"Foul greenskin, do not keep me waiting! I demand that your mistress comes forth and face me!" "No. Go away." Francis considered himself an orc of the world. He was the sort of fellow that could remain unflappable even in the most peculiar of situations and be the voice of reason within the self-proclaimed Queen of Darkness' castle. Given Tenebra's less-than-solid grasp on reality, this had led him to deal with more than his fair share of rather surreal moments. But he had to admit that what he was seeing right now had to be one of the most bizarre things he had to put up with yet. A knight covered in what could only be called the most ridiculously overwrought suit of armor that the majordomo had seen in his life had marched up to the castle's front door, accompanied by a mousy-looking girl burdened with a backpack that seemed almost as big as she was. The man had announced himself as one Sir Luminus, the "Paladin of the Undying Light" and demanded entry into the castle at once so he might (in his words) "challenge and fell the vile witch that dwelt within". Naturally, Francis declined, assuming this was some kind of joke. She hadn't even done anything to provoke any local adventurers recently ever since a rather unpleasant bout of scale itch had left her kobold armies unable to do anything but scratch themselves. After trying to sleep through no less than three hours of bellowed challenges from this knight, he was starting to accept the possibility that ignoring the loudmouthed warrior wouldn't make him go away. As he staggered half-asleep across the battlements, he wondered if he wasn't just dreaming this whole thing. It certainly seemed ridiculous enough to pass as a dream. "Can this wait until the morning? Some of us are trying to sleep here." "Justice never sleeps, vile servant of wickedness! I swear that shall not relent until the sorceress within has shown herself." Given the volume at which he had been screaming his attempted taunts for so long, the orc was wholly convinced that this would indeed be the case if this Sir Luminus had to continue waiting for his audience with the Dark Queen. (Or the Empress of Shadows, the Mistress of Misery, the Terrifying Temptress, or whatever it was Tenebra had decided to call herself this time. He had long since lost track.) How she managed to sleep through such a racket, Francis couldn't imagine. ---- "A hero wishing to challenge me at this time of night? I must say, this full moon would make a fantastic backdrop for our duel." The Evil Queen's attention had been immediately piqued by Francis' report, and she immediately insisted that she meet the "hero" herself. While it seemed like Sir Luminus wouldn't pose much of a threat to his mistress, Francis couldn't entirely rule out the possibility that it was some kind of bizarre trap. It had to be. Surely nobody would act like Tenebra's polar opposite without a very good reason for doing so...right? "Mistress, might I suggest that you send Benedict or one of your other generals to deal with him on your behalf? Merely to ensure your safety, of course." The orc's concern was less about the possibility of his mistress being injured so much as the risk of collateral damage if she got too eager to show off her magical prowess. The last time a party of adventurers showed up, half of the castle was ruined when Tenebra accidentally burned through a support beam with a stray fireball. Rebuilding it all had been as expensive as it was time consuming, and it was not an experience he wished to relive any time soon. But Her Dark Majesty (as she was calling herself this time) would have none of it. "Don't be ridiculous, my dear Francis. What would people say if word spread that I was too cowardly to answer a challenge directed specifically at me? I may be evil, but I am nothing if not ready to show the world why I am queen." Her last words were punctuated by one of her Evil Laughs. Francis noted that for once she had managed to make it sound more evil than manic. The still-groggy majordomo knew better than to try to talk some sense into his mistress at times like these, and so he had to settle for helping her dress appropriately to meet with the interloper. Of course, "appropriately" was determined more by Tenebra's standards than anything else. The "dress", for lack of a better word, barely preserved her modesty and certainly wouldn't protect her from being cut apart should this knight somehow prove to be a threat. Knee-high boots covered most of her legs but left her thighs completely bare, and the only thing protecting her loins was a thong just barely large enough to cover it. Draped around her neck like some weird cape, with nothing more than a simple clasp to keep it in place, was a second piece of fabric, with long strips of black cloth flowing freely behind her. It only partially managed to cover the top of her chest, leaving the underside of her breasts plainly visible to anyone who glanced in her direction. Topping off this tableau was a pair of gloves that protected her arms while leaving her hands and shoulders totally bare. As far as Francis could tell, such a costume would be more appropriate for a whore than an Evil Queen. At least this one could let her see normally, and to be fair it did a fine job of displaying her darkly beautiful form. Once again, Francis was thankful that the clipboard he always carried made an excellent cover for any embarrassing erections. Still, he had to question what on earth she was thinking to assume that the dress could possibly be useful in a fight. The complete lack of protection for her head and abdomen would almost certainly be fatal if her foe was even remotely competent. "I believe this would be the perfect outfit for my moonlit duel. Don't you adore how the black leather will shine in the moonlight, illuminating me in a way that will ensure that I am the last thing he will ever see?" The orc sighed; it would be easier to flatter Her Dark Majesty than to make her see reason. The more time he wasted trying to get her to reconsider her choice of garments, the longer he'd have to listen to that knight's shouting. He could swear that he could still hear him through the castle walls, and it was giving him a headache. "Truly, your beauty would outmatch the night sky itself. I will follow your lead as you see to our guest." the majordomo remarked with the straightest face he could manage. As Tenebra strode off to meet her fated foe, Francis went to inform the castle's healer that her services might be needed soon before running to rejoin his mistress. The majordomo didn't fancy having to become the new ruler of the Empire of Evil, and if the worst came to pass perhaps Tenebra would become a little wiser for the experience. In retrospect, it would have been more reasonable for Francis to expect the kobolds to learn how to fly. ---- Tenebra wasted no time in reaching the battlements of the castle, with Francis following closely behind her. A single look at the armored warrior was enough to tell her all she needed to know about him; truly he would be a foe worthy of being dealt with personally. The gleaming golden armor, the steely look in his eyes, the silver sheen of his hair in the moonlight- he was the very model of a paladin indeed. She had fought off quite a few adventurers in her time, but he was the the first one to look the part of a proper hero. With more grace than Francis might have expected of her, she leapt down from the battlements. Just for the occasion, she had enchanted her boots to cushion the fall. It would be unseemly if she stumbled and hurt herself like last time. He on the other hand had to walk all the way down the stairs, wishing all the while that this would be quick enough for him to get back to sleep before sunrise. This would be a fine battle indeed. But there was just one more thing she had to do. The pre-fight monologuing. "Ah, so this is the hero who dares to challenge me!" the Madame of Mayhem exclaimed. "You are bold to think that you could simply march into my own stronghold and demand an audience from me. In fact, you should feel honored that I spared you the trouble of having to fight through my minions." Upon hearing this Francis was tempted to make a remark regarding the quality of said minions, but a sharp look from Tenebra made him reconsider. For all her eccentricities, she could be truly frightening when genuinely angered. "But I am not completely lacking in mercy. Merely kneel before me, and I shall allow you to leave with your life." As she burst into a peal of evil laughter, she waved her hands in an exaggerated manner, causing the air to crackle with energy as darkness coalesced into her palms. Technically, the gesture wasn't necessary for that spell, but who had ever heard of an Evil Queen attempting subtlety? To the surprise of absolutely nobody (including Tenebra herself), Sir Luminus refused her offer. "Vile witch! Do you honestly believe after all the evils you have wrought on the world, all the innocent lives you've ruined, I would grovel before you as if I were a mere servant?" Sir Luminus was suddenly interrupted, as his retainer piped up. "Uh...what exactly did she do again? I don't think you ever told me." "That's not important right now, Marien. She wouldn't be called the Evil Queen if she hadn't done anything evil, right? Now, where was I?" He cleared his throat, trying to figure out where he left off. "Ah, yes. Foul witch, I swear that I will strike you down right where you stand, no matter the cost!" The knight then pulled his sword out of its sheath with a flourish, revealing a golden blade as ornate as his armor. "Very well, then. Now you'll see what an Evil Queen is truly capable of!" The stage was set for a duel that would echo across the ages, and Tenebra was going to be certain that she would be the one to be victorious when all was said and done. Perhaps she would enslave him and keep him as a servant, or allow him to survive so word of her power could spread further. But there was more important business to attend to at the moment, and so she put those thoughts aside for the time being. ---- Tenebra had underestimated the shining hero's prowess. Against all odds, he had effortlessly dodged each of her well-placed magic missiles. By all rights she should have hit with at least one of them, but try as she might he just moved too quickly for her to strike down. At the same time, it was all she could do just to evade his own expertly aimed slashes and blows. But she couldn't let that show so easily. "Hah! Very impressive, but it'll take more than that to stop my reign of terror! Do you think I would fall to the likes of you so easily?" She hadn't become the Evil Queen for nothing; fending off adventurers was more work than it appeared. (Well, it was the kobolds and Benedict who did that on her behalf, but technically she was the one doing it.) Come to think of it, he was kind of handsome now that she got a good look at him. Maybe she could keep him in the dungeon for a while and make him into one of her generals along with Benedict. The golden-armored challenger simply laughed in reply. "All evil must fall to my blade, O wicked enchantress! You shall learn that soon enough," he boasted. Fending off such witchery was second nature to him at this point. Apparently bolts of darkness were surprisingly easy to repel if they were hit directly with one's sword so he figured the more wildly he waved it around, the better of his chances of giving the witch a taste of her own medicine would be. As simple as it might have been to close in on the unarmored queen and chop her in two, such actions were hardly appropriate for a hero of purest heart such as himself. Whoever heard of a brave and noble warrior hacking people into pieces, anyway? No, better to tire her out and then offer her mercy when she could fight no more. From there. she'd then either see the error of her ways and turn to the side of good or swear revenge and become his archenemy. Either way, he could claim the glory of besting the Evil Queen and Marien would be sure to learn a thing or two from him about how to vanquish evil. Girl needed a bit of work really getting into the spirit of heroism, but she had potential. Against all odds, the hero and the Evil Queen had found themselves perfectly matched against one another. Despite their best efforts (or at least what they believed to be their best efforts), neither one had been even remotely injured, although the few clasps that had been holding Tenebra's dress together had broken apart from errant sword swings when he drew too near. However, this did give Tenebra an idea- if she couldn't defeat him in a straight-up fight, perhaps she could wear him down by other, more entertaining methods. If he could fuck as well as he could fight, this would be an entertaining night indeed. ----- To the combatants, the ensuing duel was nothing short of an epic clash for the ages, the likes of which songs would be sung of for centuries to come. Francis and Marien, on the other hand? They would have begged to differ, to put it mildly. In fact, they found it to be almost comedic. "...Is your master naturally this reckless with his sword techniques? Where I came from, even a child would have disarmed him with all the openings he's leaving. Possibly in a quite literal manner." The knight wasn't swinging his blade so much as flailing it wildly in Her Dark Majesty's general vicinity with not even the slightest attempt to guard himself. Francis could only assume was supposed to be some kind of advanced sword technique, as performed by someone with more enthusiasm than actual skill. Tenebra wasn't exactly doing a good job of it either, inasmuch as the bolts of magical energy firing from her hands seemed to go in every direction except the one Luminus was in. The girl gave off the kind of long-suffering sigh that Francis knew all too well from his own experience. "When he's trying to show off, at any rate. Which is to say, all the time. Sometimes I get the feeling that if it weren't for me, he'd have gotten himself killed several times over by now. When he promised me that I would be his squire, I was hoping I'd be more than a glorified pack mule. But enough about me. Let's talk about your mistress; does she always dress up like a drunken floozy or is she actually trying to seduce my master in the middle of their "fight"?" Francis furrowed his brow; quite frankly he didn't know the answer to that himself. "Hard to say, since this is one of her more modest outfits. The others are either even more revealing, or just look ridiculous. Why, one day-" His thoughts were interrupted as he noticed that the fight had taken a turn for the unusual (well, even more unusual than it already was), and wordlessly gestured to the squire to draw her attention to it. Tenebra's movements had become slower, yet deliberate inasmuch as she weaved and swayed in just the right way to show off her womanly assets. A nipple briefly exposed here, a wild attempt at kicking that showed a glimpse of her crotch there- the fight was slowly devolving into a demented bout of exhibitionism. "Like what you see, hero? If you just got on your knees to serve me, you could have all of that and more." A none-too-subtle undertone of lewdness was working its way into the Evil Queen's taunts; Francis could only assume this was her way of being subtle. It said a lot about her that exposing herself like this was her idea of subtlety. "Does that woman have any sense of decency at all?" Marien was astonished at how shameless the so-called "Evil Queen" was proving herself to be. Surely someone of her stature was supposed to be dignified and refined, right? Francis on the other hand knew better than that. "Actually, this is when she's trying to be subtle. When she's really trying to be obvious, she would be-" He found himself interrupted by his mistress, whose bare buttocks were now on full display as the result of a blatant pratfall. "Oh great and shining hero, I seem to have fallen and can't get up. Surely you wouldn't take advantage of this situation and stick that big, long, sword of yours into me, would you?" The last few words were punctuated by a wiggle of her toned rear. Although they were several yards away, the two servants could still make out an unmistakable glistening around Tenebra's crotch. "...doing something like that," Francis trailed off. It never failed- his mistress seemed to solve all of her problems with sex. But would it help her this time? The self-styled warrior hadn't seemed overly moved by her physical attractiveness earlier, and privately he worried that the challenger would take her innuendo literally and kill her on the spot. A delighted mewling noise Francis recognized as the voice of the Empress of Evilness and the sound of metal objects being dropped allayed his fears. And opened up several other questions in the process. ---- Most warriors would have assumed Tenebra was insane the moment she flashed her slit, but Sir Luminus was not "most warriors". Years of experience dealing with evil had taught him that there was more than one way to stop evil, and a lawful hot dicking could work just as well as a blade to the chest if one was particularly good at it. Sure, there were some difficulties in laying a dragon as opposed to slaying it, but Marien had done a good job taking care of the burns. In any event, though he and Tenebra were evenly matched in regards to their skills in battle he could yet best her in matters of sex. The moment she tried to seduce him, he sprang into action. Whipping off his armored codpiece and throwing his sword onto the ground, he dashed towards the witch as fast as a man covered in heavy armor could manage. The moment he reached her, he dropped onto his knees and grabbed her firm ass. Only a brief glimpse at her reddened lips was needed for him to know that he could skip the foreplay this time, and with his very first thrust he entered her to the hilt. Tenebra's folds felt amazing; they were pleasantly warm, slick with wetness, and superbly tight. It was all Luminus could do to keep himself from climaxing right away. It would be unheroic to climax before his partner did, even if she was evil. Tenebra usually preferred men of with more exotic equipment for her trysts, but this self-styled paladin's dick managed to rub her in just all the right places. Maybe it was just the circumstances in which they were in, but she couldn't remember any of her other partners filling her pussy up so perfectly. On the other hand, that also made his slow, languid pace all the more difficult to bear. She wanted-no, NEEDED- him to go faster and harder, and as the Queen she always got what she wanted. "Is that really all you have, 'hero'? Swing those...unf...hips a bit harder! Show me what you're really made of!" It wasn't easy to taunt someone while enjoying herself like this, but Tenebra found a way to do so. Whether she was speaking in encouragement or as a tease, it still flipped a switch in the amorous knight's mind. "Silence, wench. I will not let you claim victory over me so easily, even now!" As he ended his declaration, he slapped her rump, leaving a bright red mark on her pale buttocks and eliciting a squeal of delight from the Mistress of Mayhem. His thrusts now were as vigorous as his swordplay had been, and the cool feeling of the metal plate around his waist provided an appealing contrast to the heat swelling within her. Each time he hilted herself within her, she shuddered and clenched down around him as she felt her inner walls convulsing around his shaft. After a while, even the occasional yanking of her raven-black hair could be overlooked as being just one more part of the fun. But there was just one small problem. She was the Queen, and so it was her right to be in control over her challenger. Luckily, she had an idea that would fix that. ---- Sir Luminus initially assumed that he was simply getting a little tired. It wasn't like him to lose his stamina this quickly though; normally he could keep fucking this twisted temptress for hours on end without breaking a sweat. Only when he noticed Tenebra was chanting something in between her moans and that her hands were emitting a faint glow did he realize that she had been preparing some kind of spell. Not like he would have been able to do anything about it, as it was at that precise time that his knees gave out underneath him. Before he knew it, the golden paladin found himself face-down in the dirt with the naked Evil Queen gloating over him. "...you fiend...I should have known that you'd pull a dirty trick like that." Tenebra's cantrip had only affected his limbs, which now felt as heavy as stones. His mouth was left unaffected, although that didn't stop him from acting as if it did. It had also left his erection unaffected, as Tenebra noticed when she leisurely flipped him onto his back. "Dirty? But you're the one who was lying down in the ground just now!" The Lascivious Lady took a moment to laugh at her own joke, giving her foe a good look at her soaking wet pussy as she inspected him. "At any rate, you still have plenty of strength where it counts. Francis, hold this for me." The thin scraps of cloth that had been covering Tenebra's chest were unceremoniously thrown in Francis' general direction, nearly hitting Marien in the process. Normally she would have objected to being hit with a villainess's undergarments like this, but a look from the Orc told her that doing so now would likely be an exercise in futility. "Now for my favorite part. Just lie back and let me take you for all you're worth, oh 'great hero'." Tenebra's voice swelled with lust as she took her time lowering herself onto Luminus's shaft. Now that she was in control of the situation, she intended to savor it for as long as she could hold out. Or as long as he could hold out. Whichever -or whoever- came first. Resisting the urge to bounce on him with all her willpower, the shadowy sorceress instead settled for a slow grind. Part of her wanted to get off just long enough to strip off his breastplate, but The new motion stimulated Tenebra's clit in a way their earlier rutting hadn't quite managed to achieve, and the evil queen's own frantic rubbing of her most sensitive spot only made it better. Much to Tenebra's delight, her cantrip hadn't entirely immobilized Luminus if the renewed vigor of his thrusts was any indication. If anything, he seemed to be fucking her harder now than he had before. "Very impressive, hero!" Tenebra moaned. "I didn't realize how much you were holding back until now. But now you will see the full extent of my own power as well!" She could feel the all-too-familiar tension building within her core just waiting to be released, and the knowledge that she had this man so thoroughly under her control just made it all the more fun. It also caused her concentration on her spell to lapse. Not enough for Luminus to get back onto his feet, but just enough to reach up and grab a hold of Tenebra's tits. The evil queen squealed with delight at the new source of sensation. Yanking his gauntlets off with surprising force, her moans turned to howls of pleasure as she took in the feeling of his strong hands groping her, occasionally tweaking one of her pale pink nipples or squeezing her ass. For someone so strong, he was being unusually gentle despite the ferocity that he had displayed in battle not that long ago. It was almost as if they were real lovers, although the mood would have been better for that if they were actually in her castle. Such romantic notions on Tenebra's part were quickly dispelled by the surging ecstacy of another orgasm building within her, however. Coherent thought began to fail her, and all she could do was beg for more. "Unf, harder, harder! I'm almost-ah!" Her words abruptly broke off as she finally climaxed. The Evil Queen's eyes rolled back in her head, her mind too overwhelmed by the sudden release of tension to care about whatever vestiges of dignity she might have been trying to preserve. Her body visibly shuddered as her inner walls rippled around the knight's member, pushing the knight's own pleasure to equal heights. Unable to contain himself any longer either, the knight climaxed too. The sudden burst of his cum deep inside of her folds was enough to coax a second, stronger orgasm out of Tenebra that left her quivering helplessly on his shaft. "So...we should call this a draw, then?" Luminus was still out of breath, and more than a bit sweaty with all the armor. He'd have to get Marien to wash it all out. "I suppose so, "hero". I await your next challenge," Tenebra said in the most sultry voice she could muster up as she finally removed herself from the knight's member, whimpering quietly as she felt its emptiness. "Francis, let us be off." She could hardly wait for a future encounter with her new archnemesis, and she was sure he felt the same. ---- The orc and the squire had been rendered speechless by the whole turn of events. The fight had been rather odd, but at least it was something they expected to happen. Having it descend into a bout of fornication in the middle of the duel? Not so much. A nod of sympathy was all that was exchanged between the two servants as their respective master's calls broke the silence between them. Francis for one privately hoped that the night's events were all just some kind of fatigue-induced hallucination. They had to be. The alternative was something he would be much happier not thinking about. Either way, Francis had a gut feeling that the Evil Queen had yet to see the last of Luminus as he groggily trudged back to the castle.