Pervikar

By Ogrekin

Chapters: Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 • Part 5 • Part 6 • Part 7 • Part 8

PART 1

Pervikar Devon was born on a remote farm outside the village of Dosser. His beginning into this world was not exactly kind because when the midwife got a good look at his violet eyes and green hair, she let out a scream and dropped him on the floor. You see Pervikar was a half-ogre. Tenan, a ranger, scooped up the crying baby and put him in the arms of his mother, Karina Devon. With coaxes, threats and finally a large bribe, Tenan calmed down the midwife and sent her on her way.

"You know she's on her way to blab to the whole village about the demon that was just born," sighed Tenan as he watched from the open door as the midwife scurried away. "The two men I brought to help you work the farm know the truth and will stay. I also know what the villagers will do when they hear of this. I'm going to have to go and talk with the elders."

Closing the door, Tenan turned around to look at Karina. Despite the hard labor, Karina looked like she was ready to get up and start in on her chores. Big-hipped and big-busted, with her ash-blond hair plastered down with sweat, Karina put out the image of strength and vitality. Sitting up, Karina cradled the baby and pulled open her robe exposing her large right breast. Instinctively, the baby clamped right down on the nipple and started sucking, like a man dying of thirst who has just been given water.

"Oh! I didn't know he'd be this strong.", exclaimed Karina, startled by the baby's strength.

"Just wait until he gets older," said Tenan, smiling. "What is his name?"

"Pervikar Devon," she replied. "You'd better get going. We'll be fine here."

Karina watched Tenan leave, knowing that he would stop to tell Rolph and Dagmar what has happened so that they would guard the house. Daydreaming, Karina thought back to the events that brought her here today.

Ten months ago, at age 16, Karina worked and lived on a large farm a great distance from where she was now. Employed as an apprentice to a herbalist, Karina was sent many times into the nearby fields and forests to gather plants. One day, while looking for a rare plant, Karina strayed too far away and ran right into a goblin patrol. Before she had time to scream, the four goblins tackled her and gagged her.

Tying her hands behind her, the goblins dragged her along as they marched deeper into the forest toward the mountains. Karina soon realized that these four goblins were scouts out to gather information about the surrounding countryside for their tribe. The goblins only removed her gag to feed her and give her water. Karina tried to scream the first time they removed it, but a blow to the head and no food or water that day taught her the futility of that.

Several days passed and as the mountains got closer, the goblins began to relax. Karina now caught the goblins eyeing her lush body instead of concentrating on their surroundings as they had been. She knew that, at the end of the day, they would all take turns raping her. As the sun descended and Karina's dread increased, they reached the forest edge and the beginning of the mountain range. The goblins had started to argue among themselves.

"Probably over who takes me first.", thought Karina, frightened.

Suddenly, a huge shape appeared in front of them. Karina, trying to scream through the gag, backed up and tripped over a root knocking her to the ground. The four goblins froze in shock as a 9' tall, yellow skinned, green-haired ogre in studded leather armor stepped forward.

Before the goblins can even react, the ogre grabbed one by the throat with his left hand and swung his club around to smash the head of another. Karina watched as the ogre, with negligent ease, squeezed his left hand crushing the goblin's throat as his club caught another in the chest. The last goblin, finally shaking off his shock, turned to run, but was hit at the base of his skull by the club literally tearing his head off to send it flying into the forest.

Looking around quickly, the ogre searched the bodies and then dragged them off the trail into the forest. Karina remembered trying to scream as the ogre walked toward her with the bloody club in his hand. Grasping her roughly, the ogre pulled her up off the ground.

"Quiet. Me help," came the gravely, raspy voice.

Karina stopped her struggle, startled that the ogre was talking to her. Setting her down, the ogre pulled a knife from one of the scabbards he had taken off the goblins and cut her bonds. Karina gasped at the pain of being released.

"Quiet," commanded the ogre handing her the knife and scabbard. "Come."

Karina pulled off her gag as she followed the ogre, not knowing her fate with him, but certain that she would die in the forest without him. The ogre set off at a brutal pace, eager to be away from the ambush site. Even at 5'10" tall, Karina could not match the stride of the 9' ogre. Finally, she crashed to the ground in sheer exhaustion, unable to rise. Karina is dimly aware of the ogre trying to prod her to get up, but she is unable to move. Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted up and cradled in the ogre's arms.

"Funny," she thought groggily as she rapped on the ogre's chest. "His arms and chest feel as hard as bricks."

Exhausted beyond comprehension, Karina fell asleep.

Karina's consciousness slowly came back from the dark abyss of exhaustion. She heard the birds singing and felt the sun shining on her face. Then the events with the goblins hit her like a bucket of cold water and she sat up suddenly to find herself staring at the back of the ogre who was sitting ten feet away. Looking around, Karina found that she was sleeping on a pine bough bed covered with a blanket. Before she can move, the ogre slowly turned around to face her.

"How long have I slept?" she asked only to get a look of incomprehension.

"Sleep. Me?" Karina asked again putting her hands together like a pillow and putting her head down on them as if sleeping.

"Moon," the ogre rasped, with an arm gesture like half of a circle. "Sun," with another arm gesture for a quarter circle.

"A day and a half," thought Karina.

"Carry. Me?" she asked holding her arms in a cradle and the pointing to herself.

"Moon," with the half circle. "Sun," with one eighth of a circle.

"By the Gods! He carried me all night long and half the morning!" Karina thought. "His strength is phenomenal."

"Our language." How?" questioned Karina pointing to her mouth.

The ogre reached into his pouch and pulled out a couple strips of dried meat. He handed them to her along with the water bag.

"This is not going to work," she thought, chewing on the meat and standing up. "I wonder how hard it is to learn ogre."

"Where?" Karina asked as she mimicked walking and pointed in many directions.

The ogre stood and pointed to the northwest.

"Friend," growled the gravely voice.

"How long?" with an answering look of puzzlement on the ogre's face. "Sun?"

The ogre's answer was a shrug of his shoulders. He then picked up their belongings and started off down the trail into the forest. Karina followed and then tapped the ogre on the arm.

As the ogre looked at her, she pointed to herself and said, "Karina."

The resulting growl sounded like "Arenna", but it was close enough for a start. Karina spent the rest of the day picking up items and coaxing words out of the ogre. After a couple of hours, the ogre caught on that she was trying to learn his language. He would point out things and have her repeat the words over and over again until she got the correct guttural growl. By the end of the day, Karina's throat was raw and her jaw felt like it had been dislocated.

After a couple of days, still heading northwest, Karina had learned a lot of the language and had discovered aspects of ogre society. Though low in intelligence, any type of mathematics confused and irritated an ogre (and you don't want an irritated ogre beside you), she found that the ogres had an instinctive commune with nature. The language was easy to learn, being small, but brutal in its intent. The problem was all the variations on plant and animal life.

Five days after being freed from the goblins, Karina was walking behind the ogre. A gust of wind blew up the ravine behind her and billowed her skirt out in front of her. The air carried the promise of a warm summer day. The ogre stopped, turned around and lumbered back to her. Karina, unsure of what was going on, stood still as the ogre bent down. She wondered what was happening as he sniffed her right shoulder and then her left.

"Your irata is here. Come," rumbled the ogre in his language, leading her down the trail again.

Karina, baffled, followed the ogre. She had learned not to ask questions, but to conserve her strength for walking. She did notice the ogre was searching more intently as if looking for something. Several hours passed before the ogre stopped at a small clearing.

The clearing was lit by the sunlight and had a stream at the far side. A tree had fallen across the stream creating a clear blue pool to form. The ogre went around the entire clearing, checking the ground, touching the trees, and even checking the depth of the pool which was about four feet deep.

"We will camp. Stay here," intoned the ogre. "I will hunt."

Karina shook her head. This was the first time the ogre had stopped to camp while there was still a couple of hours left of daylight.

"I guess he needs to hunt for food," she thought as the ogre moved off into the woods.

Karina spent the next couple of hours setting up the camp. She filled the waterskins and made a fire, preparing for the ogre's return.

At dusk, the ogre came back with a killed deer that he had skinned and gutted. Hanging the carcass from a tree bough, he cut off a leg and walked towards Karina holding it in both hands.

"I bring meat. Do you take?" asked the ogre with a strange kind of formality.

"Yes," replied Karina, still uncertain of what was going on.

The ogre spitted the leg and began to cook it over the fire. Unlike other dinners, where the ogre taught Karina his language, this dinner was served silently. At its end, the ogre looked up to the sky. Karina, following his gaze, saw a full moon rising over the treetops. The ogre then stood and put out the fire.

"Come," commanded the ogre.

Karina followed him to the center of the clearing and looked around. She could see the entire clearing and the pool bathed in the bluish-gray moonlight. The ogre then led her over to the pool.

"Come. In," rumbled the ogre.

The ogre then turned his back on Karina to face the pool. He took off his weapons, armor and loincloth and walked naked into the pool. Karina froze, her mind awhirl, uncertain of what to do.

"In. In," insisted the ogre in a strangely gentle growl.

"He's had five days to kill or hurt me," she thought, shaking her head clear. "Everything he has done has been for me so far. I can't doubt him now."

Karina kicked off her boots and started to unfasten her skirt. The ogre, seeing her start to undress, turned around and began splashing water over himself. Karina took off her skirt, blouse and undergarments. Now naked, Karina self-consciously looked at the ogre and saw that he was more interested in bathing than in her. Karina plucked up her courage and waded into the pool, gasping as the cold water hit her skin.

"By the Gods, I thought I'd never be clean again," she thought as she dove underwater. "I feel like I've been reborn."

Standing up, Karina felt the cool night air harden her nipples. Bending over, she washed out her long blond hair before flipping it behind her to slap against her back. Karina splashed water against her body and began rubbing off the accumulated dirt. Clean at last, Karina laid down in the pool to float. Lost in the sensations, she closed her eyes and drifts.

Unexpectedly her head bumped into something hard. Karina's eyes flew open and she found herself staring up the torso of the ogre, who was staring down at her. Startled, Karina sank and inhaled a mouthful of water. Choking and gasping, Karina felt the ogre pick her up and carry her out of the pool. He took her over to the blankets where he set her down. The ogre then stepped back and squatted on his heels as she caught her breath.

Karina, finally able to breathe, looked over to the ogre and said, "Thank you."

"Your irata is here. I brought meat. We are cleansed. You take me as Shappa?" rumbled the ogre as he stood with his arms and legs spread wide apart.

Karina stared wide-eyed at the huge erection jutting out between the ogre's legs. All she could do was stare at his cock, which was pointing straight at her.

"By the Gods!" she thought as she continued to stare.

A rumbling boom broke through her fascination, "You take me as Shappa?"

Insight flashed in her mind as Karina looked up into the ogre's eyes.

"You take me as Shappa? Yes? No?"

"He's asking me if I choose him to be my mate," she thought as her mind raced. "Animals in nature don't force themselves on one another. He's asking me to choose. The whole day has been a ritual. I do care for him and owe him more than I can repay."

Karina was not a stranger to sex. Working on a farm she had seen the animals fucking and when she blossomed at age 15, she and a farm boy she had a crush on, went to the hayloft several times to complete her education. Looking up into the ogre's eyes again, Karina quit wavering and decided.

"Me take you how?" she asked, wanting to complete the ritual.

Karina could almost swear that the ogre smiled and puffed out his chest as he looked straight ahead.

"Grab Ahhspah. Say - Me Take You. Me name," stated the ogre.

"Ahhspah?"

The ogre did not move except to look down at his hard penis sticking straight out. He then looked up again staring out into space. Karina stood up, breathless, weak-kneed and trembling.

"I don't know if I'm excited or terrified. Probably both," she thought as she approached the ogre.

Reaching out with both hands, Karina grasped the huge erection and pointed it upward as she snuggled close, trapping his cock between their two bodies.

"Me take you," she said.

"Pervigar."

"That's his name," thought Karina.

"Me take you, Pervigar."

Pervigar dropped his rigid pose and now appeared to be confused.

"He knows what to do with an ogress, but not with a human," thought Karina. "I'm going to have to be very, very careful of his strength."

Letting go of his cock, Karina grabbed his hand and took him over to the blankets.

"Come. Lie down. I show," she told him.

Pervigar lied down, face up, on the blankets. Karina knelt down beside him and began rubbing his chest and stomach. His rock-hard muscles rippled under her touch. Karina felt herself getting hotter as her hands moved further down his body. She could feel the moisture seep into her cunt and her pussy lips engorge. Karina ran a hand up his inner thigh and gently cupped his balls. His sack was heavy, low hanging and each testicle felt bigger than an egg. A growl of approval arose from Pervigar's throat as his legs instinctively widened to allow her better access. Moving her hand up from his balls, Karina grasped the base of his cock and pointed it straight up toward the sky.

His cock was a full fifteen inches long, about three inches in diameter, and as hard as the muscles of his chest and arms. Karina stared at it as her hands began to pump it up and down. Pre-cum oozed out of the tip and down its shaft making it slick and slippery. This evoked another growl from Pervigar and caused his hips to arch upward. His seminal fluids oozed continuously from its tip coating his whole erection. Karina smiled from the pleasure she was giving him and impulsively leaned forward to plant soft kisses on its tip.

As she leaned forward, Karina felt one of Pervigar's hands touch her gently between the shoulder blades. She shivered as she felt it glide over her back, sending chills up her spine. His hand slowly moved down her back and she then felt each large finger slide between her asscheeks. Gulping hard, Karina concentrated on pumping Pervigar's cock and brought it over towards her face to start licking its head and shaft.

Karina's body shook with electric shocks as Pervigar's fingers strummed back and forth over her rectum. She moaned as she felt his finger go lower across her swollen pussy lips. Karina gasped and tightened her grip on his cock as one of the large fingers pushed into her sopping wet pussy, delving deeper and deeper up her cunt.

Karina leaned back away from his cock and stood up, causing Pervigar's finger to slide out of her dripping snatch. Still holding on to his prick, Karina stepped over Pervigar so that she was squatting directly over his huge erection. Lowering herself, Karina aimed his cock straight at her pussy and its tip made contact with the entrance to her cunt. With a moan, Karina lowered herself onto Pervigar's prick. Her cunt stretched wide to its limit to accommodate the thick cock filling her pussy. Karina stopped after stuffing four inches of cock inside her, her brow beading with sweat. She slowly began to rotate her hips stretching her pussy to allow it to get used to the monster meat inside her. She could feel his fluids continue to leak out lubricating her.

Slowly, Karina raised herself up allowing about an inch of cock to slide out of her before lowering herself back down again. With infinite care, she started humping the four inches of cock stuffed into her pussy as she became used to its size. Suddenly, as Karina was lowering herself, Pervigar growled and arched his hips upwards driving a full seven inches into her cunt.

"STOP!!!", screams Karina as brilliant flashes of pain course through her.

Pervigar froze, his hips arched off the ground and half his cock shoved into her. Karina did not move, afraid that any movement would cause her more pain. Slowly the pain subsided and Karina became aware that Pervigar's cock was pulsating within her. She felt her body heat up again and her breathing became heavy with passion.

"Lower. No more," she gasped huskily.

Pervigar lowered his hips to the ground and Karina begins humping his cock again, only this time taking seven inches up her pussy. Sweat ran off her face and her body glistened from her exertions of fucking Pervigar. Karina felt the passion building up inside her and knew it would not be long before she climaxed. She looked at Pervigar's face, but it was unreadable. Karina noticed that the muscles of his neck and arms were stretched taut, though. Karina began humping his cock faster, her climax almost at its peak. Suddenly, Karina actually felt Pervigar's cock expand inside her and spurt a powerful, forceful jet of cum into her womb. The spurt is enough to send Karina over the edge and as she climaxed, she ground her hips down taking eight inches of cock up her cunt.

Karina, in the throes of her orgasm, felt Pervigar's cock spurt again and again and again deep in her pussy. Each spurt seemed to trigger another orgasm in her. She pleasantly wondered if her pussy is big enough to hold all the sperm he is shooting up there and realized it was not as hot cum began dribbling down her legs. Karina, unable to hold her position, collapsed onto Pervigar's chest, his cock still inside her.

"I'd die happy right now," Karina thought, basking and trembling in the afterglow of her orgasms.

After several long moments, Pervigar grasped Karina around the waist with both hands and pulled her up, his cock sliding out of her pussy with a wet, sticky plop. He set Karina sitting up in front of him and then sat up.

"Ahhspah," he said.

Karina looked down between Pervigar's legs and saw that his cock was still as hard as ever.

"My legs won't stand up to another fucking like that last one, but it is obvious that he has to cum again," she thought. "Well, let's see what I can do."

Karina knelt down between Pervigar's legs and grasped his hard cock with both hands. She began pumping his prick up and down. Karina leaned forward to lick its slick tip, tasting both her juices and his. She opened her lips wide, but found that she could even get the massive head of his cock inside her mouth, at least not without dislocating her jaw. Karina's hands pumped faster as she licked and tongue-bathed every inch of his cock. Karina would stop licking every now and then to put her soft, full lips over his cockslit to suck gently, gulping down the pre-cum leaking out of it. After several moments, Pervigar stopped her by grasping her shoulders.

"No. Shappa. Your irata is here," was the rumbling reply when she looked up at him.

"I guess it's inside me or nothing," Karina thought.

"Legs weak. Need help," she said as she formulated a plan.

Karina stepped across Pervigar's hips again at which point he lied back down on the ground.

"No. Sit," she told him.

Pervigar looked a little baffled, but sat up with Karina still standing on either side of his hips. Karina then squatted down and reached between their bodies to grasp his hard cock. Karina aimed his cock at her cunt and felt it slide inside her as her pussy was still slick with their juices. Karina then had Pervigar reach between their bodies with both hands and go under her legs to grab her ass.

"You hold me," she said.

Pervigar seemed to understand as he supported her body as Karina slid down taking eight inches of his cock up her cunt. She then placed her hands over his and pulled upward. Pervigar lifted her up until on two inches of prick was inside her. Karina then pushed his hands down and he lowered her allowing her pussy to slide down onto his prick. After several moments, Pervigar was lifting and lowering Karina onto his huge cock at a faster pace.

Karina soon realized that Pervigar was supporting her entire weight and only allowing eight inches of his cock to go into her. Karina closed her eyes and felt weightless as the large dong fucked in and out of her. Her passion flamed like a flash fire and, before she was aware of it, Karina screamed at the sky caught in the throes of a powerful climax.

Her pussy clamped down tightly on his cock, as if to milk it dry. Trembling, Karina felt Pervigar increase the speed and then stop with half his cock buried deep in her. Karina then felt the first powerful spurt as Pervigar emptied his seed deep in her pussy. Again and again, Karina felt him squirt hot cum out of his cock.

"Ahhspah," she heard him say.

"By the Gods, where does he get it all?" she wondered. "I hope this is it because I'd never last another fucking like this one."

Half-conscious, Karina felt his ejaculations die off and then was lifted off his cock. Cradling her, Pervigar took her to the pool and gently washed her. He then carried her back to the blankets and wrapped her up in them. Karina was asleep before her head was laid down.

Karina awoke in the morning with a start. Bolting upright, she stared around wildly, while the blankets fell off her full, heavy breasts. Relief flooded her as she saw Pervigar squatting not ten feet away.

"Come. We go," he rumbled when he saw that she was awake.

Karina looked and saw that her clothes had been placed beside her. She dressed quickly and made ready to leave. The day continued like the ones before, Pervigar teaching her to speak ogre on their trek northwest. Karina almost believed that the night before had been a dream. In the late afternoon, Pervigar stopped at another clearing beside a small waterfall. After setting up camp and having dinner, Pervigar stood and started unlacing his armor.

"Come. In.", he rumbled pointing at the pool at the base of the waterfall.

Karina shed all her clothes and followed him into the pool. After they had washed, Pervigar went to the blankets and lied down. Karina stroked his cock as he finger-fucked her until her pussy was sopping wet. Karina was amazed at the amount of pre-cum his cock leaked. She then climbed on top and shoved his huge prick into her cunt until they both climaxed. After their climax, Pervigar sat up and, supporting her weight, fucked his large cock in and out of her pussy again until they climaxed. They then cleaned up in the pool.

This was the pattern they set for the next several days. Head northwest, camp, and fuck, not less than twice and a couple of times three times a night, before going to sleep. Karina always took command of their lovemaking, afraid of Pervigar's strength. Curiously, Karina's pussy became rapidly accustomed to his massive shaft until one day she found that she had taken his entire erection up her cunt to the hilt. Karina became more relaxed after that, no longer afraid that his penis was going to split her in two. She began to fuck with greater abandon and even tried new positions, though her favorite was when Pervigar held her entire weight as he fucked her up and down and his cock.

About twenty-five days had passed since her rescue from the goblins when they stopped to make camp. They had been talking about the ogre tribe and its structure. Karina got the impression that Pervigar was the leader of his tribe, but could not understand where the tribe was. She did learn about ogre tribes and their society. Karina summed it up in three words - brutal, dangerous and chaotic. It was survival of the fittest at the most basic level.

"Is our mating the way ogres mate?" she asked Pervigar.

Pervigar's chest rumbled, which Karina now knew to be laughter.

"No. You are a puny human. Mating for ogres is much more fierce and set," he told her.

"Set? Like a ritual? Like choosing Shappa?" she asked.

"Yes."

Karina sat down to ponder this.

"We have not completed the mating?" she asked looking up at Pervigar.

"No. Your irata was here. Had to mate. I let you show me so I do not hurt you," he replied.

Karina looked down at her body. The trek had slimmed her down making her strong and muscular. She realized that during her entire time with Pervigar, he had been holding back not wanting to damage the puny human. With a flash of insight, she also realized that Pervigar probably felt that he was not a real Shappa without completing the ritual.

"I'll probably be black and blue all over with several broken bones, but I can't let him down now," she thought, standing up.

"Puny Human?!!" She said scornfully, stripping off her blouse, freeing her large tits. "I am ogress! Be Shappa! Come! In!"

Karina stripped off the rest of her clothes. Hearing the familiar rumble of laughter from him, she looked back to see that he had stripped and was following her to the pool. They both washed. Karina felt her passion ignite and the fire blossom in her loins.

Pervigar stepped out of the pool and turned around. He spread his arms and legs wide apart, his erect penis pointing straight at Karina.

"Do you take me as Shappa?" he intoned.

"I take you," said Karina, stepping out of the pool to grasp his cock with both hands.

"Pervigar."

Pervigar led Karina over to a tree. The tree was smooth-barked and about two feet in diameter. Karina watched as Pervigar tied a blanket around the tree about four feet off the ground. Pervigar then had Karina bend over and grab a hold around the tree. Karina felt Pervigar move around behind her and shivered when he laid his cock between her asscheeks. Karina could hear him chanting and was so excited that her pussy juice was dribbling down her legs. She felt his pre-cum rolling down his shaft coating her ass and flowing down to her pussy.

Pervigar stopped chanting and clapped his hands. He then grabbed Karina's hips and flexed his hips backwards causing his cock to slide down between her asscheeks until it was pointed directly at her cunt. With a sudden lunge, Pervigar shoved his cock all the way up inside her.

Karina gasped and gripped the tree tightly at the sudden penetration. Before she could do anything, Pervigar began to fuck her. He slammed the entire length of his prick in and out of her pussy, as hard and as fast as possible. Karina, her pendulous tits bouncing and jiggling, tightened her hold on the tree and knew she was going to be fucked as she had never been fucked before. Karina gritted her teeth as his cock pistoned in and out of her hot, wet snatch. She actually felt his low-slung balls swing up to smack her in the stomach each time he rammed his cock into her.

Karina's passion burned red hot and her orgasm exploded inside her. Karina shivered and shook in her climax, but held on to the tree because Pervigar was still pounding away at her cunt. Pervigar gripped her hips tightly and brought her feet off the ground as his huge cock rammed into her cunt.

"AHHSPAH!" thundered through the clearing as Karina felt the first powerful spurt of cum coat the inside of her pussy.

Pervigar held her in that position with Karina's feet off the ground as he shot wad after wad of sperm deep inside her. Pervigar pulled his cock out once to spray one shot of jizz over her ass before shoving it back up her pussy to spurt again. Karina felt her feet being lowered to the ground as his ejaculations died off.

She heard Pervigar begin to chant and felt his still hard cock move slowly in and out of her pussy in time to the chant. Pervigar fucked her slowly and at great length while he chanted. Karina felt one of Pervigar's fingers touch her ass. The finger moved back and forth over and between her asscheeks, smearing the pre-cum and sperm over her asshole and coating the finger. Karina felt the finger stop, poised at her rectum. She gasped as she slowly felt it worm its way up her ass. Pervigar began moving the large digit in and out of her ass in time with his cock going in and out of her pussy. Karina's passion flamed even hotter at having both holes filled.

Karina climaxed twice more before she heard a whispered, "Ahhspah." and felt Pervigar's cock again spurt and spurt hot, sticky jism inside her. Pervigar, after his climax, pulled his cock out of her dripping cunt and led her away from the tree. He made her lie down on the blankets and spread her legs. Karina looked up to see Pervigar stretch his arms upward, his cock still rock hard, and then lay down right on top of her. Karina found herself staring at the center of his massive chest as she felt his cock slide all the way into her pussy. Pervigar, holding his weight off Karina, fucked her shoving his entire cock in and out of her cunt. Karina soon lost track of the number of times she climaxed. Four times she heard Pervigar shout, "Ahhspah!" and had her pussy filled with hot sperm. Karina's cunt was so full of his cum that it flowed out of her pussy to pool underneath her ass.

As his last climax subsided, Pervigar pulled his cock out of Karina's overfilled pussy and moved up her trembling body. Dazed. Karina looked to see his erect cock posed right over her face.

"Now you drink nectar of life," he said.

"What?"

"Drink! You must drink nectar of life," he insisted.

Summoning up her last strength, Karina reached up to grasp his cock with both hands and bring it down to her mouth. Opening her mouth, she lodged the massive tip between her lips and began to jack him off. Karina flicked her tongue over his cock slit and licked as much of the tip as she could without taking her lips off his cock. Her hands continued to pump his prick and she also reached up to caress his balls. Karina was amazed that his balls felt heavy and full, even after he had climaxed six times into her.

Karina pumped his cock, sucking down his pre-cum, determined to have him shoot into her mouth. Suddenly, she became aware that the tip of his cock was beginning to swell and she started to stroke it faster. Karina heard Pervigar whisper, "Ahhspah,> and a second later, got the first blast of his cum. The first blast filled her mouth and the second billowed out her cheeks as Karina gulped greedily swallowing the hot, tangy, pungent sperm as fast as she can. Unfortunately, she cannot keep up with Pervigar's spurting cock and his cum spilled out of her mouth to dribble down her cheeks and chin, dripping off onto her heaving breasts

Karina never removed her lips from his cock, swallowing as much cum as possible. As Pervigar's climax died off, his cock began to soften. Karina pulled her mouth away from the tip and gulped down the last of his sperm. Karina felt a warmth spread through her belly. She gently squeezed his cock and was rewarded by having one last, large drop of cum ooze out and drop down into her open, eager mouth. Karina let go of his cock and Pervigar moved off of her. She scooped the cum off her face, dripping in drop by drop into her mouth before licking her sticky fingers clean.

"Now what?" she asked as she looked at Pervigar.

"Wash. Sleep," came the rumbling reply.

"Was that the actual ceremony?"

"No. Close enough," Pervigar stated at which point he picked her up and carried her to the pool. Karina was too exhausted to care.

There was no traveling the next day. Karina was so sore and stiff she could hardly stand or walk. Big purple bruises appeared on her hips caused by when Pervigar grabbed them last night. He arms ached from holding onto the tree and her thighs felt like they had been rubbed raw. The only thing that satisfied her pussy was sitting in the middle of the stream and letting the cold water flow between her legs. After dinner, Pervigar stood up and started to strip off his armor.

"Oh, no," thought Karina, shaking her head. "There is no way I can do this tonight."

Pervigar did not go down to the stream, however. Instead he walked over to where Karina was sitting and stood in front of her, his cock inches in front of her face.

"Drink the nectar of life,> he rumbled.

"First time I tried this he wouldn't let me," thought Karina. "Better this than the other. I couldn't handle him inside me tonight."

Karina leaned forward, opened her mouth and grasped his cock with both hands. She proceeded to jack him off with her lips firmly attached to the tip of his prick until he came. When Pervigar came, he spurted in such copious amounts that Karina had to pull his cock away from her mouth to be able to swallow. His cock continued to spurt though, spraying hot, sticky sperm all over her tits and chest. Karina quickly brought his prick back to her mouth and swallowed the rest of his climax.

Pervigar, after his spurts died away, backed away from Karina, went to his blankets and lied down. Karina, with sperm dripping off her chin and her cum-covered tits glistening in the firelight, was baffled. She knew that Pervigar always had to cum at least twice before they slept. Karina stood up and walked over to him. Pervigar was lying on his side and Karina could see he still had a raging hard-on.

"Can't leave it like that," she thought.

Karina knelt down beside Pervigar and pulled him over until he was lying on his back, his erection flat on his stomach. She then made him spread his legs apart and moved over between them. Bending over, Karina stuck out her tongue and began licking Pervigar's balls. This brought an instant growl of approval from Pervigar. Karina licked the base of his cock and continued up to the tip. Her large, full breasts brushed over Pervigar's balls and part of his shaft, causing him to arch upward. Karina, feeling him arch, stopped licking and started rubbing her tits up and down his prick, her hard nipples dragging over each ridge of his cock.

Pervigar's cock was soon coated with the cum he had sprayed over Karina's breasts. Karina grasped the slick, shiny cock and brought it right up between her tits. Squeezing her breasts together, Karina trapped Pervigar's cock between her twin mountains of flesh. Karina then bobbed up and down, sliding Pervigar's cock easily between her cum-lubricated breasts. His cock oozed pre-cum, sliding down to Karina's tits to lubricate them even more. She painfully pressed her tits together, trying to put as much pressure on Pervigar's prick as possible. Soon, Pervigar arched his hips off the ground and spurted his first shot of jism four feet into the air.

"Oh, Gods! It's just like a volcano!" a stunned Karina thinks as she watched his cock spurt hot cum, plastering her face and hair and spewing down his shaft to cover and pool on her breasts.

Pervigar, when his climax was spent, crashed his hips to the ground, pulling his cock out of the warm cocoon of Karina's breasts. Karina, her upper torso covered and dripping with cum, scooped the sperm off her breasts and chest and slurped it down her throat. After wiping the cum off her face and licking her fingers clean, Karina leaned down and licked the cum off Pervigar's cock and every place that it had splattered on his body.

"True ogress. I name you Karinagar," murmured Pervigar as Karina moved back from him.

"Sleep," she replied over her shoulder while heading to the pool to clean up.

Karina awoke the next morning without any pain. Looking at her body, she noticed that her bruises had almost faded away and she felt revitalized. As they continued their march northwest, Karina soon found that her strength and constitution had increased. She and Pervigar still fucked, but now it was three or four times each night instead of two. Karina never sucked Pervigar off again, but she did discover his favorite position was doggie-style where he had control of ramming his big ogre dick into her wet, waiting pussy.

After three more days had passed, Karina woke up feeling queasy and had to race over to a group of bushes to throw up. Pervigar watched her and that evening when they made camp, he told her to sleep instead of making love. Karina was sick again the next morning. Pervigar quickly packed and then led them west at an accelerated pace.

By midafternoon, Karina's strength failed. Exhausted, she flopped down to tired to move. Pervigar walked back, picked her up in his arms and began to carry her.

"Why are we hurrying?" Karina asked bewildered.

"We are close. Dangerous area," was the reply.

Karina was amazed when they did not stop for the night. Pervigar continued to carry her at a fast pace and sometime during the night, Karina fell asleep.

Karina awoke with a start when Pervigar stopped. She looked around and saw that it was almost dawn. They had stopped in the middle of the woods and before them, through the morning mist, was a log house. The house was well-built with smoke coming out of the stone chimney. Pervigar set Karina down and stepped away from her.

"TENAN!!" bellowed Pervigar, the sound reverberating through the trees startling several birds to flight.

"Hello, Gar," came a voice from behind them.

Karina spun around as Pervigar looked slowly over his shoulder. Standing behind them was a man, about 5'11" tall in his early thirties. He was dressed in buckskins and wore a greenish-gray cloak. A long sword and dagger were belted at his waist. He threw back the hood of his cloak to reveal a strong face and short brown hair.

"Long time, Gar," he said.

"Long time. Will you become Shappa to this woman?" asked Pervigar.

The man's head snapped to stare at Karina with an unreadable expression, and just as quick snapped back to look at Pervigar.

"Why?" he asked.

"Dangerous."

"Yes."

Karina stood bewildered and, before she could speak, Pervigar extended his left arm towards the man. The stranger took a step forward, unsheathed his dagger and cut a deep six inch long slice in Pervigar's forearm.

As Pervigar howled, Karina, unthinkingly, ran forward and hit the stranger in the face with her fist as hard as she could. Surprised, the man fell backwards onto the ground, shaking his head from the blow. Karina was ready to advance on him when Pervigar put a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure you want to give her up?" asked the man of Pervigar, gingerly moving his jaw to make sure it was not broken.

"Yes. Too dangerous," was the reply.

Pervigar turned around Karina and said, "You must stay. I must go," and with that, Pervigar strode off into the forest, tossing a small bag to the ground as he left.

"What's your name, girl?" Karina heard beside her.

Karina started and spun around. The man had gotten up and was standing a few feet away from her.

"Stay back and tell me what's going on," she hissed.

The man looked at her balled fists, smiled and pulled out his sword and dagger. He then laid them on the ground and stepped back about ten feet before sitting down on the ground.

"Sit and relax. I won't harm you. One punch from you is all I need. My name is Tenan. I'm a ranger responsible for the safety of people in these woods. I think Gar brought you here for protection," he told her.

"Gar?"

"The ogre," Tenan said. "It's not his true name, but ogres rarely tell anyone their true name. Gar stated that it was too dangerous, either for you or for him, probably both, to be traveling together. He was your Shappa and he wanted me to become your Shappa."

"Then why did you cut him with the knife?" Karina asked. "Couldn't you have just let me stay or did you have to go out of your way to attack him?"

Tenan sighed, "The word 'Shappa' has many meanings in ogre. Protector. Defender. Mate. And it's not a title given up easily. If an ogre wants to become a Shappa to an ogress who has a Shappa, the two ogres fight for the right. The victor becomes the Shappa. The more ferocious the battle, the more honor the winner has. Gar had to give you up, but he couldn't meekly hand you over to me. He will now have a scar on his arm to show for the battle and the fact that his Shapparee also tried to fight for him. When you hit me, you showed Gar that you wanted him above me. He'll be able to build another tribe just on that fact alone."

"Tell me what you know about Gar," Karina asked, sitting down warily.

"Gar is the chieftain of his tribe," stated Tenan. Unfortunately, his tribe consists of one ogre, himself. About four years ago, when Gar was about to come of age, his tribe was surprised by a large goblin raiding party. Everyone in the tribe was killed except for Gar, who was knocked senseless from a large rock that hit him in the head. I had heard of the battle and went to investigate. The goblins had tied Gar to a tree to torture him later, after they had tended to their wounded. I sneaked down, convinced Gar not to attack the goblins single-handed and cut him free. The two of us have had a truce since then. Now, girl...what is your name? I can't keep calling you girl."

"Karina Devon."

"Lovely name," he said to which she gave a shy smile in reply. "Now, Karina, tell me your story and how you came to be here with Gar."

Karina told Tenan her story of working on the farm and being captured by the goblins. Tenan interrupted her several times asking about dates and times, the weapons the goblins were carrying, insignia on their armor and other details. Karina showed him the goblin dagger Pervigar gave her the first day they met. Tenan studied it intently before giving it back and allowing her to continue with her story. Karina then reached the day when Pervigar told her that her irata was here.

"I still don't know what he meant by "irata".", she said. Remembering what happened afterwards, Karina blushed furiously. "He killed a deer and then we continued on until we arrived here," she ended lamely.

Tenan stared at Karina intently, making her blush even more.

"There are no secrets between Shappa and Shapparee," he told her. "I am your protector and I need to know what happened. Not every little detail, but I need to know now. Come! Let's eat while you compose yourself."

Karina found herself to be ravenous as she stood up and followed Tenan over to a wood table and benches set outside his house. Tenan went inside and soon came out with a platter loaded with meat, bread and cheese. From an earthenware jug, he poured Karina a mug of milk and set the jug next to her. They both ate in silence until their appetite was satisfied.

"Karina, I'm not trying to embarrass you," said Tenan, leaning back. "Gar hates goblins passionately. He saw you as a prize of the goblins and therefore worth taking away from them. When he said, 'Your irata was here' he meant you were going into heat. Ogresses go into heat once and sometimes, very rarely, twice a year and only for a short time. This is why the ogre population has always been low. When an ogress goes into heat, the strongest, most capable male available becomes her Shappa and is responsible for impregnating her. After she is pregnant, the Shappa is responsible for her and the baby's protection. I saw Gar carry you through half the night to get here. I know he was your Shappa and that he brought you here because he could not protect you anymore. Will you tell me what happened?"

Tenan's words cut right to the quick for Karina and tears started to fall down her cheeks as she felt her resolve fail. Sniffing back the tears, Karina told Tenan everything, only glossing over the intimate details of her and Pervigar's lovemaking.

"You were sick two mornings in a row?" Tenan asked when she was finished.

"Yes," she replied.

"Karina, I think you are pregnant. That's why Gar was in a rush to get you here. You are going to have a half-human, half-ogre baby. We need to find a place where you will be safe." Tenan stood and walked around to her side of the table. "If you wish, I'll be your protector. Will you take me as a Shappa?"

Karina, unthinkingly, reached over and lightly laid her hand on his crotch. Tenan straightened like a lightning bolt had hit him. He took two steps backwards, caught his heel on the bench leg, flew head over heels, and landed flat on his back in the dust.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, looking at Karina bewildered.

Karina stared at Tenan and then burst into uncontrollable laughter. She held her sides, tears streamed down her face and she laughed so hard she almost fell off the bench.

Tenan, not understanding, stared at her. After several moments, Karina finally managed to get control of herself. Still giggling, she got up, walked over to where he was laying and knelt down beside him.

"I'm sorry. Cultural differences," she said smiling. Karina then told him of the ritual of accepting a Shappa.

"I...I'm sorry. I...I didn't know," stammered Tenan.

"Don't be sorry. This helped relieve a lot of tension I had been holding inside," said Karina. She slowly reached out and lightly laid her hand on his crotch. "I accept you as my Shappa. Now say your name."

"Tenan?"

"Now what?" asked Karina, standing up.

Tenan shook the cobwebs out of his head, stood and guided her back to the bench.

"I guess we had better see what dowry Gar left you.", he said, opening the small leather pouch that Pervigar had left behind. Tenan emptied the contents into his hand and out poured a diamond, two rubies and a sapphire.

"Well now.", he said, looking at each stone. "With the rubies and the sapphire, we can buy you a nice farm and reliable help outside the village of Dosser."

"Why can't I just stay here?" asked Karina.

Tenan did not reply. He leaned back and closed the heavy shutters on the window. Karina saw that the shutters were severely gouged and had what appeared to be claw marks scratched across the surface.

"Just as you could not stay with Gar because it was too dangerous, it is much more dangerous for you to stay here. Old Man Koska is getting to old to keep up with his farm and he doesn't have any children. He lives about fifteen miles outside of Dosser so it is pretty remote. With some reliable men I know, it would be a good place to live. I'll be around to make sure you are protected, but the decision is yours."

Karina thought about it and said, "Let's go see Old Man Koska."

They bought the farm and hired Rolph and Dagmar. Rolph was a tall, thin man who rarely talked, while Dagmar was short and heavy-set with a dry wit. Karina insisted on telling them that she was pregnant with a half-ogre baby. Both men looked at Tenan for confirmation and he nodded his head.

"I'll stick around for the fun.", said Dagmar dryly. "It should be real exciting watching him grow up."

Karina shook her head, chasing the daydreams away. She arose, put the baby in the crib and sat in the rocking chair to look out the window over the farm. Tenan arrived later that night.

"I spoke with the elders who decided to call a town meeting. I hate bureaucrats and I loathe town meetings.", he stated. "I told them about your abduction by goblins and your rescue by Gar. I'm afraid I enhanced Gar's reputation. He's about twelve feet tall, over six hundred pounds with the meanest disposition that any creature ever had, isn't he? Anyway, the village needs the products of your farm and one or two people even spoke up for you. That and the fact that if you left, I would also have to leave to see to your protection, seemed to cool down the demon hunters among them. Karina, when you are able to, you are going to have to go to town with the baby. You're going to have to show him off and pretend to be proud of him."

"I don't HAVE to pretend!" interrupted Karina hotly. "I am proud of him."

"I know you are, just by the work you have put into this place to make a home for him, but you are going to have to steel yourself until they get used to him. Get ready for the revulsion in their eyes, the snide comments, insults and even one or two threats. You are going to have to take him to town each week. You know most of the villagers are the salt of the earth. They'll withhold judgement until a person proves themselves, but there will be a few who will try to cause problems." Tenan walked over to the crib and looked at the sleeping baby.

"What is his name?" he asked.

"His true name is Pervikar Devon. We will call him Per.", Karina said.

The next eighteen years passed swiftly, but not without problems. Tenan, Karina, Rolph and Dagmar taught Per what they knew- woodcraft, the farm, plants and medicine. Tenan taught Per to speak in ogre, troll and orc. Per grew like a weed and at eight years old, he was almost five feet tall. It was at this time, during one of his trips to the village, that two fifteen year old bullies decided to pick a fight with him. Luckily for Per, several of the villagers saw them start the fight as he sent one boy home with a broken nose and the other home with two cracked ribs. After the fight, Tenan started teaching Per about combat. He taught him how to fight with sword and dagger and how to shoot a crossbow. Dagmar saw them practicing and taught Per how to fight with a halberd. At age thirteen, Per was the same height as Tenan. The boy had developed a wanderlust and often took long trips around the neighboring countryside. Karina, overriding the objections from Rolph, Dagmar and Tenan, tore down the old farmhouse and built a new one, which had ten foot high ceilings and eight foot tall doors. The men stopped complaining when Per topped out at 7'6" and about 350 pounds on his eighteenth birthday.

The old baron, who controlled Dosser and the surrounding countryside, had died when Per was eleven. The baron's son, Cedric, took over the barony. Cedric was vain, impulsive and shrewd enough to realize that he had to make money to spend money. Cedric had found an old law that required all the people in the barony to serve one year for the baron upon reaching the age of eighteen. The law had been enacted when the land was first being settled to give the baron a much needed work force. The practice had fallen into disuse, but Cedric could see the possibilities of having workers that he did not have to pay, only feed and house. Cedric reinstituted the law and used the workers in his fields and castle for his own profits.

Per, the day after his eighteenth birthday, packed his clothes and went to serve Baron Cedric. Cedric, awed and scared of Per's size, almost dismissed him at first, but changed his mind and sent Per to work in the fields. Because of his ogre ancestry, Per could perform feats of strength that would normally take two or three men to do. Per was assigned most of the hard, strong-arm work both in the fields and around the castle. He did it all quietly, counting the days until his servitude ended. Cedric was delighted at the work Per did. Cedric would tell his friends that he may have to feed Per twice as much as any other man, but he got five times the work out of him.

One day, with only about two months remaining on his year, Per was told to report to Cedric in his audience chamber. Per went to the room only to find it empty. Light streamed into the chamber from two large windows illuminating the tapestries on the walls. A gallery, which led to the north wing of the castle, looked down on the room. A huge circular oak table was in the center of the room which had a porcelain vase resting on it. Per, waiting for Cedric, walked around the room looking at the tapestries. Suddenly, his foot pushed down on a tile in the floor. Before he could move, Per saw the vase topple over and crash to the floor, breaking into hundreds of pieces.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" shouted someone from behind Per.

Per spun around to see that Cedric had entered the room from a door underneath the gallery.

"The tile was loose and it must have moved the table.", Per replied.

"I don't believe that!" said Cedric, hotly. "There are no loose tiles in this room. DO you know that vase was priceless? It is irreplaceable. How do you expect to pay for that?"

"But the tile was loose!" exclaimed Per.

"Which tile?" asked Cedric sarcastically.

"This one.", said Per, pointing at the tile.

Cedric walked over to the tile and stepped on it. It did not move. Cedric then stamped his foot on it. It remained rock solid.

"So you are also a liar. How are you going to pay for the vase?" smirked Cedric.

"I don't have any money.", said Per, confused about what was happening.

"Because of your clumsiness, I'm going to add another year to your service to pay for that vase. Get out of here!" yelled Cedric.

Per ran out, bewildered and confused. Later that day Georg, Baron Cedric's steward, told Per that his service to the baron would be extended one year unless he could pay 1,000 gold saurers for the loss of the vase. Per knew he did not have that amount of money and he did not want to involve his mother or Tenan into this mess. Per accepted the extended service, but resolved to get the answer to what had happened.

A week later, Georg had Per carry several heavy trunks up to rooms in the north wing. Baron Cedric had invited several guests to stay at his castle.

"The guests are in the ballroom and dining room.", said Georg. "I don't want you in their way. Take the trunks up through the gallery in the audience chamber."

Per heaved up one of the trunks and started on the roundabout route to the north wing. As Per carried the trunk across the unlit gallery, he looked down into the room and stopped, amazed at what he saw.

On the round oak table was a vase, exactly like the one he was supposed to have broken. The room was empty, but Per was certain that it would not stay that way for long. As fast as he could, Per rushed back and forth carrying the trunks up to the north wing. He took time on each trip, however, to enter and pass through the gallery quietly. When he was finished and released by Georg, Per started back towards his room, but as soon as he was out of sight, he raced up to the gallery. The light from the windows did not reach the gallery, so Per secreted himself in the shadows by a column where he could see the entire room.

Per waited only a short time, before the door leading to the main corridor opened and a girl, who Per had not seen before, stepped into the room. She was about 5'-8" tall, with straight honey-brown hair, which was pulled behind her falling down to her waist. Her face was pretty and her dress did not hide her lush figure.

Per watched as she walked around the room. He held his breath as she stepped on the tile he had stepped on and he saw it move. The vase once again toppled over and crashed to the floor.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Per heard Cedric shout.

The girl spun around and fell to her knees facing the door which opened underneath the gallery. Per, from his vantage point, could not see Cedric, but could hear him perfectly.

"What are you doing?" demanded Cedric again. "Do you know that vase was priceless?"

"Milord, I don't know what happened.", stammered the girl.

"The vase was worth 1,000 saurers. How are you going to pay for it?" shouted Cedric.

The girl looked up stunned. "Milord. I...I can't....I don't have 1,000 saurers."

"Then you'll have to work it off in service, won't you?" asked Cedric. Getting no reply, he shouted, "Won't You!?"

The girl hung her head. "Yes, Milord.", she said weakly.

"I'm sorry, girl. I didn't mean to yell. I suppose I could tax your parent's farm for the gold.", said Cedric, walking into the room to look at the broken vase. Another well-dressed man followed him. "Don't you think so, Felinor?"

"Of course, Milord.", answered Felinor with a smile.

"No, Milord!" cried the girl, spinning around. "They would lose the farm. I'll do anything. Tell me what I need to do."

"There is a broom in the cupboard over there. Clean up the broken vase and then I will tell you what to do."

Per watched as the girl swept up the pieces of the vase. Cedric and Felinor walked over to two chairs and sat down. The girl finished cleaning up and then walked over to stand in front of Cedric.

"What is your name?" asked Cedric.

"Melinar," was the reply.

"Melinar, my guest here is going to stay awhile. Your service will be to dance for us for a week.", said Cedric. "Behind that screen is a costume. Change into it and then you will dance for us."

Melinar went behind the screen where she stayed for only a couple of moments before coming back out.

"Milord, I can't wear that in front of you.", she cried.

"I see. You won't fulfill your service.", sighed Cedric, standing up. "I will inform your parents."

"No, Milord! Don't do that."

"Melinar, you broke a priceless vase. You have to pay for it. The decision is yours. Taxation or dancing?" asked Cedric.

"I'll dance for you.", was the subdued reply.

"Good, but you have insulted me in front of my guest. Your service is now two weeks and I will extend the time and punishment if you insult me again. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Milord."

With that reply, Melinar went behind the screen and Per could hear the rustle of clothing. Shortly, Melinar stepped from behind the screen and Per could see why she did not want to wear the costume.

The costume was a halter top and bikini bottom, with gauze and silk pieces attached. The halter top barely contained her large breasts. Per, even from the gallery, saw her hard nipples poking out the silk that was covering them. Per realized that the metal in the top and bottom were just frames that held the gauze and silk in place to cover her body. Silk pieces covered her breasts and ass while streamers of gauze flowed off the halter top and bikini bottom, which barely concealed the rest of her body.

Cedric and Felinor, meanwhile, had moved their chairs close to the oak table. Cedric pulled a lute out of the cupboard and gave it to Felinor. He then pulled out a small hand drum for himself. As Melinar stepped out from behind the screen, Cedric offered her his hand.

"Step up on the chair and then up to the table.", he commanded. "You will dance for us on top of it."

After Melinar was standing on the table, Cedric took his seat and said, " This is the tune you will dance to."

Cedric began to beat out a rhythm on the drum and Felinor joined in with the lute. The tune had a heavy sensuous beat.

"Begin."

Melinar began to dance, awkwardly at first because of her embarrassment, but soon was caught up in the heavy beat of the music. Her dance became more seductive and her body swayed to the rhythm. Cedric nodded to Felinor and they increased the pace of their playing. Melinar's dance became more erotic and she closed her eyes, her body moving instinctively to the music. At this point, Cedric, without missing a beat, reached up with one hand and plucked one strip of gauze off her bikini bottom. Melinar's eyes flew open and she slapped one hand to her hip where the gauze had been before.

"Milord!" she cried out staring at Cedric.

"You have interrupted the dance.", snarled Cedric, staring back at her angrily. "For this when you dance again, you will remove all the gauze off the halter top. Tomorrow, you will remove the gauze off the bottom while you dance. Or do you wish to be sent home?"

"I will do as you ask.", she said looking down.

"Begin."

Melinar was now jerky and clumsy as she danced removing strips of gauze off the halter top. Cedric continued the music even after all the gauze had been removed from the top and only the two pieces of silk in the frame remained to barely cover her jiggling breasts, After a time, Cedric stopped the dance.

"That was inadequate.", he told the panting Melinar. "Tomorrow, the gauze will be reattached to the halter top and we will see if you can do a better job of removing it. Get dressed now and return to your room. Come back here tomorrow at the start of the third watch. Felinor and I will join you here after that. Your punishment will be increased if you discuss this with anyone."

Melinar climbed off the table, changed clothes behind the screen and left the room. After she left, Per saw Cedric and Felinor both break into laughter.

"I was wondering why you sent me that song to learn before I came here.", laughed Felinor.

"Rank does have its privilege.", replied Cedric.

"Why did you stop so soon? We could have had her do anything!" asked Felinor with a smirk.

"She might have balked.", replied Cedric. "Slowly does it best. Her service was extended because of the mistakes she made and she knows that she has to dance better to work off this extra service. Besides, I have another reason to take it slow."

"And this other reason is....?"

"Another girl reported to the castle today for her year of service. A half-elf named Nyrandurril. Where Melinar is pretty and lush, Nyrandurril is lithe and heart-stopping beautiful. The trouble is Nyrandurril is very intelligent and won't fall for the vase trick."

"The vase trick?" asked Felinor.

Cedric looked slyly at Felinor and said, "You don't think that vase fell on its own, do you? Or that Melinar really broke it? There is a trick tile in the floor. A person steps on it and the vase falls off the table. When the tile is released, it locks back into place until I set it again. The switch for setting it is beside the door we came in. I've used this trick for a couple of years to get extra service out of the strong or pretty ones."

"But it won't work on this half-elf?"

"No, she'll see right through the ruse and her parents could pay for the vase. I want to get both her and Melinar in here to dance for us and eventually do other things. Something will come up to force Nyrandurril into extra service. It always does. Come! Let's see if there is a flagon of wine waiting somewhere for us."

Cedric and Felinor left and, after waiting a few moments, Per climbed over the gallery railing and dropped quietly to the floor. Quickly, he crossed over to the wastebasket, took out three large pieces of the broken vase and left the room. Walking back to his room, Per knew that even with the shards, he did not have any proof showing that Cedric was forcing people into slavery. He needed to find out where the vases came from and to get witnesses. As he went to bed, Per decided that the first person he needed to see tomorrow was the half-elf, Nyrandurril.

Unfortunately, per got his wish early the next morning. Just as the sun was rising, Per walked around a corner in the courtyard and literally ran into Nyrandurril. Per caught the girl before she fell and got the impression of wide hazel eyes, delicately pointed ears and bright blond hair. Nyrandurril saw a seven and a half foot tall creature with green hair and violet eyes reaching for her and reacted normally.

She screamed and hit him with the water pitcher she was carrying. The pitcher hit Per's elbow, broke and sliced part of his forearm. Nyrandurril ran off as Per yelled and clutched his bleeding arm.

Shortly, Per, with his arm bandaged, found himself and Nyrandurril standing in the audience chamber in front of Cedric.

"From all reports," Cedric said looking at a sheaf of papers, "you, Nyrandurril, attacked Per injuring him. I will not tolerate fights or violence here. As punishment, your service is extended and you will have to work with Per. You are dismissed. Per, stay."

Nyrandurril's mouth opened once as if to protest, but she curtsied and left.

"Per, I want you to do something for me.", explained Cedric. "Concentrate and understand. I want you to scare Nyrandurril. Leer at her. Lick your lips while staring at her. Grab your cock and rub it in front of her. I will take a month off your extra year for this. Do you understand?"

"He thinks I'm as stupid as a post.", thought Per. "Big and stupid. No need to dissuade him now."

"Uh...Yes, sir.", Per answered slack-jawed and left the room.

Per met Nyrandurril out in the courtyard.

"I am sorry I injured you, but you scared me.", she said, approaching him. "Please forgive me. I did not mean to hurt you."

Per noticed that one or two guards were lounging nearby and felt that Cedric was probably watching them now. He reached down and grabbed his crotch.

"Pretty girl. Fun time.", he growled, smiling to show off his extra large incisors and leering down at he lithe five foot-six inch body.

Nyrandurril's face took on a frightened expression as she backed away from him apprehensively. Not wanting to scare her completely away, Per turned and walked out the front gates, motioning Nyrandurril to follow him. He looked back to see one of the guards motion her to follow him.

Out in the fields, Per and Nyrandurril worked side by side with the foreman standing right over them. Per did nothing more to frighten her and waited, knowing that the foreman would be called away. A shout soon came from the far side of the fields and the foreman left to see what had happened. As soon as the foreman was out of earshot, Per turned to Nyrandurril, who was looking at him with large, frightened eyes.

"Don't be afraid. I had to scare you back there because we were being watched.", he said. Per then quickly told her about the trick Cedric had done to him and what he saw about Melinar. Understanding flooded her eyes as Per told her what Cedric wanted him to do to her.

"He is trying to scare me so that I would do anything to get away from you. And his plan would have worked. I was that scared of you. He figured that you must have gotten your brains from the ogre side of your family," Nyrandurril said out loud, her mind lost in thought. "The Baron must keep extra vases somewhere. All potters mark the bottom of their work to identify it as theirs. He would not keep them in the treasury. Is there a storeroom which is always kept locked and that no one enters?"

"Yes," said Per, remembering the layout of the castle. "There is a small storeroom in the back of the basement. As far as I know the only people who have entered it are the Baron and the steward."

We need to get in there and hopefully find out who the potter is.", Nyrandurril stated. "I think we should also tell Melinar. We may need help. The biggest problem is we need someone outside the castle to find the potter and get help. We three could run away, but that would leave the Baron in charge to enslave others and take retribution on our relatives."

"Tenan is coming to see me in two days.", said Per.

"Who is Tenan?"

"Tenan is the man who helped my mother and me. He is almost like a father to me.", said Per. A thought suddenly came to Per's mind, but he set it aside to think about it later. "He is a ranger working in the forest. He can help us, but he won't be here for two days."

Nyrandurril took a deep breath and said, "We will have to keep up this subterfuge. I would not put it past the Baron to kill us and cover it all up to save himself. We are going to have to do everything he asks of us until your father can come with help. Where is Melinar today?"

"She is waiting on the Baron's guests.", Per replied.

"I will meet with her. I am going to have to go to the Baron and pretend to be frightened of you. I do not know if I will be able to meet you later. If you can, go to the gallery and I will try to meet you there. Remember - every time you see me at the castle you are suppose to try to scare me."

Nyrandurril moved away from Per and kept working. After awhile, Per looked up and saw the foreman coming towards them. Nyrandurril saw him also, scrambled up and ran towards him.

"Please, sir. Take me to the castle.", she cried out in a frightened voice. "I can not stay with him!" gesturing at Per.

"Get back t' work. You'll go in wit' der rest o' em."

They continued to work the rest of the day in the fields and went back to the castle at day's end. Nyrandurril immediately went to the foreman.

"Sir, please! I need to see the Baron immediately.", she asked in a timid voice.

"He's wait'n fer you at der audience chamber. G'wan," the foreman replied.

Per put his tools away, washed up and went to supper. After dinner, Per finished up his duties and then sneaked down to the basement. He found the storeroom that he had told Nyrandurril about. A heavy wood door reinforced by steel bands closed it off. Per left the basement and carefully made his way up to the gallery. The gallery was unoccupied as Per again hide in the shadows.

As the guards changed for the third watch, Per saw the door to the corridor open and watched Melinar enter the room. Melinar paced around the room and the waiting seemed interminable. Finally, Per heard a door latch click and saw Cedric, Felinor and Nyrandurril enter the room for the corridor. Melinar turned to face them and sank to her knees.

"You are not dressed.", exclaimed Cedric exasperated. "Another week is added on. Change at once."

Melinar got up and went behind the screen to change. Cedric and Felinor pulled out the lute and drum. They then moved their chairs to the table. Cedric motioned to Nyrandurril to stand in the corner.

Melinar soon came out wearing the complete costume and Per heard a gasp for Nyrandurril as she saw what Melinar was wearing. Melinar climbed up onto the table and Cedric started the music. Melinar danced for them, her movements much more fluid as she peeled the strips of gauze off her halter top. Per's cock hardened as he watched her dance. She continued to dance as she pulled the last piece of gauze away, leaving only the halter frame with its two patches of silk to cover her bouncing breasts. Melinar danced until Cedric stopped the music.

"You have forgotten that you are supposed to remove the gauze off the bottom.", he said looking at Melinar intently. "Another week is added for your forgetfulness. Tomorrow, you will start removing pieces of silk in addition to the gauze. Yes?"

"Yes, milord.", Melinar replied with downcast eyes.

"Dance and remove the gauze from the bottom."

The music started again and Melinar danced, stripping the gauze off her bikini bottoms until all she was dressed in was the silk patches held in place by the top and bottom. Per saw that the bikini bottoms were also only a frame, which held three bright pieces of silk, which covered her ass and pubic area. As the last piece of gauze was pulled away, Cedric stopped the music.

"Get dressed and come here tomorrow at the same time.", he ordered.

Melinar climbed off the table and went behind the screen to change her clothes. She soon came out from behind the screen, curtsied to Cedric and left the room.

"Well, my dear.", said Cedric turning to Nyrandurril. "Do you think that you can dance like her?"

"Milord, please do not make me dance like her.", Nyrandurril asked.

"I suppose I will have to send you and the ogre out into the forest to look for lost sheep. You won't need any guards or foreman because you will be perfectly safe with him."

"Milord! He will attack me!" she cried.

"You attacked him first. Make your decision."

"I will dance."

"Good. In the cupboard is another costume. Take it behind the screen and change.", commanded Cedric.

Nyrandurril got the costume and went behind the screen to change. Per tensed as one of the doors to the gallery opened. Per, thanks to his ogre heritage, retained the ability to see in the dark by seeing the different heat levels between objects. Looking at the dark doorway, Per saw the image of Melinar as she tiptoed onto the gallery. Per signaled her to come over to him as he carefully watched Cedric and Felinor, hoping that they would not catch them up there. Melinar came over to him and Per raised a finger to his lips, cautioning her to remain silent. Melinar nodded her head and stood still in the shadows up against him.

Nyrandurril came out from behind the screen wearing an identical costume as what Melinar had worn. The difference being that Nyrandurril's small, pert breasts barely filled the cups of the halter top where as Melinar's cups overflowed and Nyrandurril's hips were slimmer.

Nyrandurril got up onto the table and the music started to play. Per saw that Nyrandurril's dancing was different than Melinar's. Melinar danced to the beat of the music while Nyrandurril danced to the melody. Her movements flowed as she stripped pieces of gauze off her halter top and bikini bottom. The dance was erotic and Per felt his hard cock twitch. He heard Melinar's breath quicken as Nyrandurril stripped. Again as the last piece of gauze came off, Cedric stopped the music.

"Get dressed.", he ordered. "For your reluctance today, you will dance tomorrow and remove both gauze and silk from your costume. Come back here at the start of the third watch."

Nyrandurril bowed her head and went behind the screen. She changed clothes and then left, leaving the two men alone.

"By Gods! I almost burst as she danced!" exclaimed Felinor. "We take them tomorrow night, right?"

"No. It's too early. Wait - it will be worth it.", replied Cedric. "Tomorrow, Nyrandurril will dance first and leave, then Melinar will dance. Sort of a competition. For the next two nights after that, the girls will dance at the same time stripping the gauze off each other. On the fourth night, the girls will dance together and begin to caress each other. On the fifth night, I will have them make love to each other. On the sixth night, I have something special for they to do, and on the seventh night..."

Cedric stopped talking to make a sweeping motion to the gallery with his hand. Melinar, with a slight gasp, pressed back against Per.

"...they will perform before all twenty of my guests. At the end of the performance, you and I will take them. As my guest, you can have first choice."

"I want Melinar with her sweet lips wrapped around my cock.", said Felinor with a smile.

"Good choice. I will take Nyrandurril and watch her squirm with delight as I sink my shaft into her pussy. Of course, after we are finished, I will have to let my guests enjoy these pleasures. It's the duty of a host to give freely, is it not?" laughed Cedric.

"Of course it's your duty, but why are you sure they will comply?" asked Felinor.

"The wine I gave them before we came here is drugged. The drug slowly, but effectively removes their inhibitions. That is why I can't rush things. The drug will build up in the ladies until, by the seventh night, they will be willing to do anything."

Per listened intently to their plan. Melinar shifted a little bit and he wished she would stand still. Suddenly, just barely stifling his gasp, Per felt Melinar's hand brush up and down his raging hard-on. While Per's intelligence and wisdom came from his mother, his size and cock definitely came from his father. His hard prick was twelve inches long and two and a half inches in diameter. Per tried not to move as Melinar continued to rub his cock through his pants.

"Well," he heard Cedric say. "Tomorrow is another busy day and tomorrow night should be entertaining. Let's be off."

Per stood stock-still as Cedric and Felinor left the room. After they left, Per grasped Melinar's arms and moved her out of reach of him.

"I knew you were a big fella," Melinar said with a smile. "I just didn't know how big. Did Nyran's dancing turn you on that much?"

"I...um...you see...errr...uh...the both of you...I mean...", stammered Per, thankful that the dark hid his blushing.

"Both of us?" she asked questioningly. "Have you been with a girl?"

"NO!" he shot back, hoping to close the subject. Per was interested in sex, I mean really interested, but while growing up, the local girls fought shy of him because of his huge size.

"I'm sorry.", said Melinar. "The drug must be affecting me. Let's go find Nyran."

"You mean Nyrandurril?" he asked.

"Of course. I call her Nyran for short."

They left the gallery and met Nyrandurril in a secluded area of the castle. Per told her of Cedric's conversation with Felinor.

"Did you drink the wine?" asked Per. "You two did not drink any when you were in the audience chamber."

"I drank some earlier today.", stated Melinar, thinking back. "I have to bring a flagon of wine and a chalice to the Baron every day at midday. He makes me test the wine from a small cup, but the wine is poured by the steward out of a cask, which is also served to the Baron's guests."

"I also have to bring him wine, but just before dinnertime.", stated Nyrandurril. "He pulled out a small cup and had me test the wine. He then poured himself some wine and drank it, so the wine could not be drugged. Melinar, did you test the wine out of a small silver cup that he took out of a case from behind his desk?"

"Yes."

"The wine is not drugged. The drug must be in the silver cup.", Nyrandurril stated. "Melinar, we must not drink anymore of the wine. Tomorrow, when you test the wine, hold it in your mouth until you can get away and spit it out. Per, we need to get the key to the storeroom. Your father will be here the day after tomorrow, correct?"

"His father!" exclaimed Melinar. "The Baron will never allow an ogre into the castle."

"Step-father to be.", said Per with a smile. "Yes, day after tomorrow."

"I'm sorry. I'll get the key.", Melinar said. "The captain of the guard has a complete set of keys. I'll steal it from him. Don't worry. I'll be careful."

"Alright.", said Nyrandurril. "We only have tomorrow to get into the storeroom. Melinar, you and I are going to have to act like we are still drugged and do what the Baron says until Per's stepfather can come with help. Per, as long as it is safe, hide in the gallery at night. I am hoping you can get more information from the Baron and Felinor after Melinar and I leave them. Do not interfere with anything Melinar and I do in the audience chamber. We should be safe until the seventh night. If we raise the Baron's suspicions, we could all disappear or have fatal accidents. Let us meet here tomorrow after we are finished in the audience chamber."

The three young people parted. The next day, Per was assigned to the forge. Although he was not a blacksmith, Per could do the hard labor of preparation and could work the bellows with ease. He did not see Melinar or Nyrandurril until the late afternoon when Melinar walked by the forge. She smiled and winked. Per hoped that it meant that she did not drink the wine and that she had gotten the key. He continued to work until supper. Neither Melinar nor Nyrandurril were at the common tables. After dinner, Per went searching for them. They were not in their rooms or with the guests. Per even went to the audience chamber and was almost caught by a guard. Luckily, the guard was tired and not overly ambitious. Per was just about ready to give up when he found them in a small, rarely used room.

They were both sitting on a small sofa. Melinar had her arms wrapped around Nyrandurril and was rocking her softly. Nyrandurril's shoulders were shaking and Per could hear her crying.

"What happened?" he asked, squeezing through the doorway and then closing the door. "Are you hurt?"

"I am alright.", replied Nyrandurril, pushing herself away from Melinar and wiping off her tears. "It is just nerves. I had to drink two cups of wine this evening. I held the first wine in my mouth, but the Baron pulled out another cup and filled it for me, so I had to swallow. Then he started talking to me, so I had to swallow the second cup also. I think the Baron is trying to bring the amount of drug in my body up to the same level as Melinar's, since she has been here longer and has probably had more of it."

"We can leave and hide in the forest.", said Per.

"No, we can't," stated Melinar, matter-of-factly. "Nyran and I have to dance for the Baron and Felinor very soon. If we aren't there, he'll start a search for us. We have to keep to the plan. We'll meet afterwards. Oh, by the way, I've got the key to the storeroom."

"Great!" stated Per. "How did you get it?"

"I let the captain of the guard pin me against a wall in an empty corridor and grope me while I lifted the keys out of his pocket.", Melinar stated with a grimace. "I like sex. I just hate being manhandled. Come on, it's time for you to get to your lookout post and for Nyran and I to go to the audience chamber."

Per got up and went to the gallery. His mind seethed with anger. Hiding in the shadows, he saw Melinar and Nyrandurril enter the chamber, hug one another and go behind the screen to get changed. All three waited in silence for Cedric and Felinor.

Shortly, Cedric and Felinor arrived. They immediately pulled up their chairs to the table and got out their musical instruments. Melinar moved towards the table, but was stopped by Cedric.

"My dear.", said Cedric in a sickening sweet voice. "You should have seen Nyrandurril dance last night. Exquisite! You will watch her dance first to see if you can dance as well as she does."

Melinar bowed her head and stepped back as Nyrandurril ascended to the top of the table. As the music started to play, Nyrandurril danced. She again danced to the melody, her movements fluid and light. Strip after strip of gauze seemed to float away from her costume until she was only dressed in the halter top and bikini bottoms with the silk pieces still affixed. Per, watching, had to shift around to a better position to ease his rapidly expanding cock.

Nyrandurril standing in front of Cedric, her body swaying, reached up and grasped a corner of the silk piece covering her right breast. Slowly, she pulled down on the bright silk, sliding it out of the halter frame, exposing her small, firm tit. Still dancing, Nyrandurril pulled out the silk covering her left breast. She released both pieces of silk, which floated slowly to the floor.

Nyrandurril danced for a few more moments before reaching down and pulling the first, then the second, and finally the third piece of silk from her bikini bottom frame. Per saw that Nyrandurril's skin was pale and smooth. Her breasts were small and firm. Her blond pubic hair poked out from between the frame. Nyrandurril continued to dance now only clad in the topless and bottomless frames. After a few moments, Cedric stopped the music.

"Very good, my dear.", he said. "You can get dressed. Be here tomorrow evening at the same time."

Nyrandurril climbed off the table, got dressed and left the room. After she was gone, Melinar got on top of the table. The music started again and Melinar began to dance. She moved in time to the heavy beat and, while Nyrandurril's dance was move fluid, Melinar's dance was more elemental. Stripping the gauze off quickly, Melinar's dance took on an erotic theme. Her movements were suggestive and her hands roamed and caressed her body. Per had to concentrate to control his breathing and his hard cock was uncomfortably binding against his pants.

Melinar teasingly pulled the pieces of silk out of the frames until she was as naked as Nyrandurril had been. Per could see her large breasts straining against the halter frame. The bikini frame enhanced her well rounded ass. Again, after a few moments, Cedric stopped the music.

"Much better, my dear.", he said. "Tomorrow, you will show Nyrandurril how to dance. Get dressed and come back tomorrow at the same time."

Melinar dressed and left. Per listened carefully, hoping to find out some more information, but the two men got up and left the room after putting their instruments away. Per, after easing his cock around to a better position, quietly left the gallery and went to find Nyrandurril and Melinar. He found them waiting for him at their rendezvous point.

"Are you two alright?" Per asked concerned.

"We're fine," answered Melinar. "Let's get down to the storeroom so I can replace the keys before they are missed. Did they say anything?"

"No. They left right after you did.", replied Per.

"Did you enjoy the show?"

"MELINAR!" cried Per, embarrassed.

"Forget it. It is necessary.", Melinar said, with a smile.

As they headed for the basement, Per asked Melinar how she was going to return the keys.

"Easily. I'll just leave them in the guardroom or bathhouse. Someplace where the captain frequents where he could accidentally have dropped or left them.", she replied.

Not many people went to the basement after supper. The workers tried to catch up on sleep and the nobility had their own amusements upstairs. Nevertheless, the trio proceeded cautiously to the storeroom. Once there, Melinar pulled out a small ring of keys and began trying them in the lock. Per and Nyrandurril kept lookout until they heard a loud click as Melinar unlocked the door. As they entered the room, Per took an oil lamp off the wall and took it into the dark room.

The three of them barely fit into the small room. Boxes and odd knick-knacks lined the shelves. Nyrandurril got a shock as she opened one case and found it contained an assortment of various size and shaped dildos.

"Hhmmm. Ivory, jade....," said Melinar, looking over Nyrandurril's shoulder. "Probably worth a fortune, but not the kind of thing you'd leave in the treasure room."

Per looked up and on the shelf, he saw three vases just like the ones he and Melinar were supposed to have broken. He gingerly took one down and handed it to the girls. Nyrandurril turned the vase over and looked at the potter's mark.

"Zyren. He's the potter at my village, but I've never seen him carry work like this.", he said.

"The Baron doesn't want this work to get out of the castle.", said Per. "It is probably special ordered just for him and delivered without anyone else knowing about it."

"You are right.", stated Nyrandurril, handing the vase back to him. "Be careful putting it back. Tell your stepfather everything. We will meet tomorrow night."

With that, they parted. Melinar locked the door and went to get rid of the keys. Per and Nyrandurril left separately to their rooms. Per hardly slept the entire night, both excited and scared.

In the morning, Per arose early and went to work on his duties, barely able to concentrate while waiting for Tenan. Just before midday, Tenan strode into the castle courtyard and greeted Per. At the warm, familiar handshake, Per felt his troubles slide away and realized how tense he had been.

"We must talk. Alone,> he told Tenan in ogre.

Tenan did not even bat an eye. He smiled and led Per out of the castle to a stand of trees a half a mile away.

"What happened?> asked Tenan, also in ogre.

Per switched back to the Common Tongue and told Tenan everything that had occurred. Tenan's scowl deepened and his face grew dark with each word Per spoke. After Per finished, Tenan sat still, his face menacing. Tenan inhaled sharply and then exhaled slowly, forcing the anger out of him.

"I've heard of kids having their service extended for committing various infractions, but it never occurred to me to be out-and-out slavery. Can you and the girls keep up this charade? I will get help, but it will take time. Stay as long as possible. If you have to leave, hide in the woods east of here. I'll find you there."

"Thank you.", said Per. "I knew we could count on you."

"Let's head back.", said Tenan, standing up. "I'm going to have to leave immediately if we want this done in time. Oh, by the way, your mother sends her love."

Per and Tenan walked back to the castle. After saying goodbye to one another, per watched Tenan stroll down the road before going back to his chores. Per knew that once Tenan was out of sight of the castle, he would move like the wind.

"You have to decide what to show people and what to hide.", Tenan had always told him. "What you show them affects what they think and how they react. What you hide from people will surprise them later if and when you need that advantage."

Night was falling and Per went off to supper. Both girls were there and Nyrandurril looked slightly dazed. Per caught Melinar's eye. Melinar pointed to herself and shook her head no, then she pointed at Nyrandurril and nodded yes.

"She had to take the drug again," thought Per. "We'll have to come up with some plan that will prevent her from drinking the drug."

After dinner, Per quickly finished his chores and snuck up to the gallery. Nyrandurril and Melinar were in the chamber and had already changed into their costumes. Per barely managed to get to his hiding spot before Cedric and Felinor walked in. They got out their instruments and sat down.

"Tonight you will dance together. You, Nyrandurril, will remove pieces from Melinar's costume and Melinar will remove pieces from yours."

"Yes, milord.", they replied in unison.

"Then let us begin."

The dance went badly. The girls fumbled trying to pick pieces off each other's costume. Melinar stumbled into Nyrandurril and almost knocked her off the table. Nyrandurril pinched Melinar's nipple painfully when she tried to pull one of the silk patches from Melinar's halter top. Finally, both women were stripped down to the frames.

"This was a new low. You two dance like sluts.", berated Cedric, angrily. "For such a poor performance, your service is extended one month. You two will do this again tomorrow and there had better be improvement. Now, get out!"

"Milord?" asked Melinar, timidly.

"Yes?"

"We would do better if we could practice. Would you please allow us to practice tomorrow during the day? All we need is someone to beat out the rhythm for us."

Cedric walked around the room, apparently thinking about it. The girls stood still on the table, staring at the floor.

"I agree, but first you and Nyrandurril will move into the same room.", stated Cedric. "You will do this tonight. Come here tomorrow after breakfast. You can practice then."

Nyrandurril and Melinar got dressed and left. Per watched Cedric walk over to the bellpull and summoned a guard.

"Go get Per, the ogre.", he told the guard.

Per almost panicked. He quickly and quietly slipped through the door and raced down the corridor to his room. He barely had time to strip and muss the bed before the guard knocked on the door. At the summons, Per redressed and followed the guard to the audience chamber.

"Per, can you do this?" asked Cedric, as Per entered the room. Cedric then began to beat out the rhythm of the music that they had been playing earlier.

"Uh-huh.", Per grunted affirmatively.

"Do so."

Per took the drum and beat out the time to the music. He made one or two mistakes, which Cedric corrected, but soon he had it down pat.

"Good.", stated Cedric. "Come here. Tomorrow. After breakfast. Play for two girls. No touch girls. Understand?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good. After breakfast. Only play drum."

"He still thinks I'm an idiot.", thought Per after leaving Cedric. "That's it! He wants me to play because I'm too stupid to tell anyone and if I did, they would not believe me."

The next morning, after breakfast, Per went to the audience chamber as ordered. The two girls showed up shortly after he did. Per shot them a warning glance before they could say anything. Melinar and Nyrandurril stayed quiet and moved to the other side of the room. Cedric then walked into the room, followed by a servant carrying a tray, which held a stirrup cup and a pewter pitcher. He was dressed for hunting.

"Ah, we're all here," he said pouring red wine into the cup. "You girls will practice today and Per will play for you. Melinar, since I won't be here at midday, you won't have to bring me my wine. However, I would be remiss if I didn't let you taste it first."

With that, Cedric pulled a small silver cup out of his pocket. Per felt his anger rise and quickly damped it down. Cedric poured the wine into the small cup and handed it to Melinar. Melinar took the cup and drank it in one swig.

"Not so fast, my dear. Wine should be sipped, not guzzled.", admonished Cedric. "I think this is a perfect vintage. Don't you think so?"

After a second's delay, Melinar replied, "Yes, milord. The best I've tasted."

"Good.", he stated. "Nyrandurril, I want my wine before dinner as usual. Don't worry about Per, he is only here to help you practice."

Cedric then spun around and left with the servant. Per walked over to the windows, which looked out over the courtyard. There he saw Cedric enter the courtyard, mount his horse and leave with Felinor and most of his guests.

"He's gone.", Per said, turning away from the window. "And he has taken Felinor with him. Are you okay, Melinar?"

"Don't worry. I couldn't be helped.", she replied. "I think I'm still a cup or two behind Nyran."

"He keeps talking to me.", stated Nyrandurril. "I cannot talk with my mouth full. I do not know what to do."

"Nyrandurril, try taking his wine when he is busy.", said Per after a couple of seconds of thought. "Try to catch him when he changing clothes, meeting guests, anything that will make him want to get rid of you as fast as possible. Try bringing the wine at the very last second before dinner." Per snapped his fingers. "Wait a minute. What if you two didn't dance well? That could buy us a couple of day's time. He would postpone the dance for the guests."

"No, Per." said Nyrandurril. "The dance is starting to become secondary. If we dance poorly, the Baron will cover the flaws with some other barbarity. We have to practice."

The girls went behind the screen, but soon came out without wearing the costumes. It seemed that the Baron did not leave the costumes lying around. Melinar shrugged, kicked off her shoes and got up on the table, soon to be followed by Nyrandurril. Per sat on the floor with the drum and began to play the beat. Melinar began to sway to the beat, but Nyrandurril stood still. Per stopped playing.

"What is wrong?" he asked.

"I was taught to dance by my mother. She is an elf and taught me to dance to the melody, not the beat. I...I am not sure how to dance to the beat.", Nyrandurril replied.

"Per, start again.", directed Melinar. "Nyran, close your eyes. The beat of the music is like the beat of your heart. You have been moving in time to it for years."

Per played while Melinar taught Nyrandurril to dance. Soon both girls were moving together with the beat. Melinar expanded upon their movements, telling Nyrandurril that they have to pretend that they are wearing the costumes. Per could see that they were dancing better, but then Nyrandurril brushed Melinar's breast with her hand while pretending to reach for a silk piece. Nyrandurril, blushing furiously, snatched her hand back and almost fell off the table.

"What happened?" asked Melinar, confused by Nyrandurril's sudden stop.

"I am sorry.", replied Nyrandurril, ashamedly. "I have never touched another woman there. I am afraid that I am a bit naive in these matters."

"You're a virgin?" asked Melinar.

"Yes, but not by choice.", she replied. "Per, do remember what the Baron called my face. Heart-stopping beautiful. I have gone out with boys, but they were so tongue-tied and mesmerized by my face that all they could do was stare at me. No boy asked for a second date. One told me he would rather date a 'real girl'. He told me I was and ice princess."

Melinar walked over to Nyrandurril and hugged her.

"I'm sorry to hear that.", Melinar said softly, moving them over to sit on the edge of the table. "I found out early that all people are sexual by nature. I didn't suppress it with one or two boys and got the name of slut. 'Willing to sleep with anyone.' That part was not true. Once tagged with a name, it almost never goes away. Oh, by the way, Per is also a virgin and he really likes your dancing."

"MELINAR!" shouted Per, jumping to his feet.

"Oh, quiet down.", she said. "We're sharing secrets here and there is no reason to hide yours. Besides you did like her dancing, didn't you?"

"Yes and yours, too.", He answered, huffily.

"He's such a sweet boy.", said Melinar, smiling. "I believe that all people are sexual beings. There is nothing wrong with sex as long as everyone is willing and no one gets hurt. I had a married man pursue me, but I wouldn't make love to him because it would hurt his wife. Of course, if his wife was going to join in...."

"MELINAR!" cried a shocked Nyrandurril.

"Relax. I wouldn't have anyway. He was bald, fat and had chronic bad breath. Alright, you two novices, let's get back to work."

Saying that, Melinar slid off the table pulling Nyrandurril after her.

"Okay. Per, pay attention. This is as much for you as it is for Nyran. When you are making love to someone, use all five of your senses, sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Look at your partner and see their reaction to what you are doing. Listen to them. Listen for breathing, moans, sighs and other sounds that tell you what they feel. Smell, this applies to both you and your lover. If you smell bad, take a bath! You will be able to smell when your lover gets aroused. Taste. I think that is self-explanatory. Touch. Most people don't know how to touch or caress. Nyran, you're afraid to touch me because it's new and you were probably taught that it was taboo. Here, take my arm. I want you to touch it and rub your hands up and down it. Per, come here. I want you to do the same to my other arm."

Melinar taught them how to touch, the gentle touch on the knee, the stroke over the upper arm, the caress of fingertips against a cheek. They switched off, touching each other, feeling the difference between their skins. Melinar then moved over to Nyrandurril.

"Give me your hands.", she requested.

Nyrandurril brought her hands up and Melinar turned them so that Nyrandurril's palms were facing her. Melinar then pulled both hands to her large breasts. Per could only stare open-mouthed as Nyrandurril froze.

"Nyran, we won't be able to get the silk pieces out of the frames without touching each other.", said Melinar, matter-of-factly. "We might as well get it out of the way now. Don't be afraid of your body. I want you to feel them, the weight, the softness, so you won't freeze tonight. Per? PER! Stick your eyes back in your head and please get us some lunch."

Per left the room in a daze, a multitude of emotions playing within him. He was shocked at what Melinar did. Excited to be sure, hurt because she sent him away and in a rush to get back. Per hurried to the kitchens and got their lunch. When he came back to the chamber, Per knocked on the door.

"Come in.", he heard Melinar say.

Per entered the room. Both girls were seated at the table. Melinar was composed, but Nyrandurril was blushing and could not meet his eyes. Both girls were smiling, though. They quickly ate lunch. Melinar and Nyrandurril got back up onto the table and continued to practice their dance. Per beat out the rhythm on the drum and saw that the girls' dance now complimented each other. Nyrandurril and Melinar brushed against each other's breasts and ass two or three times, but except for the fact that Nyrandurril blushed each time, neither one froze. They practiced for an additional two hours and then stopped.

"We need to wash up and get ready for tonight.", said Melinar. "I'm feeling a little woozy right now."

"Are you okay doing this?" asked Per. "We can leave if you aren't and hide in the woods."

"No, Per. We can not.", stated Nyrandurril, sadly. "We still have time and must give Tenan every chance. If we leave, we will become fugitives under the law. The Baron will send people out to hunt us down. If we do not stop him, he will continue to do this to others."

"I'm afraid of what the drug is doing to you.", Per said.

"It is not affecting us yet."

Per stood up and walked to the windows. Turning sharply, he commanded, "Undress!"

Melinar immediately reached for her blouse buttons and undid two of them before she stopped. Nyrandurril started unlacing her skirt before she too stopped.

"The drug is affecting you.", Per stated. "If you had drunk it every time, I think both of you would have been stark naked by now."

"Per, we can't stop now.", said Melinar, rebuttoning her buttons.

The three of them left the audience chamber to get ready for supper. Cedric and his guests came back shortly before dinner, loaded with game they had killed. After supper, Georg, the steward, stopped Per.

"You've had a pretty easy day," Georg said, with a bite to his words. "Too bad you're going to have a bad night. One of the merchant's wagons came in late because of a lame horse. Since you have had the day off, you are going to unload it before you go to bed. See to it."

Per spent the next couple of hours unloading the wagon and putting the supplies away. By the time he had finished, he knew it was too late to go to the gallery. He hoped the girls were alright as he reluctantly trudged off to bed.

The next morning, Per saw Nyrandurril and Melinar at breakfast.

"I did not have to drink.", stated Nyrandurril. "The Baron was in such a rush to get ready for dinner that he dismissed me right away. Do you think the dance went well? I think..."

Nyrandurril feel silent as other people came over and sat at their table. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. Per left the table when he had finished and went to the audience chamber. Without knocking, he opened the door and walked in on Cedric and two men he had not seen before.

"Business is going good, but we need fresh blood if...", stated one of the men before he broke off to stare at Per.

"What are you doing here?" asked Cedric, angrily.

"Uhh, practice.", answered Per stupidly.

"There is no practice today. Go to the fields! Go!" yelled Cedric.

Per left the audience chamber and went to work in the fields. He came back with the others for supper. At a lone table sat Nyrandurril and Melinar. Per went over and joined them.

"It is good to see you, Per.", said Nyrandurril. "Neither of us drank any of the wine today. We talked it over and decided that we are going through with tonight. I know what tonight is. We agree that if Tenan is not here in the morning, we will run away to the woods. Do you think that is right?"

"No, I don't. I think we should leave now."

"Per, if we leave now, the Baron will brand us as fugitives.", replied Melinar. "We will be painted as runaway servants fleeing the lawful duty to their lord. At that point, our battle will become impossible to win. We, not the Baron, will spend months in a prison until it comes to trial. No local judge will go against the Baron, but will find us guilty. We are going to give your stepfather twelve more hours."

Nyrandurril reached over and took Per's hand.

"Per, you are a good friend.", she said. "I am scared, but I can go through with tonight as long as I know you will be in the gallery to protect us, just as you have been every night. I want you to be there for us tonight, but you have to promise not to come down unless the Baron or Felinor try something."

"I promise.", said Per, looking at her pleading eyes to ashamed to tell her of the one night he was not there.

Per left the girls and went to the forge. Scavenging around, he found a four foot iron rod.

"Not the best weapon, but at least it is something. I can use this to protect the girls if I have to.", he thought.

Per went to the gallery and hid in the shadows. Melinar and Nyrandurril came into the room and went behind the screen to change. They presently came out in costume and climbed up onto the table. Cedric and Felinor soon entered the room, laughing and joking. Without a glance at the girls, they brought out the lute and drum and took their seats. Without a word, they began to play.

Per watched the girls dance. No fumbling or bumping this time, their movements were fluid and graceful. Melinar and Nyrandurril slowly peeled each other's gauze off, draping the gauze across arms, legs, breasts and faces. The dance became more erotic and Per's cock twitched to life in his pants. The girls rarely touched one another except with the gauze strips. Finally, they removed the silk pieces, leaving them naked except for the halter and bottom frames.

Cedric stopped playing and said, "Excellent. I want you two to remove the other's garments, then kneel facing each other."

When the girls had complied, he said, "Now I want you to touch and caress each other all over."

The silence was heavy in the room until Nyrandurril reached out to stroke Melinar's cheek. Per heard Cedric and Felinor hiss in a breath before letting it out in a sigh. Melinar reached out and started stroking up and down Nyrandurril's arms. Per watched as the girls touched and caressed each other's face, arms and shoulders.

"I said touch all over.", stated Cedric, his eyes riveted on the girls.

Melinar grasped both of Nyrandurril's hands and bring them up to her face. Bowing her head, Melinar plants a soft kiss on the palm of both hands and then places them on each of her tits. Nyrandurril, staring at her hands, begins to move them in small circles, plying the soft flesh underneath them. Melinar's breathing increases as Nyrandurril rubbed her fingertips over Melinar's hard nipples and caresses the underside of those large breasts.

Melinar extended her hands to Nyrandurril's tits. After squeezing the small globes, Melinar tweaks both of Nyrandurril's nipples between her fingers and thumbs and begins to pinch and roll the nipples, extracting a moan from Nyrandurril. Per then saw Melinar scoot closer to Nyrandurril. Soon the girls are caressing each other all over, touching backs and buttocks, stroking breasts and shoulders. Their breathing has gotten heavier as has Cedric's and Felinor's.

Melinar reached for Nyrandurril's right hand. She then pressed the hand against her stomach and pushed it down between her legs. Melinar then placed her hand over Nyrandurril's.

"Yes. Follow my hand.", she whispered huskily. "You feel that....uh....nub? Oh, yes! Stroke it just like.... that. OH....mmmhhhh....yes, right there. Little circles. Gods, I'm so wet!"

Melinar took her free hand and guided it right between Nyrandurril's legs. Nyrandurril stiffened like she had been hit with lightning. Per could see Melinar's hand moving back and forth over Nyrandurril's swollen pussy. Nyrandurril was soon gasping for breath and her body shook every now and then as if she was getting little electric shocks. Per's cock was so hard it was actually painful for him.

"Milord, she is a virgin.", gasped Melinar.

"Don't break her maidenhead. It's your death if you do," warned Cedric, half rising out of his chair.

Per smelled the heavy, musty scent of the girls' sex in the air. Melinar and Nyrandurril are writhing and moaning as each one fingered the other's pussy. Nyrandurril had to use her free hand for support, but Melinar reached out with her free hand to pinch and squeeze Nyrandurril's nipples and breasts. At one point, Melinar stuck her index finger in her mouth, sucked it in and out a couple of times, and then placed it in Nyrandurril's mouth. Nyrandurril, her eyes closed, clamped her lips down on the digit and sucked on it as Melinar moved it in and out of her mouth.

Melinar, removing her hand from Nyrandurril's mouth, reached down with her hand to cover Nyrandurril's hand over her pussy. Per watched as Melinar bent two of Nyrandurril's fingers up and then shoved those two fingers deep into her pussy. Melinar then pulled and pushed Nyrandurril's hand up and down, sliding those slick, shiny fingers in and out until Nyrandurril started finger-fucking Melinar on her own. Melinar changed hands at Nyrandurril's pussy. She brought her shiny fingers, slick with Nyrandurril's juices up to Nyrandurril's face and then let Nyrandurril suck them one by one.

Nyrandurril's breathing became heavier and faster. Her thighs trembled and, with a loud shout, She spasmed, shoving her fingers deep into Melinar's cunt. Melinar arched backwards, her mouth open, her body quivering as she also orgasmed. As their climax subsided, both women collapsed on the table, their thighs shiny with their cum.

Cedric, Felinor and Per stared at the girls fascinated. Felinor started to rise, but Cedric looked over, shook his head and held up a warning hand. Felinor eased back into his seat.

"Is her maidenhead intact?" Cedric asked Melinar. "Is it?"

"Melinar rolled over to Nyrandurril, who was lying half-comatose on her back, her legs spread wide apart. Melinar reached between Nyrandurril's thighs and parted her pussy lips with her fingers.

"Yes, milord. It's still intact.", she replied shakily.

"Very good. Please help Nyrandurril up and get dressed."

"WHAT!" screamed Felinor, jumping to his feet.

"Be quiet and sit down.", Cedric said icily. The two men locked stares before Felinor sat down fuming. Turning back to the girls, Cedric waved them towards the screen.

Melinar helped a shaky Nyrandurril off the table and took her behind the screen. The two girls reappeared fully clothed. Cedric got up and went over to pull the bell cord. A guard soon appeared.

"Please escort these women to their room.", Cedric told the guard. "Please pass word to the captain that they are to be protected at all times. They are relieved of all other duties, but have them brought here at the start of the third watch."

"Yes, milord.", replied the guard as he escorted Melinar and Nyrandurril out.

"Why did you do that?" demanded Felinor as soon as everyone had left. "They were ready. We could have been fucking them bow-legged, but instead I'm standing here with a painful hard-on."

"I know the way the drug works.", said Cedric, as if explaining to a small child. "There was still some resistance to my commands. Tomorrow night will be the deciding factor. The girls have to take two more doses. Then they will do anything we say. Melinar is ready now, but I'm not sure about Nyrandurril. Besides, since Nyrandurril is a virgin, I don't want to deflower her until all my guests can see me do it. Come, my friend, go to your room. I'll send an agreeable girl up to take care of your problem. She may not be in the same class as Melinar and Nyrandurril, but she should be.... suitable. Or do you want to wait two more days?"

"Let's go get drunk.", laughed Felinor. "I can wait two more days. It should be fun performing before an audience."

They left and Per went back to his room. The next morning, Per went to breakfast trying to figure out some way to see Nyrandurril and Melinar. As he ate his breakfast, Per saw a serving girl stagger out of the kitchen carrying a heavy tray loaded with food. Per jumped up quickly and caught the tray before it fell to the floor.

"Thank you.", panted the girl. "They added two extra breakfasts to my load and it was too heavy for me to carry."

"I'll help you if the cook allows it," replied Per.

The girl asked the cook who agreed, but stated that Georg, the steward, must also agree. The cook sent a message and soon received a reply. It stated that Per could help, but must report to the forge right afterward. Per, now carrying the tray, followed the girl to the guest quarters. The first two guests were served without a problem, but the third guest took one look at Per and her eyes lit up on her pudgy face.

"Well, well, well, well, well!!!", the guest simpered. "Where has poor Cedric been hiding you?"

The woman heaved her fat body off the sofa where she had been lying and walked over to Per. He stood still, holding the tray, while the serving girl set the table and laid out the dishes.

"Ooooh, you are a big one," the guest cooed, feeling Per's arm. "And such big muscles. What say we let the girl carry on and you stay awhile?"

Per looked down at her lank hair, pug nose and her triple chins. He then locked his violet eyes onto her lack-luster brown ones and stared. After a moment, he grinned widely, showing off his over-large canine teeth.

The lady gulped, gasped, turned white as a sheet, and stumbled backwards from that smile. The serving girl, biting her lips desperately to keep from laughing, hurried Per out of the room.

"By the Gods, that was priceless!" she said, bursting into laughter as soon as they were away from the room. "I've been waiting days for that old battleaxe to get her comeuppance. I'm Helga, by the way."

"Per", Per replied, looking at Helga. Helga was about 5'-7" tall with a very nice shape, long brown hair, and a pretty, pixie-like face with bright brown eyes.

"I know that.", she said. "Everyone knows you or knows of you. You can't be the only giant in the castle without everyone talking about you. Now. Don't try that smile on the next guest, Lady Trearii. She'll take it as a challenge and then eat you for breakfast."

Helga knocked on the next door and was told to enter. Per entered and saw Lady Trearii sitting at a desk writing. "Breeding" was the first thought that hit him when he saw her. She sat straight, her hands delicately writing on the parchment. She unhurriedly finished her letter, folded it and gracefully rose to her feet. Her black hair and deep blue eyes offset her pale face.

"Thank you, Helga.", she said. "I see you have a helper. Your new boyfriend, perhaps?"

Per tensed. He actually felt scared of this woman as if she was a danger to him. He did not know why, but he knew he had to stay away from her.

"No, milady.", answered Helga, timidly. "Per is not my boyfriend. He is just helping me serve this morning."

"Shame. I think you two would be a good pair. Helga, I am always the last person you serve in the mornings, but there is still food on the tray.", stated Lady Trearii, questioningly.

"Yes, milady. There are two servants who are sick and I have to take them their breakfasts."

"Let...Per?...do it. I need your help with something.", stated Lady Trearii.

Helga turned to Per and told him to take the tray to Melinar's room.

Before the door closed behind Per, he heard Lady Trearii say, "Come here, Helga. Now tell me about Per and ..."

Per went to Melinar's room. There was a man-at-arms standing in front of the door. The guard looked over the tray that Per was carrying and then opened the door. Melinar and Nyrandurril jumped up from where they were sitting by the window.

"I don't have much time.", stated Per making sure the door was closed. "The baron doesn't think you are tractable enough, but will be after you take the drug today and tomorrow. Why did you tell him that Nyrandurril was a virgin?"

"It was a calculated risk.", stated Melinar. "He might have raped her then and there, but I was hoping that he would wait to do it publicly."

"You're right," Per agreed. "It did make him wait and Felinor is going to wait also. I should have gotten you out of here two days ago. I am going to steal weapons and supplies today. I should have done it earlier. As soon as I have them, I'll come back, knock out the guard and then we'll escape."

"No, Per.", said Nyrandurril, sadly. "There are guards in the hallway and at the gates who know we are being guarded. We will be captured before we even get outside the walls. The only time we can escape is in the morning when the field crews go out. We can disguise ourselves and go out with them."

"What about tonight?" Per asked, jabbing his finger on the table.

"Per, will you be there tonight?" asked Nyrandurril, looking down at the floor.

"Yes, unless you don't want me to be there," he answered.

"Please be there.", she said quickly, looking up with tears in her eyes. "I need to know that you will be there to protect us if Cedric or Felinor try anything."

"I'll be there no matter what."

Nyrandurril got up and went to the window, her back to Per. Her arms were clasped around her as if she was cold.

"Per, thank you.", said Melinar, softly. "She gets a lot of strength and courage from you. So do I. Someday, we'll repay you. You'd better go."

Per got up and picked up the empty tray. Just as he was about to call for the guard, Melinar came around the table, reached up and pulled his head down to plant a soft kiss on his right cheek. Before he could move, Nyrandurril came over and kissed him on the left cheek. With a lump in his throat, Per had to call out twice for the guard.

Per went to the kitchen to return the tray. Everyone there was busy trying to clean up from breakfast and prepare for lunch. Grabbing an empty sack, Per managed to sneak bread, meat and a butcher knife into the sack without being seen. Per hid the sack and went to the forge to work.

Per and the blacksmith worked until lunch, at which time, Per was able to steal some more food. It was not a lot, but it would help tie them over. Per went back to work. In the early afternoon, Helga stopped by the forge and asked for Per. Per came out wondering what she wanted.

"This is for you from Lady Trearii.", she said, handing him a note.

Per opened the note, which was upside down, turned it over and looked at it. It was a command to come to Lady Trearii's apartments at the start of the third watch. Per shook his head, looked at Helga shrugging his shoulders, and tossed the note into the fire.

Per quit work at suppertime and ate dinner alone. He quickly finished his chores afterwards and hurried up to the gallery. Now, besides the iron rod, Per also carried the butcher knife. Per entered the gallery and moved to his hiding position. He saw that Melinar and Nyrandurril were below him and had changed clothes. Both of them looked dazed as they stood on the table.

Cedric and Felinor soon entered, but this time they did not get out any musical instruments. They simply pulled up their chairs to the table and sat down.

"Melinar, Nyrandurril, you are not going to dance tonight.", said Cedric. "Remove your clothing."

Melinar and Nyrandurril both unhooked their tops, freeing one large pair and one small pair of breasts. Throwing the halter tops to the floor with the gauze fluttering behind them, both girls pulled down and stepped out of their bikini bottoms, which followed the tops to the floor.

"Melinar, I want you to be very careful of Nyrandurril's maidenhead," warned Cedric. "I don't want it broken."

"Yesh, milord.", she answered in a slurred voice.

"Touch and caress each other.", ordered Cedric.

The two girls turned to face each other. Melinar reached out to cover one of Nyrandurril's breasts with her hand while the other rose up to caress her face. Nyrandurril brought both of her hands up to cup under Melinar's large breasts and began sliding her thumbs back and forth over Melinar's hard nipples.

Per's cock hardened at the sight and he was forced to shift it around to ease its growing stiffness. The girls continued to stroke and caress each other. Nyrandurril slid her hand down from Melinar's face, between her breasts, over her stomach and cupped it right over Melinar's pussy. This entices a gasp of delight from Melinar and her hand quickly reached for Nyrandurril's pussy.

Per watches as Nyrandurril spread her legs wider in order for Melinar to have better access. Per can soon smell their musky scent as each girl's fingers plied with the other's cunt. The girls were soon breathing heavier and moans of passion emitted from their mouths.

"Nyrandurril, suck Melinar's tits," commanded Cedric breathlessly, his eyes riveted on them.

Nyrandurril bent over at the waist, forcing Melinar's hand away from her pussy, until her face was level with Melinar's breasts. Licking her lips and leaning forward, Nyrandurril took one hard nipple between her lips. Per saw Nyrandurril's cheeks deflate inward as she started sucking on the tit in her mouth.

"Oh, yes!" cried Melinar, cradling Nyrandurril's head closer to her chest. "Suck it. Flick your tongue across the nipple."

"Nyrandurril, kneel down and lick Melinar's pussy," ordered Cedric.

Nyrandurril dropped to her knees in front of Melinar. She pulled Melinar forward, spreading her legs farther apart and dipped her head straight down to Melinar's pussy. Melinar reached down and grasped two handfuls of Nyrandurril's hair. She pulled Nyrandurril's head closer while arching her hips to bring her pussy up so Nyrandurril can lick it better.

"Oh...Ummm...yes. Yes! Stick that tongue deep in me. OH! YES! Lick that clit. Faster. Yes!" cried Melinar, her whole body shaking as Nyrandurril ate her out.

"Lie down on the table, Nyrandurril.", commanded Cedric.

Nyrandurril pulled her face away from Melinar's pussy, her mouth and cheeks shiny with cunt juice. Per watched as she lied down on her back with Melinar gasping for breath standing over her.

"Melinar," said Cedric. "I want you to lick every inch of Nyrandurril's body."

Melinar fell to her knees with a groan of ecstasy and plastered her mouth right onto Nyrandurril's for an open mouth kiss. Melinar broke the kiss to lick Nyrandurril's cheeks before going back to duel her tongue with Nyrandurril's.

Melinar then licked down Nyrandurril's chin and throat. At the base of the throat, Melinar clamped her mouth on it and started sucking. Nyrandurril moaned and reached up with one hand to play with Melinar's hanging breasts. Melinar broke her lip-lock and continued to lick down Nyrandurril's shoulders. Even from his hiding spot, Per could see the bright red hickie on Nyrandurril's throat.

Melinar licked her way down to Nyrandurril's breasts. Sucking voraciously on one hard nipple, Melinar reached up to roll and pinch the other between her thumb and forefinger. Nyrandurril moaned and writhed in passion. She pinched one of Melinar's nipples hard, enticing a muffled moan from the mouth clamped onto her tit.

Melinar moved further down Nyrandurril's body, licking every inch. Melinar stopped long enough at Nyrandurril's stomach to stick her tongue into the bellybutton, causing Nyrandurril to giggle. Melinar then sat up, smiling.

Reaching down, Melinar spread Nyrandurril's legs apart and brought her knees up. Melinar then moved around until she was kneeling between Nyrandurril's legs. Leaning forward, Melinar gently pulled Nyrandurril's pussy lips apart, exposing the moist, red flesh inside. With a moan of delight, Melinar dove right for that pussy as a hawk does for its prey. Nyrandurril stiffened and began to writhe as Melinar slurped hungrily at her cunt.

Nyrandurril's breathing became heavier as her cries of delight rang out. She reached up and began tweaking her nipples as Melinar's tongue flicked back and forth across her clit.

"Melinar, spin around and straddle Nyrandurril's face," ordered Cedric, licking his lips, his eyes staring with lustful glee.

Without taking her face from Nyrandurril's pussy, Melinar slowly moved her body around until she was lying on top with her knees on either side of Nyrandurril's head. Nyrandurril, with Melinar's cunt inches away from her face, reached around Melinar's hips, grabbed her ass and buried her face into Melinar's cunt. Soon both girls are moaning and groaning as they lick and slurp at each other's pussy.

Per watched as Melinar flicked her tongue rapidly over Nyrandurril's clitoris. Nyrandurril writhed under the tongue-lashing. She took Melinar's clit into her mouth to gently suck on it as her hand came around Melinar's leg to shove two fingers into that wet, hot cunt. Melinar moaned and redoubled her efforts at Nyrandurril's pussy. Nyrandurril shoved her fingers into Melinar's hole and her body bounced uncontrollably as she climaxed. Melinar held on tight as Nyrandurril orgasmed three or four times. Nyrandurril collapsed on the table, her legs splayed apart, her slick fingers slowly sliding out of Melinar's pussy. Melinar gently lifted herself off the dazed Nyrandurril and looked at Cedric. Cedric, his eyes filled with lust, quickly motioned both girls to leave. A guard was summoned to take them back to their room.

"Tomorrow will be special.", promised Cedric to Felinor after the two girls had left. "Come, let's be off."

Per left after they did and returned to his room. He hoped to see Nyrandurril and Melinar in the morning.

Per was stopped the next day before he even got to the dining room by the steward. Assigned to the fields for the day, Per had just enough time to grab some food before being sent out. Per spent the day working outside the castle and returned at dusk. Washing quickly, he ran to the dining room for supper, but Helga had already left with the trays of food.

Per, dejected, sat and ate his own dinner. He then headed up to the gallery to watch over the girls. Melinar and Nyrandurril were soon escorted in and left alone. They both went behind the screen and changed into their costumes. They climbed up on the table and waited for Cedric and Felinor.

Cedric and Felinor entered the room and pulled out their musical instruments.

"Tonight, you will dance.", stated Cedric. "Melinar, be very careful of her maidenhead."

Cedric and Felinor began to play. Melinar and Nyrandurril moved in time to the music and slowly pulled each other's gauze and silk off the costumes. Melinar danced around behind Nyrandurril and unclasped her halter top. She then pulled down the bikini bottom for Nyrandurril to step out of. Melinar turned around, still swaying to the music. Nyrandurril undid Melinar's halter top and pulled off the bottoms. Nyrandurril, throwing the bottoms off the table, slid her hands up the outside of Melinar's legs. Nyrandurril placed her hands on Melinar's hips and gyrated her hips in synch to Melinar's. Pressing her body against Melinar's back, Nyrandurril slid her hands over Melinar's stomach and up to cup each large breast.

Melinar moaned, her head arched back, and reached backward to slide her hands over Nyrandurril's hips. The girls still moved to the beat of the music. Nyrandurril dropped one hand down and rubbed it over Melinar's bush. Going lower, Nyrandurril's fingers slipped over Melinar's pussy and parted those lips to play with Melinar's clit. Melinar's breathing became heavier as Nyrandurril fingered her pussy and caressed her breast. Nyrandurril kissed the back of Melinar's neck and her shoulders.

Melinar, with a sharp intake of air, spun around to face Nyrandurril. Melinar hugged Nyrandurril, mashing their tits together, and kissed Nyrandurril passionately. Per saw their tongues duel with each other as their hands roamed over each other's body. The music was forgotten as they kissed. Cedric and Felinor both stopped playing and absently put their instruments down.

Both girls kneeled down together on the table. Melinar pulled Nyrandurril slightly to make her lay down. She then kissed her on the lips and worked her way down to Nyrandurril's pussy. Nyrandurril writhed and grasped Melinar's head as Melinar's tongue flicked out to lick at Nyrandurril's clit. After a few moments, Nyrandurril pulled Melinar up and kissed her, tasting her own juices on Melinar's lips and tongue. Nyrandurril continued to pull Melinar up and slid under herself under she was looking direct at Melinar's pussy. She tentatively stuck out her tongue and began licking at Melinar's cunt. Melinar, still on all fours, shook as Nyrandurril's tongue penetrated her. Melinar forced herself up so that she was sitting on Nyrandurril's face.

Melinar smiled down at Nyrandurril. Her breathing became faster and she gripped and twisted her breasts as Nyrandurril continued to eat her out. Melinar suddenly swung off Nyrandurril, turned around and put her leg back over Nyrandurril's head. Lying on top of Nyrandurril, Melinar parted Nyrandurril's legs and dove right in to her pussy. Nyrandurril stiffened and then went back to licking Melinar's cunt.

Per's cock felt like it was going to burst. He then saw Cedric move, bending under then table. Per tensed, tightening his grip on the knife. Cedric reached underneath and pulled out a rectangular wood box. Cedric then moved around until he was standing in front of Melinar and he then opened the box on the table.

"Melinar, look up.", he said and Melinar raised her face from the pussy she was licking to look stupefied at the box.

"Which one do you want?" asked Cedric.

Per looked down and saw that the box was the one that they had opened in the storeroom. The assorted dildos lay in their nooks, arranged by size. Per watched as Melinar reached out to touch a six inch ivory prick before lowering her head back to Nyrandurril's pussy.

Cedric picked up the box and walked around to the opposite side of the table. He set the box on the table and pulled out a dildo. Per saw that he did not take out the one Melinar indicated, but one that is two sizes bigger.

"Nyrandurril, take this and suck on it.", ordered Cedric handing the dildo to her.

Nyrandurril quit licking Melinar's cunt and took the dildo in both hands. She brought the ivory shaft up to her face and slid a couple of inches in between her parted lips. Cedric moved back to his chair and sat down. Per let go the breath he had been holding and relaxed. From his perch, Per heard Nyrandurril nosily sucking on the dildo and Melinar lapping at Nyrandurril's pussy.

"Nyrandurril, rub it's length on Melinar's cunt," Cedric told her. "Get it covered with her juices and then push it into her."

Nyrandurril took the dildo out of her mouth and began rubbing it up and down Melinar's slit, rotating it every so often until it was coated with her saliva and Melinar's pussy juice. Nyrandurril then turned it and poised its tip at the entrance to Melinar's cunt.

Nyrandurril slowly pushed the dildo deep into Melinar. Per could see Melinar's cunt stretch wide to take it in. When Nyrandurril had the dildo halfway shoved in, Melinar's moans changed to grunts and groans, but she never raised her face from Nyrandurril's pussy. Finally, Nyrandurril pushed the entire length, except for about an inch or two, into Melinar. Melinar's body was tense and sweating. Her fingernails were dug into Nyrandurril's asscheeks and her thighs were quivering.

"Fuck her with it.", orders Cedric.

Nyrandurril eased out the ivory prick. Melinar visibly relaxed as the shaft left her and then tensed again as Nyrandurril shoved it back in. Melinar grunted with the strain of having her pussy stretched with each stroke. She kept her head lowered and concentrated on licking Nyrandurril's cunt.

Melinar's grunts soon became moans of passion as the dildo slid in and out of her and she became use to it. Nyrandurril's moans and breathing became heavier and she increased the tempo of fucking Melinar with the dildo. Faster and faster, Nyrandurril pumped the dildo in and out until finally, she shoved it in, gripped the base and orgasmed. Nyrandurril's hips arched off the table as she screamed out her pleasure. Her entire body spasmed with the intensity of her climax. Her hand, gripping the dildo, shook uncontrollably which vibrated the dildo within Melinar.

Melinar's head suddenly snapped up and her body arched as she hits her climax. Per watched as Melinar's juices rolled down the dildo to drip on Nyrandurril's face. Melinar had a series of orgasms, like electric shocks, before rolling off Nyrandurril to lie on the table. The dildo, still clenched in Nyrandurril's hand, slid out of Melinar's cunt with a wet, sucking sound.

Nyrandurril, her eyes unfocused, brought the dildo up to her face to stare at it. She lowered it and proceeded to lick it clean before she collapsed.

Cedric sat back in his chair and waited a few minutes before telling the girls to get dressed. As soon as the girls are clothed, he rang for the guard who arrived shortly and took the girls back to their room.

"My apologies, Milord.", said Felinor as soon as the girls were gone. "I can see now that it will be worth the wait until tomorrow."

"No need to apologize.", replied Cedric, urbanely. "I am often misunderstood. Let's go find some wine and then to bed. Tomorrow is the performance and we don't want to be tired."

Cedric and Felinor left. Per waited a few moments and then lowered himself down to the chamber floor. After a minute or two, Per left the chamber and went to his own room.

Per awoke early the next morning and packed the supplies he had. He wanted to get to breakfast early so he could help Helga serve Melinar and Nyrandurril. He was going to attack the guard at that time and get the girls out into the courtyard so they could leave with the other field workers. Just before he entered the dining room, two guards stopped him.

"Baron Cedric wants to see you now.", stated one guard.

Per gritted his teeth in frustration, but was unable to do anything as he followed the two guards to the audience chamber. As he entered the room, he saw Cedric sitting at the table. Standing nearby was Lady Trearii, Helga and the blacksmith. Per, unsure of what was going on, kept his mouth shut.

"I've been told that you disobeyed one of my guest's instructions, Per," stated Cedric. "Is that correct?"

"Me no get instructions.", replied Per, lapsing into his stupid act.

"Are you saying that you did not get a note from Lady Trearii yesterday?" asked Cedric. "Helga told us she gave it to you at the forge and the blacksmith told us you threw it in the fire."

"What's a note?" asked Per.

"The paper Helga gave you.", stated Cedric starting to get angry. "You read it, disregarded it and burned it."

"Me no read.", stated Per simply.

Cedric stared at him in astonishment and the burst out laughing. Lady Trearii straightened up, her eyes blazing.

"No wonder he didn't do as you asked. He can't read," laughed Cedric, clutching his sides. "Tell me, Helga, did you read the note to him?"

"No, milord."

"Blacksmith?"

"No, milord.", answered the blacksmith. "In fact, he turned it over a couple of times as if trying to figure it out."

"He can't read," said Cedric, wiping the tears of mirth away from his face. "Unfortunately, I can't have my guests' orders disobeyed. Per, you are sentenced to one day in the stocks. Guards!"

"Milord," said Helga. "It was my fault. I should have read the note to him. I should be the one to be punished."

"No. It was Per's duty to find out what the note said. You and the blacksmith are dismissed."

Helga looked at Per in sorrow as they left and the guards entered. Per turned towards Cedric.

"No punish. Work in fields.", he said.

"That is two days in the stocks for talking back.", said Cedric coldly.

Before Per could protest again, he felt two spear points poke him in the back. Without another word, he was marched down to the courtyard and placed in the stocks. After the guards left, Per strained and pulled at the stocks, but could not escape. Dread overtook him as he realized that he could not rescue Melinar and Nyrandurril. He shouted, cursed and pleaded to anyone within earshot to free him. No one did.

At midday, fatigued from trying to break free, Per slumped in the stocks defeated. Suddenly, he was looking down at a bucket of water and a skirt.

"I'm sorry, Per. If I could get you out of there, I would.", he heard Helga say. "Here. Drink this."

She lifted the ladles of water up for him to drink. Per was at the point where he was going to ask Helga to take a message to Melinar and Nyrandurril when a guard came by and chased Helga back to the kitchen.

Per's morale sank as the day wore on. All too soon, he noticed that the third watch was being changed and he knew the girls were in serious trouble.

Sunk low in his misery, Per did not at first hear the commotion at the front gate. When it finally registered, Per looked up to see Tenan and twenty armed men ride into the courtyard.

"Tenan! Over here!" bellowed Per.

Tenan looked around to see who was shouting his name. Spotting Per in the stocks, he slowly rode his horse over to him.

"Boy, I can't leave you alone for a moment, can I?" stated Tenan.

"Dammit, Tenan. Let me out of here."

"You'd better curb that temper," said Tenan, getting down off his horse and unlocking the stocks. "This thing could turn on us quickly and we could find ourselves on the headsman's block. Come with me. I'll introduce you to the Overlord. If he talks to you, refer to him as 'Your Majesty'."

"The Overlord?" asked Per in astonishment.

"You didn't think I worked for the Baron, did you?" said Tenan, slyly.

Tenan and Per walked over to the castle steps. Standing on the steps was a large man in gleaming armor giving orders to the men who came with Tenan.

"Your Majesty, this is Per who I told you about.", said Tenan. "I found him in the stocks."

"Pleased," replied the Overlord abruptly and turned to the other men. "You two go secure the gatehouse. You four secure the guards who are off-duty. One-two-three-four-five-six, you six replace the guards on the walls. Disarm them and send them to the barracks. You four split into two groups and look for guards inside. You last four are with me."

"Your Majesty," said Per stepping forward. "We have to hurry. We need to get to the audience chamber now!"

The Overlord looked down at Per from the top of the steps. Per felt his commanding presence and took a step back.

"Lad, we aren't going anywhere until the castle is secured. I have no desire to fight my way in or out of this place."

"But, Your Majesty...", Per started to complain.

"Enough! Or you'll find yourself back in those stocks," commanded the Overlord. "Tenan, take this boy to his room and keep him there."

"Yes, Your Majesty.", replied Tenan, with a bow. "C'mon, Per."

Per stared at the Overlord for a second before stomping off to his room with Tenan following behind. Once there, Per paced up and down, worrying about what was happening in the castle. Tenan, an old campaigner, leaned against the wall closest to the door and closed his eyes.

The night dragged on for Per. His imagination took hold as he thought about rescues and tragedies, each playing against the other. Just when he was about at his wit's end, there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" asked Tenan, his eyes snapping open, his stance alert.

"A message from the Overlord," was the reply.

Tenan opened the door to find one of the Overlord's men standing there.

"His Majesty states that the castle is secure and that the girls are safe. When we went into the audience chamber, they were standing on a table dressed in gauze outfits. The Overlord has placed them under guard. Tenan, he wants to see you. Per? You are ordered to remain in this room and not leave it. If you do, I'll be forced to put a guard at your door or lock you in the dungeon. Will you stay here until summoned?"

"Yes, I'll stay here," replied Per, relieved that the girls were safe.

The man and Tenan left. Per knowing that there was nothing else he could do, settled down in his bed and slept.

For the next two days, Per chafed at his confinement. His only distractions were Helga when she brought him his meals and Tenan, who only stopped by once quickly to find out how he was.

"Per, you should see who has arrived.", said Helga that night when she brought his evening meal.

"That's kind of hard for me to do," he snapped back angrily.

"Oh, I know that.", she replied, not offended. "What I mean is that I think the Overlord has been waiting for these people to arrive. It's his wife, Queen Shara, and several of his advisors. One of them is a magician, I think. You should see his wife! She is absolutely beautiful. Rumor has it that the Baron is a cousin of hers. Well, I have to run."

The next morning, Per was summoned to the audience chamber. When he entered the room, he saw Cedric and Felinor sitting in chairs against one wall. In front of Per was the Overlord and a beautiful woman, who Per guessed to be Queen Shara. Per heard voices above him and knew without looking that there were people in the gallery.

Per strode forward and bowed to the Overlord and to the Queen. The Overlord's expression was unreadable, but when Per met the Queen's eyes, she flashed him such a look of hatred as he had never seen before.

"Per, I am here to investigate serious allegations made against Baron Cedric and Sir Felinor.", stated the Overlord. "Please tell us what you know of these matters."

Per told his story, clearly and distinctly. A quick glance at Cedric and Felinor showed them both to be staring at Per in open-mouthed astonishment. Even the Queen seemed taken aback, not so much as by what he was saying, but that Per was able to put two sentences together. The only one who showed no emotion was the Overlord.

Per told the whole story from the beginning. By midday he had almost finished when the Overlord recessed for lunch. Per was allowed to go to the dining room and was met there by Tenan.

"The girls are fine.", Tenan stated as they sat down. "I've looked in on them. The Overlord wanted to keep you separate until after you have given your testimony. Be careful after lunch. I'm sure Cedric, Felinor and the Queen have some nasty surprises for you."

"The Queen? Why the Queen?"

"Cedric is her favorite cousin and was sent here to help establish a power base for her. The Overlord didn't marry her for love. The marriage was political to cement his hold on this country. The Queen has been using her family to build up her power. If she ever gets powerful enough, we may find ourselves with a Queen and no Overlord. If Cedric falls because of you, she'll take it as a personal insult and will become your most bitter enemy."

"I'm not afraid of her," said Per aloofly.

"You'd better be," warned Tenan. "I can't help you when you are in front of the Overlord. You have to stand on your own two feet. Let's eat. Oh, by the way, the Overlord had his priest use his healing powers to remove the drug from Melinar and Nyrandurril."

Per ate lunch with Tenan, relieved that the girls had been cured. He had been afraid that Cedric would have used the drug's effects to destroy the girls' testimonies. After lunch, Per went back to the audience chamber and finished telling the Overlord what had happened. When he had finished, the Overlord turned to Cedric and Felinor.

"Baron Cedric, Sir Felinor. Do you have any questions to ask this man?" he inquired.

Sir Felinor stood, pulled out a glove and threw it at Per.

"Your Majesty, this man is a peasant and he lies like all peasants. His mind is as deformed as his body. He has no concept of truth. I challenge him to recant his words and I am ready to prove my innocence in a trial by combat.", he said. "Pick up the glove, peasant, or recant. I am giving you the opportunity to tell the truth."

"I told the truth.", stated Per.

"I state that you lied.", replied Felinor. "It is probably because of your upbringing that you cannot ascertain the truth. It is obvious just by looking at you that your mother sleeps with every sort of creature and animal."

Per balled his fist in anger and bent down to grab the glove.

"PER!" shouted the Overlord, stopping him short of the glove. "If you pick it up, the matter will be settled by combat. I can't interfere. Sir Felinor is a trained fighter."

Per picked up the glove and said, "So am I, Your Majesty. Since I was challenged, I will chose swords, shields and no armor for the trial."

"No armor!" cried Sir Felinor. "Your Majesty, I protest. It..."

"Protest all you like.", said the Overlord, cutting him off. "The challenge was issued and accepted. I find no problems with the terms unless you want to withdraw the challenge, which means admitting your guilt."

Felinor remained silent.

"So be it.", stated the Overlord. "The combat will commence in one hour in the courtyard. Tenan!"

"Yes, Your Majesty?" replied Tenan from the gallery.

"See to Per. You're his second. Make sure he knows what is going on"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Overlord and Queen Shara stood as everyone bowed and left the room. Everyone else, except Per, filed out of the room and the gallery after them. As Cedric left, he turned to Per smiling and made a cutting motion across his throat. Per said nothing and waited while Tenan came down from the gallery.

"Just what in the name of all the hells do you think you were doing?" cursed Tenan as he burst through the door. "Are you totally feeble-minded? We have the vases. We have the potter. The girls are safe and YOU THROW IT AWAY ON A WHIM!!!!"

"He insulted my mother.", stated Per quietly.

Tenan took a deep breath to control himself and said, "Yes, he did. I was going to challenge him myself for that and cut off his dick for way of an apology to your mother. She's going to kill me no matter how this turns out. Come with me. I have something for you."

Per followed him back to Tenan's room. There, Tenan reached under the bed and brought out a long, heavy box.

"I brought this in case we needed it.", Tenan said. "I think you need it now."

Per undid the clasps and opened the box. Lying in the box was a sword. Light gleamed off its length and the brass-wired hilt shone. Per picked up the sword and saw a black leather scabbard underneath it. The sword was longer and heavier than the long sword Tenan wore. It fitted his hand perfectly.

"It's a bastard sword, sometimes called a hand-and-a-half sword. Humans can use it one-handed or two-handed. It was just your size so I modified the grip so that you can use it with one hand while carrying a shield in the other.", said Tenan. "Let's go to the armory to find you a shield."

"Beware of Felinor's speed," Tenan told him as they walked to the armory. "He and Cedric were born to their positions. Cedric has never been in a battle or fight and Felinor's only been in two or three. What they are hoping to do is cut down an untrained farm boy. They don't know about the training you received from me, Dagmar and Rolph. Use your strength against him. He probably has as much endurance as you, but he is nowhere near as strong as you."

They went to the armory and selected a shield for Per. Per extended his hand and Tenan clasped it firmly. Silently, they walked to the courtyard.

Per was amazed to see everyone there. He had expected this to be only himself, Felinor, Tenan, Cedric and the Overlord. He did not realize that everyone in the castle would come. The Overlord and Queen Shara had taken seats on the upper landing by the keep's door. Everyone else was standing around the walls enclosing the courtyard. Per saw Melinar and Nyrandurril standing together in the crowd. They both smiled encouragement to him while holding on to one another. The Overlord stood to address the crowd.

"A challenge has been issued by Sir Felinor against the accusations made by this man, Per, stating that the accusations were false. Per accepted the challenge and selected swords and shields for the trial. Any interference in this trial will result in the offender's death. The combat will continue until one or the other is killed. Begin!"

Per faced Felinor in a guard position. Felinor nonchalantly looked at Per in disgust. Suddenly, Felinor sprang forward, thrusting his sword at Per. Per brought up his shield to block the thrust, but Felinor changed his aim point, cutting a deep gash across Per's left thigh. Per hopped back and then quickly to the right earning him a quick nick to the right arm, but allowing him to score a deep cut across Felinor's chest. Felinor stepped back, clasping his hand to his bloody chest, astonished that Per had actually cut him. Warily now, Felinor began to circle Per trying to use his speed. Once more, Per suffered a nick to his right arm and then a nick to his left leg while missing the elusive Felinor. Per realized that Felinor would cut him to ribbons slowly if he does not do something. Felinor jabbed again scoring another hit on Per's right arm, but Per, seeing the jab coming, swung his shield with all his strength. Per was not trying to block the stroke, but to catch Felinor's sword close to the hilt with the edge of the shield. Felinor's sword flew out of his hand and he watched it dumb-founded as it sailed across the courtyard. So stunned was Felinor that he did not see Per continue to spin around or see Per's sword swinging for his neck.

Per, breathing heavily, stood over the headless corpse, his arm and leg stinging from the cuts and gashes.

"DONE!" cried the Overlord, standing up. "Bandage his wounds and bring him to the audience chamber."

Per was barely aware of the Overlord leaving, as he buffeted by Melinar and Nyrandurril hugging him and forcing him to lie down. They were followed by a happy, but saddened Tenan.

"Here," Tenan said, taking Per's sword. "Give me that before you hurt someone."

"He'll need stitches on this leg wound," commented Melinar to Nyrandurril. Bandage his arm and I'll bandage his leg. We'll then get him over to the infirmary."

"I'll leave him in your capable hands," said Tenan, dryly. "Just make sure he is at the audience chamber as soon as he is sewn up. The Overlord doesn't like to wait."

Nyrandurril and Melinar got Per to the infirmary where the deep cut on his leg was stitched. With the help of the girls and gritting his teeth, Per hobbled up to the audience chamber. Per shooed the girls back at the door and then limped in to bow before the Overlord.

"The challenge has been made and answered.", stated the Overlord. "The victor stands before us. His truth is unquestioned. Baron Cedric, step forward. Your actions nearly caused a revolt in my realm. You are hereby stripped of your barony. All lands, chattels and possessions are forfeit to the crown, except for your armor, personal arms and two horses. You are to go straight away to Grunstom Keep and report to the commander there for whatever duties he has for you."

"Your Majesty!" cried Queen Shara. "Baron Cedric hasn't been found guilty of anything. He hasn't even had a trial. You can't punish an innocent man."

"Your Majesty.", the Overlord addressed her. "When the late Sir Felinor challenged the validity of Per's accusations to trial by combat, he challenged all of the accusations. In a trial by combat, the victor has been deemed to have spoken the truth. By law, every accusation Per spoke of has to be held as the truth. This means Cedric is guilty. Of course, he could challenge Per, but I think he stands a better chance at Grunstom Keep."

The Overlord turned to Cedric, who was staring at the floor.

"Well, Cedric.", he said. "Do you wish to challenge Per and follow in your friend Felinor's footsteps?.....I thought not. Captain of the Guard! Do you accept my judgment?"

"Yes, Your Majesty.", replied the captain.

"You and your men may resume your duties. Have one man escort Cedric to collect his items. Armor, personal weapons and two horses. Include trappings for the horses and food. Nothing else and I want him on his way within one hour. If he has not left within the hour, behead him. Have men assist my advisors. They will be taking an inventory of the castle and its lands. Now, everyone out! I wish to speak to this young man alone."

As soon as everyone had trooped out, the Overlord turned to Per and said, "Have a seat, lad, have a seat. I've had enough wounds in my life to know that those should be throbbing by now. Here, drink this."

The Overlord filled a goblet with wine and brought it over to where Per had sat down. Per felt uneasy having this man wait on him.

"I wanted a few moments alone," said the Overlord as he sat down. "You've made a couple of powerful enemies today. I know all about my wife's scheming and maneuvering. Today was a serious setback for her and her family. I wanted to warn you to be on your guard. Speaking of guards, I want you to join my palace guards. I can use a man of your stature, strength and intelligence."

Your Majesty, I'm honored, but Nyrandurril is the intelligent one of our group. Melinar is probably as street-wise as Nyrandurril is smart. I just do the bullwork."

"You're selling yourself short. You could have run out on them and escaped. By staying, it indicated that you have dedication and loyalty. I need people I can trust in the palace. Think it over for a couple of days. I'll be here for the next week to make sure this matter is resolved."

Per stood, bowed and limped out of the room. Outside the door, Nyrandurril, Melinar and Tenan were waiting for him.

"Well, what happened?...What did he say?...What did he want to see you about?" their voices shot questions at him, overlapping each other.

Per held up his hands and they fell silent.

"He wanted to warn me that I had made some enemies. He also wants me to join the palace guard.", he told them.

Tenan looked at the pain in Per's face and said, "No more questions. Let's get him to bed."

Tenan and the girls assisted Per along the corridors. They stopped, not at Per's room, but at a new chamber. The room was furnished exquisitely. Per looked at the fine furniture and the paintings on the walls. It was the most elegant room he had ever seen.

"I can't stay here," he protested. "This is a room for some lord or lady."

"Nonsense.", snorted Tenan. "The Overlord said to make you comfortable, so I appropriated this room. It has a bed big enough for your size. Besides, I've always taught you that you are equal to everyone else. Just because they have a title doesn't mean that they are better than you. Just treat everyone with the same respect."

Tenan and the girls then helped Per over to the bed. The bed, Per saw, was big enough to hold two people his size. He reached over to touch the down pillows and comforter.

"Okay.", said Tenan. "Strip."

"What?" asked a startled Per.

"Strip.", repeated Tenan. "The girls need to change your bandages and clean you off."

"Uh...umm...couldn't you do it?" asked Per embarrassed.

"You've seen them naked a dozen times. Don't go shy on me," said Tenan. "Besides, I don't have their delicate touch, but if you want me to rip off the bandages...."

"Uh, no. I think I'll have the girls do it."

"Good.", stated Tenan. "I've got work to do and I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, Tenan left. Per let go a sigh and began to remove his clothing.

"Lie down.", commanded Melinar, once he was naked.

Per laid down on the right side of the bed. He looked over at Nyrandurril and saw that she was staring fascinated at his cock. Per suddenly became embarrassed as his cock twitched to life under that intense stare.

"Nyran!" said Melinar, breaking her stare. "His arm."

Nyrandurril, flustered, went over to change the bandage on his arm. Melinar had to climb up on the bed to look at his wounded left leg. The girls sponged the wounds clean and rebandaged them.

Per was just starting to relax as the girls finished when he felt a hand brush his semi-hard cock. Lifting his head, He looked down to see Melinar smiling at him, brushing her fingertips up and down his now rapidly stiffening shaft.

"We couldn't decide which of us should thank you properly," said Melinar, while taking his cock in both hands and pumping it. "So, we decided to come together. Slide over to the middle of the bed."

Per looked up at Nyrandurril who leaned down to give him a full, rich kiss on the lips. She stood up and began to remove her clothing. Per moved over to the center of the bed. Melinar continued to caress his cock until it had enlarged to its full length.

"By the Gods!" whispered Nyrandurril, now naked and staring again fascinated at Per's prick. "Are all male...um...things that big?"

No, Nyran.", replied Melinar. "Per is exceptionally well-endowed. Come here while I disrobe."

Nyrandurril got up on the bed and kneeled by Per's hips. She tentatively reached out and touched his cock. She then grasped it and her cool, slim fingers traced every bump and groove while Melinar undressed. Nyrandurril began to massage Per's cock as Melinar had done causing pre-cum to ooze out of the tip. Nyrandurril stared and pumped as the clear fluid leaked out and rolled down his shaft. Per felt the tension building in his balls as Nyrandurril continued to stroke it.

"Nyran, stop," said Melinar, getting back in bed and taking Nyrandurril's hands off his cock. "He's close to cumming and we don't want that yet."

"Cumming?" asked Nyrandurril.

"Gods, girl! You are so naive. Cumming is when a man or a woman orgasm or climax. Turn around on your hands and knees with your backside to Per."

Nyrandurril did as Melinar asked. Per found himself staring at Nyrandurril's pussy and ass. Melinar leaned over his stomach.

"Okay, Per. Lesson one was how to touch. Lesson two. How to touch a woman sexually.", she said. "This is called foreplay. Remember, in sex, you want to give as much pleasure as you receive."

Melinar then taught Per how to stimulate a woman using Nyrandurril's body. He caressed her breasts and gently pinched her nipples. He sucked on her tits and flicked tongue over the hard buds of her nipples. Nyrandurril's breathing became heavier and she moaned with delight. Melinar then had him reach down to Nyrandurril's pussy, which he found to be wet with her juices. Melinar taught him to fondle a clit, which left Nyrandurril shuddering and moaning with delight.

Melinar then turned around and began stroking Per's hard cock. Pre-cum oozed out of the tip which Melinar spread around with her fingertip. Per, using his free hand, reached between Melinar's legs to her wet pussy. Melinar, looking over her shoulder, flashed him a smile and repositioned herself on her hands and knees so Per had access to both cunts. Per moved both hands in unison, rotating his fingers in small circles around each woman's clitoris. His fingers became slick with their juices and both women were moaning in passion.

Melinar suddenly moved away from Per. Unsure of what to do, Per stopped fingering both girls, which caused Nyrandurril to groan in disappointment. Melinar turned around and threw a leg over Per's hips. Reaching down between them, she grasped his huge cock and brought it up to the entrance to her pussy. Rocking backwards, Melinar sank half of his prick deep into her sopping cunt. Per felt his prick part her hot, tight pussy and slide into it. It was like nothing he had felt before.

Melinar continued to rock back and forth forcing more of his cock into her cunt with each plunge. Per did not know how long he could last. Just as he began to feel the tension build again, Melinar slid off his cock and moved over to his side.

"I needed to get you slicked up for Nyran.", Melinar panted, grasping his now shiny cock. "Nyran, I want you to squat over Per's cock."

Nyrandurril licked her lips and did as she was told. Holding on to Melinar's hand, she lowered herself until Per's cock was poised right at the entrance to her pussy. She then gingerly eased down until an inch of Per's cock was inside her. Per felt his cock hit an obstruction and Nyrandurril froze.

Melinar moved around behind Nyrandurril, licked one of her fingers and stuck it between Nyrandurril's legs. Per watched as Melinar fingered Nyrandurril's clit. Nyrandurril's breathing became shorter and faster, and Per felt her pussy become wetter. Melinar stopped playing with the clit, placed both hands on Nyrandurril's hips and shoved downward.

Per felt his cock rip through the obstruction as six inches of his cock sank into Nyrandurril's incredibly tight pussy. Nyrandurril gritted her teeth and her eyes bulged. Melinar smoothed down Nyrandurril's hair and cooed soft words to her while reaching down again to finger her clit.

Per, afraid of causing Nyrandurril more pain, did not move a muscle. Soon, Nyrandurril stopped gritting her teeth and began to raise and lower herself on Per's prick. Per felt her pussy clasp his prick tightly as it inched its way up and down on his cock. Nyrandurril's juices coated his already slick cock and she increased the pace as she became use to his shaft inside her. Nyrandurril's grunts of pain became moans of passion.

Melinar moved from behind Nyrandurril and straddled Per's head. Per did not need any instructions. He just buried his face in Melinar's pussy and began licking it for all it was worth. Cries of passion and moans of delight filled the room. Per was in heaven. His cock was sunk halfway into the beautiful Nyrandurril, who was enjoying the first hard prick ever shoved up her virgin pussy. His tongue was lapping away at Melinar's pussy, tasting her juices.

Nyrandurril increased her pace and Per felt the tension build again in his balls. He licked furiously at Melinar's pussy causing her to quiver with delight, as he tried to take his mind off the tight pussy fucking his cock.

Just as he felt he would explode, Per felt Nyrandurril slam herself down on his cock and felt her pussy spasm tightly around it. It was enough to send him over the edge.

"Mmummph!" he cried, his cry muffled by Melinar's pussy.

Per's hips flexed upwards as his sperm boiled up from his balls to spew torrent-like deep into Nyrandurril's pussy. Per felt as if his entire essence was being drained into Nyrandurril and his cock pumped hot cum into her. Melinar bounced off to one side from his thrashings.

As his climax subsided, Nyrandurril slid off him and collapsed on the bed, her legs spread apart. Melinar crawled forward, her eyes riveted on Nyrandurril's pussy oozing Per's jism. Melinar bent her head down and began licking and slurping Nyrandurril's cunt.

Per felt odd. A fire seemed to burn between his legs. His balls felt a strange tightness that needed release. He looked over and saw Melinar, her face stuck in Nyrandurril's pussy with her butt stuck up in the air. Per felt himself tensing and knew he had to cum again.

Ignoring the pain in his leg, Per rolled over to kneel behind Melinar. He grabbed her hips and flexed forward, sinking his rock-hard cock into her wet, hot pussy.

Melinar moaned in ecstasy. She redoubled her efforts on the pussy she was licking, which produced a whimper and sigh from the semi-comatose Nyrandurril. Per continued to pound his cock into Melinar. He saw Nyrandurril grip the sheets, shudder and shake as she came a second time. He continued to fuck Melinar even after she gave a loud cry and he felt her pussy clamped down on his cock in the throes of her orgasm. Rhythmically, he shoved his cock in and out, forcing a little bit more in with each stroke. Per felt the fire and knew he had to cum.

Gradually, he began to feel the tension build down in his toes. He increased his tempo. Melinar, sweat dripping off her body, noticed the change and began humping back at him.

"C'mon, Per," she gasped. "Pound that prick into me. Make me cum. Make me cum again. Fill me with hot spunk. Oh, Gods...I'm...I'm...I'm...cccc...cumming!"

Melinar's body shook and spasmed as another orgasm overtook her. Per felt his sexual tension build and then crest. Melinar let loose a banshee wail of passion as Per shoved his cock all the way into her. His cock twitched and jerked as it shot spurt after spurt of hot, sticky cum into her cunt.

"That...that was wonderful," sighed Melinar, collapsing on the bed as Per's cock wetly slid out of her pussy.

"But he is still hard.", stated Nyrandurril, who stared at his cock. "Per, do you think...I mean, could you...?"

Per reached over and grasped each of her ankles in response. Pulling Nyrandurril towards him and holding her legs in the air, he parted them and sank half his cock into her wet pussy. Nyrandurril, still slick from his and her juices, squealed in delight as his cock slid into her. Per no longer feeling the need for release, gently and methodically fucked her. With her legs on his shoulders, Per had full access to her pussy. Nyrandurril's cunt clasped tightly to his cock and Per brought her to a shuddering orgasm before pumping another full load of jism deep into her pussy.

Per gently lifted himself off the quivering Nyrandurril. Every now and then she would spasm in the aftershock of her orgasm. He covered her and Melinar with a blanket and went to sleep with them in his arms.

Per awoke late the next morning to the sound of someone knocking on his door. Looking around, Per saw that he was alone. Before he could do anything, the door swung open and Tenan entered the room.

"Going to sleep all day, eh?" Tenan quipped. "Get up and let's get some breakfast."

Per arose, washed and got dressed. If Tenan thought anything about the chaotic disorder of the bed, he kept it to himself. At breakfast, Per noticed several scribes writing at the tables. There were people rushing in and out giving the scribes slips of paper.

"Inventory," said Tenan, following Per's glance. "The Overlord is having the entire castle inventoried before he turns it over to the new baron."

"The new baron?" exclaimed Per. "Who is it?"

"I don't know. It has to be someone the people respect and trust, especially after Cedric. I know he was talking to Melinar and Nyrandurril about what happened. I have errands I have to do today. I want you to have the bandages changed and do some light exercises so your arm and leg doesn't stiffen up. Don't overdo it, though. I don't want you pulling out the stitches."

Per spent the rest of the day walking and resting around the castle, after getting his wounds cleaned at the infirmary. He moved his possessions out of his old room to the new one. Melinar, Nyrandurril and Tenan were nowhere to be seen. Alone and bored, Per went to supper and then up to his room.

He opened the door to find Melinar sitting in a large chair by the fireplace. Her hair was done up on top of her head and she was wearing a sky-blue robe. She smiled at him as he entered the room.

"Uh...hi.", he said, suddenly embarrassed without knowing why.

"Oh, Per. You're such a treasure," admonished Melinar. "I came by to see how you are. Nyrandurril is still being interviewed by the court wizard. He was listening to her tell about what happened. After she finished, he literally dragged her off to one side and began asking her all sorts of strange questions. They'll probably be all night long. Nyran told me to come up and see you. You do want to see me, don't you?"

Per walked over to Melinar and slid the robe off her shoulders. The robe fell down to her hips where it was tied around by a sash, revealing that Melinar had worn nothing underneath it. Per reached down and cupped a large breast in each hand. Melinar sighed as Per traced her aureoles with his thumbs.

Melinar slid her arms out of the robe, reached over and unbuckled Per's belt. She then kneeled down and pulled his pants to the floor freeing his hard cock.

"This bad boy is going to spoil me rotten.", sighed Melinar, grasping his cock with both hands.

Per looked down to see Melinar stroke his shaft, its tip just inches away from her face. As a drop of pre-cum oozed out the slit of Per's prick, Melinar leaned forward and licked it right off, sending chills up Per's spine.

Opening her mouth wide, Melinar took the tip of his cock into her mouth and began to suck on it. Per felt the knob of his cock in her warm, wet mouth and looked down to see her lips clamped firmly to its shaft. Melinar was looking up at Per as she bobbed her head back and forth, sucking in the tip of his cock as she continued to stroke it with her hands. Per felt her tongue flick over the head of his prick and began to feel the tension build in his balls.

"Uh..Mel...Melinar. I'm...I'm real close," panted Per.

Melinar winked at Per and, without breaking eye contact, doubled her efforts on sucking his cock. Her tongue licked over the top of his cock as her head bobbed faster to slide his cock in and out of her mouth. Per locked his knees as his tension built rapidly.

Per gasped as his cock shot off its spurt of cum into Melinar's waiting mouth. Per watched as Melinar's cheeks billowed out as his prick continued to spew forth spurt after spurt of hot jism. Per felt her swallowing his cum, but some still leaked out the corner of her mouth to dribble down her chin. As his climax subsided, Per again felt the tightness and fire build in his cock and balls.

"I thought you would never stop cumming," panted Melinar, licking her lips. She scooped the cum off her chin and then gulped it down. She then stroked his cock. "I thought you may be good for more than one climax and, you know, I think you are harder now than before."

Melinar stood up, undid the sash and let the robe fall to the floor. Per pulled off his shirt and stepped out of his pants and shoes. He then leaned down and gave Melinar a long, deep kiss. Melinar responded passionately, throwing her arms around his neck and mashing her tits against his chest. Their tongues dueled with each other. Per slid a hand down her side and reached around between her legs.

Melinar opened her legs slightly as his hand slid over her muff and down to her pussy. Per parted her labia and felt the moistness there. He gently stroked his clitoris, which soon had Melinar gasping for breath. Unable to withstand the fire in his loins any longer, Per broke their liplock, picked Melinar up and carried her over to the bed.

Laying her down, Per climbed on top between her open legs. Melinar's eyes opened wide as half of his twelve inch cock entered into her sopping, hot cunt. By the fifth stroke, Per had sunk his cock all the way in, stretching Melinar's cunt to its limit. Melinar writhed under Per in passion as his big cock pistoned in and out of her pussy, his balls slapping against her ass with each stroke. Melinar wrapped her legs around Per's hips as her breathing became heavier and heavier.

"Ohhhh, yesss!" she moaned. "Fuck me. Oh, fuck me! Fuck me until you can't fuck me anymore. Ram that cock up my cunt. Make me cum. Make me cum!"

Per obliged, increasing his pace and the strength of his fucking. Melinar squealed in delight and her breath came out in short gasps. Melinar's head suddenly snapped backwards and her legs locked tight around Per's hips. Her pussy clamped down on his cock and a deep growl issued out of her throat as Per felt her shudder in the throes of an intense orgasm.

Per felt his own climax build and, with one final shove, his cock expanded before exploding, shooting wads of sticky sperm into Melinar's pussy. Melinar gasped and held Per tightly as his hot spunk coated her womb.

Per collapsed, but immediately rolled off Melinar when she began to hit him.

"Gods, Per.", she panted, gasping for air. "Don't lay on me like that! You're three times heavier than I am. I'm okay, but you're going to have to watch your size...and I mean all your size," she looked significantly at his hard cock. "Also your strength. Be careful with of the other women who will grace your life."

"Now, where were we?" she said, throwing a leg over his hips. "Oh, Yes!"

Melinar reached between them and grabbed Per's cock. Sinking backwards, Melinar impaled herself on the hard shaft. Humping back and forth, she firmly fucked herself up and down on Per's pole. Per reached up and caught her swaying breasts to pinch and tease the hard nipples. Per knew it would be awhile before he came, so he concentrated on caressing Melinar. He found a couple of ticklish spots and some others that made her moan in excitement. Melinar came twice before Per felt the spunk boil in his balls and then spurt into Melinar again.

Melinar, feeling him cum, ground her pussy down, holding his cock deep inside her until he was finished. Her sweat-sheened body then collapsed off to one side. She laid facedown, one leg hanging off the edge of the bed and the other half-bent up towards her. Per rolled on his side and guided his hand up her bent leg to her sopping wet pussy.

"Per, I can't," Melinar gasped. "I don't have the strength."

"Oh, really.", Per replied. "What was it you said - Fuck me until you can't anymore. Well, I think I'm good for one more."

"Per, I can't even lift my head," she whined.

Per rolled off his side of the bed and walked around to her side.

"I think I see a solution.", he told her.

Per pulled her leg, which was on the bed over the edge. He then grasped a limp Melinar under the arms and swung her around so that she was laying sideways on the bed with her legs hanging over the edge.

Per came up behind Melinar, bent his knees and pointed his cock at her pussy entrance. When he straightened his knees, his cock slid right into her sopping, gushy cunt.

"Ohhh, not again," moaned Melinar, not moving.

Per grasped her hips and slowly fucked his big cock in and out of her. He could feel their mingled juices roll down her legs out of her cunt. Per watched as Melinar's limp hands slowly tightened a grip on the bedsheets. He then felt her vaginal muscles tighten around his cock.

"Oh, Gods, yes!" came the muffled cry from Melinar, still face down on the bed. "I'll die after this, but fuck me...Fuck Me...FUCK MEEE!!!!!"

Per began to slam his cock into Melinar. Every time he rammed it home, she grunted and moaned. Per felt the tension building in his balls and kept up the pace. Melinar's pussy clasped his cock as if trying to milk it dry. Per could not hold it any longer and, with one final shove, exploded inside Melinar. The first hard spurt of hot sperm set her off. With a rising wail, Melinar screamed out her orgasm.

Per thought he would cum forever. His cock seemed to spurt sticky jizz continually up Melinar's cunt. Finally, it subsided and Per fell on the bed next to Melinar, completely drained. Melinar raised her head to look at him with dazed eyes and a soft smile.

"I won't be able to walk for a week, you bastard," she joked. "But I wouldn't have missed this for the world. Help me into bed."

Per helped the limp Melinar into bed and covered her up. He walked over to the other side and climbed in. Melinar reached up and pulled his head down to give him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you. Please...take...it...easy...when...Ny...Nyran...comes...tomorrow.", she said drowsily as she fell asleep.

Per awoke early the next morning. Melinar was still asleep next to him, so he crawled carefully out of bed not to awaken her. Dressing quietly, Per had an idea. He left the room and went to the garden of the castle. He cut a red rose and removed the thorns, only pricking his fingers twice. Per took the flower back to his room and laid it on the pillow for Melinar to find. He then waited outside his door for Tenan.

Tenan arrived shortly and raised an eyebrow at Per. Per just stared back. Tenan sighed and, with a wave of his hand, led Per to the dining room for breakfast.

"You look tired.". commented Per at the table.

"You'd be tired to if you ran all over the barony yesterday," snapped Tenan. "Sorry. Over the past three years, sixteen people have run away from the 'service' to Cedric and have disappeared without a trace. I've been trying to find them."

"Could Cedric have killed them and disposed of the bodies?"

"Possibly, but not likely.", said Tenan, buttering his toast. "I've found two instances where servants were a problem for Cedric. They both met with fatal accidents. Fourteen of the sixteen people were girls and by all accounts very pretty. I'm sure Cedric had something to do with their disappearances, but he is already gone off to Grunstom Keep."

"He should have been tried and executed here.", said Per sharply.

"Per, Grunstom Keep guards a strategic mountain pass. It is almost always under siege. I'd say Cedric has a 50-50 chance of reaching the Keep alive. If he gets there, I would bet his chances for living drop to about five percent, depending on the orders the Overlord gives to the commander. If Cedric had been tried here, the Queen would have found a way to free him."

A guard came up to their table and interrupted saying, "The Overlord wishes to see both off you in the audience chamber when it is convenient."

"Which means now.", said Tenan, standing up and brushing the crumbs off his jacket.

Tenan and Per went to the chamber. As they entered, Per glanced at Queen Shara and saw her flash him a look of hatred before assuming a bored expression on her face.

"Per, how are your wounds?" asked the Overlord.

"Better, Your Majesty.", answered Per. "But they itch."

"They're mending then," chuckled the Overlord. "Have you considered the position in the palace guards?"

"With all due respect, I'd like to discuss this with my mother first."

"By all means. I'll be here another six or seven days. Now, on to other business. The barony is almost on the edge of revolt because of Cedric's antics. I need someone here that the people can trust, someone they can believe in. Anyone I send from the capital will probably end up with an arrow between their shoulder blades. Tenan, I'm sorry and I hope you can forgive me. You are the new baron."

"No!" cried Tenan.

"That was not a request, Tenan.", said the Overlord flatly. "Another ranger will fill your position in the woods. Tomorrow my advisors will be returning to the palace with Queen Shara. Straighten your affairs at your house and return here the day after tomorrow to assume your new duties."

"Yes, Your Majesty.", Tenan said resignedly. "With your permission, I'd like to take Per with me. He can see his mother and return with me. I need to conclude my business here today. May I leave tomorrow and return in three days."

"Granted.", said the Overlord, ending the audience.

"Per, pack your things.", said Tenan as they walked down the hallway. "I have to finish a couple of reports and find a replacement for me in the woods. I'll see you tomorrow morning early."

With that, Tenan took off for his own room leaving Per alone. It was getting towards lunchtime, so Per wandered down to the dining room. There he saw Melinar and Nyrandurril sitting at a table. They waved him over excitedly when they spotted him.

"I have the most exciting news to tell you.", said Nyrandurril as soon as he sat down. "The court wizard has accepted me as an apprentice. I am leaving with him tomorrow to learn the art of magic. I have already learned some cantrips."

"Cantrips?" asked Per. "What's a cantrip?"

"Very minor magic.", answered Nyrandurril. "Let me show you. Put your glass on the table."

Per set his glass of water on the table. Nyrandurril made a movement with her fingers and touched the glass. Per then reached for the glass. It was colder than it was before.

"I chilled the glass.", said Nyrandurril. "I suppose it would be useful is someone wanted a cold drink."

"I think it is wonderful.", sighed Melinar. "I'm also leaving tomorrow to go home. I wish I could go with you, Nyran, and see the palace, but I think I am going to be stuck here forever."

"Oh, Melinar!" poohed Nyrandurril. "You will be walking through a field when a handsome prince will sweep you off to be his bride. I will be cooking, cleaning and being lectured to by some crotchety old man until I am an old hag."

Melinar snorted a laugh at the image and then turned melancholy.

"You'll be beautiful and graceful until the day you die," she said. "I just wish I could see more of the world."

Per gnawed at his lip trying to decide what to do. He stood as he made his decision.

"Stay here.", he told the girls. "I'll be right back."

Per went to his room and then returned carrying a brown sack and a small pouch. The sack had something rectangular in it and sounded with a wooden thunk as Per set it on the table.

"Here.", he said holding the pouch to Melinar. "There are ten gold pieces in there. That should get you two to the city with a little bit to spare. Once you are there, you should be able to sell this."

Per pushed the sack towards them. Nyrandurril opened the sack to reveal a wooden box inside. Melinar crowded in to see as Nyrandurril opened the box. It was the box, which held the ivory and jade dildos.

"Per, where did you get this?" asked Nyrandurril, closing the box and putting it back in the sack.

"Cedric left it on the table after you...and...er...um...Melinar...uh....", stammered Per. "When he left the room, I took it. I want you and Melinar to sell it and split the money. Melinar said it was valuable."

"Per, this is worth several hundred gold pieces.", said Nyrandurril. "I will not need the money. Remember I am going with the court wizard. You and Melinar should divide the money."

"You and Melinar will need the money, no matter where you are in the capitol," stated Per. "The money won't help me on the farm. Think of it as compensation from Cedric. Melinar, you should leave tomorrow with Nyrandurril. It'll be safer traveling with that party."

"Thank you, Per.", said Melinar taking his hand. "This is another one I owe you. If you'll excuse us, we have to go get packed."

Melinar turned and fled out of the room, her hand covering her mouth. Per watched her go perplexed and then turned to Nyrandurril.

"Melinar comes from a poor family.", she said picking up the pouch and sack. "I think you are the first person to give her something without demanding something in return. I do not think she wanted you to see her cry. She is as grateful for the gift as I am."

"You're wrong," stated Per. "I am asking for something in return."

Nyrandurril's eyes narrowed. "And that is?"

"I want you and Melinar to watch out for each other. Also to call for me if you need me."

Nyrandurril smiled and said, "We will...we will. Now, I have to go pack because I know Melinar is going to become confused about what to take and what to send home."

Nyrandurril left and Per decided to send the rest of the day helping out at the forge. His wounds had nearly healed and only gave Per a twinge or two as he worked. Per took one break to go to the garden and cut another rose. He did not see the girls or Tenan at dinner, so he went to his room, packed and laid down to sleep.

Per had no sooner gotten into bed when he heard a light tapping at his door. Throwing the bedcover around him, Per padded over to the door and opened it. Nyrandurril, dressed in a black silk robe, her hair down around her waist, was standing there.

"Did you forget I was coming?" she asked shyly.

"Please, come in.", said per allowing her to enter and then shutting the door. "I wasn't sure if you were coming or not. I hoped you were." and he handed Nyrandurril the rose he had cut earlier.

"Oh, Per. It is lovely.", she said inhaling its fragrance.

Nyrandurril set the flower back in the glass. She turned to face Per and then lowered her eyes. Per saw her cheeks turn red as she blushed.

"I am here and I do not know what to do.", she said embarrassed. "I even asked Melinar to come, but she refused because she was here last night."

Per walked over to her and got down on his knees. He was just about the same height as she was now. Per put his hand under her chin, tilted her head up and kissed her on the lips.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close and kissed her again. Nyrandurril responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and melting into his arms. The kiss became more passionate and Per started nuzzling her neck and delicately pointed ears. Nyrandurril sharp intake of breath when he licked her ear told him he had hit the right spot.

Nyrandurril began running her fingers through his hair and down his back. When her fingers caught in the bedcover, she grabbed it and pulled it off leaving Per naked, his hard cock throbbing between his legs.

Per leaned back, separating their panting bodies, and untied the sash to Nyrandurril's robe. The robe slid off her pale shoulders to puddle on the floor revealing her naked loveliness. Per leaned down and caught one of her small breasts with his mouth. He tongued her nipple making it hard and enticing a gasp from her. Nyrandurril grasped his head and pulled him closer so he could suckle at her tits. Per's hand touched her knee and then glided upwards between her legs to her pussy.

Nyrandurril shifted her legs apart while holding Per's head down to her breasts. Per spread her pussy lips apart and gently massaged her clitoris. Nyrandurril moaned in delight and her breathing became heavier. Per felt her moisture flow lubricating her cunt.

Per stood and picked the slim girl up in his arms. He carried her over to the bed and set her down so that her legs were hanging over the edge. Per went down on his knees again, now facing Nyrandurril's exposed pussy. Sliding his hands under her legs, Per buried his face in her moist cunt.

Nyrandurril gasped, moaned and writhed as his tongue licked and flicked at her pussy. Her hands clutched at the bedsheets and roughly squeezed her breasts in the throes of her passion. Her juices flowed and Per delighted in her taste. It was different than Melinar's juices.

Per continued to lick Nyrandurril's pussy until he thought she was slick enough. He stood up and moved her around on the bed. Nyrandurril's head lay on the pillow, her long hair fanning out as Per moved over between her open legs. Per felt his cock at the entrance to her cunt and flexed his hips forward, forcing two inches of his cock into her incredibly tight pussy.

Nyrandurril squirmed as Per's large cock stretched her cunt to its limit. Per eased his cock in and out of Nyrandurril's pussy, taking it slow, until half his cock was inside her. Per held himself up so all of his weight was not on her. He concentrated on making sure only half his cock went inside her as he pumped it in and out. Nyrandurril bit her upper lip and clutched at Per as her body became used to him and passion took over. Her wet pussy gripped Per's cock tightly. Per felt his climax start to build in his toes. It built quickly and, with a bellow, Per shoved his cock into Nyrandurril and exploded.

"I...I...I...can...feel...you...you...spurting.", gasped Nyrandurril, her eyes wide. "I...I... AAAIIEEEEEEE!!!"

Nyrandurril's back arched as she screamed out her orgasm as Per's cock continued to pump wad after wad of hot, sticky sperm deep into her womb. As his climax subsided, Per felt the familiar burn of desire start again in his groin.

Per rolled off Nyrandurril, pulling his cock out of her cunt with a wet sucking sound. He laid down on his back next to her.

"That was wonderful.", sighed Nyrandurril rolling over to lay her head on his chest. "I thought you would come out of my mouth on that last shove. How much of you was in me?"

"Only half."

She glanced down and saw his cock, hard, twitching and pointed at her.

"Per, I thought men lost their desire after...you know.", she stated questioningly.

"I don't know," he answered. "My groin burns after cumming the first time. It is almost painful and I have to cum again to stop it."

"It might part of your ogre heritage.", Nyrandurril stated.

She reached down and stroked his hard cock. Per gritted his teeth and hissed from the unbearable sensations.

"We can not leave you like this," said Nyrandurril, throwing a leg over Per's hips.

Nyrandurril reached down between them and pointed his large cock at her pussy. With a quick lunge, she impaled herself, sliding half of his cock into her hot, slick cunt with one thrust. Per felt the tip of his cock hit her soft cervix. Nyrandurril rocked back and forth, humping herself up and down on his prick. Per reached up to play with her jiggling breasts and hard nipples. Every now and then, Nyrandurril would stop to grind her ass backwards as if to force more of his cock up into her cunt.

"Per...", gasped Nyrandurril, bouncing on his cock. "Uh.uh... how many... huff, huff... times did you... huff, huff... cum when... huff, huff... all of us... huff, huff... were together?"

"Three.", Per panted back.

"Huff... and last... huff, huff... night?"

"Four."

"You... huff, huff, huff... must... huff, huff, huff... get... huff, huff, huff... it... Huff, Huff, Huff... From... Huff, Huff, Huff... Your... HUFF, HUFF, HUFF, HUFF... FATHERRR. OH, GODS - YESSSSSS!!!!"

Nyrandurril body quivered in the throes of her orgasm, but she did not stop humping on Per's hard shaft. Per felt her vaginal muscles contract as if to milk him dry. The added pressure inflamed his desire and his sexual tension increased. Per grabbed Nyrandurril's hips after a few more moments and held her down on his cock as it fired off its load into her pussy.

"I can feel you spurting inside of me," said Nyrandurril dreamily. "It feels like...ahhh... you are shooting forever. I can feel some leaking out of me."

The burning sensation left per as he climaxed. He sat up with his cock still in Nyrandurril and brought her legs around his waist over his legs. Per felt his cock slip another inch into her pussy before hitting bottom again. Per reached down, grabbed each of her asscheeks and, using his legs as leverage, began bouncing Nyrandurril up and down on his prick.

Nyrandurril quickly held on to Per's arms for support as she was lifted and lowered onto his shaft. Their breathing became heavier as his hard cock fucked deep into her tight, wet pussy. Nyrandurril's long, blond hair fell across her face and her breasts jiggled with each impact of Per's prick inside her.

Per felt her breath catch and her hands tightened on his arms. Once again, Nyrandurril's pussy clamped down on his prick as she climaxed, their mingled juices flowing out of her.

Per felt his arms and legs burn with the effort of lifting and lowering Nyrandurril onto his large cock. He did not stop though and soon felt the climax building within himself. Gasping from the strain and the passion, Per kept fucking Nyrandurril on his cock. Finally, with a large growl, Per let go of Nyrandurril's ass, letting his cock slide deep into her, and held her close as he came. Per's body shook as his cock exploded. His prick spurted endlessly and each shot of hot jism seemed to have the force of a geyser.

Per fell backwards when his ejaculations diminished, with Nyrandurril falling on top of him. With his prick still inside her, they both laid there gasping. Nyrandurril moved up, causing Per's slightly deflated cock to slurp wetly out of her cunt, and kissed him.

"That was wonderful.", she said.

Nyrandurril slid back down, resting her head on his stomach. She then reached down and grasped his semi-soft, cum-coated prick with one hand.

"Per, I have never seen a man cum. Do you think you can? One more time?" she asked.

Per put his hands behind his head and said, "You'll have to do it."

Nyrandurril leaned over and bit one of his nipples as her hand began to jack him off. Per felt his cock become hard again under her caress. Nyrandurril sat up and crawled over between his legs. Crossing her legs over his, she grasped his cock with both hands to pump it. Her hands slid easily up and down his cock, still slick and slimy with both of their juices on it.

Nyrandurril's hands slid up and down the entire length of his shaft. Ever so often, she would reach with one hand to cup and caress his balls. They felt heavy and full of juice. Per felt his desire growing as he looked down at the blond girl intent on making him cum and knew it would not take long. The tension built in his balls.

"Here...it..cums!!!", he grunted.

Nyrandurril watched fascinated as Per's first shot of hot go spurted two feet into the air. The second shot went just as far, but Nyrandurril had unconsciously moved his cock slightly and it hit her right between the tits. Nyrandurril, cum dripping on her breasts, held his cock straight up and watched his sperm gush out, rolling down his shaft to cover her hands.

After Per had finished, Nyrandurril got up and washed her hands and breasts at the washbasin. She came back with a wet cloth and cleaned Per of his sticky sperm splatters.

"Thank you. You were my first and I will never forget you.", she whispered, kissing him.

Nyrandurril got up and weakly put on her robe. Opening the door slightly, she checked to see if the hallway was clear and left without another word or backwards glance. Per watched her go, realizing that in the morning they would all be going in different directions.

Per and Tenan left well before dawn with only an old dog and the gate watchmen to see them off.

"I think we'll stop by your mother's farm for the night," said Tenan. "I'll pick up the things I need immediately tomorrow and get Rolph and Dagmar to pack the rest later. You know, that sword looks like it is a part of you."

Per reached down to the bastard sword Tenan had given him. He had been wearing it ever since the duel.

"I don't even notice its weight anymore," stated Per. "If I go back to the farm, I guess it will go in some dusty, old trunk."

"Are you going to take the palace guard position?" asked Tenan.

"I don't know. It sounds exciting, but what happens if I run into people like Cedric and Felinor again."

"There's no 'if' about it," commented Tenan. "Intrigue, back stabbing, power plays are the name the game at the palace. You'll have to keep track of a half-dozen plots at any one time even as a palace guard. Are you going to marry one of those two girls you have been sleeping with?"

"WHAT!"

Don't yell," said Tenan. "I asked if you were going to marry...."

"I heard you.", interrupted Per angrily. "What have you been doing? Spying on me?"

"No and don't get angry. You've been walking around with a shit-eating grin on your face for the past three days. It was fairly obvious. They're good girls."

"Yes, they are.", stated Per, calming down. "I don't think they are ready for marriage. Nyrandurril and Melinar are leaving the castle today to go to the capitol. Nyrandurril is going to study magic with the court wizard. Melinar wants to see the city and experience more of life."

"Well, I think we have dawdled enough." said Tenan. "We'd better hurry of we won't make it to the farm in time for dinner."

The rest of the day went by pleasantly as the miles passed under their horses' hooves. It was a bright sunny summer day, which made Per hunger to get home. Per and Tenan passed by farms where fields of bright green shoots grew. Workers looked up to watch them before going back to their duties. The sun was just beginning to set as they entered the yard at Karina's farm. Rolph and Dagmar were just coming out of the barn when they rode up.

"You've grown some, boy," said Rolph, as they greeted each other. "I'm not sure your mother will recognize you."

"Is she well?" asked Per.

"She's in the house, fixing dinner. Go in and ask her if she has enough food for two more. Give me your sword and bags. We'll take them to your room."

Per gave over his sword and bags and went inside the house. Karina was stirring the contents of a pot suspended over the fireplace in the kitchen.

"Mother, do we have enough food for two travelers?" Per asked, casually.

"Of course, we so, Per.", she answered absentmindedly. "Just tell them to make sure that ...Per? ...Per!"

Karina turned around to stare at him, then, throwing the spoon on the table, ran around the table to hug her son.

"Oh, Per. I've missed you so," she exclaimed, crying with happiness. "How did you get here? Your year of service isn't over yet. What happened?"

"One question at a time," Per stated, glad to be home. "Tenan is with me and we'll tell you the whole story at dinner."

At supper, Per and Tenan related the entire story of Baron Cedric and the Overlord to Karina, Rolph and Dagmar. Karina grew flinty and cold when told of Cedric's abuses and then scared and frightened when Tenan told her of Per's duel with Sir Felinor.

"Why didn't you stop it?" she asked Tenan angrily. "He could have been killed."

"I had no choice in the matter.", he answered, meeting her stare for stare. "If he hadn't fought, he'd be in the dungeon right now."

"I'm sorry," Karina said, looking away first. "I'm overprotective. Please, continue. What happened next."

Tenan concluded the tale, excluding Per's liaisons with Melinar and Nyrandurril. Per felt Rolph and Dagmar staring at him as if they knew, but they remained silent.

"I'm thankful you both are safe," stated Karina. "All four of you have had a long day. Off to bed so I can clean up the dishes."

All four men looked at each other and smiled at the familiarity of being bossed around by Karina again. Rolph and Dagmar took off for the bunkhouse. Per went to his room while Tenan stayed to help Karina with the dishes. Per, back in his own bed, had no trouble falling asleep.

A shrill scream, abruptly cut off, snapped Per awake. He jumped out of his bed, stubbed his toes on a chair and fumbled for his sword. Pulling his sword free, Per ran towards the stairs only to meet Tenan and Karina coming out of their separate rooms.

"What was that?" asked Per.

"Someone dying.", replied Tenan, grimly.

"Rolph? Dagmar?" asked a frightened Karina.

"I don't know," said Tenan. "Bar the door after I leave. Per, stay here to protect your mother. I'll be back shortly."

Tenan disappeared out the back door moving silently into the night. Per and Karina barred the doors and bolted the shutters. Per quickly got dressed and went back downstairs to wait with his mother. Karina had restoked the fire, putting a kettle of water on a hook over the flames.

"Per, get down the box of bandages.", ordered Karina. "Then cut slices of the ham, bread and cheese."

Per had just finished slicing the bread when there was a knock at the door.

"It's me. Tenan."

Per unbarred the door and let Tenan, Rolph and Dagmar in. Tenan deposited a short sword, dagger, several throwing knives, two three-foot lengths of wire and five gold pieces on the kitchen table.

"It was a man I've never seen before," Tenan stated. "His chest is crushed in. It appeared that he was sneaking up on the house. I'll know better in the morning when I can see his tracks. We put his body in the tack room."

"How did his chest get crushed?" asked Karina, handing out plates of ham and bread.

"I don't know," said Tenan. "He didn't fall. I hope to find out in the morning when I can study the tracks. I want everyone to sleep in the house tonight. Dagmar will take the first watch, I'll take the second, and Rolph will take the third."

"What about me?" asked Per.

Tenan, Rolph and Dagmar broke out in smiles.

"Ah, youth," commented Rolph. "If he wants my watch, I'll gladly give it to him."

"No," replied Tenan. "but if you want to lose two hours sleep, you can keep watch with Rolph."

"I will.", said Per, bringing another chuckle from the older men.

Per felt that his head had just hit the pillow when Tenan shook him awake. Splashing water on his face, Per went downstairs. Rolph was awake and sharpening a wicked-looking halberd. Dagmar was rolled up in a blanket near the hearth and snoring loudly.

"Well, you look chipper this morning," said Rolph. "I don't think blood-shot violet eyes are going to catch on as a new fashion, though. They will be good for scaring young children."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny," grumped Per.

"There's ham and cheese and bread under the cloth," stated Rolph, pointing to the cloth-covered plate on the table. "There's cider in the pitcher. Eat sparingly. A full stomach will make you sleepy."

Who was the man who was killed?" asked Per, pouring some cider and taking a wedge of cheese.

"I don't know," replied Rolph, testing the axe edge of the halberd. "I'm pretty sure he was an assassin."

"An assassin! Here? To kill who?" stammered an alarmed Per. "Are you sure?"

"It's 'To kill whom?'. He had throwing knives and wire garrotes. I can almost guarantee you that he was an assassin. Per, I'm not saying for sure, but as for who the assassin was after, you are the only one who has pissed off several high ranking people lately."

"Me?"

"Don't think about it. I may be wrong. Here," stated Rolph, tossing the halberd to Per. "Let's try some exercises. You've probably gotten rusty in the past year."

"Won't we wake Dagmar?"

"He could sleep through a banshee scream, but if something threatened us, he'd be awake and up in a second. I don't know how he does it."

Per spent the next hour doing lunging, cutting and thrusting exercises with the halberd. Rolph, a perfectionist with the weapon, corrected every mistake and made Per redo each exercise until Per did it correctly. The sky was just beginning to lighten when Rolph stopped Per's drill and had him was up.

Dagmar snorted twice and rolled out of the blankets. Per saw that he had been sleeping with an unsheathed long sword which Dagmar now leaned against a wall. Dagmar snatched up a bucket and unbarred the door. Scanning the brightening countryside, Dagmar went out to fill the bucket at the well. Per went to the woodpile to replenish the wood inside the house while Rolph cleaned the hearth and rebuilt the fire.

Tenan came downstairs, took in everything at a glance, and grabbed a basket as he headed out to the chicken coop. Per was always amazed that the three men worked together without saying a word.

When Tenan came back, Per could tell something was wrong. Tenan did not say anything though. Karina came downstairs and they all sat down to breakfast.

"Someone erased the tracks last night," said Tenan, finishing off his bacon. "I'll have to go in a larger radius to see if I can find any."

"Who was the man who was killed last night?" asked Karina.

"We think he was an assassin and that he was after Per.", replied Tenan.

"PER!" gasped Karina. "Why Per?"

"You, Rolph and Dagmar haven't left the farm to anger anyone and nothing has changed in your life here," stated Tenan. "The assassin may have been after me, but I doubt it. Per is the only one here who has significantly angered one person enough to want him dead. That person is Queen Shara."

"That sluttish bitch?" asked Karina, angrily. "I'll cut out her heart with a dull knife."

"You'll do no such thing," commanded Tenan. "The Overlord will have to take action on any threat against the Queen, real, implied or even idle. Right now, we have to decide what to do about the threat on Per."

Per, who had been thinking on this since last night, knew what he had to do."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave," he said.

"Leave?" cried Karina. "Why? Where? This is your home."

"The first assassin failed and there will be others.", stated Per. "Queen Shara seems to be one to hold a grudge. Tenan is going to govern this barony and will be too busy to protect me unless he surrounds me with a squad of soldiers. If I stay here, sooner or later an assassin will catch me alone and unawares. They may even kill Rolph, Dagmar or even you, mother, to get me alone."

"He's right, you know," said Tenan, sadly. "Where will you go?"

"I thought I'd just see what's out there in the wide world," replied Per.

"It's too dangerous," argued a frightened Karina. "He'd be safer here."

"Karina, you have to let him go.", stated Tenan. "The time away will give us a chance to alleviate this threat."

"There is still one more threat," interrupted Per. "If the Queen can't strike at me, she may strike at you, mother. You need protection."

Tenan's eyebrows came together in thought. "I can put some guards here, but we still have the same problem as if you were going to stay. The chores need to be done and your mother will be vulnerable at times."

"I wasn't thinking of guards," stated Per. "I was thinking of her living at the castle as your wife."

Tenan's and Karina's mouths both dropped open and they stared at Per wide-eyed while Rolph and Dagmar guffawed with laughter.

"C'mon, Rolph," laughed Dagmar. "This is a family discussion."

Dagmar and Rolph left, leaving the other three people at the kitchen table.

"Per, that was a terrible thing to say!" snapped Karina. "Tenan may not want to marry me."

"Mother, Tenan's been in love with you for years," said Per. "I know you care for him deeply. You're happier each time he stops by. You do extra things to make his stay special. You two belong together."

"You love me?" asked Karina, turning to Tenan. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I loved you since the first day you knocked me to the ground.", answered Tenan, softly. "The reason I didn't tell you was because my life was too dangerous. I couldn't take you with me and I didn't want to leave you a widow. I should have told you long ago. Will you marry me?"

Karina smiled. "Tenan, we are already married."

"What!" cried Tenan and Per together.

"Of course, it was an ogre ceremony, but I think it's still valid," she said.

"When?" asked Tenan, suspiciously.

"The first day we met," Karina replied. "You stated you would be my Shappa. Now, out! I've got to clean up in here and you have packing to do. Out!"

Karina chased both men out the front door and closed it. Tenan took three steps, whirled and stared at the closed door. Spinning around again, he stomped off towards the barn, swearing and cursing the entire way. Per followed after him.

"Your mother is the most devious...the most exasperating...the most...the most...", sputtered Tenan to Per.

"She has you now and she's not going to let go, is she?" asked Per with a smile.

Tenan opened and closed his mouth like a fish. A smile formed and before long both he and Per were rolling on the ground laughing. Had they looked back at the house, they would have seen Karina watching them from a second floor window.

"We'd better not get too close. It may be catching,"

Per and Tenan looked up to see Rolph and Dagmar standing nearby.

"Think a bucket of cold water'll snap 'em out of it?" Dagmar asked Rolph.

"Worth a try," said Rolph, sniffing. "Even if it doesn't bring them to their senses, they could use a bath."

"Ha. Ha. Ha.", commented Tenan, getting up off the ground. "Very funny. I asked Karina to marry me..."

"It's about time," muttered Dagmar, under his breath.

"But...", Tenan shot Dagmar a hard look. "She just told me that we are already married by ogre standards since the day we met."

Dagmar looked like he had been pole-axed. Rolph just tilted his head and lifted an eyebrow.

"Seems like it took you a long time to get around to the bridal night.", Rolph commented.

Per rolled over laughing. Dagmar snorted and tried to stifle his laughter. Tenan turned beet-red, causing Per to laugh even harder. Rolph cast a sideways glance at Per.

"I don't know what you're laughing about," Rolph said. "It's your mother and father we're talking about."

"Enough already.", commanded Tenan, with a smile. "We have a lot of work to do. Per and I are going to my house to pack my possessions. I have to leave here tomorrow morning. I need you two to pick up the trunks at my house in a wagon and bring them to the castle. Rolph, please take the body into town. Someone might know him. Have them bury him there."

"I'll need money," stated Rolph. "They won't bury him for free."

"Take the money he had on him," said Tenan. "Anything else?"

"Is Karina going with you tomorrow?" asked Dagmar.

"I don't know. I'll ask her later."

"Better ask 'er now," commented Dagmar. "Not unless you wants to 'ear it for the entire trip from here to the castle bouts 'ow you didn't give 'er time to prepare. You'll probably 'ear it anyway, but it may 'elp if you asked ahead of time. Don't order 'er, ask 'er."

"Thanks," said Tenan, dryly. "Any other martial advice from a man who has never had a wife?"

"Nope, but ifs I think up some, I'll let you know."

Dagmar was right on the money because when Tenan asked Karina to go with him, she agreed, but let him know in no uncertain terms how she would never be prepared to leave by tomorrow morning. However, Per, when he went to his room to get his sword, looked through his mother's open bedroom door to see that she had already begun packing two saddlebags and a trunk.

Per and Tenan left the farm and traveled the short distance to Tenan's house in the woods. Once there, Tenan packed his saddlebags of the things he would need until his other possessions arrived at the castle. Per packed two large trunks full of Tenan's other things. Tenan decided to leave the furniture and kitchen items for the next tenant. As the sun started sinking, Tenan closed the front door and they left for the farm and supper.

After dinner, Tenan got up from the table and returned, carrying a heavy cloth bundle which chinked metallically when he set it down in front of Per.

"Per, you're leaving tomorrow to go adventuring. You've always been the son I wanted," said Tenan. "If you are ever in need, contact me. This is a farewell gift for you."

Per picked the knot on the string holding the bundle together. Unwrapping the cloth, Per saw what caused the metallic sound. Inside the cloth was a chainmail suit and a large helmet. Per held up the heavy chainmail and immediately noticed that it was his size.

"It's wonderful, but it must have cost a fortune," said Per, staring at the gleaming armor.

Dagmar leaned over and whispered something to Rolph. Rolph excused himself and went outside.

"Tenan won't tell you what it cost," said Dagmar. "Stand up and I'll shows you how to gets in and out of it."

Per stood and put on the padded shirt. With Dagmar's help, he struggled into the heavy chainmail and buckled it down. Dagmar adjusted the straps and padding in the helmet until it fit snug and secure. Per struggled out of his chainmail as Rolph returned carrying a halberd and a shield.

"This halberd is the first one I owned.", stated Rolph. "I want you to have it. The shield is from Dagmar."

Per picked up the black lacquered shield, saying, "Thank you. I hope I can do honor to your gifts."

"One last gift," said Dagmar. "The assassin's dagger. Don't worry. I washed the poison off of it. Keep it to remind you that there is danger all around and be careful."

They went to their beds soon after that. Per, restless, could not fall asleep. He was scared and thrilled at the prospect of traveling alone. He laid awake imagining all the horrors and wonders he would be seeing.

Towards midnight, he heard a creaking in the hallway outside his door. Tiptoeing over to his door, Per heard someone tapping on the door across from his, which was Tenan's room. Per silently cracked his door open slightly. In the hallway, tapping on Tenan's door, was his mother wearing her blue robe. The door opened and Tenan stood in the doorway, wearing a nightshirt and holding a dagger.

"Tenan, I need you to come with me.", whispered Karina.

"Now?" Tenan asked quietly.

"Yes. Now.", she replied.

Tenan shrugged, put the dagger down and followed Karina downstairs. Per's curiosity got the better of him and he followed Tenan. Tenan met Karina at the front door and together they went outside with Per following along.

A sliver of moon hung in the sky, barely illuminating the countryside. Per, with his infravision, could easily follow Tenan and Karina. He was very careful not to alert them to his presence.

Karina led Tenan down to a pool in the nearby stream.

"Well?" asked Tenan questioningly.

"I love you, Tenan," Karina replied. "I think we have wasted enough time, so we are here to complete the ceremony. First we wash, then you ask me if I will take you as a Shappa."

"Wouldn't the marriage ceremony at the temple do?" asked Tenan.

"We have wasted too much time.", she replied. "Will you do this for me?"

"Yes, of course.", he said affectionately.

"Good.", said Karina, stripping off her robe to reveal that she was naked underneath.

Per's and Tenan's eyes both bulged. Farm work had kept Karina's body toned and trim. Her huge breasts showed no sag in the faint moonlight. Per turned away from his mother's nudity when he heard a low-throated rumble behind him.

Looking around, Per saw a nine foot tall creature walk towards him. Per was ready to call out to Tenan when the creature stopped and held up a hand.

"Hail, Pervikar. I am your sire, Gar," it said in ogre, quietly.

Per's mind whirled. "My sire?"

"Yes," said Gar. "I heard news that you were in danger and would see how you did."

"Then the man last night...?" asked Per.

"Yes. He was sneaking towards house like some cur. He did not see me until too late," replied Gar.

Per turned back towards Tenan and Karina. Both were naked and waist-deep in the pool. Per faced away, embarrassed.

"Come. Let us go," he said to Gar, anxious to be away.

"No," said Gar, sitting down to face the pool. "Sit. Learn. It is necessary."

Per sat down next to Gar, unsure of what to so. Gar motioned him to keep quiet and pointed at Tenan and Karina.

Tenan walked out of the pool and shook the water off of him. He turned to Karina with a questioning look.

"Stand with your arms and legs apart and ask me.", she said.

Tenan placed his legs apart and threw his arms out wide.

"Will you take me as your Shappa?" he asked.

Per heard Gar hold his breath as his mother waded out of the pool and walked up to Tenan. She reached down and grasped his cock.

"I take you.", she said.

"Tenan."

Tenan's arms enfolded Karina and he kissed her passionately. Karina responded in kind and began stroking his cock to make it hard. Per, embarrassed, started to get up, but was forced back down when Gar clamped a meaty hand on his shoulder and motioned him to stay.

Per watched as his mother stroked Tenan's eight inch prick. Tenan, not breaking the kiss, slid his hands down to grasp Karina's soft breasts. Karina moaned as Tenan massaged her tits and played with her nipples. Tenan nuzzled Karina's throat as she gasped in passion. He then reached down between her legs.

Karina moaned as Tenan skillfully fingered her pussy, heightening her passion. Karina broke the embrace and made Tenan lie down. As Tenan was lying down, Per saw his mother reach into her robe and pull out a small bottle. Karina unstopped the bottle and poured some liquid onto her hand. She then smeared most of the liquid between her asscheeks and over her asshole. She then reached over and began fondling Tenan's cock again. Per heard Gar chanting softly.

Karina stood up and made Tenan follow her over to a tree. Bending over, Karina grabbed around the tree and spread her legs, exposing her wet, hot pussy. Tenan stepped right up behind her and holding her hip, sank all of his cock into her cunt. Per watched as Tenan fucked his mother. Per cock hardened as his emotions warred within him. He was disgusted and embarrassed by watching his own mother have sex, while being excited and aroused at the same time.

"Harder!" cried Karina.

Per watched as Tenan rammed his prick deep into Karina's pussy. Karina's huge breasts danced and swayed as their hips met each time with a wet smack. Tenan and Karina were soon moaning and gasping as their passion intensified. With a final lunge, Tenan held his cock deep in Karina's pussy as he shot a load of hot cum into her. Karina stiffened and then quivered as her orgasm overtook her.

Per heard Gar say, "Ahhspah." as Tenan and Karina climaxed.

Karina reached around behind her to hold Tenan's cock. Moving it up slightly, she positioned it at the entrance to her rectum.

"Push it in.", she said huskily. "You need to fuck me up the ass."

Tenan, his cock still hard and lubricated with their juices, slid his prick slowly, but easily into her ass. Per concluded that his mother has oiled her rectum from the bottle. Karina gasped and groaned as Tenan shoved his cock up her virginal ass. Tenan's cock was soon balls-deep in her ass and he held her hips as he pumped his cock in and out. Karina gripped the tree tightly as Tenan increased his pace. Their breathing became heavier and Karina moved back and forth to match his cock driving up into her ass. Karina suddenly arched her back and gripped tightly onto the tree as she climaxed. Tenan bellowed and fired off his seed into her bowels.

Gar again softly said, "Ahhspah."

Tenan's cock popped out of Karina's ass. Karina, turning around, kissed Tenan and led him over to a grassy plot. She made him lay down and knelt down beside him.

"Is that the ceremony?" he asked. "If it is, I'm going to have to become an ogre."

Karina smiled and rolled over on top of him.

"No, there is still one more thing left to do.", she said.

Karina stretched up and kissed Tenan softly on the mouth. She kissed him on the cheek and the nibbled on his ear. She moved down, kissing his chin and throat. Karina caressed Tenan's shoulders and moved further down to suckle on his nipples. Tenan groaned and moved his hands to stroke and caress Karina's back and head, running his fingers through her hair.

Karina licked and kissed her way down Tenan's body. She brushed her large breasts over his semi-flaccid cock and then kissed all around it. Rising up slightly, her face inches away from his cock, Karina cradled it with both hands and caressed it.

Tenan's sharp intake of breath told Per volumes about the sensations he was feeling. Per saw Tenan's cock stiffen under his mother's ministrations. Soon, Tenan's cock was rock-hard.

Karina grasped his cock at the base and pointed it straight upwards towards the sky. Tenan's hips arched upward as Karina's tongue snaked out to lick the tip of his prick. Karina laved the cockhead with her tongue causing Tenan to shudder in excitement.

Karina stopped licking Tenan's cock, smiled up at him and opened her mouth. She took half his cock into her mouth, locking her lips tight around the shaft. Holding his cock at the base, Karina bobbed her head, sliding it in and out of her hot mouth. Tenan's legs tried to move together, squeezing Karina's breasts between them. Karina took more and more of Tenan's cock in her mouth until she had all of it down her throat. Tenan's gasps came faster and faster. Suddenly, with a gurgled cry, Tenan arched his hips upward and climaxed. Per watched as his mother kept her mouth locked onto Tenan's spurting cock and swallow the jism he was pumping out.

"Ahhspah. The nectar of life. Come," whispered Gar, standing up.

Per stood up and quietly followed Gar. Gar led him a short distance away and stopped.

"You are grown now," stated Gar. "You must go your way into the world. Karinagar has a new Shappa, so she is taken care of. Remember what has passed here. It is important. It is time for you to go and let the people of the world fear you."

"Where will you go?" asked Per.

"I return to my tribe. May your enemies not live long enough to fear you."

With that, Gar turned and walked off into the woods. Per watched him leave and then walked back to the farmhouse. Per went to his room and sat there with the door open just a crack. Soon, he heard Tenan and Karina come in and go to their separate bedrooms. After waiting just a moment, Per opened his door and crossed the hallway to knock lightly on Tenan's door.

Tenan opened the door with a big smile, which immediately fell when he saw Per. His expression was so comical that Per burst out in laughter. Biting his lip to hold in his laughter, Per motioned Tenan to follow him and went downstairs. Tenan followed with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Gar was here.", stated Per, as they sat down at the kitchen table. "He was the one who killed that man last night."

Tenan sat for a moment digesting the information and then said, "Well, that clears up one mystery. What was he doing here?"

"He said he heard that I was in trouble and was in the area. He saw the man sneaking towards the house and killed him. Tenan, what is 'Ahhspah'?"

Tenan's eyebrows shot up and he looked hard at Per.

"Where did you hear that?" he asked very quietly. "Never mind. I know where you heard it. Tell me everything that you saw tonight."

"I...uh...er...Well...", stammered Per, suddenly embarrassed by remembering what he saw.

"Per, quit stalling," ordered Tenan. "And don't leave anything out."

Per haltingly told Tenan everything he saw or heard. At the end, he fell silent, afraid of Tenan's anger.

"Per, how do you feel about your mother and me?" asked Tenan, after a brief silence.

"I made up my mind a little while ago that you two should be married," replied Per. "I'm happy for you. You've always been a father to me."

"Thank you," said Tenan. "Your mother and I are married for real now. Gar performed the ceremony while we were at the pool. To Gar, you were a pupil and a witness. It was his way of teaching you the ceremony. Ahhspah is the ogre god of fertility. The chant Gar was saying was part of the ceremony to Ahhspah."

"Will Gar be back?"

"I don't think so. He acknowledged you as a man. To him, you now live or die by your own strength. If you live, you are strong enough to survive. If you die, you don't deserve to live because you are too weak. C'mon, we need to get to bed. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

Per and Tenan went upstairs. As Tenan was about to enter his bedroom, Per stopped him.

"Father, you're married now. That way," said Per, pointing down the hall to Karina's door.

"She'll be asleep."

"Go."

Tenan walked down the hallway and knocked on Karina's door. After a few moments, Karina opened the door wearing a sheer nightgown. She smiled at seeing Tenan, took his hand and led him inside. Per went to his room as Tenan closed the door. Per fell asleep to the sounds of moans and bedsprings squeaking coming from his mother's bedroom.

Early the next morning, everyone met for breakfast. Per had never seen his mother look lovelier as he prepared to leave.

"Per, I had Rolph and Dagmar pack one of the mules," she told him. "You'll need him to carry your equipment. I had them pack your crossbow, tent, blankets, cooking utensils and some other items on the mule. I'm letting Rolph and Dagmar work the farm. They are to pay me twenty percent of the profits. Let me know where you are and how you are doing. Please, take care."

Per leaned down and hugged his mother.

"You take care of yourself and Tenan," he said. "Queen Shara may still try to hurt you to get to me."

"Don't worry," said Tenan. "Once the Overlord hears that an ogre killed an assassin to protect us and that we are married, he'll curb the Queen's homicidal tendencies. Especially if I imply that a large group of ogres may move into the kingdom to protect Karina. Nobody wants that."

Per smiled and clasped Tenan's hand. He bid goodbye to Rolph and Dagmar and went outside with Karina and Tenan.

"I thought I'd head east," he told them. "I'll try to get word to you to let you know how I am."

"Take care of yourself," said Karina, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Mother, cheer up," said per, unhitching the mule. "I'll be back before you know it and with all the riches of the world. You and Tenan need time alone without me looming around."

Per turned and started off towards the rising sun. At the forest edge, he turned around and waved to Karina and Tenan. Turning back, Per entered the forest with one word on his mind - Adventure!

Part 2

Pervikar and the Farm

Per hand been traveling east for four days since leaving his mother's farm. He had left home after an assassin had attempted to take his life. His stepfather, Tenan, had promised to get the order for his death removed. Per had decided to go adventuring, not only to get away from any more assassins, but also to satisfy his wanderlust.

Per stayed away from friends and neighbors, afraid that they would inadvertently give away his location. On the fifth day, Per reached the boundary of the kingdom and the start of the wilderness. As he topped a rise, he looked over a run-down farm.

Per could see that the farm needed a lot of work. The spreader dam at the stream had gaps in it. Fences had broken apart and had been hastily repaired. One shutter on the house was halfway off the hinges. Vegetables only grew in one-quarter of the plot, which had been laid out for them. Smoke billowed not only out of the chimney, but also out of the large cracks in the chimney.

"Hello. Is anyone here?" shouted Per.

Per heard a noise in the house and a young woman about 25 years old came to the front door. Her long brown hair was pulled back and she wore a one-piece smock, which was tied, around her waist with a piece of rope. Her face was pretty, but Per could see dark circles under her eyes.

"What can I do for you?" she asked, tiredly.

"I was wondering if I could spend the night," said Per. "I'll work for my stay."

"You can sleep in the hayloft," she said, listlessly.

Per went to the barn and unpacked his mule. He put away his weapons and armor and walked out to the woodpile. Half-cut logs lay everywhere. Per tested the edge of the ax and found it to be dull and rusted. Per sharpened it and then proceeded to cut and split the logs. He stacked the wood and then went to work on the fences.

The woman looked out the door a couple of times to watch Per work. As Per was working on the fence, she brought out a pitcher of water to him. Per saw that she had brushed out her smock and had tightened it across her bust. He face was more animated than the lifeless mask he had seen before. Hot and sweaty, he drank down the water nosily.

"Dinner will be ready shortly," the woman told Per. "I'm afraid it's not much."

"My saddlebags have extra food," said Per. "Take what you need. My name is Per."

"I'm Dorthea. I'll call you when dinner is ready," and she headed towards the barn.

Per finished repairing the fence as the sun started to set and went to the nearby stream to wash off. At the stream, he heard Dorthea yell that it was dinnertime. He quickly dried off and lumbered back to the house.

As Per entered the two-room house, he noticed that the main room had a fresh scrubbed feeling to it. The table was laid out with dishes and Dorthea stood beside it. She had changed out of her smock into a blue print dress.

"Please, sit down," she said, brightly.

Per sat and they ate dinner in silence. After dinner, Per helped Dorthea clean the dishes. He then started out the door to go to the barn.

"Per, wait," said Dorthea. "I want to thank you for the work you did today. I haven't been able to keep up with all the work and you have helped a lot."

"How long have you been here?" asked Per, sitting down.

"My husband and I came here two years ago. He disappeared a year ago. I been working the farm alone since then."

"I'm sorry," stated Per, earnestly. "Look, I'll stay another day or two to help you out."

"Thank you," said Dorthea, touching his arm. "Please take the bed to sleep in tonight. I can make myself a bunk out here."

Per looked in the other room. In it was a wood dresser and a double bed. A small throw rug covered the floor.

"I'm afraid the bed is too short for me," he told her. "You sleep in the bed and I'll sleep in the hayloft. I'll be more comfortable there."

Per went out to the barn. Throwing a tarp over a pile of hay, he made a bed for himself up in the loft and laid down. Per stared at the rafters of the barn for awhile, thinking about Dorthea, her situation, and his mother's farm. He suddenly heard a scrapping noise below him.

Per rolled over and looked over the edge of the hayloft. He was startled to see Dorthea climbing the ladder up to him. Per, who was naked, quickly sat back down and wrapped his blanket around his waist just as Dorthea's head rose above the edge of the loft floor.

"Dorthea, what...?"

"Shhh," she said as she removed her nightgown, knelt, and slowly pulled his blanket off him.

Dorthea's sharp intake of air spoke her astonishment as she exposed Per's cock. Even flaccid, it was slightly over eight inches long and two inches thick. Dorthea stared at it and reached out hesitantly to touch it. Per's cock stirred to life as Dorthea lightly brushed her fingertips across it. It grew and hardened to its full length. Dorthea, still staring at it, gripped it with both hands to stroke it.

Per, not to be outdone, began to caress Dorthea. He stroked her arms and face before moving down to fondle her breasts. Per guessed her tits were about average and his hands dwarfed over them. Rubbing her nipples with his fingers caused Dorthea to sigh happily. Her nipples hardened and her breath became heavier. Per leaned over to suckle on one breast. Dorthea released his cock to cradle his head and run her fingers through his green hair.

Per kept a hand fondling one breast while he licked and sucked the other. His free hand glided over Dorthea's stomach down between her legs. Dorthea gasped and, still kneeling, spread her legs apart.

Per parted her pussy lips and caused Dorthea to stiffen as his large fingers came into contact with her clitoris. Dorthea hugged his head tighter to her breast and kissed the top of it as his fingers gently caressed her clit. As her pussy became wet and slick, Per's fingers probed deeper into the folds.

Dorthea clung to Per's shoulders and closed her eyes. Her breathing became labored and she ground her pussy down onto his fingers. Per inserted a second finger into her and stroked them slowly in and out of her cunt. Dorthea moaned and bit her lower lip. She humped herself faster on his fingers. Suddenly, with a sharp intake of air, Dorthea's eyes flew open and she trembled violently. Per felt her juices gush as she climaxed.

Per gently pushed the shaking Dorthea onto her back. He then moved down between her open legs. Per's head dipped down as he lapped at the warm juices of her pussy. Dorthea grabbed Per's head as a second orgasm overtook her and she creamed more juice to Per's lapping tongue. Per kept licking at Dorthea's pussy until she could not stand it any longer.

"Now, Per! Now!" she gasped, rolling onto her hands and knees. "Take me now!"

Per moved up behind her and positioned his hard cock at her pussy entrance. Slowly he pushed two inches of his cock into her wet cunt. Unfortunately, Dorthea pushed backwards quickly driving an additional six inches of his cock up her cunt. Per's cock hit bottom hard. Dorthea's eyes bulged and her breath whooshed out of her. She gasped heavily as the pain crested and then receded.

"Whew!" she gasped at last. "You're longer than I thought. You felt like you were going to come out of my mouth, but, ohhhh, it feels good having a hard cock in me again."

Per grasped Dorthea's hips and gently began to fuck his cock in and out of her pussy. He was careful to push only half his cock into her before stopping. Even so, Dorthea tensed each time his cock slid into her. Soon, however, Per's gentle fucking let Dorthea relax as her passion built. Her pussy became wetter and her moans became louder.

Per carefully increased his tempo. He kept a firm grip on Dorthea's ass so she would not impale her again on his cock. Dorthea's breathing became more labored and her hands clutched at the tarp as Per's cock slid in and out of her pussy.

"Oh, yes! Yes!" panted Dorthea, her mouth dry and gasping for air. "Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me!"

Per felt his tension building and increased his speed. Dorthea put her head down as Per's cock flew in and out of her. Per's buildup crested and, with a bellow, his cock exploded, shooting forth its first wad of hot jism. Dorthea's legs clamped together as his release ignited her own. As Per finished filling her womb with his sticky sperm, he let go of her hips. Dorthea slid down off his cock, her thighs quivering.

"Oh. Gods," she sighed. "It's been so long. I'd forgotten how good it felt. I could die happy right now."

"You can't," replied Per as he felt the fire of lust and desire raged in his groin. "We're not through yet."

Per lowered himself between her legs. Dorthea folded her arms under her head and spread her legs apart. Per arched himself upward on his arms, sliding his cock into her sopping wet pussy. Dorthea sighed as his cock entered her again.

Per rocked himself back and forth fucking the supine Dorthea. Despite his almost overpowering need to cum, Per still took care not to ram all of his cock into her. Dorthea was soon moaning and squirming. She arched her ass upward to match Per's thrusts into her. Per felt her move under him, but his climax built slowly, intensifying the burning sensations in his groin. The fire began to travel through his body and Per fought against the urge to fuck Dorthea furiously to speed his release.

Per increased his speed, but the fire still burned within him. He felt his self-control slipping away and a red haze began to settle over his eyes. The tension in his balls built as Per's control was chipped away. Per felt Dorthea stiffen and her pussy clamp tightly to his cock causing an intense pressure to built in his balls before exploding. Per bellowed out his climax as his cock spurted out hot cum. The red haze flowed away from his eyes and the urge left him with each spurt of his cock.

Per felt that his cock would never stop spurting. Finally, he rolled off to one side and laid there gasping. Dorthea, her ass slightly raised, shaked and quivered in the throes of her own orgasm. Her and Per's juices dripped out of her pussy.

"Oh, Gods," gasped Dorthea again. "That was... that was...incredible! You came so hard that you set...set me off a second time. I thought you'd never stop. How...?"

"I don't know," panted Per. "After I...uh...um...you know, the first time, a fire burns down there and I get this urge to cum again. I've always gotten this urge, but this is the first time I almost lost my control of it."

"What do you mean?" asked Dorthea, looking up.

"It was like I was losing my conscious thought. I had a red haze filming over my eyes and the urge was so powerful, I was almost to the point that I would have done anything to climax."

"Has it ever been this way before?"

"No," stated Per. "It's never been this powerful before."

"Did we do anything different that you haven't done before?" asked Dorthea.

"I've never been in that position before."

Dorthea thought it over for awhile and then shook her head. "I'm sorry, Per, but I can't begin to understand what is happening to you when you get the urge," she stated. "It maybe something special only to you. For now, rest. I'll see you in the morning."

Dorthea arose and put her nightgown back on. She then climbed down the ladder and left the barn. Per watched her go and then settled down to plan out what needed to be done tomorrow. Recalling all the problems he had seen at the farm, Per realized that Dorthea could not continue to run the place herself. She either had to get help, which was unlikely in this remote place, or leave. Per tried to think of some other option, but nothing came to mind. Per finally gave up and went to sleep.

Per woke up at daybreak the next morning. After washing up, he walked over to the house to look for Dorthea. She was in the kitchen stirring some batter. She looked up, smiling, as he entered the house.

"Dorthea, I need to talk to you," stated Per.

Her face fell. "What is it?"

Per took a deep breath. "I don't think you can stay here. The farm is too much for you to handle alone and you don't have any help. I want to talk to you about what you can do."

"Per, if you stay here, we can make this farm work," pleaded Dorthea. "You and I. I know you like me. We can make this work."

"Dorthea, I can't stay," said Per. "I have assassins after me because of this high ranking person."

"Yes, you can stay!" she countered, getting angry. "They'll never find you here."

"Yes, they will," replied Per, resignedly. "Sooner or later, they will find me. I can't stay."

"Then...GO!!!" Dorthea yelled. "I'll stay here and run the place."

"Dorthea, the farm is too much for you alone," stated Per, trying to get through to her. "You may be able to eke out a living here, but it won't be much of a life. Just hard work all the time, sunrise to sunset and beyond. You deserve more. Please listen to what I'm saying."

Dorthea just shook her head. Per turned and started towards the door, but stopped when she grabbed his arm.

"Per, please stay," she pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I can make you happy here. In time, I'll even get used to the size of your cock. Please, let me try."

"I'm sorry. I can't stay," said Per, sadly.

Dorthea flung herself into a chair and broke down crying on the kitchen table. Per left the house and went to the barn. As he completed working on a harness, Dorthea entered the barn carrying a covered plate and a pitcher.

"I brought you your breakfast," she said as she put the items down and sat on the back of the wagon. "Per, I'm sorry. I've tried to hold onto this place for so long that it is beginning to possess me instead of me owning it. After you left, I went outside and really looked at everything. I hadn't realized how bad things were. I don't know what to do. I don't have any money and I don't know where to go."

"I was thinking that you could go to my mother's farm," stated Per between bites. "You can work there and take the time to decide what you want to do. You have to promise that you tell no one, but my mother, Rolph or Dagmar that you have seen me."

"Why?" asked Dorthea, then she remembered. "The assassins? I thought you made them up to get out of here. You weren't...you were telling the truth."

"Yes, I was. My mother's farm is four days from here. C'mon, we have packing to do."

Per and Dorthea spent the rest of the day packing her belongings onto the wagon. By late afternoon, most of the wagon had been loaded. Dorthea went back into the house to get some more items as Per tied down a trunk onto the bed of the wagon. Dorthea picked up a carpetbag and began putting her husband's clothes in it. She stopped every now and then as a particular piece brought back a flood of memories. Still reminiscing, she finished packing, walked outside, and into the side of a horse. Dorthea gasped, jumped back, and dropped the bag as three mounted men looked down at her.

"What?! Who?!!" she gasped.

The three men were dressed in leather armor with long swords belted to their waists. Each carried a shield attached to the pommel of his saddle. Two were about twenty years old and the third was about thirty-five. It was his horse that Dorthea had absently walked into.

"I'm sorry to have startled you," the man smoothly. "We are just passing through."

"I'm sorry," stated Dorthea. "I didn't hear you ride up. How may I help you?"

"We are looking for a dangerous creature that might have passed by this way," the man told her. "He's seven and a half feet tall with green hair. Have you seen him?"

Dorthea's eyes grew wide and she gasped. She then recovered and said, "No, I haven't seen anyone like that."

The man smiled knowingly at her lie. His head then snapped up as Per walked out of the barn. The man's sword whistled out of his scabbard.

"Beorn, the woman," he ordered never taking his eyes off Per.

Beorn looked over at Dorthea and pulled out his sword. Dorthea's eyes grew wide and she stumbled backwards towards the door. Beorn cursed, switched his sword to his other hand, and pulled two darts out of his belt. Dorthea slammed the door just as both darts thunked solidly into the wood.

The man sighed heavily. "Apprentices," he explained to Per tiredly. "Beorn, you should have used the darts first since you were not in range for a swing. Go in and get her."

"Yes, Nico," answered Beorn.

"Well, Per, it's been a fun chase, but now it's over," stated Nico, getting off his horse. The third man who had his shield on and sword out followed him. "Stand still," Nico told Per. "I'll make it painless."

Per quickly leaned into the barn and grabbed his sword and shield. He swung around just in time to catch Nico's sword on the face of his shield. Per backed up inside the barn, shaking the scabbard off his sword, so he would not have the two men coming at him from opposite directions.

"Strong and quick," commented Nico following Per into the barn. The third man also entered the barn and moved to Nico's left. They all heard someone banging against a door outside. "Poor Beorn. I'm going to have to chastise him severely about his performance."

"Don't bother," replied Per, getting his shield onto his arm. "I'll do it for you as soon as I'm done here."

Nico made a mock bow. "I would almost forgo killing you to see that, but, unfortunately, I can't. It would set a bad precedent. I also made a mistake. I did not expect you to stop," and he swung at Per.

Per caught the sword on his shield and blocked the third man's sword with his own. Per was on the defensive. Thrusts, slashes and feints came at him from all angles. Luckily, the third man was not experienced enough to time his attacks with Nico's. This was enough to allow Per to block their swords, but not enough for him to take the offensive.

Nico and the third man withdrew back several paces. To Per, it seemed that they had been fighting for an hour, even though he knew it had only been a minute or so. All three were breathing heavily.

"Well, I must say that you have been trained well," stated Nico. "Although, I expected that since you killed the man who was sent to the farm."

"That's two mistakes," said Per, smiling. "I didn't kill him. My father did."

"Tenan? He does not use a mace or club."

"I didn't say my stepfather," countered Per. "I said my father, the ogre, Gar."

There was a loud shattering of glass from outside. Nico did not even look. He kept his eyes on Per.

"It seems that Beorn has finally found a window. I am sorry about the woman, but we can't have witnesses."

Per roared and stamped at the third man like he was going to charge him. The man flinched and raised his shield up to ward off Per's blow. Per turned on the balls of his feet and crashed into Nico, shield to shield. Per felt a nick to his shield arm, but his weight and strength bashed Nico backwards, head over heels, to a pile of farm implements.

Per did not waste a moment, but turned back towards the third man, who was coming at him. Per blocked the man's sword thrust with his shield and swung at his legs. A meaty ka-chunk and the impact transmitted through his sword told Per that his blow had landed solidly. The man screamed and fell to the ground, his hands trying to cover the huge, bleeding gash in his upper leg. Per swung around away from the man in time to see Nico spring back up to his feet.

"Very good," said Nico, with a menacing chill to his words. "It won't affect the outcome, though."

"You've made two mistakes so far," snarled Per. "Your third was coming after me!"

Per and Nico met in a series of strokes and counter-strokes. Nico was faster, but Per had learned to use his strength and reach. The bastard sword that Per swung with one hand was longer than Nico's long sword. Per used his strength to bash his sword against Nico's shield, knocking him a little off-balance each time. It pushed Nico out of position for follow-up swings and parries.

Per backed up against a stall, preparing for another round when a dart smacked into the wood not more than an inch from his head. Per spun away just before another dart landed right where his head was. Per blocked Nico's sword and looked over to see that the third man had tied a bandage to his leg and had pulled several darts out of his belt. Per moved around quickly to keep Nico between the third man and himself.

Basically immobilized, Per was now getting the worst from the swordfight. His shield arm was nicked again and then his left leg. Per's helm rang as Nico's sword bounced off of it. Per charged forward, but Nico moved back, unwilling to try to match his strength against Per's. Per went on the offensive, swinging to keep Nico moving back. Another dart went whistling by Per's head. Per charged again and Nico moved quickly to the side.

Nico, however, was not Per's target. Per rushed by him, blocking Nico's sword with his shield, and was right upon the third man. The man's eyes bulged as he realized that Per was looming right over him. Clutching a dart in his hand, the man could only stare straight up as Per's sword swung down and split the man's skull in two. Per spun around and quickly jumped back as Nico's sword almost disemboweled him.

"I guess it's just you and me," said Nico.

"C'mon then," Per told him.

Per and Nico began their duel again. All thought was gone except the desire to kill the other one. The din was tremendous as they slashed and cut at each other. Neither could get an advantage over the other. Each wounded the other, but only slightly. Per then noticed that Nico's shield was not being held up as high as it was at the beginning. Per had unmercifully punished that arm by using his strength to knock Nico out of position. Per blocked a slash from Nico on his shield, now heavily scarred, and made a feint at the legs. Nico dropped his shield down and Per changed the angle of his thrust upwards. Nico tried to bring his shield back up, but his arm could not move fast enough. Per's sword punched through the leather breastplate into Nico's right chest.

Nico sagged and dropped his sword. Per ripped out his sword and blood spurted out of the wound. Nico coughed, choked, and fell to the ground. Per backed away quickly, never taking his eyes off of him until he was outside the barn. Per then turned and ran towards the farmhouse.

A window on the side of the farmhouse facing the barn was broken. Per could see the legs of Beorn sticking out. Rushing up, Per grabbed Beorn's belt and yanked him back out of the window. Per was shocked to see a butcher knife sticking completely through Beorn's throat.

"Dorthea!" cried Per. "Dorthea! Where are you?"

"Per? PER!" he heard her cry from inside.

The front door crashed open and Dorthea ran out to hug Per tightly. Per dropped his bloody sword and held her tightly as she sobbed uncontrollably. Per helped her sit down and waited for her crying to stop.

"I...I...barred the door, but I heard him moving around outside," she gasped out. "He then broke the window. I had grabbed the...the...the knife. When he stuck his head in, I...I...I...just stabbed."

"Shh. Shh," cooed Per softly. "It's alright. He was trying to kill you."

Dorthea looked up at Per. "You weren't lying about the assassins. What you said was the truth."

"Yes, I was and now it is even more important that you leave here," he told her. "Will you be alright? I have to check on the men in the barn."

"Go ahead," Dorthea said. "I'll be fine."

Per picked up his sword and went cautiously back to the barn. He knew the third man was dead, but he was not sure about Nico. Both bodies were there. Nico coughed a wet hacking cough and, even though he had his back to Per, Per was sure he was coughing up blood. Per went over to Nico and knelt behind him, putting his shield between the two of them.

"Your third mistake," Per said to him.

"You did well," gasped Nico. "I should have let you go and caught you later when we had the element of surprise. (Cough) I can't breathe. Please help me roll on my back."

Per reached over and pulled on Nico's shoulder. As he rolled onto his back, Nico's hand, which was underneath him, flashed towards Per's chest. The thin stiletto skittered on Per's shield, leaving an oily stain across it. Per jumped back as Nico, his energy now spent, slumped down on the barn floor.

"Smart, too," gasped Nico. "You may be able to avoid us, but I doubt it."

Nico then sliced his arm with the stiletto. His body began to shake and convulse. After a couple of seconds, Nico went stiff and then noiselessly collapsed. Per went over. This time there was no doubt that he was dead. Per wiped the poison off his shield and then buried both the rag and the stiletto. He then dragged both men out of the barn.

"What will we do with them?" Dorthea asked Per.

"You finish packing. I'm going to bury them," he told her.

By evening, almost everything that could be packed had been loaded on the wagon. Per had buried all three men in a single grave. The only thing left to be packed on the wagon was Dorthea's bed. Per planned on loading it in the morning.

"Go get some sleep," Per said to her. "You have a long way to go come morning."

Per went into the barn and climbed up to the hayloft. As he prepared for bed, he saw Dorthea enter the barn and climb up the ladder to him.

"Dorthea, I..." he started to say.

"Hush," she said quietly, removing her clothes. "I know. Last night was an attempt to make you stay. Tonight, I want it to be for no other reason than you and me."

Dorthea reached up and pulled Per's head down to give him a soul-searing kiss. Per wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss with feeling. Their tongues dueled with each other. Per broke their kiss to move around to nibble on her ear.

Dorthea gasped as his tongue traced around her ear. Per felt her reach down and unbuckled his trousers, allowing them to fall to the floor. Per stepped back out of his pants and pulled off his tunic, now both of them were naked.

Dorthea moved forward and grasped Per's hard cock with both hands. With her nostrils flared, Dorthea stared at his cock as her hands squeezed and caressed it. A large drop of pre-cum oozed out the tip and Dorthea leaned over to lick it. She continued to lave the tip of Per's prick with her tongue, sending shivers up his spine.

"Not yet," said Per, moving Dorthea away from his cock when he felt the tension begin to build in his balls. "Lie down."

Dorthea laid down on the tarp and Per settled down beside her. He nuzzled her neck as his hand began to caress and fondle her breasts. Dorthea's hands moved to stroke Per's arms and head. Per slid down to lick and suck her hard nipples as his hand moved lower to part her legs. Dorthea moaned in anticipation as his hand slid over her dark pubic hair.

Per's fingers found her pussy to be hot and wet. Dorthea gripped Per tightly as he stroked her clitoris and sank a finger into her cunt. Dorthea's breathing became heavier and faster as Per continued to suck her breasts and finger-fuck her.

"Oh, yes," she panted. "Just like that. Oh, your finger feels sooooo good! Mmm, yes. I...I...I...AIIEEEEEEEE!!!"

Dorthea screamed out her orgasm as Per felt her juices gush over his fingers. Dorthea bucked and arched as her orgasm reached down to her very depths. She finally flopped back down, gasping for air. She then looked over at Per.

"Come here and fill me with that hard cock of yours."

Per rolled over between her legs and positioned his cock at her pussy entrance. The tip entered her wet cunt and it stretched wide to accommodate its size. Per slid half of his cock into Dorthea as she squirmed under him in passion. Per began to fuck his hard rod in and out of her steaming cunt.

"Mmmm," Dorthea moaned. "It's so big and wonderful. Oh, yes. Fuck it into me. Make me cum again."

Per looked down at her as her hips arched up to meet his thrusts. Per increased the speed of his thrusts, but stopped once eliciting a moan of disappointment from Dorthea. That moan was changed to a gasp as Per gently slid his cock as far as it would go into her. Dorthea's eyes flew open as eight inches of his cock before hitting bottom. Per resumed his fucking and Dorthea quivered underneath him.

Per felt the tension build in his balls and it peaked quickly. The crest caught Per by surprise and he shoved his cock into Dorthea to release a torrent of cum into her womb.

"Oh, I can feel you spurting into me," panted Dorthea. "It's hot and...and ...Oh, yes...Yes!"

Per felt Dorthea's pussy clamp down on his spurting cock as her fingers dug into his forearm. Per's cock fired off its final spurt of hot jism as Dorthea sighed in happiness. Per rolled off Dorthea, not wanting to crush her under his weight. His cock was still rock-hard and he felt the fire begin to burn in his groin. Dorthea rolled over and snuggled closer. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at his hard cock.

"Um, Per? Do you get this urge every time after you cum?" she asked him, still staring at his prick.

"Yes," he said between tightly clenched teeth.

"Oh."

Dorthea rolled over and kissed Per on the cheek. She then sat up and threw a leg over his hips. The fire in his groin was building, but not with the same intensity as the day before. Dorthea, kneeling over Per, reached down between them to position his cock at her pussy opening. Sliding backwards, Dorthea slowly impaled herself on his prick.

Per's breathing became heavier as he felt his passion begin to build. His cock slid in and out of Dorthea's cunt as she bounced up and down on it. Dorthea bit her lower lip as her passion also built. As Per hit his peak, he grabbed Dorthea's hips and held her down on his cock as it exploded, shooting another load of cum into her.

Per's climax seemed to forever as his cock spurted wad after wad of hot sperm into Dorthea's vagina. Dorthea smiled and closed her eyes to savor the sensations of Per spurting into her. His second load overfilled her and she felt his cum dribbling down her legs. At last, Per's climax diminished and Dorthea collapsed on his massive chest, his cock still inside her.

"Thank you," Dorthea said to Per. "It's strange. I feel like I've been freed after being imprisoned. I think this place had a hold on me that I created for myself."

"You're welcome," answered Per. "Now, we had better get some rest. We both have a long way to go in the morning."

Part 3

Per had left Dorthea's farm several days ago. He was well past the borders of the Overlord's kingdom and Per hoped that Dorthea had made it to his mother's farm by now. Per was walking thru the rolling hills and had not seen any sign of civilization for the past two days.

Walking around a hill leading his mule loaded with his supplies, Per caught sight of four orcs who were walking towards him about 80 yards away. Unfortunately, they caught sight of him at the same time. Per swore that at time he was the size of a mouse, instead of his 7'6" tall frame.

With a yell, all four raised their axes or spears and charged straight at Per. Per, who was carrying his crossbow, fired off on quick bolt before dropping it and pulling his sword free. As the orcs ran closer, Per pulled his shield onto his arm. Per looked up to see that only three orcs were charging towards him. The fourth rolled on the ground clutching his knee, which had been pierced by the crossbow bolt. Then the other three were upon him.

Per moved quickly to the right, so that the orcs blocked one another and parried the first axe stroke on his shield. The orc, his lips drawn back in a grimace, was not so lucky as Per return thrust, having his strength behind it, cleaved right through the orc's studded armor. The orc stared down at the foot or so of sword sticking out of his chest and then crumpled to the side as Per yanked his sword free splattering blood everywhere.

The two remaining orcs, now wary, backed up and circled to the right and left. Per backed up himself, not wanting them to come at him from two sides. The orcs grinned wickedly and continued to circle around. Per suddenly dashed at the orc on his left. His shield met the orc's shield with a resounding clang, but Per's sword swing missed as the orc backed up.

Per's movement had caught the other orc out of place and as he ran to catch up, Per charged towards him. The second orc's spear skittered off Per's shield as Per crashed into him. The orc stumbled backwards and was knocked off his feet. Per swung around to face the first orc, but could not bring his shield up in time to deflect the axe.

The axe cut into Per's upper arm, but, luckily, the chainmail shirt prevent the axe from cutting to deeply. Per batted the orc's arm away with his shield and swung the orc's knee. The orc, savoring his hit, did not see Per's stroke until it took off his leg.

Per did not see him fall to the ground, desperately trying to stem the flow of blood from his stump. With his arm stinging from the cut, Per quickly stepped around the fallen orc over to the one he had knocked down. That orc had lost his spear when he had been knocked down and was scrambling to get it. Just as his hand grasped it, Per lopped off his arm above the elbow. Before the orc could even scream, Per swung again, cleaving the orc's skull in two.

Per, breathing hard, wiped his sword clean of the gore and blood before sheathing it. He walked over the orc holding his leg stump. Per kneeled down on the orc's chest, pulled out his dagger and quickly slit the orc's throat. Holding the bloody, dripping dagger at his side, Per got up and went over to where the last living orc was laying. The crossbow bolt had gone in just under the knee and by the way the foot was twisted, Per knew that the bones were broken.

"Who are you?" asked Per in ogre.

"Rashtak Platt!" spat the orc.

Per reached down and jerked the crossbow bolt slightly. The orc screamed in pain.

"I know orc and words about my parents are no good," said Per, standing back up. "Who are you?"

The orc looked at him with venom-filled eyes. "We are scouts for the Stahpel Lon Tribe. You are dead. The army follows us. One village has already surrendered. They are now our slaves. Nothing can stop us!"

Per crashed his knee down on the orc's chest as his dagger punched into the orc's throat. The orc grabbed Per's hand as he gurgled and then died. Per wiped his dagger clean on the orc's tunic and then put it away. Per quickly collected the orc's gear and weapons. He left their rations behind, mainly because he was not sure what the rations were made of.

"I'd better find this army," he thought as he collected their items. "I can't go backwards, but I may be able to go around the army." He chuckled to himself. "Maybe the assassins will run into this army."

After packing the orcs' gear, Per began to backtrack their trail. He moved cautiously in case he ran into another patrol. Per followed their trail until dusk when he set up a cold camp, afraid that the campfire might be seen.

Per lost the orcs' trail the next day. Since the trail headed northeast, Per continued on that way. By nightfall, with no army in sight, Per did not know what to think. He finally decided to head northeast one more day.

Per continued on the next day. He became more relaxed as the day wore on. In the late afternoon, Per decided to climb a ridge to look around before making camp. As he crested the top, Per was shocked to look down into a valley on the other side and see a village.

The village was small with only ten to twelve buildings visible. Per noticed several burned-out ruins. Peering closely, Per saw some burrows on the opposite ridge. Not animal burrows, but home dug into the ridge. A few people were moving around the village, but Per could see no orcs.

Per went back down the ridge and retrieved his mule. He then headed towards the village, keeping under cover as much as possible. When he was about a hundred yards from the village, Per stopped to watch the villagers. The houses were small. Per revised his thought. Not small, short. The villagers were only three to three and a half feet tall. A group of them had gathered at the town square and seemed to be arguing. The argument centered between a young girl dressed in leather armor and an elderly gentleman. Per stood up and walked casually towards them.

Each person, as they caught sight of the towering Per, stopped and stared at him. The silence was deafening as Per strode into town and towards the group. Per stopped ten feet away from them and felt the villagers move closer around him.

"Is there anything we can do for you, giant?" asked the girl.

Per looked at the girl. Dressed in leather pants and tunic, she had a short sword and dagger strapped around her waist. Of all the villagers, she was the only one who was armed. She stood three feet, three inches tall with short brown hair and brown eyes.

"I was wondering if I could get some supplies," said Per.

The man sighed. "I'm afraid we have no supplies to spare."

"I can pay," replied Per.

"I'm afraid it's still impossible," said the man.

"Would you mind if I spent the night?" asked Per. "I've spent too many nights under the open sky."

"I'm sorry. We don't have any beds big enough for you. It might be best if you left. I'm not trying to be rude, but we are in dire straights here."

"I guess the four orcs I ran into were wrong about this being a kind, hospitable village," retorted Per.

"Four orcs!...Does he mean?...Were they?...Is he with them?" the villagers started babbling and talking. The noise grew until Per could not understand a word that was being said.

"Quiet! Quiet!" yelled the elderly man and the noise reduced to a dull roar.

The group Per had originally seen retreated back several feet and huddled together, talking in whispers. Per looked around at the villagers. There were about forty people standing there, half male and half female. Per saw the young girl walking towards him.

"Come," she said. "We need to talk."

As Per was led away, he heard the elderly man tell the villagers to go home and that he would tell them all in the morning. The girl led Per to a large oak tree beside a tavern. She told him to sit as she went inside. She soon returned with two tankards of ale.

"Tell me about the orcs," she commanded as she handed the mug to Per.

"First, tell me who you are and why should I tell you about the orcs?" asked Per.

The girl looked intently at her ale as if it had an answer for her.

"We are called halflings in this language. Five days ago, about forty orcs attacked the village. Half the men were killed and fifteen women were taken as slaves. I've been away from the village and returned yesterday to learn of the attack. The orcs left the remainder of the villagers here to tend to the crops and the animals. The orcs have been forcing the villagers to supply them with food and other supplies. Every other day, a patrol comes by to check on the village and pick up those supplies. I've been trying to convince the villagers to leave. My name is Alana and the man I was arguing with is my father, the mayor."

"I'm Per. I'm going to remove my helmet. Don't scream because I have green hair."

"Green hair? I thought you were just a large human."

"I'm half-ogre, but I'm not with the orcs," stated Per, as he removed his helmet. "The four orcs I spoke of attacked me and I killed them. One of them told me that they were scouts for the Stahpel Lon Tribe. I was backtracking them when I found your village."

"The tribe is the one that attacked our village," stated Alana. "You killed all four?"

"Go check my pack mule. Under the covering, you'll find their shields, armor and weapons."

"Per, don't tell anyone you killed the orcs. It'll panic them. Right now, my father and the other villagers are convinced that they can live with the orcs' demands and that the captives will be returned to them. I think the orcs will kill them all."

"When is the patrol due and how many will there be?" asked Per.

"The patrol will be here tomorrow afternoon. I've been told that there are usually ten orcs in the patrol."

"Let's talk to your father."

Per followed Alana to her father's burrow. The burrow was well-tended with a flagstone path leading up to the round door. Per waited outside as Alana went in to get her father. She came back out with her father and two other men.

"Per, I am Harlo," said Alana's father. "This is Cesup and Fanko. My daughter told you I was the mayor. Cesup and Fanko are members of the Village Council. Tell us what happened to the four orcs. Alana told us that you killed them."

Per told them of his fight with the four orcs and what the last orc had said. He fell silent at the end of his story.

"Unfortunate," stated Harlo. "Hopefully they won't be missed until Per has had a chance to get away."

"Father, the orcs want you as slaves! That is what the one told Per," exclaimed Alana. "You can't stay here."

Harlo held up his hand to silence Alana. "Alana, the orcs will move on and we will rebuild. We can manage for awhile."

"Are they taking the same amount of food each time?" asked Per.

The three men looked at each other grimfaced.

"No," replied Fanko. "They're taking more each time they come."

"So they are removing food from your storage and putting it into their own," said Per. "Soon you will dependent on the orcs for your food and will be their slaves. Smart."

All the halflings looked at each in shock as comprehension dawned upon them.

"Father, listen to him," pleaded Alana. "We either have to flee or fight."

"What about the women they are holding as captives?" asked Cesup. "We can't leave them behind."

"Then you are going to have to fight," stated Per. "We can lower the odds by ambushing the patrol tomorrow, but we have to prepare tonight. Will you fight or become slaves? If you fight, I'm with you."

"Alana, please go gather everyone in the square," asked Harlo. "Per, I have to abide by the wishes of my people. Let's go to the square."

At the square, Harlo climbed up the town hall steps to address the crowd.

"People, the orcs plan to make slaves of us. They have been stealing our food to starve us into submission. They are holding some of our women as captives. They could be dead for all we know. We have to decide now whether to fight or leave our village. If we fight, we may be killed, but we will have a chance to get rid of the orcs. If we run, we could be recaptured and be at the mercy of the orcs. Do we fight or run?"

"I say fight!" yelled one man from the crowd.

"Aye, fight!" yelled several others.

"Go to your homes," ordered Harlo. "Find any weapons you have and return here. We will stop this oppression."

The crowd broke apart as Harlo came down the steps to Per and Alana.

"I need a plan - fast," he said to them.

"We can't fight them hand to hand," stated Per. "They are too well equipped. Can your people use bows and slings?"

Harlo smiled. "Our number one sport is competing with slings. The few bows we possessed were taken by the orcs."

"Have your people make slings and sharpen stakes. Fanko, Alana and I will look for an ambush site."

Per left with the other two as Harlo and Cesup set about organizing the villagers. Fanko led Per and Alana up the valley in the direction the orcs came from. Per found the spot he was searching for. Two ridges come together on a narrow pass with heavy vegetation on one side.

"Perfect," stated Per. "We can put our people on this slope to ambush the orcs. The sharpened stakes will go in the vegetation and at the beginning of the pass to prevent their escape. Alana will take charge of the people on the slope. I'll be at the end of the pass with another person to prevent them from coming back this way."

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Alana.

They returned to the village to find everyone either practicing with a sling or sharpening stakes. Per, with Harlo's help, gathered a crew and took the stakes out to the ambush site to begin emplacing them. The work went on until it was too dark to see.

The next morning, Harlo led his people out to the site. The final stakes were emplaced and everyone was assigned to their position. Per, Fanko, and another halfling had gone well up the path to watch for the orc patrol. Time dragged and Per remembered how much he hated waiting for anything. Soon, doubts began to form in his mind.

"What if the orcs don't come today?" he thought. "What if they take a different route? Suppose there are more than ten?"

Per shook his head to clear it of these thoughts and resigned himself to wait. Suddenly, Per heard the tramp of feet and the clink of armor. Looking down the trail, he saw ten orcs appear. Each had a shield slung on his back and was carrying an axe and a spear. Per retreated quietly and sent the halfling back to warn the others before moving into his position with Fanko.

He and Fanko watched the orcs march by and then moved out to block any retreat. The orcs continued on right into the ambush. The first hail of sling stones killed four orcs and wounded two others. Of the four left unwounded, they stood still, stunned, until the second hail of stones killed them. Of the two remaining, one dropped his spear and took off running away from the slingers. He was running at top speed too, until a stake pierced his leg causing him to fall forward onto three more stakes. The last orc turned and fled back up the path right into the spear point of Per's halberd.

Per cleaned the blood off his halberd and walked over to where Alana and the others were. Everyone was staring amazed at the dead orcs. The action had happened so fast that it had immobilized the ambushers. Per went over to Harlo.

"Harlo," said Per, gently shaking the mayor. "You have to get them to work. Get the site cleaned up and collect the orcs' weapons."

"What? Oh, yes. Yes!" replied Harlo. "Everyone! Get the bodies out of there and clean up everything. Let's go."

"What now?" asked Alana as she walked over to Per.

"I'm going to backtrack this patrol to find out where they came from."

"I'm going with you," stated Alana.

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am," retorted Alana. "I can move quieter than you and I can hide easier. There are advantages to being small."

"I was taught woodcraft by a ranger. I don't think there is anything you can do that I can't do just as well."

"Per, I left home to find excitement. When I found myself starving, I became a thief and I'm good at it. I think my father suspects what I have become, but isn't certain yet. I can help you if you'll let me."

Per blew out a breath. "You'd follow me anyway, wouldn't you?"

The light twinkled in Alana's eyes as she smiled. "In a heartbeat," she replied.

Per snorted and stomped away with Alana following. After telling Harlo their plan, Per and Alana returned to the village and prepared for their journey. They each packed a week's worth of food and their weapons. They then set out to find where the orcs were coming from.

The trail was easy to follow, as the orcs had made no attempt to hide where they were coming from. Per and Alana followed the trail for two days. At the end of the second day, they were walking down a hill through a pine forest when an area opened up several hundred yards before them.

The area was rocky terrain, devoid of trees, which sloped upward to a rock wall. The wall extended for hundreds of yards to the left and right. A large cave opening was in front of them and a wooden palisade formed a semi-circle in front of the opening. Two wooden towers straddled the large gate and each tower was manned by two orcs. There were tow large cultivated fields outside the walls. Per saw about twenty naked people working in the fields. The people were human and halfling, mostly female. They were overseen by three orcs carrying whips.

One overseer walked up to a human female and pointed at his crotch. The woman moved his loincloth tot the side and pulled out his cock. Per and Alana watched as she licked his cock and pumped it to its' full hardness. The woman opened her mouth and began sucking on the orc's cock. The orc dropped his whip and grabbed her by both ears. Shouts of encouragement came from the tower guards as he savagely fucked his cock in and out of her mouth. The orc suddenly stiffened as he shot his hot spunk into her mouth.

A scream inside the palisade tore Per and Alana's gaze away from the overseer, but the wooden walls were too high to see over. When they looked back, the woman had gone back to work, while the overseer stuffed his cock back into his pants. Another scream erupted from inside the palisade. Per motioned Alana to move back deeper into the woods.

"Per, I recognized the halflings in the fields," said Alana, after they had moved back. "They're from the village. We have to save them."

"We can't attack just yet," stated Per. "The orcs are still too strong. We need to know how many of them there are."

"If I climb one of these pines, I think I'll be able to see into the fort," said Alana, shrugging off her pack and taking off her sword.

Alana walked among the trees, judging which one would give her the best view. Choosing one, she climbed up quickly and was lost from sight in the upper branches. Per looked around and found a place to camp that was hidden from view on all sides. He put their packs there and sat down to wait for Alana to descend.

After a long wait, Alana came down. Her cheeks were blood-red and her eyes flashed a hatred that Per had not seen before. Per led her over to the camp.

"What is it?" he asked. "What did you see?"

"The orcs are having a party," Alana spat out vehemently. She then settled down. "Per, there are about one hundred orcs there. I counted about fifty males, thirty females and twenty or so young ones. Young ones," she shuddered. "One was being taught how to spank a prisoner with a paddle. Another was pinching the breasts of a captive while she was being gangbanged. The older male children were being taught how to use a sword or axe on a human whose foot was tethered to a stake. He must have had a half-dozen cuts on him. All the other adults were keeping themselves amused."

"What were they doing?" asked Per. "It may be important."

Alana shot him a disgusted look.

"Well," she said. "The ones that weren't fucking the female orcs or raping the prisoners were drinking themselves insensible."

"All of them?" asked Per.

"No, the guards in the towers were sober and there was a group of ten or twelve who weren't participating. They were laughing and joking, but not drinking or molesting anyone."

"Sober guards," stated Per. "My guess is that at the next party, they will have first pick of everything while another group remains on guard. We're dealing with a smart leader. Did anyone stand out or look like a chieftain?"

"There was a raised platform beside the cave. One big orc was raping Tristan, a girl from our village, on it. A female orc was helping him."

"Do you think you think you would recognize him again?"

"I'm not sure," stated Alana. "I think so."

"Let's watch them for a day or two. The patrol should have returned tomorrow. Maybe, with the loss of the patrol, they'll leave the village alone," said Per.

"Do you think they will?" asked Alana.

"No. They'll probably send out a stronger force to see what has happened. If they run into a superior force, they'll retreat back here. If they don't, they'll wipe out the village and enslave everyone. Get some sleep. I'll take the first watch."

The night passed uneventfully. Alana climbed up to her observation post in the morning, but soon came down when she realized that most of the morning was going to spent by the orcs sleeping off the binge they had last night. The field salves had been pushed out the gate at daybreak to work in the fields. Each of the three overseers fucked one or another of the female prisoners throughout the morning.

It was not until mid-afternoon that the rest of the orcs began to stir. Small orc patrols were sent out, increasing Per's anxiety, but they soon returned to the fort. Alana had climbed back up her tree and came down to report that the orcs seemed upset. She stated that the big orc was on the platform yelling orders.

"Per, something is up," stated Alana, after she came down a second time. "The female orc I saw on the platform yesterday is there again talking to the chieftain. All the other orcs have quieted down. I'll be back soon."

Alana climbed back up the tree and, in a short time, came back down.

"Per, the chieftain and thirty-five orcs have put on their armor and are carrying their weapons. I think this is the force you spoke of. We have to get back to tell the others."

"Alana, you go and warn the others. I'm going to follow the orcs and slow them up."

"Alright, but don't make them bypass the ambush just to get away from you. Also, don't get yourself killed."

"I'll try not to."

Alana snatched up her pack and took off back towards the village. Per moved to a place where he could see the gate of the palisade. He waited patiently until the gates opened and the orcs trooped out.

Per had picked a spot off to the side of the path and which had a covered escape route. He saw that fifteen of the orcs carried spears and axes, while another fifteen carried swords and spears. The last five orcs carried composite bows. The chieftain carried a morning star with a hand ax shoved into his belt. As the orcs marched within range, Per sighted his crossbow carefully and let fly.

Per did not see his bolt pierce the side of the orc archer he had been aiming at or see the orc fall to the ground coughing up blood. As soon as he had shot the bolt, Per had turned and was moving quickly to his next spot. As Per ran, he heard the orcs yelling and then thrashing around the spot he had just left.

Per climbed up a rocky spur and settled down behind some boulders. He recocked his crossbow and waited. From his position, he could see down the two valleys to his left and right. The path to the village led down the left valley. Per heard an orc horn blow in the distance. Per waited for almost an hour before he saw movement in the trees.

The chieftain had deployed two scouts forward who moved from tree to tree providing security. The scouts were starting up the left valley when the chieftain stopped them and pointed to the valley on the right. The scouts moved over to the other valley and started up it with the main body following behind. Per counted the orcs and came up with thirty-six, including the chieftain.

"He must have picked up another orc from the cave," thought Per as he sighted on another archer.

Per let fly and took off down the left valley. His bolt missed the archer he had been aiming at, but hit the orc standing beside him. That orc fell down with the bolt skewered through his upper leg. The rest of the orcs dove for cover as the chieftain yelled to regain order.

Per, hearing the orcs behind him, climbed back up the ridge and followed it to where it widened out. Here the right valley changed directions sharply away from the village. Per, unfamiliar with other routes to the village, hoped that the orcs would cross over to the left valley.

Per, hidden behind a bush, knew he had been lucky. He was staring so intently at the valleys that he almost missed the scouts coming towards him. The chieftain had placed the scouts on the ridgelines. Each scout was followed by another orc.

"Probably with orders to rush my position the moment I shoot or am spotted," thought Per.

Per caught sight of the main body. They had crossed over to the left valley and were following it cautiously. Per eased himself backwards and moved quickly up a hill. From there, he saw the orcs continue down the left valley. The orc scouts who had been screening the right valley ran back to rejoin the main group. Per came down the hill to follow the orcs. The orcs' pace had been reduced because of his ambushes. Per hoped that this was enough to allow Alana to reach the villagers in time.

Per followed the orcs for the rest of the day. As long as they kept their slow pace, he was content to just follow them. Per was afraid that another attack would make the orcs stop and hunt him or take another route.

The orcs' pace was slow enough that Per had to concentrate on not running into them or letting him be seen behind them. Per, trying to watch everyone, missed the one orc who had stepped behind a tall bush to take a leak. Per and the orc were both surprised when the orc stepped back from the bush face to face with Per.

The orc yelled while grabbing his spear, which was slung over his back. Per shot his crossbow from the hip. The bolt flashed across the intervening space and buried itself to the feathers in the orc's chest. Per turned and ran as the other orcs crashed through the brush to their fallen comrade. Per managed to hide himself behind a fallen log just as the other orcs burst into view.

The chieftain looked angry enough to spit nails as he ripped the bolt out of the dead orc's chest and broke it in two. Scanning around the area, the chieftain looked over Per's hiding spot, but failed to see Per. The chieftain pulled several orcs close to him and talked to them in a low voice. He then assembled the troop together and they marched up the valley.

Per breathed a sigh of relief. He picked himself up and after slinging the crossbow on his back, followed after the orcs. Surprisingly, he found that the orcs had not gone far. They had set up camp in a jumble of rocks, which gave them a good defensive position. Per could see a couple of orcs on guard, but could not see the rest of them, even though he could hear them.

Per found a concealed spot where he could watch the camp. Shortly before dusk, he saw our orcs leave the camp and head in the direction of the orc fort. Per took short naps throughout the night, which passed uneventfully.

At dawn, the orcs prepared to move out. Per was surprised to see that they did not send out any scouts, but lined up in column and marched off towards the halfling village. Per rose up from his hiding place and started to follow them. As Per approached the orc campsite, his eye caught a glimmer of movement in the rocks. Per changed directions and charged towards the rocks.

The four orcs he had seen last night leaped up on the rocks when they realized that they had been seen. With their ambush foiled because of Per's sudden change of direction, the orcs scrambled now to try to kill him.

Per met the first orc as the others climbed over the rocks to reach him. The orc thrust his spear at Per, but missed. Per did not as the axe blade of his halberd loped off the orc's left arm at the elbow. As the orc stared stupidly at the spurting stump, Per jammed the spear point into the orc's chest. Per reached down quickly and picked up the orc's spear. Per quickly chucked it at an orc who had just climbed up the rock he was on. The orc folded in half as the spear took him in the stomach.

The last two orcs came at Per cautiously, their shields held high and their spears ready to thrust. Per managed to parry one spear, but got a slight cut on the leg from the other. Per parried the second thrust, but was cut again by the other spear on the arm. Backing up rapidly, Per swung his halberd at the orc on his left. The orc lifted his shield to block the blow, but Per changed his aim point in midswing and felt the axe blade cut deep through the leather leggings into the orc's leg.

Per felt a sharp pain in his side as he wrenched his halberd free. The other orc had taken advantage of Per's attack to drive his spear into Per's side. Fortunately, the spear failed to penetrate the chainmail, but the pain from the blow was intense. Per had to let go of his halberd as he retreated back. The last orc advanced on him slowly.

Knowing his adversary to be injured, the last orc shouted and thrust his spear at Per. Overconfident, the orc missed and overextended his reach. Per's hand clamped down on the orc's wrist and, spinning around, Per slammed the orc against a boulder. Stunned, the orc could only stand there dazed as Per's hands gripped his throat and crushed his windpipe.

Per finished off the two wounded orcs and bandaged his cuts. Checking his ribs, Per decided that they were not broken, but a large purple bruise was forming where the spear had hit him. Per cleaned his weapons, loaded his crossbow and took off after the other orcs.

Per caught with them about a mile up the valley. The chieftain had stopped them and appeared to be waiting. He paced back and forth, looking down into the valley. Per crawled closer to get within range and then shot.

The crossbow bolt took the orc archer, who had been standing next to the chieftain, full in the chest. Blood bubbled out of the orc's mouth as he fell to the ground. Cries of alarm and despair rang out as he orcs scrambled to their feet. The chieftain shouted out orders as he ran up the valley away from Per with the other orcs following him. Per reloaded his crossbow and fired, but missed as the orcs ran out of range.

The orcs were moving fast and Per had a hard time keeping up with them and staying out of sight. The orcs seemed intent on putting as much distance between them and Per as possible. Per chased after them most of the morning. Just before midday, the pace slackened. Per readied his crossbow and took aim at the troop.

He overshot the archer he had been aiming at and his bolt skittered off the shield of another. The orcs took off up the valley again without a backward glance. The chieftain ran behind his soldiers, cursing and yelling. Per gave chase after them.

"Hssst, Per," hissed someone to Per from his left.

Per jumped and swung around to find his crossbow pointing at Fanko.

"C'mere! C'mere!" hissed Fanko, motioning Per to join him.

Per suddenly realized that they were at the trap he and Alana had planned. He wearily stopped and sat down. A minute or two later, he heard shouts, screams and yells from the pass ahead. Before Per could do anything, the chieftain unexpectedly appeared in front of him and Fanko.

Screaming incoherently, the chieftain rushed at Per, who was struggling to his feet. Fanko ran at the chieftain, brandishing an orcish axe, but was smashed to the side when the chieftain's morning star hit him in the shoulder.

Per ripped his sword from the scabbard and parried a blow from the morning star that threatened to rip his head off. Blow, counterblow, parry and block, the two warriors circled around each other trying for an opening and finding none. Per had the greater strength, but had also fought four other orcs earlier.

The chieftain's rage was his undoing. Maddened by the attacks and the loss of his soldiers, the chieftain fought recklessly. His only thought was to kill Per. Sensing an opening, he swung full force at Per's chest. Per snapped backwards, the morning star barely missing him. The chieftain caught his balance, but not before Per's sword pierced into his side.

The chieftain fell back away from Per. Seriously wounded, he swung wildly to hit Per. Per dodged and parried the blows and then swung his sword at the orc chieftain. Per's sword cleaved through the chieftain's armor and cut deep into his unwounded side. The chieftain dropped to his knees, coughed up blood, and fell over.

Per looked at the dead chieftain and then looked to see if any other orc had escaped the ambush. Seeing none, he rushed over to Fanko. Fanko lay on the ground, moaning. His left arm was twisted at an impossible angle, so Per knew right away that it was broken. He only hoped that the shoulder joint was not smashed as well. The spikes from the morning star had cut the arm, but not severely.

"Hold on," Per told Fanko. "I'll get help."

As Per stood, he saw Alana and three other halflings making their way through the brush towards him. Seeing Fanko's plight, one of the halflings ran back to the village for a stretcher.

"We killed all the others," said Alana, while they were waiting for the stretcher. "We saw the chieftain escape and were worried when you didn't appear. Poor Fanko. I hope he doesn't lose the arm."

"I hope so, too," stated Per.

The halfling soon returned with the stretcher and extra help. Fanko screamed and passed out in pain when they moved him onto the stretcher. The bearers quickly carried Fanko off to the village as Per and Alana helped clean up the ambush site.

The orc bodies were stripped of all useful equipment and then burned. As the grisly work neared its end, Per and Alana went over and sat down with Harlo, who was sitting on a stump eating lunch.

"Father!" admonished Alana, holding her nose. "How can you eat with this stench in the air?"

Harlo took another bite of cheese and said softly, "The food tastes like ashes and I feel that I am going to vomit at any second. My people had to do grisly work today, so I am trying to give them strength by sitting here eating lunch. We are a peaceful people, unused to this type of violence."

"We are going to have to finish this," said Per. "If we leave them there, they will rebuild and come back."

"I know," said Harlo, with a sigh. "Take five of the best slingers and do what you must."

Per, Alana and the five halflings left the next morning. The next two days passed without incident and they soon found themselves at the fort. Alana climbed up her spy tree to see what the orcs were doing. She soon came down again.

"There are about fifteen male orcs left. Three are guarding the slaves in the fields. Two are in the towers. It looks like a small patrol is getting ready to go out."

"Great," said Per. "Follow me."

Per led his band to the path that the orc patrols took through the woods. After placing the halflings at concealed points near the path, Per lay down next to a tree and waited for the patrol.

The three-orc patrol appeared, walking nonchalantly along the path. Routine had made them careless. The lead orc died without a sound with a crossbow bolt through his head. The other two orcs died right after him from sling stones. Per and the halflings pulled the bodies off the path and hid them.

"It will be about an hour before they are missed," said Per. "Lets watch and see what they do. I want to cut the odds down some more."

"I'm beginning to hate that tree," commented Alana as they trudged back to it.

Alana climbed back up to her perch and stayed there for some time. It was well past the time for the patrol to have returned before she came back down.

"They're real worried," she reported. "The female orc who was with the chieftain appears to be in charge. She was arguing with a couple of males. It looks like they are going to send four orcs after the patrol, but two others are preparing to leave. Maybe they are sending them after the main body."

"Alana, you take the halflings and kill the second patrol," ordered Per. "I'll go and stop the two messengers."

Alana and the halflings took off one way as Per ran in the other direction. Per raced through the woods, half-afraid of missing the two orcs and half-afraid for the halflings. Per crashed through the brush separating him from the path leading to the village and ran right into the two orcs.

Both orcs were as surprised as Per. Per did not even think as he continued forward to spear one of the orcs in the side with his halberd spearpoint. Letting go of the halberd, Per crashed full force into the other orc.

Both Per and the orc fell to the ground. The orc tried to bash Per in the head with his shield, but Per was too close. Per, unhampered with a shield, grabbed the orc's right hand with his left and the orc's throat with his right. The orc struggled against Per's strong grip, but was unable to do anything because of his shield. Per tightened his right hand and, with a muffled crunch, crushed the orc's windpipe.

Per got off the dead body and went over to the other orc, who was sitting on the ground trying to stem the flow of blood from the wound in his side. Per quickly grabbed the orc's head and twisted, snapping the orc's neck with a loud crack.

Per snatched up his halberd and started to run back to where the halflings were. Halfway there, he spotted them walking towards him. One of the halflings had a bloody bandage on his arm.

"Is everyone alright?" Per asked Alana.

"Yes, one orc threw his axe and caught Anson in the arm. Luckily it was a glancing blow. What about you? You're a mess with all those leaves and twigs all over you."

"Sorry. I was in a hurry and didn't give my valet time to spruce me up. I got the two other orcs."

"And we killed the patrol. Now what?"

"Lets rest while you climb that damn tree again."

They went back to the tree. Alana climbed up while the others set up camp. As darkness descended, Alana came down to report.

"They've moved all the slaves inside and barred the gate," she said as Per dished her out a plate of stew. "I think they will fort up until the main body returns. They don't seem to know that everyone else has been killed. The good news is that there is only one orc up in the towers standing guard."

"Why is that good news?" asked Per. "He can still give the alarm."

"I think I can sneak up behind him." Alana drew a map of the orc's cave in the dirt. "Here, where the palisade meets the cliff wall. It's not lighted there. I can make my way along the cliff to this spot, climb the wall, and kill the guard. We'll be inside before you know it."

"It beats trying to wait them out," mentioned one of the halflings.

"Alright, then," stated Per, reaching a decision. "Alana will sneak in and kill the guard. The rest of us will get as close to the gate as possible. After the guard is eliminated, Alana will open the gate for us."

"It'll be better if you climbed over the wall," said Alana. "Opening the gate will be noisy."

"We'll bring a rope. Lets get a couple hours of rest and then we'll attack."

No one really rested or slept for the next several hours. Per and a couple of the halflings took catnaps, but that was about it. The time finally came to move out. Alana took off in a circular route to the cliff wall, while Per and the other five halflings crossed the fields towards the gate.

Per got as close as he dared. Torches flanked either side of the gate and, in their flickering light, Per could see the guard up in the tower. Per knew the guard was in range of his crossbow, but it would be a shot at long range at almost zero visibility.

Per hunkered down to wait. He knew by now that waiting was hard and that things always seemed to take longer when he was waiting. Even so, after waiting what seemed to be an eternity, Per was reverently wishing that Alana would hurry the hell up.

Per was watching the tower so intently that he was surprised when Alana leaned out and waved at them. Per shook off his amazement and ran to the palisade with the other halflings. They tossed the end of the rope up to Alana who secured to a wooden beam. Per and the others quickly climbed up to her. The first thing Per saw was the orc guard slumped over a rail with a dagger sticking out of his back.

"Sorry I took so long," whispered Alana. "The guard was a Nervous Nellie, fidgeting one way, then the other. It took him forever to move to a position where I could kill him."

"Some people have no consideration," whispered Per. "Where are the others?"

"Three orcs are sleeping on the ground by the platform. The others must be inside the cave."

"Lets capture the three and then see about the others."

Alana pulled her dagger out if the orc's back and then led the group down the steps to the ground. They moved quietly towards the platform. A quick rap on the skull with a reversed dagger rendered the three orcs unconscious. They were then tied up and gagged.

Per motioned for Alana and the other halflings to remain outside the cave. He exchanged his helmet and shield for an orc helmet and shield. Pulling out his dagger, he entered the cave.

The cave was a long domed cavern with several rooms leading off of the main cavern. The floor was hard-packed dirt covered with rushes. Per saw about thirty female orcs and thirty orc children sleeping in the main chamber. Per carefully picked his way among the sleeping orcs as he inspected the cavern.

Towards the back, Per found a room whose entrance had been sealed with criss-crossing bars and a lock on the door. Sleeping in front of the door was another male orc. Looking through the bars, Per could see bodies inside, but could not distinguish who they were.

"They have to be the prisoners," decided Per as he knelt down to clamp a hand over the orc's mouth and slit his throat with his dagger.

Per searched the now-dead orc and found a large key ring. Taking the key ring, Per continued his search. He found one final male orc in an opulent bed in one of the rooms off the main chamber. Tapestries hung on the wall and braziers warmed the room. The male orc was sleeping on the bed with a female orc lying beside him.

Per slit the male orc's throat, but his death gurgle and thrashing woke up the female. She sat up in the bed to scream out a warning, but the scream froze in her throat as Per's bloody dagger pressed against her neck.

"One sound and you're dead!" hissed Per in orc. "We are going to walk out of here quietly or you die!"

Per pulled her out of the bed only to discover that she was naked. She was about six feet tall, brownish skin with a bluish sheen, and shoulder-length black hair. Her body was muscular with very large breasts. Holding her arm with his dagger at her back, Per forced her out of the room and through the cavern.

Outside the cave, the female orc stopped and shuddered as her eyes caught sight of the three tied-up orcs and the dead orc slumped over the tower railing. Alana ran over to them.

"Per, this is the woman who was with the chieftain and giving orders," she said quietly.

"I thought so," said Per. "Hold this."

Per handed Alana his dagger. He then gagged the female orc and tied her spread-eagled to the support poles of the platform. Per then went back inside the cave. He brought out the two dead orcs and had the halflings bring down the body from the tower. Per cut off the heads of the dead orcs and stuck the heads on spears by the gate. He then tossed several spears over the wall.

"Alana, hold down the fort," he told her. "I'll be back shortly. We need to put enough fear in these people to scare them away for good."

"Don't worry, Per," she said. "We'll be here when you get back."

Per climbed over the palisade wall and took off for the woods. About an hour later, he returned.

"All done?" asked Alana.

"Yes." Per looked up at the lightening sky. "It's almost dawn. Time to wake everyone up. Keep everyone here in the center."

Per went into the cave. Beating his sword on his shield, and with kicks, he woke everyone up and chased them out of the cave. No one resisted. The orc females and children huddled together in a group. They moaned and cried when they saw the female orc tied to the platform, the orc heads on the spears, and the three tied up orcs. Per walked slowly out of the cave and ascended the platform.

"QUIET!" he commanded in orc. "Your men have offended me and are no more." The wailing increased. "SILENCE! I have decided to let you go. Leave here. I see any of you here again, I will kill you like this!"

Per jumped off the platform and, snatching up an axe, beheaded all three of the tied-up orcs. The women and children all cried out in horror as blood spurted out of the neck stumps. Per signaled to Alana who opened the gates. The path to the gates was lined with nine orc heads all stuck on spears. The orc females and children were then shoved out the gates. Alana closed and barred the gates behind them.

"Alana, get one man in the tower and then check out the prisoners," said Per, tossing her the key ring he had picked up.

Per went over and removed the gag off the female orc who was bound to the platform. She immediately spit at him and Per slapped her.

"Now that the social amenities have been observed, we can talk," stated Per, backing up. "What's your name?"

The female orc observed Per warily. "My name is Oraag. What are you going to do with us?"

"Let you go, if you take everyone from here and never return. I will kill anyone who comes back."

Oraag looked at her bonds. "Cut me down and let me get dressed. I have no desire to die or to have the remainder of my people killed."

Per moved closer and cut Oraag free. She turned and walked back into the cave with Per following. Alana and the others had opened the prison and were escorting the former orc slaves out. A few muttered angrily when they saw Oraag. She did not even glance at them, but went straight back to her bedroom.

Oraag glanced at the bloody sheets on the bed. She pulled the blanket off and wrapped it around her. Oraag crossed over to a table with goblets and a pitcher on it. She filled two goblets with some liquid from the pitcher.

"Sit. We can talk here," she said, indicating one of the chairs by the table.

Before Per could do anything, Alana walked into the room.

"The other orcs are waiting at the edge of the forest. They said they won't leave without her," stated Alana, pointing at Oraag.

"Take your people and head back to the village," said Per. "I'll chase the others away as soon as I have burned down the walls and towers."

Alana sighed. "Okay," she said, dubiously, as she left.

Oraag's eyes flickered back and forth between Alana and Per while they were talking. She relaxed visibly as Alana left the room.

"You are strong," she said, sipping her drink. "You could stay here and claim this land."

"Your men should not have attacked me," stated Per, sipping the strong, fiery drink.

"They are dead," shrugged Oraag. "You can be master here." She rose to her feet, dropped the blanket, and sat back down on Per's lap. "There are entertainments." She took Per's hand and brought it up to her breast.

Per released her breast and lifted Oraag up in is arms. He carried her into the big chamber and unceremoniously dropped her on the ground. Oraag hit hard and her breath was knocked out of her. As she lay stunned on the ground, Per picked up a discarded blanket and ripped it into strips.

"You fucking, ass-licking...Gaah!" gurgled Oraag as her cursing was cut off by Per's hand squeezing her throat.

"Against the bars!" ordered Per as he yanked her to her feet and shoved her towards the bars which had confined the prisoners' cell.

Oraag clanged into the bars. Per pulled one of her arms up and tied it to the bars. He then did the same with the other arm. Oraag tried to kick him when Per went to tie her legs, but a swift slap to the back of her head stopped that. Per stepped back when he had finished.

Oraag was tied spread-eagled to the bars. Her face and breasts were firmly pressed against them. Per stripped off his armor and clothing.

"What are you doing?" demanded Oraag.

"Teaching a lesson," replied Per as he swung his belt at her buttocks.

Oraag screamed at the first smack of leather on her skin. She gritted her teeth as her ass burned from the blow and then gasped as the second blow landed. Her large breasts were pressed painfully against the unyielding iron bars. Per slowly and exactingly delivered six lashes to her ass with his wide belt.

"Well?" he asked.

"I'll kill you for this!" growled Oraag, through gritted teeth. "I'll cut out your heart and...Aughhh!!!"

Oraag slammed her body against the bars as Per's belt connected with his rounded ass again. Per administered another six lashes.

"Stop! Stop!" cried Oraag. "I'll do anything you say! Anything you say!"

"Ask for another six lashes," Per told her.

"No!...Aughhh!!!" screamed Oraag as Per gave her three more. Oraag leaned against the bars sobbing.

"Beg for more," Per told her.

"Please, I...Please, I want some more. Lash me again." Oraag squatted down as far as her bonds would permit. She shoved her ass out away from the bars. "Please, beat me."

Per lashed her six more times. Oraag made no move the pull her ass away from the belt. In her position, Per could see her pussy glistening wetly. Per dropped his belt and stepped behind Oraag. Grasping her hips, Per plunged his cock into her pussy in one stroke.

"Ow!" exclaimed Oraag as Per's twelve inch cock stretched her to the limit. "Ram it in! It hurts! It hurts soooo good!"

Per rammed his hard cock in and out of Oraag's cunt. She grunted in pain and delight as his massive tool pounded into her. Per could feel the heat coming off her ass where he had whipped her. Oraag's hand tightly gripped the bars as Per's cock fucked her and fucked her hard.

Per felt Oraag's pussy become wetter as his cock rammed in and out of her. Oraag was panting heavily and shoving her ass backwards to meet Per's forward thrust. Per felt his balls tighten as his sexual tension built. Readjusting his grip on Oraag's hips, He began fucking her faster and faster. Oraag's body shook and her large breasts danced as Per slammed his cock into her.

Per brutally shoved his cock all the way up Oraag's pussy, causing her to scream in delight. Per's prick pulsated and he blasted his first squirt of hot, sticky cum deep into Oraag's womb.

"Yessssss," sighed Oraag, her legs shaking. "Fill me up. Squirt your seed deep inside me."

Per's cock squirted two more wads of hot cum inside Oraag. He pulled his cum-covered cock out of Oraag's pussy and fired off one more spurt of jism onto her ass. As Per's climax tapered off, he felt the fire begin to burn again in his balls.

As his body took over with the uncontrollable need to climax a second time, Per gripped Oraag's hips tightly and placed the tip of his cock against her asshole. He shoved forward.

"AIEEEE!!!" screamed Oraag, in a screech loud enough to collapse the cave ceiling. "No! Not there! It's...It's too big! Augh! It's stretching me apart!"

"No?! No?!" growled Per. He shoved again causing the head of his cock to pop past her sphincter. He then painfully pinched her asscheek. "Do you want to go back to the belt?"

"No! Yes! No!" she answered rapidly. "I...Augh! I don't know."

The burning in Per's balls was getting intense. Per grabbed her hips again and began fucking her in the ass. The sperm he had shot there and the cum on his cock lubricated her rectum so his cock slid in easily. On each thrust, Per shoved a little more of his prick into Oraag, stretching her asshole wider each time.

Oraag held onto the bars tightly. She whimpered, grunted, and cried out as Per's cock was forced more and more into her asshole. Per had shoved nine inches of his twelve-inch cock into her rectum and her asshole was obscenely clasped around his pole.

Per pulled back, drawing all, but the tip of his cock out of Oraag before plunging it back into her. He began to rhythmically fuck Oraag up the ass, drawing his hard cock almost all the way out before sinking three-quarters of it back into her bowels. After several moments, Per, despite his overriding lust, felt Oraag begin to relax. She thrust her ass backwards in time to his thrusts.

"Oh! I didn't...I didn't know. It feels...so good!" she panted. "I want all of it. Shove it all up my butt!"

Per, in his lust delirium needed no other encouragement. With a mighty thrust, he shoved the last three inches of his cock up into her ass. He started to ram the entire length in and out of her ass, his balls slapping against her pussy.

Oraag's body tensed as her asshole took in all of Per's large cock, but she relaxed to allow Per to fuck his cock deep up her rectum. Her body broke out in a sweat and her breathing came in shuddering gasps. Oraag came twice as Per fucked her ass and her juices flowed down her legs to drip on the floor.

Despite Oraag relaxing her ass muscles, her hole was incredibly tight and put an intense pressure on Per's cock. Per's breathing was labored and he felt himself reaching the climax point. Per banged Oraag flat against the bars with his cock buried deep in her ass. Per felt his cock seem to expand and expand until, finally, with a cry of relief, that first load of cum exploded out of his cock into the hot tunnel beyond. Per had to grab the bars himself to prevent him from falling to the floor.

Both, Per and Oraag's bodies shook as his cock continued to jet wad after wad of gooey jism up her ass. Oraag's ass contracted around his cock as if milking it for every last drop. Finally, Per stopped cumming and he collapsed to the ground, his cock pulling out of Oraag's ass with a wet slurp. Oraag hung limply from her bonds. Her pussy and ass were dripping cum on the ground. Oraag looked over at the prone Per.

"Stay with me," she panted. "I will be your slave. You are strong enough to rule here. I will do anything you say."

Per sat up. "It is a way too tempting to contemplate. I could easily lose myself in you. You have to go. The halflings will kill you if you stay."

"You could drive them off," Oraag pleaded desperately. "Every woman would submit to you."

"We will be back in two days," Per warned her, as he got dressed. "We will kill you if you are still here," and he walked out of the cave.

Per surveyed the group of orc women and children huddled down by the forest edge.

"Get her!" he commanded them, pointing towards the cave entrance.

After several moments' hesitation, two orc women scuttled forward and went into the cave. Per heard their gasps as they caught sight of Oraag. They soon came out with Oraag between them. A couple of blankets had been wrapped around her. They headed down to the group and all of them turned and went into the forest.

Per closed and barred the gate behind them. He then made a complete search of the caves. In Oraag's bedroom, he found another smaller room behind a tapestry. The room contained two tables. A small chest was on one table and a sword lay on the other. Per picked up the sword and beheld a thing of beauty.

The sword was a bastard sword, like his own. The scabbard was made with spiraling bands of black and white leather traveling down the entire length. Per looked closely and was amazed to see that the white spiral was made to resemble frost. The hilt was also white and the guard had been made to look like icicles. Per unsheathed the sword and the blade shone forth with a cold, white light.

A name rang out in Per's mind - Dorgeth. Visions of centuries of battle sprang into his mind. Most of the visions he could not comprehend, but there was always the theme of defeating the FIRE and its minions. The visions faded and Per was again in the cave. Per resheathed the sword and replaced his own with it.

Per went over to the other table and inspected the chest. It was filled with gold and silver with a few gems thrown in. Per closed the chest, picked it up along with his old sword and went outside. Leaving the chest and sword by the gate, Per went back inside and found a storeroom, which contained five barrels of oil. Per rolled two of the barrels outside and poured the other three out inside the cave. Per broke open the last two barrels and poured the oil over the wooden palisade and towers.

Per lit two torches and picked up the chest and his old sword. He threw one torch inside the cave and saw that the oil had caught fire immediately. He then touched the oil-covered timbers with the other torch. Per walked away as gouts of black smoke billowed out of the cave and the wood fort caught on fire. A short ways down the trail, Per came across Alana sitting on a rock.

"You done back there?" she asked, pointing at the thick smoke rising above the trees.

"Yes," answered Per, "and you?"

"Once the village is back to normal, I'll have to leave before I become an embarrassment to my father."

"Want to travel together?" asked Per as they headed towards the village.

"Sure, I have a feeling that life with you will be interesting."

"Isn't that a curse somewhere?"

Part 4

Per and Alana had been traveling east through the wilderness. The land called to Per with its primordial beauty. Despite Alana's prediction that Per would lead an exciting life, nothing had happened for quite a few days. At times, it seemed that they were the only two people in the world.

As dusk was settling one evening, Per and Alana headed for a small group of trees to make camp. The grove was near a stream, which had a high embankment on one side. As they approached the woods, Per caught sight of a dim flash of red light within.

"Wait," he whispered to Alana. "Something is in there."

They both crouched down and watched the trees. There was no movement or sound to be seen or heard. Suddenly, the red light flashed again back in the middle of the grove.

Per hobbled the mule and grasped his halberd. Alana had pulled out two daggers and they then quietly moved forward into the woods. After creeping forward several feet into the trees, Per and Alana came upon one of the strangest sights they had ever seen.

A round fleshy ball, about five feet in diameter, was floating not ten feet away from where they were hidden. Eyestalks protruded from the top of the ball and a big round eye was in the center of the ball. A hideous mouth with sharp, pointed teeth was underneath the large eye. The thing was staring at a naked man and woman.

The woman was on her hands and knees as the man fucked her from behind. She looked to be about 19 to 20 years old with large breasts and short-cropped black hair. Her body was dripping sweat. The man was also about 20 with short blond hair. Per looked around and saw backpacks, weapons, and pieces of armor strewn all over the ground.

The man groaned, shivered and fell away from the woman, gasping for air. His limp cock flopped to the side as he hit the ground. Per could see that he was exhausted. The woman lowered her head to the ground and she was also gasping for air. Her thighs were shiny from their juices. Per jumped slightly as the round ball talked to the man and the woman.

"Yousss mustsss makesss herss juicysss," it said in a high, squeaky voice.

A red beam shot out of the big eye striking both the man and the woman. They both groaned and shook under its effect. The man groped blindly and then staggered behind the woman to sink his now hard cock back into her pussy.

"Fucksss hersss. Fastersss," commanded the thing.

The man began to pound hid cock in and out of the woman's cunt. Per motioned for Alana to go around to the right as he prepared to attack the ball. The thing's eyestalks swiveled around looking everywhere constantly. Per bided his time until all of the thing's eyes were focused on the man and the woman. He stood up quickly and swung his halberd at the floating ball.

The axe blade bit deep into it and the ball screamed shrilly. Per pulled his weapon free and jumped left just as an eyestalk whipped around and fired off a black beam at him. The beam missed, but hit the head of his halberd, disintegrating the top two feet of the weapon. The creature was turning to face Per when a dagger bounced off its tough skin.

Whipping around in the air, the creature fired a red beam from its central eye, striking Alana just as she was ready to throw her second dagger. Alana shivered in the beam's light, dropped her knife and frantically began to rip off her clothing.

Per, given a reprieve, pulled Dorgeth from the scabbard and lunged forward. His swing bounced off the hard body of the beast, but did slice off two eyestalks that were turning towards him. The creature screamed again as it tried to float away from Per.

Per followed the creature and cleaved into the ball with his sword. The thing gasped and flopped to the ground, its eyestalks waving around wildly. Per slashed at the monster and then, gripping his sword with both hands, plunged it down through the ball, pinning it to the ground.

Per yanked his sword free of the dying creature and drove it in again. He looked around to see that both the man and the woman had collapsed on the ground. He then saw Alana sitting on the ground naked with two fingers shoved up her pussy.

"P...P...Per, p...please!" moaned Alana as she shook and quivered.

"What can I do?" asked Per, concerned as he knelt beside her.

Alana grasped his hand and quickly shoved one of his large fingers into her sopping wet cunt. A moan of satisfaction came from her as she moved his hand to slide his finger in and out of her hole. Per was amazed at how tight and how wet her pussy was.

"It had to be the red beam," he thought. Per then shook his head. "DUH!!!"

Per used his free hand to push Alana flat onto the ground. He pushed his middle finger in and out of her cunt, which gripped it tightly, as his other fingers played with her clitoris. Alana's breathing became labored and, in no time, she arched off the ground in the throes of a powerful orgasm.

"Wha...What happened?" she asked as she got her breath back.

"I don't know," answered Per, "but I suspect it had something to do with that thing over there. Stay here. I need to check on the other two."

Per went over to the man and the woman. Both were unconscious, but alive. It appeared that they had collapsed from exhaustion. Per recovered Dorgeth from the body of the now dead creature and dragged the carcass out of the grove. He retrieved the mule and went back into the woods.

Alana had redressed and Per made a bed for her, telling her to rest as he set up camp. He rolled out blankets for the man and the woman and tucked them into the beds. Unsure of the magical effects caused by the creature's eyes, Per could only sit and wait.

The next morning, Per got up and heated water for soup. He sliced dried beef into the boiling water and added spices. As he worked, Alana awoke and got up.

"How do you feel?" asked Per when she sat down by the fire.

"Alright, I guess," she answered. "I don't know what happened to me last night. One second, I was fighting and the next, I had to have sex."

"Do you remember the light from the creature's eye hitting you?" asked Per.

"I remember a red flash," said Alana. "How are the other two?"

"Exhausted. They haven't moved. I'm hoping there are no aftereffects."

"Me, too."

Per and Alana spent the rest of the day improving the campsite. They set up tents, collected firewood, and gathered water. They did not move the two people, but set the tents up directly over them. In the late afternoon, the woman moaned and stirred in her bed. Alana knelt down beside her while Per filled a cup with water.

Dry, croaking sounds came from the woman's mouth as she tried to speak. Per helped support her head as Alana held the cup to let her drink. The woman drank thirstily and then laid back down.

"Hush, dear," said Alana. "Don't talk. The creature that attacked you is dead. You and your friend are alive, but he is still unconscious."

The woman pointed over to one of their packs and mouthed the word - bottle. Per went over and pulled out a blue bottle from the pack. He brought it back to the woman and pulled out the stopper. Holding her head up again, he let her take several sips from the bottle.

The change was astounding. The woman's ashen color disappeared as her skin took on a more dusky hue. Her dark brown eyes became clear and more focused as her breathing eased.

"Thank you," she said in a low, husky voice. "This is a healing potion. If he wakes, give him this to drink. It will aid in his recovery."

"Who are you?" asked Per.

"I am Octavia and my companion is Karlto."

"Pleased to meet you," said Per. "Rest now. We'll talk in the morning."

"You, too," said Alana to Per. "If I know you, you've been up most of the night. I'll wake you if anything happens."

Per went to sleep and woke up at daybreak. Alana was asleep on top of her blankets with a dagger held in her hand. Per built up the fire and saw the blue bottle nearby. He picked it up and found that it was empty.

Per walked over tot the tent where Karlto was. Karlto was sleeping easier and most of the marks of exhaustion were gone from his face. As Per moved back to the fire, Alana got up.

"He woke up a little bit after you had gone to sleep," Alana told Per. "I let him drink the rest of the bottle and it healed him of his exhaustion. Better make a big breakfast. I think they are going to be hungry."

"Why don't you make breakfast?" asked Per, pulling a pot from one of their packs.

"I'm a thief, not a cook," retorted Alana. "Unless, of course, you want to try my cooking again."

Per grimaced as he remembered the one and only time he had made Alana cook.

"Just as well," he thought. "She has to do the cleanup."

Per cooked porridge, ham, bread and cheese for breakfast. Halfway through his preparations, Octavia stirred and come out of the tent with a blanket wrapped around her. She went over to her pack and pulled out clothing. Per kept his back turned as she dressed. After a few minutes, Octavia went into the tent where Karlto was and then came over to the fire.

"He seems better," she said as she accepted a plate of food from Per. "Did you give him any of the potion?"

"Yes," replied Per. "Alana gave it to him last night. I'm Per and this is Alana, by the way."

"Honored. I'm going to go get Karlto. He should have some food."

Octavia walked into Karlto's tent and woke him up. Karlto come out wrapped in a blanket. Surveying around, he jumped a little at the sight of Per. He picked up a pack and pulled out clothing for himself. After he dressed, he and Octavia walked back to the fire and Per got his first real good look at them.

Karlto was about 5'11'' tall and weighed about 180 pounds. He had short blond hair with a thin moustache and blue eyes. A silver medallion hung from his neck. Octavia was about 5'8'' tall and busty. Her arms were well muscled and she moved with the assurance of a fighter.

"I wish to thank you, old boy," said Karlto cheerfully. "I thought that beholder had us. I was quite at the end of my tether."

Per smiled at Karlto's strange accent and said, "You're welcome. I'm Per and this is Alana. How did you manage to end up here?"

"The same could be asked of you," stated Karlto. "No matter. Octavia wanted to go adventuring and talked me into it. We've known each other off and on for years. It as just our blasted luck to run right into that beholder."

"Off and on for years?" asked Alana. "You mean you're not married?"

"Again the same could be asked of you," said Karlto, with a gleam in his eye as he looked back and forth between massive Per and diminutive Alana. "No, we are not and haven't even been intimate except for the beholder's magic, but I do not suppose that counts. Or does it, Octavia?"

"No, it doesn't," she replied, as she took a bite of ham. "Remember last time?"

"She damned near took my bloody hand off," Karlto informed Per and Alana in a stage whisper. "As it was I was laid up for a week. Enough about us, let's hear your story."

Per told them about the halfling village and the orcs. Karlto and Octavia listened in silence until he was done.

"That's how we ended up here," said Per, finishing up.

"Sounds like a good fight," said Octavia. "Give us the dishes. It's the least we can do right now."

"Alana, what do you think of them?" asked Per, as Octavia and Karlto took the dishes and pots down to the stream to clean them.

"They appear to be alright. Why?"

"I was wondering if they would want to join us. Safety in numbers, but I wanted to ask you first."

"I guess I'm naturally suspicious," stated Alana. "I want to know more about them first."

Per and Alana waited until Karlto and Octavia came back from the stream. After everything was packed away, Per asked them to sit down.

"Alana and I have been talking about all of us joining together..." started Per.

"I say, old boy. Octavia and I were discussing the same thing down at the stream," interrupted Karlto. "Safety in numbers, what? You seem to have all the luck and we could use some. However, we know about Alana because you've told us, but what we need to find out is about you, Per. No insult intended."

"None taken," said Per, smiling. "I'm used to people being startled by my appearance. I'm half-ogre. My father was an ogre and my mother human. I was raised on a farm by my mother and taught about weapons by the hands she hired. They were retired soldiers. I got into an incident where I upset a high ranking individual and had to leave or get killed. I've been adventuring ever since."

"I think there are some gaps in your story, old boy," stated Karlto, when Per was finished, "but I'm satisfied for now. As for myself, I was given over to the Temple of Zeus at an early age. I can't remember my parents, only the priests. One priest, old Russo, trained me in the martial arts. Originally, I think I was supposed to be a guard at the temple, but I went on to become a cleric. I was in the lap of luxury when Octavia dragged me away from all that."

"Hush," commanded Octavia. "You lived in a 10' square cell with a hard wooden bed. You drooled at the prospect of getting out of the temple. As a matter of fact, I think the other priests were pushing you out the door when it came time to leave."

Alana and Per both broke out laughing, as Karlto turned bright red.

"My turn," said Octavia. "My mother died in childbirth and my father never remarried. He was an officer in the army. Since he did not know about little girls, he taught me what he did know - strategy, tactics and weapons. We moved a lot and I got used to being on my own. After my father was injured in a battle, he retired. He saw I was unhappy just sitting around at home and actually sent me out into the wide world. I guess to find myself. So I grabbed up Karlto and here we are."

Per looked over at Alana and she nodded.

If you would like to join us, we'd like to have you," said Per. "As Karlto said, Safety in numbers, what?"

"Um, treasure?" asked Karlto.

"Equal split with one extra share set aside. The extra share buys the common goods for the group, like food and such."

"Sounds fair. There's a town two days from here," said Octavia. "Let's head there for supplies and then decide where to go."

They spent the rest of the day in the camp getting ready to travel. Both Karlto and Octavia wore chainmail armor. Karlto carried a wicked looking flail, while Octavia was an arsenal with daggers, long sword, spear and sling.

The group headed south towards the town. Karlto was jovial and rash with a sense of humor that sometimes eluded Per. Octavia had a soldier's sense of humor, inherited no doubt for her father. The four of them got along well together.

After a couple of days, they arrived at the town in the midafternoon. It was a fairly new town, built at a crossroads. It catered mainly to the miners in the area and to the merchants who were passing through, making the atmosphere of the town a rough and tumble place. About two-thirds of the population was transient.

A silver coin elicited the name of an inn, the Elf, from the gate guard. Just off the central square, Per had his doubts about a good night's sleep when he saw the sign swinging above the door. It was a carving of a naked female elf that was looking sexually over her shoulder while beckoning customers with her finger. Per, Alana, Octavia, and Karlto looked at each other.

"I didn't see any place more inviting coming in," said Per. "What do you think?"

"I say this is just the place, old boy," exclaimed Karlto, a little too eagerly.

"Let's see what it's like inside first," said Octavia.

It was surprising clean inside. Two pretty barmaids were sweeping the floor as two other barmaids served the lunchtime crowd. A short, muscular man with white hair and a walrus moustache walked over to them.

"Welcome to the Erotic Elf. How may I help you?" he asked.

"Uh, we were looking for some quiet rooms for the night," stated Per, dubiously.

The man smiled widely. "First time in town, huh? No inn here is quiet until after midnight. In all fairness, my inn is not as wild as some of the others and the crowd is less boisterous. I can offer you clean beds and good rooms. Unfortunately, the quiet will have to be after midnight."

"Sounds better than nothing at all," conceded Per. "You have any beds in my size?"

The group settled into the four rooms that the innkeeper showed them. Per's bed was extra-long. He dropped off his packs and went out to meet his friends. The streets were noisy and filled with just about every race on the earth. Vendors and merchants shouted out their wares and street performers did acts, all to separate people from their money. Per found a weapon smith and purchased a new halberd to replace the one destroyed by the beholder. Rations and other items, like tents for Octavia and Karlto, were purchased for the group along with another mule to carry the extra gear.

Per stopped at a jewelry shop when his eye caught sight of two necklaces. Both were made from silver with dangling pendants. One pendant was a tiger's eye and the other was topaz. Per told the others to go ahead and he would catch up with them later. He went into the store and talked with the owner about purchasing the necklaces.

"What are you going to do with two necklaces?" Alana asked him as Per came out of the store.

"Why didn't you go ahead?" asked Per.

"To keep an eye on you," said Alana with a sour look. "Well?"

"They remind me of two girls back home," said Per. "The tiger's eye matches one girl's hair and the blue topaz matches the other's eyes. I thought I would send them these."

"C'mon. Let's go see the innkeeper about courier service here."

Per and Alana went back to the Elf. Per arranged with the innkeeper to have the two necklaces sent to Melinar and Nyrandurril. He then joined Alana, Octavia and Karlto for dinner. As they ate, more and more people came into the inn. The barmaids began to flirt outrageously and the noise level climbed significantly. Most of the early arrivals came in for supper, but Per soon noticed a change as more beer and liquor was served than food. Four musicians set up in a corner and the crowd yelled as they started in on a popular tune. Foots stomped, hands clapped as the musicians played faster and faster. Everyone yelled out again as the finale resounded out.

Everyone in the Elf became more boisterous as the night wore on and the alcohol flowed like water. The waitresses danced on the tables showing off a lot of cleavage and not a little leg. They also danced with the patrons, rubbing their bodies up against their partners, while fending off grasping hands that got a little too familiar. Per was surprised that their dresses did not fall to the floor under the weight of the gold and silver pieces that disappeared down the front of their tight blouses.

"Enjoying yourselves?" asked the innkeeper loudly over the noise of the crowd.

"This is great!" Per yelled back. "Is it like this every night?"

"More or less," yelled the innkeeper. "I guess the miners spend too much time alone in the wilderness and have to cut loose when they hit town. Anything I can get you?"

"Denuvian brandy," yelled Karlto.

"Sorry. Ran out yesterday. Won't get any more until the day after tomorrow."

"Oh, bloody hell," cursed Karlto.

"The only place I know that has some is the Ogling Orc," yelled the innkeeper.

"How far away?" asked Octavia.

"Out the door and turn right. Go seven blocks and turn left. Another eight blocks and it's on the right."

"I say, let's go," said Karlto, standing up and moving towards the door.

Per looked at Alana and Octavia, who both shrugged their shoulders and then stood up to follow Karlto. Per stood up also and was stopped by the innkeeper.

"It's a little rough," warned the innkeeper. "The, um, entertainment tends to get out of hand."

"Thanks for the warning," said Per. "I think I'd have rather stayed here."

The four companions headed down to the other inn. The neighborhood was in a low-rent district. The signboard above the inn was of an orc, with eyes the size of dinner plates, staring over a wall at a naked girl. A dwarf was passed out in the street and loud music blasted out of the windows of the inn. Two large hobgoblins stood guard at the door and there was a constant flow of people in and out of the inn.

Per and his friends pushed their way inside. It was twice as crowded as the Elf. They all stopped just inside the door, their mouths opened with shock. The room was a large two-story high room with a balcony that went three-quarters of the way around the main floor. A stage filled the far wall. Numerous lamps lit the room. It was all the activity that stunned Per and his friends to immobility until they were pushed aside by new arrivals.

A good-looking human girl was dancing on the main stage. Her clothes were strewn all over the stage as she did a bump and grind to the music. She shook her breasts at the men lining the stage and rubbed her hands all over her nude body to their catcalls and whistles.

In a dark back corner, a woman had passed out face down on a table. Her legs hung over the edge and her pants had been pulled down to her ankles. White, slimy cum was dripping from her pussy. As Per watched, a grimy, grizzled man stepped up behind the woman, undid his pants, and shoved his cock all the way into her cunt. The woman did not even move as he fucked her.

Another bizarre scene was taking place at another table. Six women, two in elegant dresses, two in armor and two in buckskin, sat close together at a long rectangular table. A naked man, his hands clasped behind his head, was lying on the table. Each woman, in turn, would pump his hard cock ten times before letting the next woman stroke it. It seemed that each woman gave up the cock with a sigh of relief and took it with trepidation.

Waitresses, wearing barely anything, rubbed themselves up and down on patrons' laps. One waitress crawled under a table and the man's eyes rolled back as her mouth started sucking on his cock. People of different genders and races challenged each other to drinking contests. Arm wrestling was the major sport. The whole room reeked of debauchery and sex.

"What'd ya want?" asked a thin man coming up to Per and the others. The man had a sleazy look, which Per did not like. Per was also having a serious reservation about coming here in the first place.

"Denuvian brandy," ordered Karlto.

The man looked at Per.

"Ale," said Per, "and a place to sit down, of one's to be had."

Octavia ordered ale and the man barley heard Alana's request for wine as he was openly admiring Octavia's obvious assets. The man licked his lips and then motioned to the hobgoblin at the door. He nodded at two drunken gnomes occupying a table. The hobgoblin walked over, cracked their heads together and then dragged the unconscious bodies out to the street. The man led Per and his friends over to the now unoccupied table.

"I'll be right back with your drinks," said the man. He turned to Octavia. "I hope later you'll grace us with a song or dance."

"I don't think so," stated Octavia.

"Such natural beauty should not go to waste," said the man slyly. "We'll divide what they throw up on the stage, sixty-forty. Sixty for me since it is my stage."

"Sorry. I'm not interested."

"C'mon," wheedled the man. "With your body, you could clear a hundred, maybe two hundred pieces of gold a night."

"The lady said no," growled Per, showing off his large incisors.

The man blanched and backed off, holding up his hands. "Not a problem. Just saw a chance for a lucrative business deal. Be back with your drinks in a minute."

"I say, what are those women doing?" asked Karlto, jerking a thumb at the women who were jacking off the man on the table.

"Drinking contest," said the man with a sneer. "He's gonna blow sooner or later. The woman who makes him cum has to buy the next two rounds for the others and she has to lick the man clean. Of course, she gets to pick the next male for the table. Sometimes, it gets real interesting."

"Sounds like a good deal for the man," stated Karlto.

Maybe, but he just made the woman lose a contest. She may not...appreciate... that fact."

The man left to go get their drinks from the bartender. A redheaded barmaid, whose halter-top barely held in her tits, brought their drinks to them. Shouts from the table with the women made Per turn his head. One of the women in an elegant dress was holding the spurting cock of the man. With a look of resignation, she signaled for the bartender to serve rounds around the table as the other women teased her about losing. The woman sighed and leaned over to lick up the shiny cum off the man's cock and stomach. When she was finished, she polished off her drink with one swig to the congratulations of the other women.

Per turned back to his table in time to see Alana dip her pinkie in her wine and take a small taste. Alana then casually gripped Octavia's hand, which was bringing her drink up to her mouth and forced it back down. Octavia looked at Alana in surprise and Alana shook her head no to Octavia. Octavia stared at Alana for a second or two and then got the hint. She shoved her drink away from her and left it in the middle of the table. Per, Alana and Karlto all did the same.

"Well, now? How are things here?" asked the man coming forward.

"The drinks look a little funny and have a strange odor," said Per.

"I'm sure it's just that you are not used to our local vintage," said the man with a smile. "Drink up. If you don't like it, it's on the house."

Warning bells were going off in Per's head. "How about if you drink them," said Per.

"Sorry, it's against my rules to drink with customers," said the man, flatly.

"Then I guess we'll just be going," said Per, standing up.

"You saying my drinks are spiked?" asked the man angrily.

The room was now silent, all eyes on Per and the man. Per caught sight of a hobgoblin sneaking up behind Karlto. Per immediately spun around and lashed out with a fist. His knuckles crunched the nose of the hobgoblin that was behind him with a raised blackjack. The hobgoblin grunted and staggered backwards to crash into another table of drinkers. The whole room exploded into bedlam.

Bottles, chairs, mugs, and anything else not tied down went flying through the air. Everyone was swing or kicking at someone else. The barmaids shrieked and screamed as they ran for cover. Only one of them made it to the back door with her clothes intact.

Per was in a swirling melee with people jostling and punching all around him. He had gotten separated from the man and Per looked around for his companions. That earned him a punch on the jaw from an inebriated man. Per glared at his assailant and hit him with his fist. The man spun around 180 degrees, staggered two steps and then crashed to the floor. Per snorted in satisfaction as he backhanded another man who was coming at him.

Per looked around again and saw Octavia and Alana against a wall with the six women from the other table. They had formed a semi-circle and were defending each other. From the three unconscious bodies at their feet, it seemed that they were holding their own. Per turned back just in time to dodge a punch from the man who had waited on them.

"You'll pay for this!" hissed the man as he squared off against Per.

Per spat at his feet. The man swung at Per clumsily and Per easily dodged the punch. Per had a moment of contempt at the man's fighting ability until he caught a kick in his ribs followed by a punch to his jaw. Per scrambled back, avoiding a roundhouse kick to his head as he shook off the shock of the attack.

"Still standing?" sneered the man. "You might be better than I supposed."

The man launched into a series of attacks and Per was hard pressed to defend himself. Most of the kicks and punches were blocked, but not all of them. Per was gasping in pain as the man's feet and hands hit him again and again.

"Well, now? I guess it's time to end this," said the man and he drew back a fist for a straight punch.

As the man's fist flew forward, Per gathered up his strength and threw a punch of his own. Their hands met with a loud crack. Per felt the pain lance up his arm and his hand felt like it had been broken. The man screamed loudly and griped his hand to his chest. Per could see a fragment of bone protruding from the back of the man's hand. Per grasped the front of the man's tunic with his other hand and pulled him close. Silence had once again fallen on the room.

"Did you do something to our drinks?" Per snarled at the man. "Well?"

"Yeah! Yeah! Let me go. Oh Gods, it hurts."

"That's all I have to hear," said a new voice.

Per let go of the man and turned towards the door. Standing there was an officer of the town guard with ten men at his back. He coolly surveyed the carnage and people in the inn. He then slowly walked down to the center of the room, casually taking off his gauntlets.

"Do you want to press charges?" the officer asked Per.

"No," said Per hesitantly, unsure of where this was going.

"Probably for the best. Anyone with you?"

"The two women over there and...?" Per looked around until he saw Karlto standing to one side with a split lip. "That man over there."

"Good," said the officer. He then raised his voice. "Everyone has ten seconds to clear out of here, except for the employees. Ten...Nine...Eight..."

Per and his friends wasted no time, but ran for the door with all the other patrons. They crunched their way through the door and headed back to the Elf. Halfway there, they all burst out laughing at the exhilaration and pent up emotion. Things were quieting down at the inn when they arrived and they went up to their rooms.

Per had just stripped down for bed when he heard a knock at his door. Hastily putting on a robe to cover his naked body, Per opened the door and was surprised to see Alana there, also dressed in a robe. Per opened the door wider and Alana walked into his room.

"Per, I...I wanted to thank you for saving me from that beholder," she said.

"You would have done the same for me," stated Per as he closed the door.

"No, I wouldn't have," said Alana. "If you had been struck by that red beam, I would have run off. I was almost ready to flee when it struck me."

"But you didn't," argued Per. "As I remember, you were getting ready to throw another knife at it when that light hit you. You distracted it enough for me to kill it, at a great risk to yourself."

"Anyway, thanks," said Alana. "I've been thinking that since you got me off to overcome the beholder's magic that I should return the favor."

"I think you've slipped a wheel, Alana," said Per with a laugh. "I'll never fit inside you."

"Of course not," she stated, pulling a flask out of one of her pockets. Alana then took off her robe, revealing her small, but perfectly shaped body underneath. "I'm going to do it the way you did to me, with my hands. Now, lie down."

"Alana, you don't..."

"Shh!" She interrupted. "Get out of that robe and lie down."

Per shook his head at her determination and looked at Alana. She just looked back at him with her arms crossed under her breasts. Per slipped off his robe with a responding gasp from Alana.

Per's cock is normally five inches long soft. With Alana standing naked in front of him, it had grown to seven inches. Per laid down as Alana approached him on the bed.

"It's huge!" she gasped, staring at his cock in fascination. Under her stare, it hardened up another inch longer.

"You don't have to do this," said Per.

"Oh, hush," pooed Alana, plunking her cute little round ass down on his leg. "I want to and I'm sure no other girl in the village has handled a cock this size. At least not a cock that has more than animal intelligence behind it."

"Alana!"

Alana laughed and reached for the flask. She poured some oil onto her hands and then on Per's cock. She straddled Per's leg and began stroking his cock with both hands. It grew to its full twelve-inch length. Alana could barely encircle it with both hands.

"Alana, if you continue, I'm going to have to cum twice," said Per.

"Why twice?" asked Alana as her slick hands slid up and down the entire length of his prick.

"After I climax the first time, I burn up with lust until I climax again," gasped Per as Alana fondled his balls gently with one hand. "I'm barely in control until I do cum a second time."

"I can handle it," she said with a smile.

Per watched as Alana jerked off his cock. Her hands firmly grasped his cock as they slowly stroked up and down the shaft. Every now and then, she would use short, fast strokes on the head of his cock, increasing the tension in his balls, before going back to the long, slow strokes.

Per was soon breathing heavily and he felt Alana grind her pussy down on his leg. As she stroked his cock, she rocked backed and forth on his leg and Per felt her hot, wet pussy slid on his leg. Alana was panting as she increased the speed she was stroking his prick.

The tension continued to build in Per's balls. He gasped for air and knew he was going to climax soon. Alana must of felt it also because she moved her hands up and pumped quickly on the sensitive head of his cock. The sensation shot down his shaft into his balls and the tension exploded. Per's cock lurched and spurted out a large wad of hot, sticky sperm. Alana smiled and went back to stroking his shaft and Per's cock continued to spew forth its jizz. Most of his sperm landed on Per's abdomen and legs. Some, however, landed in Alana's hair, arms and hands. The burn began as Per's spurts died off.

"You're harder now than you were before," exclaimed Alana.

Per only grunted as Alana began rubbing up and down his cock in hard, fast strokes. He could feel his lust rise and knew her hand job was not going to be enough. Per sat up and swung his legs around, dumping Alana onto the bed. She stared at him, wide-eyed, as he grasped her ankles and held her legs straight up and apart.

Per slapped his cock down between her legs. Its length went from her crotch all the way up to the top of her breasts. Per grasped the flask and Poured oil all over his cock and Alana. He then scissored her legs closed over his cock. Per then fucked his oily cock between her legs.

Alana pressed her hands on the top of his cock holding it tightly against her body as it slid back and forth. Per felt the added pressure and the tension increased in his balls, which slapped against Alana's round ass. He also felt her legs tighten around his shaft as it thrust between her slick thighs.

"Oh! OH! OH!" gasped Alana, trembling. "Your...your...your cock...is riding...right over my clit! I'm gonna...I'm gonna...CUM!!!!!!"

Alana shivered and spasmed as she orgasmed. She wrapped her arms around Per's cock and her legs squeezed tighter than before. Per fucked faster as the tension built in his balls. His lust was increasing and a red haze was settling over his eyes.

The tightness in his balls grew and grew. Per thrust one final time and climaxed. The burning lust poured down his prick and rushed out with the first spurt of cum. The white steam hit Alana below the chin, splattering her throat and oozing down her neck. Per pulled back and his second and third spurt of sticky white goo sprayed all over Alana's body.

Per sat down heavily as his climax receded. Alana sat up and looked down at her oil and sperm covered body.

"For a second there, I was afraid you were going to stick that monster in me," she said.

"I did give it some serious consideration," said Per. "I did warn you."

Alana smiled and touched his cheek. "I need a bathe. Desperately."

Alana used a towel to wipe most of the excess off her before putting on her robe. She headed to the door and then looked back with a wide smile.

"That was nice, Per. We may have to try it again, if I can get up my courage for it."

Part 5

Per looked over the group of people that he was traveling with. Alana, the halfling, strode ahead of Per with confidence. Per had met her when a tribe of orcs threatened her village. Together they had rallied the village and removed the danger.

Karlto walked behind and Octavia walked to Per's right. Karlto, a priest of Zeus, was jovial and talkative. He also seemed to have a good appreciation for the ladies. Octavia strode along with all the wariness and grace of a fighter. Her armor and weapons were well cared for. Per and Alana had found the two being tortured by a beholder. The beholder used a magical beam from one of it's eyes to force Octavia and Karlto to fuck each other over and over and over again until they almost died of exhaustion. After a hard battle, Per and Alana rescued the other two.

All of them were headed south towards a distant mountain range. Progress was slow because, apart from the pack mules, no one could afford a horse. Alana, being only 3'3" tall, usually rode one of the mules so the group would not be restricted by her stride. She had just gotten off to stretch her legs and to take the point. Per and his companions had just entered the foothills and were proceeding warily.

"We have about three to four months of good weather left to explore around," Per said to Octavia. "Do you know anything about this area?"

"No, I don't," she answered. "Neither does Karlto. I take it that you two have not been down this way before?"

"I haven't and I don't think Alana has," said Per. He then laughed. "You know, I thought adventuring would be full of excitement and danger. Now, I find it's just plodding along from one place to another."

Alana held up her hand to stop them just as everyone heard crashing sounds in the brush and woods to their right. Before anyone could move, two women burst through the brush and stopped dead in their tracks facing Per and his friends.

Both women were about eighteen years old and dressed in buckskin shirts and skirts. They had reddish skin and long back hair. One had her hair done up into two braids while the other's hair was flowing free.

The two groups stared at each other in surprise. In the silence, the baying of hounds could be heard approaching. One girl grabbed the hand of the other and they ran over to a nearby tree. Climbing swiftly, they hid in the upper foliage. No sooner had the two girls disappeared than four men with two large dogs on leashes came out of the brush.

"Who the Hades are you?" snarled the leader, obviously irritated to find Per and the others there.

"Travelers," answered Per, holding his crossbow nonchalantly, but in such a way as to cover both the men and the dogs. "And yourself?"

"I'll be asking the questions," growled the leader. "Where did the girls go?"

"Haven't seen any girls," said Per.

"Look around," said the leader over his shoulder to the dog handler.

The handler began circling around as the other three faced Per's group. All the men wore ringmail and carried long swords. The dogs were large wardogs and were soon baying around the tree where the two women were hiding.

"I think we have some interesting birds in this tree," stated the dog handler.

"You've got poor eyesight," sneered the leader. He had been looking over Alana and Octavia appreciatively and Per knew he was going to try something. "Well, no harm done."

The leader pretended to turn around, but then charged straight at Per, his sword raised to strike Per down. Per's crossbow bolt thunked solidly into the leader's chest. The man's charge faltered as he stared down at the couple of inches of bolt left protruding out of his chest. He then collapsed to the ground.

Per did not see him fall. He dropped his crossbow and yanked out his sword just in time to stab the first dog to reach him. The handler had released both dogs and was pulling out his own sword. The second dog slammed into Per, causing both of them to fall over. Per dropped his sword to grip the dog's throat and keep it's teeth from biting him.

The dog's hot, fetid breath blew on Per's face as he squeezed the dog's throat. It's attack diminished and it started to whine as Per tightened his clench. The dog thrashed and tried to get away as Per held on, squeezing and squeezing until the dog died. Pushing the carcass aside, Per rose to his feet only to see that his friends had finished off the other men.

"Are you okay, Per?" asked Octavia.

"I'm fine. How is everyone else?"

"Not bad. Karlto got a scratch on the arm. The two girls jumped down on the last man from above and slit his throat as he was on the ground."

Per went over to where the two girls were watching him warily.

"Are you two alright?" His question was met by blank stares. "Are you hurt? Do you live around here?"

The two women continued to stare at him. Per tried other languages, but still received no response.

"Say, old boy, let me try," said Karlto, who tried other languages with exactly the same results.

"Any ideas, Alana?" Per asked her. "We've got to get these two home safely. Who knows how many groups like these guys are out there looking for these girls."

"This was the only one," said the girl with the braids. "They were trying to capture us to sell us as slaves."

"Why didn't you speak before?" asked Per.

"We were unsure of your intentions," stated the other girl. "I'm Morning Mist and this is Golden Sunlight. Come, our camp is half-a-day from here."

"We'd be honored," said Per, but then stopped as the two women bent down and started to strip the dead men's clothing. "What are you doing?"

Morning Mist looked up at him, baffled by the question.

"Taking their possessions," she stated. "It is too valuable just to leave here in the dirt."

They stripped the bodies and loaded the equipment onto the mules. Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight led them westward.

"Who were those men?" Karlto asked Golden Sunlight.

"Slavers," she answered. "We were out fishing when we spotted them. Unfortunately, they were between us and our people, so we ran to try to get away."

"Who are your people?" asked Octavia.

"We are the Burgassi," said Morning Mist, as if that explained everything. "What is this, uh, person?" she asked, indicating Per.

"I'm a half-ogre," said Per, removing his helmet and shaking out his green hair.

Both girls moved slightly away from him at the sight of his hair and his now clearly visible violet eyes.

"What is half-ogre?" asked Golden Sunlight, looking a little apprehensively at Per. "Either you are or you are not."

"My mother was human, like you, and raised me," Per told her. "Don't worry. I'm not going to eat you."

They all broke out laughing and the trip was soon completed. From a ridge, Per looked out over the camp. The camp was large and Per estimated that there could be about five hundred people down there. People moved constantly between the tents of the camp. The tents were tall, cone-shaped hide tents. In the center of the camp was a cleared circular area.

"Please wait here," Said Morning Mist. "We will go ahead and tell the elders about you. Don't do anything that the others may misunderstand."

"The others?" asked Karlto. "What others?"

Golden Sunlight lifted her arm and waved it in a circle. A man on horseback about fifty yards away came out from behind a bush. He was carrying a bow with an arrow notched to the cord.

"Oh, those others," commented Karlto. "Not to worry, old girl. We'll be good as gold until your return."

Morning Mist looked at him with a sour expression.

"You talk funny," she said before she and Golden Sunlight ran off towards the camp.

Karlto stared after them open-mouthed. Per and Alana smiled at each other at his embarrassment. Octavia walked over and threw an arm around Karlto's shoulder.

"Don't let it throw you, old boy," she said, mimicking his dialect. "They'll become accustomed to it in two or three years."

Karlto snorted and stomped over to a large rock where he sat down and sulked. The other three, smiling at his expense, went over and apologized. It took a couple of minutes, but they finally eased him back to his normally cheerful self. Shortly thereafter, Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight returned with an old man. Per and the others rose to their feet to meet them.

"I am Nanago," stated the old man. "I am one of the elders of the Burgassi. My granddaughter has told me how you saved her and Golden Sunlight from the slavers."

"Your granddaughter?" exclaimed Per.

"In a sense," replied Nanago. "She is really my sister's daughter's daughter, but we share a close kinship. Will you come and share my tent and food?'

"We would be honored," said Per.

Nanago waved to the man with the bow. He disappeared back into the brush and was joined by two other men and two women who were all on horseback.

"My compliments," said Alana. "I only heard two others in the brush, not four."

"You should not have heard any," said Nanago. "I will have to speak to them tonight."

"Not too harshly," replied Alana. "I have exceptional hearing and know what to listen for."

Nanago smiled. "Maybe just enough to make them more diligent."

They were soon in the bustle of the camp. Children ran back and forth in games only they understood. Older girls and women tanned hides, ground flour, or worked on other chores. Men came and went bringing in game or other provisions. Per and his friends were looked over for a few seconds by each person they passed before that person went back to work.

They reached the center of the camp and a large ring of tents formed a circle around a wide cleared area. The only thing in the center was an eight-foot high pole. The pole was about a foot in diameter and a man was bound to it. Per saw immediately that the man was not of the Burgassi. His fingers were interlaced and tied to a small rod so that they were immovable. He also had a gag in his mouth.

"What did he do?" Per asked Nanago, indicating the man tied to the pole.

"He exceeded the limits of our generosity," said Nanago. "He then tried to use magic to escape, thus the need for the elaborate precautions in securing him. I must now confer with the other elders. Please, wait here. Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight will keep you company."

Nanago turned and went over to a group of older men and women. They all sat close together in a circle. Six men and women armed with spears and hatchets formed another circle around the elders to keep the curious away.

"I say, deciding our fate like that poor sod?" Karlto asked Golden Sunlight.

"Yes," was her reply.

"What exactly did he do?" asked Alana in the silence that followed as Karlto gaped at Golden Sunlight.

"He would not take 'no' for an answer," replied Morning Mist. "We are a free people. One woman allowed him to sleep with her for several nights. One night, she decided to sleep with another and he could not understand that it was her choice to do so."

"He raped her?" snarled Octavia.

"No, if he had tried to rape her, she would have killed him. He argued, shouted, and disturbed everyone in the tent. When they tried to quiet him down, He cast a spell on the ones around him putting them to sleep. Luckily, the guards came in and captured him."

Per looked over at the man. He was of average height and build with brown hair, which was hanging down lank onto his forehead. His face was beet-red and his clothing was dirty and sweat-stained.

"How long has he been tied up?" asked Per.

"Two days."

Per looked over at the man again and then picked up his canteen. Walking over to the pole, Per removed the gag and held the semi-conscious man's head up. Per carefully tilted his canteen to let the man drink.

"Why did you do that?" came a question from behind Per.

Per looked around and saw that the elders were standing behind him. Nanago was in the forefront.

"For the same reason I helped your sister's daughter's daughter," answered Per.

Nanago smiled. "Do you accept responsibility for him?" he asked Per.

"Uh, what does that mean?"

"To keep him out of trouble while he is among us," replied Nanago, "Or you will take his place."

Per grimaced and looked at the limp figure on the stake. He then shook his head and sighed.

"Yes, I will," he said.

"Good!" said Nanago, smiling even wider. "He is yours. I'm glad you took the responsibility, otherwise, I would have had to today."

Per looked at Nanago shocked and then broke out laughing.

"In other words, I've been duped," Per said.

"In a word, yes," replied Nanago. "Come, you will share my tent tonight."

"Nanago, I don't mean any offense, but I don't know the way of your people," stated Per. "I'm rather large to share a tent with. Could we sleep in our own tents and share our meals with you?"

"Are you sure?" asked Nanago.

"It will keep this man out of, um, temptations way," Octavia said. "It will also give us a chance to learn from you without making the same mistakes he did."

"Maybe it would be for the best," stated Nanago. He studied Per's size and build as a horse trader looks at a horse. "Definitely, that would be a good idea if I want to get any sleep. Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight will show you where you can set up your tents and help you with anything else. This man will be brought over to your tents after our medicine man has seen to him."

Per, Alana, Karlto, and Octavia followed the two girls to an area near the outside of the camp. The site had good drainage and a clear view for over two hundred yards away from the camp. They all quickly unpacked the mules and set up their tents.

"Who wants to go hunting?" asked Per, hefting his crossbow.

"I believe I have to stay here," said Karlto, pointing at two men coming towards then carrying the man on a stretcher between them.

"Per, I've tried to keep up with you before," stated Alana. "Go ahead. We will see you in a couple of hours."

"Do you want us to come along?" Morning Mist asked Per.

"Trust me," Alana told her. "He's better on his own."

Per smiled and took off for the forest in the distance. Karlto had the man placed in his tent. The man was severely dehydrated and his skin was sunburned. Alana took off with Golden Sunlight and returned after an hour with a couple of pheasants she had brought down with her sling. The sun was setting when Per returned with a boar and a deer.

"We were beginning to wonder about you," said Octavia.

"Damn boar sidestepped just as the bolt was released," said Per. "It hit him, but didn't kill him. It took me some time to track him down. I couldn't leave him out there wounded. Shall we go see Nanago?"

Nanago was overjoyed to see the game that the group had brought in. It was turned over to the cooks. At dinner, Per ate quickly, excused himself and carried food back to their tents and entered Karlto's. The man, who was lying on a pallet, sat up and licked his dry lips, gazing at Per apprehensively.

"Relax. I've brought you food," said Per.

"What am I doing here?" asked the man as he started to eat.

"Nanago released you to me, which means you have to behave or I'll end up on the stake. We'll both lose then because my friends won't like that and you won't like what they'll do to you."

"Warning noted," said the man, shamefacedly. "I became infatuated with a woman here. I should have realized that it would only be temporary When I went to the tent and saw her with another man, I...uh...you know."

"What's your name?" asked Per.

"I'm sorry. I'm Pawl."

I'm Per. Is it true that you can conjure magic?"

"Yes, I can," replied Pawl. "I studied at the Thamurgical Academy. I found a reference to a lost book of spells. It correlated with some other references and I thought I had found the book's location. I was wrong and ended up here."

"And tied to a stake," added Per with a chuckle.

"Ah, yes," commented Pawl. "Not to worry. I have no desire to cause more trouble."

"What can you tell me of the Burgassi?"

Pawl sat still for a moment collecting his thoughts.

"The Burgassi is a nomadic tribe who value individual freedom. Don't let that fool you. The good of the tribe always comes before the good of the individual with them. The men and the women work side by side. There is no 'man's role' or 'woman's role' here. The Burgassi do not get married. Most of them have multiple partners, but there are a few that stay with one person all their life. It is their choice." Pawl sighed. "I thought I had found one of the few. Anyway, the elders run the tribe. Show them the utmost respect. They are not selected by their age, but by their ability. I saw a dinner burn because the boy and the girl who were cooking it, stopped to listen intently and respectfully to the raving of a senile old woman who had once been an elder."

"We didn't insult Nanago by telling him that we would stay in our own tents, did we?" asked Per.

"No, he was probably glad you did. Nanago would have had to move several members of his family out of the tent to accommodate you. Anyone displaced would have been upset, not only for being displaced, but also for the chance to be in the same tent with the four of you."

"Huh?" grunted Per, confused by the last statement.

"When you stay in a tent with other Burgassi, you are indicating that you are willing to have sex with them. You can refuse and it is not taken as an insult. People move from tent to tent every night. You may even get a couple who want to just spend the night here with you. They could be displaced and looking for a place to sleep or seeking to have sex."

"How do you know which it is?"

"She...or you, go to the bed of the one that is desired," said Pawl. "Throwing back the blanket indicates willingness. Pulling it up is a refusal."

"Why don't you get some rest?" Per told Pawl. "Two days without food and water is taxing."

"Per, I need a favor," said Pawl as Per stood up. "I need to apologize to the Burgassi, which means to the elders. I can't do it without you because they have put me in the status of a child."

"Why me?"

"Because you're my parent, Dad," said Pawl with a faint smile because his lips were still chapped.

"This has to do with me taking responsibility for you, doesn't it?" asked Per rhetorically. "What do I have to do?"

"We have to sit before the elders without moving or speaking until they talk to us first. Once they ask us what our business is, you can ask them if they will hear a statement I wish to make. That's it."

"How long do we have to sit still?" asked Per.

"If we time it right, like right before lunch, not long."

"Let's do it then," said Per. "Getting you out from under my wing is part of my duty to you, son."

Per left the tent and went to find his other three companions. They were outside Nanago's tent, swapping stories with Nanago, Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight.

"Ho, Per," shouted Nanago, when Per cam into sight. "Come and tell us some tales."

"None that would be as thrilling as yours," answered Per.

Nanago shot him a glance. "You've been talking to that rascal Pawl. I feel sorry for him. Soft Dove gets great delight out of such manipulations."

"Pawl wants to apologize to the elders tomorrow," stated Per. "He told me what I have to do."

"Well, since you have no stories for tonight, I'll be off to bed," Nanago told all of them. "Octavia, the offer to share my tent still stands."

Nanago turned and entered his tent. Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight followed him.

"I say, I just don't get it," commented Karlto. "Octavia has gotten numerous offers to sleep in just about everyone else's tent, while I have not gotten any."

"Let me tell you about the tents and sleeping arrangements here," stated Per and he quickly told them what Pawl had explained him about the Burgassi. Alana was almost doubled over in laughter when Per finished.

"No wonder Octavia got all those invitations," she chortled as she wiped away a tear. "I think we should take it easy until we have come to know the Burgassi better."

Just then a young Burgassi man, about 18 years old, came up to the group. He stood there silently just staring at Alana.

"They say you are a full grown female," he said to her, disbelievingly.

"Yes, I am," retorted Alana.

"You are too short," said the man with utter conviction. "You must be a child."

"Would you like to sleep in my tent and find out?" dared Alana, miffed at his attitude.

The man's conviction crumbled a little under the dare, but he strengthened his resolve.

"Yes, I will come," he told Alana and they took off to her tent.

"So much for going slow," commented Octavia.

Per, Octavia, ad Karlto walked back to their own tents. After saying goodnight, Per went into his tent and started to take off his armor. He was down to his pants when he heard someone scratch on the tent flap. Per pulled back the flap and standing there in the moonlight was Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight. Each had a bedroll under her arm.

"May we stay in your tent tonight?" asked Morning Mist.

"Of course," said Per, hiding his trepidation.

The girls came in and quickly laid out their beds. Per had purchased a large tent for himself so there was ample room. Per blew out the candle and got into his own bed. No sooner had he laid down then Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight crawled out of theirs and came over to his. The tent was almost pitch black, but Per's ogre heritage allowed him to see in the dark. He immediately noticed that both girls were naked.

"Per? You may not know the ways of our people, but..." Morning Mist started to say.

Per touched her arm to stop her. "I understand that I can not stay and that I have to move on," he stated. "Not tomorrow or next week, but I will have to leave. You two belong to the Burgassi. Your home and family is here. You can't leave anymore than I can stay. I am honored to share my tent with you."

"You two talk too much," griped Golden Sunlight. "Are you going to lift that blanket or not?"

Per looked at Morning Mist who just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. Per shook his head and lifted the corners on both sides of his blanket. The girls slid in next to him, pressing their cool bodies against his.

Morning Mist hiked herself up until she was half-laying on Per's chest. Brushing her long black hair to one side, she leaned down to give him soft lingering kisses. Golden Sunlight sighed in appreciation as she ribbed her hands over Per's rock-hard chest muscles. She leaned over to suckle at one of his nipples. Per felt his cock twitch and stir as Morning Mist nibbled on one of his ears and rubbed her body on his arm.

Per rubbed his hand up and down Golden Sunlight's back as she continued to play with his chest. Per's other arm was held down by Morning Mist's body, but he could touch and caress her thigh with his hand. Morning Mist smiled down at Per and hiked herself up to her knees off his arm. Per, his arm now free, brought his hand up between Morning Mist's legs.

Morning Mist gasped as Per's large fingers stroked gently, but firmly over her pussy. Per could feel her moisture seep out as his fingers deftly parted the outer lips of her cunt. Morning Mist humped backwards slightly as Per's middle finger wormed its way into her pussy up to the second knuckle.

Golden Sunlight was pressing and rubbing her body against Per's. Per felt her hard nipples slid against his side. Golden Sunlight ran her hand lightly over Per's chest before slowly, very slowly, sliding down over his stomach to touch his hard cock.

Golden Sunlight inhaled sharply and looked down quickly as if to confirm by sight what her fingers were touching. She pulled back the blanket exposing his twelve-inch long prick. She started breathing a little harder as she stroked up and down its entire length.

Golden Sunlight let go of Per's cock and snagged one of Morning Mist's hands. She pulled it down and placed it on top of Per's cock. Morning Mist also gasped and looked down as she felt the size of it.

"Sun and Rain!" she exclaimed as her fingers probed the length and width of his hard meat.

Golden Sunlight had scooted down so she could caress Per's heavy balls. She then gripped the lower portion of Per's cock as Morning Mist wrapped her hands around the upper portion. With his cock pointing straight up, the two women pumped his cock in unison. Pre-cum oozed out the tip and over Morning Mist's hands.

Per's finger was now sliding all the way in and out of Morning Mist's pussy. She breathed heavily as Golden Sunlight nodded to her. Morning Mist moved so Per's finger had to slide out of her. She scooted around and threw a leg over his hips. Golden Sunlight, still holding onto Per's cock, positioned it so that the tip touched the entrance to Morning Mist's cunt.

"Oh! It's so big!" gasped Morning Mist as she rocked back onto Per's hard cock driving an inch into her wet pussy.

She continued to rock back and forth forcing a little more up her cunt each time. Per felt Morning Mist get about half of his cock inside her incredibly tight vagina. Morning Mist was biting her lower lip as she fucked herself on his huge prick. The pressure on his cock was immense and Per felt the tension building fast in his balls. He knew he had to get his mind on something else or he would blow very quickly.

Per reached down and pulled Golden Sunlight up. She was startled as Per lifted her up completely off the ground and set her down right on his face. Golden Sunlight moaned as Per's tongue flicked out and licked right over her clitoris. Her musky scent filled his nostrils and Golden Sunlight groaned with her fingers entwined in his hair as Per's tongue delved deep within her hot, wet pussy.

Both women were breathing heavily and moaning as Per lapped furiously at Golden Sunlight's pussy. His cock felt like it was being squeezed in a soft, wet, hot vice. Per was shaking in an effort not to cum too soon. All of a sudden, Morning Mist shoved herself down on Per's cock She grimaced as half of his cock went in and hit bottom, but then gasped as her orgasm flooded throughout her body. Her pussy clamped even tighter on Per's cock, which was enough to send him over the edge. With a gargled cry, Per felt his cock explode and squirt gobs of hot, sticky cum into Morning Mist's pulsating pussy.

Barely able to catch her breath, Morning Mist held on until she felt Per stop spurting. She then tolled heavily off to the side to collapse. Per's cock, slick with their mingled juices, slurped nosily out of her and slapped wetly against his stomach. Per pushed Golden Sunlight over onto her back as he felt the fire of desire begin to burn again in his balls.

"Wait, I...OH!" gasped Golden Sunlight as four inches of Per's rock-hard prick penetrated her wet cunt. "I...Oh, yes!"

Despite his need to climax again, Per was keeping almost all his weight off the girl. He gritted his teeth in concentration, fighting to only fuck her with half his cock against the almost overwhelming urge to bury it all the way in.

"More!" panted Golden Sunlight as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips. "More!"

Per snorted and let go of his restraint. He shoved ten inches into her pussy before hitting the top of her cervix. Golden Sunlight quivered at the hard meat stuffed into her pussy. She then pulled herself up against his body so that she was off the ground. Per was still fucking her, but now Golden Sunlight was swaying underneath him.

Per pulled up so that he was on his hands and knees, lifting Golden Sunlight up with him. The fire in his balls had spread to his whole body and the urge was now overpowering. Per rocked back and forth causing Golden Sunlight to sway under him. She was like a swing and her ass banged against his legs each time he thrust, driving his cock with incredible force into her sopping wet cunt. With Per being on his hands and knees, it shortened the length that his cock could go in to nine inches. Even so, Golden Sunlight's eyes rolled back in her head and her eyelids fluttered with each hard thrust.

Per felt the tension build in his balls. He was dimly aware that Golden Sunlight had orgasmed twice and that her grip was weakening. Breathing hard through his nostrils, Per increased the pace.

"Yes, Per!" gasped Golden Sunlight. "Yes! Hurry! Squirt your seed into me! Hurry! Faster!"

Per's whole body went tense as his climax enveloped him. Golden Sunlight, sensing his peak, gripped him tightly and held on. Per quivered and shook as a great pressure seemed to squeeze him from all sides. Finally, with a snap, his climax burst and his cock spewed forth torrents of jism into Golden Sunlight's waiting womb.

Golden Sunlight gasped as she felt Per's cock blast its load into her again and again. She felt her pussy fill and then overflow, as his cum dribbled down her ass and drip onto the bed. It seemed to last forever, but soon Per's spurts died off and the lust left him. Golden Sunlight, unable to hold on any longer, thudded down onto the bed.

Per rolled off to one side. The fire was gone and he was exhausted. Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight kissed him on the cheek and rolled over into their own beds.

Per awoke the next morning to find himself alone. The girls' bedrolls were still there, but Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight were gone. Per hefted himself up and went outside to wash up. As he stepped outside, he spied Alana sitting on a boulder.

"Well, how was your night?" he asked walking over to her.

"Tiring," replied Alana. Per smiled at her knowingly. "Oh, no, no, no! Not what you're thinking. I got that young buck to my tent, but wouldn't let him sleep with me. I started talking dirty and then masturbated in front of him. Gods, I must have orgasmed five times. I kept refusing him by reminding him that I was only a little girl in his eyes. By the way he was all hunched over, he must have had the worst set of blueballs I've ever seen. I kept telling him all the nice, nasty, lewd things I'd do to him if I wasn't such a little girl."

"You're cruel, Alana," stated Per with a laugh. "At least you got rid of him."

"Oh, no! Wrong again!" corrected Alana. "He has to come back tonight or I told him that I'd tell everyone what really happened in the tent."

"Alana, be careful," warned Per. "You said yourself that we should take it slow."

Alana patted Per on the forearm.

"Per, when did I ever take my own advice?" and with that said, she turned and walked away.

As Per finished washing up, a young man from the tribe came to him to tell Per that Nanago would like to see him. Per quickly put his gear away and went over to Nanago's tent. Nanago and an elderly woman were sitting on the ground inside the tent playing a game using colored stones. Per sat down and tried hard not to move. The game seemed to last forever.

"Good move, Joran," Nanago said at last. "I thought I had you there for awhile."

"You did," stated Joran in a clear distinct voice. "You overextended...again."

"Wait until next time."

Joran snorted indicating her thoughts on Nanago's chances of winning next time.

"Shall we show him the gift?" she asked, jerking a thumb at Per.

"Why not?" said Nanago. "He's been patient enough. With some training, he might even learn to sit still for longer than five minutes."

"With a whole lot of training," added Joran with a smile towards Per.

"I apologize," said Per. "It's not my nature."

"Per, when are you and that rascal Pawl coming before the council?" asked Nanago as he stood up.

"Just before noon," replied Per, who stood up quickly and held out a hand to assist Joran.

"At least his manners are not lacking," she stated bitingly to Nanago. "Nixta is going to be upset if she's kept too long from lunch."

"Good," said Nanago dryly. "Then it will be a short council."

"Nanago, why do the elders have different names than the younger people? I mean, Nanago, Joran, Nixta while the younger people are Morning Mist, Golden Sunlight and Soft Dove."

"It has to do with being an elder," said Nanago. "A child born to the tribe is named after the vision the mother sees at birth. Sometimes the vision is outward and sometimes it is inward. The elders give up their childhood name to rule and govern the tribe. I'm afraid I can't explain it better than that. Per, when you come before the council, think like a rock. Unseeing. Unhearing. Unmoving. When you see me pick up a fan of feathers, that will be the time for you to sit down with Pawl facing my tent."

"Nanago!" admonished Joran. "You go too far!"

"Per does not know us and we owe him for saving Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight. Besides the timing will irritate Nixta."

"You'll owe me," stated Joran slyly. "I would be honored if you slept at my tent tonight."

Nanago's mouth dropped open and Per took another glance at Joran. Now standing and out of the shadows, Per got a better look at her. Her long hair, which Per had first thought to be gray, was actually silver. Her body was still lithe and her face contained the beauty she had when she had been younger. Per quickly reappraised the crone status he had placed her in. Nanago finally found his voice.

"Honored," he said, both delighted and awed. "Come, Per. We have a gift for you and each of your friends."

Nanago led them outside the tent. Across the circular open area, Per spied the largest horse he had ever seen. It had to be eighteen and a half hands high with a blackish-brown coat. It's mane and tail hung down in long wavy ripples.

"He's yours," said Nanago. "We have given each of you a mount for saving the two women."

"He's magnificent," stated Per. "I'm surprised you can give him up."

"He's actually too big and cumbersome for us," admitted Nanago. "I have a feeling, though, that with you on his back, you two will almost be unstoppable. You'll look formidable to stop most arguments before they even start."

"And how might that be?" asked Per. "Mostly everyone I know will take that as a challenge."

"All too true," said Joran, "but it should keep the riff-raff away." She looked up to the sun. "You'd better go get Pawl."

Per nodded to both of them and ran back to Karlto's tent. Pawl was there, brushing out one of his tunics. Per gathered him up and they both headed back to the elder's circle. Per and Pawl waited about fifty feet away from Nanago's tent. Per looked over at Pawl when he heard him inhale sharply.

"That's Soft Dove," said Pawl, with a shiver.

Per looked over past the group of elders standing outside Nanago's tent. A stunning Burgassi woman with thick black hair was moving a deerskin-stretching frame around to the side of the tent. She had dark smoldering eyes and smiled seductively at Per and Pawl while moving another frame. Soft Dove was wearing a very short skirt and a haltertop so tight that it threatened to pop the one button holding it together in the front.

"Don't look at her," warned Per. "We've...Oh, shit. C'mon."

Per pulled Pawl over to their positions and sat down. Pawl blew out his breath deeply and then also sat down. Nanago had picked up the fan of feathers while Per had been talking. One wrinkled old woman shot Per a look of anger and looked at Nanago. Nanago shrugged his shoulders to her and Per sat rock still. Blankets were brought out for the elders who sat down on them facing Per and Pawl.

Per hoped that they would not have to wait long. His eyes then widened as he heard Pawl swallow noisily next to him. Right behind Nanago, Soft Dove had made an enclosure between the tent and the stretching frames. She was smiling wickedly at both Per and Pawl, and Per suddenly realized that no one could see her unless they were in line with him and Nanago. With the large circular area behind him, Per knew that only he and Pawl would be able to see her.

Soft Dove smiled at them again as she began rubbing her hands up and down her body. She blew kisses at them as she squeezed her breasts over top of her halter and rubbed them around in circles. Soft Dove reached over and unbuttoned the single button holding her top together. She did not let the top go, though. She looked questioningly at Per, shaking her alternatively up and down, then side to side. Soft Dove started to gyrate in a sensual dance, still holding on to the edges of her haltertop. Per's forehead broke out in a sweat and his cock began to grow in a very uncomfortable position. Soft Dove turned her back to them, looked over her shoulder, and pulled off her top.

Per swallowed hard and strove to remain still. Nanago and a couple of the elders were now looking at Per and Pawl with their brows furrowed in irritation. Soft Dove continued with her tease. She bent at her hips and turned from side to side, letting her breasts swing out for Per and Pawl to see. She then spun around covering her tits with her hands. Soft Dove quivered her hand, making the supple flesh jiggle underneath.

Per's cock felt like it was bent in half. He knew that he would have to move soon because the pain was excruciating. Soft Dove had her back to them again and hefted her skirt up, displaying her well-rounded ass. All the elders were now staring at the fidgeting Per and Pawl with hostility.

Soft Dove turned to face them, her breasts now swinging free, as she placed her hands on her thighs and slowly pulled them apart. She smiled wickedly as her hands slowly slid up her legs to her cunt. She closed her eyes as she lifted her skirt with one hand and sank a finger into her pussy with the other.

Nanago's eyes were flickering back and forth between Per and Pawl. His brow smoothed out as he realized that they were not looking at him, but past him. Nanago quickly jumped up and spun around just in time to see Soft Dove shove her finger into her cunt. A collective gasp went up from the elders and nearby guards. Per fell over in a gasp of relief as he released to cramp in his cock.

"Nanago, what are you doing?" demanded Joran, angrily.

"You shame us all," cackled Nixta, simultaneously.

"Quiet!" ordered Nanago in a surprisingly strong voice. He pointed at Soft Dove. "Seize her!"

The guards looked around baffled, unable to see Soft Dove, who now stood frozen under Nanago's stare. One female guard walked over to Nanago and then gasped as she saw where he was pointing. All the guards closed in on the frames and, after a short tussle, pulled Soft Dove out. She was then dragged around front between where the elders had been sitting and where Per and Pawl were.

"WHY?" demanded Nanago of her. "Why? Why did you do this? You've shamed us all."

"Shame?" replied Soft Dove, viciously. "The only shame is treating these...people as Burgassi. They should be humbling themselves before us. We are the superior ones! This was only to prove their unworthiness. No Burgassi would have failed!"

Nanago sighed deeply. "I suspect no Burgassi was ever put to your test. How many others has there been?" Soft Dove remained silent. "HOW MANY?"

"Hundreds!" she hissed between clenched teeth.

Nanago's shoulders slumped. "Nixta, she is of your line," he said turning to the old woman.

Nixta stood up and stared around the circle. Per looked around also and was amazed to see hundreds of nomads standing there. He had never heard them approach, although he now noticed the unnatural silence in the camp. Nixta looked back and forth over the crowd, looking at specific individuals before moving on. She finally sat down after a couple of minutes.

"I see no one here of my line," she said with what seemed to Per to be a dreadful finality.

"Noooo...Umph!" screamed Soft Dove, only to have her scream cut short by a spear butt to the back of her head.

The guards dragged a groggy Soft Dove over to several four-foot high stakes driven into the ground. They lashed her arms to two stakes and her legs to two others. They finished the job by lashing her ankles down, leaving Soft Dove completely immobilized on her hands and knees. The female guard tied a gaga around Soft Dove's mouth. As soon as they were finished, the guards went back to their positions behind the elders and the rest of the crowd dispersed.

"What did you wish to discuss, Per?" Nanago asked him as he sat back down.

"Um, ah, my ward, Pawl, whishes to speak to the elders if you will permit it," said Per, stumbling over the words as he was caught off guard.

Nanago looked to the other elders who nodded affirmatively. Nanago then nodded to Pawl.

"I wish to apologize to the Burgassi. My actions were unworthy and reprehensible. As a child, I would blame everyone, but myself and would not learn. As an adult, I can be responsible for my actions and learn from my mistakes. I am asking you to let me be an adult."

"I think we have learned that your actions were not entirely your fault," stated Joran. "Leave us. We will let you know after the meal."

Per and Pawl returned in silence to their tents. Octavia, Karlto, and Alana were there along with Per's stallion, three other horses and a pony. Laid out nearby on blankets were bridles, saddles and saddlebags.

"How did it go?" asked Octavia.

"We'll know in a little bit about Pawl's adulthood," answered Per. "We almost failed due to the scheming bitch who got him in trouble in the first place. I see the gifts have arrived."

"I say, what did happen with the elders?" asked Karlto.

Per told them everything that had gone on with the elders. He then told them how the horses and tack were gifts from the Burgassi.

"Although, it seems that they have added an extra horse," concluded Per.

"Maybe they're telling me that I've worn out my welcome," said Pawl with a smile.

"Could be," commented Per, "but I'm still going to need some lessons in riding."

It was two hours later when Nanago walked over to their cluster of tents. Alana had taken off to the circular area to see Soft Dove's fate for herself and had returned just before Nanago.

"Hail, Pawl," Nanago intoned. "You are an adult." He then broke out in a smile. "How does it feel to be grown up?"

"Better than when I was a child tied to that post," replied Pawl. "Thank you."

"You only get this one chance," warned Nanago. "Per, you've lost a son."

"But gained a friend," added Per. "Nanago, I don't know how to ride."

"Do not worry. We will teach you."

"Nanago, what will happen to Soft Dove?" asked Octavia.

"She is without lineage here," he replied sadly. "If she survives the night, she will be banished in the morning."

"But...but none of us have lineage here," said Alana.

"Not true. You are of my mother's line," Nanago told them. "She is very old and her mind wanders constantly, but I speak for her and have accepted you as part of her line."

"And Soft Dove?" asked Per.

"She is no one. No one will protect her and many that hate her will have their revenge on her. I told you she was manipulative. That has earned her a large number of enemies. Nixta protected her before. Tonight, they can strike with impunity."

"And you condone this?" asked Octavia.

"No, but she tried to influence the elders against Per and Pawl by twisting our traditions to further her own ends. To protect her would indicate that I agree with her actions and reasoning. I don't. Not even Nixta, who is her grandmother, will protect her."

"So she will be killed," stated Alana.

"No," replied Nanago. "No one will be merciful and slit her throat outright. She'll be raped and abused enough to kill her. When she stepped outside of our society, she lost all of its protection. Ah, well. What did you do to Willow Sprout last night, Alana? He refuses to discuss anything and usually you can't get him to shut up."

"Oh, just feminine wiles," said Alana, willing to allow Nanago to drop what was a painful topic to him.

"Be nice to him. He's a nice boy, Not just worldly yet."

"I promise to be nice to him," said Alana sweetly.

Nanago shot her a look of disbelief. "Morning Mist, Golden Sunlight, and Willow Sprout will be by later to start teaching you to ride. By the time we have to leave here, you will be almost as proficient as any Burgassi."

"When do you have to leave here?" asked Per.

"At the next full moon," stated Nanago as he began to walk away. "In about thirty days."

The riding lessons took up the rest of the day and went well. Per found out he had some leg muscles that he did not know existed before. As a matter of fact, the entire group was kind of hobbling around after the lessons. As dusk settled in, Per kneaded his sore muscles and then put on his armor and sword. He looked out of his tent before stepping out and saw Willow Sprout scratch on Alana's tent flap.

"I am here as ordered," he said stiffly as Alana opened the flap.

"Come in," she said gently. "We need to talk...among other things."

Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight were not in sight, so Per walked out of his tent and went over to where Soft Dove was staked out. The sunlight was fading fast and the clearing was gloomy as Per loomed over Soft Dove.

Soft Dove gave a muffled scream as Per's huge body appeared before her. She fought hard against the bonds holding her, but to no avail. She screwed her eyes shut and trembled in fear as Per knelt down beside her.

"I'm taking off your gag," he told her. "Don't force me to replace it."

Per undid the gaga and stood up. He moved about five feet away and started standing guard.

"So you're the first," snipped Soft Dove. "What's the matter? Can't stand sloppy seconds."

"Such bravery from a woman who has lost everything," stated Per. "I'm here to protect you."

"Protect me?" sneered Soft Dove. "My people will protect me" Not some half-breed, ignorant...Ugh!"

Per reached over and grabbed her hair, pulling her face up to within inches of his large incisors.

"Listen, bitch. I'm here to protect you. Right now, I'm the only so-called friend you..." Per cut off talking as he heard someone approach. He unsheathed Dorgeth and his infravision soon picked up the image of a man coming towards him with a large dog by the man's side.

"That's far enough," said Per quietly, standing up erect.

"The man started. "I did not know anyone else was here. I'll wait until you are done."

"Go back to your tent," said Per. "No one is going to abuse her tonight."

"No!" snarled the man. "For years, she called me a dog. Now, she can be fucked like the dog she is and Kawsa here is just the one to give it to her."

"Go back to your tent," said Per.

"Why are you protecting her?" asked the man. "You're the one she tried to disgrace. Nanago would not have sent anyone to help her."

"Nanago does not know I'm here," stated Per. "This is something I am doing on my own."

"Kawsa and I could beat you," warned the man ominously. The dog started a low, throaty growl.

"All too true," admitted Per, "but one or both of you would be hurt in the process. She is not worth that."

The man stayed silent for a minute or two. He then patted the top of the dog's head quieting him down.

"Also true," he said. "Goodnight and good luck."

The rest of the night was a repetition of Per's first encounter. He warned off numerous groups and individuals. Oddly, it was not the twenty-man gang rape team or the young boys coming up with a red-hot branding iron who gave Per the most trouble. It was the women. This was their night to avenge each and every slight or insult Soft Dove had given them. It seemed that Soft Dove had a way of luring certain men to her tent just when the other woman wanted him. Per actually had to backhand one woman to keep her away.

During the entire night, Soft Dove kept her head down. She did not utter a single word, but Per could see her shaking in fear each time someone approached. The stream of people tapered off and Per found it hard to stay awake. Finally, just prior to dawn, Nanago approached Per.

"What are you doing here?" Per asked him groggily.

"I'm here to get repulsed like the others," Nanago said. "Having been done so, I now return to my bed."

"Your bed or Joran's?" asked Per smiling.

"I will tell you, Per, that my heart almost stopped twice yesterday. Once, when she invited me to her tent and again when she nearly killed me in the bed." Nanago walked over in front of Soft Dove. He squatted down and pulled her head up roughly by the chin. "You had better thank the Wind each and every day for this man. He does not understand what you have done, just as you do not understand why he is guarding you." Nanago stood up. "Per, go to your tent. No one else will be here tonight."

"You're wrong, Nanago," said Per. "Two people are coming now."

Per and Nanago waited side by side as the people approached. Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight appeared out of the dark. Morning Mist was loaded down with blankets and Golden Sunlight was carrying a wineskin and a large basket of food.

"Grandfather!" admonished Morning Mist. "What are you doing out of bed at this time of the morning?"

"Here I am ready to berate her and she attacks first," moaned Nanago to Per. "Her mother was the same way. What are you doing here?"

"We brought blankets and food," said Golden Sunlight as she set the basket down. "We were waiting at his tent and just found out what he had been doing all night."

"Go to bed, grandfather," said Morning Mist, gently. "Joran will feel insulted if you are not with her when she wakes."

Nanago nodded and walked off in the direction he had come from. Morning Mist rolled out the blankets as Golden Sunlight laid out the food.

"Why are you two here?' Per asked them as they worked.

"They're here to insult and abuse me," snarled Soft Dove.

Both girls sprang to their feet so fast that Per almost stumbled trying to get in-between them and Soft Dove. He caught his balance with difficulty and stood between the three of them. Apart for jumping to their feet, Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight had not moved. Their hands were clenched and their bodies shook with anger.

"No one gave you permission to speak," growled Morning Mist with a look of pure hatred on her face.

Per stepped forward and turned the two girls away from Soft Dove.

"What does it matter what she says?" he asked rhetorically.

Golden Sunlight shook off her anger and smiled at Per. She reached down and picked up the wineskin. Uncorking it, she took a swallow and passed it over to the still fuming Morning Mist.

"Drink," she said to the other girl. "Deeply."

Morning Mist took several deep swallows from the skin. She exhaled loudly as she passed the skin over to Per. Per could see a flush rush up her neck and give her face a warm, rosy glow. Per took a tentative sip and was glad he did as the fiery liquid hit the back of his throat.

"Let's get you out of that armor," said Morning Mist.

"I don't think that is such a good idea," stated Per.

"Is it comfortable?" asked Golden Sunlight.

"Not particularly."

"You won't need it for the rest of the night," stated Golden Sunlight as she and Morning Mist began to unbuckle his chainmail.

Morning Mist knelt down and unbuckled Per's greaves. Golden Sunlight laid out his chainmail on a blanket and rolled it up to prevent dew from settling on it. Morning Mist tossed over the greaves to Golden Sunlight and then rubbed both hands over Per's cock.

Per gasped in surprise and reached down to grab both of her hands. He quickly let go though and reached behind him as Golden Sunlight grabbed both of his asscheeks and squeezed.

"Ladies, we can't do this," he said, trying to keep their hands off him without success.

Golden Sunlight stepped back, looked at him and asked, "Why?"

"Because...um...uh," and Per glanced at Soft Dove tied to the stakes not more than ten feet away.

"As you said, it does not matter what she says or thinks or sees. She is nobody to us."

Per gasped again as Morning Mist began to softly caress his balls. His cock twitched in response and started to grow. Golden Sunlight pulled off his padding exposing his chest and hard muscles. Morning Mist was rubbing her hands up and sown the entire length of his hardening cock. When it was completely hard, Morning Mist undid his belt and pulled his pants down.

"Wha...By the..." Per heard Soft Dove gasp as she caught sight of his twelve inch long prick, but he was beyond caring as Morning Mist grasped his cock with both hands and gently pumped it back and forth. Golden Sunlight helped Per step out of his pants and then she stripped down to her skin.

Golden Sunlight rubbed her body against Per's back, looking around him every now and then to watch Morning Mist. Morning Mist was stroking Per's cock just inches away from her face. She stared intently at the slit where his cum would be spurting out of. Per-cum was oozing out of the tip as Morning Mist leaned forward and licked allover the sensitive head of his cock.

Per heard Soft Dove groan at the same time he did. Golden Sunlight was mashing and rubbing her breasts against his back as she watched Morning Mist suck him off. Per reached behind him and in between her legs. Golden Sunlight's pussy was hot and wet as Per easily sank a finger deep into her hole.

Morning Mist continued to lave her tongue around and around the head of Per's cock. Per stiffened his knees as he felt the pressure build in his balls. Morning Mist's lips formed an 'O' and she placed them over the tip of his prick. Her long black hair swayed back and forth as her head and hands moved back and forth in his cock.

Per felt the tension increase in his balls. With one girl rubbing his back with her naked body, while the other sucked his cock, he would not last long. Out of the corner of his eye, Per noticed that Soft Dove was watching them mesmerized. That little thrill of being watched sent Per over the edge. With a strangled cry, his balls tightened, sending the first spurt of hot cum racing down his cock. The jism blasted out of his prick into the wet, waiting mouth of Morning Mist.

She moaned as she felt her mouth fill with Per's sperm. Morning Mist swallowed as the second spurt followed the first filling her mouth again. The third spurt billowed out her cheeks. Morning Mist managed to swallow enough to keep ahead of the fourth and fifth spurts. As Per's climax subsided, Morning Mist pumped his cock for that last pearly white drop and swallowed it down. She moved away as the fire began to burn in Per's balls once again.

"My turn," said Golden Sunlight, moving around in front of Per. "Per, grab a hold of my waist."

Per, the fire of desire burning in his balls and starting to move throughout his body, grasped her waist. He almost forgot about the fire when Golden Sunlight smiled at him and slowly brought one leg up between them to raise it straight up in the air. She rested her ankle on his shoulder. Per held on as she reached down and grasped his iron-hard cock. The fire burned even hotter at the cool touch of her hands. A red haze started to filter down over his vision.

"Pull, Per," he heard Golden Sunlight say.

Per pulled her waist towards him. Her legs split wider apart and his cock, which she had been holding, sank into that tight, wet delicious warmth of her cunt. Per needed no other encouragement. He readjusted his grip on Golden Sunlight's waist and started to push and pull her onto his large cock.

Golden Sunlight gripped Per's wrists for support, although she knew by his lust-driven grip that he was not going to let go until he came in a big way. She smiled a seductive, wicked smile and pulled herself to Per as he thrust deep into her. Golden Sunlight's leg slid on Per's collarbone and her breasts bounced wildly with each impact of his cock into her. She was taking all of his cock and it was painfully hitting the top of her womb, but she did not care. She was going to be fucked like she had never been fucked before or probably would ever be again.

Per was beyond caring. All he knew was that his cock was fucking a tight, wet pussy that tightened as he thrust in, spreading Golden Sunlight's legs farther apart. Sweat glistened on both of their bodies and they were gasping heavily from both the lust and exertion. Per's mouth was open and his lower lip was curled down exposing his over-large incisors as he rammed his cock into Golden Sunlight's cunt. Per could feel the tension build in his balls like a hand slowly squeezing them. Per increased his speed and Golden Sunlight cried out in pleasure as her whole body shook from the impact of his cock.

Per was snorting fast and heavy through his nose as his climax approached. Sweat was now flying off both of them. Golden Sunlight could only grunt in lust as her pussy stretched wide to accept his cock again and again. She had lost count of the number of orgasms she had. Per felt his body tense and, with a mighty pull, he buried his cock all the way into her cunt.

Golden Sunlight gritted her teeth and held on tightly to Per's wrists as his body shook and quivered. Suddenly, his back arched and his cock literally hosed a huge load of hot, slippery cum into her. Golden Sunlight gasped as she orgasmed again as her vagina filled and overflowed with his hot jizz. Per's cock hosed out another load of sperm and Golden Sunlight's over-filled gushed it out to roll down her leg. Per fired off one last wad and then they both collapsed to the ground.

Morning Mist ran over to them. "Are you alright?" she asked concerned.

Golden Sunlight laid sprawled on her back with her legs apart and pearly white cum leaking out of her pussy. Per had thrown himself to one side so not to crush Golden Sunlight. He was on his hands and knees panting heavily with his head down. Morning Mist knelt down beside Golden Sunlight and grasped her hand.

"I'm...I'm fine," gasped out Golden Sunlight. "I...ow...won't be able...to walk for a...ugh...a week. Check on, Per."

Morning Mist started to get up when Per grimaced and motioned for her to remain where she was. He rolled over to a sitting position and began to gingerly flex his arms and shoulders.

"You won't be able to walk and I'll be screaming in pain each time someone slaps me in the arm," Per said to Golden Sunlight. "I couldn't lift a pebble now. My arms are on fire."

Golden Sunlight lifted her arms up. Between Morning Mist and Per, she was able to sit up.

"Unfortunately, we have to get back to the tent and you have to get dressed," Golden Sunlight said with gritted teeth as she stood up all the way.

"Let me help you," said Per.

"No, we can manage," stated Morning Mist. "You have to stay. The elders will be here shortly after breakfast," and with Golden Sunlight's arm over her shoulder, the two of them faded into the false dawn that was rising.

"Permission to speak, Per," came a quiet voice to Per's side.

"That's not necessary with me, Soft Dove," he answered. "What is it?"

"I wanted to...Thank you for your kindness," said Soft Dove contritely. "You could have used me, but you protected me. I don't understand, but thank you."

"After those two, I couldn't whip a wet noodle," said Per, stifling a groan as he reached for his pants.

"Those two," mused Soft Dove. "They did the most cruel abuse to me that anyone could have thought of. They showed me what I have lost. In the morning, Per, I'll be banished with spear, knife and food. I'll have to travel far to leave the Burgassi ranges, but I owe you a debt that one day I'll repay. This I swear."

"You owe me nothing," stated Per. "Since you have to leave today and we'll be here for a month, there is small chance that we will meet in the future."

Soft Dove smiled and Per was taken aback. It was the first time he had seen her smile at him without malice. Despite the dirt and the mud, it made her beauty shine through.

"Don't worry," she said. "When you are in your greatest hour of need, the Wind will bring me to you. Even if I am no longer of the Burgassi, I can at least start acting like one. Get dressed, Per and eat. I see long journeys looming for both of us."

Part 6

Per felt on top of the world. He was riding west with Octavia, Alana, Karlto and Pawl towards the mountains. They had just spent a month with the Burgassi, a nomadic tribe, who in appreciation for Per and his companions saving two of their young women from slavers had rewarded them with horses and gear. Per's horse was a huge brownish-black warhorse with a long wavy mane and tail. Per had named him Koth and felt invincible sitting on top of him.

The Burgassi had taught them how to ride and handle their horses. With sad goodbyes, the Burgassi headed north as Per and his friends headed west. After a time, Per and his companions came to a large forest spreading across the plains in-between them and the mountains they had been traveling to.

"I say, looks like there is no way around it, old boy," said Karlto, standing up in his stirrups looking left and right. "Guess we have to go through it."

"Guess so," stated Alana. "Where should we camp tonight?"

"How about at the forest's edge?" commented Per. "We can tackle the woods in the morning."

"Sounds good to me," stated Octavia as she rode forward leading the way.

After the group had set up camp and had eaten, Per went over to Koth to rub him down. Per had an uneasy feeling that they were being watched. He had moved over tot he horses to get away from the glare of the campfire, but even with his infravision, he could not see anyone around. Part of his nervousness must have been transmitted to Koth because the big horse snorted and stomped his hooves in agitation. Per heard someone approach him from the fire. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Octavia walking towards him.

"What is it, Per? You feel something too, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes, like we are being watched, but I can't see anyone," said Per. He then noticed that the feeling was gone. "I think they might of left. I don't have that feeling of being watched anymore."

"I hope you are right," said Octavia. "We had better tell the others and sleep in our armor tonight."

The group spent a restless, but uneventful night. The sun was cresting the horizon as they broke down camp and prepared to leave. Everyone moved stiffly from sore muscles and aching joints. Per gasped in relief as he finally managed to pop his spine, relieving some of the tension in it.

"Feel anything?" asked Alana as she mounted her pony.

"Just sore," stated Per, "but, no. Nothing like last night."

Alana pulled out her short sword and laid it across her lap.

"Never hurts to be too careful," she said with a smile.

Per smiled back and saw Alana flinch a little bit. Alana might be used to his green hair and violet eyes, but she never could get comfortable with Per's oversized canine teeth. Per gave her a mock glare to which Alana snorted at before turning her pony around to head towards the forest. Per quickly mounted Koth and followed after the others.

The forest was dark and cool with very little underbrush. The thick carpeting of leaves on the ground muffled the hoofbeats of the horses. The trees towered above them in a dark green canopy as birds flitted through the branches.

"How long do you think it will take us to ride through this place?" asked Karlto to Pawl, who was riding next to him.

"A couple of days, at least," replied Pawl.

Per revised that estimate to several days as he remembered the vast expanse he had seen yesterday. He also noticed that they were traveling uphill, which would also slow them down.

It was two days later at night when Per sat up in his blankets. Uneasy and breathing hard, his hand gripped the hilt of Dorgeth as Per stared around the campsite. Karlto was on guard and walking around the perimeter. Everyone else was asleep in his or her bedroll. Per stared around trying to figure out what had awakened him.

"I say, old boy. You alright?" Karlto asked Per, walking over to him.

"I don't know," said Per. "Something woke me up."

"I haven't seen or heard anything," said Karlto. "Maybe it was just a bad dream."

Per felt the feeling fade. "No, it's too real of a feeling," he stated. "It's gone now. Why don't you go ahead and get some sleep. It's almost time for my watch anyway."

"I say, that's right nice of you to give me an extra five minutes of sleep," said Karlto, stone-faced. He then smiled and laughed. "Thank you, Per. Wake me if you get that feeling again."

It was three days later before the group came upon a large clearing in the forest. Snow-capped mountains surged upward before them. The clearing stretched for about two miles in front of them before the forest restarted again at the base of the mountains. The trees extended three-quarters of the way up the mountains before petering out to rocky shale and snow.

"By the Gods!" intoned and awed Octavia. "Have you ever seen anything so majestic?"

"I think the sight is worth the misery we had to get here," said Per, looking up at the towering peaks.

"Watch out!" Alana warned Per. "I see a poet lurking in that soul of yours."

"Must be on my mother's side," said Per. "To ogres, poets are just good thing to eat."

Everyone shuddered and then broke out laughing. It was decided to camp where they were so they could see the sun set behind the mountains. The sunset was magnificent. The rays beamed between the peaks turning the sky a fiery red before fading away. After dinner, they set up the guard routine and went to bed.

Per snapped awake in the middle of the night with an overpowering feeling of cold. He yanked Dorgeth from its sheath and stared around wildly. Per then noticed that no one was standing guard. He saw that Karlto and Pawl were asleep in their bedrolls, but that Octavia's and Alana's beds were empty. Per looked around quickly and barely caught sight of them before they walked out of range of his infravision. Per turned and ran after the two women. He was within fifty yards of them when he heard a sibilant voice hissing in front of him.

"Come, my dears," Per heard it say softly. "I am your friend. Trust me. I'll take care of you and we can travel to my den. You want to see it. Come, I'll take you there."

Per had to stop and shake his head to disperse the need to listen and obey the voice. Mentally driving off the rest of the compulsion, Per looked up to see that Alana and Octavia had moved out of his infravision again. Per felt cold coming from his sword. He drew in a breath and advanced cautiously. He crept forward slowly and then froze at the sight in front of his eyes.

A large white dragon, its scales gleaming dully in the moonlight, was crouched before him. Eons of time seemed to radiate from the beast and Per felt his fear rise up in his throat almost choking him. Its entire length had to be at least twenty-four feet from snout to the tip of the tail. Per's fear nearly went to panic as he saw Alana and Octavia sitting on the back of the dragon holding on to the spiky protrusions running down the dragon's spine.

Per took an involuntary step backwards and, in that instant, the dragon's head snapped around. Per found himself pinned under the gaze of two serpent eyes. With a roar, a powerful thrust of his legs, and a blast of air from his wings, the dragon launched himself upwards as Per scrambled backwards.

Per could hear the beat of wings above him as he raced back to camp. The sound seemed to be getting louder as Per sheathed his sword and ran full tilt into the campsite. Without even slowing, Per reached down and yanked up Karlto and Pawl. Despite their cries of alarm and fear, Per dragged both men over the rocky ground and well into the forest.

"Shit! I..." snarled Pawl before Per clamped a big meaty hand over Pawl's mouth.

"Quiet!" hissed Per.

A loud clap of air sounded above the campsite and a blast of frost bit and stung at the men as they hunkered down behind trees and rocks. A second blast of frost followed the first chilling the men even more. Per heard the beating of leathery wings disappear into the distance and crawled to the forest's edge to take a look.

The entire campsite was coated in ice and frost. Per looked up to see the white dragon winging away from them. Per dug an arrow in the ground indicating which way the dragon was heading. Breathing hard, he sagged against a tree as Karlto and Pawl came over to him.

"What in Hades was that?" exclaimed Pawl, looking in astonishment at the camp.

"A white dragon," gasped Per. "You know those feelings I had, Karlto? I think it was Dorgeth trying to tell me that the dragon was near."

"Where's Octavia?" asked Karlto, looking around desperately. "And Alana?"

"The dragon carried them away," said Per. "I think it put a spell on them. They climbed onto its back before it flew away."

"A spell-using dragon is bad news," stated Pawl. "What do we do now?"

"See what we can salvage," said Per, getting to his feet. "Then go find the girls. Karlto, go check on the horses. Luckily, we had them back far enough in the woods to escape most of the dragon's breath. This arrow shows the way the dragon was heading when he left here."

"Think we have any chance of finding and defeating this monster?" asked Karlto.

"A better chance than Alana and Octavia have with no armor or weapons."

"Quite right," agreed Karlto, who left to check on the horses.

Almost everything in the camp was salvageable once it was thawed out. The horses were uninjured, only frightened by the dragon. In the morning, Per took a bearing off his arrow in the dirt. It pointed up towards a pass between two mountain peaks. Per, Karlto and Pawl headed towards the pass without saying a word.

They made good time across the clearing and headed up into the mountains. The higher they went, the more rugged the terrain became. They followed the ridgelines and took switchbacks, always heading for the pass. As they approached it late in the day, the trees began to thin out and the air became noticeably colder.

"I think we're going to have to halt, old boy," stated Karlto as they looked up at the darkening pass.

"I know," said Per. "I don't like it, but...I..." and his conversation fell off.

"What is it?" asked Pawl, seeing Per stare intently up the pass.

"Someone's coming down the pass," answered Per, "and not too steadily."

The three of them watched the figure descend towards them. The person stumbled, fell, got up, and fell again. Per could see that it was a man dressed in battered scalemail with a dented helmet. A scimitar hung off his wrist by the lanyard. The man finally fell and rolled down the incline until he hit against a tree. Per and the others went out and pulled him back to the relative safety of the trees.

The man was a young man about 19 or 20 with brown hair. His armor had taken a beating and his sword was nicked in several places.

"Gods!" exclaimed Karlto. "His arm is like ice!"

Per reached over and felt the man's left arm. It was indeed icy-cold. Per looked at the man's face and saw that his lips were blue. Per rubbed his finger over the scalemail and was rewarded with a coating of frost.

"I think the dragon attacked him," said Per, starting to unbuckle the man's armor. "If he is to survive, we have to get him warm."

"A fire? Here?" said a startled Pawl. "The dragon will see it for sure."

"He's our best chance for finding the other two," explained Per. "we'll just have to screen the fire so the dragon does not see it."

They set up camp in a dense grove of pine trees. Per bent the treetops down and lashed them together to make a dome. With extra tree boughs on the side, the dome was secure. Per lit a small fire inside and then went outside. No light was visible, so Per brought the man in. Karlto and Pawl wrapped the man up in blankets. Per and Pawl went out to tend to the horses as Karlto prayed to Zeus. About an hour or so later, Karlto came out and walked over to where Per and Pawl were sitting.

"Zeus granted me some healing power so the man is better, but still not perfect. He's asleep now. We can talk to him in the morning, old boy."

Per slept little that night. He worried about Alana and Octavia. He feared the stranger might die before telling what he knew, despite Karlto's assurances. Of course, he worried that they would find the dragon and that it would kill them all. It was not until the wee hours of the morning that Per finally fell asleep.

The next morning, the stranger was awake and although he stiffened at the sight of Per, he hid his apprehension behind a facade of calm indifference.

"My name is Jagar," he said to Per and the others. "This beast has terrorized the surrounding country for years. I thought I was good enough to kill him. I spent weeks locating his den and just as I was ready to attack, I was outwitted and surprised.

"What happened?" asked Karlto.

"I was sneaking up on his den when a woman with short black hair appeared in front of me. She was buck-ass naked with the biggest set of boobs I've ever seen. She put her hands under those juggs and shook them up and down. I just stood there mesmerized by that jiggling titflesh. Luckily, she looked over my shoulder, which warned me. I dodged to the side and avoided getting clawed by the dragon, which had flown in behind me. I swung at him, but all my sword did was bounce off his scales. The dragon hit me with his body as he flew by and I got all battered and bruised rolling down the mountainside."

"I scrambled around and found a hiding place between a fallen tree and a rock pile. It was barely big enough for my body, but I was hidden. The dragon must have heard me 'cause it hovered about 30 feet above where I was hiding. The dragon opened its mouth and blasted out a breath of freezing cold. By Ares, it was cold! The log protected most of my body, but my left side took the brunt of it. I don't know what happened after that."

"The dragon must not of known where you were. Otherwise, It would have killed you," said Per. "you must have gotten out after it had left and stumbled down to us. That was where we first saw you - coming down the pass. Is the dragon's den near here?"

"If you go almost to the top of the pass, on the right hand side, you'll see a draw," Jagar told them. "Follow the draw upward. It ends at a ledge. A couple of hundred feet around the ledge is a cave. That's his lair."

"Thank you," said Per. "The woman you saw and a female halfling were part of our group. The dragon got them to come with him by magic, we think."

We'll have to be careful," said Jagar, rising stiffly to his feet. "Under a spell or not, they're still helping the dragon."

"We?" questioned Per. "Are you planning on coming with us?"

"I'm not at one hundred percent, but it beats staying down here," said Jagar. Besides, I want to see those tits again."

"I say, chap, don't be watching them when you should be hitting the dragon," quipped Karlto.

"Never fear. Dragon first, women second."

The four men headed up the pass. Jagar quickly led them to the draw. They hobbled their horses and pack mules. Per took his halberd along with his sword, Dorgeth. Jagar had his scimitar and Karlto his flail. Pawl looked totally unprepared, carrying only a dagger, but Per knew that Pawl's magic more than made up for his lack of fighting skills.

The men climbed up the draw without incident. The ledge was several yards wide and curved around the face of the mountain. As quietly as they could, Per and the others made their way around the ledge until they came within sight of the cave.

The lair entrance was a little more than eighteen feet around. A natural cave cut into the mountain by melting snow and holding a beauty all its own. Water trickled down from above forming icicles and making the rocks sparkle. The water pooled at the entrance before flowing back into the cave.

Per motioned for the others to stand still. He then sneaked up on the entrance and carefully looked in. He saw that the cave tunnel sloped downward slightly and that it did not narrow more than fifteen feet around. Per motioned for them to join him and together they entered the cave.

"I can cast a light spell," whispered Pawl as they moved away from the light of the entrance.

"Keep it ready," Per told him. "Let's see if we can't get closer before warning him that we are here. I can see well enough to get us to where the dragon is. Have it ready though."

They descended further into the cave. The air became ice-cold and, if they could have seen their breath, they would have noticed it frosting in the still air. Per led them through the meandering tunnel as fast as he could. Finally, after walking several hundred yards, Per came to where the tunnel divided.

Looking down, Per saw that the water ran off to his right. The right tunnel descended at the same downward slope that they had been traveling earlier, while Per saw that the left tunnel was rockier, rougher and had a sharper slope. Per was ready to take the right tunnel when he heard a low, rumbling growl emanating from the left tunnel.

"Now?" whispered Pawl, who must have also heard the growl.

"Wait," advised Per in a hushed tone. "Be careful. It's steeper and rockier than before."

The men carefully made their way down the tunnel. Per gritted his teeth and tensed each time one of the others slipped, but no one fell or cried out. Per saw an opening before them, which widened out into a cavern. The opening was about five feet above the floor of the cavern. Growls, groans and voices came from the cavern. Per peeked in and was stunned into motionless.

The cavern was about one hundred feet around and twenty feet high. The dragon was to the left of the opening along with Octavia and Alana. It was lying down with its back against the wall. The dragon's rear legs were spread apart and two large scale between his legs had moved apart to allow his three-foot long purplish-red prick to jut out. What had shocked Per was what the two females were doing to that cock.

Both girls were nude. Octavia had climbed up and was standing on the dragon's legs, desperately trying to stuff that huge cock into her pussy. She had managed to get a third of the head in, but the diameter was just too much for her. Alana was standing between the dragon's legs. She was stroking his cock with both hands while licking up and down the shaft of the long prick.

"Yesss, my dears," Per heard the dragon hiss. "You want my seed. That taste you had last night put your bodies on fire. Ahhh, yesss. It will come. It will come soon."

Octavia moaned and ground her pussy around and around the head of the dragon's cock. Per could see her juices coating it. Alana stroked the massive member even faster. Per would have remained frozen by the sight had not Karlto touched him on the shoulder. The four men moved back down the tunnel several feet.

"Real quick. No noise," whispered Per quickly to the others. "The dragon has done something to the girls. They're under his control and making them have sex with him. Pawl, we need a lot of light in the cavern. When the spell is cast, we'll charge in and attack. There's a five-foot drop to the floor and the dragon is to the left of the opening. Hopefully the light should blind the dragon. Watch out for your own eyes. Pawl will yell when the spell is ready to go off. Any questions?"

"The women?" asked Jagar.

"Leave them alone unless they attack you. I don't want them hurt."

"Let's get this done," whispered Karlto grimly.

The men moved closer to the opening. As Pawl readied his spell, Per could hear Alana and Octavia moaning in passion. A low rumbling growl was coming again and again from the dragon and getting louder each time. It finally rose to a shattering roar.

"Augh!" screamed Octavia in passion. "He's spurting so hard inside me! I'm cumming! OH, GODS!!! IT'S FILLING ME!!! I..."

"NOW!" yelled Pawl and Per surged forward as a beam of light flew by him to burst into radiance inside the cavern.

Per launched himself off the edge of the opening and towards the dragon. Everything seemed to go into slow motion as Per flew through the air.

The dragon's long neck was swiveling its head back and forth, and it blinked its eyes rapidly trying to see. Octavia was holding the dragon's cock tight against her pussy. Per swore that he could see her abdomen bulge out slightly as the dragon fired a massive spurt of cum into her and then contract as the sticky fluid sprayed out of her overflowing cunt. A lot of the jizz splashed down onto an already dripping Alana, who was licking up the cum as fast as possible off the dragon's cock.

Per, with both hands gripping his halberd, aimed for the dragon. The spear tip plunged deep into the dragon's side and hot blood gushed forth. The dragon roared and jumped up, throwing both girls off to the side. Suddenly, time reverted to normal for Per.

Per swung again, but missed as he jumped back to avoid being bitten by the sharp dagger-length teeth. The dragon's snapped shut just inches away from his head. The dragon reared up and swung at Per with both claws. One set of white talons missed, but the other ripped through his chainmail on his left arm, cutting the skin underneath. The claw also tore the halberd out of Per's grasp, sending it skittering across the rocky cavern floor.

Karlto rushed up on the dragon's left side and hit it with his flail. The dragon roared in pain as one of its ribs snapped and it turned away from Per. Jagar took the opportunity to rush in and swung at the dragon, but it sinuously arched back away from his blow.

Per snatched Dorgeth out of its scabbard. Aiming a mighty blow, he swung with all his strength at the dragon's neck. Dorgeth whistled at the speed of the arch and then, incredibly, it bounced back violently away from the dragon when it was six inches away from its neck. Per, trying to hold on, was thrown eight feet from where he had been standing. The sword flew out of his hand and clanged onto the floor. Everyone froze where they were.

"Dorgeth!" hissed the dragon. "Fool! It can not harm anything of its own kind. It will be the crown of my treasure!"

The dragon snapped his head to the right and let loose and icy blast at Jagar. Jagar dived to the side, but screamed as the deadly cold hit the lower half of his body. Karlto hit the dragon again with his flail as Per scrambled around to snatch up his halberd. As Per stood up, he saw lightning fly from Pawl's fingertips, who was standing in the opening, to strike the dragon in the body. The dragon roared in pain and loosed another deadly blast of icy breath at Pawl. Pawl flew backwards and disappeared from view in the white frosty breath.

Karlto swung his flail for another strike, but never completed it as a dragon claw hit him, knocking him backwards into a heap. Per rushed forward, barely dodging a claw smashing down towards him. Per swung his halberd upwards cleaving the axe blade underneath the dragon's white breast scales. Hot blood gushed out of the vicious cut. The dragon, seriously wounded, tried to retreat, but Per kept pressing forward. It seemed to be a cat and mouse game as Per and the dragon tried to kill each other.

Suddenly, five purplish flashes leaped through the air striking the dragon. Each one tore through the dragon's scales and the dragon howled in anguish. Per grabbed at the chance offered by the distraction and thrust his halberd's spear point deep into the dragon's chest. The dragon's blood gushed forth and it rolled back and forth in its death throes. Per, avoiding the dragon's thrashings, pulled his friends away from the dying creature.

Alana, covered in silvery dragon jism, was unconscious, as was the half-frozen Jagar. Karlto was wheezing from the blow to his chest. Octavia, her pussy and legs coated in cum, was in a daze as if she had just been suddenly awakened from a deep sleep. Per grimaced as he saw and felt the ten-inch gash in his arm. Ignoring his pain, Per went over to the opening to check on Pawl.

Pawl was standing stiffly at the opening. His hair was coated in ice and his eyebrows were white. Shaking and with his teeth chattering, Pawl climbed down to the cavern floor.

"Is it dead?" he asked Per.

"I hope so," said Per. "How are you?"

"Let's take a look at your arm," said Pawl. Per winced as Pawl wrapped a bandage around the wound. "Even with the dragon dead, it's too cold down here in this cave. We need to get everyone out of here and to a camp."

"I agree," stated Per. "I can carry Jagar, if you carry Alana. Karlto, can you help Octavia or do you need help?"

"M...m...my...m...m...mind is f...fuzzy, but the two of us can m...m...make it," stammered Octavia. "I need s...some clothes!"

Pawl tossed Per a couple of blankets from the packs they had brought. Octavia wrapped herself in them with a sigh. She and Karlto leaned on each other as they went over to the opening. With Per and Pawl's help, the two of them climbed up the tunnel to where it split. Per then carried up Alana, while Pawl stayed with Jagar. Per and Pawl then carried Jagar up the rocky slope. The group slowly moved out of the cave and down the draw to where the horses had been left.

Per placed Jagar on the back of Koth and led the way back to the campsite. He and Pawl set up the tents and started a fire, which Octavia immediately huddled around. After putting Alana and Jagar in bed, Pawl and Per started to make dinner as Octavia got dressed. Karlto went around to everyone and checked on his or her wounds.

"I think Jagar is the worst because he had not really recovered from his last bout with the dragon, chaps," commented Karlto. "I used the healing power Zeus gave me and it helped him some, but it's going to take quite some time for him to recover. I don't know what is wrong with Alana. I used a little of the healing power on her, but all she does is moan and writhe."

"Oh, Gods," moaned Octavia who had been walking over to the fire.

"What is it, Octavia?" asked Per.

"I know what is wrong with Alana," she said, sitting down on a stump. "The night we set up camp by the clearing, I remember being uncontrollably drawn away from camp. I know Alana was walking beside me. We came upon the dragon and I was...I guess I was smitten by its size and beauty. It told us to get on its back and it seemed perfectly normal to do that. The dragon told us that you, our friends had betrayed us and he was going to attack the camp to protect us. I don't know what came over us or why we trusted it."

"You were under a spell or several spells," stated Pawl, dishing out hot soup. "It probably charmed you to believe it was friendly."

"Anyway, it flew us to its den. We took off our clothes because it told us to, but we weren't cold. The dragon talked to us all night. Alana and I did all sorts of menial jobs that it asked us to do. I was dead tired, but kept working because the dragon asked us to. In the morning, the dragon told us that he had spotted another enemy coming to attack us. It told me to go and distract the man, while he attacked the man from behind. I think it was this man, Jagar."

"It was," said Per. He then added as her face tightened in remembrance of what she had done, "It was not your fault. The dragon used magic on you."

"I know. Afterwards, the dragon took me back to the cave where he had left Alana. In celebration of his victory, the dragon...um...uh, you know. Damn! We jacked the dragon off and drank his sperm. The next thing I know, I'm hotter than a Netter pepper. There wasn't anything I wouldn't do for sex. You saw the climax of that. Alana swallowed a lot more because I was riding its cock. In awhile, she'll be insatiable."

"We have to keep her from Jagar, chaps," said Karlto. "In his state, she could kill him."

"How was he when you found him?" asked Octavia.

"Hurt," replied Per, "but willing to come with us to defeat the dragon. By the way, he is absolutely fascinated by your juggs, as he called them."

"As he should be," stated Octavia, with an air of superiority. "They're my best feature."

"At least the largest," muttered Karlto. "Apart from her hips."

Per and Pawl laughed as Octavia pinned Karlto with an indignant stare.

"I need to go back to the cave to get my halberd," said Per.

"Why did you leave it behind, old boy?" asked Karlto.

"Because it would have been damned awkward trying to carry it and Jagar. I might have turned around quick and sliced off something that's attached to you."

"Ah! Just as well," said Karlto, tightening his legs together.

"Will you two be alright here?" asked Pawl to Karlto and Octavia. "I want to go with Per for another reason. The one the dragon told us about."

"What's that?" asked Octavia.

"Its treasure!" exclaimed Pawl.

Per, Karlto, and Octavia sat stunned for a moment, their minds filled with the legend about dragon hoards. Mountains of gold, thousands of gems and piles of silver swam like visions through their minds. Octavia shook her head to clear it of the gold fever.

"Take Karlto and the mules," she said to the others. "The dragon's treasure might be nothing or huge. You two may need the extra hand."

"Octavia dearest, I couldn't lift so much as a brass ring now," said Karlto. "If you are up to it, why don't you trek off with Per and Pawl. I'll stay here to defend the others."

"If you hurt so much, maybe it would be best to leave someone else here also," said Per.

"Nonsense, old boy," argued Karlto. "The dragon was the big, bad bully of the neighborhood. He has driven off anyone else."

"Maybe," stated Per, unconvinced.

"Get going. I'll be fine," said Karlto.

Octavia went back to her tent and changed into her armor. Per, Pawl and Octavia took two mules and headed back to the cave. They were out of sight and sound of the camp when Karlto went over to look in Jagar's tent, cried aloud, and dashed inside.

The three friends climbed back up to the cave, with the mules negotiating the rocky slope better than they could. They lit torches and went into the tunnel down to where it split. There they hobbled the mules and stuck several torches on nooks and crannies to light up the area. They then proceeded down the rough slope to the cavern.

Pawl's light spell was still in effect, illuminating the corpse of the white dragon and a little over a half of the cavern. Octavia shuddered at the sight of the carcass. Per dropped down to the cavern floor and recovered his halberd. Pawl and Octavia climbed down and they all began searching around the chamber.

They soon found another tunnel back in the darkened area of the cavern. With torches held high and weapons at hand, they advanced down the tunnel. The tunnel only went forty feet before opening up into another chamber.

"Pawl, light," whispered Per.

Pawl muttered an incantation and light illuminated the chamber. The light was not as bright as the spell he had cast in the cavern, but it was adequate. The chamber was a thirty by forty-foot oval dome and Per stiffened in alarm when he saw two eight-foot tall white figures standing off to one side. He relaxed when he saw that the figures were just rough-cut statues. Opposite the statues was a very large wooden chest.

Per looked over the chest carefully. The hasp was not locked and he could see scratches in the lid from the dragon's talons. Octavia moved off to one side and Pawl inched back by the statues as Per eased his halberd under the lid. With a flex of his shoulders, Per threw the lid back with a crash just as Pawl cried out in pain.

Per spun around expecting an attack, but was confused when all he saw was Pawl leaning to one side clutching his arm. With a quick glance at the chest to make sure it was relatively safe, Per and Octavia moved over to Pawl.

"Watch out for the statues," warned Pawl. "I hit against one and my arm went numb with cold."

Octavia gently pulled up Pawl's sleeve and winced at the long cold burn he had received. Per lifted his hand to within several inches of the right statue and felt the intense cold emanating off it. He then noticed that the white on the statues was not paint, stone or marble, but frost.

"Are you okay, Pawl?" he asked, stepping back from the statues.

"Yes, I'm getting some feeling back in my arm," griped Pawl, shaking his hand. "The burn is starting to hurt, but I've had worse."

"Let's see what is in the chest and get out of here," stated Per.

They went over and looked in the chest. Per gasped as he saw the shield lying on top. It was burnished steel and gleamed brilliantly under Pawl's light spell. It seemed heavy enough to ward off any blow, but when Per lifted it up, it seemed as light as a feather.

Under the shield were three scroll cases. Per handed them to Pawl, who placed them in his backpack. Per and Octavia pulled the last item out of the chest, which was a large bundle of tied-up canvas. There was something hard and it clinked as they pulled it out. Per prevented Octavia from cutting the rope binding the canvas together. He sat down with the package and worked the knot loose. Peeling back the canvas revealed an exceptional suit of platemail. Per then retied the bundle back together again.

"Nothing else?" asked Pawl, puzzled. "The stories I've heard always mentioned gold, silver, gems and jewelry in a dragon's hoard."

"Nothing else is here or in the large cavern," said Octavia. "Nothing, but these two large statues."

"Any place we could have missed?" asked Per.

"Not unless it's down the other tunnel," said Pawl. "Though I don't think he would have kept his treasure too far away."

"Let's get this up to where the tunnels divide and then take a look down the other tunnel," said Per.

The three of them carted what they had found up to the mules. They left the items behind and started down the other tunnel. Per stopped after going one hundred feet. The tunnel narrowed down until it was only five feet high and four feet wide. The dragon could have never traveled any farther down that way.

As they packed up the suit of armor and the shield onto a mule, Per had a nagging sense of having overlooked something. He went back over the caverns in his mind. Since the caves and tunnels were made of solid rock, there was really no place for the dragon to hide treasure. Per shivered as he remembered the fight with the dragon. Suddenly, it all clicked together.

"I know where it is!" he yelled at the others, sending his voice reverberating through the tunnels. "Come on!"

Grabbing up backpacks and sacks, Per led Pawl and Octavia down the tunnel to the large cavern. He did not even glance at the dead dragon as he ran into the cave in the back. Octavia and Pawl followed him. Per took a torch and held it against the statue. The torch immediately sputtered out.

"Here, let me," said Pawl, who put his hands together and then fanned out his fingers.

Flames flew forth from his fingertips to strike against one of the statues. Steam hissed from the contact and Pawl's flames dimmed as the cold and the heat battled each other. Pawl gathered up his strength and intensified the flames. Per and Octavia gazed in wonder as the white frost melted off the statue, revealing gold and silver coins with gems mixed in, all of which had been frozen together into the large statue. The statue seemed to shift and the entire mass cascaded to the floor. The flames winked out form Pawl's fingertips.

"Whew! Let me rest for a bit before I tackle the other one," gasped Pawl as he sat down on the chest. "I don't know what froze it all together, but..."

"It was the dragon's breath," Per interrupted. "He froze it all together, making it incredibly cold and almost impossible to steal."

"How much do you think is here?" laughed Octavia, shoveling handfuls of coins and gems into a sack.

"Thousands," said Per, with a wide grim before digging in himself.

It took them almost two hours to thaw the other statue, fill the sacks, and load up the mules. Grinning from their good fortune, Per, Octavia and Pawl made their way out of the cave and headed back to camp. It was now late afternoon and as they approached the camp, a startling sight greeted them.

Karlto was lying flat on his back in the middle of the camp. That was not as startling as the fact that he was nude and Alana was banging her pretty, little, round ass on his hips to beat the band. Karlto just laid there, unmoving, as Alana seemed bent on fucking herself silly on his hard cock.

Per, Octavia and Pawl just stood there in stunned silence. It seemed like forever before it finally registered to Karlto that they were standing there. His head turned towards them and they could see the dark circles of exhaustion under his eyes.

"Thank Gods!" He gasped, weakly. "Help!"

Alana banged her hips down on Karlto driving his cock all the way into her pussy. She looked over at Per and the other two with lust-filled eyes and her gaze locked onto Pawl. With a gasp of delight, Alana leaped off of Karlto, his cock slurping wetly out of her cunt before smacking onto his stomach.

Pawl did not stand much of a chance. Alana's body hit him square on the chest and with the backpack of coins he was carrying, Pawl was bowled right over. Alana yanked down his pants and got a lip-lock around his cock before he knew what had hit him.

"Alana! Stop!" he yelled, trying to free his arms from the tangled straps of the backpack.

Alana ignored him and began sucking his flaccid member. Her hand wrapped around the base of his prick to stroke it, while her other hand caressed his balls. Despite his protests, Pawl's cock hardened quickly. Alana leaned back with a wicked little smile to marvel at her spit-covered masterpiece, but only for a second before she moved forward to hunch over it and then drive it deep into her hot, tight cunt.

Alana began to fuck herself on Pawl's cock with the same wild abandon that she had been doing with Karlto. Octavia nudged Per and they sidestepped around the moaning and groaning couple. They tied up the mules to a tree, dropped their backpacks and rushed over to Karlto, who was now doubled up on the ground.

"Karlto, what happened?" asked Per.

"Augh! I'm going to die!" groaned Karlto in pain, grabbing his genitals.

"Per, hold him," commanded Octavia and Per had just enough time to grab Karlto's arms before she poured a canteen of water down between Karlto's legs.

"GODS! That's freezing!" shouted Karlto as his dick shrunk to the size of a peanut.

"Feeling better?" asked Octavia sweetly. "Now answer Per's question."

"It was just after you chaps left," stated Karlto, shaking from the cold. "I went in to check on Jagar. Alana had already slipped out of her tent and was blowing away on his pecker. Jagar was groaning in pain, so I pulled her off of him and dragged Alana outside. I say! The next thing I know she tackled me and pulled my pants down. I remembered what Octavia said about her being insatiable. I gave her the best I had - time after time after time. Finally, all I could do was to lay there, trying to keep my vigor and fortitude...um...up as Alana banged away on my poor sore pole. I was at the end of my rope when you chaps showed up, thank the Gods."

"Would it be better to tie her up until this wears off?" Per asked, looking over at Alana and Pawl. Pawl had rolled them over and was heartily thrusting his cock into her pussy as she squealed in delight.

"That may not be a good idea," said Octavia. "She needs sexual release, not confinement. I know."

Per helped Karlto back to his tent. He and Octavia then unloaded the mules and devised a plan for Alana as Pawl continued to fuck her

Pawl was on top of Alana, then she was on top of him. Pawl banged her sideways, then doggie-style. He had cum twice and his sperm mixed with Karlto's to ooze down Alana's legs. With a shudder, he climaxed a third time, spurting more jizz into Alana's diminutive body before collapsing off to one side.

Alana groaned in disappointment as Pawl's cock slipped out of her hot eager pussy. Even though her lust-filled eyes told her that Pawl was out of it, Alana still bent down to suck on his limp prick, trying to revive it. Per took the opportunity to quietly move around behind Alana. The last thing he needed was for her to fixate on him. Even the small chance that she could set off his lustcraze would be too to chance given his twelve-inch long cock and her three-foot-three body.

Alana spat out Pawl's flaccid cock with disgust at not being able to stiffen it. Her eyes automatically went to the tents and focused on the one that belonged to both Jagar and Karlto. She rose to her feet and started in that direction.

Per rushed in from behind Alana and snatched her around the waist, swinging her off the ground. He ran several yards and then threw her over the back of his horse, Koth, with her legs on one side and her arms on the other. Octavia held onto the reins as Per held Alana down.

"Let me go or fuck me, you big lummox!" Alana snarled and pleaded at the same time, trying to get free. "I need it! Please!! You don't know!"

"Yes, I do," stated Per, as a matter of fact, before shoving one large finger all the way into her dripping pussy.

Alana gasped and moaned at the sudden penetration of her cunt. She tried to get off the horse, but Per's hand on her back kept her in her exposed position. His finger slid easily in and out of her hot cunt. So easily in fact, that Per added a second finger to slid in and out with the first.

"More!" panted Alana, desperately trying to hump her ass back against Per's fingers. "More! More!"

Per shoved a third finger in which brought a scream of pleasure from Alana. Her pussy was stretched wide and tight as Per's three fingers thrust in and out of it. All the Accumulated juices and fluids in her pussy squished and dripped out as his fingers filled her completely.

"Harder! Faster!" gasped Alana, pulling her legs apart to allow him full access.

Per's fingers plowed faster and deeper into her tightly stretched cunt. Her entire body shook with each thrust, her ass and breasts rippling from the impact. Octavia watched open-mouthed at the spectacle, both shocked and aroused at the same time.

Alana's breath was coming faster and faster. Per could sense her pending orgasm and kept thrusting his fingers rhythmically in and out of her hot pussy. Alana's body began to tense and quiver. With an arching of her back, Alana cried out at her overpowering climax. Juices gushed out of her pussy and over Per's fingers. Her orgasm seemed to last forever as her body shook to its very core.

Alana's quivering lessened and her body relaxed as her orgasm subsided. Overcome by the intensity of her induced passion, Alana fainted and flopped over listlessly on the back of the horse. Only Per's hand on her back kept her from sliding off and onto the ground. Per gently lifted Alana off the horse and cradled her in his arms.

"Let's get her to bed," whispered Octavia gently. "She should be fine when she wakes up."

Per nodded his head and took Alana to her tent. Octavia tied up Koth and then came over to help Per. Together they put Alana into her bed and Left her to sleep. They went over to help a still groggy Pawl back to his tent. With everyone else asleep, Per and Octavia sat down at the fire to start to divide up the shares.

"Quiet," commented Octavia on the general condition around the camp.

"Too quiet," replied Per. "with a number of us hurt also. How do you feel?"

"Embarrassed and angry at what the dragon did to me and Alana."

"I know, but it's dead and can't hurt you anymore. How are you physically?"

"Sore and achy all over," Octavia said with a slight smile. "I trained all my life to be self-reliant and self-sufficient. It is...was...unnerving to lose control that way. Thank you for coming to rescue us."

"You're welcome," said Per. "Do you know where the nearest town is? We need to get there to rest and recuperate."

"The nearest one is Tectin. It's about eight or nine days north of us at the rate we'll have to travel given our general condition. Cific is a city a couple of days beyond Tectin," said Octavia.

"We'll head for Tectin," said Per. After a moment, he added, "Eight or nine days? It may just take us that long to sort out this treasure!"

Part 7

It was a full week and a half since the group's fight with the white dragon before they saw the town of Tectin. Karlto's chest still hurt. Octavia was battered and bruised all over. Pawl still had some lingering chill from the dragon's breath. Jagar could not even sit up in a saddle without help and Per's arm was healing slowly. Yet despite all their bumps and bruises, it was Alana that worried Per the most.

She had become withdrawn and reflective, no longer participating as a member of their company. Alana stood her turn at guard and did her chores, but seemed to set herself apart from everyone else. Per and the others had tried to get her join in to their camaraderie, but nothing, not even her share of the dragon's hoard, could snap her out of her melancholia. Now, within sight of the good-sized town, Per was determined to find out what was wrong. Angling his warhorse over towards Alana's pony, Per trotted up beside her.

"Alright, Alana," he said, looking down at her. "What's wrong? Forgive me for being blunt, but I'm just a dumb half-ogre."

Alana snorted in amusement and smiled.

"Per, nothings wrong," she said. "I've been...preoccupied. I've been trying to decide where my future lies. Twice I've been turned into a mindless, sex-crazed zombie. You...um...saved me both times, but I'm frightened that one day you'll try to stuff that monster between your legs up in me. I've blown every guy in the party and fucked two of them senseless. I've been thinking that maybe I need to get off this mad ride and back to the normalcy of larceny, burglary, and outright theft."

"Your share is quite a bit of money," Per told her. "You don't have to go back to your old life."

Alana burst out laughing.

"Old life?!" she laughed. "Hades! With my share, I can move up and pluck richer and more lucrative pigeons. Per, trust me. I think this is for the best."

"Trust? You? Trust a thief?" mocked Per.

Alana gave him the biggest, sweetest, most endearing, and fake smile she could manage.

"No! No! No! No! No!" Per chided her. "Not like that! Like this," and Per grinned at her wickedly, curling his lips back to display his over-large incisors.

"Ugh!" grunted Alana. "You'll never get anything with that smile."

"Oh, I don't know," stated Per loftily. "I've gotten out of fights and arguments with that smile. I believe a couple of merchants have even paid me not to smile at their customers."

Alana laughed again and said, "I'd pay you not to smile at me like that. Let's head for town. I'm not leaving you just yet."

The group headed into Tectin, a growing town, whose trade was based on agriculture with the city of Cific. Recent growth spurts had new architecture clashing with the old. New people and new ways coming into town were at odds with the old established pattern. In short, everything was in flux and temper seemed to be short.

Per had not anticipated the crowd in town. It took them three tries to find an adequate inn that could accommodate them all. As it was, they had taken the last rooms in the place.

"What's going on here?" Per asked the innkeeper. "Is it normally this crowded or is there some special occasion?"

"It's our fall festival to the Goddess Aphrodite, big fella," cackled the old innkeeper. "It was at this time many, many years ago that she helped our forefathers create this town. Her temple is the biggest in town. Smack dab in the center of town. Beautiful place."

"Sounds like a place to see," said Per.

"See it from a distance," warned the innkeeper. "Them priestesses have become mighty haughty. A group of rowdies offered them insult and injury about six months ago. That head priestess, she just had them blasted out of existence! Right in front of everybody! Ever since then they've been acting real proud - taking advantage of people. Nobody 'd say 'boo!' to them. Not with the burnt holes still in front of the temple where those rowdies had been standing."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," said Per.

After they had settled in and gotten their horses squared away, Per and the others decided to head out and explore the town. Everyone, that is, except Jagar who needed the rest. Octavia, Pawl and Alana headed towards the markets to replenish their supplies and find other items for themselves. Per and Karlto went out to find an armorer. The suit of armor they had recovered in the dragon's lair was Karlto's size, but he needed to have the buckles adjusted to get the fit right. Per wanted to use some his newfound wealth to have new armor made for him. He was hoping for a suit of platemail or even fieldplate. Per knew that, because of his size, the cost was going to be hideously expensive.

Per and Karlto went to two blacksmiths, one of whom offered them a ridiculous price to buy the suit of armor with his eyes gleaming in avarice. Per sword's steel y rasp as it cleared its sheath made the man retract his offer and mumble countless apologies, while ushering them quickly out of his forge. The other blacksmith told them that he could not do the work, but did direct them to a man that could help them. The third man had his shop in the center of town. He was a true armorer. No hasps or household items adorned his walls, only armor, shields, and weapons of war.

"Exceptional quality," he commented as he had Karlto try on the armor. "The adjustments shouldn't take more than a few hours. Twenty inanes or forty systols. Payment in advance." The armorer turned to Per. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm not familiar with your currency," stated Per, holding out some coins. "What's an inane and a systol?"

The armorer grunted as he looked at the coins. "I haven't seen anything like this since that crazy mercenary came into town blabbering about a castle on a crag."

"Castle on a crag?" asked Karlto.

"Yeah, some big haunted house built on a crag. Sheer cliffs all around. Said it was loaded with treasure. He left here to go back and several fools followed after him since them. No one has come back."

"I say! Did he say where it was?" asked Karlto, excitedly.

The armorer gave him a flat stare.

"Due east about a month on horseback," he told Karlto. "You'll hit a river. Follow it south until you hit a gorge. Go into the gorge. It's a couple of days south of there in the gorge. Can't miss it." The armorer looked at Per. "Go see Isak, the money changer. He's across the square. He'll change this money for you at a fair rate."

"I'm also looking for a suit of fieldplate or platemail, depending on what I can afford," said Per.

"Part ogre, aren't you?" asked the armorer. "It's those violet eyes. Bet you have green hair or hair with a greenish tint. That's why you've kept your hat on. Ran into a couple of ogres in my younger days - barely escaped, but that's no matter. Water under the bridge now. Let's get you measured and by the time you get back from Isak, I'll have a price for you. It's going to be expensive, though, given your size."

"Given my size, everything is expensive," retorted Per with a chuckle.

After getting measured, Per headed over across the town square towards the moneychanger's shop. He stopped in the center of the square to look at the Temple of Aphrodite. The temple was a tall graceful building with a white dome on top. Tall stone columns supported the roof all the way around and stone steps, flanked by platforms, led up to the huge front doors.

Several people were crossing the square and Per noticed that they purposefully walked around an area in front of the building. Stepping closer, he saw that the area had eight large holes gouged into the paving stones. Each hole was about two feet across, a foot deep, and badly scorched. Per looked up at the entrance and was surprised to see four women on platforms, who had not been there before, looking down at him. They were dressed in white gowns with golden belts and each one was beautiful. Per remembered the warning from the innkeeper, turned quickly and headed off to Isak's. He looked back as he walked away and saw that the women were still staring after him.

Per went into Isak's and exchanged enough currency to cover Karlto's alterations and the group's everyday needs. In talking to Isak, Per learned that the inane was worth only slightly more than the Kingdom's golden sauer. Per left Isak and crossed back over the square to Karlto and the armorer. He glanced once sideways at the temple, but the four women had left the platforms.

"Any problems, old chap?" asked Karlto as Per entered the forge.

"No, stopped to look at the temple," answered Per. "I saw the priestesses. There's four of them, aren't there? They were looking at me from the platforms besides the steps."

"Yup," replied the armorer. "Did you hear about the gang that went up against them six months ago?" Per shook his head affirmatively. "Then you know about the holes in the pavement. They've become arrogant since then. One had commissioned a mace from me. When she came to pick it up, she fully expected me to give it to her as a gift!"

"What happened?" asked Per.

The armorer reached under a shelf and pulled out an oak box. Opening it, he turned it towards Per and Karlto. The inside of the box was lined with black velvet and an inlaid mace rested on top of the velvet. The work was extraordinary. Silver and steel spiraled around each other on the haft and each flange on the head of the mace was inlaid with a spiraling silver design.

"It's beautiful," admired Per.

"I say, I could use a mace like that," said Karlto. "Would you be willing to sell it to me?"

"No," said the armorer, closing the box and putting it away. "It's a small thing, but it has become a matter of principle and an act of defiance to deny it to them each time she come in here to demand it."

"Good luck," said Per. "What about my armor."

"It'll have to be built from scratch," stated the armorer. "That means six months. Longer, if you want a new shield to match."

"Nope," answered Per. "I'll keep this one," hefting the magical shield they had recovered from the dragon's lair.

"Looks to be a good shield," commented the armorer. "Six months. Now for the bad news. Fieldplate - inanes. The platemail is less, only inanes. I'll need you during the last month for fittings."

Per blew out his breath, which he had not realized that he had been holding.

"I'll have to go with the platemail," he said. "Unless you'll take half now and half when I return."

"With your friend all set to go to the castle on the crag?" asked the armorer, with only a little sarcasm. "Afraid not. Armor your size would be impossible to resell. I'll need the full amount."

"Oh, balderdash!" exclaimed Karlto. "Order the damned fieldplate, Per. I'll go good for what you're short, chap."

"You sure?" asked Per.

"Of course," stated Karlto. "Besides, you in fieldplate on top of that monstrosity you call a horse charging down on anyone, should give them serious doubts as to their immortality."

"It's a deal, then," said Per, clasping the armorer's hand, sealing the contract. "Let's head back to the inn and then over to Isak's to give him some more business."

"Not so fast," said the armorer. "I need him here to fit the buckles. Unless, of course, you want it to be an ill-fit."

"Stay here," Per told Karlto. " I'll go back to the inn and get the others to help me. I'll be back as soon as we've exchanged the money."

Per left the armorer's and headed back towards the inn. He had not gone farther than two blocks before he found the road blocked by two freight wagons and a herd of sheep all trying to get around one another. Per headed down a sidestreet and up an alley to get around the roadblock.

Halfway up the alley, a warning bell went off in Per's head as a backdoor opened in front of him and two of Aphrodite's priestesses walked out into the alley. Per looked backwards to see that the other two priestesses had come out of another building to block any retreat he might have made.

"Ladies, I don't know what you want, but I'm telling you to stand clear," he warned them, drawing his sword.

One priestess took a step forward. She was a little over medium height with a well-built body. Her long, blond hair was done up in tow braids that hung down past her hips. She wore the same white gown and girdle as the others, but she had a gold circlet on her head, which the others did not.

"We want you," she said as she threw a small bag at Per.

Per dodged the bag she threw, but was hit by the bags thrown by the other three priestesses. His dodge really did not matter, though, because all the bags burst open and enshrouded Per in billowing, white smoke.

Per involuntarily inhaled before clamping a hand over his nose and mouth. All of a sudden, his mind started reeling and he could not focus his eyes. Per was only dimly aware of his sword clanging on the paving stones as he dropped it. Swaying, Per took a step towards the head priestess before his eyes rolled back in his head and he followed his sword to the ground.

Per awoke in unfamiliar surroundings. His mind was still groggy, but he managed to focus his eyes on the vaulted ceiling high above him. The stained glass windows were dark, letting him know it was nighttime outside. Per tried to sit up, but could not due to his wrists and ankles being tied down. Per raised his head and saw that he had been tied down naked on a huge bed in the center of an amphitheater. Wooden benches on tiers formed a half-circle around the area where Per was tied down to the bed. Candles lighted the entire area. Three closed double doors could be seen behind the top row of benches. As if on cue, the center doors swung open and the four priestesses entered, walking down the central set of stairs.

"Welcome, Per," said the head priestess as the four of them approached the bed. "We have been expecting you."

"Why don't you kill me now and get it over with," snarled Per.

"Kill you?" laughed the head priestess, her blue eyes staring intently into his violet ones. "We have no intention of killing you. Aphrodite told us of your arrival. You will become one of our sexual slaves here in the temple. I am High Priestess Ivin. This is Priestess Calla, Priestess Andie and Priestess Dorna. Do you like our altar?"

Per looked at the priestesses as his mind absorbed the High Priestess's words. Ivin was in her mid-thirties, while the others were around twenty years old. Ivin was taller than the rest, about five feet, ten inches tall and her long blond was still done up in the two braids.

Calla had shoulder-length blond hair and her green eyes where riveted on Per's cock. Though shorter than Ivin, Calla's gown could not hide that she had fuller breasts and hips than the others did.

Andie was licking her lips. Her brown hair fell straight down to her waist. She made no attempt to hide the lust in her deep brown eyes as her hard nipples pressed against the fabric of her gown.

Dorna was the shortest of the four, barley over five feet tall. Her light brown hair was cut short and she had a slim body compared to the others. Even so, Per could see the desire in her eyes and her nipples were clearly visible through her gown. Per shook his head to clear it.

"Release me," he demanded, pulling against the cords binding him.

Ivin reached into her belt pouch and then leaned over Per. Her fingers touched under his nose and as he inhaled, Per caught an acidic smell before his mind went fuzzy.

"Relax, Per," Ivin told him, as her voice seemed to reverberate and come from a great distance. Per was vaguely aware that she had shed her gown, as had the other three priestesses. "The Goddess sent you to us. In time, you will want no other life."

Per inhaled sharply as Calla and Dorna reached together to grasp his cock. His skin felt super-sensitive and his prick quickly became rock-hard under their caresses. Andie leaned over to suckle and lick his nipples, heightening Per's drug-induced pleasure. Ivin moved around so she was standing at Per's feet.

"Divine Aphrodite," intoned Ivin, raising her hands upwards. "You taught us limitless pleasure and unbound delight. May our ritual find joy in your sight."

Ivin looked down to where Calla and Dorna were pumping Per's twelve-inch long cock. The tip was shiny from the pre-cum oozing out of it. Andie had climbed up on the bed-altar to lick and caress Per's chest. Ivin licked her lips deliciously and climbed up on her hands and knees between Per's legs.

Ivin rested her hands on Per's hips as her face was poised above his hard cock. Calla and Dorna held his prick straight up and still. Ivin's head snapped down and Per almost came as the tip of his cock was suddenly engulfed in her wet, hot mouth. Ivin moaned and slurped as her head bobbed up and down on Per's prick. Her tongue swirled around and around the tip, licking up the pre-cum that oozed out.

Per was shaking from Ivin's tongue-lashing when Andie rose up and straddled his head. She pushed her well-rounded ass down on his face, her wet pussy plastering itself against his mouth. Per inhaled her musky aroma and licked her cunt. Andie sighed and twisted her fingers into his green hair to keep his head tight against her pussy.

"I think you're ready," said Ivin, slurping her mouth off Per's cock.

Ivin slid up until she was straddling Per's hips. Raising herself up, she grasped his hard cock just below the head. Calla and Dorna released their grip as Ivin exhaled lustfully and sank half of his hard meat into her hot, tight pussy. Per felt Ivin raise up before driving herself back down fully onto his cock. Her ass wiggled against his legs as she grimaced and tried to get used to the huge length of cock shoved inside her.

"You might have been ready," said Ivin, her voice muffled because of Andie's legs on his ears, "but I wasn't...oh...quite ready for this size. By the Goddess, I'm sooooo full!"

Ivin started humping herself on three-quarters of Per's cock, settling down on it fully every now and then. Andie was moaning out loud as her finger s ran through Per's hair. Per's mind was confused by all the sensations and he could not grasp any coherent thought. His tongue lashed at Andie's pussy because it was there. Per gasped as a warm, wet tongue licked his balls before they were gently sucked into a hot, willing mouth.

Per could barely focus his eyes on Andie's jiggling breasts above him. Her thighs were quivering against his cheeks and Per felt his own passion build as the High Priestess was now rapidly fucking herself up and down the entire length of his cock. His balls were still enclosed in a wet, warm mouth, whose tongue was gently licking around them.

Andie sat up straight and every muscle in her body tightened as her orgasm washed over her. Her fingers gripped painfully in Per's hair as her juices gushed out to his tongue. With a drawn out sigh, she released Per's hair and collapsed off to one side.

Per looked up groggily to watch Ivin banging herself on his cock. As she raised up, Per could see between her legs that it was Dorna who had his balls in her mouth. Per's mind reeled again as Calla held more powder under his nose. His sexual tension skyrocketed and, with a deep growl, Per arched up driving his cock fully into Ivin.

Ivin gasped as his huge cock drove into her and then shuddered violently as her own orgasm exploded. Her pussy clamped down tight on Per's cock and spasmed around it as if to milk it of its juice. Starting with a low moan, her voice rose to a screaming shriek as her passion overwhelmed her.

Per's passion had exploded at the same time, but it seemed like forever for him to cum. Dorna had released his balls when he had arched upward and everything was being held tightly within them. Per cried out in pain as his balls seemed to squeeze together and a massive rush of cum barreled up his cock, like a dam bursting.

Ivin's eyes flew open in astonishment as she felt his first massive spurt of hot sperm gush into her waiting womb. She shivered and moaned as it set off an mini-orgasm within her as he filled her up and then spurted more and more cum into her. His jism leaked out of her overfilled cunt and rolled down Per's hips.

"That was so good," gasped Ivin, sliding off his cum-coated prick. "You will be the perfect sex slave."

Per could only grunt. His mind, numbed from the drug, could not comprehend anything. His burning lustcraze was taking over. His balls felt like they were on fire and the red haze had very quickly settled in over his eyes. The desire to cum again was all consuming. That desire along with the drug drove any reasonable thought out of Per's mind. Per strained against the bonds in an effort to get to the priestess...any priestess.

"I think he's harder now than before," stated Calla, grasping Per's slick, hard cock.

"Look at him strain against the ropes," said Dorna, smiling. "Who's next?"

"Go ahead," said Calla, smiling back. "I want to see how much of this monster can be stuffed up your snatch."

"I'm gonna take all of it," said Dorna, throwing a leg over Per's hips.

Calla pointed per's cock at the entrance to Dorna's pussy. Dorna lunged backwards, driving four inches of Per's slick, thick slab into her tight pussy. Per, his mind now only capable of lust, arched his hips upward towards the enveloping warmth around his cock.

"WHOA, BOY!!!" cried out Dorna as Per drove three more inches into her, stretching her cunt wide apart. "You're splitting me! I want all of you, but I'm the one that has to do it!"

"I don't think he can hear you," said Calla, cautiously, looking at the lust-driven features of Per's face. "High Priestess?"

Ivin, still breathless, sat up and looked at Per. His hips were still arched off the bed-altar as if to drive his cock all the way into Dorna. She looked at his violet eyes, which were locked onto the junction where his cock was stuffed into Dorna's cunt.

"I've never seen this before," sated Ivin. "This is an unexpected bonus. Dorna, you'd better get ready for a ride!"

Dorna took a deep breath and raised her feet up. She sank down another two inches onto Per's cock, now having nine inches of it into her five-feet-two frame, before hitting bottom. With her legs off the bed-altar, Dorna was held up in the air only by Per's large cock stuffed up her stretched cunt.

Per's hips crashed down onto the bed-altar before arching suddenly upward again. Dorna's eyes crossed and her breath blew out explosively as another inch of thick cock jammed up inside her. She put her hands on Per's stomach to raise herself up, but slipped as Per crashed his hips down and arched upward again, driving a bit more hard cock into her over stretched pussy.

Ivin and Calla threw themselves on Per's stomach and legs in an effort to hold him down. All they managed to do was to hold Dorna in place to be savagely fucked by Per's flexing hips. Even when Andie jumped on Per's stomach, they could not stop his hips from crashing up and down. All four priestesses where bounced up and down as if they had no weight at all.

Dorna had tears streaming down her face as Per's cock finally jammed its way fully into her stretched pussy. As much as she tried, she could not get off because the other three priestesses were unknowingly holding her in place. Luckily for Dorna, Per's cock was slick from his and Ivin's previous juices. Still, her cunt was stretched painfully wide apart and she could feel the tip of Per's cock batter against her cervix again and again.

Ivin finally realized that they could not hold Per down and struggled out from underneath Andie. She grabbed a pinch of her powder and held it under Per's nose. Per, panting and grunting, snorted in the whole amount with no visible effect. Ivin stepped back shocked that she could not control him. She looked at Dorna and saw that Calla was holding down Dorna's legs on Per. Ivin managed to get Calla and Andie off Per, who continued to flex his hips up and down.

Just as Calla was getting off her legs, Dorna found her pain turn to pleasure. With her legs free, she was now able to brace and absorb the worst of Per's thrusts. Her pussy had never been stuffed so full. She began to bang back against Per's upward thrusts.

"Dorna? Dorna! Are you okay?" asked a concerned Ivin.

"Goddess, yes!" grunted Dorna. "I...thought I'd die...at first,...but...OH, GODDESS!"

Dorna was matching Per's flexing hip, allowing eight inches to slid out of her now dripping snatch before stuffing all twelve inches back in again. Her pussy lips were stretched wide apart, as Per's two and a half-inch thick cock fucked into her. Her clit jutted out each time Per's prick entered her.

"Oh, Goddess! I can feel it building!" gasped Dorna, shaking from her impending orgasms. "It's...It's gonna...(huff, huff)...gonna be...big!"

Dorna began pounding herself down hard and fast on Per's cock. Per, not knowing or caring about anything, but the incredibly tight, hot, wet pussy his cock was in, increased his speed to match hers. Dorna's whole body shook from each impact, but she did not slow down her pace. Her mouth hung open as she gasped for air.

Dorna's body began to tremble intensely and her eyes screwed shut. Slamming her body down on his cock, she held onto Per tight despite his continual humping. Dorna screamed aloud as her body shook in the throes of her orgasm. Her juices gushed out of her as Per tensed and then howled.

The intensity of Dorna's orgasm exploded as she felt Per's cock pulsate and spurt gobs of hot, sticky cum into her. Since her pussy had been literally stretched to its fullest by the size of Per's cock, there was no room for the sperm he was pumping into her. Per's cum streamed out of her cunt and down her legs. Ivin leaned in and licked the cum off his balls as Calla and Andie licked at his shaft and Dorna's pussy.

Dorna swayed to an upright position, which she held for only a second before fainting off to one side. Per's hard cock slid out of her cunt to slap wetly on Per's stomach. Andie caught Dorna to ease her down onto the bed-altar.

"He's...He's still hard!" exclaimed Calla, gripping Per's rock-hard cock in her hand.

Per, his lustcraze unabated, hunched his hips upward as he felt the grip of her hand around his shaft. His cock, coated with slippery cum, slid easily in her hand. Calla reached over with her other hand to hold onto it and Per fucked the length of his cock between them.

"Looks like you have your hands full," said Ivin, in delight. "No wonder the Goddess sent him to us. Think you can tame him, Calla?"

Calla ran one hand over her stomach, around back to her well-rounded ass. She reached over to a nearby table, which had several bottles on top of it, and picked up one. Andie came over and let Per's cock slid between her hands as Calla poured oil onto hers. Calla rubbed the oil over her buttocks and then shoved one finger into her rectum, lubing the inside. She pulled her finger out, poured out some more oil into her hand and then shoved two fingers up her ass.

"I'm not ready to take that thing in my cunt," Calla told Ivin, smiling. "So I'll just take it all up the ass!"

Calla poured oil onto Per's cock and Andie rubbed it allover as his cock slipped between her hands. Per grunted and arched upward, trying to drive his cock into anything. The red haze had completely blocked his sight and all he could do was react to any sensations he felt through his prick.

Calla inhaled deeply and then exhaled. She climbed on top of the bed-altar and placed her feet on either side of Per's hips. Squatting down, she grasped his hard cock and held it straight up. Per arched his hips upward as soon as he felt the pressure of her hand.

Calla placed the tip of his oiled cock at the entrance to her asshole. With a long exhale, she relaxed her sphincter muscle and sat down just enough to have the head of Per's cock pop into her rectum. Calla held that position for a second or two before squatting down further onto his cock. She tried not to tense as her ass slid down on Per's shaft. No sooner did her buttocks touch Per's legs, then Per crashed his hips down onto the bed and lunged back up.

Calla was ready for him, however. She raised up slightly as he lunged upward so his cock did not slam back into her. Per held his hips off the altar, all his muscles straining and locked into place. Calla licked her lips and ground her hips in little circles. Per growled and snorted at the sensations her tight ass was doing to his cock.

Calla's forehead broke out in a sweat as she began humping her ass up and down on Per's cock. Per tried to lunge into her twice, but she raised up each time, causing his cock to pop out of her ass. Even in his state, Per realized the futility of his actions and laid motionless on the bed-altar, although his entire body trembled from holding in his lust.

Calla, now that Per was lying still, reamed her ass on his cock with vigor. She raised up so that ten inches of his cock slid out of her ass before forcing all of it back in again. Panting heavily, Calla ground her butt back and forth against Per's legs, savoring the length and diameter of his prick in her ass. She started to rub her clit as she fucked her ass on Per's cock.

Calla started huffing and fucking herself faster on Per's cock. Her breasts slapped together and her ass smacked loudly against his legs as she literally dropped herself down onto his cock. Calla had shoved two fingers into her cunt and held them there as she reamed her ass on Per's cock.

With a strangled cry, Calla's neck muscles tightened and she slammed her ass down on Per's stiff cock. Her body shook again and again as she orgasmed, her juices flowing out of her pussy over her fingers. Calla's eyes flew open and she gasped as she felt Per's prick pulse and then shoot a hard spurt of hot sperm deep into her bowels. It seemed to last forever as Per's cock pulsed and spurted and pulsed and spurted.

Calla's legs gave out and she sat, pinned onto Per's cock. Gasping for air, she motioned for help. Ivin and Andie both grabbed an arm and helped her off Per. His cock made a loud, wet, sucking sound as it was literally pulled out of her ass by the vacum.

"It...It was worth it, but my ass is sore!" panted Calla.

"Let me go," came the weak voice from the bed-altar.

Per's lust had left him. It had drained out of him as his cum flooded into Calla's ass. Parched and weak, he knew what had happened.

"Oh, no," sneered Ivin, bending over Per with a malicious grin. "With your strength and stamina, you'll be the center of most of our rituals. You'll be the prize for the faithful and...urk!"

Ivin's words were cut off as the cold steel edge of a dagger was held against her throat.

"If you want to see morning, you'll send one of these girls to the door to let the others in," Per heard Alana say to Ivin.

Ivin, scared and wide-eyed, did not move a muscle. She then slowly waved her fingers at Andie in a motion to go and open the door. Dorna, recovered from her faint, huddled with Calla on the floor as Per heard the doors crash open and the metallic sound of steel-shod feet and armor clinking coming towards him.

"I say, old boy. You've gotten into a fix," stated Karlto as he entered the sanctuary.

"Tie them up and gag them," ordered Octavia, following Karlto in.

"You can't...urk!" Ivin's protests were cut off as Alana's dagger pressed tighter into her throat.

"I wouldn't say too much if I were you," warned Alana. "I heard your plans for your new sex slave."

The four priestesses were quickly bound and gagged. Left lying on the floor, they did nothing as Per was cut free. Pawl went over to Dorna and removed her gag.

"Where are his possessions?" he asked, holding a fiery-red, glowing hand before her terrified eyes.

"In the storeroom!" she squealed, recoiling in horror as the other three priestesses cried out muffled screams. "Down the hall on the right!"

"Smart girl," snarled Pawl, replacing her gag.

"How are you, Per?" asked Octavia, as she helped him up.

"Exhausted," groaned Per as he sat on the edge. Karlto, Pawl, and Jagar returned with his gear and weapons. "Let's get out of here," he said as he pulled the sheet off the bed and around his body.

Per was weaker than he had ever been in his life. Octavia and Karlto had to steady him as they left the temple and headed down the street. Per's mind was whirling and still groggy from the drugs that the priestesses given him. He kept looking around trying to orient himself.

"Don't worry, Per," assured Alana, mistaking his actions for anxiety. Those bitches won't get free for several hours."

They made it back to the inn. As Per stumbled through the front door, he heard the voice of the armorer coming from the taproom.

"No pretense this time," he heard the armorer fume. "She literally demanded the mace from me. Stated they had found new favor in Aphrodite's eyes. Said I'd pay for insulting them and that she looked forward to castrating me with a rusty knife. They've gone too far! The next time she is going to get that mace where the sun don't shine."

Per's exhaustion and grogginess disappeared as a burning anger overtook him. Shrugging off Karlto and Octavia, he took two strides and burst into the taproom. The room was smoky and full of men.

"If you're talking about the priestesses of Aphrodite, they just tried to make me a slave," snarled Per, his fury barely held in check. "If you want to see how we left these 'invincible' women, come with me!"

Per strode out of the taproom and then out of the inn without a backward glance. His friends stood aside to let him pass. Silence was the only thing that followed him for a moment before there was a loud clatter of benches and chairs and the thirty men who were in the taproom rushed outside to follow Per. Per led them straight to the temple where he kicked opened the front doors. Leading the men into the sanctuary itself, Per pointed to the four bound, naked, and gagged women lying beside the altar.

"Here are your priestesses! All trussed up like chickens!" growled Per, his anger smoldering. "Let's show them what we think of them!"

With a yell, the men rushed down the stairs to the altar. The priestesses screamed through their gags as many hands picked them up. Per took a step down towards the altar floor when, suddenly, everyone froze."

"Pervikar!"

The sound of his real name along with the commanding voice halted him. Per looked to his left and saw a woman coming towards him. The woman was beyond beautiful, beyond gorgeous. Her face was absolutely breathtaking. Her white gown did not hide, but emphasized her luscious breasts and full hips. Blond, wavy hair flowed down her back and her entire being was surrounded by a golden glow. Per could only stare at her speechless as she approached him.

"I am the Goddess Aphrodite," she said standing in front of Per. "I heard of trouble at this temple and I find you and this rabble raping my priestesses. Why? Was my favor not enough for you?"

"Your favor? These priestesses were going to make a slave of me," snarled Per, his returning anger overriding her divine aura. "From what I've heard in town, almost everyone hates the priestesses!"

"They were told to watch over you and help you," stated Aphrodite. "You are mistaken."

"They tied me to that altar and I nearly went insane from lust. My friends at the inn had to rescue me. They can tell you the truth. The armorer, there, made a mace for one of them and she ordered him to give it to her as a gift or she would castrate him."

Aphrodite's mouth tightened and her eyes became hard and flinty. She went down the steps through the frozen crowd to the armorer. He was stiff as a statue, dragging Andie over to the altar. Aphrodite touched him on the forehead.

"Tell me of the mace and of the priestesses," she commanded.

The armorer, still frozen, told the goddess in an emotionless voice of how Priestess Andie had commissioned the mace from him and then demanded that he give it to her for free. He recounted the change of attitude in the priestesses after the eight men who had threatened them had been destroyed. The armorer listed every slight and insult the priestesses had given to the townsfolk.

"Enough!" commanded Aphrodite. She then touched Andie's forehead and asked, "Is this true?"

"Yes," was the wooden reply.

Aphrodite's nostrils flared and she moved purposefully to the altar. There she flung out her arms and a halo of pure white light burst from her illuminating everyone. She then stalked over to where Ivin was being held by four men.

"Ivin," said Aphrodite, touching Ivin's forehead.

Per shuddered from the coldness in Aphrodite's tone as Ivin's head and neck unfroze. Ivin found herself staring into the stony countenance of her goddess.

"Divine One, you've come to save us!" exclaimed Ivin.

"Why?" asked Aphrodite, coldly. I saved you once before and you twisted that favor to set yourselves above the people of this town. I ordered you to watch over and protect Per. You saw fit to change that my wishes so that you could kidnap and enslave him. I founded this town and it was dedicated to me. Your actions caused worshipers to forsake my temple. Why? Tell me why should I help you?"

F...Forgive me, Divine One," stammered Ivin. her face white with fear. "I...I..."

"SILENCE!!!" rocked Aphrodite's voice throughout the temple. "I have changed the hatred of these men to lust. Each of the other priestesses will be fucked by three men at the same time. You will have the other twenty-one. You will do this willingly as I command. At dawn, the other priestesses and the men will not remember anything that has happened tonight. You will. You will bring this temple back to my teachings. The next time I will not be so...so...lenient. Do you understand?"

"I hear and obey," cringed a shaking Ivin.

"See that you do," warned Aphrodite. "I will be watching very, very, very, very closely. Any transgressions will be dealt with...horribly." Aphrodite turned to Per. "Per, you can stay or go as you see fit," and she disappeared.

As soon as Aphrodite disappeared, everyone unfroze. The armorer laid down on the rug beside the altar and pulled Andie over on top of him. His hard cock slipped easily into her cunt as two other men came over, one to fill her ass and the other her mouth. Per saw that Calla and Dorna in similar positions with all three holes filled, but in slightly more pain from the fucking he had given them. Ivin not only had her cunt, ass, and mouth full of hard cock, but she was pumping two other cocks in her fists. Sixteen other men stood around Ivin waiting their turn.

Per found that his anger had passed. He had no desire to join the other men in Aphrodite's punishment. Per turned away from the heavy breathing and smacking of naked flesh to go back to the inn.

At the inn, Per went into the taproom to get a drink. Karlto, Octavia, Alana, Pawl, and Jagar were the only people in the room. They looked up at Per entered.

"Anything to drink?" asked Per.

"What happened?" asked Alana as Jagar went behind the bar to pour a large mug of ale for Per. "We have the horses saddled, just in case."

"Unsaddle them," Per told her. "Aphrodite appeared up and showed the priestesses the errors of their ways."

"Aphrodite, old boy?" exclaimed Karlto. "By the Gods, what I wouldn't have done to meet her."

"I don't think so," stated Per. "She was not pleased by what the priestesses have done." Per went on to tell them exactly what had happened in the temple.

"I think we are safe," stated Per, finishing up. "Aphrodite promised dire consequences if the priestesses stray again. I wouldn't even want to think of what she would do if they disobeyed her again."

"There are a lot of things worse than death," commented Jagar, quoting an old saying.

"I'm to bed," said Per, standing up. "Let's see how things look in the morning."

The next day, the group met in the taproom for breakfast. As they were finished eating, the innkeeper bustled in.

"Ladies, Gentlemen," he gasped, a little out of breath. "The four priestesses of Aphrodite are here and have humbly requested to see you."

Everyone stared at everyone else. Per finally shrugged his shoulders.

"Show them in," he told the innkeeper.

Everyone stood up warily as High Priestess Ivin walked in followed by Andie, Calla and Dorna. Their eyes were downcast and their demeanor was anything, but the haughty, arrogant attitude they exhibited yesterday.

"We came to beg your forgiveness," said Ivin softly. All the priestesses fell down on their hands and knees, their foreheads touching the ground. "We perverted the teachings and commands of Aphrodite. We came to submit ourselves to you and to be your servants."

The innkeeper was staring at the four prostrate women in open astonishment and making choking noises. Jagar quickly ushered him out of the room and closed the door. Per went over and lifted Ivin up to her feet effortlessly.

"Aphrodite did not see fit to remove you from your post," he told her. "Neither can I by taking you as a servant. She obviously needs you where you are and groveling on the floor does not befit a High Priestess. Please, have a seat."

Ivin backed away from the chair as if it were a snake.

"No, thank you. I prefer to stand," she said. She then motioned for the other priestesses to rise. "I have messages for Per from Aphrodite. I'm sorry, but they are for his ears only. Calla, Dorna, and Andie will stay here against Per's return."

"Per, you can't go with her!" exclaimed Alana. "It's a trap!"

Per stared at Ivin for awhile.

"No, Alana," he finally said. "She'd dare not offend Aphrodite again. This way, High Priestess."

"Thank you, but please call me Ivin."

Per and Ivin went into a small meeting room in another part of the inn. Per closed the door after they had entered and held a chair out for Ivin.

"I can't sit down," said Ivin, tartly. "Everyone came back for seconds, thirds and even fourths."

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to be polite," said Per. "Do the others remember?"

No," stated Ivin. "I'm sorry, too. I was fucked so many times that I can barely walk. The others have a feeling that Aphrodite has punished them, but they can't remember what or how. Andie went to the armorer today to apologize for her behavior and pay him for the mace. I went with her. He does not remember what happened, either, but he accepted her apology with good grace and forgiveness."

"Sounds like everyone here is on the mend," said Per.

"No," disagreed Ivin. "We have a long way to go to undo the damage we have done. Anyway, the Goddess Aphrodite would like you to go to the city of Cific. There, two of your companions will leave you and you will find two others at Aphrodite's Temple in the city. Be warned. An old enemy will confront you in the future."

"Who will confront me? Who is leaving our group?"

"I don't know who the old enemy is," stated Ivin. "The two who are leaving are Alana and Jagar. Alana was correct. If she stays with you beyond Cific, your lust madness will cause her death."

"Who are the two that will replace them?" asked Per.

"I'm sorry. I don't know. All I know is that you will find them at the temple in Cific."

"Thank you, Ivin," said Per. "We had better head back before Alana starts carving on the other priestesses. By the way, why is Aphrodite interested in me?"

Ivin smiled as she walked out the door.

"My understanding is there are a couple of women who pray to her to watch over and protect you. After last night, I see why they want to keep you safe."

Part 8

Per stepped outside the inn where he and his friends had been staying in Tectin. They had been forced to stay in the town to recover from their battle with a white dragon. His breath frosted as he exhaled in the cold fall air.

"I left home in early spring and now it's fall," thought Per. "No assassins since Dorthea's farm and Alana has not been able to dig up anything about people being after me. I wonder if Tenan managed to have the Overlord remove the contract that Queen Shara ordered to have me killed? Hmm, I wonder how Mom and Tenan are doing?"

"I say, old boy," commented Karlto, stepping outside and interrupting Per's thoughts. "Bit nippy for a ride. What say we wait until spring?"

"Only if you want to croak on a lilypad for the rest of your life," stated Per with a chuckle. "I have no intention of irritating Aphrodite, but feel free to do so, if you wish."

"Ah, no thanks, chap," said Karlto. "I'm a priest of Zeus and she's his daughter. A family dispute is one thing I don't want to cause. When do we leave?"

"After breakfast," stated Per. "I'm not so gung-ho as to travel on an empty stomach."

"And it's such a big stomach," quipped Alana, coming out of the door to join them.

"Watch it," warned Per jokingly.

"What? It's not my fault that you eat like a horse," argued Alana.

"Ha!" snorted Per. "You should talk. I've seen you eat!"

"I'm still a growing girl," answered Alana snidely. She then turned serious. "Per, I'm going to stay in Cific. It's time for us to part."

"Part!" exclaimed Karlto. "Why? We make a terrific team."

"Karlto, Alana gave me her reasons several days ago," said Per. "While I may not agree with them, I have to respect them."

"Jagar will also be leaving the group," said Alana. "His wounds from battling the dragon look healed, but they are being aggravated by the cold weather. He wants to head for a warmer climate."

Per sighed. He knew this was coming, but there was still the sense of loss. Alana was a close friend who had been with him since he had started adventuring. While Jagar was the newest member, he was a good man and would be missed. Per knew that two other people would be joining the group in the city of Cific, but he had not shared that information with anyone. The separation would be hard enough without Alana and Jagar knowing that they had already been replaced.

High Priestess Ivin of Aphrodite's Temple in Tectin had passed on that information to him from Aphrodite herself. Per smiled as he thought about the changes that had occurred at the temple. The four priestesses at the temple had been arrogant and self-serving, but intervention from Aphrodite had altered that. The priestesses now spent most of their time outside their temple helping the town and its people.

"Well, I'm hungry," said Per. "We have a week's travel to Cific and it's time for us to go."

It was towards the end of the fourth day of travel when Per and his companions came upon two wagons. It had been a gray and blustery day, one to be ridden in silence and meditation. The wagons were huge freight wagons loaded down with goods. Three men and a woman stood by the broken wheel of one of the wagons. They were all dressed in leather armor and carrying longswords. The men and the woman faced Per and his friends warily as they rode up.

"I say, a spot of trouble, what?" asked Karlto as they stopped.

The woman stepped forward. She was about five-foot-eight with a nice figure and blue eyes. Her long black hair was tied in the back and hung down past her shoulder blades.

"You might say that," she said. "I'm Nesbra. We were just getting ready to unload the wagon. Any assistance would be welcomed."

"Per?" asked Karlto, turning in his saddle to look at Per.

Per knew that Karlto was asking if they should help or not, but he was not ready to give up the solitude he had found during the ride. Instead of answering, he got down off his horse and walked over to the wagon to help unload it. The others followed suit.

"Whew, grow them big where you come from, don't they?" inquired Nesbra as Per's large, muscular frame moved past her.

Per just smiled at her as he grasped a heavy box and lifted it easily.

"Strong, too," she said. Nesbra turned back to Karlto. "We appreciate the help. Where ya'll heading?"

"Cific," stated Karlto and he and one of the wagoneers moved a barrel. "Yourself?"

"Same place," said Nesbra, picking up another box.

By nightfall, the repairs were finished and half the cargo had been reloaded. As Per was setting up his tent, he saw Nesbra going around and talking to each of her men. She then sat down on a stone, chewing on a blade of grass, deep in thought. Per, unwilling to disturb her, left her to her own thoughts.

It was late at night when Per was awakened by the sound of someone walking by his tent. Rising up silently with his sword, Dorgeth, in his hand, Per looked out of his tent flap. He saw a shadowy figure hunch down in front of Karlto's tent and then go in. Per noiselessly padded over to Karlto's tent and peeked in between the flaps.

The shadowy figure had been Nesbra, wrapped in a blanket. She had thrown off the blanket, revealing her nakedness. Her mouth was glued onto Karlto's mouth as her melon-shaped breasts hung free. Her hand had slithered under Karlto's blanket and was grasping and massaging his rapidly swelling member. Per eased back from the flap and moved quietly away.

"Karlto's going to be happy in the morning," said a soft voice to his left.

Per went on guard and then relaxed as Alana came out from behind her tent.

"No," chuckled Per. "He's happy right now. He'll be exhausted in the morning."

"True. True," commented Alana. "Goodnight, Per."

"Goodnight, Alana. You know I'm going to miss you."

"I know, but it's for the best."

Per went back to bed, but was awakened in the early morning by the sounds of harness jingling and horses being led around. Stumbling out of his tent, Per saw Nesbra and her men hooking up horses to the other wagon. Per then saw Karlto off to one side and walked over to him.

"What's going on?" Per asked.

"Nesbra told me that the wagon they are hitching the horses to has perishables in it, old boy," stated Karlto. "She did not want to delay it anymore, so she's sending it on ahead."

"Told you that last night, did she?" quipped Per knowingly.

"Aha, um, err...A gentleman does not discuss such things," stated Karlto loftily.

Two of Nesbra's men hopped up onto the wagon's bench and, with a hearty shake of the traces, the wagon moved off down the road. Nesbra turned and walked over to where Per and Karlto were standing.

"They're off and yesterday's delay shouldn't affect the cargo," she said. "So, Karlto, what do you think of my proposal that we travel to Cific together?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to ask Per, my dear," said Karlto. "We generally follow what he says."

"Per?!" asked a startled Nesbra, looking astonished. "I thought you were the leader of this band of adventurers."

"I'm afraid not, my girl," said Karlto, sounding a little down.

Nesbra reached over and touched Karlto's cheek softly.

"Don't worry," she said. "My mistake. Well, Per, me and Ned would like to travel with you and yours to Cific. What do you say?"

Karlto looked at Per with such pleading in his eyes that Per almost broke out laughing. He turned to Nesbra.

"As long a sit doesn't slow us up too much," he told her.

"Well, you're the one slowing us up," stated Nesbra. "It's three days both on your horses and in my wagons as long as you're not pushing your horses. We'll be ready to go as soon as the rest of the cargo is loaded."

As it was, it was a couple of hours before the tents were struck, the cargo loaded and everyone was ready to go. Nesbra and Ned helped fold up the tents.

"I like wagons," said Nesbra to Octavia. "Stop. Unhook the horses. Roll underneath the wagon with a blanket. It's a ready-made shelter."

"Slower, though," stated Octavia.

"Only if you're in a hurry. My wagons make about the same distance as you on that warhorse can make in a day normally. Of course, if you want to get somewhere quick, you have me beat."

As they started out, Per saw that Nesbra handled the reins of her four-horse team with the assurance of long practice. They settled into a moderate pace as the miles fell behind them.

"Will we catch up with the other wagon?" Pawl asked Nesbra, one time when he was riding beside her wagon.

"No," she said. "They have orders to push on to Cific as fast as possible. That means stopping late and leaving early. The faster they get to Cific, the better price we will get on the goods."

They stopped for the night and set up camp. Ned had been a little crude during the ride, having made numerous passes and off-color jokes to Octavia and Alana, but it turned out that he was an excellent cook. The meal was one of the best Per and his friends had eaten in quite a while.

"This is the main reason I put up with his behavior," Nesbra told Per, as he finished off his second bowl of stew. "Every now and then, I have to save his bacon, but the food is worth it."

"I'll get the dishes," said Jagar, standing up.

"I'll help," said Pawl. "For a meal like that, it's worth scrubbing pots."

"Well, I'm going to turn in then," stated Nesbra.

Per checked on the horses and turned in himself. He was just about to fall asleep when someone scratched on the flap to his tent.

"Yes?" he called out.

Nesbra pulled the flap aside and stuck in her head.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

"Um, sure," said Per, a little uncertain.

Nesbra came into the tent. She was wrapped in her blanket and she knelt down beside Per.

"Per, I came in to thank you for letting us stay with you. It was a kind thing to do. I also wanted to apologize for not recognizing you as the leader of this group."

Per snorted abruptly. "How could you?" he asked. "Karlto spoke to you first. Anyone would have assumed he was the leader and..." Per held up a finger as Nesbra opened her mouth to speak. "I'm not one of those fops who gets upset everytime someone isn't fawning all over them. At times, it's advantageous to be in the background. You know, I never asked to be leader. They just foisted it onto me."

Nesbra smiled knowingly.

"Then all they did was recognize your natural talent," she said as she leaned over and kissed Per passionately on the lips.

The tent seemed very hot to Per as Nesbra's tongue darted into his mouth and her cool hands rested on his chest. His cock twitched as if it had a mind of its own. As she broke the kiss, Nesbra looked at Per with her smoldering blue eyes.

"Uh...ER..." hemmed Per, uncertain of this turn of events. "What of Karlto?"

"Oh, he's asleep," said Nesbra nonchalantly. Her tone changed as her hand slid down past Per's stomach. "Oh, my! You are big everywhere!"

"I...I mean, you and him..." gasped Per as Nesbra's hand stroked up and down his rapidly hardening cock. "You two were...HaHmm...together."

"We still are," cooed Nesbra. "I stopped by his tent before I came here and sucked him off until he came." Nesbra's face took on a look of astonishment and then a wicked smile formed as Per's cock twitched and throbbed in her hand. "Ooooo, I think you like to hear it dirty."

"But you and he..." stammered Per, now even more confused.

"Per, I'm a teamster. No permanent attachments. I do what I want when I want." Nesbra dropped her blanket, revealing her nudity. She cupped one breast with her free hand and squeezed it, pointing the nipple right at Per's face. "Or don't you think I can handle two or three men in one night?"

"I...ah," sighed Per as Nesbra's hand expertly squeezed his cock, sending jolts of pleasure down between his legs.

"Ah, no more arguments, I see," said Nesbra, slyly.

Nesbra puled back Per's blankets, exposing his twelve-inch long cock. She grasped the two and a half-inch thick shaft with both hands and pointed it straight up. Nesbra kicked his blankets aside and moved over so she was kneeling between his legs. She never let go of his cock and now began to pump it in long, even strokes.

"Oh, your cock is so big and so hard," cooed Nesbra. "Karlto's cock was just as hard until he filled my mouth with his hot cum. Of course, he wasn't this large. I expect a flood of white, creamy sauce from yours."

With that, Nesbra leaned down and her tongue licked up the entire underside of Per's cock from the base up to the head. Her tongue flicked back and forth on the super-sensitive skin on the head of his cock causing Per to gasp in pleasure. His hips involuntarily arched upward slightly in response. Nesbra smiled up at Per, her face framed by her black hair, as her blue eyes locked onto his violet ones.

"Ooooo, I think you like that," she cooed again seductively, while pumping his cock faster. "I hope you're good for more than once a night."

"I'll fuck you until you tell me to stop," growled Per as the tension built in his balls.

"The things you say," chided Nesbra. "It'll take a lot to make me say stop. I want to feel all of your cock packed into my wet cunt. I want to feel you squirt and squirt and squirt."

Copious pre-cum was leaking out the tip of Per's cock. Nesbra gently squeezed his cock, causing more to leak out. She rubbed the palm of her hand over the tip, coating the entire head with his clear pre-cum. Nesbra then rubbed the pre-cum up and down the entire shaft, making it slick. Her hands now slid easily up and down his hard prick, and she began to stroke him faster. Per's breath was coming out in gasps as his passion flared.

Nesbra smiled again and lowered her head, engulfing the head of his cock in her hot, wet mouth. Per moaned aloud as she sucked on his cock, her head bobbing in unison with her pumping hands. Nesbra could just barely get the head of Per's prick in her mouth, but she nosily slurped and sucked on it as if it was the sweetest candy. The hot, wet pressure all around the tip along with the pumping actions of her hands sent Per over the edge.

Per inhaled sharply and his whole body quaked as his sexual tension exploded in his balls. Nesbra felt his cock pulsate and she held onto his cock, her lips locked onto the tip and her eyes looking up at Per's face. The first torrent of hot spunk shot out of his cock, filling her mouth. Nesbra swallowed, but could not keep ahead of the second spurt, which caused her cheeks to billow out. Nesbra never took her eyes away from Per's even as his cum dribbled out of the corners of her mouth and down his shaft. She swallowed loudly as Per's cock fired off its third and final spurt.

"Whew," she gasped when she had finally managed to swallow down the last of his juicy sperm. "You've been saving that up. Now, it's your turn to live up to your promise."

Per knew he'd have no problem because the familiar burning sensation in his balls began and his cock became even harder. Getting up on his knees, Per moved around behind the still kneeling Nesbra. She looked at him questioningly and then understood as he grasped her hips and knelt between her legs. Nesbra went down on her hands, her ass and pussy now accessible to Per's cock. Per grasped his cock and rubbed it up and down the slit of Nesbra's now dripping cunt. With his lust burning within him and his overpowering need to cum again, Per grasped Nesbra's hips and shoved.

"Oh, Gods!" gasped Nesbra, biting her lower lip as eight inches of Per's large cock shoved into her tight vagina. "All of it! I want it all!"

Per, his balls burning in lust, needed no other encouragement. He shoved the last four inches in, forcing his cock to stretch her cunt wide open. Nesbra cried out in both pain and pleasure as her pussy expanded brutally around his massive member. Her body shook as her cunt adjusted to the huge, long, hard cock forced inside it.

Per, his entire cock encased within a tight, wet pussy, pulled ten inches of it out of Nesbra before shoving it all back in. Nesbra moaned and writhed as her passion blazed and her cunt was stretched even further with each thrust. She soon became used to Per's huge cock fucking into her and she began to thrust backwards, their hips smacking wetly against each other and his balls slapping against her thighs. Per, his mind devoid of everything, but his lustcraze, somehow sensed the change in Nesbra. He let go of her hips and reached underneath to grasp her jiggling, melon-sized breasts. Her hard nipples dug into his palms as he squeezed the firm, heavy flesh in his large hands.

Per's breathing became labored and Nesbra moaned as his cock thrust again and again and again into her hit pussy. Their bodies were covered in a sweaty sheen as the sexual tension within them increased. Nesbra's body quivered constantly as Per increased the tempo. Per was literally ramming his cock up her cunt with each thrust and only his grip in her tits kept her from flying forward. Nesbra gasped each time he thrust in as his balls slapped against her clitoris.

Nesbra came first. One last slap of Per's balls against her clit exploded all the tension that had been building up inside her. Nesbra gave a long, shuddering moan as her body stiffened and shook. Her over-stretched pussy gripped tightly onto Per's thrusting cock as she orgasmed and her juices flowed out to roll down her legs. She gasped as Per's balls hit her clitoris again intensifying and prolonging her orgasm.

Per, with her already tight pussy now clamping even tighter around his cock, felt the pressure increase in his balls. As he peaked, Per shoved all of his cock into Nesbra's pussy and held it there. Nesbra, sensing his impeding release, sat backwards, grinding her ass against Per's stomach. She pushed upward and placed her hands over his, squeezing them to her breasts tightly. Per bellowed out the ultimate satisfaction of his release as his cock pulsated and spurt forth gobs of hot, sticky cum.

Nesbra sighed as she felt Per unleash a torrent of sperm into her womb. They remained locked in that position for a long time, Nesbra sitting back on Per's spurting cock as their hands held onto her breasts. Per's climax finally came to an end and, as the lustcraze left him, he and Nesbra fell apart, his cock wetly sucking out of her vagina and both of them gasping for air.

"That was...awesome," gasped Nesbra, as she lay on Per's blankets. "I think you've stretched me out of shape for some time to come."

Per looked over at Nesbra. She was lying on her back, her arm across her eyes. Her legs were spread apart with one knee bent upward. Her cunt glistened as their combined juices oozed out. Per rolled over on top of her, making sure most of his weight was off her, and pushed his still-hard cock into her slick cunt.

"What? I...Ahhhhhhh!" exclaimed a startled Nesbra as she felt his huge cock enter her again.

"You did not say stop," Per told her as he began fucking his cock in and out of her cunt.

Nesbra came three more times and Per once before she finally said stop. Their bodies were now drenched in sweat and the musky scent of sex was overpowering in the tent. Nesbra, barely able to walk and her body shaking in satisfaction, kissed Per goodnight and stumbled back to her own bed.

The next morning, as they rode along, Per felt uncomfortable. He was having pangs of remorse. Karlto, despite his funny speech, had become a good friend and Per felt that he had betrayed him. Per avoided Karlto and it was not until midday that Karlto rode up to him in the front of the procession.

"I say, old boy, what's troubling you?" asked Karlto.

"Nothing," replied Per. "Just sort of moody today."

"Well, if it's about your thing with Nesbra, don't be, chap," stated Karlto, who then laughed at Per's astonished expression. "If you could only see your face. We talked this morning. She's her own woman and not one to be tied down by the likes of us. So, cheer up, old boy. We...Uh-oh!"

Per's head snapped around as he caught sight of what Karlto had seen. A man dressed in brown leather armor and a green cloak had stepped out of the brush. The arrow notched on his short bow was pointing straight at Per and Karlto. Voices from the side revealed two more men with bows and arrows. Per looked back at the group and was startled to see Alana's pony standing on the road with no Alana in sight.

"Hello, Nesbra," called the man in front. "We met your first wagon and they told us you were with this one. They didn't have anything worth stealing..."

"Hello, Tonner," said Nesbra, darkly. "Do you want to leave before someone gets hurt?"

"Not particularly," replied Tonner. "Since we can make you all look like pincushions before anyone can do anything. You might as well get down, Nesbra. We are taking your wagon."

Nesbra spit out a curse, but with cold steel arrowheads pointing at them, there was nothing she could do. She wrapped the reins around the brake handle and jumped down to the ground with Ned.

"The rest of you dismount as well," ordered Tonner. "Also drop your weapons. I have no desire to get something sharp in the back as we leave."

Per was just about ready to dismount when Alana suddenly appeared out of the shadows behind the bandit who was covering Nesbra and Ned. A flash of light glimmered off her dagger before she plunged it into the man's back. The man screamed in pain, his arrow flying off his bow to thunk into a barrel beside Nesbra's head, before Alana's dagger plunged in again changing his scream to a gurgled death rattle.

The third, bandit, surprised by the attack, stood stunned until three darts flung by Nesbra caught him in the chest. The bandit looked down stupefied at the darts sticking out of him. A red beam of light flashed from Pawl's hand to the bandit and the bandit crashed to the ground, still holding his bow and arrow.

Per slapped his spurs to Koth and charged at Tonner. Tonner snapped off his arrow at Per, started to reach for another one, and then cursed as he saw Per riding down at him. The arrow pierced Per's chainmail, but just barely nicked him in the side. Tonner turned and dove into the bushes just before Per was able to take off his head. Per reined in, having no desire to chase an armed bowman through thick brush. Karlto rode up on the side and looked into the woods, but could not see where Tonner had gone.

"Ned, plug that barrel," ordered Nesbra.

The barrel, which had been pierced by the arrow, was slowly leaking a dark red liquid. Ned prepared a wood plug and, after pulling the arrow out, sealed up the hole. Alana, after cleaning her dagger on the bandit's tunic, wandered by the wagon before remounting her pony. She then ambled over to where Per and Karlto were. Pawl, Octavia, and Jagar joined them there.

"Nice move, Alana," said Jagar. "I thought they had us."

"You have to be on the lookout for bandits when you are traveling with a merchant," said Alana. "We were just lucky that there weren't more of them."

"C'mon," said an exasperated Nesbra as she quickly walked over to them. "Strip the bodies and roll them into the bushes. We haven't got all day!"

"Nesbra," said Alana in a chiding tone.

Nesbra stopped, inhaled and exhaled deeply, and then turned to the group.

"I'm sorry. I'm in a hurry in case there are other bandits coming here, especially since Tonner got away. We strip the bodies, not so much for valuables, as to secure their weapons and armor. Please do as I ask quickly. We need to be on our way. By the way, thanks, Alana."

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Alana spent most of it talking to Nesbra. Octavia and Per were riding up front, while Karlto and Jagar rode in the rear.

"Getting chummy, aren't they?" asked Octavia, pointing towards Alana and Nesbra.

"Probably exchanging information from different sides of the same coin," said Per. "Thief and merchant."

"I understand Alana and Jagar will be leaving us tomorrow when we get to Cific," commented Octavia.

"I'm afraid so," said Per.

"Pity. They'll be missed."

"Octavia, Aphrodite told me that two other people will be joining us in Cific at her temple. Somehow, I feel we are being pushed in a certain direction."

"Hmm," mused Octavia. "Could be. Does Alana and Jagar know?"

"No, neither does Karlto or Pawl."

"Let's keep it between us," said Octavia. "Any idea who will be joining us?"

"Nope," replied Per.

That evening, after they had set up camp, Per sat down next to Alana.

"Tomorrow's the day," he said. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Alana replied. "When we reach Cific, Jagar and I will be leaving you. Don't worry. It's for the best."

"I know, but I'll miss you just the same," said Per.

"Me, too," said Alana. "Just make sure you look me up the next time you're in Cific."

They both looked up to see Nesbra, walking over to Karlto's tent wrapped in a blanket. She scratched at the tent flap and went in.

"Per," said Alana, looking over at Karlto's tent. "Don't be surprised by anything that happens tomorrow. Just go with the flow, okay?"

"Uh, okay," replied Per, not understanding.

"Oh, Per, you're such a dear," chuckled Alana. "Go to bed. You'll have a visitor soon and we still have a ways to go tomorrow."

Per was sound asleep when a scratching at his tent flap woke him up. As he sat up in his blankets, Nesbra came into his tent wearing only her blanket.

"What time is it?" asked Per.

"You have about an hour before you replace Ned on watch," she replied. "Enough time if you want to..."

Per smiled warmly and held up his blankets for her. Nesbra smiled back and dropped her blanket before cuddling up next to him. Her hands went straight to his cock and began massaging it.

"I'm glad to see that you are happy to see me," Nesbra said as Per's cock grew and hardened under her ministrations.

"Karlto told me that you talked to him. I'm glad you saw him earlier," said Per, sincerely. He then smiled. "But I thought, however, that I had ruined you for awhile."

Nesbra gave his cock a particularly tight squeeze.

"You did. After tonight, it'll take my cunt a month to get back into shape, but for your information, I do have more than one hole down there...AND, NO! I'm not ready to take this monster up the ass. For now, let's see what I can get out of this hard meat."

Nesbra leaned down and began licking up and down Per's cock shaft as her hands stroked it. Per, determined this time to reciprocate, pulled on Nesbra until she was lying on top of him with her legs on either side of his head. Per's tongue flicked out and lashed back and forth across her clitoris. Nesbra shuddered at the contact and then returned the favor, lashing her tongue across his sensitive head as her hands pumped his cock.

Per's tongue dipped, delved, lapped, and licked at Nesbra's hot, wet cunt. Her musk filled his nostrils and she squirmed on top of Per as his tongue flicked back and forth over her clit. Nesbra, for her part, managed to get a quarter of Per's cock in her mouth. Her tongue laved around and around the head as her head bobbed up and down. Her hands gripped and stroked the veined shaft to get Per to spew forth his seed.

Per felt the tension building in his balls and, try as he might, he could not prevent it from increasing rapidly. Nesbra's hands and mouth were not to be stopped. The pressure in his balls soared and before Per knew it, his climax exploded. He could feel his sperm being squeezed out of his balls and rushing up his cock to Nesbra's waiting mouth.

Nesbra, her breasts pressed flat against Per's stomach, felt his hips arch upward. She stopped bobbing her head and locked her lips onto the very tip of Per's cock. Her hands squeezed the shaft as the first spurt of cum flooded into her mouth. Nesbra swallowed quickly and was able to contain the second, third, and fourth spurt of thick, white liquid. As Per's climax tapered off, Nesbra removed her lips from his cock. She squeezed the shaft upward and was rewarded when it oozed forth a final white glob of cum. Nesbra quickly sucked it into her mouth and swallowed it down.

"Now, it's my turn," she said to Per.

Per was aware that Nesbra had said something to him, but he was again caught up in his lustcraze. The burning sensation had begun in his balls right after his climax. He was aware that Nesbra had released his cock and had spun around so that her hips were above his. With a quick downward lunge, Nesbra impaled the entire length of his prick into her wet, tight pussy.

Nesbra's pussy gripped Per's cock tightly. It was stretched out to its limit, but she did not care because the quick impalement had set off a massive orgasm within her. Her whole body shook and quivered as wave after wave of intense pleasure erupted inside her. Nesbra, her hands on Per's chest and her breasts shaking wildly, could do nothing as her orgasm overwhelmed her.

As her orgasm subsided, Nesbra became aware of Per moving under her. She felt his hips hunching upward to try to fuck his cock in and out of her tight pussy. Per's eyes had taken on a lustful, glazed stare. Per, his driving need unfulfilled, had been content to let her cunt clasp around his cock in the throes of her orgasm, but now he needed release.

Nesbra, as if sensing his need, leaned forward, letting ten inches of his cock slide out of her wet hole before thrusting backwards quickly, squishing the entire length back in. Per thrust upward so that their flesh smacked against each other. No words or moans broke the air, only the hard breathing of raw sex. Sweat dripped off Nesbra's body as she fucked herself hard on Per's pole. She orgasmed again, but shoved that pleasure aside with the single thought of getting Per to cum.

Their flesh slapped loud and wet as their bodies banged into one another and became soaked in sweat. Nesbra's long black hair hung down damply across her face and her breasts jiggled violently with each crash of their hips. Time seemed to have no meaning.

Eventually, Per sensed the tension building in his balls. He thrust his hips upwards faster, driving his cock hard into Nesbra. Feeling his change of pace, Nesbra renewed her effort and brutally fucked herself down on his huge cock. Per gripped her hips and felt the sexual tension soar. With his body tingling all over, the tension inside him felt like it blew outward in all directions as it exploded. With a final thrust, Per held Nesbra's hips down on his as his cock spurted out wad after wad of gooey, hot cum into her waiting womb.

Nesbra, exhausted, felt Per cum inside her. What she was not prepared for was that as Per's cum filled her vagina, it set off another massive orgasm in her. Her orgasm was so huge that she collapsed onto Per's chest, unable to do anything, but shake and quiver. Her overfilled cunt clamped down so tight onto Per's cock that their combined cum squirted out of it.

They laid that way for a long time, with his cock stuffed up in her cunt. Nesbra finally looked up at Per with her hair plastered to her forehead.

"Was it good for you?" she panted.

"Good doesn't come close," gasped Per, "but who said stop?"

Per twitched his cock inside Nesbra just to tease her. Nesbra looked at him shocked and then smiled.

"Per, I'm exhausted. Wrap me in my blanket and carry me back to the wagon."

Per pulled on a pair of pants. After wrapping Nesbra in her blanket, he easily picked her up and carried her out of his tent. Per's infravision easily picked up Ned standing guard by the horses. Per carried Nesbra over to her wagon.

"Set me down on the tailgate," directed Nesbra.

Per placed her on the tailgate of the wagon, which was down and about three and a half feet off the ground. Nesbra undid her blanket and wearily rolled over onto her stomach. She scooted backwards until her hips were off the tailgate and her feet were touching the ground.

"C'mon, Per," she said, looking over her shoulder at him. She then spread her feet wide apart. "I'm too exhausted to hold myself up, but I want you to fuck me one more time. C'mon, stuff that monster in my cunt."

Per's cock twitched to life. Per quickly stripped off his pants and stepped behind Nesbra. Grasping his cock, Per guided his cock to her glistening cunt and with one quick shove, stuffed it all the way into her slick cunt. Nesbra moaned in pleasure as she felt her cunt being stretched out again as his hefty hard cock filled her, but she was too exhausted to do anything except lay there as Per fucked her.

Nesbra had a couple of small orgasms as Per plowed his prick into her cunt. She was too tired from the other mind-shattering orgasms she had earlier to have another one. Her cunt leaked out the cum that had been deposited and her own juices as Per fucked his cock in and out of her. Per's climax increased and he felt his balls tighten as his cock slid in and out of Nesbra's cunt. He then climaxed, holding his cock deep in Nesbra as he spurted more of his slick seed into her.

"Thank you," he whispered into her ear.

"Just roll me under the wagon," came the tired reply.

Per made up a bed of blankets for her under the wagon. Picking Nesbra up gently, he placed her on the bed. She was asleep before he even pulled up the blanket to cover her. Per pulled on his pants and went back to his tent to get dressed so he could replace Ned on guard.

The nest morning saw them off down the road again. Nesbra looked none the less for wear, except for the dark circles under her eyes. Per, worried about Alana's remark yesterday, decided not to make any waves, but was determined to keep his eyes open, nonetheless. It was midday and they were close to the city when they came upon Nesbra's other wagon.

The two men, who had been sent ahead with the wagon, had one of the horses unhitched and were inspecting the horse's hooves. Nesbra, upon catching sight of the wagon, let loose with a stream of vindictive curses. She tossed the reins to Ned, who barely caught them, snatched up a whip and jumped down off the wagon. She took off running towards the other wagon, her face a mask of rage.

Per, unsure of what to do, stayed with his group until they ambled up to where the other wagon was. Nesbra was yelling and shrieking at the two men, who seemed to be trying to explain things to her, but could not get a word in edgewise. As Per rode up, Nesbra threw her whip to the ground and stalked over to him.

"The damned horse threw a damned shoe and these damned idiots don't have another damned shoe in the entire damned wagon!" cursed Nesbra. "It was supposed to be in the damned city yesterday morning!"

"Do you have another shoe?" asked Per.

"YES!" snarled Nesbra. "In my damned wagon!" She then forced herself to settle down. "I'm sorry. I have to get this load to the city now."

"Change horses," advised Ned.

Nesbra's eyes widened. "Of course. Per, I know I'm asking a lot, but would you stay with Ned while he shoes the horse and I go ahead with the other wagon? I might still be able to salvage something."

Per remembered Alana's words and said, "Sure, we'll meet in the city."

Nesbra did a double-take and stared at Per warily. She then went and got the men to swap the horses.

"Thanks, Per," she said as she climbed up on the wagon. As it started to rattle off towards Cific, she looked back and yelled," Meet me at the Inn of the Green Goose."

As the wagon disappeared from sight, Per walked nonchalantly over to Ned and knocked him unconscious with a sharp blow behind the ear. Per caught Ned as he fell and eased him to the ground as the others came running up.

"Why did you do that?" yelled Pawl, not understanding the sudden turn of events.

Per ignored him and turned to Alana.

"How much trouble are we in with this wagon?" he asked her.

"Oh, about as much as your size compared to me," she replied.

"Alright, everyone listen," said Per. "If we're caught with this wagon, we'll be in trouble we won't be able to get out of. I want all of you to go to the city. We'll meet at the Inn of the Green Goose. Alana, you take Ned by yourself. He's probably known to be in Nesbra's hire. That will make you and him prime for being stopped and searched."

"What are you going to do?" asked Octavia.

"Drive the wagon in."

"What? Are you insane?" asked Jagar. "If the wagon is bad news, let's leave it here and go about our business."

"I promised I'd bring it in," stated Per as he started to strip off his armor. "Trust me. "Oh, and Karlto? Take good care of my gear. Now, be off with you."

Per shoed the horse after the others had left and hitched it to the wagon. He changed into peasant clothes and rolled around in the dirt to make them grubby. Climbing up on the seat, he cracked the whip and headed for Cific.

It was later that evening before Nesbra and the two men who were with her entered the Inn of the Green Goose. Everyone was there, except for Per. Nesbra strode over to the table where Per's companions were sitting with Ned and sat down herself.

"Sorry I'm late, but negotiations took longer than expected," she said. "Ned, where's the wagon?"

Ned turned hate-filled eyes on Alana and hissed, "We've been double-crossed. That ugly half-ogre knocked me out and took the wagon."

Nesbra's face lost all of its congeniality and her voice turned deadly serious as she asked, "Is this true?"

"No, it's not true," said a voice behind them. "I admit I'm no raving beauty, but I'm not ugly."

"Per!" exclaimed Alana as he walked up towards their table. "Where have you been?"

"I..." Per started to say, but he was cut off as a squad of soldiers burst into the room. They stood by all the exits, weapons drawn, as a plump, little man wearing expensive clothing and a haughty expression walked into the room. He looked over the now-silent crowd and spotted Nesbra. With a wave of his hand over his shoulder for the soldiers to follow him, he walked slowly over to Nesbra.

"Hello, Nesbra," he said urbanely. "So nice to see you so soon and with new friends."

"Inspector Cotta," said Nesbra. "It is always a pleasure to see you, but you won't be able to see me in the flesh here."

"My dear Nesbra, the strip search was necessary. We had received word that you were smuggling in a large shipment of goods. We did not know what type of goods, but I've see you've made new friends. Maybe they know about these goods."

"They're a band of mercenaries looking for a job," said Nesbra. "We just met."

"Come now, Nesbra," chided Cotta. "I just saw this large fellow drive up in a wagon or have mercenaries turned into teamsters now?"

"Me drive wagon for her,' said Per gutturally.

Nesbra's head snapped around to glare at Per, but all she got in return was a dull stare and stupid expression. Cotta smiled broadly at Per's statement.

"Brilliant, Nesbra. Brilliant. You hire the village idiot to bring in your wagon, knowing we probably would not look to close at it. Tell me, big fella, where did Nesbra hide the contraband in your wagon?"

"Hide? Contrabund?" asked Per with a puzzled look on his face as if he was confused by the words.

"That's alright," said Cotta, patting Per on the arm in a condescending manner. "We'll just take a look at those items on the wagon. Coming, Nesbra?"

Everyone inside the inn trooped outside. This was something new and different and more exciting than listening to a friend's old story again. Most of the soldiers set up a perimeter around the wagon, while two of them unloaded it. Cotta inspected every item as it was removed from the wagon. Nesbra, under guard, could only look on.

"A keg of dwarven ale with no tax stamp," muttered Cotta aloud, looking over the small barrel. "It'll have to be confiscated. Set it off to the side. Let's see what else is here."

The unloading continued until every box and barrel was on the ground. Cotta and the tow soldiers then went over every inch of the wagon. They found two secret compartments and a false bottom, but they were empty. Cotta got down off the wagon, brushing and straightening out his clothes.

"Turning honest, Nesbra?" he asked as he approached her. Cotta looked over at the one small barrel he had seized. "No matter. The fine is five inanes for the ale."

Nesbra dug into her purse and paid Cotta the fine. Cotta bowed to her and left with the soldiers. The people from the inn drifted back inside as Nesbra, her men and Per reloaded the wagon.

"Where is it?" she whispered to Per as they picked up a box together.

"On the left side of the hayloft in the stable by the rear window," he whispered back.

Nesbra jerked her head to Ned, who was standing nearby. He left to go check it out and returned with an affirmative nod of his head.

"Why, Per?" asked Nesbra as she stood by Ned.

"I figured Ned would be known to be in your employ. I am sorry, Ned, about hitting you, but I don't think you would have agreed to my plan. Were you and Alana searched at the gate?"

"Yeah, we were. They had all of our descriptions," replied Ned.

"I thought it would be safer if I brought it in alone. I hid your items in case you were being shadowed. It appears I was right."

"What do you want, Per?"

"Nothing. I told you I would bring in your wagon. Of course if the items had been something other than the luxury goods that were there, the outcome would have been different."

"Go inside, Per," said Nesbra. "I'll join you shortly."

Per went back into the inn. He stopped as the door closed behind him and listened. He heard the reins slap against the horses' rumps and the wagon rattle off quickly down the street. Per shook his head and smiled. He walked back into the common room to join his friends.

"Well?" asked Karlto as Per sat down.

"She's gone. Nesbra was smuggling luxury items without paying the tax or custom fee on them. She had cases of Virgon wine, two casks of Jorgan's pipe tobacco and Deuvian brandy. I hid the stuff in the stable before coming in. If we had been caught, the fines would have been enormous and we probably would have been imprisoned."

"What about that dwarven ale?" asked Jagar.

Per laughed. "You know, I don't think she was smuggling that in. I think it was a mistake on the barrel. Nesbra actually seemed surprised by it."

"Well, I'm off," said Jagar. "I'm going down to the Merchant's Hall to see if they are hiring guards for caravans heading south. I want to thank you all for saving me up on that mountain. If you have need of me, call and I'll come as fast as possible."

Jagar shook hands all around, got a kiss from Octavia and Alana, picked up his gear and headed out the door. Per watched him go and heard Alana clear her voice.

"It's time for me to go, also," she said. "I hate long good-byes, so let's drink a toast and I'll leave."

"To health, wealth and your happiness," intoned Per, raising his mug to Alana.

"Here, here," echoed Karlto.

They drank down the toast and Alana went around to everyone saying goodbye. She hugged Per, last of all.

"Take care of yourself," she told him, misty-eyed and kissing him on the cheek. If you need me, leave a message here at this inn and I'll get it."

Alana turned and walked out the door.

END