kidding when he told John that he would discover his purpose here soon. At first John felt a sense of relief knowing that he would be getting answers, but then he had only more questions. Once again he wondered how much Radulf really knew, certainly a hell of a lot more than what he told John. Why didn't Radulf just tell him the truth? How much did Lydia know? John shook his head, Lydia and Radulf were at odds the previous day as to whether he should have been kept alive so she couldn't have known anything. However, it was clear that Lydia was hiding something else. As he pondered about it, another thought crossed his mind.

"I wonder if she will know how I can get back to my world?" John thought out loud.

"Possibly, I'm more than certain that she will point you in the right direction." Lydia frowned slightly and for a slight moment, squeezed her eyes shut at the notion of John leaving. John did not notice her change in expression as she was facing away from him. Deep down, the idea of him leaving was gut wrenching but she knew she could not put her own future at risk. But what if her destiny was to be with him? No, the sooner he could leave the better.

The two of them exited the forest and once again entered a large, open valley. The valley floor was all short grass surrounded by the tree line starting near the base of the hills. John's eyes followed up the valley walls, the hills lining it turning into tall mountains. Were they getting close?

In the meantime, John reflected on the possibility of going home. He imagined that he would be heading back to Afghanistan. His team would be certainly glad to see him alive, it would be one hell of a debrief when he had to explain why he was MIA. Could he even explain it and would anyone believe him? He wondered if he could make up a more believable story as to why he was missing for over two days. John's close friend, Terry would probably want to know he was alright. But other than that, John really had no other family who would miss him. He would probably just return to the war and stay in the fight until he took his one way trip home on that C-17, his body in a metal box wrapped in an American flag.

He looked back to the half-lycan beauty leading the way. His heartbeat always seemed to quicken a bit every time he looked upon her. He smiled at the strength and confidence she displayed as she walked. The fresh bruises on his body proved that Lydia could handle herself in any situation. He had met very few women that could even come close to her, she was his equal. Perhaps she was his opportunity at a second chance? Lydia could sense John studying her, hoping she could hold her composure until they parted ways.

"If she finds a way back to my world, what do you think that will mean for us?" John said tenderly. "I don't know if I want to go back to my world. I think I would rather stay here with you."

Lydia froze immediately, John stopping next to her. Dammit, why did he have to make this more difficult for her? John put a hand softly on her shoulder, but she instantly jerked away. He stood there in shock and confusion. Gods, she did not want to have to do this. She wanted them to separate on their own, without confrontation. She knew exactly what she needed to tell him, but it would hurt her so much to say it. She swallowed nervously as she prepared to possibly break his heart.

"You can't stay," she replied in a shaky tone, not even making eye contact with him.

"What are you talking about?" John asked with a puzzled look.

Lydia bit her lip, struggling to get the next few words out. "You do not belong in this world, you do not belong with my people, and you don't belong with me."

John simply stood in disbelief, "So...what was last night?"

The events of the previous night flashed through Lydia's mind like a collage of images. Her hand rubbed the crook of her neck where he had kissed her, making her body so sensitive. She imagined his strong arms wrapped around her, making her feel safe and loved. Her legs rubbed together as she recalled how good he felt inside her, the two of them becoming one. Lydia had to shake those thoughts from her mind. She looked back at John with an almost unremorseful look, but deep down she wanted to cry badly.

"Last night was just sex, nothing more," she replied coldly.

"That's it? Just sex?" John said with a hint of anger.

"John, I didn't mean it like that," Lydia sighed, "Last night was wonderful and I am glad that you were my first. But I have a future plans...and they don't involve you."

John felt like he had his heart ripped out from his chest. He was extremely frustrated but not at Lydia, but at himself. He had many flings in the past, but never allowed himself to get emotionally attached. On many occasions he had given women that he had slept with the same speech that Lydia was giving to him now. John now realized what it felt like to be on the receiving end. But he always felt that it was for their protection, he had seen too many grieving wives of fallen soldiers to want to put anyone through that emotional torment when his time came. But why was Lydia so different? He had never believed in love at first sight, but he actually wanted to be with her. Christ, what was happening to him out here?

Lydia's voice broke through his thoughts, "I'm sorry if misled you to think otherwise."

John cracked a half-smile, burying down his real emotions. "I understand," he said callously, "Whatever works for you I guess."

Lydia opened her mouth to reply back when she suddenly froze. Her ears twitched as she heard something that alerted her. John didn't hear anything the first time, but then he heard a faint roar in the distance. The sound was so faint that it could easily be mistaken for the hollow sound of the wind coming off the nearby mountains. John then heard the faint roar again, only this time he heard something animalistic mixed in with it. Both he and Lydia turned toward the source of the sound which was coming from the direction they were heading. Lydia pulled the bow off her shoulder, she reached back and removed an arrow from her quiver.

"Please no," Lydia whispered in fear as her shaking hands attempted to ready her bow.

John saw a large, black bird emerge from the other side of the mountain and fly in their direction. No, it was much too large to be a bird. John tightened his grip on his rifle as it flew closer, his thumb reached up and switched off the safety. As it flew closer, John got a better idea of just how massive this creature was. It's wingspan had to be nearly a hundred feet wide, it's length from it's nose to the end of it's long tail was just as long. There were no feathers on this creature, John could make out what looked like dark thick plated scales. A pair of long horns sprouted from the back of it's head and spikes ran down it's back. It glided closer to them with deadly grace, like a hawk approaching it's prey. John mentally flipped through images of various fantasy creatures he used to read about, his blood ran cold when one particular image came to mind.

John looked over at Lydia, "Is that a....?"

"Yup," Lydia replied, knowing exactly what John was going to ask.

"What's the plan?"

"RUN!" Lydia screamed.

The both of them turned and ran full speed toward the direction that they came. The dragon let out a loud an mighty roar as it dove toward the fleeing pair. The ground turned dark as the dragon's shadow engulfed them. They heard another loud roar behind them, only this sounded like the furnace from hell. John glanced back to see the dragon spewing fire at the ground, setting it aflame and coming straight for them. As the dragon fire came toward them, they could see that it was moving faster than they could run. Unable to outrun the flames, John and Lydia dove to either side and hit the ground as the flames passed between them. John got up to see the dragon pass dangerously low above them, the two warriors now separated by a wall of fire. John raised his rifle and fired several shots at the passing dragon, seemly having no effect.

"That won't do anything, you're only pissing it off," Lydia shouted from across the fire.

"The fucking thing's already pissed off!" John yelled back.

The dragon glided higher in the air before banking left, making it's turn back toward them for a second pass.

"Run for the tree line," Lydia yelled, "Try to lose him in the forest and find a good hiding spot." Lydia looked over, still seeing John with his rifle aimed at the approaching dragon still intent on fighting it. "What are you waiting for? GO!"

John looked back toward Lydia who had already started running. The tree line where they had entered the valley was too far away, plus he would be heading straight toward the dragon. He looked to his left, the tree line at the base of the hill was much closer. John quickly turned and sprinted as fast as his legs could take him toward the tree line. John was running so hard, he felt like he could challenge an Olympic sprinter.

As John and Lydia ran in opposite directions, the dragon knew exactly who to go after. The dragon dived toward the ground after John. Nearing the tree line, John could hear the sudden whoosh as the dragon opened it's wings and skimmed along the ground towards him. He did not dare look back, he only focused on pushing himself to run faster. John then heard the horrific roar of flames behind him, feeling the heat against his back as the dragon's fire breath came closer. As soon as John made it into the woods, he darted to the right hoping the dragon would not see his change in course. He looked back to see the ground where he stood a moment before in flames. The dragon flew just above the canopy as John hit the ground. He did not move a muscle as the dragon circled overhead before flying off.

John waited for a moment before he got up and started moving. He moved up the hill and deeper into the forest. Still keeping a watchful eye toward the sky, he hoped that he would be harder to spot in the dense forest of pine trees. As he carefully navigated between the trees and through the forest, John managed to find a break between the trees that allowed him to look out across the valley. John could see the wall of fire running down the center of the valley that the dragon had left behind on it's first pass. Looking beyond that, John tried to see if he could find any sign of Lydia. He found none, but she was probably staying deep within the forest as he was. Now that John had his bearings, he would try to make his way through the forest and back to where he and Lydia entered the valley. He could only assume that she would do the same.

For several more minutes, John listened for any sign of the dragon. He did not hear any roars, no movement in the sky, only the sounds of birds chirping and the soft sound of the wind brushing through the pines. The steep grade of the hill finally leveled out. John felt a sense of relief now that the dragon seemed to be gone. Suddenly, there was a loud roar of fire as the trees behind John burst into flames and a dark shadow passed over him. John started to run but was stopped short as the massive dragon crashed through the canopy. The sound of cracking wood filled the air as several large pine trees were snapped in half like toothpicks, the large falling branches just missing John by inches. There was a loud boom as the dragon hit the ground hard enough that John could feel the impact under his feet. John was trapped between the burning trees behind him and the dragon in front of him with nowhere to run.

The black scaled monster that stood in front of John lowered itself menacingly, resting on the mid-span joints of it's folded wings. The beast looked like it was ready to pounce. The dragon stared down John with it's cold, black eyes. A small, sinister grin emerged from the dragon's large jaw as it seemed to savor the upcoming kill. In all of his time in the military, John had never directly faced anything so terrifying. He clinched his jaw and dug deep for a renewed sense of courage. Gripping his rifle tightly, John aimed it at the dragon's head and unloaded. Shots rang out through the forest as John fired his weapon. John could see the bullets impact the dragon's hard scales, but it seemed like only minimal damage was being done. If anything, the dragon seemed more annoyed than hurt. John suddenly felt helpless, like he was facing a tank with nothing more than a pea shooter. The dragon's pitch black eyes narrowed on John as it's head reared back. John's eyes widened as he realized what the dragon was about to do. A boulder to his left caught his eye, just large enough to provide full cover to a crouched person. He ran for the boulder and dove behind it as the dragon shot it's flames at him. The boulder provided protection from the firestorm as John curled up behind it. He could still feel the immense heat from the flames. The fire that did make it's way around singed his hairs. The dragon did not let up it's attack, it kept spewing fire and soon the rock was beginning to glow as it heated up. John could feel the rock heat up against his back, but he had nowhere to go.

A shadow passed over him and John looked up to see the terrifying silhouette of a second dragon swooping in. John took a deep breath as he readied himself for the end. But to his surprise, the second dragon landed behind him and the onslaught of fire had stopped. John could hear the mixed sounds of two distinct roars, snapping trees and massive bodies slamming against the ground. John peeked around the boulder to get a better look at the commotion.

The second dragon had white scales and did not look as thick plated as the other dragon's. It had landed on top the first dragon and was wrestling it to the ground, it's blue colored talons on it's lower legs piercing the onyx armor on the dragon's back and it's lower neck. The black dragon craned it's neck around and bit into the other dragon's leg. The white dragon howled in pain, but then immediately sank it's own teeth into the back of the other dragon's neck right behind it's head. The dark scaled dragon struggled before the white dragon slammed it's head into the ground, trying to put it into submission. Suddenly the black scaled dragon rolled over, throwing the white scaled dragon off of it. The second dragon slammed into the surrounding pine trees, knocking them over with a loud crash. The dark dragon quickly got up and lunged for the other dragon. However, the lighter scaled dragon was ready. As the dragon lunged, the white dragon kicked it's legs with talons fully extended. John could see them cut deeply into the dark, thick scales of the other dragon. The darker dragon reeled back in pain as the lighter colored dragon got back to it's feet and roared defiantly with it's massive wings spread. The black dragon growled menacingly before flying away.

John was now trying to formulate a plan. The trees behind him were still on fire, cutting off that route of escape. He remained perfectly still in hopes that the second dragon had not seen him. As far as he was concerned, the two dragons were merely fighting over their next meal. The dragon turned toward John and spotted him. The enormous creature rose on it's hind legs and spread it's huge blue colored wings. The dragon tilted it's snout down, looking directly at John. His eyes were drawn to the pair of twisted, blue horns coming from the back of it's head. Overall, the dragon had an exotic look unlike the previous dragon. However, the damn thing was still enormous and still looked frightening. The dragon then fiercely flapped it's wings, creating a strong, sustained wind that knocked John on his back. He scrambled backwards in terror until he instinctively raised his rifle at the creature.

"Don't attack!" said a heavenly female voice, "I'm not going to hurt you."

John froze instantly, still keeping a firm grip on his rifle and his finger on the trigger. He glanced around to find the source of the voice until he realized it was coming from the dragon itself. Since when the hell could dragons talk? Dumb question, since when the hell were there werewolves, imps and dragons?

"I did not mean to frighten you, John," said the dragon, barely moving her mouth. "It's the dry season right now and I wanted to prevent the entire forest from catching on fire."

John glanced back and saw the charred remains of the trees that were on fire a moment earlier. His eyes suddenly widened when he realized that she said his name.

"H...How the hell do you know my name?" John managed asked as he started to slowly get back on his feet, still keeping the sights of his rifle trained on the dragon in front of him.

"I've been expecting you," the dragon replied with a smile. "My name is Sasha Arananth. But I'm also known as the Lady of the Mountain."

"Holy shit!" was the only thought going through John's head. He started to lower his rifle as he stood in astonishment. He wondered if Radulf even knew that the Lady of the Mountain was a dragon. A smile emerged across her face once John had completely lowered his gun, no longer considering her a threat. Even though she was friendly, his heart was still beating anxiously as she towered over him.

"Well...uh...thanks for saving me back there," John managed to say with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

Sasha lowered herself, her head now eye level with John. Her beautiful blue eyes looked into his, studying him. "Has anyone told you that you're cute when nervous?" she said. John didn't get a chance to reply, even if he could. Sasha quickly looked up into the sky as her tone became more serious, "We should not stay here long, Drahak will probably return."

"Drahak?" John inquired, "You mean the other dragon?"

Sasha nodded, "I'll fly you to my home in the mountains, we'll be safe there." She then studied John's current attire, his short sleeved shirt would not provide him any protection from the harsh cold. "I hope you have something warmer to wear," she said, "Trust me, you'll need it."

John pulled the rifle sling off of him and unbuckled his vest. Opening up the backpack, he pulled out his dark grey fleece jacket and slipped it on and zipped up the neck. On one shoulder of the fleece was a reversed American flag patch. The other shoulder had a normal American flag patch and patch identifying his blood type, O Positive. He zipped up his backpack and put on his tactical vest over his fleece. He slung his rifle and started to walk towards Sasha. John suddenly realized he forgot something, or more specifically, someone.

"Wait!" John said, freezing up as the realization came to him, "My companion is still out there, we need to find her first."

Sasha shook her head, "There's no time, we need to be leaving now."

"I'm not leaving her behind," John said defiantly, refusing to budge.

"John, don't argue!" she replied frustratingly, now raising her tone. "If you're with Radulf's daughter, she'll be fine. She's a survivor and I promise we'll look for her first thing in the morning. Besides, Drahak was only sent here to kill you."

"Wait..wha..?" John replied, completely shocked at the revelation that there was someone else after him. "Why was he trying to kill me and who sent him?"




New Life in a New World Ch. 02



"Everything will be explained soon. Now, get on."

John still hesitated, carefully thinking about what Lydia would want him to do. Lydia's task was to deliver him safely to Sasha. He may not have known Lydia that long, but if he died trying to look for her, she would probably kick his ass even if all that was left of him was a corpse. Making up his mind, he walked over to Sasha who had lowered herself further so John could climb on her back. Even though she did her best to make it easier for him to mount her, it still was like trying to climb onto the back of a Clydesdale. With a firm jump, John managed to climb onto her back and straddle the base of her neck. He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her neck as best as he could.

"Hold on tight," Sasha said looking back at him as she spread her wings.

John tightened his arms and tried to brace himself, but he was still unprepared for the takeoff. In one furious flap of her wings and a jump from her powerful legs, Sasha launched off the ground. The launch was so sudden that John's head slammed into the back of her neck, the impact causing him to lose his grip. Feeling himself slide off, he managed to regain his grip and tighten his leg just in time to prevent himself from falling off. John found himself looking straight down at the ground already several hundred feet below. He tried to pull himself back up but he was barely hanging on already. Sasha had felt him start to slide off, she banked hard to the other side allowing him to slide upright.

Sasha craned her head back towards him, "I told you to hold on tight," she said with a chuckle.

"I was holding on tight but your takeoff just sucks," John replied with a smirk.

"Okay, I admit that it was a bit rough," she replied, "But I promise that the landing will be much smoother."

"Do you call crashing a smooth landing?"

Sasha suddenly folded her wings and went into a nosedive, dropping like a rock. "HOLY SHIT!" John yelled as he held on for dear life. They fell for about two hundred feet before the dragoness spread her wings again and suddenly stopped their rapid descent. This time John did brace himself, but the intense G-force still pressed his body against Sasha's.

"Be nice," Sasha said deviously, continuing to fly towards the mountains.

"Yes ma'am," John replied back mockingly.

Sasha pitched upward slightly and started to steadily increase in altitude. Within a matter of minutes they were a couple thousand feet off the ground and in a thick cloud that surrounded the mountain. John could not see anything around them, only a thick screen of white in all directions. He shivered as he felt the air get colder around him. While he did have his fleece on, the cold still managed to seep through. They broke through the cloud and were greeted with the rocky, snow covered face of the mountain directly in front of them. Sasha continued to fly higher along the side of the mountain. John looked around seeing the tops of the other mountains peek through the clouds. He could see the mountain range extend for hundreds of miles. John caught glimpses of the lower lands between breaks in the clouds. He could see parts of the seemingly never ending evergreen forests below and a few villages scattered across the land. Looking back, he could see the bluish hue of what seemed to be an ocean far to the west. The topography reminded him of the Cascade Mountains and evergreen forests of Washington State.

As they neared the top of the mountain, John spotted what looked like a large entrance to a cave. As Sasha flew toward it, he could see that it was wide enough to allow for her enormous wingspan. Sasha entered the cave without even slowing down as John ducked, fearing he might hit his head on the cave ceiling. As he looked down he saw a large, deep pool of glacial water with a narrow stone footbridge crossing it. He could only imagine how cold that water could be. Just after flying over the pool, Sasha gently landed inside the cave.

As John slid off her back, he looked around the cave. It was about thirty feet from floor to ceiling and incredibly deep. While the cave curved slightly, it was very wide open. Along the walls there were other entry ways into smaller chambers. However, those entrances were not large enough for a full size dragon to fit through as they were more human sized. Far back in the cave, John could see a fireplace. It's light illuminating what looked like to be a pair of chairs carved from the rock and a large bed. It may have been a completely natural cave at one time, but not anymore. Intricate patterns were carved into every surface possible. Beautifully decorated pillars were carved into the walls which extended all the way to the ceiling of the cave into glorious arches. On each pillar was a torch emanating a blue flame, lighting the whole cave in a blue hue. The whole thing was just grand, more like a cathedral than a cave.

John looked over at the dragoness next to him, Sasha closed her eyes as she concentrated on something. John was about to ask what she was doing but he soon got his answer. Hey body began to seamlessly shrink from her large size. But she did not simply become smaller, other features began to emerge as well. Her wings transformed into arms as she began to stand upright on two legs, a second pair of wings emerged from her back. Her snout retracted, forming closer to her face. A gorgeous blue mane formed from her head and flowed down her back. A pair of large, womanly breasts grew from her chest. A small black leather top and skirt started to form, like it had grown out of her skin.

When Sasha finished her transformation, she reopened her intense blue eyes and looked directly at John with a warm smile. John simply stood there, stunned at the now beautiful woman that stood before him. Her scales had all but disappeared, replaced with a pearl white skin. She was about the same height as John, but the pair of twisted blue horns on the top of her head made her look taller. She had a shapely and womanly body. His eyes followed her toned thighs down to her slender legs where they connected to her dragon-like feet, three clawed toes at the front and a claw extending from her heel. On each of her legs was a blue colored flame tattoo that extended from her shin to just below her knee. Her black leather top barely contained her ample globes, only the laces down the center of the vest prevented them from bursting out. The short black leather skirt clung tightly to her slim waist and thighs. Her long white tail connected at the small of her back. A black choker style collar wrapped around her neck. His eyes locked with hers as he finally got a good look at her face. While looking a bit more human, she still kept some of her draconic facial features. Her goth-like black lips smiled back at him. Her light blue hair flowed down her back until it just touched the top of her lovely butt. Parts of her bangs hung over her face, almost partially covering her inviting eyes. She looked just absolutely gorgeous. Sasha stretched out her wings behind her, a semi transparent blue membrane stretched between the "fingers" in the wing.

Sasha started to walk toward John when she started to collapse, her legs giving out on her. John quickly reached out and caught her. Her transformation had weakened her for a moment, but was thankful John was there to assist her. After a few moments her strength had returned to her, but she hesitated. She enjoyed being held in John's arms and did not want to leave his comforting embrace. She looked up at him, getting a close look at his handsome and rugged face. She looked into his brown eyes, showing a mixture of determination and compassion. She innocently slipped her hand under his vest, her heartbeat quickened when she felt his broad chest. A few dirty thoughts crossed her mind. She had spent most of her time observing human men and he was definitely one of the more handsome ones.

But John soon caught onto Sasha's hesitation as he gave her a puzzled look. The last time he felt this awkward was when Anya and Lydia were outrageously flirting with him. Sasha got her thoughts back together and started to stand back up on her own, John releasing her from his arms.

"Thank you for that," Sasha said gratefully, "The transformation process requires a lot of energy. By the time we're done, we're completely exhausted. That's why we usually stay with one form or another."

"Which form do you prefer?" John asked.

Sasha spread her arms, indicating her preference for her current humanoid form. John looked her over again, admiring the sensuous curves and athleticism of her body. Realizing what he was doing, he tried to shake those thoughts from his mind. For Christ's sake, she's a dragoness. While his mind was trying to follow reason, his body was following more basic instincts as he felt a familiar stirring in his loins.

"Well that form is more pleasing on the eyes," John said playfully.

"Well thank you," Sasha replied, giving him a wink. "Not bad for a woman of 926 years."

John's eyes shot open in surprise. "Well you don't look a day over.....three hundred," he said with a nervous laugh.

"You human men are cute when you get nervous," Sasha replied with a giggle. "Actually, dragons live to be over three thousand years old. So if we are comparing relative ages within each other's life spans, you and I are practically the same age."  

They both shared a laugh until they quieted down and became more serious.

"I suspect you are wondering why you are here," said Sasha.

John nodded, "I'm guessing it's because you're going to tell me how I can get home to my world."

Sasha raised an eyebrow, seemingly perplexed by his answer. "Is that what Radulf told you?"

"He didn't tell me anything really," John replied, "He just knew I had to come see you."

With a concerned look on her face, she buried her face in her hand as she shook her head. John was at a loss to what was going on. Was he not able to go back home? His heart sank a little at the prospect of being stuck in this world. He would have stayed for Lydia, but that was now out of the question. But if Sasha was not here to help him back home, then why was he here?

"So what's going on?" John said, sounding a bit more frustrated. "Are you telling me I can't go home?"

She lifted her head out of her hand and looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry John, I had told Radulf to not reveal too much to you. However, I had hoped that he would at least give you a little background first."

"Background on what?" John asked, "Just what the hell are you talking about?"

Sasha motioned him to follow her deeper into the cave. John got a strange, but familiar feeling. It was the feeling he got when he was about to be read in on a mission, the kind of mission no one wants to take. It was quite unnerving. As John followed her he looked around the cave, taking a moment to admire the elaborate carvings in the cave. The faux pillars had simple swirl designs that spiraled upwards. As the pillars met the arches, the spirals seemed to unravel and spread, like branches on a tree, all over the cave ceiling. While carvings of leaves sprouted from the branches, so did other pictures. Pictures of dragons and great cities, all probably having some significance. John had been to the Sistine Chapel in person and saw the world famous ceiling, but this easily rivaled it. Michelangelo, eat your heart out.

"Do you like them?" Sasha asked, noticing John admiring the artwork.

"Absolutely! Did you do all of this?"

"Some," she replied with a shrug, "I would have liked to do more, but it's tough on the nails." Sasha then showed off her blue claws from the tip of each finger. "But most of it was done by my parents, including this one."

Sasha directed John's gaze to a mural carved into the wall next to them. The mural was set up with scenes in separate panels, like in a comic book. However this was clearly something not created by Stan Lee. The figures within each panel were very simple, like an ancient cave drawing yet detailed enough to recognize certain characteristics. As he started to read through the mural, some of the images were a bit disturbing. The first panel showed two demons, one clearly in charge, overseeing dozens of people suffering in a blazing inferno. The next panel showed the lesser demon with an army and leading some sort of revolt against the demon that was in charge. John guessed it did not go well and the next panel showed the lesser demon on it's knees, it's head hanging in defeat. The demon in charge pointing somewhere out of the picture, as if he was casting out the other demon. The next panel then showed the exiled demon with it's arms raised triumphantly while a village burned at his feet. Mothers futility attempted to protect their children, others tried to run, and others were on their knees in prayer as the firestorm consumed them.

What peaked John's interest were the next few frames. His eyes widened as he started to understand their meaning. Between two earth-like globes stood a single warrior, clad in armor and sword in hand. The next frame then showed that warrior battling against various terrifying monsters. However, it was the way this warrior was depicted fighting that caused John to start putting the pieces together. The warrior had it's sword pointed toward one of the monsters. From the tip of the sword, some sort of beam extended forward and continued until it pierced the monster, depicting a weapon that could kill from a distance but was not simply a bow and arrow. John briefly glanced down at his rifle before returning his gaze at the mural. The final panel showed the warrior and the demon fighting each other, weapons locked in an epic battle.

"What the fu..." John tried to say, turning toward Sasha. His expression showing that he understood the meaning of the mural, but refused to believe it.

"There is a delicate balance between Heaven, Hell and the mortal world," Sasha explained. "All are interconnected and one cannot exist without the other."

"Sasha, what the hell does this all mean?" John said emphatically, motioning to the mural.

The dragoness closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again, trying to explain this in a calm tone. "About three thousand years ago, a demon named Solomon was cast out of Hell and exiled to the mortal world," She continued. "He had attempted to lead a revolt against Lucifer, but was defeated."

"Lucifer?" John said in disbelief, "You mean the fucking devil himself!?!?"

Sasha nodded, John had to appreciate the irony as biblical references and religious scholars have said that Lucifer himself was cast out of Heaven.

"Unlike Lucifer, Solomon does not appreciate this balance," Sasha continued. "That's why he let the revolt and that's why he continues to remain a threat. He hates the mortal world with every fiber of his being. Lucifer thought he was punishing him by sending him here, but instead he doomed us all."

Sasha looked at the panel depicting Solomon burning a village in a massive firestorm. "Solomon will stop at nothing to destroy this world, he's thought of nothing else for the last few thousand years. Every day he is nearing his goal and when he does, no one will be spared."

She then placed her hand on the image of the warrior. "It was foretold that only a warrior from another world with powerful weapons would be able to defeat him. This warrior would have a good heart, but a troubled soul. John, you're that warrior."

Sasha looked back at John, she could sense a slight bit of panic as her words set in. She spent her life training, readying herself for this moment. The moment where she would recognize the warrior that the prophecy foretold. She spent years studying human behavior, even going as far as secretly living among them. Most self-proclaimed heroes and warriors would gladly accept the task of saving the world. But their only motives would be for fame and glory. The true warrior would only accept because it was the right thing to do.

"I'm sorry to say this, but I think you have the wrong guy," John said apprehensively as he ran his fingers through his hair, showing his discomfort. "I am not a 'Great Warrior' or 'Savior of the World'. I'm not supposed to be here, my being here was an accident."

"There are no accidents, only the path that has been laid out before us. You are here because fate has brought you here."

"For fuck sake woman," John yelled, "Did you not see me try to fight the dragon? If I can't defeat one dragon, how can I stop the fucking apocalypse?"

"The belly is the weakest point for a dragon," Sasha replied.

John exhaled frustratingly, burying his face in his hand. "I don't understand your world, Sasha. I cannot fight what I can't understand."

"But you will learn, and what you learn will help you to defeat Solomon. This is the path that fate has chosen for you."

John was still not comforted by her words. He knew a bad mission when he saw one and every instinct told him that he was up against something more powerful than he could imagine. But wait, when the hell did he allow fate to dictate his life? Even though he figured that he would likely die on the battlefield, it was a fate he chose for himself. He had a choice in this too, and he would choose to walk away.

"Sorry, not interested," John said shrugging his shoulders as he turned to leave.

"So you are not going to help us? You will simply make us wait for the coming destruction?" Sasha pleaded.

"Not my problem."

Perhaps he was right, he was not the one to save this world. But she was not going to give up on him just yet. Sasha cracked a smile as she had one more way to find out if John was the warrior she had been waiting for. There was one key thing that would help her. While not depicted in any writings, her parents told her that the warrior would have a troubled past. As a result, this warrior would feel alone and empty. With the training from her parents combined with her own study of human social engineering, she knew exactly how to push him.

"So who do you have waiting for you back home?" Sasha asked.

John stopped walking and turned to face her, "Excuse me?"

"Who do you have waiting for you that makes you want to return to your world so badly? Your wife?"

"I'm not married," John replied, showing his left hand to show the absence of a ring on his finger.

"What about a lover?"

He simply shook his head in response. John didn't have anyone back home, but his thoughts quickly turned to Lydia. If anything, she would have been his reason to remain in this world. But that apparently was out of the question now. Sasha cracked a small, predatory smile at his response. At least she knew now that he was available in case she decided to act on her desires.

"Any family whatsoever to go home to? Even your parents?" Sasha inquired.

Again, John shook his head sadly. "They're all...um...not around," he replied trying to hide the sorrow in his voice.

"Interesting," Sasha said while narrowing her eyes, she had him. The expression on his face, the tone in his voice, she knew the pressure point to go after and she planned to exploit it. She knew that she would probably be ripping open some of his old wounds, but it was necessary for her to find out. Then she could be absolutely sure about him.

"Tell me John," Sasha asked inquisitively, "How did your parents die?"

"What?" John replied, completely shocked. How the hell did she know that his parents were dead? John though he had been careful not to reveal too much. He kept his answers short, simple, but not too revealing. However, Sasha was reading him like an open book and his reaction of surprise only confirmed her guess.

"When they died, did they die peacefully of old age...or were they taken from you?" Sasha pressed.




New Life in a New World Ch. 02



"That's none of your business," he growled, clinching his fists in frustration. He did not like where this conversation was heading. Not only was it brining back tragic memories, but bringing back the anger he felt afterward as well. He kept this suppressed for a reason and if she kept pushing him like this to reveal his past, she would definitely not like what she was going to find. She would probably at that point think that John was worse than Solomon.

"So they were murdered then," she said continuing the interrogation, "How did you feel afterward?"

John clinched his jaw and lowered his eyebrows as he became further enraged. "If I were you, I would drop this right now," he said in a threatening growl.

"Is that why you became a soldier? Was it because you wanted justice? Revenge?"

John tightened the grip on his rifle, his thumb reached up to click off the safety as the anger surged through him. John then realized that Sasha's expression had changed, her eyes grew wide as she realized that she had pushed him too far. God dammit, what was happening to him out here? First Lydia and now this. He did not know if it was the stress and loneliness of being marooned in this world or his struggle to cope with how different this place was, but something was changing him. He put the rifle back on safety as he loosened his grip. John closed his eyes as he got control over himself, burying those feelings and painful memories back down inside of him. He then turned and walked away toward the cave exit.

"John, I'm so sorry," Sasha pleaded apologetically as she went after him.

"Save it!" he shouted back, "I've had enough of this shit."

"What are you doing?" she asked still running after him. He couldn't leave, she did not want him to.

"What I should have been doing all along," John replied back, "Finding my companion and finding a way home."

"You can't leave!"

"Watch me," he grumbled.

As John got closer to the large cave opening, he saw why Sasha did not want him to leave. Just outside the cave a storm had rolled in, the strong wind howling outside as the snow kicked up and blew violently past the cave. The visibility out past the cave was almost next to nothing. John knew it would be incredibly dangerous to go out there, but at this moment he did not care. He kept walking until he reached the large pool near the opening and started making his way over the footbridge. The bridge itself seemed to be part of the cave floor, as if the pool was carved around the bridge. The bridge was incredibly narrow, only about a couple feet wide. There was also a thin layer of ice which certainly did not help things. John slowed down a bit so he could more carefully walk across the bridge, one misstep and he would be taking a plunge into the freezing water. He was almost midway over the bridge when he felt someone grab his arm. He looked back to see Sasha right behind him, her grip on his bicep tightening.

"It's too dangerous," she begged, "You'll die out there."

"I'll manage," John replied confidently. John tried to pull free of her arm, but her grip was too strong due to her strength as a dragon.

"Please don't," Sasha whispered as she tugged back on his arm, trying to pull him back into the cave.

Still frustrated, John again attempted to pull his arm from her grasp. He jerked away with more force, this time he broke free of her grip. However, as soon as he pulled away he heard a loud tearing noise. Sasha's claws were dug into his fleece, tearing his sleeve open when he pulled away. Initially he was pissed about ruining his jacket, but soon he realized he had bigger problems. His sudden movement caused him to lose his footing on the narrow, icy bridge. He tried reaching his arm back to try and balance himself, but it was too late. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as his body leaned further out over the bridge until John found himself staring straight at the icy black water. His feet finally separated themselves from the bridge followed by a brief moment of free falling for the last few feet. The last thing he heard was Sasha screaming out his name as he splashed into the frigid water.

John did not feel the cold initially, he felt pain. The sharp sting, like hundreds of knives stabbing him, flowed through his body. John had to fight against the gasping reflex from the pure shock of the cold water, otherwise he would simply get a mouthful of water and drown. His heart began to race as the adrenaline took over. With very little air in his lungs, John knew that he had to get his head above the surface and fast. However, John was so disoriented that he had no idea which direction he was facing. He had entered the water practically head first, he tumbled head over heels trying to orient himself while his gear pulled him down even further.

He finally managed to catch a glimmer of blue light, marking the surface of the water. But by this time he was already several feet down and sinking like a stone. He tried to start swimming to the surface, but his limbs would not respond. The effects of the cold shock were still taking it's toll on his body. John tried to focus and give his body one command...kick. Just kick, that's all he had to do to survive. Just as the glimmer of light was starting to fade away, he was finally able to command his legs to move. As he continued to kick, he could feel himself pushing upward through the water. His chest burned as his lungs begged for air. He was now able to haphazardly move his arms as he continued to swim toward the surface.

Just as he neared the surface, John heard a small splash and saw a pair of white arms reach down and extend under the surface above. Sasha reached under the water and grabbed hold of the shoulder straps of John's vest. With a quick tug, she pulled him out of the water and back onto the cave floor, like a fisherman pulling a trout into a boat. John was now no longer at risk of drowning, but hypothermia was starting to set in. He could not feel his hands or legs and he was shivering uncontrollably. Sasha seemed to recognize this as well. Helping him to his feet, she draped his arm over her shoulder and helped him to the back of the cave to where the fire place and her bed were. She slipped the rifle sling off of John and set his rifle on the ground next to him.

"Come on John," Sasha said as she sat him down in front of the fireplace, "We need to get you out of these wet clothes."

She was right, John was soaked to the bone and the wet clothing would simply continue to draw precious body heat out of him. John tried to unbuckle his vest, but being barely able to move his arms and with no feeling in his fingers he could only fumble around. Sasha was able to identify the buckles to his vest and unclasped them before slipping the vest over his head. John was able to take off his gloves, kneepads, fleece and t-shirt. But he then had difficulty manipulating the laces on his boots. Sasha quickly walked around and helped get his boots off. John started to reach for his belt but was caught off guard when Sasha scrambled for it first. In a flash she quickly undid his belt and yanked down his pants, sliding them over his ankles. John sat there dumbstruck, either she wanted to get him out of his clothes for his own good, or she had ulterior motives. Either way, he was shivering and too damn cold to dwell on it.

"Those too," she said in a demanding tone as she pointed at his underwear.

John hesitated, he already felt too exposed but he knew from his survival training he needed to get all his wet clothes off. Sasha did not wait for him, she hooked her thumbs under the elastic band and quickly slid his underwear off of him. If he still had any color in his skin, he would be blushing. Looking back up at her, John swore he saw Sasha lick her lips with her serpentine tongue when she looked down at his now naked body. However, her predatory look didn't last long when she realized John was not out of danger yet. With almost no effort at all, the strong dragoness picked up John off the cave floor and helped move his still shivering body to her bed.

Like almost everything else in the cave, most of the bed was carved directly out of the rock. A pair of animal pelts made up a bed sheet and blanket, several large pillows were carefully placed in front the elegantly carved headboard. Pulling back the blanket, Sasha placed John in the bed. To his surprise, it was quite comfortable. It was no Tempur-Pedic, but the thick pelt made it quite soft with just the right amount of give. John laid his head on the pillow when his attention was drawn to the beautiful white dragoness.

Quickly, yet gracefully, Sasha untied the laces to her vest with a light tug. The black vest opened up and slipped off of her, revealing her beautiful large breasts. John's eyes widened as the lovely, feminine dragoness exposed herself to him. He could not help but stare at the perfectly round globes before him, topped with pale, white nipples. Even in his dazed state, John tried to get a hold of himself.

"Wha...Whatareyoudoin," John slurred, still feeling the effects of hypothermia.

"Body-to-body heat transfer will warm you up more quickly," Sasha replied as she shed her skirt, revealing the rest of her athletic thighs and her bare sex. "This is strictly for survival," she tried to reassure him, even though both of them knew she was lying.

Dragoness or not, Sasha had a fantastic body. Slim and shapely, curves that would cause a lesser man to have a heart attack. With the grace of a dancer, the dragoness made her way around the bed and climbed in behind John. Pulling the blanket over them, Sasha wrapped her arm around his chest and pulled him close to her. John felt the heat radiating off her body seep into his skin, warming him.

John's body slowly began to stop shivering as his body temperature became more normal. Feeling returned to his limbs, he was able to wiggle his toes and move his fingers with ease. His eyes became heavy and he started to drift off. The last thing he remembered was the feeling of Sasha nuzzling the back of his neck, just before he fell asleep.

******************************

As night crept over the forest, Lydia remained hidden in the underbrush as she watched the black dragon circle overhead. After she got separated from John, she was making her way around the valley while remaining hidden within the trees. Even though they never discussed where to meet back up, she had hoped John would make his way back to where they entered the valley.

She became increasingly worried when she saw the dragon go after John instead of her. She had evaded a dragon once before, but it was obvious that John had never encountered one in his life. Nevertheless, a part of her was confident that he would be able to evade the creature. However, when she was making her way back, she realized that the dragon had found him. Lydia heard the sound of snapping trees, the roar of the beast, and several loud pops that she knew came from John's weapon. After that, she heard nothing.

Lydia was too deep in the forest to see what was happening, she could only see the dragon fly away. Her heart sank as she began to fear the worst. She promised her father that she would protect him, now she feared that she failed in her task. She rushed through the trees, even though the site of the attack was over a mile away. When she made it halfway there, she then heard the horrific low roar of the dragon again. She hid in the brushes a moment before the dragon passed over her.

Now several hours later, the dragon was still circling the valley, presumably looking for her. Night had fallen, the sky now black but she could still make out the form of the dragon against the stars. Lydia became increasingly worried about John and wanted to continue her own search for him. But she dared not move, not with the dragon still there. Dragons may have good vision during the day, but they had excellent vision at night. She remained in the same spot for the last few hours, face down in the dirt under some ferns. She remained perfectly still, knowing that the slightest movement could draw the dragon's attention straight to her.

However, the dragon's presence now gave her a sense of hope about John. While the dragon would search the entire valley, it seemed to stay around one spot in particular. She could not see exactly where it was, but it was well away from her and in the area where she had heard John shoot at the dragon. This meant that he may still be alive. While she hoped that he was remaining hidden like her, she also feared that he was badly wounded.

She silently wept as more terrible thoughts crossed her mind. She imagined him alone in the dark, bloodied and unable to move. He would be looking up to the sky as the life left his body. The worst part was that she feared he would die thinking that she hated him. As her tears hit the ground, her hand clutched the dirt beneath her as she tried to push those images from her mind.

She couldn't understand what has been happening to her in the last couple days. Ever since she was a young child, she had always been alone. Even though she had formal recognition, many of the other lycans wanted nothing to do with her. As she became old enough to take a mate, none of the male lycans showed any interest in her. In their mind, mating with a half-human was just bad as mating with a full human. Plus even though Lydia was not interested in humans, she was quite certain that no human could ever love her. So she used her emptiness as her strength, focusing solely on becoming one of the best warriors in Wolfdell. Even if she could not be accepted among her people, she would still fight for them. She liked being alone, it made things much simpler for her.

However, all that changed when she met John. He immediately seemed to fill a void in her heart and while he probably would not admit it, she sensed she did the same for him. The two of them were very much alike. Brave but also a little arrogant, fierce but also compassionate. She now understood why John was so hurt by her rejection, they completed each other.

She cursed herself for letting Ulfric get to her. He was a manipulator and knew exactly how to work her. He targeted her blind ambition while at the same time exploiting her fear of deeper rejection. She should have seen through his ploy, yet she still allowed her emotions to be compromised by him. The last thing she told John was that her future did not involve him. But she couldn't be more wrong. Last night, she found out what it felt like to feel complete, to have that one piece missing filled by the love from someone else. Now any future without him was a future she did not want to live. Ever since this afternoon, her heart had been filled with regret for what she said to him. Lydia now swore that if...no when...she found John, she would make things right. She would confess to just how much she needed him.

"Gia, Logi, Vayu, Ageir, and Adonis," Lydia whispered as she closed her eyes in prayer, "Great Gods of all things in this world, please watch over John. Please keep him safe, please bring him back to me."

******************************

John walked down the long hallway of his high school, passing the seemingly endless banks of blue lockers that lined the walls. Hardly a soul was in sight, the last bell of the day rang a long time ago. Most of the teachers had left and the dedicated few who stayed were packing up their papers. As he passed by the office, the receptionist gave him a quick and sad glance as he passed by the window. His head hung low, he felt like shit as he continued to make his way to the front of the school to meet up with Terry.

It had been over two weeks since the attack and people were slowly trying to regain some sense of normalcy. The twenty four hour coverage dwindled as other stories made their way back into the news. The sound of commercial aircraft flying overhead had resumed. People returned to movie theaters and baseball games. Yet while everyone tried to put on a good face, everyone knew that nothing would be normal ever again.

John had given up all hope that his family was still alive. Rescue operations had ceased and the recovery effort had begun. His mother, father and little sister had yet to be dug out of the mass grave of concrete and steel. Terry's parents had tried to help him through this. Whenever he was not staying at Terry's place, one of his parents was saying at John's house. Having someone there with him was an attempt to pull his attention away from the empty rooms in the house. The door to his parent's room was still ajar, the bed freshly made. His sister's room painted in pink, her dolls placed neatly round the room. Memories haunted each room like ghosts, he felt truly alone. He knew that he would not be able to remain in the house for long.

He pushed through the glass doors at the school entrance, greeted by the warmth of the sun. He saw Terry standing at the pickup area. He glanced over at John as he was chatting on his cell phone. Terry quickly finished his conversation before turning to John.

"So Mom is stuck in traffic," Terry sighed while pressing the END button on his cell phone, "She won't be here for at least another half-hour."

"So what the hell are we supposed to do?" John grumbled.

Terry started toward one of the nearby picnic tables, "Don't know about you, but I've gotta study for that stupid test we've got in English class tomorrow". Terry pulled out the copy of Jane Eyre that they had been assigned to read and would be having a test on the next day.

"You haven't read it yet?" John said, raising an eyebrow.

"Some of it," Terry replied, slamming the book on the table. "I can't stand it! Once this assignment is over, I'm burning this damn book."

John was not in the mood to laugh at Terry's frustration. He quietly sat down across from Terry, sulking as he stared directly at the table surface. Terry looked over his book at John. A couple weeks ago, he had been trying to provide his best friend hope that his family was still alive. Now he was just trying to help him mourn. But something was different, there was a bit of frustration in John's attitude today.

"You really should take a few days off from school," Terry said, putting down his book. "You've already been cleared by the school to do so without any penalty."

After it became clear that his family had perished, the school administration gave him the option to let him take a week or two off from school. He took one day off before he decided to come back, he hated simply sitting in his empty house crying. At least school could provide some sort of distraction, but that only worked for so long. He missed homework, his test scores and performance plummeted. His teachers, out of sympathy, allowed him to make up any missed assignments and retake tests by the beginning of the following month. But today, something else bothered John.

"It's not just about my family," John replied in a depressed tone, "I found out today that I'm being placed with my uncle David."

"Are you serious!" Terry replied back, completely shocked and disgusted. John's uncle was probably once a decent person, but he was now a drunk, wife beating, and welfare collecting asshole. The man was completely unqualified to take care of his nephew.

John shrugged, "His name was listed as my legal guardian. I guess my parents never removed him after his wife walked out on him."

"There has got to be someone else. I mean, with his record, no court or government agency could think that you could be placed there."

John looked up at his friend, "Take a stroll down Battery Park and tell me if the government really knows what it's doing."

Just then they heard a disturbance not too far from them that drew their attention. Mixed incoherent and angry shouts, the unmistakable sounds of a fight. Except it wasn't a fight, it was a beat down. Three large, brawny students exited the school who were likely seniors on the varsity football team. Dragged along with them was a smaller, scrawny kid. John and Terry recognized who the unfortunate kid was. His name was Ammar, he was a freshman who took a couple classes with them. John and Terry realized why the kid was getting picked on and it was not because he was a freshman.




New Life in a New World Ch. 03



[Insert lawyer voice here] This story contains scenes of graphic sex and violence. No one under the age of 18 or 21 (depending on your local law) should read this story. Any characters depicted in sexual or suggestive scenes are intended to be 18 years or older. While inspired from many sources, the story and characters are original. Any similarities to any real or fictional persons are coincidental. Enjoy.

Big thanks to ShadwNinjaX and Galloglaich for their help with this chapter!

===========================

Radulf sat on his throne in the Great Hall within the palace in Wolfdell, looking around the large and elaborately decorated room. Large, round wooden pillars lined the sides of the room that extended up to the ceiling supported by wooden arches. Carved in each pillar were the names of the past leaders of Wolfdell and of the lycans, his ancestors. Emerald green banners draped from the walls. A large bonfire roared in the center of the room, shadows danced in the flickering light.

Each day Radulf spent at least a couple hours here in order to make himself available to his people. Any citizen of Wolfdell was allowed to enter and speak their concerns. The exception, unfortunately, were the half-lycans and their human parents. Their lycan mates could only enter with prior permission. Radulf frowned as he thought about it. Full lycan or not, everyone who lived here were citizens of Wolfdell and therefore under his care. But there was nothing he could currently do about it. Perhaps when he let his daughter take over, the climate would be right for change.

"My Lord," Ulfric said from the entrance of the Great Hall.

Radulf looked up to see Ulfric motion in one more visitor, one that he had been waiting for. A lone wolf entered the hall, the soft pitter-patter of its feet could be heard as the animal walked across the wooden floor. Radulf smiled as the light grey wolf sat in front of him. He had sent this wolf out to follow Lydia and John, to make sure they arrived at the Lady of the Mountain safely.

"What news do you have for me?" Radulf asked as he leaned in closer to the wolf.

The wolf did not say anything audible, but that did not mean that he could not be understood. Even with no words spoken, Radulf and the wolf were still able to communicate with each other. It was a connection that all lycans shared with wolves. His eyes widened in shock as the wolf described the dragon attack. He could not believe it, there had not been a recorded dragon attack in these parts for hundreds of years. He then became worried that the village was now at risk. The wolf explained that the dragon seemed to be specifically after John, but he had managed to evade the beast. Radulf breathed a sigh of relief. The news got better, John did make contact with Sasha and she did identify him as the warrior from the prophecy.

However, Radulf did wonder why Lydia herself did not deliver the news. Even though he would have liked to see both of them come back to the village, Radulf understood if John decided to continue on with his quest. But he did instruct his daughter to come back after they met with Sasha. It was at this point that the wolf explained that Lydia decided to accompany Sasha and John on their mission. Initially, Radulf was worried. He understood the risks of this task and worried for his daughter's safety. They were going up against a full fledged demon and while as far as they knew he did not have an army at his disposal, he certainly had dark agents working for him as evidenced by the dragon attack. But none of this he ever shared with Lydia. He could only hope that Sasha explained the dangers they were facing. However, he was confident in his daughter's abilities. He had trained Lydia in the art of fighting ever since she was a little girl. There was no doubt that she was a capable fighter and she certainly knew how to survive. But as a father, he couldn't help but worry a little.

"Thank you," Radulf said as he lightly petted the wolf behind it's ears. "Lydia and John will be continuing on their journey and will not be immediately returning here," he said looking to Ulfric.

"Heh, good," Ulfric scoffed, clearly happy with their absence.

"That is my daughter you speak of!" Radulf growled, the sides of his muzzle curling up in anger.

"Forgive me," Ulfric replied in a halfhearted apology, "I was not referring to your daughter when I said that."

Radulf sighed, "I understand your uneasiness towards humans, but I don't understand why you hate him so much."

"I don't understand why you are allowing some silly prophecy dictate your decision making," Ulfric snapped back.

Radulf looked up at his old friend, "Because we are facing a powerful foe and if this prophecy helps us defeat him, then I will believe in it."

"Send my warriors," Ulfric pleaded, "They will find Solomon and they will kill him."

Radulf shook his head, "An army of lycans scouring the countryside? How do you think the human villages will respond to that?"

"You care to much about the concerns of the human villages," Ulfric huffed, "You do not care for your own people."

"You damn well know that the safety of our people is all I care about!" Radulf sternly replied. "I am trying to prevent an unnecessary war between our people."

"If there is a war, we will easily slaughter any humans who get in our way," Ulfric said pridefully.

"ENOUGH!" Radulf yelled, his booming voice echoing through the room until followed by an uneasy silence. Only sound in the room was the crackling of the bonfire

Frustrated, Ulfric crossed his arms and looked away. Radulf took a deep breath as he collected himself. He looked back up at his old friend. As much as he grew tired of these arguments, he could not blame him. Growing up together they were both young, hotheaded warriors who were eager to fight. Thirty years ago, Radulf would have probably agreed with Ulfric and would have been willing to go to war with the humans. But he changed over the years. Becoming a leader forced him to look at things more objectively. Then there was Anara, his human mate now long dead. His whole outlook on the world changed after he met her and she showed him the love that humans could possess. Gods he missed her so much.

Ulfric however remained a warrior who was impatiently waiting the next battle, thirsty for blood. He had only witnessed the worst in humans and never saw their capability for good. Even after witnessing John defend other lycans, he refused to believe that he did so for any reason other than his own survival. Radulf could only hope that one day his friend could experience the same love he felt with Anara.

Radulf stood and moved next to Ulfric, placing his hand on his shoulder. "My old friend, I understand if you don't agree with my decision. But I'm asking you to take a leap of faith with me."

As Radulf retired to his quarters, Ulfric left the palace. He was still fuming over Radulf's decision. Take a leap of faith? There was no way in hell he was going to trust the lives of the lycan people in the hands of a human. Radulf was a fool to put so much faith in John, much less believing some insane prophecy. Stepping outside, night had fallen on the village. He walked down the cold, stone steps of the palace. Out of the shadows emerged a few lycans who joined with Ulfric at the base of the steps. These were some of Ulfric's closest supporters who also believed that lycans were the dominant species of the land, not humans or elves. They gathered closely together, preventing anyone from eavesdropping on their conversation.

"We can no longer trust Radulf to keep our people safe," Ulfric said to the group, "We must take matters into our own hands."

***********************************

The bright sun broke through the canopy, bringing out all the green and brown colors of the forest. John, Lydia, and Sasha were on the road to the town of Bluemoor. This was the first road that John has seen since coming to this world. Even if it was just a dirt road, to John, it was a sign of civilization. The road zigzagged between the trees and over hills until it would eventually lead them to their destination. But the soldier kept a sharp eye off the road, looking out for any threats. After the dragon attack a couple days ago, John figured that someone else knew he was here and wanted him dead.

John was still trying to come to terms with the idea of being some "Great Warrior" foretold in some prophecy. He never believed in fate, he did not like the idea of not being in control of his own future. Glancing down at his rifle, he wondered if he could even take down a demon with it. Hell, he was not a religious person but he was spiritual enough to respect the idea of angels and demons and the power they supposedly possessed. His mind turned back to the dragon attack and his inability to kill the beast. Sasha simply insisted that he just needed to learn the trick to bringing one down. But John was still uncertain; there was still so much he did not understand about this world.

Sasha seemed to take it upon herself to help John better know this place. She walked alongside him as they continued down the road. She eagerly told him more about this world. The name of this land, from the ocean in the west and past the elven city in the east, was called Antova. Humans, lycans, elves, and dragons were only some of the many races that inhabited this land. However, most races seemed to share the same religion. There were five gods, each representing an element of the world. Gia, the god of earth; Logi, the god of fire; Vayu, the god of wind; Aegir, the god of water; and Adonis, the god of life.

"What's it like?" he suddenly heard Sasha ask, breaking his chain of thought.

"Huh?" John replied, not sure what she was asking.

"Your world, what's it like?"

John smiled as he tried to think about how he could answer that question. There was so much to love and hate about his world. Never-ending wars, starvation, and the ever expanding gap between rich and poor. However he felt it was best if he focused on the good. He then tried to think of how he could best describe what made their worlds so different.

"Well.." John replied, struggling to think of what to say, "It feels a bit smaller. Cities that hold millions of people, glass towers that extend to the sky, airplanes that fly people everywhere, and a communication network that connects people across the world instantly."

John was trying to explain this in the simplest way, but Sasha's eyes were still wide with amazement. He couldn't help but smile when he saw her reaction. Everything he was describing seemed so commonplace, yet to her, it was extraordinary. Then again, a few days ago he was in Afghanistan hunting Taliban before getting hit with an IED. Now he was in another world, made friends with the leader of the lycans, discovered he was part of some prophecy, and now was having a conversation with a dragoness! Talk about extraordinary.

"Your world sounds beautiful," Sasha said cheerfully.

John looked around at his surroundings. Proof of untouched, undeveloped, and untamed nature was all around him. No concrete highways and no areas clear-cut by Weyerhaeuser. There were very few places back in his world that were this pristine.

"Trust me," John replied, glancing back at the dragoness, "My world pales in comparison to the beauty of yours."

Sasha let out a small giggle as she smiled sweetly back at him. "So, only humans live in your world?" she asked.

"Pretty much," he said with a shrug, "However, lycans and dragons are described as mythical creatures in stories. It makes me wonder if there is a stronger connection between our worlds."

The dragoness frowned slightly, "You're still thinking about going back to your home, aren't you?"

John shook his head, "I still plan to help you defeat Solomon. But, assuming I even survive, I really don't know what I'm doing after that."

"Well..." Sasha replied as she wrapped her arm around his and pulled herself closer to him, "...When this is over, you are more than welcome to stay with me."

A few steps behind the couple followed Lydia. She was trying to keep an eye out for danger but kept getting distracted by John and Sasha in front of her. As much as she tried to not pay attention them, she found herself unable to look away. She became jealous at how affectionate Sasha was with John. The dragoness laughed, smiled, and hung on his every word when he spoke. Sasha would also take any opportunity to touch him or cling to his arm. A feeling of bitterness crept up on her, that it should be her at John's side. She wanted to direct her anger at this woman who stole John away from her, but she knew she had no one to blame other than herself.

Ulfric had threatened that if she stayed with John, she would be exiled out of the village and John would be killed. She remembered hearing about the coup against her father after she was born and the bloodshed during the fight. She did not want to be put in that situation, so she fell for Ulfic's lies. As a result, she told John she no longer loved him and now, she had lost him to another woman. But could she blame him? Even with her draconic features, Sasha was an extraordinary beautiful woman. Her firm breasts and tight buttocks accentuated her womanly figure. Her slender arms and athletic legs moved with such grace. Lydia could see why John would desire her. But she also had a cheerful and affectionate attitude. Sasha was doing everything to make John feel loved and appreciated. The way that John was positively responding to the dragoness made Lydia's heart ache even further. She wanted to be showing that same amount of love for him, but she just felt too depressed to take action.

While she talked with John, Sasha glanced back and noticed Lydia watching the two of them. When Lydia realized Sasha was looking back, she quickly turned away and hoped the dragoness didn't notice. She did. The dragoness slowed her walking pace until Lydia caught up with her. Even though originally she did not want Lydia joining them, Sasha respected John's wish that she would. However, she sensed an uneasiness between herself and Lydia. The half-lycan didn't say a word to the dragoness since they met, but did seem to keep glaring at Sasha. She decided to extend an olive branch and try to patch things up between them.

"I hope you can forgive me for my attitude earlier," Sasha said to Lydia, trying to remain in good cheer. "Despite what I may have said, I am glad that you decided to join us."

"Don't worry about it," Lydia replied, but not even turning to look Sasha in the eye. She instead continued to watch John as he carefully scanned the surroundings with a firm grip on his rifle.

Sasha pursed her lips for a moment at her response, then her smile returned. "I am truly glad to see you again. You have certainly grown into a beautiful and strong woman."

Lydia nearly stopped in the middle of the road when she heard her comment. "What do you mean 'again'? I've never met you in my life."

"You probably would not remember," the dragoness replied with a chuckle, "The last time I saw you, you were just a baby. But now, I can tell you have your father's strength and your mother's eyes." Sasha's expression became a little more somber, "I'm sorry about what happened with her."

The half-lycan managed to crack a small smile, "Thank you, that was very kind."

They walked along the road quietly until Lydia finally asked, "How long have you known my father?"

"Ever since his youth," replied the dragoness, "We were good friends, even if his buddy Ulfric did not approve of our relationship."

"Relationship?" Lydia said with a raised eyebrow.

"Um...as close friends..heh," Sasha tried to correct herself, laughing nervously.

"I see," Lydia said giving the dragoness a suspicious look, "What was my father like back then?"

"A very different man than he is now," she replied with a smile. "He was aggressive and arrogant, but he had a good heart. I knew that one day he would be a great leader. That certainly proved true as he grew and matured. I think you and your mother helped with that." Sasha glanced ahead at John briefly before turning back to Lydia, "He reminds me of your father a little bit. He's very special, isn't he?"

"He is," Lydia replied looking at John, "You...you would be very lucky to have him as a...as a mate." She nearly choked on her words as she felt like she was admitting defeat.

Sasha was tempted to ask about the relationship between her and John, but decided not to. Despite the fact Lydia insisted they were not together, she could still sense that the half-lycan did not fully approve of her new relationship with John. But that was a conversation to be saved when they were out of earshot of him...and preferably disarmed.

They followed the road for another few miles until they found themselves at the top of a hill, looking down at the town of Bluemoor. John stopped in the road at the top of the hill as he studied the village below. Immediately he could see some similarity between this town and Wolfdell. Like Wolfdell, the town was nested in a deep valley. The difference was that the hills were closed more tightly around the village, an area of the forest clearly cut out to make room for the town. It did not have the open space or the large farms like the lycan village. The houses were also made out of wood, however, only a few houses had straw roofs while the rest had wooden ones. He then noticed a large amphitheatre at the edge of town. While he could just see inside of it from the top of the hill, it was surrounded by high wooden walls. Those who wanted to see whatever show was in there certainly had to pay the price of admission. He could hear the distinct "neigh" from one or more horses from somewhere in the village.

"What's down there?" John asked as Lydia and Sasha caught up to him, flanking either side.

"A warm bed, a good meal, and a chance to plan our next move," Sasha replied with a smile.

John lightly pinched the bridge of his nose, "This is not a vacation Sasha, we need to be looking for Solomon."

"Ok, where should we look for him then? Hmm?" Sasha asked sarcastically with a smirk.

"Well..." he replied with a baffled look on his face. He tried to think of an answer, but Sasha had a point. He knew nothing of this place and as much as he wanted to stay on the hunt, he had no idea where to start.

"We also need to get some supplies," chimed in Lydia, "I had only brought enough to last a couple days and not for three people."

"Two against one," Sasha cheered triumphantly, "We win!" She took the lead and started to down the hill to the village. "Come on John, I know a good spot where you can get a drink."

It was a short walk down the hill and within a few minutes they found themselves at the first buildings in the village. As they entered the town, the residents were out on the streets and going about their day. Bluemoor was a human village and for John, these were the first humans he had seen since arriving here. While he had just gotten used to being around lycans and dragons, he found it a bit more comforting to be around other humans. It was nice to finally be with his own people for a change.

However, his own people were not quite as welcoming toward him. As the trio entered the village, the villagers stopped what they were doing and glanced at them suspiciously. The three of them were doing anything other than keeping a low profile. There was Lydia with her wolf like ears and tail, wearing her somewhat skimpy yet elegant samurai armor. Sasha the white skinned dragoness, her wings folded neatly behind her and wearing a short black skirt and black vest. Then there was John, carrying his unique weapon and wearing clothes none of these people had seen before. John firmly gripped his rifle as the continued to turn a few heads.




New Life in a New World Ch. 03



"Relax," Sasha said next to him as she placed her hand behind his shoulder. "I come here all the time, we're safe."

"Looking just as you are now?" John challenged.

Now Sasha was the one who did not want to give a direct answer. She had frequently visited this village over the years. However, every time she would be wearing a black cloak and would wrap a black cloth around her face to hide it. But in an attempt to travel light, she left it back in her cave. She glanced back at her wings and tail before turning back to John.

"Everything will be fine," she replied confidently, "These people are peaceful."

"That does not mean I like sticking out like sore thumb," John said, studying the villagers to see if any were going to make threatening moves toward them.

"John, trust me. You have nothing to worry about."

"Umm...Last time I checked, I'm supposed to go up against some demon who obviously knows I'm here because he sent a fucking dragon after me!" he replied frustratingly, "So please don't mind if I do worry."

Sasha gently placed her hand lightly on his chest, "That's why I'm here to protect you."

John realized what she was doing. For the past couple days he had been dwelling nonstop about the prophecy, his possible upcoming battle with a demon, and questioning if he could even succeed. However, the more he thought about his mission, the more he started to second guess himself. He had no intel, no leads on Solomon's whereabouts, and no information on his strengths and weaknesses. But Sasha did not want him to lose confidence, so she would try to get him to relax a little to help take his mind off the prophecy.

Sasha walked over to Lydia. The two girls quietly conversed before Lydia walked over to John and handed him a coin pouch and a folded piece of paper. He unfolded the paper, on it was a list of supplies. On the list included sleeping pads and food that was easily preservable and portable. The tree of them had split the travel funds equally, but Lydia was giving him a bit more to work with.

"Go ahead and purchase our supplies," Lydia instructed him, "Sasha and I will try to get some rooms at the Inn." Lydia motioned over to a nearby building, The Young Horse's Inn.

Lucky for John, he was standing nearby the local market. He studied the list as he slowly passed by the various merchant booths and stands. Not quite Pike Place Market, but close to some of the farmers markets he used to visit. The market was bustling with activity. Deals being made, people asking about the goods being offered, the sounds of real commerce at its best. John still stood out from the rest of the crowd, but he did not have a dragoness or half-lycan drawing attention. However, many of the merchants were hesitant to speak with him until he held a few gold coins in front of them.

He started with what would be the easiest to find, food. Knowing that this would have to last them at least a few days, he looked for the food that would keep well. He got some carrots, onions, potatoes, and a few apples. He moved to another vendor and picked up a few small loafs of bread. It was a bit harder finding some meat, very few of the butchers at the market had meat that was cured. Luckily, he found one that did. The hardest item to acquire were the bedrolls. However, he managed to commission a craftsman to make three bedrolls. John even agreed to buy a travel bag from the merchant if he could have the bedrolls finished by tomorrow morning. The travel bag came in handy as he was able to place his recently bought items in it.

As he walked back toward the inn, he passed by a merchant selling jewelry when something caught his eye. Hanging from the display stand was a beautiful necklace. The cord was tightly braded and ruby red in color. Hanging from the cord was a pink, wide hook shaped crystal with two translucent beads flanking it. The crystal looked like half of a yin-yang symbol. John immediately thought of Lydia as he looked at the necklace. Even though she did not say much to him most of the day, he figured she was still upset at him. He recalled the look of disbelief on her face when he admitted that he slept with Sasha the a couple nights ago. He realized that he had hurt her by what he had done, but he could not understand why. She had made it very clear that she was no longer romantically interested in him. So why was she so upset? Perhaps it was how quickly he had moved from her to Sasha.

He did like Sasha, she was an incredibly beautiful woman. She was smart, witty, easygoing, and he certainly enjoyed the affection she gave him. That was also part of the problem. As much as she tried to show that she loved him, it didn't feel real. John had a feeling that she only loved him because of his role in the prophecy. As much as he did like her, he just didn't have the same feelings toward her as he did for Lydia.

He asked the merchant for the price of the necklace, and it was not cheap. The cost would take a third out of his travel funds. He was about to pass it up, but he thought about how good it would look on Lydia. It was certainly more beautiful than anything else on display and such a gift might just help patch things up between them. After haggling a bit with the merchant, John got the price reduced slightly as he handed over a few gold coins. He looked at the necklace one more time before placing it in his pocket, hoping Lydia would like it.

John started to make his way back to the inn when he heard a commotion in front of the neighboring tavern. As he neared the disturbance, a crowd had formed. He spotted both Sasha and Lydia in the semi-circle of villagers who had also come to investigate the disturbance. Both had concerned looks on their faces as they had their hands on their weapons, indecisive on whether or not to intervene. He moved between the two girls and peered through the crowd as he finally saw what was going on.

On the ground was a short, heavyset man. He wore brown pants, a white shirt, and an apron. He was down on his knees, a dusting of dirt covering his clothing and a few bruises on his face. Surrounding him were five or six thugs wearing leather armor and proudly brandishing their weapons on their belts. They surrounded the helpless man, clearly roughing him up.

"This is the fifth time you've been late on your payment," said the apparent lead thug as he crouched over the man. "I'm getting real tired of having to come out here to remind you."

"I'm sorry," said the man, his head lowered in shame, "The money is tight right now, people are not traveling like they used to."

"You know the rules," replied one of the thugs standing behind the man. "You pay us our fee and we don't torch your business and kill you. It does not get any more simple than that."

"Please, just give me one more week. I'll have your money by then."

"That's what you said last week, and the week before that," the lead thug replied, pushing the man back on the ground with his boot.

John clenched his fists angrily as he watched the man get roughed up by the thugs. He could not stand bullies, or anyone who got pleasure tormenting the weak. It's one thing to take on someone in a fair fight. But to threaten the defenseless, it just made him sick to his stomach. He grabbed onto his rifle when he felt a hand lightly grab his arm, he looked over to Lydia who was shaking her head.

"Don't do it," she whispered to John, "This is none of our business."

"I won't simply stand here and watch this take place," John replied.

"I have to agree with her," Sasha chimed in, "They're known as the Beasts of the West. A notorious gang in these parts, very ruthless."

John managed to catch a glimpse of an emblem on the left shoulder pad on one of the thugs. It simply consisted of three, black claw marks running diagonally. At first, he mistook it for battle damage until he saw the same emblem on the left shoulder pad of the other thugs. Some of the thugs were slim and others had arms like tree trunks. Either way, all of them seemed to keep themselves in shape. But if they thought they were ruthless, just wait until they met him.

"If you get involved, you will certainly get that unwanted attention you wanted to avoid," Lydia warned.

She did have a point. Solomon was already after him, the last thing John needed was to have a gang of thugs after him as well. He looked at the bruised and humiliated man on the ground as he weighed his options. He had to put a stop to this.

"Look, I have part of the payment," the man pleaded, "Can't you at least accept that for now?"

"How pathetic," the lead thug sneered before spitting on him. "The only payment I'll accept now...is your life."

The thug unsheathed his sword as he moved toward the helpless man. His cohorts laughing like jackals, eager to see blood spilt. The thug brought his sword up, about to deal the killing blow.

"Hey asshole!" yelled a voice behind him. The thug turned to see John step out of the crowd. "Why don't you swing that sword at someone ready for a fight."

"Do you have any idea who you are dealing with?" The thug leader growled, turning toward John. He tightened the grip on his sword and flexed the muscles in his arm, getting ready to attack.

John casually raised his rifle, aiming it directly at the thug. "Does it look like I give a shit who you are?"

Sasha and Lydia stepped out of the crowd, both with their swords drawn as they moved on either side of John. The lead thug quickly signaled to his comrades. They drew their weapons and started to charge toward John and the girls. John quickly lowered his rifle and aimed it at the ground, just in front of the thugs.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The shots rang through the village. Onlookers in the crowed covered their ears and shrieked at the incredible noise. Even Sasha and Lydia jumped back a little. The thugs immediately stopped in their tracks as several large puffs of dirt flew up in front of them. They now had the look of sheer terror on their faces as they witnessed the power of his weapon. John quickly aimed the weapon back up at the thugs.

"The next round goes into the head of whoever takes another step forward," John warned.

The thugs remained frozen. They looked to the lead thug who was also remained petrified. Eventually, after the initial shock wore off, the lead thug glared at John. He wanted to kill this man but knew that he and his crew would be no match for his weapon Angrily, the thug sheathed his sword. Turning around he signaled the remainder of the gang and they ran out of the village.

The onlooking crowed dispersed as John lowered his rifle. He walked over to the man on the ground and extended his hand. The man happily grabbed a hold of it as John helped him up. He smiled under his black eye and bloody nose as he dusted himself off.

"Young man, I cannot thank you enough for what you have done," he said, "Name's Max."

"Nice to meet you, I'm John," he replied as he shook the man's hand, "This is Lydia and Sasha."

The two girls bowed their heads respectively as John introduced them. Max seemed to be taken aback by their appearances at first, but then he smiled and bowed toward the girls. He then looked back at John and studied his strange clothing, vest and weapons.

"Where exactly are you from?" Max asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Not from around here," John replied with a nervous laugh.

Max shook his head, "No matter, let me treat you to a drink on the house."

Max motioned to the tavern next to them, The Divine Barrel. The sign over the front door depicted a barrel with rays of yellow light coming out from it. The tavern itself was an older, but well kept wooden building that was shared with the inn.

"Let me patch you up first" John said as he reached for his first aid pouch.

"No need for that," Max replied, shaking his head. "A warrior like you will probably have more of a need for that than this lowly old barkeep. Now please, come inside."

Max held open the door and motioned them inside. Even banged up, he still wore a smile on his face as he played the role of host. An orange hue filled the tavern from the light passing through the windows and the lanterns on the wall. A couple rectangular tables with benches sat in the center of the room. Smaller, rounded tables lined the walls at the outer edges of the tavern. Deer antlers dotted the walls along with other odds and ends. The whole vibe from the tavern was old, yet cozy.

When they first entered, the tavern was filled with the loud murmur of patrons conversing. But after John and the girls entered, people immediately took notice. All the conversations in the room suddenly came down to a hushed silence as everyone turned and stared at the three of them. John tried to make out the few quiet whispers he could hear as he scanned the room. He heard snippets of words identifying his strange clothing and Lydia being a half-lycan, but the whispered conversations about the dragoness were unmistakable. However, Sasha seemed to be the only one out of the three of them who was not bothered by the extra attention. Max then emerged from behind them as he entered the tavern.

"Next round is on the house!" he yelled.

A roar of cheers and applause erupted from the tavern, breaking the uncomfortable silence. As the patrons in the bar continued to cheer and raised their glasses for a toast, Max led the three adventurers to the bar. The three of them took their seats at the long table, Lydia and Sasha on either side of John. Max walked over to a bucket of water in the corner. He splashed some water on his face as he cleaned himself up. After drying himself off, he walked back over to John and the girls.

"What can I get for you?" Max asked, still keeping his smile even with a black eye.

"Are you sure you're ok?" John asked with a concerned look.

"I'm fine, no worse than last week," Max replied. He then reached up on the shelf behind him and pulled down an unmarked bottle with a clear liquid inside. "This is something I brewed recently," Max said as he poured them their glasses.

John swirled the clear liquid in his glass, hesitant on drinking it. He glanced over to Lydia who also seemed to stare at her glass suspiciously. However, Sasha had already taken a large swig from her glass and let out a refreshing exhale. John almost found it quite sensual in the way that she reacted.

"We have no idea what's in this stuff," John whispered to Sasha as he leaned in close to her. "I really don't think we should be drinking this."

"How many times do I have to tell you to relax," Sasha replied, "I drank first because I would be able to tell if there was anything harmful in it. It's rather difficult to poison a dragon."

"Fine," John said, finally cracking a smile for the first time all day. "But if I get killed because of you, I will fucking haunt you," he playfully warned her.

"I would hope so," she whispered in his ear, giving his inner thigh a squeeze.

Lydia and John quickly glanced at each other before they both took a swig from their glasses. Both of their eyes shot wide open as the liquid slipped passed their lips and into their mouths. Holy shit, it was strong. John imagined that this is what gasoline tasted like. It burned as it went down his throat and ignited a fire in his belly like napalm. John managed to keep his composure, it was not the first time he had drank strong alcohol. Lydia on the other hand was coughing as she swallowed her drink, her eyes started to water up.

"Delicious, isn't it?" Sasha commented with a satisfied look on her face.

"Gods! It's...*cough*...disgusting," Lydia choked, "What the hell is in this!?"

"Corn meal, sugar, yeast, and malt," Max replied with a shrug, "I make it in a still I built out back. Not sure what to call it yet."

John let out a loud laugh. "This my friend...is moonshine," he said while adding a fake southern drawl.

"Moonshine...I like it," Max said as he dwelled on the name. "Now, do you have a place to stay for the night?"

"At the inn next door," Sasha replied, "However, they only had two rooms available."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Max replied. "I own the inn along with this tavern. Normally I like hearing about my rooms being full, but not if it inconveniences you."

"I'm sure we can manage," Sasha said suggestively as she ran her hand further up John's thigh. He nearly choked on his drink when she gave his cock a slight squeeze through his pants. He quickly glanced over to Lydia, she seemed to not take notice.

"I have an idea," Max said excitingly, snapping his fingers. "I also run the horse show here, nothing like you've ever seen before. I've managed to grab some of the best horse trainers, riders, acrobats, and musicians in the region. How about tickets to tonight's showing?"

John shook his head, "That's kind of you but...."

"We would be honored to go," Sasha interrupted, "Right Lydia?"

"Um...well?" Lydia replied, unsure how to answer. She knew what John was thinking, he would have wanted to stay on their current task to find Solomon without any distractions. However, she also understood Sasha's point of view. Life is short and needs to be enjoyed at every opportunity, especially when on a dangerous mission. She had also heard rumors about this show from a few people in Wolfdell, however no one really went because it required visiting a human village. She glanced over at John who was looking back at her, hoping that she side with him. But might as well see the show since they were not going to leave the village until tomorrow. Lydia looked over at Sasha, "It sounds like fun."

John sighed quietly, "Fine, we'll go."

"Great!" Max said excitedly. He reached under the bar and pulled out three slips of paper and handed them to Sasha. "Great seats too," he added.

Once they had, or attempted to, finish their drinks they went back next door to the inn. The show would start in the evening so they had a couple of hours to settle. Since they only had two rooms for the three of them, John offered to stay on watch. But Sasha insisted that he stayed in her room, somehow he was not surprised that she did. John removed his tactical vest and placed it along with his rifle in a locked chest in the room. There was no real need to unpack, but they wanted to hide their equipment in case anyone decided to snoop around while they were gone. Lydia stood in the doorway of Sasha's room as she and John continued to put away some of their gear. John called her in to their room because he wanted to try and figure out their next move in their hunt for Solomon. However, she seemed to walk in on an argument.

"John, as much as I love you, you've been nothing but a tight-ass all day," Sasha admonished, her hands on her hips.

"Look, the moment we get the slightest lead on Solomon I promise I'll lighten up," John replied, "But until then, I want to concentrate on our mission."

"And that's the problem," the dragoness said as she walked over to him, gently wrapping her arms around his neck. "What you are doing is not concentrating, it's worrying. Not only are you stressing yourself out, but us as well."

John glanced over at Lydia, she gave a slight nod in agreement.

"You are simply trying to see this quest as nothing but a series of objectives," Sasha continued, "but it's so much more than that. You have to wait for these clues to present themselves to you, and no amount of worrying will change that."

"The last few days have been extremely stressful for you," Lydia added. "You have been taken from your world. Then nearly killed by a pack of wolves. You barely escaped an attack from a dragon. Now you have found out that you're the only one who can save this world. But it's only going to get harder from here. If you don't at least give yourself a chance to relax you'll go mad, assuming you haven't driven us mad first."




New Life in a New World Ch. 03



Sasha then gently placed her hand on the side of his face, turning his gaze back towards her deep blue eyes. "I can't imagine how lost you feel right now. But trust me, everything will fall in place."

Sasha moved her hand to the back of his head as she kissed him deeply. Lydia forced herself to look away from the two lip locked lovers. John finally smiled back as the lovely dragoness broke the kiss. He knew she was right. Even before arriving to this world, it had been weeks since John had a chance to wind down.

"Besides I think I have an idea of where we should go," Sasha said as she ran her fingers through the young man's hair.

"What did you have in mind?" Lydia asked from the doorway, looking a bit uncomfortable at Sasha's display of affection.

"The elven city in the east," she replied. Lydia had a confused expression on her face as she wondered how the elves could help them. Sasha smiled softly at her, "It was the elves and the dragons who discovered the prophecy together. They decided that the elves would document everything they could find out about Solomon while the dragons, well...me, would look for the warrior since we have longer life spans."

"I thought elves were immortal...or something?" John inquired. At least that's what he thought from the various fantasy books he used to read.

Sasha shook her head, "No one is immortal, except for gods and demons. Elves live a long time, about a thousand years. But not nearly as long as us."

"So in this elven city I'll find..."

"Answers," Sasha interrupted, "Answers about the prophecy, Solomon, and how you got here."

John's eyebrows perked up. Did she just say the elves might know how he got there? Would that mean that they would know how to return him home? Did he even want to go back? Dozens of questions buzzed around in his mind. John shook his head, those questions could wait. For now, he would trust Sasha's advice that things would fall in place.

"Ok, tomorrow morning we head east," John instructed, "We keep moving and make as few stops a possible. It sounds like we have a lot of ground to cover and a short time to do it."

"John..." Sasha warned, thinking he was becoming uptight again.

"Don't worry I haven't forgotten," he reassured her. "In fact, I believe there is a performance we should be getting to."

******************************

Night had fallen in the village, the market and shops had long since closed. Small cauldrons of fire provided some light on the streets. However many of the villagers did not return to their homes, they were heading to the amphitheatre along with John and the girls. The amphitheatre itself was large, obviously not the size of the coliseum, but certainly larger than a circus tent. The mass of people started to sort themselves into neat lines as the approached the entrance. Once their tickets were taken, they took their seats. The seats were in a stadium seating arrangement, the rear seats stacked much higher than the front. Sasha still made an effort to keep her wings tucked in to prevent them from blocking the view of the spectators behind her. The stage seemed to be divided into two levels. The rear of the stage was slightly elevated higher than the front by a few feet. Two curved ramps along the sides connected the upper and lower halves of the sage. The entire stage itself was covered in sand or dirt.

More and more people started filling the seats in the auditorium. The tickets that John, Lydia, and Sasha received from Max placed them in the center and a few rows back from the front. John started to feel exposed, he would have preferred seats in the back row where he could keep a keen eye on everyone. John started to look around and scanned the faces of the audience members when he felt someone give his knee a squeeze. He looked over to his right to see Sasha cracking a smile, reminding him to relax. John took a deep breath as he calmed himself down a little.

John turned to Lydia, "So what have you heard about this show?"

"Only that it's supposed to represent the bond between man and horse," Lydia replied. "Have you ever ridden a horse before?"

He nodded, "I did a few times when I was a kid. I also had to ride a horse a couple times when I was in Afghanistan." He turned to Sasha, "What about you, do you like horses?"

"I love horses," Sasha replied, "They are incredibly tasty, but wild horses are hard to come by and humans don't like it when we eat theirs."

John did a double take when he heard Sasha's reply, he stared at her with a shocked expression on his face.

"What? A girl's gotta eat," Sasha said with a shrug.

Before he got a chance to reply, the lights started to dim and the audience quieted down. A guitar started playing somewhere offstage, only a few chords at a time. Two brown horses entered the stage from the side, but they had no riders. There were no marks that they were trying to hit. They just wandered the stage, exploring it and each other. It was so simple yet beautiful, horses just being themselves. The sound of a woman singing filled the theatre, the singer soon came onto the stage. She slowly walked across the stage, her beautiful voice filling the air. The two horses played and danced around her, she reached out her hand and lightly rubbed their noses when they came close. As she reached the end of her song, she exited the stage with the horses following her.

The next act started with another horse coming onto the stage, a dark brown haired Warmblood. There was a shallow pool of water, center stage. The dark and mellow tone of a viola started playing. The horse wandered around before making it's way to the water. A young woman then entered from the back of the stage. She carefully observed the horse as it wandered about, almost with a sense of wonder. As she stepped closer to the horse, it backed away. She also backed away, seemingly frightened by the horse's sudden movement. She held her curled hand to her face, her curiosity overpowering her fear. She moved toward the center of the stage, standing in the pool of water. She reached out as the horse passed by, wanting the majestic animal to come closer. The Warmblood took notice and moved closer to the girl. Lightly placing her hand on the side of its face, she looked into the eyes of the horse. The horse then began to trot around the edge of the pool. The woman danced alongside, kicking up water as she joyfully twirled and jumped. She then reached down and scooped some water into her cupped hands. The horse came over and drank from her hands, signifying the trust that had been created between them. The theatre filled with applause as she led the horse off the stage.

The rest of the show continued to be a wonderful display of equestrian riding, acrobatics and art. There were acts that displayed expert horse control and other acts demonstrated stunt riding. Thrown in the mix were acrobatic acts that would rival Cirque du Soleil. John, Sasha, and Lydia found themselves on the edge of their seats with some of the more exciting acts that included Roman horse riding, where the rider would be riding two horses with a foot planted on each horse, and rodeo stunts. John enjoyed the rodeo style riding as he remembered how his parents used to take him to the rodeo up in Albany. The show reminded him just how beautiful horses were. For the large beasts that they were, they moved with such grace and composure.

Throughout the performance Sasha remained snuggled up to John, her arm wrapped around his and her head resting on his shoulder. Every so often she would sneak in a small kiss on his cheek. John would smile softly back at her, acknowledging her attention to him. However, he found himself looking over to Lydia. She seemed to be intently watching the show. However, he caught her on more than one occasion glancing over to him before quickly looking back toward the stage. Her hands were gripped tightly on the armrests of the her seat. As she observed Sasha's display of affection for John, she noticed something that she hadn't thought about all day. While John was certainly not rejecting the dragoness' affection, he was not really showing much affection in return. He seemed to just be going along with it, but never initiating. Did John not have the same feelings for Sasha as she had for him? Did this mean that she might actually have a chance to tell John her true feelings and win back his heart? Then what about Sasha? She did not seem like the violent type, but Lydia did not want to go toe-to-toe with a dragoness to find out. She further tightened her grip on the armrest as these questions raced through her mind. She let out a small gasp when she suddenly felt John softly place his hand on hers. She looked over to him, and saw he had that comforting smile on his face that she loved so much. She breathed a sigh of relief and let herself relax. They soon both turned their attentions back to the stage for the final act.

A single white horse galloped onto the stage. A guitar started playing a slow, tranquil melody. The music made John think about the meadow he passed through on the way to Wolfdell. That horse was joined by another, then another. One by one, horses entered from each side of the stage until there were eight horses total. Just like at the beginning of the show, the horses just acted like themselves. A couple of them nipped at each other while another was rolling in the dirt. Two of them ran around the stage excitedly while the rest stood around without a care in the world. That's when the woman entered.

She entered from the right side of the stage, lightly bowing her head to the audience with a small smile. She looked to be close to John's age, maybe a bit older. Her white hair was tightly braided and wrapped into two, tight buns on the top of her head. Her smooth skin was pale, almost albino like. Her long legs were visible in a slit that ran up the side of her dress. One of the horses raced up to greet her. She gently placed her hand on its head, calming it down. At first, the rest of the horses did not seem to take notice of her as she walked between them. She then reached down and picked up a small handful of sand and tossed it toward the center of the stage. Catching their attention, the horses stopped what they were doing and started to lightly gallop in a tight circle around her. One by one they started to sort themselves out until they were single file. A light applause emanated from the audience. She suddenly raised her arms, the horses immediately stopped galloping and spun around in place. Another burst of applause filled the theatre. Only using hand signals and voice commands, she had the group start galloping again. She sent four of them to run to the upper stage and back down while she kept the remaining four in place. They returned to the lower stage and resumed running their tight circle around the woman. However, she then took the remaining four horses and had them run the opposite direction. The audience applauded again as they were presented with the sight of two groups of horses, one running clockwise and the other counter-clockwise with perfect coordination. She then lined them up side by side, walking around the stage in perfect formation. The horses were then lined up at the front of the stage, completing the act. The woman took a bow as the amphitheatre was soon filled with a roaring applause. John was one of the first to rise from his seat as he clapped his hands. He was soon joined by the rest of the audience in a standing ovation. The rest of the riders and acrobats, accompanied by their horses, joined the woman on the stage and took one final bow.

John and Lydia moved with the large crowd as they exited the amphitheatre. Sasha had stayed behind to thank Max for inviting them to the show and to discuss the best route to the elven city. As they walked through the crowd, John listened in on the various conversations around him. Most were recalling just how incredible the show was. A couple people said that it inspired them to take their own horses out for a ride the next day.

"It's true what they say, horses are the Gods gift to man," said a passing couple.

John immediately froze when he heard this. Lydia soon realized that he was no longer walking beside her. Concerned, she turned back to him.

"Everything alright?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied seemingly lost in his thoughts, "It's just that I've heard that before. It's an old Arabian proverb from my world."

"Come on, we should be getting back to the inn," Lydia said, smiling warmly as she lightly grabbed his hand and started leading him back to where they were staying. John smiled back, this was the first time they had held hands since their night together in Wolfdell.

When they arrived back to the inn, Lydia retired to her own room while John sat in the room he would be sharing with Sasha. Amazingly John had too much energy to sleep. He cracked a smile as he thought about how Sasha might suggest he burn off that extra energy. John reached into his pocket and pulled out the necklace that he had bought in the market earlier, he had almost forgotten to give it to Lydia. He made his way over to Lydia's room next door and lightly knocked.

"Come in," she replied.

John peeked his head in to see Lydia laying on her front, facing the door and the foot of the bed. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow as she looked up at John. He was unable to say a word as he stood in the doorway admiring her. She had removed her armor and her skirt. Topless, her breasts were hidden from view as she laid on her front. Her smooth, silky legs were bent upwards as she rested her heels on her panty clad butt. Her tail wagging lazily side to side. The situation reminded John of when he caught Lydia ogling him back at Anya's, only this time the roles were reversed.

"Need something?" she finally asked, giving him a small smile.

"Umm...yes," John finally stammered, "Actually, I wanted to give you something."

John presented her with the necklace. Her eyes went wide as he placed it in her hand. "John...it's beautiful!" she gasped.

"I saw it in the market today and it made me think of you."

Lydia ran her fingers over the smooth, pink crystal. John came over and took the necklace out of her hands, offering to help her put it on. Lydia reached behind her and moved her snow, white hair out of the way while John tied the ends of the necklace behind her neck. She let her hair fall back into place as he finished. She turned toward him, the crystal rested just above her bare breasts. John's eyes lowered from the necklace to her chest. He had almost forgotten how beautiful her tits were, topped with her pert nipples. He shook his head to bring himself back to reality.

John smiled, "Looks great on you."

Her cheeks went slightly red as she blushed at his comment. Her heart started beating harder as she realized their faces were only inches from each other. Her golden eyes locked with his, silence filled the room. She realized this was her chance, she needed to tell him how she really felt. As John got up to leave, she quickly reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Wait..." she said softly, her eye pleading with him not to leave. "I...I just..." she had thought about all day what she would say to John if she could only get some time alone with him. But now she couldn't even formulate simple sentences.

"I...I wanted to say...I am sorry for what I said the other day," Lydia finally managed to speak, "I feel I....I came off too harsh."

"That's ok," John replied, "I mean...it came as a shock, but my feelings were not hurt."

John realized that Lydia had not let go of his wrist yet. He looked back to her beautiful face, she was biting her lip apprehensively. Dammit Lydia, just tell him you love him. She knew the words to say, but she just could not get them to come out.

"John, do you believe in love at first sight?" she asked softly.

"Well...Sasha seems to think so," he replied with a nervous chuckle.

Lydia pouted at his reply, "I don't care what Sasha thinks. Believe me, she has made her feelings for you very obvious. I'm talking about you. Do you believe in it?"

"Well...," he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to avoid giving a direct answer. "Why do you ask?"

Lydia swallowed as she prepared her answer. She really hoped for a better way to segue into this. But she needed to be bold, it was now or never. "I ask because...I think...I lo..."

"Hey! There you guys are," Sasha interrupted as she peeked her head into the room. She came to the sight of John with the topless half-lycan, her breasts on full display. "Um...What's going on in here?" Sasha asked suspiciously.

"Just talking," John quickly replied.

"If you say so," She said, still giving him a suspicious glare. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the new piece of jewelry around the half-lycan's neck. "Lydia, where did you get that beautiful necklace?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well...John gave it to me?" Lydia replied nervously, unsure of what the dragoness' reaction was going to be.

John was not sure how Sasha would respond either, she did seem a bit possessive of him. Sasha calmly walked over to Lydia, studying the necklace. He readied himself to possibly break up a fight. However to his surprise, Sasha's reaction was quite the opposite.

"Gods, it looks so beautiful on you," Sasha replied cheerfully, "John's sure got great taste".

"Thank you," Lydia replied while quietly breathing a sigh of relief.

"So, I have some great news," the dragoness said with some excitement, "Tomorrow late morning there will be an armed caravan that will pass through here and continue east."

"What are they transporting?" Lydia inquired.

"Food, ale, clothing, nothing special," Sasha replied. "The merchants hired some security because of a rise in bandit raids. However, the best part is Max will convince them to allow us to tag along. It won't be all the way to the elven city, but having the extra protection during part of our trip will help."

"Well, that is...*YAWN*...um, great news," John replied, his eyelids starting to get droopy.

"Well, looks like someone is ready for bed," the dragoness laughed as she grabbed John's arm. "Goodnight Lydia," she said as she yanked John out of the room.

"Good...night," Lydia tried to say, only to have Sasha close her bedroom door before she could even finish.

The exotic dragoness quickly pulled John into their room and embraced him in a deep kiss. Her tongue slid in and out of his mouth while she locked the door with her free hand. Undoing the laces on her vest and skirt, she let her clothes fall to the floor and pool at her feet. She finally broke the kiss, her deep blue eyes giving him a hungry look. She fell to her knees, dragging her hands over his broad chest.

"What happened to going bed?" John protested.

"Oh we will certainly be going to bed baby," she replied as she started to unbuckle his belt, "but I've been waiting all day for this."

"Well, I just don't want Lydia to hear...uuhhh...God..." John was interrupted as Sasha pulled out his cock and began ferociously sucking on it.

"Mmmpphh," She tried to reply back with a mouthful of cock before having the sense to release him, "Don't worry about her, she won't hear us."

Before John could argue, she quickly engulfed his member. She gave him a little wink as she wrapped her charcoal lips around him. He was in absolute bliss as she ran her serpentine tongue along the underside of his shaft. She tightly gripped the base of his shaft as she took more of him in. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of John's member becoming harder in her mouth. She reached down between her legs and started rubbing her clit as she bobbed her head on his growing shaft.

John groaned as she pushed her tongue in the tip of his engorged head. The surge of pleasure that shot through him weakened his knees, causing him to reach for the nearest wall for support. He ran his fingers through her light blue hair, lightly gripping it as he gave her an encouraging push back down on his cock. He then moved his hands along one of the smooth, twisted horns that sprouted from the top of her head. God, what an exotic creature she was. Her slurping only got louder as he finally became rock hard. With a soft touch, the dragoness lightly fondled his balls. John felt a sudden surge grow within him, he was getting close.




New Life in a New World Ch. 03



"Oh...damn! You're gonna make me cum," he groaned through his gritted teeth.

Sasha suddenly released his cock from her mouth with a loud pop. John started to moan in protest, but the white dragoness simply looked up at him with a devious smile. As she started to stand up, she grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head. Tossing the brown shirt to the side, she grabbed his head with both of her hands and planted a deep kiss on his lips.

"Oh no," Sasha said with a sultry tone as she broke the kiss, "I want you cumming deep in my cunt." She turned and sashayed over to the bed, dimming the oil lamp on the bedside table to provide the perfect mood lighting.

"Hey, I was enjoying...the...oh...damn," John's jaw practically dropped to the ground when he saw the sight before him.

Sasha was on all fours on the bed, her ass raised in the air. She moved her thick tail to the side, coiling it around her thigh. The dim light in the room glistened off her moist pussy. She craned her neck back toward him, her beautiful blue eyes narrowing and drawing him in. John didn't have to think about what to do next, his body made the decision for him. He stumbled over to the bed as he kicked off his boots and pants on the way there. His cock stood at full attention, begging to be welcomed into Sasha's pearly white folds. She gave her ass a shake in his direction.

"Last time, we made love," Sasha said as she reached her hand under her and spread her cunt wide open for him. "This time I want you to mate me."

John came up behind her and rested his cock on her cunt. She bit her lip in anticipation, but whimpered disappointingly when he didn't move. Cracking a mischievous smile, he slowly pushed himself into her. Sasha was clearly not interested in his teasing, no matter how erotic she found it to be. She wanted him to fuck her and she wanted it now! John was thrown off guard when her tail wrapped around his waist and pulled him toward her, slamming his cock into her dripping twat. The dragoness sighed in pleasure as she savored the feeling of being filled by John's magnificent phallus. He felt her tail tighten up around him for a moment, as if she was strapping him in for the ride of his life. When she did relax her tail, he placed his hands on her smooth hips and began to thrust in and out of her at a steady pace. Sasha quickly looked back at him with a menacing glare in her eyes. She emitted a low, feral growl towards John. He quickly got the message. She did not want him to go easy, she wanted to be rutted like a wild animal. He tightened his grip and slammed back into her.

"OHH...GODS!!!!" the dragoness screamed as she felt his hips slam back to her ass.

John groaned in bliss as he felt her cunt tighten up around his member. He pulled out, her pussy desperately trying to pull him back in. But it did not have to wait long before he trust himself back in. Sasha was breathing heavily as she pushed herself against him, meeting his thrust. The dragoness let out another low, pleasurable moan. John smiled and finally got into the proper mood. He continued to pound in and out of her, gritting his teeth as he was determined to punish her pussy with his cock. The tiny room was soon filled with their moans and the slapping of their hips. John closed his eyes as he focused on the wonderful wet heat that surrounded him when he buried his rod into her. Her smooth, muscular body pressing back to meet with his. Her previously well groomed blue hair, now messy as it flowed down her back and over her shoulder. Her breasts bounced underneath her from the lovers movements. Sasha yelped loudly as gave her ass a firm smack, leaving a slight red mark on her cheek. She grinned as she looked down at the pillow.

"Ow!" John shouted as the tip of her tail violently whipped his own ass cheek in retaliation.

Gods, she loved this man! He could be the kind and gentle lover like on their first night together. He could also be the wild animal that she currently craved. As she felt his trusts stoke the fires of passion, she was determined to savor this experience. She knew that once they were on the road they would have a difficult time finding privacy, especially with Lydia around. She couldn't wait to watch her lover defeat Solomon. After that, she would bring John back to her cave where he would live with her and fuck her every night for the rest of his life.

John's breathing quicker as he desperately tried to keep pace with the wild dragoness under him. Her panting had become small whimpers, and those whimpers were soon getting louder. He never thought that his military conditioning would come in handy for sex, but he was finding out that it did. They had been fucking at rabbit speed, nonstop, for over ten straight minutes. Most men would have thrown out their backs at this point, but John was still starting to feel a small ache in his legs and lower back. But relief would come soon as he felt his balls boil, aching for release.

"Come on...John!" Sasha cried out between breaths, "Fuck...me...like the...beast you are!"

Once again, she tried to use her tail to encourage his movements. Instead, John quickly grabbed hold of her tail and wrapped it around his arm. With a firm grip at the base, John gave her tail a violent tug.

"YEEESSSSS!!!!" she screamed, her eyes shooting wide open. Her claws were leaving deep scratches in the wooden headboard.

"Is this how you want it?" John said with a wide grin as he gave her tail another yank. "Is this rough enough for you?"

"OH...GODS...YESSS!!!!" Sasha cried out as she felt her inevitable climax suddenly approach her. "FUCK ME...CUM IN ME...TAKE WHAT'S YOURS!!!!"

John rammed in a few more times into her hot, tight cunt. Sasha was tearing deep into the mattress with her claws, ripping it to shreds. John's cock felt like a fire hose ready to burst. He gave one final thrust, burying himself as deep as he humanly could. The dragoness and the human cried out in unison as he shot rope after rope of his cum deep inside her. The two lovers remained unmoving as they took a few moments to steady their breathing. He finally pulled out of her, some of his cum following him and dripping onto the bed sheets. Sasha quickly turned on her side and pulled her human lover down onto the bed. She wrapped her limbs around him and pulled him in for a deep kiss. Her long tongue thrust past his lips and deep into his mouth before she finally released him.

"That was...incredible," John managed to say between his deep breaths.

"No, YOU were incredible," Sasha replied lovingly, giving him as small peck on his cheek. "Lydia was right, you will make a wonderful mate for me."

Those words quickly brought John down from his afterglow. "Yeah, about that," he anxiously replied as he glanced over to the wall on the far side of the room where he hoped Lydia had slept through the sounds of their lovemaking. "Assuming I even survive this quest, you will live on for another couple thousand years beyond my life span. I would be a weak old man while you would still have the beautiful young body that you have now. Would you still love me, even when I'm old and frail?"

"Well sure," Sasha replied, looking perplexed. "I mean, I'm sure we could make it work. Besides, what's with this talk of not surviving? Didn't I tell you that I have complete faith that you will defeat Solomon?"

"I know you do," John sighed, "But I also know the odds. Perhaps I do defeat Solomon, but I have a feeling that I won't come out of it alive. To be honest, I'm fine with that."

"So you don't value your life? Do you wish for death to take you?" she replied, raising her tone.

He really did not want to respond to that question because he knew Sasha would not like the answer. "That's not the point," he said shaking his head, "The point I'm trying to make is that one way or another, you will lose me. Are you prepared for that?"

Sasha put her hand lightly on the side of his face while she looked at him worryingly. But she knew John was right. In the grand scheme of things, they would only have a short time with each other. Just a small blip in her life. Even though she was confident that those years with John would probably be her best, he would be gone and she would be alone for thousands of years. Could she find another mate after him? Probably, but would she even want to? She guessed that John wanting to distance himself emotionally helped him become a better warrior, not worrying about hurting those left behind might have brought a sense clarity. However, this was not the real reason as far as John was concerned. He had given various forms of this speech to other women back home who wanted closer relationships. But he did want a closer relationship, it's just that he felt his heart belonged to someone else.

The dragoness pouted disappointingly, but then cracked that small smile she always tried to keep. "Whatever happens between us, I will always care about you and I will always protect you." She pulled him in for a small kiss, giving his cock a squeeze, "And I will always have a good home for this anytime you need it. Now get some sleep, we have a big day tomorrow."

John rolled over and stared at the far wall where Lydia was sleeping on the other side. His eyelids felt heavier and could not keep them open any longer. Sasha tightened her arm around his torso and pulled him in close. Feeling her nuzzle the back of his neck, John finally drifted off to sleep.

Unfortunately, Lydia was not asleep and she had indeed heard John and Sasha's lovemaking through the wall. Her face was buried into her pillow, muffling her sobbing. Her fingers dug in to the soft pillow in frustration, threatening to tear it apart. The fabric beneath her face became soaked from her tears. Her chance to get John back, gone. If only she had another minute, it would have been her that he would have been making love to. It should have been her!

As she cried herself to sleep, she wondered if it was even worth continuing the quest with them. She really couldn't stand to see the two of them together anymore. Her hand reached down and tightly grasped the necklace John had given her, but stopped just before she was going to tear it off. She realized that John gave this to her because he cared about her and as angry as she was, she cared about him. Lydia decided that she had to stay, lovers or not, just so she could be at John's side.

But that did not quell the fact that she was angry. Angry at herself, yes, but she wanted to blame someone else too. She could not blame John, he thought she had called things off. What about Sasha for stealing him away from her? No, she could not have known they were together. Ulfric! That bastard! It was his threats of exile that coerced her into breaking up with John. It was because of him, the man she loved was in the arms of another woman. She swore that the next time she saw that asshole lycan, she would kill him. Even if it was in front of her father and the entire village. Lydia gripped the pillow even tighter and pressed it into her face. She screamed into the pillow, letting out all of her frustrations, until she was out of breath and she fell to sleep.

******************************

John was walking back to his uncle's apartment in the South Bronx. The sound of the metro clattering on the tracks above him as he passed by the elevated tracks. It had been six months since he lost his family. A few weeks ago, he was notified that the remains of his mother, father and little sister had been recovered. He soon discovered that the only remains were a few charred bone fragments, identifiable only through DNA testing. He had what little remains cremated and spread the ashes at their favorite campsite in upstate New York.

He had moved out of his parents house, not enough money left over to pay off the mortgage, taxes and keep things running. He also was not old enough to live on his own and was now in the custody of his uncle, David. At one time, he was probably a decent man. But then the alcohol took over his life. Then the debts piled on and he started taking his anger out on his wife, until she had the sense to walk out on him. Soon he found himself out of a job, drunk, and sitting on his ass while collecting welfare checks. John couldn't wait until he was finally eighteen in a year and he could leave his Uncle to wallow in his own filth. David never really cared for him since he moved in a couple months ago. He seemed to consider John a burden that had been dumped on him. David wasn't even interested in driving him up to the campsite to help spread the ashes of his own brother.

When John entered the apartment, he found his uncle sitting in his chair watching TV. David did not even turn to acknowledge him, he just kept watching Jerry Springer, Cops, or whatever white trash show happened to be on. His favorite chair looked like something dug out of a landfill, and it probably was. It was covered in an ugly dark green fabric with red and white stripes. Several strips of duct tape patched various rips and tears. David sat lazily, still wearing the same clothes as the previous day. He probably didn't even take a shower. His oily blond hair clumped into long strands that went past his unshaven face.

"You were supposed to pick me up from school," John said in an annoyed tone.

"You got home, didn't ya?" David sneered.

"We agreed that you were going to pick me up."

"So sue me!" David barked, "I got distracted by something on Jerry Springer. He had on a woman who's mother was a prostitute and was sleeping with the daughter's boyfriend. Anyway, it was too late to pick you up. You have two legs, so you could get home on your own."

"Nevermind," John sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

He walked past his uncle to the kitchen that was only a few feet away in the tiny apartment. It was your typical small, low-income apartment. There was very little space to move around, especially with all the trash and junk piled up. Next to the kitchen was a small hallway that led to the two bedrooms and the bathroom. Cracks and small holes were all over the brown and ugly wallpapered walls, David never bothered to call the landlord to get them repaired. The appliances in the kitchen looked like they were not updated since the nineteen seventies, and the fact they barely worked proved it. He opened up the fridge that barely kept anything cold, milk would usually go bad within a couple days. John pulled out a Coke before shutting the door.

"Hey! Gimme a beer," his uncle mumbled from his chair, extending his hand as he was too lazy to get up and get it himself.

John reached for a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon out of the carton and handed it to David. His uncle stared at the can, his hand tightened in anger. He immediately bolted out of his chair and hurled the full beer can at John, ducking just in time to miss his head and slam against the refrigerator door.

"What the hell!" John shouted in completed shock.

"I wanted it cold!" his uncle shouted back enraged, "Could you for once not be a complete fuckup."

"FUCK YOU!" John screamed as he clenched his fists, "At least I won't be a worthless sack of shit like you!"

That finally caused his uncle to snap. With the look of pure rage in his eyes, he charged at John. But the boy was faster as he made the short sprint down the hallway to his room. Slamming the door shut, he locked it with a bolt he installed without his uncle's knowledge. David tried unsuccessfully to force the door open.

"Open the fucking door!" his uncle screamed as he started trying to kick it down.

Of course, John would not comply with his demand. He quickly opened his bedroom window and climbed out to the fire escape just as his uncle kicked open the door, sending the metal bolt flying across the room. Slamming the window shut, he raced down the metal stairs and dropped down to the alley. Running in a full sprint, John headed to the only friend he had. As he ran down the street, the booming sound of thunder filled the air as the sky opened up and the rain poured down.

*********************************

John's eyes snapped open as he awoke suddenly. His heart was racing as he was breathing unsteadily. A little bit of cold sweat covered his face. He was having nightmares again. For the last several years, he had been experiencing them almost every night. However, since arriving to this world was the first time he has been able to sleep peacefully for several consecutive nights. But now, it looked like the nightmares were coming back.

The world outside the room was dead silent and the air still felt quite cool. He figured that it was still night or early morning outside. He then heard the light breathing of the sleeping dragoness snuggled up behind him, her arm wrapped around his torso. Taking care not to wake Sasha, he gently lifted her arm as he rolled out of bed. Knowing full well he was not going to be able to get back to sleep, John started putting his clothes back on. On occasion, Sasha would mutter something in her sleep. John would freeze for a moment until he was sure that she had not awoken. Strapping on his pistol holster to his thigh, he decided that he needed to take a walk or run or anything to clear his mind. Quietly closing the door behind him, he started making his way down the hallway. Stopping just before passing Lydia's door, John peeked inside. A thin strip of light spread across the floor from the hallway to the bed as the door opened. Looking across the room, he saw the white haired wolf girl sleeping peacefully. Her arm was under the pillow, holding it close to her head. Her chest rising and falling as she took deep, slow breaths. Smiling as he saw the necklace he bought for her around her neck, he was about to close the door until he noticed something. It was barely noticeable in the dark, but the areas under her eyes were redder than usual and her cheeks glistened with a small amount of wetness. Was she crying? John would have wait until morning to ask her privately.

Closing the door, he left the inn and stepped out into the cool air. He closed his eyes for a moment as he allowed the fresh air to embrace him. As he had guessed, it was still nighttime. The streets were empty and only illuminated by the small cauldrons of fire that were sporadically placed throughout the village. The hills surrounding the village were black and featureless except to the east where the sky was lighter, the trees at the top of the hill silhouetting against the dark blue sky. In roughly an hour or so, it would be dawn.

John started making his way down the street and toward the edge of the village. He figured once at the edge, he would take a quick jog around the perimeter of Bluemoor and get back to the inn just before Sasha and Lydia woke up. As he was walking, he could swear he could hear another set of footsteps behind him. John immediately stopped and turned around. The street behind him was empty. Starting to walk again, he heard the footsteps behind him. He started to change his pace and listened for the tiny differences between the sound of his feet on the ground and what was behind him. Absolutely sure that someone was following him, he pulled his pistol out of his holster and whipped around. Just then he felt a tiny prick in the side of his neck, like a bee sting. Reaching up, he pulled out a small dart. John blinked his eyes as his vision started to blur, his legs becoming weak. Looking up, he saw a dark figure enter the street. He tried to raise his pistol, but it felt like weighed a hundred pounds. His vision fading as the poison surged through his body, he finally hit the ground.

He was never fully unconscious, instead the world around him was like a hazy dream. He could hear voices, but could not make out what they were saying. He felt himself being moved, but was too weak to struggle. John slowly came to and opened his eyes, his face pressed against the hard packed dirt street. As his vision came back to him, the first thing he saw was a spaulder with three black claw marks painted on it. As he felt his strength come back to him, he realized his arms were once again bound behind his back. Looking around, he was laying in the center of the town square with several armed figures around him. Suddenly he felt someone grab the collar of his shirt and was jerked to his knees. One of the armed men walked around him, lightly dragging the tip of a blade along his neck. John suddenly recognized this man as the leader of the group of thugs he confronted earlier.




New Life in a New World Ch. 03



"We only needed you out long enough to bind you and drag you out here," the leader said with a sick laugh, "After all, we wanted you to be awake for the next part."

John quickly tried to assess the situation, and it did not look good. The ropes were quite strong and he had nothing to cut them with. The rest of the thugs were well armed and standing around him, ready to attack if he made any sudden moves. Looking down at his thigh holster, he found it to be empty. What had they done with his gun? John soon found the answer. One of the thugs was in possession of his M9, studying it with no idea of its function. He realized he might have a way out, if he was lucky.

"I'm honestly surprised how easy it was to capture you," the leader mocked, "My best men came down here for nothing."

"You caught me on an off day," John chuckled, "And if these are your best men, I feel sorry for your worst."

Some of the thugs did laugh in amusement, the leader was not one of them. He kneeled in front of John, looking him dead in the eye. "You may think you're funny now, but you won't be laughing while we cut you open and spread your entrails all over this square. You will be an example to those who dare challenge the Beasts of the West."

John looked back over to the thug that had his pistol. He cracked a smile when he saw that the idiot had clicked off the safety and was staring straight down the barrel, wondering what was inside. John lifted one of his knees and firmly planted his foot on the ground, ready to sprint. As he watched the thug move his thumb closer to the trigger, he formulated his plan. He may not be able to fight, but he still could run. He could lose the thugs in the village by zigzagging between buildings and back alleys. If that failed, he was sure he could lose them in the dark forest. But with daylight breaking, it would have to be quick. After that he would make his way back to the inn and alert Lydia and Sasha.

"What about those two women he was with? I wouldn't mind having some fun with that wolf girl," one of the larger thugs said as he grabbed his crotch vulgarly.

"Why wait?" the leader replied with a sinister tone, "Let's go get your female companions out here and let my boys go to town on them. You can sit there and watch while we rape them in front of you as they scream for mercy. Actually, they won't be able to scream, not with their mouths full of our cocks. Then once we have violated them in every way possible, they can watch in horror while we gut you like a pig."

John clenched his fists in rage as the thugs roared in laughter. A couple of them continued making lewd comments about the two women he cared for. Ok, forget plan A. Get to the girls, warn them and get them to safety.

BANG!

The sudden, loud noise quickly interrupted the laughter. The thug who had John's pistol had accidently shot himself in the head. The young soldier grinned and the thugs looked on in shock as their friend's eye rolled up and he fell to the ground. His other eye socket now occupied by a large, dark hole. Blood and brain matter sprayed in the air behind his head. This was John's opening. He took off and ran as fast as he could with his hands bound behind his back. Maybe he could still lose the thugs between the buildings, but he needed to get back to the inn. However, he did not get very far. Hearing the sound of something whirling through the air behind him. Something then suddenly wrapped around his legs, binding them. It was a bola thrown by one of the thugs. The thick leather cord assisted by the two weighted balls had tangled around his legs. John suddenly felt himself falling forward and landed face first on the ground. Groaning in pain, he rolled over and tried to break free but the cord was wrapped too tightly.

"What a coward," the lead thug sneered as he stood over John, pointing his sword at his throat.

"Boss! Look!" one of the thugs shouted in terror.

The leader turned around, his expression changing to a mixture of fear and confusion. "What the fuck!"

The rest of the thugs quickly turned around, stunned by what they saw. Their fallen comrade that had shot himself in the head a moment earlier stood to his feet, the bloody hole in his face still very much visible. Even John felt a twinge of fear as he saw the dead man rise. The animated corpse stared at John and the thugs, no expression, no sign of emotion. He just stood there, arms draped to his sides. One of the younger members of the gang finally stepped forward nervously.

"H...Hey brother, are you alri...."

His words were suddenly cut short when the reanimated thug unsheathed his sword and sliced the young man's head clean off his shoulders. His comrades stood in disbelief as his decapitated head briefly flew through the air and landed on the ground. The head continued to roll until it was at the feet of the lead thug, an expression of surprise and shock frozen of its face. Even the ruthless leader found himself quaking in fear.

"He's gone mad!" one of the other thugs yelled as he ran in to attack.

Another thug joined in and the two tried to attack simultaneously. The reanimated corpse deflected the first swing then sliced the second attacking thug along the torso. The first thug tried to attack again, but was instead met with a sword through his gut. The scene soon dissolved into utter chaos. The leader was screaming at his men to take down the attacking corpse, but others were hesitant to join the fighting. This would have been the perfect opportunity for John to get away if he could only move his damn legs. One of the thugs noticed him trying to break free of his bonds. The thug quickly came over and stood over him. Pointing his sword straight down he raised it over his head, ready to drive it down through him. Out of the corner of his eye, John saw two metallic objects fly through the air. A pair of throwing knives stuck into the chest of the thug, he looked down at them in shock as he dropped to the ground. 

Looking toward the direction the knives came from, John saw the person responsible. It was the girl from the horse show, the one who commanded the multiple horses. Except she was not wearing her outfit from earlier. Most of it was made from thick, black leather and silver highlights that contrasted against her pale, white skin. She wore thick shoulder pads and gauntlets on her forearms. The upper chest plate cupped her large breasts. The upper part of the dress split open vertically from her chest to her waist, exposing her smooth skin. The leather skirt had two slits in the sides that ran down the entire length for extra mobility. Her black, high heeled boots ran all the way up to her knees. The whole outfit had more buckles than John could count. She ran up to him, dagger in hand.

"I hope your are actually ready for a fight now," she said as she kneeled down next to him and started to cut his binds.

"Thanks! Who are you?" John replied as she freed his wrists.

"Sirenia Nyte, but we can talk more later after you have dealt with these morons."

Cutting the leather strap wrapped around his legs, John sprang into action. He quickly scanned the ground for his pistol. He almost missed it at first, the dull black metal blending into the dark dirt ground. He managed to spot it on the ground, practically in the middle of the frenzy. He bolted, running straight into the fray and past two thugs who did not even seem to take notice. Only feet from the pistol, the lead thug turned to see John coming up behind him. Swinging his sword horizontally, he tried to cut the young soldier in half. John ducked just in time to feel the cold blade brush against the back of his head, luckily causing no damage. Like a baseball player trying to make it to home base, John slid the last few feet on the ground. Snatching the pistol in his hand, he quickly rolled himself onto his back and leveled the gun at the head of the lead thug then fired. With a single shot, he sent the nine millimeter round straight into the thug's forehead. With a bleeding hole in his head, the thug's eyes rolled up and he dropped to the ground. The loud shot of the pistol drew the attention of every thug who was not currently fighting the undead man, the shocked expression on their faces as they saw their boss dead on the ground.

"Get him!" one of the thugs shouted.

Two thugs charged at John, believing that an easy kill was in their sights. Still on his back, John fired two shots at the thug on his left with both rounds hitting him directly in the chest. With another thug down, he turned to the attacker on his right and fired two more shots. One round landed in his lung, another in his neck. He collapsed to the ground, a sickening gurgle coming from his mouth. The last thug did not attack John, instead he spotted Sirenia and went after her.

"Die you bitch!" he screamed, his sword held high above his head.

An amused smile spread across her face as the last thug neared. Screaming at the top of his lungs, the thug sliced his sword downward but only connected with the ground. Sirenia had swiftly stepped out of the way of the attempt to slice her in half. She quickly grabbed another dagger from her belt and sliced it through the air horizontally. A large spray of blood flew through the air and stained the ground. Her dagger had sliced deep into the thug's throat, his hands grasping at the wound as he died within seconds.

As John got to his feet and glanced over at Sirenia dispatching the last thug, he heard someone take a step behind him. He snapped around, his pistol raised, and found himself staring directly at the chest of the undead thug. Looking upward, the undead man looked back down at him with that same blank stare. The sword was dripping with the blood of his own comrades. John got ready to squeeze the trigger when he heard Sirenia mutter something behind him. The undead man slumped to the ground, joining the pile of bodies. Keeping his gun trained in the once undead man, he gave the body a slight kick and breathed a sigh of relief when the body did not move.

"Trust me, he's dead," Sirenia said confidently as she collected her throwing daggers off the bodies.

"That was you?" John asked in disbelief, holstering his pistol. "H...how did you do that?"

Sirenia was about to answer when they heard more shouting from around the village. It looked like that they had brought backup in case John tried to escape. He suddenly felt her grab his hand and pull him around the corner into a darkened alley. Hidden by the shadows, he suddenly felt a hand reach around to the back of his head. He felt himself being pulled to Sirenia's face and before he knew it, her soft lips were pressed against his. John's eyes snapped open in surprise as the albino woman seemed to be enjoying the kiss. He managed to pull away for a moment.

"What the hell wa...mmmph."

His words were interrupted as he was pulled in and their lips met once more. Then John heard the sound of footsteps in the streets and men yelling. He soon realized what the mysterious woman was doing. The darkness of the alley would help hide them, but in case they were found, they would simply look like two lovers enjoying the night together. John finally decided to play along and kissed her back. He brought up his hand to her face, gently stroking her smooth cheek with his thumb. She started to push her tongue into his mouth and he accepted it. His own tongue met hers as they seemed to fight each other for dominance. Her other hand pressed against his back, just behind his shoulder. John found himself sliding his hand from the small of her back and coming to rest on her curvy ass. She moaned in approval as she felt his hand slide lower. Outside the alley, he could hear the ruckus being caused by the other thugs.

"They're dead!" one of the thugs shouted.

"Who's dead?"

"All of them! The bastard killed all of them, including the boss."

"The boss is dead? Dammit, we need to go after him."

"Fuck that! We're not getting paid enough for this shit. Everyone back to camp."

John tried to turn his head to see if they had left yet, but Sirenia pushed his face tighter against hers. She then pressed her body against his. Her round breasts mashed against his broad chest, her crotch starting to grind against his. Even with her armor, he became lost in the feeling of her body against his. Finally coming to his senses, John managed to break the kiss.

"Are they gone yet?" he asked.

"Oh, they left ages ago," she replied with a sly grin.

Seriously! He may have enjoyed their little make out session, but he was still not in the mood for games or the ulterior motives of randy women. Sirenia then firmly grabbed his hand and started to lead him out of the alley, in the direction opposite to the inn. This time, he firmly planted his feet and refused to budge.

"And just where do you think you are taking me?" John asked suspiciously.

"To my tent back by the theatre, we have business to discuss."

"Like hell we do," John said frustratingly as he jerked his hand out of her grasp. "Look, I appreciate what you have done. However, I have no further business with you. Now if you will excuse me, I need to return to my companions."

Just as he turned to walk away, the woman behind him knew how to get his attention. "You are going after Solomon, aren't you?"

John immediately froze before turning back to the woman, "How do you know about him?"

"I have my sources," she replied with a smile, "I also have information that may help you in your journey. But if you want it, you need to first follow me."

John hesitated, for all he knew this was a trap. But on the other hand, he was desperate for any intel on Solomon. As foolish as it may seem, he figured it was worth the risk. He looked back in the direction of the inn as he thought about Lydia and Sasha.

"Your companions will be fine," Sirenia replied, sensing his apprehension. "Those thugs will think twice before even setting foot in this village after what we did. They will be licking their wounds for some time after the loss of their leader."

The woman began to walk away down the dark alley. After thinking about his options once more, John decided to follow her. They quickly exited the alley and found themselves on the empty streets of the village. The sky was no longer the dark blue of early morning, the orange glow of the sun peeked over the hills to the east. Slowly, the daylight would expose more of the village. A few residents peeked outside their homes, trying to catch a glimpse at the commotion. A few of the village guards came rushing past them.

The two of them eventually made their way back to the amphitheatre where John saw the horse show the previous night. As they made their way past that large stables, they came across a group of round tents. These were not your typical camping tents, each one was roughly thirty feet in diameter and about ten feet high. Luxurious temporary housing for the performers, Max did seem to treat his people very well. Then again, that's probably why he's having some money troubles. 

Sirenia's tent was one of the larger ones. As John stepped inside, he was amazed just how beautiful the interior was. There was no sleeping bag, instead a large four post bed stood on one side of the tent. Several large, ornate rugs covered the floor so well that very little grass could be seen. On another side of the tent was a dining table that could seat five guests, however Sirenia did not seem to be the type that had a lot of company. An assortment of footlockers, chests, and tables were also located throughout the tent. A fur hide hung on one side of the tent, burgundy red drapes were hung in other parts. Even the center pole had a burgundy red wrap that spiraled down.

As Sirenia entered the tent, she stretched her arms behind her head and let out a satisfying moan as she rubbed the back of her neck. John found himself admiring the slenderness of her body as she stretched, the way her breasts thrust out as she arched her back. He almost forgot why he had come to her tent as he was lost in her exquisite beauty. He would be pitching his own tent in his pants if he was not careful.

"By the way, my name is..."

"...John, I know," the woman completed for him.

"How do you know my name?" He said, looking baffled.

"Trust me, in a few weeks everyone in Antova will know your name."

"So, what are you?" John asked, "Just how did you bring that man back to life?"

"I am a necromancer," she replied, "I have spent most of my life studying death and the interaction between flesh and the soul. Because of this, I can use magic to manipulate the bond between the body and soul, including the ability to temporarily reanimate the corpses of my enemies."

"That sounds rather...disturbing" John replied uncomfortably.

"It should," replied the necromancer as she cracked an amused smile. "It's a form of magic that almost every culture considers taboo and is illegal in most places around here."

"And your work with the horses, was that magic?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.

"No magic," she explained, "Working with horses has been a side hobby of mine."

"So lets get to the reason why you brought me here. Where's Solomon?"

"Let's get one thing straight," Sirenia replied sternly, her expression becoming much more serious. "I did not bring you here, you followed me here at your own will. Second, if you want the information I have about Solomon then it's going to cost you."

"Well, how much?" John replied, checking his pockets. "I don't have any money on me at the moment. But, I have plenty back at the inn."

A smile crept across her lips, "I'm not interested in money, Max already pays me very well. I want something even more valuable. Something that I desire greatly."

"Which is?" John gulped

"My occupation usually prevents me from getting close to people. But I still desire the physical love of a man. His touch, his hot breath against my skin," her emerald eyes peered at John through her white locks of hair. ""I want you to give me the pleasure that I have not experienced for far too long."

"Sex? That's your price?" he replied, completely stunned.

Sirenia rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh, "Let me make this simple. I'm going to lay on that bed there with my legs open. I want you to fuck me until I am screaming in ecstasy and you are shooting your seed into me."

Simple, right? Then again, how would Sasha and Lydia feel? But this was business, right? Still, he was starting to have second thoughts...until Sirenia took off her armor. Even though her armor seemed to have more buckles than he could count, she unbuckled the right one with her skilled fingers and the black armor slid off her body and onto the ground. John stood mesmerized by her powdery, pale skin. She still wore her high-heeled boots that rode all the way up to her slender thighs. Slipping her gloves off, she stroked her hand over her rounded breasts and down her front. Her pert nipples jutted out. She then moved her hand to her inner thigh, moving it over her pussy. A small tuft of white hair just above her folds. John bit his lip as she flaunted her body to him. She turned her back to him, showing off her perfectly shaped ass.

Staring at him seductively, "Make love to a beautiful woman and learn more about your enemy? I don't think you could ask for a better deal."

What choice did he have? He was desperate for any information about Solomon and if sleeping with this woman was the price, then it would be worth it. John let out a sigh and removed his shirt and unstrapped the thigh holster from his leg.

"How much info can you give me about Solomon?" John asked as he unbuckled his belt and kicked his boots off.

"Well that all depends on how good you are," the necromancer replied as she laid back on the bed with her legs spread.




New Life in a New World Ch. 04



[Insert lawyer voice here] This story contains scenes of graphic sex and violence. No one under the age of 18 or 21 (depending on your local law) should read this story. Any characters depicted in sexual or suggestive scenes are intended to be 18 years or older. While inspired from many sources, the story and characters are original. Any similarities to any real or fictional persons are coincidental. Enjoy.

A big thanks to Galloglaich for his edits. You rock! 

===========================

Solomon confidently walked down the dark cavern corridor. Wearing his black, fitted mandarin suit, he walked with his arms crossed behind his back. He enjoyed wearing this suit, it added a level of elegance to his cruel demeanor.

He passed various chambers as he continued down the corridor. There was very little light other than the orange glow from the few small fires burning from the torches carved into the cave walls. Low, painful moans and screams emanated from the chambers and echoed throughout the cavern. The noises came from his prisoners that he took pleasure in torturing. Some were warriors hunting him, some were unfortunate souls who stumbled into his home, and others were kidnapped for his own amusement. A smile formed on his face when a loud, high pitched wail filled the cavern, almost drowning out the other screams. Music to his ears.

He turned the corner to enter one of the largest chambers in the cave. The ceiling was around thirty to forty feet high and about double that wide. The chamber would connect with a wide tunnel that headed upward and exited deep in the mountains. Stalactites scattered the ceiling, yet the floor was carved smooth. The room was lit by a couple of large bonfires on either side of the chamber. Several sturdy, locked wooden cabinets in the corner contained artifacts that Solomon had collected over the centuries.

Solomon's smile quickly faded when he saw the guest that awaited him. "Why did you even bother coming here?" he sneered.

Before him stood the large, black dragon known as Drahak. Even with his wings tucked in closely, his massive body filled most of the chamber. His back just barely scraped the sharp tips of the stalactites at the top of the cavern. Solomon had sent him to kill John and he nearly succeeded. However, just has he had the young human trapped, the dragoness Sasha had intervened and fought him off. Solomon was clearly displeased by his failure.

"I want the Blue Fire," Drahak growled, "You owe it to me."

Solomon suddenly found himself laughing in amusement. "I send you on a simple task, to kill one meager human. But instead, you failed miserably. Now, you have the audacity to come back and demand I give you the greatest power a dragon can possess?"

"I had him trapped behind a wall of fire with nowhere to run," the onyx dragon replied angrily, "But Sasha Arananth came to defend him."

"And you couldn't kill one dragoness whore?" Solomon said mockingly.

"I am already not in the Dragon Council's good favors," Drahak snapped back, "If I had killed her, they would have sent every dragon in the land after me."

"This seems nothing like the devotion you expressed when you first came to me," the demon replied, raising an eyebrow. "But the fact remains that I gave you a task to complete and you failed...you...get...nothing." Solomon then turned to leave.

"You still searching for the Latchkey Stone and the Divinity Gem?" the dragon inquired.

Those words froze the demon in place, "How do you know about that?"

Solomon turned around to see the massive dragon grinning at him. The demon's brow furrowed, he could not tell if Drahak really knew his true plans or not. Did he come here to stop him?

"You should not be concerned how I know of these artifacts," Drahak replied with an arrogant smirk, "What you should be concerned about is who else knows."

"If you are referring to our young human friend, my wife is taking care of him as we speak." the demon said confidently.

"And what about Sasha Arananth? Granted, a dragoness who chases after lycans and humans as mates does not have a strong voice on the Council. But nevertheless, it's only a matter of time before she seeks their help in locating the artifacts."

Solomon stroked the short beard that just barely hung off his chin, "So...how does giving you the power of the Blue Fire help me?"

Drahak lowered his head so he was at eye level with Solomon, "With the Blue Fire I can take over the council, and as ruler, all dragons will obey me. Just imagine, an army of dragons at your disposal."

"Are you offering your unwavering devotion?" the demon asked, trying to gauge the dragon's true intentions.

Drahak raised his head and looked down on the Solomon, "If dragons are to become the true rulers of the world, then yes."

The smile returned to Solomon's face. The dragon did not know his true plan, therefore he would be easy to deceive. The truth was that it did not matter who ruled the world, because once he was finished, there would be no one alive to rule. While Solomon had no need of an army, certain events had forced him to accelerate his plans. At the very least, they could provide disruption to anyone who could possibly oppose him.

Solomon turned and walked toward one of the locked cabinets in the corner of the room. Holding his thumb and index finger together, a small stream of fire shot out from his fingertips. The flame twisted and curled around until it molded itself into the shape of a key. The demon lightly blew out the flames, the key was now made of metal. Unlocking the cabinet, he pulled out a glowing blue crystal about the size of an apple. He walked up to the base of the dragon's neck and rolled up his sleeve.

The demon chuckled, "This will hurt...a lot."

He thrust his fist into the dragon's neck, burying his arm up to his elbow. Drahak roared at the extreme pain. Blood gushed from the wound and coated Solomon's arm lodged deep into the dragon's throat. Unable to control himself, the dragon breathed a torrent of fire toward the cave ceiling. The room grew brighter as the flames spread.

Closing his eyes, Solomon enjoyed the feeling of the rushing fire past his arm. But not nearly as much as he was enjoying the pain he was inflicting on the gargantuan creature that towered over him. It did not matter how large, small, heroic, or evil one was. Pain and suffering was the great equalizer.

Solomon then tightened his hand around the crystal. He could feel it start cracking under his crushing grip. Continuing to squeeze, the crystal eventually gave way and was crushed into dust. The flames soon absorbed all the fragments until nothing was left. Drahak's body glowed blue momentarily before returning back to his usual onyx shade. The demon retracted his arm, the wet squish of flesh and blood following him. The open wound then began to close on it's own until only a faded scar was left. The dragon took several loud, deep breaths as he recovered from the pain. Once regaining his composure, the beast smiled back at the demon. He then breathed another column of fire into the air, only this time the flames were blue. Drahak now possessed a power no other dragon had, the ability to obliterate any other dragons with his flames.

Solomon narrowed his eyes at the beast, "Do what you wish with the Council, but I want Sasha Arananth dead. Fail me, and you will truly understand what it means to suffer in the fire."

*************************

"So your son was last seen heading in this direction?" John asked as he and the elven woman left the village and were making their way up the southern side of the valley.

"That's right," she replied, "The cave he went to explore is just outside of the town, not too much farther."

The elven woman, named Lilith, had approached him back at the Devine Barrel and asked for his assistance in finding her missing son. He was last seen heading to a cave up in the hills to the south. That was three days ago. Personally, John thought that the boy was dead, but Lilith insisted that her son was very resourceful. Either way, he was going to try to make an effort to find him. At the very least, he could help bring closure to the boy's mother.

"So where did you say you were from again?" the elf asked.

"I didn't," John replied coyly, "But it's someplace far away from here."

"And your weapon, do all warriors in your land have one like it?"

"Well, it is standard issue," he said without giving much thought to the question.

"How does it work?" she inquired, seemingly getting a bit more pushy with her questioning.

"Why all the questions?" John asked suspiciously, raising his eyebrow.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lilith replied apologetically, "We elves are just naturally inquisitive, especially about mechanical things."

A feeling of suspicion crept up on him. Since they had left the tavern, she was not the same frightened and worried mother who looked like she needed help. Instead, she seemed a lot more relaxed than she was earlier. She asked a lot of questions and even if harmless, it was a lot of small talk for someone who was missing her son.

"I didn't think you wanted have to deal with someone who was an emotional wreck," she continued, as if reading his mind.

John looked back through the trees and to the village of Bluemoor now behind them and down into the valley. He and the girls were expected to meet up with a caravan around late morning. He wished that his watch had not gotten destroyed in the IED blast, it would have made keeping track of time so much easier. The sun was positioned near the top of the sky, it was already mid morning. A part of him thought about abandoning the search and heading back to the village. But it just didn't feel right to give up on a mother trying to locate her son. While the caravan would have helped in their journey, it was certainly not vital. He also knew that Sasha, Lydia, and Sirenia would not leave without him.

Suddenly, an image flashed into his head. But it only flashed briefly, like a subliminal message. A sudden chill crept up his spine. He stopped walking as he tried to make sense of it when another image flashed in his mind...and another. The images were horrific, nothing but bloodied dead bodies. Some twisted and mangled, others burnt to a crisp. Terrified expressions frozen on their faces. These did not come from his own thoughts, it was as if someone was forcing them into his head. Yet the scenes looked all too familiar, like something extracted from his memories.

Lilith looked at him curiously, "Is something wrong."

"I...I thought I saw something," he replied, his voice shaking.

"Well, I didn't see anything," the elven woman reassured him, "But we should keep moving." Looking away, she smiled as she knew exactly what he had seen.

Regaining his composure, he continued to follow the elf up the hill. As they continued up the side of the valley, the hill got steeper and their pace slowed. At one point, Lilith slipped on some loose rocks and lost her footing. John quickly caught her before she ended up tumbling down the hillside. Holding her in his arms, he couldn't help but look into her deep purple eyes. She smiled as her stare captured his, a soft perfume overwhelmed his senses. His heartbeat and breathing became irregular as the soft floral notes tantalized him. She moved her face closer to his, her lips so close to his own. Snapping out of his trance, John quickly helped her back to her feet and let go of her.

"Um...the caves are close, right?" John said nervously.

"Yes," she replied with a sly grin, "Very close."

They indeed did not have far to travel because within five more minutes of walking they had reached the entrance to the cave. The round entrance was about six feet high and eight feet wide. The exposed rock on the outside of the entrance was covered by bushes and other overgrowth. The ground did seem to flatten out just at the mouth of the cave. Looking around, John took notice of the close proximity of the large pine trees and the surrounding area. The cave was not exactly hidden in the hillside and was rather easy to get to. He wondered for a moment why no one else had come to search for the boy.

Looking into the maw of the cave, the tunnel seemed to go straight back and into the darkness. He clicked on the flashlight on the PEQ box which was mounted to the side of his rifle. Lilith's eyes opened in amazement at the light generating device attached to John's weapon, a torch without a flame. Shining the light into the cave, it wasn't able to fully penetrate the darkness. This gave him an idea of just how deep the cave really was. He picked up some small rocks on the ground and scraped them against the rock wall at the cave entrance, testing to see which one left a better mark. He collapsed the buttstock on his rifle to allow him greater maneuverability within the tight quarters of the cave.

John looked over to Lilith, "Wait here. If I'm not back in one hour, go back into the inn and find Lydia Ulrica. Let her know where I am."

"Be careful," the elf replied with a worried look on her face.

John gave her a reassuring smile before walking into the cave and disappearing into the darkness. A wicked smile spread across Lilith's face. She had no intention of heading back to the village. No, everything was going according to plan. She didn't think it would be this easy to bring him out here. Then again, he was like all men. Give them a pretty face and a sob story, and you could get them to commit murder for you. She waited a few minutes before also heading into the cave. Chuckling to herself, she knew that the young warrior would not be leaving alive.

****************************

Sasha, Lydia and Sirenia sat in uncomfortable silence back at the inn. The three girls packed into one of the two rooms that they had borrowed for the previous night. The dragoness sat on the bed, her hands in her lap and looking down timidly at the floor. Very different from her usual outgoing and cheerful self. The half-lycan leaned against the wall by the door. She glared angrily at the necromancer in the corner who stared back at her.

A little while ago, John had stormed out of the room after a heated argument with Lydia. Earlier that morning he had been captured by a group of thugs who more than were eager to kill him. Even worse, the thugs were going to send their men to ambush Lydia and Sasha in their sleep. They shuttered to even think what those bastards would have done to them. Thankfully, Sirenia intervened and helped John eliminate the thugs who captured him and scared away the rest.

Then again, maybe Lydia was not as thankful. Of course, she was glad that John was safe from harm. But it was the events after the beautiful necromancer had rescued the young warrior that infuriated the wolf girl. Sirenia offered to give John information about Solomon, but only if he slept with her first. Lydia's fists clenched in anger as she recalled walking in on the freshly fucked lovers. Even worse, this hussy was going to be joining them on their quest to defeat Solomon.

The tension in the air was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. The argument between John and Lydia was so loud, the entire village could probably hear their shouting. No one had said a word since he left for the tavern, and no one wanted to. The emotions between the three dangerous women had turned the room into a powder keg, and no one wanted to risk setting anyone off.

"What did he mean by you ripping out his heart?" the exotic dragoness finally asked, breaking the silence as she looked directly at the half-lycan. She was referring to the comment John had made to Lydia moments before he left the room.

The wolf girl broke her stare down with the necromancer as she let out a frustrated sigh. "It's something between John and myself."

"Not anymore!" the dragoness firmly replied, "You're not just pissed off at him, you're pissed at all of us. So what happened between you two?"

Lydia looked up at the ceiling as she took a deep breath, "On the night that we first met, we did sleep together. But it was more than just sex. It was the result of feelings that had built up between us throughout that day. It was truly love at first sight, and that night I wanted to take him as my mate."

"So why aren't you two still together," Sasha asked the obvious, "He didn't say anything to me during our first night."

"All my life I have been trying to find my place with my people," Lydia replied, staring off into space. "I've been trying to prove that I'm more than just the daughter of our leader. I felt that if I had a chance to lead my people, I couldn't do so with a human mate. So I called things off between us."

"Then you have no right to be angry at anyone!" Sirenia barked from the corner, "You broke up with him, he's no longer yours."

"Take it easy," Sasha interjected to the necromancer before turning back to Lydia. "But she does have a point, you have yet to explain why you're still so angry at him. If he's not involved with you, then he should be free to make his own decisions about who he sleeps with."

The half-lycan locked her hate filled stare onto the necromancer. "He can make his own decisions, but he doesn't have to sleep with every dirty whore that comes along with her legs spread."

"Hey, it's not my fault that you were stupid enough to let go of a man who is absolutely wonderful in bed," the necromancer shouted back. "In fact, you deserve to have lost him."

Lydia moved away from the wall, her eyes narrowed and she clenched her fists in rage. "Say that to me again," she growled, "I dare you."

"I said that you deserved to have lost him," Sirenia replied smugly, her words seething with malice. "After all, why would he want to be with a moody little bitch like you. But don't worry, I'll be sure to take good care of him. In fact, I'll be sure to give him a fucking so incredible that you're nothing more than a distant memory."

Lydia immediately charged at the necromancer, drawing her curved dagger from her belt. Sasha got up from the bed to stop her, but was forcefully shoved away. With the dagger raised above her head, the wolf girl screamed in rage as she lunged at the woman in the corner. But surprisingly, Sirenia did not defend herself, at least, not immediately. The necromancer held her ground as the half-lycan came in for the kill. At the very last moment, the albino skinned woman swiftly stepped aside. Lydia's dagger connected with the wall, digging itself deeply into the wood. Only too late did she realize her fatal mistake.

Her father had trained her to fight ever since she could stand on her own two feet. He wanted her to be more than just a hunter, he wanted her to be a warrior. However, there was always one rule to combat that her father constantly reminded her. Never fight with emotion. While it can be your driving force, fighting solely on emotion clouds your judgment and causes you to make mistakes. Lydia had just broken that rule big time.

Pulling the knife out of the wall, she turned just in time to see a fist coming at her moments before it connected with her jaw. Bam! Lydia stumbled backwards, rubbing her jowl as she slammed into another wall. The necromancer pulled out her own dagger and slashed at the wolf girl's head. She ducked just in time for the blade to pass over her.

Lydia got a better look at the necromancer's weapon. Out of the black handle extended twin serrated blades, separated in the middle by only a few centimeters. The serrated edges stopped about halfway down the blade where the edges became smooth, but very sharp. At the top of the handle was a silver skull, a symbol of her profession. Lydia's own elegantly curved dagger was forged for combat, but also served as a useful tool when hunting. Sirenia's weapon was simply designed to inflect massive wounds and kill.




New Life in a New World Ch. 04



The half-lycan charged the necromancer again, this time she managed to grab a hold of Sirenia's hand wielding the dagger. In a knife fight, short of disarming an opponent, the best way to win is by keeping control of the knife hand. She pushed the outstretched arm to the side, the necromancer struggling back. She wrapped her free arm over Sirenia's shoulders and around the back of her neck. Pulling back, she forced the necromancer to hunch over slightly and immediately kneed her in the midsection. Sirenia exhaled forcefully in pain as the wind got knocked out of her. But she quickly regained herself and ran into the wall, shoving the wolf girl into it. Impacting the wall, the half-lycan's grip loosened. The necromancer shoved herself away and once again took another swipe at Lydia. But she was ready and deflected the attack off her own dagger. The sound of scraping metal filled the room as the daggers clashed against each other. She kicked high and impacted the necromancer's chest, stumbling backwards across the tiny room.

Sasha looked on in fright as the two white haired women battled each other. Lydia again thrust her dagger at the other woman's midsection. The necromancer countered, deflecting her attack and knocking away her dagger. Seeing an opening, Sirenia thrust her own dagger at the wolf girl who luckily jumped back in time to avoid the attack. While she was taller than Lydia and had a better reach, the half-lycan was faster. As the dragoness watched, she came to a terrifying realization. This was not simple sparring. The two other women were fighting with extreme intensity, the kind that one would find on the battlefield. The half-lycan and the necromancer looked at each other with absolute hate. These two women intended to kill each other.

After her failed thrust, Sirenia tried to retract her blade. But the highly trained lycan warrior was ready. The wolf girl high kicked the necromancer's hand, sending the blade sailing across the room and clattering on the floor. With her opponent disarmed, Lydia had the best opening she could ask for. She attempted to thrust her dagger forward, but found herself unable to move her arm. Looking back, she saw Sasha holding her arm in place and preventing her from making the kill. The half-lycan growled angrily and smashed her elbow into the dragoness' face. The white dragoness fell back onto the bed, her hands gripping her nose in pain. Lydia suddenly felt something grasp her knife wielding hand. She looked forward to see the necromancer standing in directly front of her, smiling menacingly. With Lydia's weapon hand immobilized, the necromancer placed her other hand directly on the woman's chest. Recovering from getting hit in the face, the dragoness' eyes widened in horror as she realized what was about to happen. The necromancer was about to use her Soulburst spell and destroy the half-lycan's very soul. All she had to do was speak one word to kill her opponent.

"Sirenia! Don't do it!" cried a panicked voice in the corner of the room.

The necromancer turned to see Sasha looking at her, a terrified expression on her face. A small dribble of blood ran down her nose where Lydia had hit her moments before. The dragoness' eyes pleaded with her to not complete her spell. But before she could say anything, the half-lycan grabbed a fistful of the necromancer's silver hair. She shrieked loudly at the excruciating feeling of her hair being tugged out of her scalp. Suddenly, her head was shoved backwards and slammed into the wall behind her. A loud thud filled the tiny room as the albino woman hit the floor. Sirenia did not remember too much after hitting the wall as she was knocked out for a few seconds from the trauma. But when she came to, she was flat on her back on the hard wooden floor. She looked up to see the half-lycan beauty crouched above with her dagger pressed to the necromancer's throat.

Her golden eyes filled with rage as she pressed the dagger against the throat of her opponent beneath her. A small trickle of blood flowed down the albino woman's neck as the blade began to cut into her skin. Lydia's hand started to shake as she contemplated her next move. All she had to do was slit this woman's throat and she would be out of her life forever. So why couldn't she do it? What would John say if he saw this? Tears welled up in her eyes as she imagined his disappointed look. If she killed this woman in cold blood it would not matter if she confessed her love, he would not want anything to do with her. Reluctantly, she removed the blade from Sirenia's neck.

"The only reason I won't kill you is because he wouldn't want me to," she growled as she got off the necromancer.

"That makes two of us," Sirenia replied, her eyes still seething with anger.

Lydia sheathed her knife and let out a frustrated sigh, "Just go! Nobody wants you here."

"No," the necromancer shot back, "You don't want me here and I could care less about what you want. I have my own reasons for going after Solomon. So like it or not, as long as you are going after him, I'm coming along too."

Letting out an angry huff, Lydia turned to leave the room. She had enough of this woman and her unhelpful colleague. Her anger was only intensified by the lycan blood within. John had the right idea earlier, she needed a drink as well.

*******************************

Scraping the small rock against the wall of the cave, John made another mark to help find his way through. He continued making his way through the twisting corridors, searching for Lilith's lost son. The cave was a labyrinth of corridors and chambers, it could take weeks to search it all. He had been searching for just over twenty minutes, with no sign of the boy. A few bats flew past his flashlight as he continued on. As he went deeper into the cave, the air became colder and moist. Droplets of condensation formed on the rocks. He felt a small chill like he had stepped into a refrigerator. For a moment, he thought about putting on his fleece only to remember that there was still a big tear in the arm from back at Sasha's. Sighing in frustration, he reminded himself that he would need to get that repaired soon. Who knew what climates this journey would take him.

He was no stranger to navigating a cave network, he had done it several times before in Afghanistan. On occasion, his squad would have to search and clear a cave when Taliban hunting. Normally searching the caves was a painfully slow process, taking one step at a time and scanning for tripwires and IEDs. Luckily, John didn't have to face those out here so he could move through the cave a bit faster. But that did not stop him from being careful. He shined his light on the floor, walls and ceiling, checking for booby traps and any other hazards.

The corridors in the cave were plenty wide, though there were a few parts where the walls closed up for a tight squeeze. The chambers themselves were pretty large as well. Stalactites hung from the ceiling and stalagmites rose from the floor, like the teeth of a beast ready to consume him. Not quite like the caves in Afghanistan where you had to crouch and crawl your way through them, this was easier to navigate.

He stopped when he came to another fork in the corridor. So far he hadn't found anything that would give him a clue where Lilith's son had gone. No footprints, no litter or left behind gear, nothing. At this point he was choosing his paths at random...or was he? Every time he came to a fork or had several paths to choose from, there was something compelling him to choose one over the other. Like a small voice or an overwhelming feeling, if he was thinking of going left he couldn't help but go right. The scary part was that these suggestions did not seem like they were coming from himself. It was like someone else was influencing him, prodding him to take a specific path. As he took the path to the right, he drew two arrows on the walls. One pointing in the direction he came from, so he could find his way back. The other arrow pointed in the direction he was going. That way if Lydia came looking for him, she could follow his path like a trail of bread crumbs.

He wondered if he should have brought Lydia with him, it would have made searching the caves a lot faster. Though on second thought, she probably wanted nothing to do with him at the moment. He tried to play the scene out in his head, walking into her room at the inn with the elven woman he just met. Would she understand or would she jump to conclusions and once again let her temper get the best of her. He thought back to the intense argument he had earlier in the morning. Why did she even care who she slept with? Did he want to be with her in a deeper relationship? Absolutely! But she killed that idea on their second day together. He did not intend to hurt her, but he also had the right to live his own life. Unless...did she still have feelings for him? John froze as he recalled the previous night at the inn when he was alone with her in the room. Was she going to admit those feelings? He decided he would ask her once tempers had cooled. Though, he would probably have to deal with the fact he ran off without telling her first.

It was not long until he was faced with a dead end. Probably should have gone left instead of right. He was just about to turn around when he saw something. It would have been easy to miss if his flashlight had not caught it by chance. An opening at the base of the wall. It was small, just barely big enough to crawl through. Crouching down, he shined his flashlight through the opening and saw a larger chamber on the other side. For a moment he thought about turning around and heading back to the town. Considering how expansive this cave system was, he really should have the girls help him out with the search. But then that overwhelming feeling came back, that urge to continue on. Despite any logical thinking that he should go back for help, something was compelling him to keep going.

The opening itself was only about two feet wide and a foot and a half high. After studying the size of the opening, he glanced back to his backpack and down to his vest. The ammo and pouches alone made the vest quite bulky even if he did detach the backpack. There was no way he was going to fit through with all of his gear on. John pulled out a chemlight from his vest. Cracking the glowstick in half, a neon green light filled the corridor. He unslung his rifle and tossed it through the hole. Unbuckling his bulky vest, he slipped it off and placed it on the ground next to the opening to retrieve later. He removed his knife from the vest and attached it to his belt on his lower back. He laid down in his stomach and began to crawl through. Putting his arms through first, he grasped the rocky floor and pulled his upper body through the opening. His kneepads scraped loudly against the ground as he slid through Even with his gear off it was a tight fit. Once he got past his hips, he realized he was caught on something. He looked back to see that he still had his pistol strapped to his leg. Too late to remove now, he twisted and wiggled his legs until he got all the way through the opening.

John picked up his M4 rifle and got back to his feet. When he looked ahead, he saw something he had not noticed before. The other end of the chamber narrowed and turned a corner. Glowing around that corner, he could see the soft orange flicker of light from a fire. Someone else was here. Keeping his rifle raised, he carefully moved to the end of the room. Any reservations about moving forward were silenced by whatever was influencing him to keep moving. It was like a compulsive urge that he could not fight.

"That's it, come closer," said a voice from inside his head.

He knew something was very wrong, but he was unable to turn back. John continued moving forward until he turned the corner and found himself in another chamber. Several torches lined the walls, filling the room with an intense orange glow. There was an exit on one of the far walls of the room. At the end of the end of the chamber in front of John was a tall, gangly creature. It was humanoid, but certainly not human.

The figure stood about six feet tall, its skin a slate grey in color. It had no muscle mass on it at all, just skin and bones. The creature's skin clung to its pronounced ribcage. Its bald head seemed almost out of proportion with the rest of its body. Two black orbs peered back at John through sunken eye sockets. A twisted smile formed on the thin lips of the skull-like face.

"Took you long enough to get here," the creature said to John through his mind.

This thing was inside his head, he could feel its presence inside of him. John quickly leveled his rifle at the creature. A sudden pain shot through his head as he felt the presence search through his mind. He dropped his rifle on the ground as he fell to his knees, cradling his head in his hands. The pain was excruciating, like having his head hammered on, drilled into, and set on fire all at once. He swore that his brain was going to burst in his skull.

"Get out of my head!!!!" John screamed.

"Ah, there we are," the demonic voice laughed as if he found something of value. "Nightmares are always so much fun to watch."

The pain in his head started to subside, the demonic cackling gave way to terrified screams. The cold air of the cave was replaced by much hotter air, thick smoke started to fill his lungs with each breath. The odor of paper, oil, and electrical parts was overwhelming. Pulling his head out of his hands, John looked up to find himself no longer in the cave. Instead he was in an office building, surrounded by cubicles. He came to the sudden and horrifying realization that this was his father's office.

"I don't wanna die," cried out a terrified childlike voice that John instantly recognized.

Peering through the smoke, he saw his little sister and his parents. They sat on their knees, huddled together while they embraced each other. A sickening feeling formed in his stomach when he realized just what he was witnessing. While he was obviously not present when his family perished, he had for years speculated about their last moments. The creature had dug up those thoughts and was now force feeding them back to John.

"It's going to be alright," his father replied to his sister, trying to comfort her. "The firemen are on their way up here to help us."

They would never reach them in time and his parents knew it. There was an inferno just a few floors beneath them and spreading fast. John looked around at the other people in the office. Some were making phone calls to their loved ones, others in prayer. Behind him there was a group trying to get to the stairs, but the door was jammed shut. As they tried to kick and throw their bodies against the stuck door, John knew it would not have mattered if they could get it open. All the staircases below them were destroyed. Everyone was trapped.

"Make it stop!" John cried out.

"Is this bothering you?" the demon chuckled to him, "I'm finding your suffering rather enjoyable."

The toxic smoke became thicker and filled the room. Some broke windows to try and vent the smoke. Others decided to take their fate into their own hands and leapt from the building, falling over a hundred stories to the street below. John's family remained huddled together, weeping in terror.

"I love you," his father whispered to his mother, kissing her on the forehead.

"I love you too," she replied as she squeezed his hand.

"You know how to end this," the demonic voice spoke to him again. "You have been considering it for years, but you were too cowardly to act on it. Go ahead and end your suffering."

John couldn't take it anymore, he was stuck in a nightmare he could not wake up from. The flames roared as they closed in. More screams filled his ears as the office became hotter and the smoke got thicker. A loud metal groan echoed throughout the building, the structure was beginning to fail.

"Mommy! I'm scared!" his sister cried. John's mother pulled her close as they prepared for the end.

He had to end this nightmare. Reaching toward his thigh, his hand felt its way to his pistol and removed it from the holster. No more second thoughts, this time he would follow through. His eyes squinted shut as he swallowed hard. John firmly pressed the barrel to the underside of his chin and slowly squeezed the trigger.

***************************

Lydia barged into the Devine Barrel tavern, slamming the door shut behind her. The loud bang from the slammed door drew a few glances her way. A few of the drunkards looked at her with silly smiles, a few catcalls could be heard from the patrons. One man close by her tried to run his hand up her silky smooth thigh and up her skirt. Stepping away she shot them a dirty glare and unsheathed her katana by a couple of inches, making it very clear she was not to be fucked with. Seeing this, the drunken men in the room immediately went back to their own business. As she looked around the room, she was surprised that John was nowhere to be found. But perhaps he went to go pick up the last of their supplies? Hopefully he would be back before they had to meet up with the caravan.

She took a stool at the bar, Max came over to her and tried to be his usual charming self. "Well, what can I do for my favorite lovely wolf girl?" he asked with a big smile.

Lydia glared back at him, clearly unamused. "Just get me some of that moonshine stuff from yesterday."

His smile quickly faded and was replaced by a puzzled look, "But if I recall, you hated it?"

"Just give it to me," she growled.

Max nodded nervously and retrieved the bottle from the shelf. He was correct in the fact that she did hate the drink. There was no flavor, nothing pleasurable or indulging about it. She remembered it being painful to drink, burning in her throat and belly. But that didn't matter to her. She needed the strongest drink that Max had and this was it. Being part lycan meant that she had a stronger metabolism and could drink twice as much as humans before feeling the effects. After the barkeep poured her drink, she downed it in one big gulp. Grimacing as she swallowed the repulsive liquid, she slammed her glass on the counter for a refill. She would need several more before she could feel better.

She should had killed her, the damn necromancer. Now not only was she frustrated about Sirenia trying to take John for herself, but also by the fact that she nearly beat Lydia in combat. Where did she learn to fight like that? Necromancers primarily use magic as their strength in battle and try to avoid direct hand to hand combat. But Lydia could tell that Sirenia was different. Not only was she well trained, but her ferocity proved that she had seen combat before and spilt blood. This put Lydia at a disadvantage. Despite being trained from a young age and almost unmatched in sparring, the half-lycan had never seen real combat beyond the occasional hunt or encounters with imps. She had never experienced what it was like to slay an enemy or lose a comrade on the battlefield. That would change very soon.

"I thought drinking your sorrows away was a uniquely human trait?" said a familiar feminine voice. The half-lycan looked over to see Sasha taking the seat next to her. 

"Well, I felt like it was worth a try," replied the wolf girl.

A smirk formed along the dragoness' lips, "True, but unless I'm mistaken about lycan biology, you'll burn through our travel funds long before you get drunk."

Lydia slammed her glass down on the table and let out a frustrated sigh. "What the hell do you want with me?"

"Actually, I came to see what you wanted," Sasha replied.

"What I want?" the wolf girl said as she finally looked up from her glass. The dragoness looked back at her, a concerned yet caring expression on her face. "What I want is for you and that...that whore, to be gone. What I want is for the two you to have never come into our lives."




New Life in a New World Ch. 04



Surprisingly, Sasha was not shocked, or offended, or even angered by Lydia's statement. She remained calm and open. The half-lycan's expression changed from frustrated to regretful when she saw a slight red stain on the dragoness' pearl white skin just beneath her nose. The stain was from blood after the wolf girl struck the Sasha in the face.

"I'm fine by the way," the dragoness replied coyly when she saw Lydia notice her injury. "Why did you even let him go in the first place?"

"Because I let my own ambitions and fears get the better of me," Lydia replied as she apprehensively ran her finger around the rim of her glass. "Humans are still hated by my people, in fact, I almost killed John when we first met. But our first night together, he proved to be something more and I instantly fell in love with him."

"Yeah, he seems to have that effect," Sasha chuckled. But Lydia didn't look amused by her quip. "I'm sorry, please continue," the dragoness said apologetically.

"My father will be asking me to take his place as leader of our village," the half-lycan replied with a long sigh. "All my life, I have been trying to earn my place among my people. I want to prove that I have earned my position through my abilities rather than as a favor from my father. I have fought all my life to gain the respect not offered to other half-lycans."

The dragoness looked puzzled, "If Radulf is choosing you to take his place, it's because he believes you do have the strength to lead your people. Now that you have earned your place, you should be able to take whoever you want as a mate."

The wolf girl shook her head, "My father was nearly run out of the village because my mother was human. I don't want that to happen to me and put John at risk of a worse fate."

"Yes, there was a coup against your father," Sasha replied. "But he fought not only for his position but also for you and your mother. He believed that he should be able to stay with the one he loved, even if she was a human."

"And after all that, my mother died from an illness just a few days later."

Sasha raised an eyebrow suspiciously, "Is that what your father said happened to her?"

"Um, of course," Lydia replied with a confused look, "But that's not the point. The point is now that I look back, I regret breaking up with him. John was right...I still have feelings for him. I've come to realize that even if I become the leader of my people, a life without his love just feels so empty."

"You know, he still loves you," Sasha replied with a small smile.

"Ha!" the half-lycan laughed as she took another swig of her drink, "He sure has a funny way of showing it."

"Sure, you're angry that he also slept with Sirenia and myself," Sasha explained, "But then there are all the little things he's done. Right after I saved him from Drahak, he insisted that we go looking for you. I had to beg him to come with me and even after I promised him that we would find you later, he was still hesitant to leave. Then after we found you and I tried to send you away, he requested that you came along."

Lydia put down her glass and stared off seemingly into nowhere as she reflected on John's behavior.

"Then there's that," Sasha pointed to the necklace John bought for Lydia. "He bought that because he thought you would like it, out of the kindness of his heart."

The wolf girl held the necklace in her hand, running her thumb along the smooth pink crystal that dangled from the end. She didn't notice it before, but she recalled his expression when he handed the necklace to her. At first, he was nervous and unsure. He didn't know whether or not she would appreciate his gift. But when she did like it, it was not relief that she saw on his face. It was happiness. She had seen him smile before, but that brief moment was the first time she saw him truly happy.

Sasha reached out and lightly placed her hand on the half-lycan's arm. "I've seen the way he looks at you and the way he acts around you. Lydia, deep down, he loves you!"

"I don't know if you've noticed but two other women took my place," Lydia replied as she wiped away the tears that welled up in her eyes and her wolf ears drooped. "Any chance that I had is probably long gone."

"Sirenia is not in love with him," Sasha replied, "Granted she still has lustful feelings for him, but she is not really interested in taking him all for herself...at least for now. But the things she said to you earlier was only to get under your skin because you were mad at her."

The wolf girl's ears perked up when she heard this. She didn't know whether to feel happy or annoyed. Only a few minutes ago, she was willing to kill the necromancer over John. But to hear that Sirenia was not in love with him, she didn't know whether to forgive her or kill her for the trouble she caused. But Lydia then gave a nervous look to the dragoness.

"And what about you?" the wolf girl asked, "Do you love him?"

"More than any other man I've loved in a long time," the dragoness answered back. "I'll be honest, I had to work up the courage to talk to you about this. There's a selfish part of me that wants to take advantage of your mistake so he can be mine. I've spent the last couple days thinking about nothing else other than how much I looked forward to John living with me when this was all over."

"I see," Lydia sighed, sadly looking down at her empty glass. 

Sasha moved her hand down the wolf girl's arm and gave Lydia's her hand a gentle squeeze. "But...that would not be fair for you and as much as I would like to have him for myself, I know that's not what John wants. Therefore it would be wrong for me to stand in the way."

Lydia quickly turned to the dragoness, her eyes widened with anticipation. "What exactly are you saying?"

"Ever since we first made love, John had always been a bit...well...distant. Despite my advances, he still seemed a bit hesitant to acknowledge them. So last night I made my feelings clear to him and despite what he told me, I discovered the truth. His heart belonged to someone else. So if you love him as much as I think you do, then go get him back...before I change my mind."

"Gods! Thank you!" Lydia cried as she excitedly embraced Sasha in a friendly hug.

Sasha hugged her new friend back and while she looked cheerful on the outside, she felt differently inside. Even if John had feelings for Lydia, she still felt that she could win his heart. At first, she wanted to be with him so she could be at the side of a hero. But in the last couple days she learned about his serious, yet caring personality. She found out about his little insecurities. They shared a little of each other's culture. And while his desires, fears and past were still a mystery to her, she loved him for that. While she kept her composure, she wanted to cry. She knew that stepping aside for the half-lycan was the right thing to do, but that did not mean she liked it. Once again, she was going to give up a unique and caring man she loved to another woman. Just like Radulf.

"Now I just need to find him," Lydia thought out loud.

"Yeah, on that note, where is he?" the dragoness asked as she looked around the room, baffled that he was not there.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but listen in on your conversation," Max said as he approached the two ladies, "He left nearly an hour ago with an elven woman."

The excited and happy expression on the wolf girl's face suddenly faded to anger. "That lecherous bastard!" she growled, "When I get my hands on him..."

Lydia paused when she saw that Sasha was not angry or disappointed, but leery. It was like she knew something was amiss.

"Max, how often do you get elves in these parts?" the dragoness asked with a worried tone.

"Well..." Max replied as he searched his memory, "Not very often. She said that she was searching for her son who got lost in the caves outside of town. But I don't remember seeing a young male elf come through."

Sasha's claws dug into the table and her body began to tremble, "What did this elf look like?"

"She was different than most elves I've seen," Max said, rubbing his chin as he recalled the mysterious woman. "She was beautiful, had rather pale skin, and hair black like coal. And those eyes...I could never forget those eyes. Those dark, purple eyes."

An icy feeling gripped the dragoness' heart as her blood ran cold. She froze completely with a terrified look on her face. Sasha began to shake uncontrollably and nearly jumped out of her chair when she felt Lydia's hand on her shoulder.

"Sasha, what's wrong?" the half-lycan asked worryingly.

The dragoness suddenly reached out and grabbed Max's shirt collar and pulled him close. "Where are these caves?" she asked in a stern yet panicked tone.

"To..to the south of the village...just outside of town," Max replied nervously.

Sasha let go of the barkeep and turned to Lydia, "Go get Sirenia and meet me in the cave."

The half-lycan shook her head, "Are you kidding! I'll probably kill that woman if you leave me alone with her."

"Don't argue with me!" the dragoness shouted back.

"Sasha, what's going on? Let me go to the caves and you get Sirenia."

"Fine! Then go now!" Sasha replied urgently, "Run! Run now or John is dead!"

****************************

"Ikuzar! That's enough!" shouted a female voice.

John was suddenly snapped out of his nightmare. The walls of the burning office faded away to the rocky cavern walls, glowing red from the torches. The sounds of the panicked and screaming victims were replaced by silence. He glanced up to see the thin, gangly demon still looking down on him with a sick smile. The pistol was still pressed against his chin, his finger had a tight grip on the trigger. His hand began to shake. Even with the nightmare gone, his mind still wrestled with the idea of taking his own life.

"Of course...mother," the demon replied.

Mother? John turned around to see who the demon was referring to, his eyes widened in disbelief. Behind him stood a beautiful, black haired elf. It was Lilith. She smiled at him deviously as the reality of the situation sunk in. There was no lost child, she was not looking for her son, it was a deception from the beginning. She had led him into a trap, but for what purpose, he did not know.

"You'll have to forgive my son," Lilith said softly, "He can almost be as cruel as his father."

John looked at the monster, then back to Lilith. She was this thing's mother? How was that even possible? Who was the father? Those questions were soon answered. Lilith reached up to her neck to the strings that held her cloak in place. With a single tug, the knot unraveled and the garment slipped off her shoulders and fell onto the ground. Her body was magnificent, the hourglass figure completely flawless in just about every way. Her curvy hips emerged from the top of her elegant, black skirt and narrowed at her slender waist. Her large, full breasts were barely contained by the metal chest plate that was shaped like flower pedals that cupped her bosom. Her pale skin looked smoother than silk. Her long, raven black hair flowed down her back and stopped just short of her perfectly formed ass. She looked at him through her purple eyes with a predatory glare. But unlike the look Sirenia gave him, this seemed much more malicious. His looked on in complete shock when a pair of wings, black as night, unfurled behind her.

"Wha...what are you?" he finally croaked.

"I was an elf at one time," the beautiful creature replied as she sauntered toward him, "but now I'm a succubus."

"Succubus?"

"Yes, someone who can give you great pleasure," she replied as she twisted a lock of his hair around her finger. "Pleasure more powerful than the pain and suffering you just experienced."

The pistol was still pointed to his head as he took heavy, quivering breaths. The look of desperation was still in his eyes as he still considered pulling the trigger. He was petrified from the traumatic experience of watching his family perish. Every rational thought was telling him to aim the gun at the succubus and keep pulling the trigger until the clip was empty. But he couldn't do it, his body refused to listen to him. Lilith gently guided his hand away from under his chin and back to his holster.

"Now now, there's no need for that," she said in the tone that a mother would use to comfort a child, "Lilith's going to make everything all better."

She softly placed her hand on the side of his face and encouraged him to his feet. With her other hand, she playfully ran her fingers through his hair. He could smell the incredible fragrance coming off her, only this time it was much stronger. That musky floral scent tantalized him with every breath he took in. Better than any perfume a woman could buy, his heart fluttered as the aroma overtook him. God, it was so addicting. Everything else in his mind seemed to fade away. He didn't care about having to defeat Solomon, he didn't care about the fight with Lydia, and more importantly he didn't care about the traumatic experience he just had.

Lilith moved her hand to the back of his head and pulled him in until their lips met. The soldier hungrily kissed back, lost in the sweet taste of her lips. His own hands found their way to her body. One hand on her upper back, the other firmly planted on her round ass. The succubus moaned in approval as John pulled her closer to him. She then broke the kiss and gently laid his head on her large, soft breasts.

"There is nothing to fear my love," the succubus whispered softly to him, "I won't let anyone else hurt you."

Her soothing voice was currently music to his ears. He didn't care if his last bit of rational thinking was warning him of the hint of deception in her voice. As Lilith held him close, he felt like he was in his mother's arms. Everything about this woman; her voice, her irresistible fragrance, her soft touch, it relaxed him to the point he was almost no longer in control of his body. She brought up his head and lightly kissed him on the lips again. Her violet eyes locked with his and refused to let go. The succubus then gently took him by the hand and led him down another corridor.

As she pulled him along down the passageway, what was left of his rational mind feebly tried to alert him to the dangerous situation one more time. Everything was still hazy to him, like a heavy buzz from drinking all night. The only resistance he could manage was to try and drag his feet a little. Lilith seemed to take notice and looked back at him with an amused smile. The succubus pulled John in closer until he was fully in her embrace. Her wings wrapped around him like a thick blanket as she held him close, pressed against her curvaceous body.

"I can see you are still quite rattled by your earlier experience," she cooed, her lips pressed against his ear, "So why don't you let me take all the pain away? Let me give you pleasure that few mortals ever experience."

With those words, the last of his resistance faded away. Her intoxicating sent and her soft touch was a sanctuary against everything he feared. He was quite content with the idea of being in the succubus' embrace forever. They walked together slowly through the dark corridor, her wings still draped around him.

It was not long before they came to another chamber, illuminated by a dim orange glow. Stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere. Dozens of candles were placed throughout the room, keeping the center lit with a romantic glow but leaving the outer edges bathed in shadow. Looking up he saw that many of the candles were stuck onto the stalactites, like a natural chandelier. At the center of the room was what looked like a stone altar, pentagrams and demonic symbols carved into the sides. On top was a thick bed padding and a satin white sheet. It looked a bit like the king sized stone bed at Sasha's place, but only half the size.

Opening her wings, she released the young warrior and took a few steps back. He let out a small whimper, wanting to return to her soft embrace. But she gave him a reassuring look that told him they would not be separated for long. Reaching up behind her and with the simple pull of a string, her metal chest plate fell off and clattered on the ground. Her unrestrained ample breasts burst forth, swollen pale nipples jutting out toward him. Lilith placed the palms of her hands at the top of her chest and slowly ran them down her body. She closed her eyes and let out a low moan as her hands ran over her heavy, pale breasts and down to her hips. Hooking her thumbs at the edges of her skirt, she pushed it down to the floor with a slight wiggle of her sexy hips. Her voluptuous, naked body stood before him. She was perfect! An hourglass body, firm breasts, slender thighs that joined at her bare and wet folds. God, he wanted this woman.

Walking toward him, the succubus placed her hands at his hips and ran them up and under his shirt. "I think you are a little overdressed."

John instinctively raised his arms as she pulled the shirt over his head. After bringing down his arms, he removed his gloves from his hands and tossed them on the ground. She gently raked her sharp nails down his chest, giving him a sharp tickling sensation. Kneeling down in front of him, her hands found their way to his belt and unbuckled it before sliding his pants and underwear down his hips. She looked up, her purple eyes giving him an alluring gaze before she engulfed his cock.

"Ohh.." was all he could manage as worked his manhood with her full lips and tongue.

Lilith hummed in satisfaction as she let her tongue trace the very edges of his mushroomed tip. She slid it along his underside and gently pressed it into the slit. Her other hand reached for his testicles as she gently fondled them. He was lost in the incredible feeling as he became harder in her mouth. The succubus repurposed her hands and made short work of the rest of his attire. John didn't even remember at what point his boots and socks came off, only that when he brought himself back to the real world he was completely naked with his pants around his ankles. The succubus released his shaft from between her lips with a loud pop before taking him by the hand and pulling him over to the bed.

She ended up beside him and nibbled on his earlobe, her hand giving his staff a few more tugs to bring him to full hardness. Pressing on his back, she prodded him onto the bed and laid him down on his back. Giving his chin beard a playful tug, she climbed up on top of him and positioned the soft folds of her womanhood over his throbbing shaft. Already her juices were dripping from her cunt and onto his rod. In one smooth motion, she sank her hips and took his throbbing erection inside of her.

The two of them cried out in unison as she slid down the length of his cock and rested her pelvis against his. John felt like he had entered paradise. Her hot, wet cunt clamped down on him like a vice. The feeling was incredible!

She leaned forward and rested her soft body on top of his, her ample breasts pressing against his chest. Running her hand through his hair, the succubus planted a series of small tender kisses on his cheek. Slowly, she lifted her hips up before settling her hips back down. John gritted his teeth as he felt every inch of her wet tunnel. Almost involuntary, he reached his hands up and grabbed her firm round ass. His lips found their way to the crook of her neck, kissing her softly.

"Mmm, that's the spirit," Lilith murmured as she picked up the pace of her movements.

Her hips slammed down much more aggressively, her body sliding along his now. Several soft moans escaped her lips as the young man moved one of his hands to her lower back. Holding her tightly against him. He closed his eyes as he savored the soft touch of her silky smooth skin against his own. When he opened them again, he was greeted by her exquisite lavender eyes. With her hand holding the back of his head, the succubus gently lifted him up until they captured each other's lips. Finding himself kissing her back hungrily, he slid his hand up along her spine until his fingers became tangled in the strands of her long black hair.




New Life in a New World Ch. 04



"Mmmmpf..." the succubus moaned against his lips, her tongue sliding past and wrestled with his. She continued rolling her hips with every rise and fall as she slid up and down his cock. It was not long until John was thrusting his own hips upwards to meet hers. The woman's voluptuous body writhing on top of him.

"Oh...Yes!" she groaned, finally releasing his lips.

"God, it's so...good," the young man beneath her managed to grunt.

The edges of her lips curled into a small smile as she sat up straighter on her lover. He whimpered slightly in disappointment as he felt her form move away from him, but then suddenly felt her hands move to his upper back and neck. She pulled him up in a sitting position and pressed his face into the creamy flesh of her large tits. John let out a muffled moan as he was smothered by her fleshy pillows.

"Feel right at home there do you?" Lilith whispered sensually, "Go ahead, have a little fun with them."

John's hands slowly moved up the soft curves of her sides until he was cupping her breasts. She loosened her grip, allowing him to pull away slightly and gasp for air. He caught one of her pert nipples in his mouth, the succubus moaned in approval as he gently sucked on her beautifully formed tits.

"AHEEE!" she yelped as John playfully bit down, "Naughty, naughty boy."

He continued to roll his hips upwards, matching her intense motion. He was not prepared when the exotic succubus worked his cock with her vagina. She squeezed him expertly like a velvet hand, coaxing him closer to the brink.

"Oh my god," he breathed at the overwhelming sensation that wracked his loins.

"God can't help you now," Lilith replied softly as she lightly tapped his nose.

He missed those words completely as he was simply trying to hold on for dear life as waves of pure bliss flowed through him. It felt almost tangible, like a blanket he could wrap around himself. She repositioned her arms so they were draping over his shoulders while he increased the speed of his thrusts.

"Oh yesss...you feel so good...fuck me..." she managed to say between her ragged breathing.

Lilith slowly slid her arms back and placed them directly on his chest. She started to push him down on his back.

"Ooooh baby...I knew it would have been such a waste to have you die by suicide," she said in a cold sensual tone, "This is a much better way to perish."

Perish? His lust filled mind still did not fully register the word, but it was enough to unnerve him slightly. His back was soon pressed firmly to the bed. John tried to sit up but Lilith still had her palms pressed to his chest, pinning him down. Arching her back, she craned her neck upwards as her wings spread wide. Her pace quickened as she was slamming herself down on his rock hard member, his hips thrusting back upwards by pure instinct.

"YESSS...FUCK ME!" screamed the succubus, "I'm glad that Solomon failed in his first attempt to kill you because...AH!...now I get you all to myself."

That name alone caused John to break through the haze and snap back to reality. By emotionally compromising him earlier, she left him vulnerable to suggestion and her seductive powers. He had taken the bait and had fallen perfectly into her trap. He tried more forcefully to sit up but her strength overpowered him, impossibly strong for her appearance. John raised his arms to try and push the deamoness off of him. Her left hand quickly moved to his throat and squeezed, choking him.

"I could choke you out but that wouldn't be pleasurable for you," she warned, "Unless you're into that sort of thing."

Gripping her arm, he tried to pull it away but it wouldn't budge. When he glanced upwards, he suddenly became entranced by her eyes. Something snapped inside his head. He gave up, like something inside of him lost the will to fight back. John slowly let go and allowed his arms to collapse to his sides.

Lilith pressed down, mashing her hips against his pelvis and grinding against him. Her moist tunnel gripping him, urging him to release. His breathing was harsh and uneven as the sex demon pushed wave after wave of pure ecstasy into him, coursing through his body. He lifted his ass off the bed, pushing everything he had against her. She no longer fucked him gently, she rode him like a wild stallion.

"Yes! Fuck me! Release yourself into me!"

He felt something boil inside of him, an ever increasing pressure threatening to burst. Thrashing against the succubus, he couldn't take any more. His eyes shot open as fireworks went off inside his head. A numbing, tingling sensation spread from his fingertips and toes.

Lilith thrashed her head back, eyes squinted shut. "OOOHHH...YESSSS...I'M CUMMING!!!!"

Her tight pussy clamped down on him one last time, refusing to let him go. It was too much! Tilting his head back, he roared as he forcefully came inside her. His hips jerked and convulsed as he shot never ending ropes of his seed inside of her unholy womb. His eyes rolled back as he found himself unable to stop.

"That's it," Lilith whispered, "Let death take you on the wings of pleasure."

He continued to empty himself inside of her, like a fire hose that would never turn off. It was as if a part of him was breaking loose from his worldly bonds and flowing into her. Every moment he felt weaker. John looked to his chest and opened his eyes in terror as he was becoming thinner. His hair slowly began to turn grey. It became harder to breathe on his own. All he could do was watch darkness embrace him as he drained his life into the succubus.

**************************

Lydia had her hand firmly placed in the rocky wall as she navigated the pitch black cave. She may have inherited her excellent night vision from her father, but even this was pushing it for her. There was no time to make a torch before entering. If Sasha was correct about the danger John was in, she needed to find him without delay. Of the few details she could see, the half-lycan's vision was strong enough to see the markings he had etched onto the wall. She was thankful to see that he was wise enough to leave some kind of way for others to find him. When she came to another fork in the twisting corridors of the cave, she only needed to find the arrow he drew on the wall. Eventually, she would be led right to him.

She was still not happy about the fact he just left without telling anyone. How could he be so careless? Perhaps he was still angry about their fight earlier; but still, he should have not wandered off like this. And with some woman he didn't even know! Gods she wanted to be so furious at him, but was much too terrified. She couldn't get the frightened look on Sasha's face back in the tavern out of her mind. Who was this woman he was with? All she knew was that she saw a dragoness become more frightened than she ever thought possible.

When she got to another fork, she saw a bright green glow emanate from one of the paths. It was clear which direction John went. She turned the corner only to find herself at a dead end. On the ground she found the source of the green glow. It was a small, glowing stick that was obviously left there by John. Lydia cautiously reached down, but felt no heat coming from it. She picked it up and carefully studied the glowing object. She noticed that a liquid inside the stick was the source of the light, like a potion. As much as she wanted to get a better understanding of his equipment, she had more urgent matters. 

The half-lycan quickly brought herself back to reality and set the glow stick back on the ground. She raised her eyebrow curiously when she noticed his tactical vest laying there. The wolf girl looked for any signs of a struggle, but found none. So why did he take his vest off? Lydia then saw the small opening at the base of the wall. She removed her fur pelt to make things easier and carefully crawled through the hole.

After pulling herself through, she found herself in another chamber. Come on John, where are you? Lydia's gaze then focused on something at the other end of the chamber, a faint orange glow. Perhaps a torch John was holding. She knew she should have approached it more cautiously, but her emotions got the better of her. She quickly ran to the other side of the chamber and turned the corner to see a silhouetted figure in front of her.

"John!" she cried out.

"WRONG!" a demonic voice screamed from inside her head.

Her hands shot up to her head as she dropped to her knees, the pain was excruciating. She looked on in horror as the disgustingly thin creature grinned back at her. She tried to fight it, force the presence out of her head. But the demon was too powerful. Lydia howled in agony as the creature searched deeper into her mind, violating her innermost thoughts.

"We didn't expect to see you here so soon," Ikuzar said from inside her head. "No matter, it's too late to help your friend. Mother already...took care of him."

Lydia felt a sickening feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. He's lying! John can't be dead. Any hope she tried to bring herself was dashed when she saw his rifle laying on the ground.

"Oh...I see," the demon said with a chuckle, "You love him. Well, would it comfort you to know that his last moments were in absolute pleasure?"

Images of John and a mysterious woman invaded her mind. The woman was clearly not an elf, but something else. Black wings spread out wide behind her. Both John and the woman were naked, their bodies clashing together in the throes of passion. His eyes were squinted shut and he grit his teeth as he neared his climax. When he did cum, his eyes shot open but with a look of terror. As the evil woman smiled wickedly at him, his skin began to dry up and wrinkle. Lydia was forced to watch as the man she loved rolled up his eyes and became a lifeless husk. The half-lycan shrieked at the terrible scene and at the painful feeling as the telepathic monster probed deeper into her mind.

"Well, this is interesting," the demon said curiously, "What if I told you your father lied about your mother's death?"

"Shut up!" the half-lycan shouted back.

"Oh, but what's better is that even he doesn't know how his mate truly perished."

"You lie!" Lydia screamed, "You don't know anything about her."

"Oh but I do," Ikuzar replied, "I've seen inside you mind, your inner most thoughts, and your forgotten memories."

The rocky walls of the cave started to fade away to be replaced by wood. The chamber itself seemed to be growing larger, yet disappearing. Elegantly carved pillars sprouted from the floor until they met the ceiling. Green banners flowed down from the wall. The strange surroundings of the cave were replaced by something much more familiar, the great hall in the palace in Wolfdell. She could hear the sounds of a commotion outside the walls. She quickly shut her eyes, trying to block out the intrusion into her thoughts.

"This is not real," she whispered to herself.

"There is so much as a child that you do not remember, but those memories are not forgotten. They are simply locked away, hidden in the deep recesses of your mind. Consider it my parting gift to you before you die."

When she opened her eyes again, a figure stood in front of her. But it was not the demon, it was another lycan and he was facing away from her. Covered in white fur, the lycan wore a grey cloak and brandished a sword. The sword itself was single handed and the blade was lined with large, jagged edges. On the underside of the sword, there was a space between from the hilt to about midway down the blade. She had seen this blade displayed in the palace and realized who the lycan was. It was her father.

"Father?" Lydia said cautiously, but the figure did not respond.

"Radulf!" a woman cried from behind her.

Radulf looked back to the source of the noise. Lydia turned around to see a human woman enter the Great Hall with an infant in her arms. It was her mother! She never remembered her mother's face but her father always talked about how beautiful she was. Now she could see that he wasn't kidding. The heavenly looking woman was slender and stood about the height that Lydia was now. Her gentle face was framed by her long brunette hair that ran down to her shoulders. She was wearing a elegant light purple skirt and a white blouse. Her golden eyes looked to her husband with much worry as she ran past the half-lycan without even noticing her.

Lydia got a look at the infant as her mother passed by. The baby was mostly human except of a distinctive feature, a pair of wolf ears. She suddenly realized that she was looking at her infant self.

"Anara! Thank the Gods you're alright," Radulf replied as he gave his mate a comforting embrace, "We need to get you out of the palace right now!"

Three other lycans rushed into the room; Ulfric, Rollo, and another palace guard. While she easily recognized Ulfric and Rollo, she had never seen the third guard before. The lycan guard was much younger and had dark grey fur. He was wearing the traditional black plated armor with a red robe underneath that all palace guards wore. Their swords and armor were already stained with fresh blood. The shouting outside grew louder and soon there was a loud, rhythmic banging. There was a mob outside trying to break down the door. Lydia realized this was the night that half the village tried to forcefully exile her father.

"My Lord," Ulfric said to her father, "We have secured the doors as best we could but I fear they will not hold for long. We need to escort you to safety without delay."

"I'm not leaving," Radulf replied firmly, "I will not run from my home for believing in what is right."

"You can't be serious!" Anara cried, "They won't just exile you, they will rip you apart if given the chance."

"I need to do this," he said softly as he ran his furred thumb along the infant's cheek, "Not for myself, but for the future of all lycans...including our daughter."

"You know I've never agreed with your mate, but in this case, I hate to admit that she is right," Ulfric chimed in.

Radulf turned to his friend, "I want you to get Anara out of the palace through the underground tunnels." He then turned back to his mate, "The tunnels will lead you to just outside the village. Sasha will be waiting for you and will take you someplace safe. Rollo and I will remain here, at least we can buy you some time."

"I love you," she whispered, tears running down her cheeks. Anara reached up and gave her husband a passionate kiss on his muzzle.

Ulfric turned away with a frustrated look on his face that no one seemed to notice. He then pointed at the other palace guard. "You! You're coming with me."

The guard nodded and gently placed his hand on Anara's shoulder, letting her know they had to leave. She reluctantly pulled herself away from her husband as the two lycans rushed her out of the room. Lydia looked back to her father who stood next to Rollo, ready to fight for his throne once the mob came crashing in. The room started to fade out except for the area around her mother, highlighting her like a spotlight. Not wanting to be consumed by the darkness, the wolf girl followed Anara, Ulfric, and the other palace guard.

The two guards quickly escorted her mother through the hallways of the palace. The walls covered with wooden planks that were lit softly by the oil lamps that lined the hall. Lydia remembered her father once showing her the secret underground passage. The entrance was on the second floor of the palace so it would be close to the living quarters. A spiral staircase would then run down the center of the palace to the tunnels below. The passage used to be an old mine shaft that ran under Wolfdell until her grandfather secretly turned it into an escape route in case human armies attacked the village. The exit was about a half-mile outside of the village and deep into the woods.

They were just about to turn the corner and head up the stairs to the living quarters where the entrance to the escape passage was located. Ulfric ran ahead of the group a bit, extending his hand back to signal the other guard to stay behind him. The black furred lycan stopped at the base of the steps and peered around the corner. His eyes narrowed as he stared intently, not moving a muscle.

"Is something wrong, Ulfric?" Anara whispered nervously.

His eyes slowly shifted to her as he tightened the grip on his sword. "There is," he growled.

With lightning speed, Ulfric suddenly turned and thrust his sword into the palace guard's chest. He carefully aimed the blade to strike in the exposed part of the armor, offering little resistance to the sword. There was the soft patter of blood dripping onto the wooden floor. In the final seconds of his life, the young lycan looked back at his betrayer in disbelief. Ulfric gave the sword one final twist to open the wound before withdrawing it from the guard's body. The dead lycan's crashed to the ground with a metallic thud from his armor.

Anara tried to run, but the black furred lycan was too quick. His arm shot out and grabbed hold of her brunette hair. She screamed in pain as he pulled her back and threw her against the wall. She held her infant tightly as Ulfric kept her immobilized. She whimpered as she looked into his cold eyes, his lips curling upwards revealing his sharp fangs. He emitted a low, feral growl from deep within his throat.

"P...Please..." Anara whispered, her voice trembling with fear.

"You have made a great warrior weak," he snarled in anger.

She tried to scream but was cut short as the lycan lunged forward and clamped down his jaws at her jugular. Lydia's mother struggled to gasp for air. Ulfric pulled away, a huge chunk of flesh was ripped out. There was a sick gurgling sound as her blood flowed freely from the massive wound, staining her shirt red. A few streams spurted out of her neck, covering the infant's face. Anara's eyes glazed over, all expression left her face and her body became limp. The black furred lycan let go of the human woman's hair and watched as her body slid down the wall and onto the floor.

"NOOOOO!!!!" Lydia screamed as she watched her mother murdered right before her eyes. 

Of course, no one could hear her. She pulled out her dagger, ran up and tried to slash Ulfric's face. The blade passed through him like smoke, not even causing the slightest amount of damage. This was all in her head and she couldn't do anything other than watch the scene unfold before her.

A loud, piercing cry suddenly filled the room. Lydia looked down to see her infant self crying, still held in her dead mother's arms and covered in her blood. The murderous lycan lowed himself to one knee as he neared the infant with a menacing growl. His claws were ready to strike.

"Get away from her!" the helpless wolf girl yelled as she watched the traitor about to kill her infant self. "Get away from me, you bastard!"

"Anara! Ulfric! What's going on!" shouted a voice from down the hall and out of sight.

The lycan furrowed his brow in frustration as he looked to the end of the hall. He had to act quickly. He clawed himself in his side, ripping open a large wound where his armor did not cover. Closing his eyes, he took his other hand and ripped open another large gash on the side of his face. Ulfric then quickly wiped off any trace of Anara's blood on his muzzle before taking his own blood and spreading it on the face of the dead lycan guard. As he heard the sound of rushing footsteps come closer, he did his best to feign a look of disappointment and sadness.

Not a moment later, Radulf came running around the corner. As he neared the scene, the look on his face turned from panic to absolute dismay. The pace of his steps slowed as his legs gave up on him. He dropped to his knees when he came upon the sight of his dead mate, throwing his hands up to his head with the look of devastation on his face. The great lycan warrior let out a long, mournful cry as looked down at the body of the woman he loved.




New Life in a New World Ch. 04



"I'm sorry," Ulfric lied to his weeping friend, "He attacked me then killed her before I could intervene. I was able to slay him before he could go after your daughter."

"Anara!" Radulf cried, his tears matting the fur just below his eyes as he cradled the body of his mate. "I'm so sorry I was not able to protect you. I love you so much."

He carefully removed the crying infant from her arms. "Shhh, it's ok Lydia," he whispered, "I won't let anything happen to you."

Behind him, Ulfric slowly rose to his feet. A smile formed on his face, satisfied with his handiwork. Everything suddenly went dark. Radulf, Ulfric, the infant, and the palace disappeared and Lydia was left alone in the dark. She suddenly felt a surge of pain in her head, like it was being crushed. She screamed as the pain became unbearable.

"It's time for you to die now little girl," the demonic voice laughed.

The pressure soon turned into a burning feeling, like her head was on fire. She couldn't take much more. However all of her senses were completely blocked by the telepathic abilities of the creature. She knew that she was physically in the cave and only a few feet from her enemy, but it was like she was trapped in her own mind. She would have to break Ikuzar's hold on her.

Lydia then remembered a conversation she had with her father when she was still training. She thought that the topic of the conversation was odd and had almost forgotten about it, until now. Her father told her about creatures that could get inside her head and attack the very mind itself. They would locate a fear or any other negative thought buried deep in the subconscious and exploit it, like pouring salt on a wound. But her father told her that the way to break the hold was to focus on a happy memory, then use that memory to think about what she most desired.

She squinted her eyes shut and tried to push her mind past the pain. Lydia tried to pick her most recent pleasurable memory and one easily came to mind. It was the first night she spent with John. She remembered the first time he held her in his arms, how she felt like she could melt into him. The way she felt so filled when he took her virginity and made her a woman. She imagined his warm body pressed against her own, how they fit so well together. How she loved the feeling of her legs wrapped around his back and her hands on his chest. She could relive that night again for an eternity.

But what about her future? What did she deeply desire? Her mind placed her in a small house, just outside Wolfdell. She stood on the porch, leaning against the railing as she looked out to the valley. Smiling as a warm summer breeze flowed through her hair. The sun was beginning to set, the warm light highlighted the golden dried grass and slightly muting the green colors of the surrounding forest. She heard laughter not too far in front of her. Out in the field she saw John with two half-lycan children...their children! They were both only a few summers in age, a boy and a girl. Their daughter had her long, white hair while their son had his father's dark hair. The three of them were running around the grassy meadow, playing a game of tag. Laughter filled the air as their son tackled his father. John got up and playfully chased him back. The young soldier looked back up at Lydia and gave her a warm smile. He was not someone who had to worry about Solomon, or prophecies, or even his past. He was a man at peace and happy with his life. The happiness she felt at this moment was indescribable, she so badly wanted this to be real. This is what she wanted...to live her life with him.

When she reopened her eyes, the sight of the cave came back to her. She still felt quite a bit of pain as the creature continued it's assault on her mind, but she now had her opening. She looked up and spotted the gangly creature in front of her, his eyes narrowed as he tried to regain his telepathic grip on her. His attack was getting stronger, but she only needed a few moments. She was able to get herself back on one knee and give herself a firm footing. Lydia then bolted forward at the speed of lightning, grabbing the handle of her katana. Her view started to fade to tunnel vision as the demon tried even harder to take back control of her mind. But she was resolute and as she neared, the demon's eyes shot open and the creature let out a high pitched scream. Looking into the wolf girl's determined eyes, it was the first time he ever felt fear. In one swift and fluid motion, the half-lycan unsheathed her katana and swiped it at neck level. She only felt a little resistance against her sword as she struck. Ikuzar gave her a blank stare of disbelief before his head rolled off his shoulders and tumbled onto the floor, his body soon collapsed afterward.

Lydia stared down at her slain opponent, the monster that had just caused her so much pain now dead on the ground. It was at this moment that she realized that this was her first real kill. Not an animal for food or a mindless imp, but an intelligent creature. Only now did she feel that rush from killing an equally capable foe. That incredible feeling of being at the brink of death yet still emerging as the victor. A smile crept across her face as she gave her a blade a flick and shook off the black blood before sheathing her sword. There was a sense of excitement that she wanted to tell John about. 

John! Her eyes shot open as she turned around and once again saw his rifle laying on the ground. He was still in trouble! She quickly found the exit to the chamber and followed it deeper into the labyrinth. She tried to hold back the icy fear that gripped her heart as she tried to keep some hope that the man she loved was still alive.

******************************

A high pitched inhuman scream echoed throughout the cave, filling every corridor and chamber. Then as quickly as it started, the shriek was suddenly silenced. Lilith stopped gyrating her hips on top of the naked young man underneath her. She instantly recognized the source of the terrible noise and what it meant. She looked back toward the entrance to the chamber, her lips pursed in annoyance.

"That little bitch!" she growled, furrowing her brow.

She then turned back to her prey trapped between her legs, giving the helpless soldier a cruel smirk. John looked nothing like the fit, young man he normally was. Any evidence of muscle mass was gone, nothing but skin and bones. His skin was a sickly pale color and clung to his bones like a mummified corpse. The young man's dark hair turned perfectly white. His eyes sunk deeper into his sockets as he looked around with terror and confusion, completely disoriented. He took slow, dry shallow breaths that barely kept him alive. He no longer looked like a young man of twenty six years, but an elderly man on his deathbed.

The succubus sensually ran her hand down his chest, his ribs clearly visible through his skin. She had taken almost all of his life force and all that was left was his soul. All she had to do was clamp her vagina on his cock once more and milk the last of his essence. It would only take her a moment, long before his companion could intervene.

"Well, my love," she said as she ran the back of her hand down his now boney cheek. "You were wonderful and I really wish we could go for another round. But unfortunately, this is the end for you."

The succubus sat up and arched her back, her large breasts pointing toward the ceiling. Her hands ran down her body as she prepared to feast on the last of the young man's life. John's eyes widened slightly as he realized what was about to happen. But instead, Lilith paused for a moment as she looked back at the entrance. Her eyes narrowed as she looked to be contemplating something. A devious smile formed in her face as a cruel idea slipped into her head. She leaned back over her victim, her breasts pressing against his chest. Grabbing the sides of his head, she kissed his thin, dry lips. As she pulled back, a thick trail of smoke poured out of her mouth and into his. John's body convulsed beneath her as his eyes shot open, the body of the succubus keeping him restrained against the bed. As if he was inflating back up, his muscle tone returned. His skin and hair returned to their normal colors. It was not long before his body changed from a near corpse, back to the virile man he was before.

Just as Lilith finished returning the last bit of the life force she took from him, John arched his back as he gasped for air. His eyes still wide open with the look of shock and trauma. He tried to move away from the succubus, but she kept a firm grip on his head. he could not believe how inhumanly strong she was, just as strong as Sasha. Lilith tightened the grip on his head as he tried to struggle against her. Her razor sharp nails dug into his scalp as she forced his eyelids open with her thumbs. Her purple eyes stared directly into his. Something took hold of him from the inside, another presence invading his mind. He tried to lift his arms to push the female demon off of him, but could only move them a few inches before it seemed like his muscles seized up. The feeling was very much like what he experienced with Ikuzar, but with one big difference. She was not just invading his mind, but his very soul. Something inside was trying to take control of him and was succeeding.

"Until your soul leaves your body...you belong to me," Lilith said, completing her spell.

The succubus thoroughly enjoyed watching the young man struggle helplessly as her powers began to take over his body. The spell was a rather nasty one. It would latch onto his soul like a parasite, feeding off his knowledge and experiences. Once it fully took hold, he would be her slave and obey her without question. Her hold on him would be permanent, only death could break the spell.

His struggling began to lessen as he gave in. Lilith was quite surprised how easily her spell latched on to his soul. Usually the darker the soul, the more effortlessly it took over. Those men who could do no wrong, they were always much harder. Curious, she peered into his mind, looking to his past. She raised an eyebrow as she found traces of rage and unbridled hatred. The succubus then looked to his memories until she found one in particular. A devilish grin formed on her face as she saw the dark past this so called hero was trying to hide. If only his friends knew of the blood on his hands.

John's body finally went limp and his eyes glazed over. His arms laid spread out to his sides as he stared up at the ceiling. Lilith leaned in and gently kissed him on the forehead. He finally sat up and looked at the succubus with a blank stare.

"We have a guest," Lilith whispered to him sensually, "I want you to give her a proper welcome."

"Yes mistress," John replied with an evil grin.

*****************************

Lydia quickly navigated the short series of passages and stepped into another chamber illuminated by what seemed like dozens of candles. She slowed her pace, navigating the room cautiously. The stalactites and stalagmites that shot out from the ceiling and floor allowed for many hiding places. Pulling out her katana, she did her best to examine the room and tried to peer beyond the shadows. But she saw nothing. As much as this could have just been another empty chamber, something did not feel right.  

She looked to the center of the room and saw an alter with bedding and sheets on top of it. There was a small feeling of hope when she did not see a body like she had feared. The half-lycan carefully approached it and was relieved when she did not see any blood. She did see spots of other fluids that had soaked into the sheets. As much as she wanted to be mad, she was far too worried about John's wellbeing to care. Reaching out her hand, she carefully felt the bed sheets. There was another sigh of relief when Lydia felt that the sheets were still warm. Someone was still close by.

The wolf girl's ears twitched when she heard the faint crunching sound of a pebble being ground into rock to her side. She quickly turned with her sword raised, ready to attack. A figure stepped out of the shadows and began to slowly approach her. Her eyes widened when she saw the figure, the strangely patterned pants and brown shirt were unmistakable. It was John. He continued toward her, head down with a tired look on his face as she lowered her sword.

"John!" she cried out joyfully as she ran toward him, "Thank the gods you're alri...."

She stopped herself short when she realized something was wrong. He stopped moving toward her and just stood there. He didn't rush forward to greet her, didn't even give her a smile to let her know he was unharmed. His eyes peered upward, giving her an unnerving cold stare. His hand slowly reached down to his thigh and unholstered his pistol.

"John? What's wrong?" Lydia asked, her voice trembling. Looking at him worryingly.

He raised up his arm and pointed the black, metal weapon directly at her. The half-lycan's eyes widened alarmingly as she heard the distinct metal click of the hammer being cocked back. In an instant, she turned and ran back toward the altar and dove over it for cover.

BANG!

Lydia heard the first gunshot behind her and the bullet whiz past her ear. Too close. She made it over to the other side of the large, stone slab as two more shots fired and impacted the altar. Pressing her back to the stone, she frantically looked around the room. What had gotten into him? Why was John trying to kill her? She bolted out from behind the altar and ran across the room. The soldier moved his arm to the side, trying to track her. Two more gunshots echoed loudly throughout the chamber, both just missing behind her. Puffs of dust spurted out of the rocky wall as the bullets impacted after missing their target. She was blessed that her lycan blood allowed her to move incredibly fast. Skidding to a halt, the wolf girl took cover behind a row of stalagmites.

"Hold still and die you bitch!" John roared.

This couldn't be John! It may have been his body and voice, but she refused to believe it was actually him. No matter how frustrated or angry he could get, she knew he wouldn't harm her. Lydia also knew that if he truly wanted her dead, he would have killed her already.

"Who are you!" the wolf girl shouted from behind her cover.

"The man whose heart you ripped out," John replied.

"You're not John!" she screamed, "He would never attack his friends!"

"Oh? What makes you so sure?" he replied curiously, "You don't think he's fed up dealing with a deceiving little cunt like you?"

The half-lycan winced as she listened to the insults thrown to her before having the courage to speak up again. "What did you do with him?"

"Oh, he's here," he laughed as he began to slowly walk over to her location. "You should hear him, screaming in terror as he's forced helplessly to watch as he murders you through his own eyes."

An ugly feeling of dread hit the pit of her stomach. She couldn't imagine how terrified John was, being trapped within his own body. Her hands shook as she tried to get a hold of herself, clinching her fists as she calmed herself down long enough to formulate a plan. Whatever was controlling him did seem to share his knowledge but not his skill, she knew the soldier was a much better marksman than he was now. Lydia carefully peeked around the stalagmite. Unfortunately, he quickly spotted her and fired. She pulled back just as the round hit the rock, showering her with small shattered pebbles. A piece of the broken bullet ricocheted off the rock, cutting her deeply in her upper right cheek. Yelping at the intense stinging pain, the half-lycan put her hand over the wound and was thankful that it missed her eye. Lydia did see what she was looking for, more specifically, what she did not see. She knew that his unique weapon required some form of ammunition and had before seen the clips that contained it. But he did not have his vest on and she could not find any other extra ammo on him. She knew that she had the advantage of speed and was not going up against his true marksmanship skills. So all she needed to do was get him to use up his ammo and then she could possibly knock him unconscious and restrain him. But in the meantime, she also needed to try and get through to him.

She spotted another large stalagmite about another fifty feet away from her. Darting out from behind her cover, she made a beeline directly toward it. The possessed man fired four more deafening shots at the fast moving wolf girl. Each one passing dangerously close but always just missing their mark. She slid behind her new cover, scraping up the skin on her knees in the process. She could feel the soft, warm trickle of blood roll down her face from her earlier wound.

"How are you going to explain this to Sasha and Sirenia?" Lydia asked.

"Ah, yes...them," John laughed as if only just now being reminded of their existence. "Little nymphs those two are. Did you know that when he slept with the dragoness, it was the most incredible sex he had ever experienced? Far better than anything he ever had with you."

Lydia tried to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes as he continued to hurl insults at her. She knew that the presence inside of him was simply trying to throw her off. But he knew exactly how to twist the knife.

"I think I'll kill Sasha last," he continued, his voice seething with malice, "I want to relish the expression on her face when I sink my blade into the necromancer's throat."

"You can fight this, John!" Lydia cried out in an attempt to get through to his real self, "This is not who you are, you would never hurt us!"

"Oh, look who's talking. You hurt him far more than anyone else could. First you pathetically crawled to him, like a bitch in heat, before saying you wanted to be with him. What you don't realize is that you gave him something he longed for, hope for a normal life. But in one fell swoop, you took that all away."

"I...I didn't mean to hurt him," she stammered, unable to hold back the tears. "I was scared. I was afraid how my kind would look at me. I was afraid of being chased out of my home after working so hard to be accepted by my people. I had the opportunity to become a real leader and I didn't want all that work to be for nothing."

"Hehe, how wonderful," the possessed John replied with a low chuckle, "You broke a man's heart for your own selfish ambitions. But you're going to be dead soon, so looks like it was still all for naught. I hope you're proud of yourself."

Lydia felt her warm tears roll down her cheek. Biting her lip, she thought about what she wanted to say next. She had been holding back her true feelings for too long now. The half-lycan had chastised him for getting involved with Sasha and Sirenia, but never gave a good reason as to why. Not only had she been lying to him, but to herself as well. She once again pictured the scene she thought of earlier, herself and John starting a family together. Too hell with what Ulfric threatened, she loved this human and no one was going to tell her otherwise. She swallowed deeply as she was ready to admit what she should had told him days ago.

"John, I know you can hear me," Lydia yelled back passionately, finding the courage to tell him the truth. "What I did was a mistake, I know that now. I don't care anymore about being accepted by my people or having to leave my home. Because I will gladly give all that up just to be with you. Do you hear me? Being with you is the only thing I want."

She didn't hear any reply back, no insults or threats. For the next few seconds, which seemed like an eternity, she remained in place and surrounded by silence. Lydia curiously looked around the stalagmite to see what John was doing. Her eyes opened in astonishment when she saw his arm holding the pistol shaking violently. The look of rage in his eyes seemed to slowly fade away. His arm began to lower as the real John was trying to break through and take control of his body back.




New Life in a New World Ch. 05



[Insert lawyer voice here] This story contains scenes of graphic sex and violence. No one under the age of 18 or 21 (depending on your local law) should read this story. Any characters depicted in sexual or suggestive scenes are intended to be 18 years or older. While inspired from many sources, the story and characters are original. Any similarities to any real or fictional persons are coincidental. Enjoy.

Big thanks to Annanova, Twilightdreamer, and Galloglaich for their edits. You guys are the best! Also thank you to ShadwNinjaX and Lien_Geller for their beta reads. 

===========================

John sat alone in the dining room of his best friend's apartment in New York. Papers were spread out over the rectangular mahogany surface of the antique table. His CD player sat on the open page of one of his textbooks playing one of his favorite albums, Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park. He lightly bobbed his head as he tried to lose himself in the music that was blasting through his headphones.

He frantically pored over his books and notes from the last two months as he worked on a rather difficult assignment. A handwritten essay on World War II; from Pearl Harbor to the official Japanese surrender on the USS Missouri, with summaries of the major battles and political decisions in between. He had been given two weeks to complete the assignment, but like in most of his academic work, he procrastinated. His best friend, Terry, already completed his assignment last week. John only started two days ago and the paper was due tomorrow morning. This would have been so much easier if he could have typed it up, but his teacher was a bastard.

As much as this paper required his full concentration, he found his mind wandering. It had been seven months since his family perished and one month since he decided to run away from his abusive uncle. He recalled the night where he showed up on their doorstep and Terry's mother answered the door. The look of shock in her face when she saw him standing there, soaked to the bone from walking through a heavy thunderstorm. He explained what happened earlier that night at his uncle's apartment, when he lost his temper and literally chased John out. She wanted to call the police, but he told her not to bother. He had tried that on previous occasions, but there was nothing they could do. Despite being a lousy guardian, his uncle never laid a hand on him. With no other relatives that he could be placed with, the people at Social Services were worse than useless. 

So ever since that night, he stayed with Terry and his family. He never really intended to stay long term, but Terry's mother insisted that he would not be a burden and was more than willing to house him. He did go over to his uncle's apartment from time to time, but only when he needed to get a few personal items. And he only went over if one of Terry's parents were present. They always seemed to be looking out for his best interests, but John was not sure how long he could stay with his surrogate family. He was seventeen now, but still not legally old enough to live on his own. Only another year and he would finally be in charge of his own life. He even afforded a moment to think about his prospects afterward. College was unlikely; his parents were well off, but had never set up a college savings account for him. Plus, any money he could have used, his uncle had gambled away. But even if he could go, he had no idea what he wanted to study. There was another option he considered. In the recent months he had seen numerous young men flock to the nearby military recruitment center. The United States was at war and many were eager to join in. He never had considered it in the past, but every time he walked by, something inside reminded him that he still had a score to settle. Either way, he had nearly a year to wait. Would he be able to stay with his friend that long?

The answer came about a week prior. Terry painfully broke the news that he and his family were moving to Seattle in a couple weeks where his dad had accepted a new job at a law firm. John was devastated; his only friend was going to move across the country. They had known each other since kindergarten. They grew up together, attended the same schools, and shared several classes. They were almost inseparable, but who knew when he would see his friend again. Even though he should be using these last couple weeks to savor the time that he had with his best friend, he was lost. There was no way in hell he was going back to his uncle's. He could always run away, pull every dollar from his bank account and live on the road. It would be a really shitty way to live, but he knew that his life was over the moment his family died.

"Hey John!" Terry shouted as he excitedly ran into the room.

Even with music blasting through his headphones, he could still hear the energized voice of his friend. John quickly looked up from his homework and hit the pause button on his CD player. The last week had been rather somber as they counted down the days until they were separated by thousands of miles, so it was rather odd that Terry would be this excited.

"Great news!" he continued, chattering so fast that he was barely understandable. "I just heard my parents worked everything out. They got your uncle to sign over legal guardianship to them. It actually wasn't that difficult, he seemed more than eager to give up that responsibility."

John took a moment to let those words sink in before opening his eyes in astonishment. "You mean that..."

"That's right," Terry nodded, "You're family now. We're going to be brothers!"

******************************

The twenty-six year old Corporal John Young was alive, but fading away fast. He was so far gone that he couldn't even hear the hysterical female voices that surrounded him. His consciousness had already slipped into darkness and his body would fail on him in mere moments. Death was going to claim another soul.

"Lydia, I need an answer now," the necromancer said anxiously.

The half-lycan had a critical decision to make. There was a chance to save the man she loved, but it came at an extreme risk. Sirenia suggested that they could push his soul into purgatory, buying them time to heal his wounds and bring him back. But there would be no room for failure; one misstep, and his soul would be lost in limbo forever. There was the easier option, allowing John to pass away. At least he would have an afterlife, but with their hero gone, it would doom everyone to Solomon's wrath. While so many lives were at stake with her decision, she could only think about herself. Lydia had finally admitted her true feelings for him under the most extreme circumstances. But in a cruel twist of fate, she had no other choice but to slay the man she loved. She looked down at the young soldier laying in a pool of his own blood, his life quickly slipping away. Leaning forward, she lightly kissed her dying lover's forehead.

"I'm sorry," she tearfully whispered to John, "But I'm not ready to let you go...not yet."

She looked up at the necromancer, her eyes filled with tears and a new look of determination. "Do it!"

Sirenia nodded and kneeled on the other side of John's body, across from Lydia. Gently placing her hands on his chest, she closed her eyes and muttered a few words that sounded foreign. There was a faint glow just beneath her hands for only a moment before the light faded away. She breathed a long sigh before pulling her hands away.

"It's done," the necromancer said as she opened her eyes, "we were close too. A second longer, and we would have lost him for good."

Lydia looked over John's body; unmoving, not breathing, his skin beginning to lose its color. Placing her hand gently against his cheek, she immediately retracted it as she felt his body go cold. A sudden wave of panic fell over the wolf girl. She was looking at her lover's corpse.

"Wait! He's not breathing! He's..."

Sirenia quickly reached her arm out and grasped the half-lycan's shoulder. Looking directly into her distressed, golden eyes, the necromancer tried to give her a reassuring look. "His body is simply without a soul," she replied calmly, "this is all part of the plan."

The necromancer looked over to the dragoness, Sasha. Emotionally, she was not doing much better than Lydia. Time was of the essence and Sirenia needed someone who could remain mostly calm and follow directions precisely. The half-lycan was much too shaken up by the recent events to be of any help. Sirenia didn't blame her for that, but she needed an effective assistant. The dragoness would have to do. Hopefully, Sasha could get herself focused quickly.

"Sasha, I need you to be where Lydia is now," Sirenia instructed in a firm tone.

The dragoness looked up and nodded, tears still rolling down her face. She moved alongside the half-lycan and gently nudged her out of the way. Lydia was hesitant at first to leave John's side, but quickly understood that at the moment she would be more hindrance than help.

"Do we have any tourniquets?" Sirenia asked.

She was met with blank stares from the other girls. Lydia hadn't had time to grab her bag of supplies from her room at the inn. Sasha usually only wore her leather vest and skirt and had no real place to carry anything.

"I think he has an aid kit in his vest. It's the other chamber," Lydia finally said softly , her voice still shaky.

"There's no time for that," the necromancer replied, shaking her head. "We'll have to improvise. Sasha, lift his body up for me."

Sasha grimaced as her hands dove into the shallow pool of blood on the ground. Sliding her hands underneath his body, she slowly lifted his upper half up so he was sitting upright. Sirenia pulled his shirt off of him and wrapped it around his torso, tying it very tightly. Reaching into a small pocket attached to her armor, she pulled out a small scarf and tied it around John's injured thigh. From another pocket, she retrieved a small, cloth wrapped parcel. A small glass bottle filled with a dark, murky green liquid slipped into her hand. She pulled out the cork and motioned for the dragoness to tilt the young man's head back.

"This will hold off the physical effects of death for the time being," the necromancer explained as she poured all the contents of the bottle down John's throat. "Blood clotting and stiffening of the body would happen in a matter of minutes without this. A least now we have time to properly repair him."

Once Sirenia emptied the bottle, she tossed it away and wrapped the cloth around the self-inflicted wound on his arm. With the initial work done, the three girls started making their way out of the cave with the dragoness carrying the man they all cared for. As they backtracked through the corridors, Lydia picked up any of John's gear that he had left behind. The three of them moved at a quick pace, practically sprinting through the darkness. Even with the potion, they still had to get him back to the village where they could fix his wounds before Sirenia could put the manufactured soul into him. Grateful that John marked the way out through the twisting cave, the trio made it out within ten minutes. A flood of warm sunlight greeted them as they reached the cave exit. This would normally be a beautiful day. A warm breeze lightly rustled the surrounding tree branches accompanied by the sound of chirping birds. But to the three distressed women, this day was just as ugly as a day filled with grey skies and rain. Sirenia peered down at the village at the base of the valley before turning to the dragoness.

"Just how medically skilled are you?" the necromancer asked.

"I can easily stitch the wounds on his arm and leg," Sasha replied, "But I wouldn't dare touch his internal organs."

"Can you carry him long enough to fly him down to the inn and get started?"

The dragoness nodded and repositioned her grip on John's body. Her arms hooked under his shoulders and she locked her fingers together at his chest. Even in her mostly human form, she was still strong enough to fly and carry him for a short distance. Spreading her wings, she used her powerful legs to get a good starting jump into the air. With a few strong flaps of her wings, she rose above the tree canopy. Lydia and Sirenia watched as the dragoness gently glided down the side of the hill and into the valley. The wolf girl watched as the two figures descended down into the village. Even though she was going to be right behind them, she hated the feeling of being away from him even for a moment. She wanted to remain at his side. Her thoughts were broken when she saw the necromancer running down the hill.

At a full sprint the half-lycan quickly caught up to the necromancer until she was alongside her, she was amazed how fast she ran for a human. Even though Lydia was not yet at a flat out run, it took a bit of effort to keep up with the fast moving necromancer. The two women charged down the hill, zigzagging between trees and leaping over exposed roots. The run was a bit awkward for the wolf girl, trying to carry John's rifle in one hand and his tactical vest in the other. Sirenia noticed the extra gear the half-lycan was carrying and reached out her arm, offering to help with the burden. Lydia glanced at the black metal weapon, thinking about handing it off to the necromancer. But instead, she tossed over the vest. She was not ready to trust John's weapon to Sirenia, even if she was the best hope for his survival.

"I can only imagine how you feel right now," Sirenia said, "But I need you focused and clearheaded...his life counts on it."

Lydia only nodded back in reply. The necromancer was right; emotions would not help the situation. She tried to push aside her grief and anger and forced herself to get over the fact that she would have to work with the woman she tried to kill hours earlier. Her expression changed to one of determination, she was going to get John back no matter what.

They soon reached the bottom of the hill and entered the village of Bluemoor. Running down the crowded streets, practically knocking over people as they made a beeline for the inn. Lydia prayed that Sasha made a discreet entrance into the village, as best as a dragoness carrying a human body could. Once they entered the inn, they sprinted down the hallway and burst into Lydia's room. Sasha was already there with John. The dragoness had already pulled the bed to the center of the room, making it easier to work on the young man. The soldier was stripped down to his underwear save for his shirt still wrapped around his wound. She had already finished stitching the gash on his arm and was beginning to stitch the wound on his thigh. Gods! She worked fast.

"Lydia, I need you to get everything from your medical supplies," the necromancer said as she walked over and untied the tourniquet, "We have a lot of work to do on his internal organs."

The wolf girl rummaged through her pack until she came across a satchel that contained healing supplies given to her from Anya for their journey. She pulled out the various bandages, tourniquets, tools, and potions before laying them out on the bedside table. Lydia may not have been a skilled healer like Sirenia, but she spent enough time with Anya to be a good assistant. Sasha was finished stitching his leg as the other two women started the intense work repairing the severe wound in his midsection. For the next hour, the wolf girl and the necromancer worked diligently as they mended and stitched his internal organs. On a couple of occasions, the half-lycan got distracted as she found herself staring at the wound caused by her sword. Her mind tried to fill itself with alternate scenarios, trying to justify her actions. The necromancer noticed this after the second time she gave instructions to Lydia with no response.

"There are worse areas where you could have stabbed him," Sirenia said as if it was supposed to make her feel better.

Lydia shot her an unamused glare. However, the necromancer met her stare with a serious expression that reminded her to remain focused. Eventually, they got the last of his stitches in place and were ready to end the impromptu surgery.

"These should hold for now," Sirenia stated, "But I wish I had something to help the wounds naturally heal faster."

The half-lycan grabbed a bottle filled with a murky liquid from the piles of supplies on the table, "Will this help? It's healing water from my village."

"Yes! That's perfect! I'll hold him upright while you get him to drink it."

Just like they did before in the cave with Sirenia's potion, the necromancer eased the young man upright and tilted his head back while Lydia poured the contents of the bottle into his mouth. The water was the same kind that Anya used in her healing bath. Once it entered the body, it would be absorbed and begin healing his internal organs. Laying John back onto the bed, the necromancer sat down in a nearby chair and looked down at the floor. Closing her eyes, she started muttering something in a language no one in the room understood. For a solid minute she sat there, talking to herself.

"Um...what's next?" Lydia shyly asked.

Sirenia did not say anything back initially, so the wolf girl asked again. The necromancer slowly opened her eyes and glared at the worried half-lycan. "This is a very complex spell and I need you to keep quiet so I can concentrate."

She was attempting to prepare the manufactured soul, which was far more complex than the usual resurrection spells she cast. Normally she would just take control of a body and would manipulate it like a puppeteer through magic. Even though they could walk, run, and fight; they were still nothing more than a rotting corpse. They were only intended to be used short term, like in a battle. But after making a few enemies and forced to live on the run, she felt like she needed a more long-term solution. One can only go so long sleeping with one eye open. Sirenia needed someone who could protect her. Her usual summoning spells required her to maintain control over the resurrected. She needed a spell that not only kept the body from rotting away, but also allowed it to function independently. Over the last couple of years, she tried to create a spell that would do just that. However, this would be the first time it would be put into practical use.

"How many times have you done this?" Lydia asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Once before," the necromancer simply replied with an annoyed look.

"How did it work out?" the wolf girl asked worryingly.

"You really don't want to know."

Lydia gulped as horrific scenarios ran through her head. She had no idea what exactly could go wrong, but it was the fear of the unknown that scared her. The wolf girl nearly jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking back, she saw Sasha trying to give her a reassuring look. Giving a thankful smile, she grasped her dragoness friend's hand. A few days ago, she cursed the fact that John had brought her along. But now, she was more thankful than ever to have Sasha by her side.

Suddenly, the necromancer raised her voice as she continued her chant. Holding her hands apart, a glowing white orb began to form between them. It glowed brighter as it grew, filling the room with a brilliant, blinding white light. Just as it became too bright to look upon, Sirenia bolted from her seat and slammed the orb into the John's chest. Lydia gasped as she saw his body convulse, his arms and legs twitching before going limp again. Light radiated from under his skin, giving a slight pink glow. After a few moments, the light slowly dimmed and his skin tone returned to its normal lightly tanned complexion. The half-lycan bit her lip in anticipation as she waited for something to happen. The three of them waited for several minutes, but there was nothing. His body remained motionless, just another corpse.




New Life in a New World Ch. 05



The half-lycan did her best to stifle her crying, but she couldn't hold back her tears. She whimpered softly as Sasha embraced her. Across the room, the necromancer buried her face in her hands. The room was silent except for the tearful sniffling of the three women. They had failed and John's soul was lost forever in limbo. Lydia slowly got out of her seat and walked over to her lover's body. Placing her hand on his chest, she kissed his forehead.

"I'm sorry," she tearfully apologized.

She felt her hand lift slightly, pushed upward by his chest. Her eyes snapped open when she felt his light breath on her skin as his chest collapsed.

"Something's happening!" she yelled enthusiastically.

Both the dragoness and the necromancer looked up in amazement, all eyes fixed on the rise and fall of the soldier's chest as he breathed. The sounds of grief quieted, replaced by the sound of each inhale and exhale. Sirenia grabbed his arm and pressed two fingers to the underside of his wrist, breathing a sigh of relief when she felt a pulse.

"It...It worked," the necromancer said with a hint of surprise.

The two women stepped away from the faintly breathing young man. Lydia was so anxious, she wanted to run up and shake him awake. But the look on Sirenia's face told her that she needed to allow things to play out. A twitch of his finger caught the half-lycan's attention. One by one, each of his fingers slowly curled until balled into a fist then released. His eyelids fluttered open. The three girls were elated to see his dark brown eyes once again. As he started to sit up, he let out a small groan as he pushed himself up with his elbows.

"John!" Lydia cried out.

The relieved wolf girl rushed forward and threw her arms around her lover, pressing her face against his bare chest. She closed her eyes, expecting to feel the embrace of his arms around her, but she felt nothing. The half-lycan opened her eyes and pulled back, only to be met with his blank and confused stare, as if he had never seen her before in his life.

"What's wrong?" she asked nervously.

He still did not answer, he just stared at her. Sitting there motionless, his eyes darted to the dragoness sitting behind her. However, his expression did not change. He looked almost lost, like he had no idea who he was.

"John," Sirenia loudly sighed, "Are you alright?"

He immediately turned to face her, "Yes mistress."

"This is Lydia," the necromancer said as she motioned to the wolf girl, "I want you to say 'hello' to her."

"Of course, mistress," he replied before turning toward the half-lycan. "Hello Lydia, my name is John. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Lydia's mouth hung open as she stared in disbelief, completely shocked and appalled by what she just heard. It was as if she was completely wiped from his memories. That damn necromancer! She should have known she would pull something like this. Despite what Sasha had told her earlier, the necromancer obviously still had plans to steal her lover away. Gritting her teeth, she dug her fingernails into her hands. The outraged wolf girl readied herself to dive across the table and strangle the life out of the necromancing bitch. Clearly seeing Lydia's anger, Sirenia immediately shot up her hands to try and calm down her companion.

"It's not like that," she tried to quickly explain. "I didn't have enough time to modify the spell to make you his mistress. Remember, this is not actually John's soul. This is merely a temporary one until we get him back."

The half-lycan's eyes narrowed on the necromancer as she tried to simmer down. "Do you swear, on your life, that when we get him back he will be just as he was before?"

The necromancer nodded uneasily, "He will be the man that you love and remember."

With that said, Lydia finally regained her composure and sat back down. For the next several minutes, the three women sat in complete silence while John looked around the room like a lost child. They needed time for tempers to cool, but no one blamed each other for the rising emotions. Within the last hour, they nearly lost the man they loved and cared for. Despite his body being healed, they knew they were far from finished. The feeling of uncertainty that all three shared left them on edge. They might not have been friends, sometimes adversaries, but they needed to put all that aside and pull together if they were going to save John's very soul.

"So what's next?" Sasha finally asked, breaking the silence.

Sirenia sighed as if she was dreading the next course of action, "We need to get him to someone who knows how to bring his soul back from purgatory. Do you think you could fly us there?"

The dragoness shook her head, "It was difficult enough trying to carry him down the hill."

"What about in your full dragon form?" Lydia inquired.

"Him yes, but not the rest of you. A rider sits at the base of my neck where it meets my body. Any other spot and it becomes difficult to hang on. And I don't want to be waiting outside the village as a full dragon while you try and jerry-rig some kind of saddle."

"That's fine," Sirenia replied, "It's only a two day walk and I want to keep an eye on John to make sure the spell holds."

Lydia tossed a small sack of coins to the necromancer which she easily caught. "Sirenia, you go and pay Max for our stay. Sasha, you remain here with John. I'm going to go get the last of the supplies we purchased yesterday and pick up some clothes for him. We leave in a half-hour."

****************************

The orange flickering light from the torches danced over the glyphs carved into the solid rock wall of the cave. Solomon stood alone in the chamber as he intently studied the etched symbols. For the last thousand years he had been moving forward with the single goal of setting this pathetic world aflame. All the knowledge he collected over the centuries was written down in this room, preserved in the rock. Writing covered the walls and even some of the ceiling in a language no mortal could read. Only those who lived in hell could understand it.

As he stroked his beard, he carefully read through his notes as he hoped to maybe find some small piece of information he missed. The small window of opportunity to perform his task was quickly approaching. He knew the time and location to perform the ceremony. What he was missing were the two artifacts, the Latchkey Stone and the Divinity Gem. After spending hundreds of years searching, he was no closer to obtaining them. This angered him to the point where he was ready to tear this wretched land apart. But he had to remain discreet, the last thing he needed were the races of this world uniting against him. Something told him the elves were involved in the delay of his plans. He learned long ago of the original resting places for the artifacts, but the artifacts were no longer there. They had been recently moved. But every time he thought he discovered their new hiding place, the two items were nowhere to be found. The elves were constantly moving them around, and he always seemed to be one step behind. Solomon intensified his search, even going as far as hiring bandits to raid caravans. He knew he was close; it was only a matter of time now.

There was a slight shuffling noise to his side. The red-skinned demon turned to see his wife, Lilith, standing in the entrance to the chamber. She slowly moved toward him, her hips swaying seductively as she approached. Gently running her hands up his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled her husband in for a deep kiss.

"It's done," she said with a wicked smile as she pulled away.

Solomon smiled back at the succubus, happy that a thorn in his side had finally been removed. "Did you enjoy him?"

"Mmm...very much so," the succubus purred, "He was quite a good lover. It's a shame that he had to die."

"It's a shame that I wasn't there to witness the horrified look on his face as you consumed his soul."

Lilith shyly glanced away, "Well...I didn't consume him completely."

"Oh?" the demon replied, raising an eyebrow.

"I used the soul parasite spell on him," she replied, "then forced the poor bastard to fight the half-lycan...his lover. Oh husband, you should have seen it. The poor girl crying out in terror as he attacked her. In the end, she had no choice but to kill him."

Solomon laughed, "My my, you're more cruel than I could imagine."

Her eyes looked down as her expression got more serious. "There was...a problem. Ikuzar is dead. That wolf bitch killed him."

But her husband still smiled at her. As far as he was concerned, killing John was worth the sacrifice. Besides, he never really considered Ikuzar his son anyway. He only happened to be a byproduct from Lilith being pregnant during her transformation. He only tolerated the creature because he was useful. If anything, his death meant the last of the succubus' ties to her former self had been broken.

"Don't worry about that, you'll get your revenge soon enough," he said as he brushed aside a lock of her hair, "But you did kill the necromancer, right?"

Lilith raised her eyebrow giving him a confused look, "The necromancer? No, I had no reason to..."

She was suddenly interrupted when Solomon struck her hard with the back of his hand, knocking her halfway across the room. A small trickle of blood ran down the corner of her mouth. As the stars cleared from her vision, she looked up fearfully to see her husband staring at her with rage filled eyes. It had been some time since she had seen him this angry, but he had never taken his anger out on her before.

"YOU IGNORANT WHORE!!!!" the demon roared angrily.

"I...I don't understand?" she whimpered as she curled up in the corner, "You didn't tell me to go after the necromancer."

"Because I expected you to kill the boy! You were to drain his soul, not toy with him!"

"But he was too far gone to be saved," the succubus explained, "That necromancer can't possibly know how to bring him back."

"She doesn't have that knowledge," Solomon growled, "But do you have any idea who taught her? Who she's going to ask for help?"

Lilith thought for a moment, searching her own memories. Her eyes suddenly opened wide in astonishment when she realized that they were thinking of the same person. "Her!?"

Her husband nodded, "Yes...her."

"We'll kill her then, right now! I'll send out the fire imps, I'll even kill her myself."

He shook his head, "No, it's too late for that."

"We can still kill him," she said, trying to provide any ideas to redeem herself. "Even if they do bring him back, he will be very weak. Sure he would have his companions to defend him, but we still have a good chance of succeeding."

"Perhaps," Solomon replied as he crossed his arms and turned back to the inscriptions on the wall.

Drumming his fingers against his muscular bicep, he thought about his options. He could do what his wife suggested, try to kill the young soldier. But he had tried twice already and failed. The truth was that as much as he wanted John to die, the hunt was taking too much time and too many resources away from what he really needed to get done. He needed to find those two artifacts before time ran out. A thousand years of planning wasted if he failed. No, this world would burn and nothing was going to stop him.

Even if his companions sought help, there was very little chance that they would succeed. Not only is the spell itself extremely complex, but it also requires the use of some of the rarest ingredients ever known. Even then, there was still another reason that they would be unlikely to follow through. It would require an immense sacrifice from one of his lovers. Solomon doubted that any of the women would volunteer for something that costly. But what if one was foolish enough to do so?

"Please tell me you at least looked through his memories?" he said, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

A smile spread across the face of the succubus, "Of course, dear husband."

"...And?"

Lilith rose to her feet, "He and his companions are also looking for the Divinity Gem and the Latchkey Stone."

The demon pursed his lips at hearing this. He didn't have to ask how John came to find this information, he had a pretty good guess as to who told him. But he did wonder why the young man was going after the artifacts. He couldn't destroy the objects, no one would allow him. It was then Solomon realized that the young soldier was looking for the artifacts in hopes of getting to him. The boy may be more clever than he had thought. Perhaps he would allow the young man to live for the moment. If he found the artifacts, Solomon would kill John himself.

"What else did you learn?" he asked, knowing that Lilith was holding something back.

"Well...I did find one thing interesting," the succubus replied as she seductively moved toward her husband, "But I'm not going to tell you...not yet."

"What!?" the demon growled, clearly not happy with her defiance.

She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth before licking it off her fingers. "I didn't like the way you talked to me a moment ago. Yes, I am a whore. But I'm YOUR whore, remember? And I am far from ignorant. So if you want to know my little tidbit of information, you'll just have to fuck it out of me."

"I could beat it out of you," the demon replied as his eyes narrowed.

She reached into his pants and grabbed onto his hardening arousal, "Mmm, as long as you're pounding me with your hard cock."

With her other arm, she grabbed a fistful of his dark hair and pulled him in for a hungry kiss. His anger melted away as soon as their lips made contact. Instead, it was replaced by pure unbridled lust. He pushed her away with enough force that she almost stumbled over her own feet. Lilith gave her husband a confused and fearful look, thinking she had angered him further. Instead, with a leering grin, he quickly stripped out of his clothing. His red-skinned, muscular body stood before her in all his naked glory. Giving him a sensual gaze through her deep, purple eyes, the succubus untied the chest piece that held her firm breasts in place. Her luscious breasts exposed, she reached down to remove her long skirt. But Solomon impatiently rushed toward her. She let out a small yelp as he swept her into his arms and pinned her against the nearest wall. With a firm grab of her perfectly round ass, he lifted her up and allowed her to lock her ankles around his waist. Her skirt bunched up to her upper thighs, giving him unrestricted access to her bare, wet pussy.

"What? No forepl...AH!" her words cut off as the demon shoved his throbbing erection into her tight cunt.

"I am, in charge here, not you," he replied, punctuating each word with a hard thrust into her.

Lilith tightened her arms and legs, pulling her husband closer. His red body pressed against her. The succubus' firm breasts pressed against demon's rock hard chest. She folded her wings around Solomon's back, a blanket embracing them. The demon squinted his eyes and grit his teeth as a slick tunnel of pure pleasure surrounded his member. The succubus loosened then tightened her legs around his waist, trying to encourage his movements.

"You must not be interested in what I have learned about our friend," she teased, grinding herself against him.

He glared into her violet eyes menacingly. How dare she mock him. How dare she hold back any information from him. How dare she try to dominate him, especially when she failed in her mission. She should be on all fours, like a submissive bitch, begging him to fuck her. He loved her anger, malice, and cruelty. But he had to remind his wife that he was not prey, he owned her and he would not let her forget it. He pulled back and slammed his hips into the succubus as hard as he could.

"YESS...FUCK ME!!!" she cried out as he buried himself up to the hilt.

As he pressed deeper into her, Lilith arched her back; begging him to take more. Her strong thighs worked in concert with her vaginal muscles. Soft legs pulling him in while her cunt tried to coax the demon seed from his body. She tightened her arms and pulled her husband closer, trying to bury his face into her shoulder. The succubus moaned deeply at the feeling of Solomon filling her completely. As he pushed her back harder against the cave wall, all she could do was writhe against him.

Keeping a firm grip, Solomon spread apart the cheeks of her perfectly formed ass and slowly crept his fingers inward. The succubus was so lost in the pleasure of riding her husband's rock hard member that she didn't' notice anything until the tip of his finger came to rest on her puckered anus. Her opening tightened instinctively to keep out the invading member, but to no avail. She opened her mouth to protest but it was too late. Her deep purple eyes shot wide open as he buried his digit deep into her ass, up to his knuckle.

"HOLY SHIT...YES!!!!" the succubus screamed, "Play with my ass! Oh...FUCK...it feels good!"

She bucked her hips hard enough to push the two of them away from the wall slightly. The red-skinned demon stepped his foot back, catching his balance. Throwing his whole body forward, he slammed the both of them violently into the wall. Lilith almost had the wind knocked out of her from the impact. But instead of crying out in pain, she screamed in pleasure. The motion causing the tip of his cock to touch the entrance of her cervix. He continued pushing forward, sandwiching his hand between the wall and her luscious ass and keeping his finger locked inside. It didn't matter, her muscles tightened around his digit and refused to let him go. She practically screamed directly into his ear when he inserted a second finger into her tight asshole.

"AHHH...FUCK!!!!"

A hard cock thrusting into one hole while getting fingered in the other. Overwhelmed, Lilith went wild and bit down on the demon's shoulder. A trickle of ink-black blood dripped down his skin. Solomon could feel his wife convulsing in his arms as unbearable pleasure wracked her body. Her energy seemingly transferred into him, drawing him close to his climax. The succubus seemed to be aware of this as she felt him flare up inside her tight cunt.

"That's it my love...give me everything...CUM WITH ME!"

With a mighty, inhuman roar; the demon emptied himself into the succubus. The feeling of his hot cum triggered Lilith's orgasm as she screamed like a feral banshee. The two demon lovers slowed their breathing even as the succubus' cunt kept milking the demon for more. Eventually she unlocked her ankles and set her bare feet on the cold rock floor. But as her husband released his grasp, her legs felt like rubber and she slid down the wall until she landed on her butt.

"Now tell me what's so interesting about our friend?" Solomon demanded as he stood over the succubus as she still shook from her intense climax. Her legs spread apart while a dribble of cum leaked from her cunt.

"His lovers think that the boy's soul is pure," she replied finally catching her breath, "But the truth is...he has innocent blood on his hands."

The demon chuckled, "Now that is interesting."

*******************************

"He's not eating," Sasha said worryingly as she sat down by the campfire with a full plate. "He won't drink anything either."

The necromancer looked back at John, standing somewhat away from the group and carefully patrolling the camp site. "He seems a little preoccupied right now."

They had left Bluemoor by mid-morning and traveled by foot until well after the sun went down. Before they left the inn, the dragoness made sure to thank Max for his hospitality. He seemed to notice John acting a bit strangely but was assured that the young soldier was simply a bit under the weather. The trip itself was rather uneventful, but the three women kept a close eye on the young man. Questions, doubts, and fears raced through their minds as to whether or not they could save their lover.




New Life in a New World Ch. 05



At least the manufactured soul was stable. Sirenia worried that the body would reject the soul, but she did not share this concern with the others. If anything did happen, there would only be a few seconds notice and the necromancer would not be able to do anything about it. They did find it rather disconcerting to see John walking around yet not acting himself. He constantly wore a blank stare on his face and would not talk to anyone other than Sirenia. He was also very protective of her as well. It was only by her instructions that he started looking out for the rest of the group. However, he was not armed with much to fight back with. The necromancer instructed Sasha and Lydia to hold onto his rifle and pistol. The manufactured soul did not possess the knowledge to use firearms and she didn't want him to try. They did allow him to keep his Ka-Bar knife. Still, Lydia was troubled about his current demeanor. The last thing she wanted was to have him charge headlong into a fight he could not win. However, Sirenia insisted that there was nothing that she could do. Protection of his mistress was one of the primary tasks of the faux soul. Even if the necromancer commanded him to stay back, if their lives were in danger, he would certainly disobey that command. Even though she sensed that the real John would do just that, at least he would have had his advanced weaponry and experience to guide him. 

Luckily they did not encounter any problems, not even any bandits. They prayed for that same luck tomorrow. As the three women sat by the campfire, they had a new problem on their hands. Since they had set up camp, John refused to eat or drink anything. It was also looking like he would refuse sleep as well.

"Perhaps he's not hungry?" Sirenia shrugged, "Eventually his body will tell him that he needs to eat something."

"It's not like that," the dragoness replied, glancing at the cooked meat on the plate. "When I handed him the food, he just looked at it. Like he had no idea what to make of it. He did the same thing when I handed him the canteen."

The necromancer thought for a moment when a look of embarrassment overtook her. "Oh shit!"

The dragoness and the half-lycan looked at each other in confusion. Sirenia had buried her head in her hands in frustration. She finally looked up at her two companions with a grim look on her face, hinting at the huge mistake she had made.

"I know why he won't eat," the necromancer said, reluctantly wanting to admit her error. "All the basic bodily functions that we take for granted like walking and breathing are either pure instinct or learned at a young age. But when trying to revive someone like we are, we are literally working with a blank slate. With no instinct or experiences, all of those things have to be added into the manufactured soul. A set of instructions telling the body how to function. I gave his body the instructions to keep his heart beating, to keep him breathing, to let him walk and run. But...I may have forgotten a few things."

Lydia raised an eyebrow, "Are you saying that he's forgotten how to eat?"

"I'm saying he can't eat or drink anything because he doesn't know how to. Like giving an infant a sword and shield then expecting it to know how to fight."

"He's going to die! We need to do something!" the wolf girl shouted, shooting up from her seat.

The necromancer raised her hands, trying to get the half-lycan to allow her to explain things. It was not until Lydia felt Sasha's firm grasp on her arm did she finally calm down. With a deep sigh, she sat back down to her seat.

"It's too late to do anything about it now," Sirenia explained. "The human body can survive a few days without food and water. We'll be at our destination tomorrow evening, that will give us plenty of time."

"How can you sound so cold?" the half-lycan shrieked, "You're fine with bringing John to the brink of dehydration and starvation?"

"This spell was experimental. I told you there would be risks."

"You honestly don't give a fuck if he lives or dies, do you?!?! You were content with letting him die back in that cave!"

"Dammit Lydia, I want to save John's life just as badly as you do!" the necromancer screamed before marching over to the wolf girl and getting in her face. "And don't you think for one second that I don't care about him. He's the only man who has showed me any kindness in a long time and I at least owe him for that."

Sasha immediately jumped between the two arguing women, separating them. "None of this is helping him! We're all tired, our nerves wearing thin, and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Let's get some sleep and we can go back to hating each other after we've saved John. I'll take first watch."

Sirenia gave the half-lycan a long, hard glare before finally turning around and heading over to where she had her bedding rolled out. The dragoness watched as the necromancer laid down with her back facing them and pulled a blanket over herself. Sasha turned back to Lydia who was still sitting by the fire, taking deep breaths as she tried to regain control of herself. Sitting down next to the wolf girl, the dragoness wrapped her arm around her companion. The half-lycan allowed herself a smile as she rested her head on the shoulder of the dragoness. She took comfort in the embrace of her new friend.

"You really need to get some sleep," Sasha whispered, "More than any of us."

The half-lycan's golden eyes glanced off somewhere. The dragoness followed her gaze and saw John standing at the edge of the light from the fire. His back was to the rest of the group, intently staring out to the dark forest as he kept watch. The wolf girl trembled slightly in Sasha's arms, never taking her eyes off her lover. The last day's events had taken a great toll on all of them. But Lydia seemed to be affected the most. The dragoness thought about the fight in the cave between the two lovers as described to her. At first, she felt like she had failed in her task to protect the young man who she had also fallen for. But now she felt conflicted, she questioned if she could have made the same hard choice the half-lycan was forced to make. She almost felt relieved that she wasn't the one who had to decide John's fate.

The half-lycan continued watching the young soldier, wishing she could think about how handsome he looked in the new clothes she bought for him. His normal clothing covered in blood, she got him a half-sleeved black tunic. She even spent a little extra to get one that was embroidered with gold trim that followed the edge of the collar and split neck. His brown pants matched well with his military boots. But too many thoughts buzzed through her mind for her to admire his new outfit. She feared what would happen to the man she loved if they failed. Distressed by the idea of John's soul lost in an afterlife of nothingness. Lydia wanted to get his soul out of purgatory as soon as possible. But there was something else that troubled her. The female demon that started all of this, the one who seduced and deceived the young soldier.

"You knew that woman," Lydia said with a much more serious look on her face, "The one who tried to kill John?"

"Not personally," Sasha replied with a half-chuckle as her smile faded away. "But I have heard of her. The woman's name is Lilith, and she's not an elf, she's a succubus. More importantly, she's Solomon's wife."

Lydia's eyes went wide as an uneasy chill crept up her spine. She came to the realization that even though they had been hunting Solomon, the demon was hunting them as well. Another unnerving question was why hadn't Solomon finished them off yet? Did he not know John had survived? Either way, this created a new sense of urgency to try and get his soul back. 

But then her mind turned to Lilith. A new level of hate the wolf girl had never experienced before rose inside of her. The demon bitch had seduced her lover and fucked him. The images that Ikuzar implanted into her mind still lingered. Images of intertwined limbs, the succubus thrusting herself against John's body in ecstasy as he groaned in pleasure beneath her. Then she put him under a spell and sent him to fight the woman he loved. A cruel game the half-lycan was forced to play. Lydia was beginning to learn the true meaning of hate.

"I'm going to kill her," the half-lycan growled, "I swear to the gods that I will not rest until she's dead!"

"I think we all want a piece of that bitch," the dragoness replied with a smile, "But I'll be sure that you get to strike the killing blow."

Sasha gently helped the half-lycan to her feet and walked her over to her bedding. As the wolf girl laid down, the dragoness pulled up the blanket and made sure Lydia was well covered. The act itself almost motherly, the dragoness couldn't help but think how close this could have been a reality with Radulf. She could see the half-lycan was still closely watching John.

"I promise to keep a close eye on him," she said reassuringly, "Just try and get some sleep."

Lydia didn't find it that hard to fall asleep. She had no idea how tired she really was until her eyes started drooping the moment she was in bed. As the world faded out around her, there was a troubling feeling that stayed with her. Things would get worse before they got better.

*****************************

Sirenia was seven years old when she stood outside her parents' small cottage. Forbidden from entering, she apprehensively waited for what would likely be grim news. Her parents waited with her, her mother uncontrollably weeping while her father stood in silence.

Their village smelled of death. It was like a dark aura had seeped into every corner of the village. One month ago, a mysterious plague had broken out in the village. What started as a couple of sick farmers had now infected half of the inhabitants. The sickness would start as a high fever. But then black spots would show up on the skin, next the eyes would become bloodshot. Difficulty breathing would soon follow. Finally, they would cough uncontrollably, painfully spitting out large amounts of blood before death finally took them.

Many healers and priests had visited the town in hopes of dispelling the plague, but all failed. A few even became sick themselves. All trade with the village was halted. A legion of soldiers, both men and elves, surrounded the doomed town. No one was allowed in or out. The village was placed under quarantine and its people left to die. Many of Sirenia's friends and neighbors were already dead. Now the sickness had claimed her older sister, Kira.

The wooden door of their cottage opened as the doctor walked out. He wore a large black coat and thick leather gloves that went all the way up to his elbows. The mask he wore covered his entire face, two glass lenses allowed him to see out. Around the mouth was a long beak, filled with herbs that prevented the doctor from having to endure the smell of the sick. The outfit made him look more like a large bird than a man, like a raven representing death. Her mother let out an anguished wail as the doctor shook his head grimly, his mask hiding the exhaustion on his face.

There was a muffled cough on the other side of the door coming from inside the cottage. The coughing became louder and uncontrolled. They knew that Kira was in the final stages, her life would end at any minute. The frightened voice from inside cried out to her mother and father in between coughs, screaming for help and comfort. Sirenia tried to run to the cottage, but was stopped as her father wrapped his arm around her torso and held her back.

"No! You mustn't go in there!" her father yelled.

"Let me go!" she screamed as she struggled to break free, "I have to be there for her!"

But her father's grasp was firm. Sirenia cried out to her sister as she heard her coughing become even more violent. Tears ran down her eyes as sounds of wet, choking gurgles came from inside the house.

Sirenia cried out for her sister, "KIRA!!!!"

Then, there was silence. No coughing, no pleas for help, no other sound than her mother's soft whimpers. Sirenia's legs felt weak and she collapsed to her knees. Her older sister had died, slowly, painfully, and alone. The doctor opened the door a crack and peeked inside, confirming Kira was dead. He then lit a torch and handed it to her father. People were no longer brining the dead outside their homes, fearing that their bodies might infect others if carried through the streets. They were now simply burning their own homes to the ground with the dead inside.

She wanted to stop him, but her legs refused to budge. Her father looked back at his family one more time before hurling the torch. As it landed on the roof of the cottage, the straw material easily caught fire. It was not long before the fire consumed their home. Sirenia closed her eyes as she felt the warmth of the flames, but she did not find it comforting. She found another fire starting inside of her, one of determination. Right there she made a promise to herself. She would no longer fear death, she would instead learn to master it.

****************************

The necromancer felt her body being nudged awake. Slowly opening her eyes, she could see that it was still very much in the middle of the night. The campfire was burning at half the strength it was earlier. Sirenia felt the gentle nudge again, someone was poking her with their foot. She looked up to see the white, humanoid dragoness standing over her.

"Hey there sleepy," Sasha whispered with a smile, "Your turn to take watch."

Sirenia groaned softly as she finally sat up. She rubbed her eyes, giving herself a moment to adjust. She didn't know how long she was out; but judging by how tired she still felt, it was easily less than four hours. She looked over and saw the half-lycan sleeping peacefully on the other side of the fire. It was the first time she saw her so relaxed.

"How is she doing?" Sirenia asked the dragoness who was helping her to her feet.

"Fine for now, but she's still very frightened."

She nodded over to the young man patrolling the camp, "What about him?"

"Hasn't slept all night," the dragoness replied with a sigh. "He's not showing any signs of exhaustion, but that does not mean the lack of sleep along with his refusal to eat isn't having an effect on his body. I tried to ask how he was feeling, but he won't even talk to me."

The necromancer rubbed her eyes. Even with her sleep, she was already too tired to deal with this. "Let me worry about him for now."

Sasha narrowed her eyes, "Fake soul or not, I don't feel comfortable driving his body physically to the edge like this. His body will die before we get the chance to bring him back."

"I said I'll look after him!" Sirenia snapped back angrily. The dragoness jolted back in surprise at the necromancer's defensive reply. Unlike Lydia, she had no reason to question her motives. But now that trust was wearing thin.

"Look," the necromancer said getting a hold of herself, "I promise I will at least try to see if I can command him to sleep and maybe even eat something."

The dragoness eyed her suspiciously before her expression softened. She felt the stressful day getting to her as well and adding to the bickering would not help accomplish their task. But she willed herself to stay strong for the human she still loved. With a heavy sigh, Sasha made her way over to her bedroll.

"Remember to wake up Lydia in a couple hours for her turn on watch."

Sirenia nodded as she watched the dragoness lay down, fold her wings and quickly fall asleep. The necromancer exhaled loudly and buried her face in her hands. Great, now Sasha was questioning her. She was doing everything she could to help, but still felt like an outsider. They needed to trust her. What more could she possibly do to earn it?

She warmed her hands over the dying fire. They were shaking ever so slightly, but not from the cold. She reflected on the nightmare she had, a memory from her past. The day she lost her sister was a turning point in her life as it was the day she decided she would learn necromancy. She tried self teaching herself for two years. Having to continually face the strong disapproval of her parents, she ran away from home. As much as she tried, Sirenia found it difficult to calm herself. As much as she wanted to save the man she cared for, she was not looking forward to where their journey would take them. If her dreams were any indication, her past was catching up and she would have to see someone she hoped she would never have to see again.

The sound of rustling bushes snapped her out of her trance. She drew her attention to where John was earlier. He was gone!

"John?" she whispered loudly, but got no reply.

The necromancer quickly glanced over at her two sleeping companions before she got up and left the protective circle of light from the camp fire. She crossed her arms as she felt the chilly air. He couldn't have gone far; the spell would have prevented him from running off. But as Sirenia traversed the thick forest, she had already lost sight of the camp. Where was he? Suddenly, a black shadow appeared next to her. She quickly reached for her blade until she saw the familiar face.

"Gods, John!" the necromancer nearly shrieked, "You startled me."

"I apologize mistress," he replied, "I thought I heard something and left to investigate."

Sirenia smiled back at him, relieved that he was alright. "John, I don't want you wandering off like that again. Now, please follow me back to camp."

He nodded and they started making their way back. As she walked beside him, she couldn't help to notice how handsome he looked in his new clothes. The black tunic hung off him a bit more loosely than his tighter fitting t-shirt. Granted, she did like the rugged look that his tactical gear and usual outfit gave him. But he looked different in this; more elegant, more innocent. She had to admit that Lydia did have good taste.

On their way back, they entered a small clearing. John suddenly stopped in his tracks, Sirenia took a few steps before she realized he had left her side. She looked back and saw him standing in the middle of the clearing, looking straight up to the night sky. He gazed at the bright, brilliant stars in the sky. His eye opened with awe and wonder at the sheer number of them. The necromancer found herself taken aback by their magnificence this night. She had momentarily forgotten that this was not the real John. Surely he had seen stars back in his world, but the faux soul had not. She still wished that she could share this moment with the actual man she cared for.

"They are beautiful, aren't they?" the necromancer said softly.

"Not as beautiful as you, mistress."

She couldn't help but blush a little at his comment. But she then had to remind herself once again that this was the manufactured soul talking. Despite the fact that he respected her, Sirenia couldn't be sure that the real John would even say something like that to her. He loved Lydia, not her. Though, Sasha seemed to be very close to him as well. She guessed that he had a tryst with the dragoness too, but did he feel any different about her? While understanding who his heart truly belonged to, she still hoped for a closer relationship with the young soldier.

Suddenly a small twinge of pain ripped through her back and shoulders. Reaching up over her shoulder, she started rubbing the muscles behind her shoulder blade. She could feel a large knot as she applied pressure. Between fighting with Lydia, saving John's life, and dreading her upcoming encounter tomorrow; it was only a matter of time until the stress took a physical toll on her body. A pair of hands slipped under her armor and started rubbing her back.

John was standing directly behind her, "Allow me to help you with that, mistress."




New Life in a New World Ch. 05



Sirenia quickly stepped away and turned to face him, "That's alright John, I can take care of myself."

He arched his eyebrows in confusion, "Is it not my duty to protect my mistress and make her comfortable?"

"Well...yes..." she replied nervously. Sirenia had promised that she would not take advantage of John's condition. But...Gods, he was handsome! Her rational self tried to remind her that this was not morally right, but her body screamed to let him take her. She bit her lip she felt her lower back ache as well.

"Please, mistress," he pleaded as a devout servant would, "Allow me to service you."

"Alright," the necromancer sighed as she started to unbuckle her armor, "But you will stop when I say so."

"Of course, mistress." he replied.

Just a back rub and no farther. That would be ok, right? So she might be taking a little advantage of her command over the fake soul that resided in John's body. But after everything she did for the group today, she deserved this small luxury. Hell, she could probably command him to give Lydia a massage as well. But something told her that would not make things any better. 

She wished that she could only expose a small part of herself to him. Unfortunately, her armor was practically a one piece set. Her back turned to him, she unbuckled a couple straps and slid her armor off her body and onto the ground. She was completely exposed to him, save for her high-heeled boots Her servant's eyes looked over her stunning, albino skinned body. Her hair was wrapped up to a tight bun, leaving the back of her neck exposed. Her smooth back following the gentile curves of her spine before ending at her tight, round ass. Her long legs disappeared into her black, thigh high boots. She nearly gasped when she felt him gently place his hands on her sides.

"Please lay down on your front," he said softly into her ear.

Nodding in agreement, she got down on her knees now feeling like the obedient one. Sirenia was surprised just how soft the grass was. The thick, long blades of grass forming a natural carpet on the ground. She shuttered as her ample, soft naked breasts pressed against the cool grass. She could feel her nipples already hardening, increasing their sensitivity and arousal. Crossing her arms in front of her, she rested her head on her folded hands.

John kneeled down next to his mistress, rubbing his hands together to warm them up. The necromancer gasped slightly as he softly placed his hands on her upper back. Slowly curling his fingers around her shoulder, he gently applied pressure with his palms while his thumbs kneaded the knots in her muscles. She winced as there was a small amount of pain as first. But as his hands worked her shoulders, her body began to loosen up. She breathed a contented sigh as his thumbs now moved in small circles just behind her shoulders and along her upper back.

Both of his hands wrapped around her left arm, gently squeezing and releasing her biceps and triceps. Sirenia closed her eyes and cracked a small grin as his hands moved across her back to her other arm, never breaking contact with her skin. She kept trying to tell herself that this was nothing more than to help work out her tired muscles, that she would not allow the situation to go any farther. But, Gods! His touch was just magical, so soothing. She moaned ever so slightly as she felt his hands move and his fingertips press the tight muscles in her neck.

Her upper body already beginning to feel like jelly, his hands moved further down. He slid his palms down her back in long, sensual strokes. His fingertips just brushing her sides, tracing the wonderful contours of her body. As this continued for several minutes, she felt her own arousal growing. Her nipples began to harden. Her body became more sensitive, enhancing the feeling of the soft grass touching her skin. She bit her lip as she tried stifling her moans.

John slid his hands down further, gliding them over her shapely ass. Turning his attention to her right leg, he kneaded the tight muscles in her foot. She exhaled loudly at the delightful pressure being applied to the bottoms of her feet. Never had the necromancer experienced a massage like this. Her whole body just felt so disconnected. There was an audible pop as her servant gave each of her toes a tug that sent a jolt of electricity through her. He then slowly worked his way up her calf, her muscles were nothing more than putty in his warm hands. It was like he was an artist sculpting her beautiful body. His hands moved up higher; gently squeezing her fit, muscular thighs.

Sirenia's eyes shot wide open and she gasped as John's hand brushed the inside of her thigh, his fingers touching the soft folds of her womanhood. Out of pure reflex, she pressed her thighs together and trapped his hand between them. However, he did not pull back. Instead he lightly laid his body on hers and slowly kissed the back of her bare neck. The necromancer realized something was off. She could understand her spell encouraging the young man to service her with a massage. But to romance her? Quickly going through her mind, she thought of all the commands and tasks she gave the manufactured soul that now resided in the soldier's body. It was only then she realized what she had done. When she conceived the idea of creating a fake soul, she wanted more than just a protector. She wanted a lover. Someone who could tend to her physical needs. Obviously, she was not going to stoop low enough to make love to a corpse. But as John being proof, her manufactured soul spell would not just revive a freshly expired body. But truly bring it alive, breathing lungs and beating heart. The body was not puppet, but actually living. When she put the soul into John, she forgot to modify it to remove his need to sexually pleasure her. Lydia would kill her if she found out.

If there was a line that should not be crossed, they certainly had reached it. What was supposed to be a simple massage was turning into something much more. She had told herself that she would not let this get out of hand. Sirenia made a promise to her companion that she would not take advantage of John's current state. Lydia trusted her. She knew she couldn't go any farther, but she didn't want this moment to end.

"Is everything alright, mistress?" John asked, sensing her uneasiness.

The necromancer knew that she could command him to stop at any moment and he would dutifully obey her. But her lust was overpowering any sensible decisions. She wanted him so badly. Her first night with him was absolute heaven! She wanted to run her hands along his naked back, feel his hard manhood hammering away inside her. Just one more night with him before he would be taken away. She opened her mouth to command him to stop, but different words came out.

"Take off your clothes," she replied frantically.

The young solder nodded and obediently began removing his clothes. Sirenia rolled onto her back and propped herself on her elbows, eagerly wanting to see her lover strip. First his shirt came off, revealing his broad chest and fit abs covered by the bandages. He kicked off his boots and pushed down his trousers. The necromancer found her hand wandering down her flat stomach, fingers stretching for the apex of her legs. Her eyes locked onto the young man, she slowly ran her finger up and down her folds as more of his body was revealed to her. He finally removed his underwear, revealing himself fully to her. She looked at him hungrily as she saw his large member just in front of her. Her finger was now drenched from the juices seeping from her cunt as she slowly moved the digit in and out of herself.

John looked down at the beautiful necromancer. "Would mistress like to be orally pleasured?"

Before she could even reply, John was already laying prone on the grass with his head between her thighs. She let out a small whimper as she felt his warm breath against her soft flesh. That whimper turned into a low, sustained moan as he slowly licked the folds of her labia. Her toes curled as he drove his tongue deeper into her wet core. Reaching her hand out, she grabbed a fistful of his hair and kept his face pinned between her legs.

But John didn't need to be controlled, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He dutifully remained between her thighs as a loyal servant should. The albino woman looked up at the starry sky as her lover continued to gently lick her soft petals. Her eyes squinted shut when he thrust his tongue into her cunt. His hands slowly roamed their way up her smooth, white legs and over her thighs. Sirenia moved one of her hands along her leg to meet his, but his hand pushed passed hers. Instead, both of his hands cupped the cheeks of her firm ass and lifted her hips slightly.

"Ohh...Yes!" she cried, moving her hand to the back of his head and pushing him tighter against her mound.

Twisting and turning, his tongue probed her insides. Her free hand moved back up her body and tightly grasped her breast. With every moan, the necromancer rolled her hips against her lover's face. Her back lifting slightly off the cool grass while squeezing her soft breast. The albino's mouth started to hang open as she basked in the sensations between her legs and all over her body. Her naked back leaving, then coming back into contact with the cool grass. The soldier's strong hands gripping her ass, attempting to take control of her and refusing to let go. His wet tongue pushing into her tight hole, brushing against her inner walls. The rough texture of his unshaven face rubbing against her sensitive flesh.

"S...suck my clit! Please!" the albino stuttered as she felt a pleasurable tingle between her legs.

He removed his tongue from her twat and gave her one last taste. She had no idea if he actually enjoyed how she tasted, but she knew the real John did. He slowly traced between her soft, sensitive folds until he reached her clit. Bolts of electricity shot through the necromancer's body as her lover began to gently flick her sensitive clit with the tip of his tongue. As her hips jerked in pleasure, the warrior moved a hand out from under her rear and began to trace her womanly folds with the tip of his finger. He then began to suck gently on her sensitive bud, drawing it between his lips as he continued to flick it with his tongue.

"Oh, fuck yes!" she wailed as her body was wracked with a sudden burst of ever growing pleasure.

Her hips involuntarily raised from the ground as he continued to gently suck on her sopping wet mound. Slowly, he pushed his middle finger deeper into her aching cunt. Sirenia squealed in delight, her hips twisting as that pleasurable tingle began to spread to the rest of her body. Her eyes flew open as she gasped suddenly, John's index finger now slipped inside her. She moaned softly between her deep breaths as his magic fingers slowly moved in and out of her. Her juices were flowing freely now, drenching his fingers while he eagerly lapped up her sweet nectar.

"Gods! I'm so close," Sirenia breathed.

A fire was building within her, threatening to break out. Her hands tightly clutched at the blades of grass beneath her, grabbing it by the fistful. His index finger curled inside her, hitting that special spot. Sirenia's eyes shot wide open as he vigorously rubbed her G-spot, her mouth hanging open as she gasped for air. Her back arching, her toes curling, an exploding rush of pleasure running through every inch of her body.

"FUCK...YESSSS!!!!!!!!" the necromancer screamed in rapture.

Her juices flowed freely from her flower which John gladly drank. She quivered underneath him for a few more moments, the twitching in her limbs finally subsiding. Just as the young man was licking the remaining nectar, she suddenly hooked her leg under his shoulder and rolled him over. A small giggle escaped the necromancer's lips as she saw the look of surprise in her lover's face. For a moment, Sirenia expected a snappy one-liner from him. But then she reminded herself that this was not the real John. She slowly slid her pale body down his front, her wet lotus leaving slicks of her new arousal along his skin. Sliding herself down further, her lips sucking at his neck, her delicate softness now positioned directly over his rock hard manhood.

"I don't care if you're not really him," she whispered as her hand moved between them to move his cock into place, "This is real enough for me."

With his mushroomed head at her entrance, she lowered herself slowly onto his shaft. A long moan the entire time as he slowly filled her. The young man underneath her groaned as well, his staff surrounded by her warm, velvety tightness. Her hands pressing on his chest, holding herself up while she rode him. She threw her head back, looking up at the stars. Mewling at the feeling of his hard arousal filling her, the brilliant night sky above her, so beautiful.

Letting go of his chest, the necromancer leaned back further; allowing his length to slide even deeper. She gasped when she felt his tip touch the entrance to her womb for a moment. She clinched herself around him, feeling his length with her muscles. Her lips curled into a smile when the young man groaned under her.

"Mmmm, gods you make me feel so full," she moaned.

Her hands moved to her breasts, cupping them, caressing her globes. An electric shock went through her as her fingertips grazed her pert nipples. The small, jutting nubs were so sensitive; the slightest touch causing her to squeal in delight. Her fingers then lightly pinched them, her back arching in response. Sirenia slid a hand down her front, feeling her own warmth along her skin until it reached in between her thighs. She let the edges of her fingers slide back and fourth over her clit. As she moved her hips, her own fingering becoming faster and more forceful. The necromancer's other hand reached back and gently grabbed the balls of her lover.

"Gods, that's wonderful, mistress," her lover moaned as she gave him a little squeeze with her hand.

The necromancer continued to gyrate her hips back and forth, her finger pressing against her mound while John gasped and moaned with every way she was manipulating him. His hands then began to reach for her thighs, sliding up the tops of her legs. Suddenly in a flash, she seized his wrists.

"Oh no my love, it's time for me to be in charge," she purred next to his ear as she pushed his wrists back to the ground.

Her hips holding him down, her hands immobilizing his arms. Sirenia smiled at the quick succession of small cries escaping his lips, knowing that he was close. She slammed her hips down even harder in response. While she could fight effectively alongside other warriors back at the mercenary camp, but she was never more than a piece of meat when they bedded her. Now she could feel dominant, she was the one in charge and she was fucking him.

"Oh yes John!" she cried out, "Fuck your mistress!"

Obeying her command, he lifted his hips off the ground despite her efforts to keep him there. The result of their pelvic bones smashing together, taking him in deeper than ever before. The pace of her thrusts increased as her warm tightness squeezed and tugged at his manhood. Her pussy sliding up the length of his cock until it was nearly out of her, then thrusting herself back down. Allowing him to feel every inch of her depths as his hot shaft made the long journey into her cunt.

His heavy breathing turning into a succession of small whimpers, "Mistress...I....I'm...."

She kissed the base of his neck before nibbling on his earlobe, "That's it...cum for mistress...cum deep inside me."

She squeezed her muscles once more and he could no longer hold on. His back arched off the cool grass as he cried out in pleasure. Rope after rope of his hot cum filling her. His erupting member triggering her own orgasm as she wailed in passion. Her body convulsing as waves of bliss wracked every limb. Both taking a moment to catch their breathing, she laid down on top of her lover. As she kissed him deeply, she forgot for a moment that his soul was fake.

"I love you, John," she whispered, "I want you more than ever."

Suddenly, an unwanted voice broke through the night. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!"

Sirenia looked up to see the half-lycan at the edge of the clearing, her jaw hung open in absolute shock. The necromancer's world came crashing down around her, only then realizing the grave error she had made. The wonderful feeling of bliss quickly faded away, replaced by guilt and remorse. She quickly climbed off his member and scrambled for her clothes.

"Lydia...I..." the albino stuttered trying to explain herself, "I'm...sorry....I.."

"Sorry!?" Lydia shrieked, "Oh, you'll be sorry!"

The wolf girl pulled out her dagger and began to rush for Sirenia. John obeyed his instincts to protect his mistress and reached for his knife in his pile of clothes. His knife in hand, he rushed to intercept the charging half-lycan. Ready to kill.

"John! Stop!" Sirenia commanded.

He stopped obediently, as did Lydia. She stood there, her mind flashing back to the cave where he attacked her. A dreadful feeling gripped her heart as she was reliving the situation all over again.

"Lydia, I'm sorry," the necromancer said more calmly, "I...I let my physical needs get the better of me....I should....."

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Lydia shouted back, trying to get control of her rage. "When we get John's soul back, you will leave. You will not follow us and you will not see us, or John, ever again."

The necromancer's heart sank. Her chances of being part of their group gone. Her chances of being with the man she cared for, gone. But Lydia was right and what she had done was wrong. She betrayed the trust of her companion and for that, she deserved exile. Sirenia simply nodded in response.

At that moment, Sasha rushed into the clearing. Her eyes wide open in confusion. Lydia with a dagger in her hand, Sirenia and John both very naked. She readied herself to physically restrain the wolf girl. But instead, the half-lycan turned around and began to walk away. Lydia stopped and glared at the dragoness.

"If you ever try anything like that as well, I won't hesitate to kill you," she hissed before making her way back to camp.

***********************************

Sasha had always wondered what it was like for humans to experience a sleepless night, now she knew. Reaching her hand up to her face, she rubbed the puffy bags that formed under her deep blue eyes with her slender fingers. It had been a long night, much too long. When she wasn't trying to keep her other two companions from killing each other, she was keeping a close eye on John as well. Not only for his own wellbeing, but to make sure he didn't try and rush to Sirenia's aid and attack anyone. It was like babysitting a bunch of angry children, and she was exhausted. Even after the wolf girl and the necromancer finally went to sleep, the dragoness still kept a watchful eye just in case one tried to slit the other's throat in their sleep.

Luckily, they managed to make it through the night without killing each other. But breakfast was very tense. Both girls simply stared each other down while they ate, not saying a single word to each other. Lydia's anger almost boiled over when Sirenia commanded John, who had been on his feet all night, to take a seat next to her. It took one simple look from the dragoness to prevent the half-lycan from lunging across the camp fire. The glance was one reminding the wolf girl that she would intervene, and that she was stronger than her. Under a tense silence, with the exception of the young soldier, they finished their meals and began to make the day long trek to their destination.

They spent most of the day following the long, winding trail. Passing through endless rows of trees, the thick canopy hiding much of the sunlight. Only stopping for short periods of time, the trip was finally beginning to take its toll on their feet and legs. Sirenia led the way with John following next to her or close behind. Lydia followed, her eyes burning a hole in the back of the necromancer's head when she wasn't looking at the young soldier with the faux soul. Sasha followed last, keeping a watchful eye on everyone...mostly Lydia. After spending most of the day eyeing the wolf girl's weapons, seeing if she reached for them, the dragoness finally took a moment to relax. Her sigh was rather audible and caught the half-lycan's attention. Cracking a small smile, she slowed her pace until she was walking alongside Sasha.




New Life in a New World Ch. 05



"About last night," Lydia said sheepishly, "I'm really sorry about the threats I made toward you."

The dragoness smiled back, "I understand...but I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

The half-lycan turned her gaze to the necromancer, "I'll just be glad when she's gone."

"And if John says differently?"

"She's not staying!" she snapped back, her anger starting to come back.

Sasha quickly threw up her hands, signaling that she meant no offense. The wolf girl sighed deeply, burying her face in her hands. They walked silently for a few more minutes before Lydia turned back to her companion.

"I'm sorry," her voice sincere, "I've just been having difficulty controlling my anger recently."

"It's alright dear, I understand that lycans are naturally protective of their mates," the dragoness giggled slightly. "Believe me, your father was like that around me before he met your mother."

Lydia nearly stopped in her tracks at her words. Her thoughts immediately went back to the cave, where the demon forced her to witness images of her mother being murdered. Images that the demon claimed to be directly from her memories. Her father had told her that her mother died from an illness. Judging by Sasha's reaction back in the tavern, she started to believe that her father's explanation was not entirely accurate. She finally turned to the dragoness, realizing that the truth could be standing right next to her.

"How did my mother really die," Lydia asked.

Sasha paused for a moment, "I really think that's something you should discuss with your father."

"Please," the half-lycan implored, "I have to know."

The dragoness took a minute to think. She had promised Radulf a long time ago that she would not tell Lydia what actually happened to her mother, even if she didn't understand his reasoning. But she respected his decision, hoping that one day he would tell the half-lycan the truth. Obviously he had not. Something bothered the wolf girl when Sasha mentioned Anara. She wanted to know what; but in order to find out, she would have to break an old promise. But she now no longer saw Lydia as Radulf's daughter, but as a friend and companion and she owed it to her.

"On the night of the uprising, your father sent a messenger for me," Sasha explained. "I was to wait for your mother at the exit to the secret tunnel under the palace, deep in the forest. So I waited, listening to the muffled commotion in the village. But she never showed up. It was only after I went into the palace to investigate that I learned the truth."

The dragoness took a deep breath, "Your mother was murdered. Killed by a palace guard who betrayed her and your father."

Lydia's face froze, her eyes locked open. She was stunned by the dragoness' revelation. However, what shocked her was not the fact her mother was murdered but how Sasha's explanation matched up with the visions given to her by the demon. But the question also remained, why was she never told this before? The wolf girl nearly jumped when she felt the dragoness wrap an arm around her shoulder, a friendly embrace.

"W...Why didn't my father tell me the truth?" the half-lycan asked, still trying to process the information given to her.

"Your father didn't want you growing up resenting your own kind. He already knew that you would have a difficult life growing up a half-breed, knowing the truth would have only made things worse. At least, in his opinion."

"When I was in the caves searching for John, I battled with a demon," Lydia said. "He pushed images into my head of my mother on the night she was killed, claiming to be from my own memories. Everything you told me, about how she was murdered, is exactly like the events shown to me."

The dragoness' eyes opened wide in a mixture of shock and confusion.

"But there was one difference," Lydia continued, "It was Ulfric; not the palace guard that killed my mother."

"But it was Ulfric who tried to save your mother and killed her assassin."

The wolf girl's jaw nearly dropped right there. "In my vision, Ulfric made it look like it was the guard who was at fault!"

Sasha raised an eyebrow, clearly doubting what she was hearing. "Ulfric is an asshole, yes. But he is not a traitor."

"I'm telling you I saw him kill her!"

"Lydia, I'm not saying I don't believe you," the dragoness said empathetically. "But what you have to keep in mind is that this demon showed you what he wanted you to see. While he may have pulled those images from your memories, he could have easily altered them to hurt you further."

The wolf girl stared at the ground and allowed herself to become lost in her thoughts. She replayed the scene, now engraved into her mind. Everything that was shown to her was backed up by Sasha's account of the events. Her father lied to her, no, simply hid the truth. But for what, she didn't feel any more resentful toward her people. One man was responsible for her mother's death, but was it truly Ulfric? Her intuition said it was him, Sasha says otherwise. Who was she to trust? Either way, She now had the strong urge to get home as soon as possible.

The trail began a steep incline up a large hill, the path zigzagging its way up. The trees still think, it was hard for them to tell just high up they were. The group snaked their way through the trees and up the steep incline. Their legs, already feeling the burn from the long trek, ached even further. As they began to near the top of the hill, the trees began to thin out. A mountain still towered over them, lighted by the fading sunlight.

Lydia came to realize that the dragoness' arm was still hugging her as they walked. She didn't mind being in her embrace, she found it rather comforting. However, it felt more than simply a friendly arm draped around her shoulder. It seemed almost motherly. She thought back to their conversations where her father was mentioned. Whenever Radulf was mentioned; Sasha seemed to get a bit more tense, a little distracted.

"Just how long have you known my father?" Lydia asked.

The dragoness giggled slightly, "Ever since he was a pup. His father, your grandfather, asked me to watch over him and keep him out of trouble. I watched him grow up and turn into the great man he is today." Sasha seemed to gaze off into the sky, "We spent a lot of time together."

The half-lycan raised an eyebrow, "Did you love him?"

Sasha's gaze quickly snapped back to the wolf girl, completely caught off guard with the question. She then looked forward nervously, clearly trying to avoid the question, "I think we've arrived."

Lydia turned her gaze up ahead and followed the path the rest of the way up the hill. At the end of the path sat a one level, medium sized cottage. Dark brown wood planks made up the sides. A wooden shingled roof protected it from the heavy snowfalls in the winter. A covered porch kept the front shaded, a table and a pair of chairs sat out front. The cottage itself sat in a clearing. From behind the cottage and surrounding it was the edge of the forest, about fifty feet of open grass separated the house from the tree line. On the other side was a steep, grassy embankment. While they couldn't see the bottom, they had to guess it was about a twenty or so foot drop. They could hear the gentle trickle of a creek hidden just out of sight at the bottom of the embankment. Looking up from the clearing stood a mighty snowcapped mountain, seemingly watching over the small cottage at its base.

As the group approached the house, a woman stepped out and onto the porch as if expecting them. She was middle aged, probably in her early to mid-forties. But however old she was, her age was masked very well by her beauty. The woman had long, fiery red hair that flowed past her shoulders and extended to her lower back. She wore a strapless dress that left her flawless shoulders bare. The top of her dress was a red bodice, with gold laces down the sides that held it tightly in place. The bodice proudly showing the tops of her large breasts. At the bottom was a long, flowing skirt; red on the front and black fabric along the sides. Even Sasha and Lydia were slightly intimidated by her elegance. 

But the necromancer was intimidated for a different reason. Sirenia stopped and signaled for everyone to hold up as well. Both Sasha and Lydia stopped and looked at each other confusingly. They had assumed that this woman was a friend of Sirenia's, so why did she seem so worried? The necromancer whispered into John's ear, instructing him to hold his ground no matter what. She honestly didn't know how well her commands would prevent him from charging in if she was in any danger, but it would have to do. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she walked toward the woman on the porch.

For the last few years, Sirenia had been dreading this moment. She swore that they would never see or speak to each other again. Ever since that fateful day, she had been on the run. The whole time she never once thought about turning to this woman for help. Hell, she may have even sent some of them men who tried to kill her over the years. But now, here she was. The only person who could help save the man she cared about was the only woman she hated more than the half-lycan who was going to steal John away when this was through. But she had to do this, she owed it to him.

Sirenia stopped and bowed respectfully, "Teacher..."

"You have no right to call me that!" the other woman shouted angrily as she stomped her foot.

"Mira," the necromancer replied with a heavy sigh.

The half-lycan and the dragoness both looked at each other confused. Teacher? Just who was this woman? More importantly, why was Sirenia so apprehensive around her? Not even after her fights with Lydia did the necromancer seem this uncomfortable. But it was clear that there was some bad blood between them.

"Mira," the necromancer continued, "I need the purgatory retrieval spell for....."

"Let me get this straight," Mira interrupted, her annoyance clear, "After everything that happened, after storming out and being gone for six years; you have the gall to come back and demand a favor?"

"Of course not," Sirenia replied, trying to keep calm but a hint of frustration slipping from her voice. "I have merely come to ask that you help my friend."

The necromancer motioned over to where John was standing, a blank expression on his face. Mira leaned to the side slightly to look past her former student with a confused expression. She studied the young man for a moment, thinking how odd it was that he just stood there, emotionless. Her eyes looked on further to see a wolf girl and a dragoness standing slightly behind the young man, awkwardly looking to the ground as if trying to stay out of the argument.

Mira raised an eyebrow as she looked toward Sirenia, "I don't see what's wrong with him or why you need...."

It suddenly hit her; the lack of emotion on John's face, the fact that her former student came back all these years and wanted the purgatory retrieval spell. A new surge of anger rushed through her. Sirenia knew better than this!

"Oh you stupid girl!" the woman chided her as if she were a child, "You created a fake soul for him, didn't you?"

"Yes, but..."

"So not only have you proved that, once again, you're a failure of a student; but have also perverted the art of necromancy!"

The dragoness took a step forward, "I think it's pretty damn impressive what she did."

Mira quickly looked to Sasha, "I have no idea how you got involved with this embarrassment here, but let me give you a little history on her. I found her at a young age, parentless, and feebly trying to revive dead animals. So I took her in, raised her as if she were my own daughter, and tried to teach her almost everything I knew about necromancy. But then several years ago, she insisted that necromancy should be used in battle. When I refused, she turned her back on everything I taught her and left to become a mercenary. A spellcaster for hire."

"Because you wouldn't let me expand on my abilities!" Sirenia shouted back. "You kept me restrained, forced me to hold back my true power. What other choice did I have?"

"You still don't understand do you?" Mira retorted, sounding disgusted. "The purpose of us necromancers is to better understand the bond between the body and soul. We're scholars, not soldiers."

Lydia really wanted to enjoy the sight of her rival being talked down to like a disobedient child. The woman who she despised looking so weak when compared to the older, more experienced necromancer. But she needed Sirenia, as much as she hated to admit it. The woman she hated was the key to bringing John back.

"I'm not here to argue about the past!" Sirenia replied, "This is about my friend here, I need your help....please."

Mira's face stiffened for a moment as she took another look at the young soldier before turning her gaze back to the younger necromancer. "I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do for him."

"But..."

"It's impossible to bring a soul back from purgatory and you know that! Maybe you should have used that tiny brain in your head before you doomed him to an afterlife of nothingness." The older necromancer turned to head back into the house. "I have no sympathy for you, but I feel sorry for the poor young man you betrayed."

"That's a lie!" Sirenia screamed, "I saw your journals, I know you've performed the spell yourself to revive your husband!"

Mira froze as she was about to enter the house. She turned to face the group, her face enraged. Her eyes full of hatred staring directly at her former student, wishing her glare alone would kill the arrogant girl. Her fists clenched as she dug her nails into her palms.

"Get off my land," she growled, "All of you."

The young necromancer charged forward, making her way towards Mira, "I'm not leaving until..."

Her words were cut short at a whistling noise screeching through the air. A flash of something coming out of the trees. Suddenly, an arrow landed directly at Sirenia's feet. The three girls turned their eyes to the trees where a figure hopped out of the branches. It was an elf! He was very young, probably no more than eighteen. His long, flawless blonde hair extending just below his shoulders. Standing just shorter than John, he was thin; a body built for speed and agility. He wore a brown, leather vest over his forest green undershirt. The hem of his brown pants tucked into thick knee-high boots. A dark green cloak hung off his shoulders and mostly covered his outfit. Earthy brown gloves extended well past his wrists.

His stance aggressive; the young elf aimed his bow, his arrow drawn directly at Sirenia. She eyed over the elf as he held his ground, ready to attack at any moment. The necromancer noticed a short, one handed sword on his belt. The quiver holding the arrows was strapped to his thigh, much in the same way John would have his pistol holstered. He was an elven ranger, looking fresh out of the military academy.

"One more step and the next arrow's for you," the elf warned.

Sirenia raised an eyebrow as she looked to her former teacher, "New student of yours?"

"No," Mira smirked, "New bodyguard."

"My name is Faelar," the elf said, "Sent by the Elven High Council to protect Lady Mira from any harm."

"Listen kid," Sirenia scoffed, "My business with her does not involve you."

Faelar drew his bow even tighter, his face stern. Lydia drew her own bow and aimed it at the elf. But he kept the arrow targeted at the younger necromancer. However, his eyes shifted towards the wolf girl making it clear that it would not take much effort to target her should she try to attack. "As long as I'm responsible for her protection, it does concern me."

There was a few moments of uncomfortable silence during the tense standoff before Sasha had enough and spoke up. "Mira please, you have to understand that the fate of our world rests with this man. He is out last hope for survival against the ultimate evil."

Mira raised an eyebrow as she looked to the dragoness, "You're the Lady of the Mountain?"

"Yes, and the man we must save is the one who can defeat Solomon."

"You dragons think you're so wise because you can outlive us," Mira sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "But you fail to see what is clearly in front of you. Solomon is a full fledged demon, bred from the pits of hell. He was the right-hand man to Lucifer himself. Don't you see? Our world was doomed the moment he was exiled here."

"Solomon can be defeated," the dragoness rebutted, "And John will defeat him."

"How?" Mira challenged, "How could he possibly defeat him when his soul is already in great peril?"

"Because I believe in him."

"Then you are a fool!"

Lydia's frustrated scream finally gained everyone's attention. "ENOUGH! I don't care if you don't believe the prophecy or if you still feel betrayed by your former student. I need him back!"

The older necromancer cocked her head to the side as she turned to the wolf-girl, "And why would a lycan...excuse me...half-lycan need one particular human?"

"Because..." Lydia choked for a moment as tears welled up in her eyes, "...I love him!"

"You...love him?" Mira replied, somewhat befuddled as she looked at John. "This man? You seriously love him?"

Lydia nodded, "I love the man whose soul is trapped. I love the man who truly made me feel like a woman. I love the man who sacrificed himself to save me, and I'm not ready to let him go."

Mira watched as the half-lycan lowered her bow and placed the arrow back in the quiver. With the palms of her hands open, she attempted to move closer to the older necromancer, only to stop when she heard the bowstring on the elf's bow tighten. The older woman could see the tears freely flowing down the beautiful wolf girl's cheeks. Memories flooded her own mind as she remembered the feeling of being in love...and the desire to do anything to save the person you cannot live without. She felt sorry for the young woman, something she had not felt in a long while.

"Please...." Lydia breathed.

Mira took a deep sigh as her expression softened, "You can stand down Faelar, they may be allowed inside."

The young elf hesitated for a moment, but eventually lowered his arrow and nodded to the older necromancer. The half-lycan bowed respectfully as Mira ushered the group inside. Lydia being the first to enter, followed by Sirenia with John and Sasha close behind.

"Thank you," Sirenia whispered to her former teacher as she passed by.

"I'm not doing this for you," Mira growled silently before nodding over to the wolf girl, "I'm doing this for her."

"Alright," the younger necromancer replied taking a deep breath, "I promise that after this you will never see or hear from me again."

As soon as John walked through the door, Mira's hand shot out and clasped his forehead. After whispering a few quick words, his eyes suddenly rolled up and he fell to the floor. The older necromancer managed to catch him in her arms. "Faelar, help me get him to the bed."

"What are you doing?" Lydia shrieked as she saw his body go limp.

The older necromancer didn't say anything at first. She and the young elf carried the soldier's limp body to the bed. "Don't worry, I've only put him under. He's still alive...if you even want to call it that. The fake soul was hanging on by mere thread."

The half-lycan glared accusingly at Sirenia, the necromancer simply looked down at the floor. Mira grabbed some tea leaves out of a jar as she started boiling a pot of water on the fireplace stove. Placing the leaves and hot water in a cup, she let it steep for a few minutes. A sweet, honey-like aroma began to fill the small cabin. Mira soon walked over to the bed and knelt beside John. Holding his head up with one hand, she carefully poured the liquid into his mouth; tilting his head back with each pour to help him swallow. Everyone sat in silence as Mira begun her work.