; ; Wondering what business the Baron had in her woods, she decided to go ; meet him. If he had brought an armed escort, she might have thought ; differently, but even he was unarmed, and his two companions were ; obviously dressed for enjoyment rather than business. Still, there was ; something very odd about the two women he was with, and her forest ; scouts could only tell her so much.
; ; They had been walking for almost a week straight, and were far from ; the road. Jynn would have suspected the Baron of treachery if she ; didn't observe him constantly gawking at Tavra. There was no doubt - ; her powers had grown and pulled him under her sway. She too found ; herself influenced by Tavra from time to time. Indeed, when she ; mentioned going to the fort last week Jynn was hard-pressed to say no, ; though at the time she wrote that off as her own personal ; agreement. In retrospect, it was unwise to rampage through a military ; installation as they had - questions would be raised and people would ; no doubt be looking for them. Still, they had gathered much-needed ; energy there, and Tavra was quickly catching-up to her. If the Baron ; wasn't lying, then this trip into the Galoran Woods might supply them ; with all the power they would need to take on any resistance they ; might encounter from the incident at the Arvord's Citadel.
; ; The Baron had said they were looking for a woman who was infused with ; the primal energies of the forest. She had watched this forest for as ; long as he could remember, keeping intruders out and at the same time ; minding her own business. Her territory was on the outskirts of his, ; and the two had an unofficial treaty of non-aggression. He didn't know ; much about her outside of that, only that she was a sort of focus for ; the forest's energy, and that she commanded the forces of nature ; within it.
; ; He had been quite docile on the trip, and they had accommodated his ; needs for food and sleep. Her and Tavra were still riding the vigor ; they had gained at the Citadel, and she guessed that a draining of ; such proportions would keep them that way for weeks. After that, they ; would need to either drain more, or begin eating and sleeping once ; again. Tavra, however, did like to sleep every now and then. She said ; it was because she liked to dream. Jynn envied her - every time she ; had a dream, it would quickly turn into a nightmare involving her ; falling under the control of the old masters once again.
; ; Ahgran still felt like emotional stew. His sorrow and rage had taken a ; backseat, and even his lust for Tavra had become mundane. Sure, he ; still marveled at her body, but he found himself able to turn away ; with much more ease than before. Now, mixed in with all the other ; emotions, there was a growing fear for his life - that once they were ; done with the Forestkeeper they would turn on him. He knew he must ; escape and he knew how he would do it, but it all depended on how long ; Benidyr'ra occupied them.
; ; Previously, a large part of him could not even ponder leaving her ; side, but now he had more control. He did feel that something in him ; was missing though, something more than whatever lifeforce she took ; from him that night in the keep. He had become something less, ; something defiled and dirty. He had lost everything that was important ; to him, partly by act of his own will, and now he had become a sort of ; conspirator against a long-standing friend.
; ; It was nearing twilight when they had just found a small clearing to ; rest in. The Baron propped himself against a tree while the two ladies ; began to sit as well. Suddenly they both sprang to their feet once ; again and looked in the same direction.
; ; "Jynn, do you feel it?"
; ; "Yes, up ahead. Something quite powerful." Jynn undid the button which ; held the cape around her frontside, allowing it to drop to the ; ground. As she removed her bikini Tavra turned to her.
; ; "What are you doing?"
; ; "Well, if this is a fight, I don't want my nice, expensive clothes to ; get ripped or torn. We'll need to fit-in better once we get to ; Elezan."
; ; "Good point." Tavra began to untie the halter-top from behind her ; neck. Just as she removed her long skirt they saw a large woman ; descend from the trees on a vine.
; ; She too was naked, except for the splotches of mud and some leaves in ; her hair, and tall - probably almost six feet, and fairly ; overweight. Her face was wide, with a small mouth and large eyes with ; a slight glazed-over look to them. Her entire face beamed friendship ; and compassion, and though she wasn't nice to look at, she did have an ; aura of calming comfort about her. Neither of them could place her ; age, though she couldn't have been older than forty. To the girls, she ; was a nexus for energy - her body was the choke-point in an hourglass ; of energy as if flowed into her and out again, emanating from and at ; the same time dispersing throughout the whole forest.
; ; "Greetings. I am Benidyr'ra, Forestkeeper for what you call the Great ; Galoran Woods." She smiled widely and approached.
; ; Jynn looked at Tavra with a slight bit of confusion, but Tavra was ; already advancing on the woman, slowly. She was confused at how such a ; small vine could support her weight, but as she pondered, the ; Forestkeeper extended her hand, which Tavra took. She began to tap ; Benidyr'ra's power, her face contorted in pleasure as she drew-in the ; large woman's essence. Tavra pulled herself in with great speed, ; embracing her so she could get more skin contact, and thus more energy ; drained.
; ; Benidyr'ra felt herself weaken as the girl took her hand, and then ; strengthen again as the forest replenished her. She felt the great ; amounts of lifeforce in these women, but didn't understand why they ; had so much until now. Invoking the power of the forest, she began to ; ooze slipperymud from every pore on her body - she had to break free ; of this woman's grip soon, as the forest could only replenish her so ; much before it too began dying in order to save her.
; ; Jynn rushed into the feast with great speed, grappling the woman as ; best she could and drawing energy out of her. Through the intense ; pleasure she could feel the woman attempting to free herself with ; surprising strength, but Tavra and Jynn had her firmly secured - it ; was only a matter of time now.
; ; Tavra's frontside was suddenly covered in mud, and Forestkeeper was ; working herself free. Neither of them could maintain their grasp upon ; her, though they continued taking what they could from her, ; calling-out with yelps of pleasure.
; ; Benidyr'ra worked herself free and leapt upwards, commanding a ; strongvine to carry her up into the trees. She summoned forth some ; hunter snakes to attack the trespassers and made her way to a ; branch. There was no doubt these women were powerful already, and they ; had stolen enough from her to kill a normal man several times over - ; it would take her a moment to pause and allow the forest to replenish ; her.
; ; Meanwhile, Baron Arvord saw his chance to make a run for it. Just as ; he saw the Forestkeeper fly into the air, he turned and ran towards ; the east. The trees and bushes cut him as he moved, but he could not ; stop - as he grew further and further from Tavra he could feel her ; grip on his will loosening. Though he still wanted to have her again ; and again, she no longer held his attention exclusively. Now he could ; concentrate on surviving...and picking up the pieces.
; ; Benidyr'ra watched in horror as the life energies of the hunter snakes ; were absorbed into the two women below. Their auras both seemed to ; grow as it happened, and they reveled in the act. Still feeling a bit ; weak, she summoned Greatstone, though she knew she would be ; dangerously diminished after doing so. Her only hope would be that the ; elemental could hold them off long enough for her to replenish her ; powers. The ground behind Tavra exploded, sending dust and chunks of ; rock flying. A hunched shape, vaguely humanoid, formed from the ground ; and lumbered towards them. It was possibly twenty feet in height, but ; stocky by proportion, and with arms almost to the ground.
; ; Tavra charged the creation, punching at its leg as she ran by. Some ; bits flew off of it, leaving a fist-sized dent. Her hand throbbed with ; pain, and she held it as she continued. She could sense the creature ; turning around after she had passed it - whatever it was, it didn't ; react quickly. Tavra stopped to uproot a small tree, grinning at how ; easy it was now.
; ; Jynn looked on, wide-eyed at the elemental's fortitude. Quickly coming ; to her senses, she grabbed a large rock, about her size, and threw it ; at the creature. The impact sent small bits flying from the thing's ; shoulder, and Jynn's eyes grew wider at its apparent ; invulnerability. She rushed to a nearby tree and started pushing on ; it, trying to aim so it would fall upon the thing.
; ; Greatstone swung at Tavra, but she easily leapt over its arm, bringing ; her uprooted tree down hard on its shoulder. Though it was a blow ; which would have crushed and dismembered any normal man, it only sent ; a small cloud of dust and leaves flying. Upon landing, she dropped the ; tree and pushed hard against the elemental, trying to knock it ; over. At that same moment, Jynn was attempting to push a larger tree ; over onto it, hoping its weight would at least stun the creature. She ; felt the wood buckle as she leaned-in, and the elemental seemed to ; dive sideways, partly due to Tavra, but Jynn hadn't managed to ; dislodge the wood enough for the tree to fall.
; ; Tavra knew better. She felt that her pushing on the creature wasn't ; doing much, but it seemed to lunge in the opposite direction to catch ; the Forestkeeper, who had fallen out of a tree. It set her down gently ; in some grass and turned to face Tavra. Jynn had managed to push the ; tree hard enough so that it began to break, and Greatstone noticed ; this. Turning its attention to her, it began to charge around the ; tree. Jynn heard the thundering footsteps headed in her direction and ; ran, hoping she could outrun the giant mass of animated stone. Even ; with her great speed, she was only barely gaining ground on the thing, ; and for a few, long seconds it gave chase.
; ; Tavra rushed over to the Forestkeeper, lifted her up, and carried her ; in the opposite direction as fast as she could go. Her increased ; strength provided much extra speed, which she also used to leap high ; into a tree. She could sense that Benidyr'ra was dangerously low on ; energy - though she still had much more in her than a brigade of men, ; it dwarfed the power she had in her when they first met.
; ; She wrapped her arms and legs as much around the large woman as ; possible, touching her with every inch of skin she could, and began to ; tap her power, roaring in pleasure as the energy rushed into ; her. Pulling herself even closer, she pressed the lips of her pussy ; against the Forestkeeper and drew energy in through it. The sensation ; sent her reeling - Tavra clenched her teeth and scowled as her ; breathing became more rapid. She shut her eyes tightly and could feel ; her body pulse with newfound power. Too engaged in the rapturous ; ecstasy, she didn't notice a tree next to her withering in seconds and ; falling apart.
; ; Greatstone felt the Forestkeeper's life dwindling. It changed its ; course to find her, but it felt that she had somehow moved very far ; away. The grass underneath its feet lost some of its color, turning a ; sickly pale green, and leaves began to fall from the trees all ; around. The elemental charged with all its might, but it too began to ; weaken - its charge slowed to a crawl, and soon it collapsed.
; ; Tavra's whole body trembled as she drew the last of the Forestkeeper's ; lifeforce into her. Every nerve in her body was bursting, every bit of ; flesh was tingling with the passage of energy. Benidyr'ra's body ; quickly turned to a dry and fragile clay-like substance and began to ; break apart. Tavra's rapid panting slowed and she opened her eyes...
; ; ********
; ; Shakaam knelt by the burnt remains of the wooden gate. After examining ; it, he rose and moved inside to inspect the tower.
; ; "Lieutenant?" Jarif half-grumbled.
; ; Stopping in his tracks, Shakaam looked back at him and spoke. "They ; didn't force their way in or out. It looks as if they either snuck-in, ; infiltrated, or it was a mutiny of some sort. I need to examine the ; remains more though."
; ; "My guess is they used their powers of seduction to lull the men into ; a false sense of security, then killed them all and burned the keep to ; hide the evidence of their feast."
; ; "You don't even know it was them!" The Lieutenant was visibly annoyed ; at Jarif's assumption. He gritted his teeth and waved his hand wildly, ; screaming. "Why am I even here? You've already made up your mind!"
; ; "Because, Lieutenant, these women grow more powerful each time they ; kill someone, and if they are responsible for killing every man here, ; then there's no way to know what we're up against. THAT, Lieutenant, ; is WHY you are here." Jarif retorted with increased anger, though he ; was still calm by comparison.
; ; Hatred filled Shakaam's head and gushed forth from his eyes in a ; burning stare. He'd had enough of this unknown man and his secret ; society who'd pulled him away from his work in Gebton Hollow, only to ; be treated as just another grunt doing footwork. The Lieutenant had no ; tolerance for those who allowed their zeal to consume them - it was ; often those people that committed crimes in the name of their cause.
; ; "Any number of things could have happened here! This outpost protects ; travellers on the road between Gebton Hollow and Kemaj - what if one ; of the bandit kings organized an army and attacked?! What if some of ; the men simply mutinied?! What if it was a group of assassins?! You ; don't know! But then you're so busy chasing these women that YOU don't ; care!"
; ; Jarif looked off to the north, his eyes lowered to the ; ground. "Lieutenant, you may have a point. Perhaps in my zeal to ; defend the people I have... overlooked other... possibilities. Proceed ; with your investigation. We will rest until you have reached a ; conclusion."
; ; Shakaam was shocked. This man that had made himself out to be ; infallibility righteous had admitted some degree of ignorance and ; humility. He stood dumbfounded for a moment before proceeding inside, ; thinking to himself what a shock Jarif would be in for if he managed ; to drudge-up some evidence that it was an outside siege.
; ; What he was finding did not point in that direction though. The few ; bodies which were not burned showed little or no sign of physical ; damage to them, and there were broken weapons strewn about the ; courtyard. He found door-remnants inside of the burned-out tower, and ; the barracks had a small pile of burned bodies that reminded him of ; what he saw in Gebton Hollow. Sighing deeply, he returned to Jarif ; with his report.
; ; "Jarif, we may have a problem. Do you know how much more powerful they ; grow with each life they intake?"
; ; "I'm not sure, why?"
; ; "Well, these forts maintain anywhere from...eight to nine-hundred ; soldiers at a time, plus cooks, servants, and so on. If we assume they ; killed every man here, and there's two of them, that's about five ; hundred for each of them."
; ; "Then you are certain it was them?"
; ; "I've never seen anything quite like this. I'd still say bandits if I ; hadn't seen all the broken weapons and corpses without wounds. Do you ; have any idea what their abilities were before this?"
; ; "No. I only know what I've seen them do - what I told you before. I ; have reason to believe that one of them is ancient and has been active ; for hundreds of years - she may very well already be much too powerful ; for us to handle. The other I have never seen or heard of." For the ; first time, Jarif looked slightly concerned as he spoke.
; ; Shakaam looked northward, his eyes following the many footprints in ; and out of the burned citadel. Most of them turned and headed east or ; west towards the caravan route. There was evidence of various movement ; in other directions, but the surrounding grass and rocks obscured ; further tracking. Even an expert tracker would have a difficult time ; in such terrain.
; ; "Well the obvious route for them would be on to Kemaj and then to the ; capitol, but they've left an obvious swath of destruction. My guess is ; they're overconfident, thinking that none can oppose them, but if ; they're smart, they've gone off on another path, hoping to throw-off ; anyone who would be hunting them. Do they know you're after them ; Jarif?"
; ; "As I said before, I have seen one of them once - she killed many men ; and fled quickly. That was almost two months ago. She seems to have ; grown in power since then. I have seen no indication that they know we ; are pursuing them, nor have we given them reason to believe so."
; ; "Hmm... You say she's grown in power since then, what do you mean?"
; ; "She killed thirty men and then ran when confronted with more - I ; think she may have been wounded in the fight somehow. Now she and her ; companion lay waste to an entire military citadel without ; opposition. Perhaps... perhaps there is something driving them..."
; ; "You said they were ancient, but they have obviously grown in power ; since you've been tracking them. If they kept this pace all that time, ; why aren't they nigh-godlike by now?"
; ; "Perhaps my information was wrong - perhaps they DO need energy to ; survive, and they were taking just enough to do only that, until now."
; ; "Or they already ARE nigh-godlike and we can't stop them no matter ; what."
; ; Jarif squinted at him. "That is not important. Our duty is to at least ; try to stop them, no matter the cost."
; ; Shakaam looked away. "Many things are possible Jarif, but we should ; decide on a course of action here and get moving. We can't be too far ; behind them - the citadel was burned recently. I'd say we could catch ; them late tonight if we really got moving."
; ; "Yes, but they may not be headed for Elezan at all. As you said, they ; have made their path quite obvious. To follow it now may be foolish."
; ; "True, but there's so many people in the capitol - more than any other ; city in all of Akeryn, and maybe more than any in the whole world. If ; I were them, and I thought no one could oppose me, that's where I'd ; go."
; ; There was a long pause, and Shakaam could tell that Jarif was weighing ; his options heavily as he looked eastward. He and the elite guard ; stood for a few long moments awaiting Jarif's decision.
; ; "Capturing or killing these women is our primary mission, ; Lieutenant. We ride now, for Kemaj. There we will wait for two days, ; after which we will ride hard for the capitol of Elezan."
; ; With that, Shakaam nodded, and the group set-out eastward, for Kemaj.
; ; ********
; ; Strigori watched in horror as his men were tossed-around like leaves ; in the wind, flying high into the air and then landing, lifeless, on ; the cold earth. Within the space of a breath he'd lost three more men, ; joining the six already lying motionless. He didn't know whether to ; rush in and help or to run in terror. On one hand they were being ; defeated by two mere women, granted they had strange powers, but they ; were women. On the other hand, they were laying waste to his men ; without effort or resistance, and they seemed to enjoy doing it. Each ; time one of them touched one of his men, they seemed to draw some form ; of sexual enjoyment out of it, as their lovely faces contorted in ; orgasmic rapture while their victim quickly grew visibly weaker and ; eventually died. In addition to their deadly touch, they exhibited ; nigh-superhuman speed, and strength that was undoubtedly supernatural.
; ; He'd had his back turned for only a moment, and somehow the women had ; broken free of their chains. His men had found them a few hours ago ; wandering the northern woods, dressed like high-class merchant ; concubines, and beautiful beyond compare. They chained them and ; brought them back, obviously in hopes of using them to pleasure ; themselves. Strigori had thought it odd that they didn't have their ; way with them right there and then, keeping them for themselves. He ; imposed harsh penalties for keeping such things to oneself, so they ; must have not thought these women were worth the risk. Now he almost ; wished that they HAD kept the girls, or that they'd never found them ; in the first place.
; ; "It's her!" Gathim quietly exclaimed.
; ; Gathim gasped in excitement as he saw the beautiful dark-haired woman ; once again. He had been trying to catch-up with her on the road from ; Gebton Hollow, but was kidnapped by these bandits and forced to march ; with them. For several days they had evaded patrols of soldiers, going ; further and further from the bandit camp. However a few days ago, the ; patrols all but disappeared, and Strigori, the bandit king, decided it ; was time to make a run for his camp. Now, as they were just returning, ; he saw the lovely woman again, still naked, wantonly killing his ; captors. If he hadn't been shackled he would have tried to help her, ; but in his mind, she would finish-off the bandits and free him, and ; she'd respect how he tried to follow her. Seeing his devotion to her, ; she'd fall in love with the him and they'd run off together. It was ; only a matter of time now.
; ; After seeing them decimate his men with such ease, Strigori changed ; his focus - he was no longer concerned with saving his men or his ; bandit headquarters, only with survival. Quickly devising a plan, he ; drew his sword and slew one of the slaves they'd been dragging with ; them. The other captives looked-on in horror, except for the young ; blonde man who was too entranced by the women's killing - he somehow ; seemed to know them...
; ; "Cover our flank. We retreat dis day." Strigori ordered his personal ; guard in a gruff tone. He turned to the young man who had been ; fascinated by the women and cut his shackles from the others' with a ; swift stroke. "And bring him along."
; ; Gathim began to protest, but his cries were lost among the other ; captives' cries for freedom, mercy, and anger. Being all ; linked-together, they would now have to carry the weight of a dead man ; if they wanted to move. Some of them tried to get the others to start ; moving away, but they were disorganized rabble, and most of them were ; exhausted and hungry from their forced march.
; ; Strigori and his men began to move away, three of them restraining the ; squirming boy. After a few minutes they could no longer hear the ; sounds of battle behind them. Though none of them were speaking, they ; all began to move a little faster, knowing that the strangely ; beautiful attackers may already be in pursuit.
; ; ********
; ; Tavra surveyed the destruction of the camp. The scene was not unlike ; that of Arvord's Citadel when they had finished with it. Weapons lay ; everywhere, some shattered, while doors, emplacements, and even walls ; broken, and bodies carpeting the ground. She felt there was still a ; fair amount of lifeforce below her, slightly to her left. Searching in ; that direction, she found a system of large pit-cages holding ; prisoners. There were three of them per cage, crammed into a tiny ; living space. At the sight of her, they started begging to be ; freed. She smiled as she bent over and saw the looks of awe on their ; faces - they had obviously never seen a creature as beautiful as her.
; ; Straddling both sides of the pit, she squatted low and willed their ; energies to pass through the air to her. A white snake of fog-like gas ; emitted from each of them and entered her cunt. She threw her head ; back and squatted lower as she bathed in their life energies. Tavra ; roared in pleasure as the newfound power surged into her. She placed ; her hands on her knees and looked down into the pit, seeing the white ; line of energy swaying slowly, connecting them to her. The confused ; captives didn't know what was happening until it was too late. They ; began to feel weak and then exhausted, trying to beg for mercy, but ; Tavra was too deep in her rapture to hear them.
; ; After the first three were dead, she moved on to the next cage. Again, ; three prisoners, awestruck by her comeliness. Again, she squatted and ; forced their energies to pass into her, using her hands to move her ; long hair out of the way as she looked down to concentrate on the ; image of her own pussy and what was flowing into it. She found the act ; of watching their lifeforces flow through the air and enter her quite ; erotic. Tavra bobbed up and down, simulating a sexual motion as her ; senses were bathed in bliss.
; ; Jynn's ecstasy was dying down as she drained the last remnants of her ; victim's lifeforce, adding it to hers. The world began to fade and fog ; around her - Jynn had seen this before. Sometimes when she took-in a ; lot of lifeforce her powers of arcane knowledge activated, and her ; mind felt like it was reaching to other realms for information. Time ; stopped, and she seemed to be outside of her own body, in another ; existence empty of all things except her consciousness.
; ; Suddenly she found herself in the encampment again, holding the body ; of her previous victim. The only other living person she sensed in the ; immediate area was Tavra, who was busy reveling in her ; feast. Something new was in her mind, some fundamental part of the ; past had changed. She stood still for a few moments, thinking back, ; finally realizing what was revealed to her.
; ; Long ago Tavra, herself, and six others like them were created in a ; great ritual. The ritual had elements of the Alnus Kagoi, the ; little-known ritual used to create true vampires. True vampires were ; fearsome beings - their physical prowess was almost unmatched, they ; were largely immune to physical attack, and they could create lesser ; vampires to do their bidding. The ritual that was used in the creation ; of Jynn and her "sisters" was twisted into something more, and fueled ; by a great and mysterious power, making them very much like true ; vampires, but without the same weaknesses. The most important ; differences were that they fed upon life-energy instead of blood, and ; they did not need to continually feed in order to stay alive. The ; energy they took in would only make them more powerful, unlike any ; kind of vampire.
; ; There was also the matter of a demon's soul in the ritual. Somehow the ; soul of a great demon had been bound to a gem used in the ritual. It ; was a Succubus, a female demon who used her dark beauty to corrupt ; men. Apparently the demon was destroyed in the ritual, or rather its ; soul was "split-up" amongst the women. Jynn found it interesting that ; they were a sort of Vampire and Succubus at the same time, but more ; than just the sum of either.
; ; The ritual, infused with power from whatever source they served, was ; made possible largely by human nobles and a small mixing of other ; races. The nobles had provided the most important part of the ritual - ; the place to enact it. Without their support, other humans would ; surely have heard about the two-month-long gathering and done ; something about it. The nobility bought the land, as it was their ; right to do, and provided some amount of manpower.
; ; Somewhere along the line, the nobles gained the disfavor of whatever ; power created her and her "sisters," and the two began to war. The ; nobles had grown powerful and decadent, so the women easily decimated ; the order with their enhanced powers of seduction. However, this only ; forced them into hiding, and they began their own campaign to ; exterminate the women, and were hunting them, even now.
; ; The knowledge did startle Jynn - someone out there knew about them, ; and quite possibly knew their weaknesses, maybe even better than she ; did. The only thing her and Tavra had working for them was that they ; were no longer automatons and because of that they'd grown much more ; powerful than the others, which might cause them to underestimate ; Tavra and Jynn.
; ; ********
; ; Ahgran awoke in a grassy field, looking up at the early morning ; sky. He had no idea how long he had been there, or what day it was, ; only that he was hungry and that his much-needed rest may have ; shortened the lead he had on Tavra. She didn't need rest, or food, and ; she could kill him in moments if she caught him. What's worse is that ; he would more than likely let her kill him, or do anything else she ; wanted to him.
; ; The Baron had hoped the part of him that wanted to be her slave would ; weaken as he distanced himself from her, but it had not. He wanted to ; see her again, to gaze upon her beauty and marvel in her majesty. He ; wanted to have her again and again, to defile her, to use her, perhaps ; even take something from her as she had from him. Last night he caught ; himself masturbating as he filled his mind with the memory of what ; they did in his tower - that night of passion that led to his ; downfall.
; ; Something within him had changed on a fundamental level. He felt as if ; he was no longer human, as if perhaps she was the one who defiled HIM, ; somehow making him no longer whole. At first he wondered if it was all ; the lifeforce she'd taken from him, but he remembered Jynn saying to ; Tavra how their victims would become tired and listless after ; sufficient draining, and would never fully recover from such a ; loss. The Baron did not feel tired, just...altered.
; ; As he lay in the grass, musing about the possibility that he was just ; depressed about losing all that he held dear, he heard people talking ; in the woods behind him. Turning quickly onto his belly, he crawled ; through the tall grass in an effort to get closer. The voices were ; distinctly male, though one of them was definitely younger than the ; others.
; ; "How is it you know dem?" a low voice demanded. It had an accent to ; it, perhaps a Valabian accent - one of the hardy northmen from the ; frozen desert regions. They were a people to be feared, as their ; environment made them some of the strongest and most cunning warriors ; ever. It was remarkable to see one of them this far south, and in ; civilized lands.
; ; "I...I don't REALLY. I just...worked for them." The younger voice ; said.
; ; "What did you do for dem, boy, and what did dey pay you?" This time ; Ahgran could tell for sure it was a Valabian accent. He crept-in ; closer to see who these people were.
; ; "I...moved...bodies...for them...I did it...because I thought they ; were...pretty..."
; ; "Bodies? Who did dey kill - and why?"
; ; "Just...brothel patrons...and a few soldiers...I don't know why...I ; just know they...slept with the men and then...they called me in to ; remove the...the bodies...told me they were drunks."
; ; Ahgran almost couldn't believe this. How long had Tavra and Jynn been ; killing people? Could it be that he had found some potential allies in ; his struggle against those cursed women? He drew closer to the group - ; now he could see them through the bushes. Arvord's jaw hit the dirt ; when he saw their insignias.
; ; The Grim Falcon - the sign of the bandit king Strigori the Grim. His ; men had done battle with the Grim Falcons, and though they were mere ; bandits with piecemeal equipment, they had managed to give his ; Imperial Legionnaires stiff resistance in a few engagements. They were ; at the top of the raider food chain. A few days ago, they were the ; Baron's main adversaries - now it seemed they had a common enemy.
; ; There was silence for a moment as Arvord thought about his next ; move. Now that his fortress was burned to the ground and his men ; killed, he had no ability with which to carry out his vengeance. Sure, ; he could go crawling back to the Empire, but there was no guarantee ; that they wouldn't imprison him for his incompetence - there really ; wasn't a good way to explain losing an entire citadel to two women.
; ; "Hrmph... What kind of woman kills like dat? Eh? Why would dey be ; after me? Perhaps we go see what de Sage-Eye says, no?" The Valabian ; said, finally breaking the long silence.
; ; "They are not ordinary women, I promise you that. And they weren't ; interested in you, only your life energy." Arvord said, standing up ; with his arms held high. All thirteen highwaymen turned towards him, ; weapons raised. There was a boy with them, perhaps almost twenty years ; of age. He wasn't dressed like the others - it was more like he was an ; unfortunate traveller they'd happened across.
; ; "Who would you be, and what do you know of deez... women." Strigori ; asked, lowering his sword.
; ; "I... my name is Ahgran, and I was their slave for a ; time. They... have a way of... influencing men... I was no exception."
; ; Strigori noted how this newcomer talked and carried himself. There was ; a noble bearing about him, though his clothes were torn and dirty. He ; stood tall, possibly almost six feet, and his body had no scars, yet ; he had a few minor cuts that looked fresh, showing that he was out of ; place in the woods. The dark-olive complexion of his skin went well ; with his slender and toned body. Greasy, shoulder-length black hair ; flowed beautifully from his head, and though there were hints of ; leaves and grass still in it, Strigori could almost be jealous of the ; man's good-looks and healthy body. If the man had been cleaner, it was ; clear that he could seduce any noblewoman.
; ; Ahgran was not impressed by the outlaw lord before him. He was short, ; roughly five and a half feet tall, and ugly. The Valabian's small, ; pockmarked face seemed to be stuck in a perpetual sour-faced ; expression, and hair stuck-up out of the neck of his shirt. Small, ; black eyes beamed his stony gaze, yet there was a something about his ; stare that reminded Ahgran of a madman - indeed, as a whole he looked ; more beast than human.
; ; There was another lengthy pause during which the two stared at each ; other, each sizing-up the other one. Ahgran was appalled at the depths ; he'd sunk to in only a few days, but he did his best to hide his ; contempt for them and his current situation. Strigori was impressed by ; the nobleman's courage and piety in approaching them - most noblemen ; would have ran screaming from a group of brigands. If what he said was ; true, then the noble had been reduced to crawling around in the woods ; and conspiring with outlaws.
; ; "Denn tell us, Mr. Ahgran, why you have...volunteered ; dis... information."
; ; "Because I want revenge. And because the enemy of my enemy is ; sometimes my friend. I have the knowledge, you have the manpower. You ; seem to have a problem with them as well, and if we work together, we ; can destroy them." As he spoke, he summoned forth his inspiring aura ; of nobility. For eons the people had been bred to look-up to the ; nobility, and when pressed, serve without question. Ahgran was hoping ; that this bandit had some of that subservient nature within him.
; ; Strigori eyed him for a short while, deciding what to do. On one hand ; his forces were greatly weakened by the assault of the two ; women. Though he had other camps in the area with more men, those ; cursed wenches had destroyed his headquarters and the mainstay of his ; supplies and ill-gotten wealth. Years of progress were obliterated in ; a few minutes, and what's worse, he'd lost it to females.
; ; "I shall make you a deal, Mr. Ahgran. We are going to another ; stronghold of mine, tree days from here. Dere I will use the Sage-Eye ; to divine more. You will give me more information I ask for. You ; travel wit us and tell me all you know of dees...women. If I am ; satisfied you told me all you know before we get dere, I let you ; live."
; ; Arvord squinted and weighed his current options. His insides were ; still a strange mush of pride, self loathing, lust, and hatred, and he ; knew the only way he could redeem himself in his own eyes was to ; somehow kill Tavra. On the other hand, his self-esteem would drop to ; new lows when he began working with enemies he still despised. Pride ; was one of the things that made the nobility better than everyone ; else, and if he sacrificed his pride, what would he be then? Still, if ; he allowed Tavra to get away with what she'd done to him, he knew he'd ; be even less of a noble.
; ; He nodded his approval at the brigand, and swallowed hard.
; ; ********
; ; Arvord and the bandits travelled north for two days, making good time ; through the use of various shortcuts he'd never thought existed. It ; was obvious to him now how they had eluded capture so many times - ; they knew the land much better than his troops ever did.
; ; During the three days he fabricated a story to tell Strigori about ; being a merchant who was seduced by the two women and drawn into their ; deceitful plan. He convinced Strigori that they used him to get into ; Arvord citadel and kill everyone there, though he did not know why and ; that he had escaped while they were feasting upon the soldiers Ever ; since then he'd been running in fear that they were still pursuing ; him. The disenfranchised baron also told Strigori of their powers - ; their unmatched strength and nigh-superhuman speed, their ability to ; incapacitate men with their beauty, and their immunity to weapons.
; ; The bandit king did not seem surprised through all of this - he'd seen ; them in action against his men and how quickly they fell before these ; strange women. He had no doubt that he, nor anyone he knew could stand ; against them in a straight-up fight, but if they had the right ; information, he could set-up an ambush of some sort, or perhaps he ; could find a bargaining chip to use against them...such as the boy, ; Gathim.
; ; Strigori wasn't sure if they knew the boy, and were perhaps even ; looking for him, or if perhaps he was simply just a bystander ; caught-up in the fray. Thus, he kept the boy around just in case he ; would be useful later. To throw-away any potential resource this early ; in the game would be foolish.
; ; Gathim saw himself as a spy. The beautiful dark-haired woman that ; Ahgran referred to as "Tavra" obviously had some incredible powers, ; and she may have been trying to kill Ahgran or Strigori. To this end, ; Gathim kept quiet and gathered as much information as he could about ; her enemies. For example, he could tell Ahgran hated being involved ; with Strigori and his men - the displeasure on his face was visible at ; times, though he was careful to hide it from those that mattered. He ; overheard Strigori talking about how he had more resources scattered ; about the area, which he would eventually rally to be used against ; Tavra. Most importantly, he knew that both men hid their fear that all ; their efforts would be in vain - Tavra and her companion Jynn appeared ; to be nigh invulnerable
; ; His only concern was this "Sage-Eye" they were going to see. Strigori ; said that he had used "it" in the past to build his bandit empire, and ; that it practically knew everything. If Tavra DID have a weakness, ; they may soon know about it. Still, he had enlisted the help of ; Ahgran, which meant that whatever power this "Sage-Eye" had was not ; infallible.
; ; After two days of travel through the Great Galoran Woods, they finally ; reached their destination. There was another hidden bandit camp, this ; one much smaller than the previous one. The woods here were much more ; dense than at Strigori's headquarters, and the area around the camp ; was arranged with some large and quite nasty-looking brambles, ; allowing entry and exit through only two choke-points. Small shelters ; were either carved out of fallen trees or piecemealed together from ; branches and leaves.
; ; Strigori made his way to a small tent hidden under some leaves. There ; were no guards outside, which made Arvord realize the fear and loyalty ; this bandit lord inspired in his men. The men all crowded into the ; tent, making it hard to see what Strigori was doing. After a short ; while the men parted, and the bandit was standing in the center of a ; strange arcane symbol which had previously been hidden by a rug. The ; symbol's mere presence made Arvord uncomfortable, as magic was usually ; something best-kept among the mage guilds, or at least those who knew ; how to use it. Those who didn't understand it were best-advised to ; keep away from it. He hoped the bandit knew what he was doing...
; ; Strigori pulled a rather ornate knife from a fold of cloth. It looked ; rather worn, even rusted in some areas of the blade, but the main ; feature was a large and quite valuable looking ruby embedded in the ; hilt. Taking the dagger in his left hand, he ran the length of the ; blade across his right palm, wetting it in the blood. He carefully set ; the dagger on the floor, obviously paying close attention to where it ; fit among the arcane symbols and how the blood dripped across ; them. The ruby began to glow as Strigori stared at it, his eyes alight ; with a similar eerie fire.
; ; All attention in the room was focused on him. Strigori allowed his ; consciousness to be drawn into the stone, "Ghirza" the Sage-Eye. He ; saw the distant past, though he didn't know how far in the past. There ; was a great battle in the heavens - it was a legendary battle between ; gods. Lightning and fire rained down, turning a vast forest into a ; desert and laying waste to great mountains. A great lightshow in the ; sky shook the land, and then, all was silent. One of the gods, ; defeated, fell to the earth with a blazing white fire rippling behind ; it.
; ; Eons passed before his eyes. In that time, humans had built ; civilization, fought with one another, and the other gods had left for ; another world. All that time the fallen god made allies from ; disenfranchised humans, entering their dreams, promising them ; power. Others were drawn-in as well - the Stalgis - a bat-like race of ; nocturnal predators, long thought extinct, and the Qegran - sentient ; insects who had freed themselves from hive-mindedness and were in ; chaos. Together they formed a cabal to raise the fallen one back to ; its place of power. With the other gods gone, there would be nothing ; to oppose its rule, and the cabal would be granted a place beside it.
; ; Meanwhile, the humans had forged great civilizations, ruled largely by ; nobility. Some nobles formed orders which held their mutual ; interests. Many grew into outdated social gatherings which were little ; more than a name, but one was seduced by the dreams of power sent by ; the fallen one. They schemed in dark passages alongside its followers ; and brought their wealth and influence to bear. Finally, there would ; be a way for the fallen one to rise again.
; ; In a cave, possibly far in the north, Strigori saw a gathering of the ; fallen one's followers. They were enacting a ritual - lots of dancing, ; muttering, bloodletting, sex, and general mayhem. Finally, the crowd ; parted, revealing the women - there were eight of them, two of which ; he recognized from the raid on his camp. All of them were magnificent ; in their nudity, though some were much more attractive than others.
; ; Time passed again, and he saw the death the women caused, and how it ; fueled them. Ahgran was right - they seduced and killed, somehow ; drawing the living energy out of their prey to grow more ; powerful. Each woman also had an appointed place they would meet with ; two mysterious and well-built men. The men were twins, but each ; meeting place did not hold the same twins, though they did all look ; alike. The twins and the woman would copulate, and they would draw the ; energy out of her, leaving her weak once again. The men would remain, ; and the woman would leave to gather more energy.
; ; This had gone on for millennia, the nobles using the women to ; eliminate enemies, and the twins, somehow related to the fallen one, ; grew stronger. At some point the nobles and the fallen one became ; enemies, and the women immediately began hunting them. The nobles ; could not stand against the lures of the erotic huntresses, and thus ; they lost all the influence they'd gained, and their numbers began to ; dwindle. Forced underground, the noble order kept their remaining ; political ties a secret, and trained certain members to hunt the ; hunters. From their hiding places they struck out as best they could, ; all the while renewing their political ties in certain areas.
; ; The bandit lord saw one such noble running a special scimitar through ; one of the women, killing her. The blade was an odd shade of yellow, ; and it was the first weapon he'd seen harm them. In another place, he ; saw a young mage tatooing some sort of rune on the thigh of one of the ; women who assaulted his headquarters. She was asleep, or incapacitated ; somehow, but when she awoke, there was something different about her.
; ; She, in turn, put the tatoo on the darker-haired beauty that had ; attacked his stronghold, and ever after there was something not quite ; right about the two of them. Their actions seemed to be more "alive" ; than the others, and their craving for energy was not as controlled.
; ; Strigori brought himself out of the vision for a moment, taking a ; mental step back to examine the facts. At first he thought he saw ; allies in the twins, as they drew the women's power from them. It made ; him happy to know that these women were being drained in turn by males ; - he would hate to think that these females were the most powerful ; beings in the world. But in the end, even the twins were pawns of a ; sort for the fallen god.
; ; The real allies he sought were the nobles who were at war with this ; god. Or, Strigori thought, perhaps he could ally himself with the god ; by finding and destroying the nobles, and aiding the women... He'd ; witnessed the power the women held, and could only imagine the power ; the twins had. If he could only contact them somehow...
; ; He focused once again on the Sage Eye, projecting his desire to see ; where he could find one pair of twins, the avatars of the fallen ; god. He felt the stone's power being blocked - something much more ; powerful than the artifact was hiding the location of the god's ; representatives. Strigori remembered seeing them in very nondescript ; places - caves with torches, ordinary stone rooms, a pinewood ; forest. He searched again, this time more forceful with his will, but ; still, nothing.
; ; Frustrated, he withdrew from the vision and moved back into ; reality. He looked around the room at his men. With them were Ahgran ; and the boy, Gathim. They were important in this somehow, but he would ; not be able to use the Sage Eye again for some time. Ahgran was ; telling the truth, and there was something more to him than what he ; made out to be.
; ; As usual, he would keep the knowledge to himself, not wanting anyone ; else to have the information should he fall. Now it was time for him ; to take action, though he did not know what. However, if he were to ; ally himself with a growing power such as the fallen one, it would be ; best if he did so soon, while he might still be of use to a fledgling ; god. Still, that would mean allying himself with those...women...
; ; ********
; ; Ever since he joined them, Ahgran had been treated like dirt by ; Strigori's men. It did not annoy him as much as it frightened him - ; perhaps the bandit had found him out and was harrying him into telling ; the truth. He was randomly awakened in the night to do menial chores, ; was given smaller meals, and talked down to the entire time. At one ; point they made him dig a grave, which he was sure would be his ; own. Even when he discovered he was wrong, he realized that his ; usefulness to the bandits had to be proven again - he had given their ; leader knowledge, but now he had to show the men that he was worth ; something.
; ; His name was Yasun, and he was among the strongest men in the ; camp. He'd been hounding Ahgran more than the others, and most of the ; bandits saw the big man as a foe only slightly less unbeatable than ; Strigori himself. Yasun was markedly less quick-witted than their ; leader, and did not have the ruthless charisma needed to run such an ; operation, otherwise he'd at least have posed a threat to the ; Valabian's position.
; ; "What better way to prove myself to the men than by besting him?" ; Ahgran thought. "I don't really have anything else left to lose."
; ; Arvord found Yasun eating alone at a table in the mess tent. He sat ; down across from the oaf and rested his elbow on the table, forearm ; pointing upwards.
; ; "Alright you worthless pile of Vrunti slime, let's see if you can best ; me!" Ahgran challenged, paying careful attention to the wording of his ; request - he had placed himself in a higher position than his ; opponent, showing the bravado that Strigori's men respected.
; ; Yasun stopped chewing his bread and stared at the newcomer. His cold ; eyes could convince anyone that he'd never known fear in his life. He ; shoved his plate aside and rested his elbow on the table as ; well. Yasun's arms were visibly larger and more muscled than his ; adversary's, though Ahgran did not break his stare to notice the ; comparison.
; ; He took the oaf's hand and felt a surge of ecstasy pass through his ; body, not unlike when he was with Tavra, but much less intense. A ; startled look came over his face and he gasped at the sudden ; pleasure. It was then that he realized it - Yasun's energy was flowing ; into him! It wasn't difficult to control his reaction to the feeling, ; but his adversary did grin his confidence to the baron.
; ; "What's the matter, weakling? Afraid?" Yasun smiled, showing rotting ; teeth.
; ; Ahgran squinted a bit and stared straight into Yasun's eyes. "No, not ; in the slightest." The energy continued to flow into him, making him ; confident that he could beat Yasun with his newfound ; strength. However, he didn't feel any stronger - in fact, he sensed ; the energy was passing right through him!
; ; Tavra stopped her brisk walk when the pleasure hit her. She inhaled a ; staggered breath and looked around, putting her hands on her hips and ; moving them up to her waist. She couldn't figure out where the power ; was coming from, but she was gaining energy. Looking upwards, she ; arched her back as the lifeforce flowed into her, though at a slower ; rate than she was used to. Tavra sensed...the Baron...was he doing ; this?
; ; Ahgran's penis grew hard, and he felt his pants wetten slightly. He ; could feel Tavra at the other end, somewhere in the world, drinking ; the power that he was taking in. She was standing with her back ; arched, looking upwards, eyes closed, mouth open, hands made into ; fists and held at her sides. He wanted to stop what he was doing, but ; something in him couldn't - he was compelled to make her stronger, to ; serve her. The Baron was sickened by her greed, and at the same time ; aroused at his ability to make her writhe with such ecstasy. She ; seemed to be enjoying the flow of lifeforce more than he did, perhaps ; that was because he was only the conduit and she was the ; receptacle. Before he knew it, Yasun was looking tired, and the match ; was almost over - the weakness finally got to him, and their arms ; collapsed to the table. Arvord let go as quickly as possible and stood ; up. Tavra exhaled and opened her eyes drowsily.
; ; "Are you ok?" Jynn was standing very close, inspecting her ; incapacitated travelling companion.
; ; "Yes, I'm....quite good, actually."
; ; "What happened? It looked like you -"
; ; "Arvord. He...somehow... channeled energy into me."
; ; Jynn squinted and looked puzzled for a moment. "Hold on, let me ; meditate for a moment." She looked away, as Tavra's body was too much ; of a distraction, and concentrated. Thinking hard on the issue, she ; enveloped herself in the fog again, questing. After a few seconds, the ; knowledge came to her. Her eyes widened as she spoke. "That's one of ; your powers - you made him into some sort of... energy... funnel!"
; ; "But...how?"
; ; "You exchanged energy with him - you took so much and replaced it with ; your own that...he's becoming your slave, Tavra, you can make slaves! ; You can see into their minds and control them! You can use them to ; gather energy for you!" Jynn looked at her companion excitedly, ; grasping her arms proudly. "He serves YOU now!"
; ; "He serves himself."
; ; "No, no! He's your minion, your slave."
; ; "A minion who wants to kill me."
; ; Jynn shook her head. "He only thinks he wants to kill you. You're in ; control, Tavra, and the more energy you gain, the more power you'll ; have over him! Exercise your control over him, do it now!"
; ; Tavra looked at Jynn, frowning cynically. Still, the idea of ; controlling Arvord so completely did seem quite appealing - by ; controlling his will she could destroy him in a way no other person ; could.
; ; She looked into the distance and thought of Arvord. She saw him in a ; wooded area of some sort. There were many bandits around with the same ; crest as that of the camp they raided earlier.
; ; "Arvord...I want more."
; ; The Baron was on his way to his appointed sleeping area when he heard ; her voice. He stopped in mid-stride, eyes wide with fear and lust.
; ; She pressed harder upon his will. "Get me more energy. Do it ; again. Now."
; ; Ahgran shook his head, mustering all he could to defy her. He tried to ; think of his home and his men, all that he'd lost because of her. She ; was far away, but still she had her talons in him. Closing his eyes, ; he started to push her out of his mind. After a long moment, the Baron ; shook off her hold and kept walking, smiling at his victory over her.
; ; Frustrated, Tavra clenched her teeth and cursed. "Damn him!"
; ; Seeing her displeasure and assuming the worst, Jynn tried to comfort ; the girl. "Tavra, my lovely, it's alright - you'll soon be able to ; bend his will without even a thought. He'll be channelling energy into ; you with every waking moment, just give it time."
; ; Disgusted with her shortcomings, she thought back to the tree she ; could not uproot so long ago. Tavra began her brisk walk again. "We ; should keep moving."
; ; ********
; ; Ahgran awoke in his tent to see Tavra's hourglass silhouette standing ; before him. He could tell her back was turned to him, and for a moment ; he thought of trying to do something - escape, stab her, call for ; help, but he knew there was no way to stop her from doing whatever she ; came to do. She parted the tent opening slightly, letting the ; moonlight in, and then turned around to him and paused. He was ; overtaken by a mixture of fear, rage, and lust - his cock quickly ; became hard as she approached, and his legs began to spread as if she ; had commanded him without saying anything.
; ; She pulled the covers from him and straddled him. Lowering herself ; slowly, she guided his shaft into her, throwing her head back at the ; deep penetration. Tavra began to slide up and down his cock, letting ; out whimpers and yelps. Ahgran reached up with his hands and fondled ; her breasts as the waves of ecstasy passed over him. She arched her ; back and let out a single, guttural grunt.
; ; Between his arms he saw a faint blue glow in her, and a strange yellow ; light feeding into it from below. Pulling his hands away, he saw she ; had become nothing but a silhouette with a blue light at its ; center. The yellow string of light passed through their connected ; genitals and originated in... him! She was draining him! He felt ; weaker, but could do nothing to resist, only watch the yellow mix with ; her blue as his own light grew more faint. He watched her light grow ; brighter as she writhed, back still arched, hands on her thighs.
; ; Suddenly she leaned over and put her hands on his chest, and a string ; of blue light went through them, into him. He felt a strange strength, ; and then rapturous ecstasy as her power flowed into him. She was still ; draining him, but she was giving back more than she took. His body ; convulsed as the pleasure took hold. Ahgran's flesh tingled, and he ; felt like the most powerful being in the universe. He was continually ; cumming inside of her - little bits of the white fluid were dripping ; out as she thrust up and down upon him. In all the feelings of sensual ; bliss, he looked down and was horrified to see his own light was ; changing colors - the blue was mixing with the yellow to become a ; sickly green.
; ; Then, suddenly, it all stopped. She rose from him and moved to the ; head of the bed. He could still see the light in her - it was still ; the same color as when they had started, but he - he was still a ; sickly green. He looked up at her to see she was no longer a ; silhouette, but was once again flesh, and he could not see either of ; their lights anymore. She smiled at him and turned, closing the tent ; opening before she left.
; ; ********
; ; After almost a full day of riding from the burned remains of Arvord's ; Citadel, Shakaam and Jarif still had not seen any signs of their ; quarry. They had asked passing caravans and travelers if they'd seen ; the two women, as they were hard to miss, but they had no such ; luck. By the time they had reached Kemaj, Shakaam began to feel that ; their decision had not been a good one. Still, Jarif was in charge, ; and he said they would wait for two days in Kemaj, hunting their prey, ; then move on to Elezan.
; ; Within hours their information gatherers had picked-up on an odd trail ; of bodies without obvious wounds - Jarif indeed had good ; connections. The group went to the basement of the Kemaj Town Hall to ; inspect the bodies, and Shakaam noted Jarif's reaction to the corpses ; when he saw them. It was almost as if Jarif knew the victims, but he ; had to hide that fact from his men and Shakaam.
; ; "There were only three corpses, all found over the course of a week, ; which seems an odd pattern for these women. In Gebton Hollow there ; were about twenty similar deaths total, Arvord's Citadel was ; completely devastated, and now only three?" Shakaam spoke quietly, as ; if there were ears dipping into their conversation. He had always ; considered city halls and political centers as places more dangerous ; than even the seediest taverns.
; ; "Quite true. Your investigative skills are invaluable, Lieutenant. Do ; you think it is possible they were not headed for Kemaj at all?" Jarif ; nodded as he spoke.
; ; "Possible, but as I said, if I thought myself nigh invulnerable and ; wanted to grow stronger by killing lots of people, I'd make for the ; capital at best speed. It may be that they caused so much carnage ; behind them to tide themselves over for a longer journey, or they were ; trying to throw us off - the trail was quite obvious."
; ; There was a long pause, after which Jarif finally retorted. "We can't ; afford to start second-guessing ourselves. We'll stay here two days, ; and head for Elezan the day after. In the meantime, I want you to ; inspect these bodies closer. See if you can find any other causes of ; death. I'll post a guard with you."
; ; "Can I get a seer?"
; ; "No, I want as few people in on this as possible. Nobody else hears of ; anything you find. Understand?"
; ; Shakaam sighed, nodding. "Where can I find you if I need you?"
; ; "I have some business to attend to. We'll be staying at the Eagle's ; Nest. I should be there each nightfall."
; ; "What, are there vampires or something?" Shakaam joked.
; ; "Yes, Kemaj has quite a large vampire population. That is one reason I ; want you to carefully inspect those bodies. Vampires are adept at ; covering their tracks, which is why they often live for so long." The ; lack of emotion in Jarif's words sobered the Lieutenant's attitude. He ; nodded and went back to the holding room where the bodies were ; located.
; ; A closer inspection of the bodies did reveal two very small piercings ; of the neck on two of the victims. They were carefully done - an ; average inspector would have missed them. While he was inspecting the ; third body, some soldiers brought-in two more bodies, "Found 'em in ; the river this mornin'. Still lookin' fer more." Shakaam nodded and ; went back to his work. The third body had no visible marks, and was in ; very good shape. Shakaam read the report on the body : "Rejind Kadric, ; Merchant. Cause of death : Unknown. Burial code : 3b."
; ; The Lieutenant called for a servant to find whatever records could be ; found on the merchant, and proceeded to investigate the bodies from ; the river. More bite marks. Jarif wasn't kidding. However, one of the ; bodies was marked for cremation. Shakaam pulled a dagger from his belt ; and cut into the wrist of the body. As he expected, there was a ; surprising lack of blood, but the rest of the body seemed perfectly ; intact.
; ; "Vampires indeed." He said to himself.
; ; ********
; ; Adjra locked eyes with the merchant. She poured forth her will into ; his mind, making him want her like no other woman. She licked her lips ; and turned away - it was only a moment, but she knew that was all it ; took. Soon her and Tirah would be in his manse, taking his ; energy. After that they could see the twins again.
; ; In her dreams they came to her, the twins. They had told her that the ; only way she could see them again was to drain this man. They had told ; her this about other men many times over, but she did not care - all ; that mattered was that soon she could be in their arms again, with ; both of their massive bodies pumping and thrusting their large shafts ; in and out of her. She almost spasmed with ecstasy at the thought.
; ; Lately though, the dreams took a more urgent note - they had told her ; and Tirah to operate together, for there were two renegades, Jynn and ; Tavra, who had rebelled against the twins and were trying to destroy ; them. Adjra couldn't see how any woman would possibly want to destroy ; such magnificent men. In all her eons of existence, she had never ; experienced such pleasure as she did when they were inside of her.
; ; "Here he comes." Tirah whispered in her ear.
; ; "Ah, hello, my dear. My name is Alev Thukar, and I noticed ; your...grace amongst the peasants here in the ; marketplace. You're...not from Kemaj, are you?"
; ; Adjra turned to meet the man's gaze again. She noticed how ugly he was ; compared to the twins. Instantly a feeling of disgust came over ; her. She could easily muscle him off into a secluded area and drain ; him forcefully there, but that might arouse suspicion. Each time she ; was made to kill a man she could only think of how they were pathetic ; in comparison to the twins. Each time she just wanted to get it over ; with...
; ; ********
; ; Jynn could see the road and the city of Kemaj in the distance, its ; towers and sprawling slums on the outsides of the city walls. Kemaj ; was a rogue's den, and at the same time a mercantile nexus of the ; Empire, and the world. Ships from all over came into Bargalo Bay to ; dock at Kemaj and unload their goods for transport to the capital of ; Elezan. Criminals came too, to escape on a ship, seek their fortunes, ; or most of all, turn-in other criminals. Long ago the Empire of Akeryn ; decreed that any criminal who turns another criminal whose crime was ; equivalent or worse would be pardoned.
; ; She didn't want to stay long though - she felt Tavra's growing desire ; for energy. Jynn feared that she'd want to drain the whole city. While ; the thought of such a thing did turn Jynn on somewhat, she knew there ; were people after them who had already thrown a wild card into the ; fray. Furthermore, Jynn didn't know if she could resist Tavra if her ; companion really put her mind to taking the lives of everyone in the ; city - she had become that beautiful, and beyond that, she constantly ; radiated an aura which at the same time commanded obedience and ; ignited lust in all around her.
; ; After Kemaj would come the real prize - Elezan and her master. Jynn ; could feel her master's presence, and how he still called to her, ; trying to control her. She knew he would be hiding somewhere on the ; outskirts of Elezan, probably in one of the many ruins from past wars ; and rebellions. She'd been close before, but feared that she couldn't ; take him on by herself. That's where Byen and Tavra came in.
; ; Byen was the mage who had found a way to block their master's mind ; control with the tatoos made from magically-enhanced inks. He was also ; the only man to ever have satisfied Jynn without cumming. She still ; remembered the night he freed her.
; ; She suddenly awoke, and as if it had been a dream, her memory of the ; past was spotty at best. He was standing over her, it was dark but she ; could see he was smiling and extending his hand to help her up. She ; took it and stood, finding that he was about half a foot taller than ; her, with short, dark hair parted in the middle, he was slim, ; well-toned, and absolutely beautiful. His eyes had a special property ; that seemed to draw her in, making her feel like she was looking for ; something valuable that had fallen into a pit and found something more ; amazing. His hands were strong - a minute quality many women in the ; capital found attractive. He wore nothing but a loincloth, as it was ; hot and very humid. His bare chest shined with sweat, and had only a ; small patch of hair around his bellybutton leading downwards to his ; groin.
; ; His first words were memorable as well. He said "Jynn, you are the ; loveliest creature I have ever seen." His voice was deep, and there ; was a magic to it that aroused her. She immediately began asking ; questions - she grilled the poor man until dawn, when he finally ; decided he had to have rest.
; ; Byen was a S'rinkali - a mage who specialized in magics that affected ; the mind. Most mages of his type were feared, as their powers of ; manipulation were subtle, yet strong. To insure their loyalty, they ; were magically bound to obey a noble, unable to disobey or plot ; against them. Because of this, his order had largely become little ; more than slaves who used fancy magics to enhance the sexual pleasure ; of their masters. To "own" a S'rinkali was considered at the same time ; decadent and noble, as it was their master's duty to watch over them.
; ; His particular master was quite cruel, and particularly decadent. Jynn ; had caught his master's eye, who then instructed Byen to use his ; magics to find out more about her. His lord had hoped to add her to ; his menagerie of mistresses, and thus Byen set to work. He subtly ; delved into her mind, but before he could inform his master of the ; peril he was in, Byen felt himself freed from the magical bond his ; master held over him. His master was dead, and the young mage took ; Jynn into his laboratory to hide her from a strange group of men who ; came looking for her. He pieced together a spell which could free her ; from her own master's control, and became determined to return the ; favor to her.
; ; When she awoke with the red tatoo on her thigh, she had been ; freed. She decided she didn't want to risk her master regaining ; control of her, and thus set out to destroy him - and Byen pledged his ; help. As he tried to leave to get some rest, she moved around front of ; him, got on her knees, and took his cock in her hands. She began to ; massage it, and her eyes grew wider as it did - while his length ; wasn't outstanding, the width was incredible. She knew then that she ; had to have him inside her.
; ; They had sex most of the morning, and into the afternoon. She reached ; climax after climax, writhing on his thick shaft, but by noon, she ; noticed that he had not yet climaxed. Jynn tried every trick, every ; position, but could not make him cum. When she finally asked him about ; it, he reiterated that he was a mind mage, with ultimate control over ; his own mind, and that it was enough for him to see her enjoying ; herself. He then excused himself, saying he desperately needed food, ; water, and rest, but he offered to continue again the next day if she ; so wished. Jynn was at the same time offended and in awe. It was ; unfortunate that she had no actual feelings for him, as he was ; courteous, good-looking, and extremely good in bed.
; ; As the weeks passed, Jynn carefully gathered energy in Elezan, killing ; her victims only once in a while, but most often taking only little ; bits from her patrons at the brothel. She didn't know who or what her ; master was, but she assumed she'd need a lot of energy to take him ; on. She set Byen to work on more tatoo ink, as he said it took a long ; time to prepare. He had found the resting place of another of their ; kind - sealed in a cave long ago by unknown forces. That, of course ; was where Tavra came in.
; ; "Are you coming?"
; ; Jynn was snapped back to reality by Tavra's voice. She was half-in a ; large horsedrawn carriage, the kind that wealthy people owned. Inside ; she could see a merchant, who had obviously been smitten by Tavra, and ; his wife, who looked at them in disgust. She nodded and stepped-up ; into the carriage while Tavra turned to sit next to the merchant. Jynn ; sat next to the merchant's wife - she found it odd that they had been ; sitting on opposite sides, but with the interest that he showed in ; Tavra, Jynn understood why his husband had switched sides.
; ; Jynn knew that Tavra wasn't interested in the carriage, only the ; lifeforces inside of it. It had been about two days since they raided ; that bandit camp, and they had been far off the main road until ; now. That was the last time they took-in energy, and Jynn was also ; feeling the lust to have another's essence rush into her. The merhant ; was already pawing at Tavra's thigh, periodically moving more of her ; skirt so he could see more and more of her leg. Finally, he shoved his ; hand under her skirt and began kissing her neck. Tavra's smile slowly ; faded and she closed her eyes. Jynn could see the merchant's hands ; moving under her skirt. She looked to the woman across from her and ; willed the lust in the woman's soul to manifest. Immediately the ; woman's gaze turned towards Jynn, and she slithered to her ; knees. Moving the leather bikini aside, she began to lick Jynn's ; clitoris vigorously. She unbuttoned Jynn's cape and groped at the ; revealed breasts.
; ; At times Jynn caught both herself and the woman looking at Tavra, ; whose face was beautifully straining from the pleasure. Her legs were ; spread high in the air as the man stood thrusting into her and ; fumbling amateurishly with her breasts. His thrusts were very shallow ; and very quick, and he came quickly, repeating "Ohh my!" over and over ; again as he came.
; ; Tavra was disgusted by the man's size and inexperience. Men didn't ; need to be excessively large or good to please her, but he wasn't ; anywhere near up to par. Instead, she very slowly siphoned energy from ; him through her cunt - at least she'd get SOME pleasure from him. She ; was even more disgusted when he pulled-out and tried to make her lick ; it clean. She looked him in the eye and brought her powerful will to ; bear. His was an easy will to crush, and she commanded him to satisfy ; her. Immediately he fell to his knees and shoved three fingers into ; her. His tongue lapped all around his hand, only occasionally striking ; her clitoris. Tavra continued to drink his essence slowly, gyrating ; her hips as his energy passed into her, giving her some semblance of ; satisfaction.
; ; Jynn was about to climax by this time. She half sat-up, supported by ; her elbows, and watched the woman work. Though she liked to have a ; man's cock inside of her, she also adored how good women were at ; pleasing their own kind. Time slowed, and she experienced the orgasm ; moment by moment. The woman's smooth tongue glided over her clitoris ; and her two fingers pistoned in and out, Jynn tightened herself around ; the woman's fingers. The building wave came crashing down on Jynn's ; genitals, and pleasure shot through her. Her tongue flicked again and ; her hands thrust inwards and outwards. Again, her senses were bathed ; in delight, her whole body shook, and her heart jumped into her ; throat. The orgasm seemed to go on for minutes, her flesh overcome by ; repeated surges of pleasure.
; ; As the climax subsided, she drew forth the woman's energy, as much as ; she could at one time. Immediately her body again was awash in the ; ecstasy as new lifeforce gushed into her. Jynn roared a long and ; mighty "YYESS!" as she was filled with her victim's vitality. The ; woman's body slumped to the floor, and Jynn quickly regained her ; senses. Tavra was sitting alone, playing with her hair, looking out ; the window - the merchant was also lying dead on the floor.
; ; "Sorry about that, I had to have him." She said. Jynn, still panting, ; raised an eyebrow.
; ; "Sorry for what, my dear?"
; ; "That I left you with that woman. I wanted a man in me, and you got ; the leftovers."
; ; "Oh, no no, don't be sorry, she was magnificent! Sometimes women know ; how to please women better than any man." Jynn said, wondering if ; Tavra would catch her overture. There was a short silence and Tavra ; finally looked at Jynn, smiling, and responded.
; ; "Maybe I'll try that someday."
; ; ********
; ; As she entered the room, she turned and again willed him to want ; nothing in the world but her. Adjra wanted to get this over with - she ; was excited about seeing the twins again. His eyes grew large and he ; immediately began to undress. Tirah was already being penetrated in ; the doorway by Alev's young son.
; ; She slid her summer dress from her shoulders and it fell to the ; floor. Alev moved over to her quickly and grabbed her hips, gently ; moving her towards his bed. Adjra rested her back on the bed as he ; bent over and entered her, fondling her small breasts. Even though he ; was no comparison to the twins, she still shuddered at the entry of ; his smooth flesh into her muscled passage. He slid in and out of her, ; and she could taste his lust for her. His thrusts became more and more ; rapid, and the pleasure began to build in her. She could not deny the ; feeling of her cunt wrapping around a man's cock. Adjra began to drain ; bits of lifeforce from him, quivering with pleasure as she did so.
; ; She closed her eyes and imagined he was one of the twins, pumping his ; giant cock into her with great speed, his large hands running their ; way up her legs and hips. His muscled form loomed over her, and the ; size of his penis stretched her to the limit. When she immersed ; herself in her delusion, she began to cum, contracting herself around ; his shaft. The ecstasy the illusion gave her wasn't anything like what ; the real thing would be though.
; ; Coming back to reality after her orgasm, she realized Alev had an arm ; around her arched back, and was cumming himself. She drew the ; lifeforce out of him with his cum, throwing her head back and ; screaming in pleasure. His thrusts quickly slowed, and she pulled him ; in closer to finish him off.
; ; She quivered as his chest met hers and the last of his energy poured ; into her. Just as the feelings of intense pleasure died down, she ; noticed Tirah was gasping, or rather choking, her victim already ; slumped on the floor. A blade erupted from Tirah's side, spraying ; Adjra with blood.
; ; Surprised that someone could hurt them, she was almost paralyzed by ; her companion's slow death. As Tirah's body fell to the floor, she saw ; an older man behind her with a long scimitar. He was still focused on ; his kill, and Adjra used that moment to enforce her will upon him. She ; concentrated hard on him, but when he looked up and noticed her, he ; raised his blade and charged.
; ; Adjra threw her victim's corpse at him with ease, knocking him ; back. She darted for the window and looked-out. They were two stories ; up and she didn't know if she had enough energy in her to make her ; strong enough to withstand the jump, but she leapt anyway. Shards of ; glass flew with her out onto the mansion lawn. She landed hard, ; feeling a sharp pain in her right leg. Getting to her feet, she looked ; back to see several men leaning out the broken window throwing knives ; at her. Two daggers whizzed by her head - luckily for her she had ; jumped far enough so that they would have difficulty being very ; accurate. Getting to her feet slowly, she felt the sharp pain in her ; leg again. She began a brisk walk away from the mansion, as it was the ; fastest she could go. Adjra was so shocked that she didn't realize she ; was still naked.
; ; Then there was a sharp pain in her back, and the feeling of liquid ; rolling down her skin. Tears welled-up in her eyes as she limped on, ; knowing that one of them had hit her somehow.
; ; ********
; ; Shakaam stared blankly at the sheet of paper he was handed. It was a ; message from his associates in Gebton Hollow saying that Saalja, Baron ; Arvord's wife had escaped the burning citadel and travelled just off ; the main road until she was picked-up by a merchant caravan headed ; towards Gebton Hollow. She stayed with them until they reached the ; small town and then reported to the Imperial Guard stationed ; there. She spoke of women of indescribable comeliness who also ; possessed strange powers, including unbelievable strength and speed, ; which they used to decimate the soldiers in the citadel. The Baron ; challenged one of them to a duel of some sort, and he sent Saalja away ; in hopes of protecting her and his own legacy as well. When she had ; heard the citadel was mostly burned, she began to organize a small ; army to go looking for these two women and wring her vengeance from ; them. If it wasn't for what happened yesterday, they might be headed ; back home to Gebton Hollow to question her further.
; ; Yesterday they were visiting a friend of Jarif's at his manse when ; they heard the sounds of moaning upstairs. Jarif instantly drew his ; sword and rushed up the stairs, as if he knew what was ; happening. Shakaam followed as best he could, but when he rounded the ; corner, all he saw was Jarif driving his sword through a woman in the ; doorway. As he pulled the sword from her body, she fell limply to the ; floor and he looked into the room and charged. Something large flew ; through the air at him and he was knocked backwards. Jarif's soldiers ; drew their daggers and rushed past Shakaam. He briefly saw a woman ; jump through the window, where the guards stopped to throw ; knives. Shakaam quickly moved to the broken window to see the woman ; turning to run.
; ; "Give me your knife," Shakaam commanded one of the guards who was ; about to throw. He eyed the lieutenant for a short moment and handed ; it over. It had been a while since he'd thrown a knife at a moving ; target, but during the wars he had become the best knife-thrower in ; the Empire, which is why he was inducted into the Ghosamm Imperial ; Guard.
; ; He aimed for half a second and threw. At first he thought for sure ; he'd miss because he got that feeling just as he let go of the dagger, ; but the knife struck her firmly near the shoulder, dribbling blood ; down her back. Jarif was suddenly beside him, in awe of the scene. He ; put his hand on Shakaam's shoulder and commended him.
; ; "Lieutenant! Good show! I am impressed! Now we follow the trail of ; blood to her hideout to see if there are others!"
; ; "It may be wise to stop her now, Jarif, while we have the chance. Who ; knows if she'll suddenly stop bleeding?" Jarif became sullen and grim, ; looking Shakaam dead in the eye.
; ; "No, I know they bleed when hurt by P'jurium. It would be foolish to ; pass-up this opportunity, I give the orders, now we go."
; ; With that he turned and stormed out of the room, heading down the ; stairs quickly. His men unquestioningly fell-in line behind him, and ; Shakaam stood for a long moment before following. All the while he ; thought about how Jarif had to be right - he had been fighting these ; "dark maidens" for a lot longer, and besides, he'd only picked-up ; Shakaam for investigations.
; ; Outside, they were almost two blocks behind the woman, who was ; clearing a path before her as she ran screaming. Shakaam and Jarif ; could both tell the wound was well-placed - she would not stop ; bleeding for a long while. The group, with Jarif at the head, was ; catching-up - she seemed to be limping slightly, though still keeping ; up a good pace.
; ; Suddenly a horse-drawn carriage wheeled-in, seemingly out of ; nowhere. The door opened, and Shakaam caught a brief glimpse of the ; woman he'd seen in the vision - she was even more beautiful ; in-person. She was naked, and her bare, lightly-tanned skin had a ; smoothness to it that he hadn't noticed in the vision. For the ; briefest of moments she made eye-contact with him, and in that time he ; was struck with an awe he'd never experienced before. With one arm, ; she grabbed the woman they were chasing and effortlessly hefted her ; into the carriage.
; ; Jarif called out to the driver, but he was in some kind of daze, and ; didn't notice them. He rushed back to Shakaam with a mad zeal in his ; eyes. "Kill him!" He said, pointing at the driver. Shakaam's eyes ; widened at his command, but still he drew his knife and gauged the ; distance. Making a seemingly good throw, the knife whizzed past the ; driver, cutting part of his hat and falling to the ground. Jarif ; cursed, and by the time Shakaam drew another knife, they both knew the ; driver was too far away to hit. The carriage sped-off northward, and ; that was the last they'd seen of them.
; ; It almost troubled him that he intentionally missed the shot. In the ; few minutes that followed the encounter, Shakaam wondered if the woman ; inside had some effect on him, or if he was simply against taking an ; innocent man's life. He figured it was probably a mixture of both, ; though he'd made it look like he gave it his best. What worried him ; more was the thought of what would happen if they ever did meet in ; battle. He'd probably let her drain him, or at the least he might try ; to run from the fight. Shakaam hated the idea of running from a fight, ; but there was no telling what a woman like that could do to him, and ; without special weapons, he couldn't harm her anyway.
; ; Later, Jarif identified the woman in the carriage as the one he'd ; fought earlier. A call was put-out to stop any carriages from leaving ; Kemaj, but there was no way of knowing if they had already made it out ; by then. Still, Jarif was determined to stay in Kemaj for a few extra ; days hunting them. Shakaam was put to work finding the carriage, as it ; was more likely they had gotten rid of it and continued on foot. He ; had doubts as to if it was even possible to track the women, for if ; they had such incredible powers, they would be able to seduce or kill ; anyone they couldn't sneak past. It was worth trying, but he could ; tell that Jarif's patience for waiting around Kemaj would wear thin ; quickly. Shakaam assured himself that it wouldn't be long now before ; they left for Elezan - maybe even by the next nightfall.
; ; ********
; ; Jynn virtually threw Adjra face-first into the seat. She cried in pain ; as Tavra pulled the dagger from her back. The dark-haired beauty held ; it up and examined it - the short blade glistened with blood near the ; top, and a golden-yellow metal near the hilt.
; ; "Oh no... they're here!" Jynn gasped as she saw the dagger. Tavra ; raised an eyebrow at this.
; ; "Who's here?"
; ; "That's P'jurium!" Tavra's eyes grew large, as she knew it was one of ; the few things that could harm her. She held the knife out a little ; farther, her hands grew suddenly unsteady. "Tavra, there's an order of ; nobles that's after us, our kind I mean. They know what can hurt us - ; they hunt us and can kill us and this means that they're here!"
; ; Adjra was in tears by now - she knew who these women were, that they ; opposed the twins, and that she might be punished, or worse yet, never ; see the twins again because she had been tainted by them. She went ; into a fetal position, hiding her face from them. Tavra looked at the ; girl, bloody and crying.
; ; "Can you tatoo her?"
; ; "To free her from the mind control? Not right now. I need a special ; ink that takes several weeks to prepare. " Jynn inspected the wound on ; Adjra's back and sighed. "I don't think she'll live that long."
; ; "Hey," Tavra said, shaking the girl's arm, "do you know who did this ; to you?"
; ; Adjra tried to drain her lifeforce when she was touched, but she felt ; nothing - no pleasure, no energy flowing into her, absolutely nothing.
; ; "Leave me alone!" Adjra sobbed, "You're corrupted!" Jynn and Tavra ; exchanged confused looks, then, almost simultaneously, they realized ; it wasn't her talking - it was obviously the mind-control. Tavra took ; the girl's other arm and turned her towards them. Adjra tried to ; resist at first, but Tavra was so much stronger that she barely ; noticed.
; ; She faced them now, and a strange calm slowly descended upon her as ; she looked upon her captors. Adjra knew them both from long ago - she ; never forgot who they were, though they had changed and defied the ; wishes of the twins. Jynn, Daughter of Sight, who could find the ; secrets of their enemies with her powers of arcane knowledge, and ; Tavra, Daughter of Beauty, whose lures no man, or woman, could ; resist. Even she found herself overcome by an attraction for the ; raven-haired woman.
; ; "Be careful," Jynn warned, "she was trying to drain you." Tavra ; narrowed her eyes in anger and gripped Adjra's throat with a long ; arm. "Don't worry - she's not powerful enough to drain you."
; ; "Can we drain her?" Tavra asked. Just as she finished speaking, she ; tapped the girl's life essence, tilting her head back and drowsily ; closed her eyes as the energy flowed into her. She stopped after a ; moment and regained her composure. Jynn watched, pondering their next ; move.
; ; "I'd think we might be able to use her as a bargaining chip with those ; hunters, but she probably won't live long with her wounds, and I'd ; rather not deal with their kind." Jynn mused.
; ; "Well then, no use in letting good energy go to waste," Tavra said, ; smiling. She straddled the girl, her naked pussy pressed against ; Adjra's abdomen. She smiled and took the girl's arms, holding them far ; apart. Adjra struggled, but her strength was no match for that of ; Tavra's. Tavra winced as she began to draw the girl's stolen energies ; into herself. She threw her head back and opened her mouth wide, ; whimpering a little.
; ; "What are you doing?!" Adjra screamed.
; ; "Why, she's taking your power, dear." Jynn replied, smiling. "I think ; I'll have some myself!" She spread her legs wide and sat back. A milky ; white snake of lifeforce shot from Adjra's chest and curved its way to ; Jynn's crotch. She moaned as it met her, half-closing her eyes in ; ecstasy.
; ; Jynn sat up, reached over, and cupped Adjra's breast with her hand, ; drawing-in energy via skin contact as well. Her arm brushed along ; Tavra's thigh, although her companion didn't seem to notice. Both of ; them were drunk with the feeling of Adjra's essence entering them - ; she had a lot of energy in her, and they were going to take it all.
; ; Tavra took-in as much at one time as she could, actively willing her ; powers of life absorption to their full potential. She hungrily ; siphoned everything she could, her senses almost overcome by the great ; amounts of energy entering her. The sea of pleasure her flesh was ; immersed in fooled her body instinct that she was having an ; orgasm. Her hips gyrated against Adjra as if she were being ; penetrated, and her insides tightened around the imaginary cock.
; ; Jynn took a more casual approach to the experience - she was taking a ; lot, but she had no idea how much Tavra was getting. All the while she ; stared at Tavra, enthralled at her companion's beauty as she writhed ; in ecstasy. Tavra closed her eyes and contorted her picturesque face ; into the visage which all men lusted to see. With her other hand Jynn ; slowly stroked her clitoris, right above where the energy was entering ; her. Tavra's rapture-struck face made Jynn climax almost ; immediately. She rubbed faster as the orgasm shook her body, mixing ; with the pleasure of Adjra's energy emptying into her. Jynn clenched ; her teeth and erupted with a long, low growl.
; ; Adjra felt them taking her hard-won energy. She tried again to resist, ; but might as well have been encased in stone. She began to feel ; weaker, and started crying out for help, tears streaking down her face ; once again. Slowly, a strange exhaustion overtook her, and she ; passed-out as the last of her essence flowed into her captors.
; ; "AAAHHHHHYYYYYEEEESSS!!!" Tavra roared. She dropped Adjra's arms, ; moved her hands to her own breasts, and turned to her companion, her ; mouth in an open smile. "That was amazing!" Jynn was panting heavily, ; legs still spread wide open.
; ; "Yes, it was...quite...pleasing."
; ; "I want to move on to Elezan now, Jynn. I want to find your master and ; take his energy as well. We can come back to ravage Kemaj later - I ; want to go to the capital now." A streak of her obsidian hair fell ; over her shoulder and draped down her arm. Jynn smiled, though it was ; difficult to resist or even disagree with Tavra, she didn't want to ; hang around with those hunters in the area.
; ; "Very well, I think we should leave the carriage though - maybe to ; make them think we're still here." Jynn's words sobered Tavra ; somewhat. She remembered how badly a simple dagger had hurt Adjra, and ; wondered if they had other weapons. She nodded in agreement, her dark ; hair falling forward over her breasts, and slid off of her victim.
; ; The two of them got dressed in silence. Tavra leaned out the door and ; commanded the driver to stop, which he did. She climbed on top and ; gripped his throat, sucking the energy from him as fast as she ; could. She found the experience not quite as debilitating as it once ; was - average people still gave her great pleasure, but she could ; focus on other things as she took their lifeforces. She carried the ; body into the carriage with ease, and then exited again to join Jynn.
; ; "On to Elezan?" Tavra asked, turning to her companion. Jynn nodded, ; and the two set off for the northeast gate.
; ********
; ; Somewhere in the Great Galoran Woods, a mass of clay rose from the ; earth. It took a humanoid form, fat and stocky, and bits of rock rose ; around it and fused together, armoring its new shape. It looked off ; towards the setting sun and then turned east, and started walking...