The Champion’s Companion 16

“So,” Marcos said turning back to Queen di Sellis and looking around the women assembled. “Who do you think I should kill to set the balance back?”

The Queen beamed and leapt into him hugging his chest his arms. “You’re so understanding. You’re like a breeze of reassurance that this dark time is finally over.”

The odd sensation of flesh contact alerted him that his improperly stowed cock had found its way between them. The sweet smelling Queen clung to him tightly as his cock went to instant full mast demanding attention. The Queen hugged him tighter and rocked into him rubbing his cock into her cleavage.

“Oh yes thank you. What a man you are.” She murmured into him and he felt her hands snake around for his cock. “Anything, I will do anything…” She whispered.

The stress of the day and the evening’s lunacy made him relax in the awkward situation. The useless tease he fucked earlier got him primed quickly and he quickly lost any concern for what happened. Marcos leaned back closing his eyes as the Queen’s body slid down. His cock hit open air suddenly and for a moment, around him the room was completely silent. He felt his cock slide into something warm and wet as gasps went all around the room.

He looked down and saw Mara bobbing daintily on whatever meat she could get. Under her, the Queen’s fist pumped, only letting her suck the head and some of his shaft. The Queen had straightened and her dress had fallen to her waist. She looked unaware of her exposure as she fixated on him. Next to him, Kaarthen watched the activities grinning like the worst sort of pervert.

“Slow down,” the Queen breathed and squirmed out of her gown. Her svelte pale body was petite and pale. Her breasts were like small teardrops with dark pink nipples, and her waist was slender. She had a flat stomach that belied her brief period of pregnancy, and a small blond bob of thin pubic hair covered her womanhood.

She snaked down onto his body and straddled him. She studied his face and ran her fingers through his hair. Her eyes glittered as she looked down all over at him.

“Will my son have your divine eyes?” She asked quietly dropping down onto his cock.

Unlike the scag from earlier, she was as tight as Mara and wet enough that it didn’t matter. When she was almost halfway down his length, she dropped her head next to his but kept pushing. Marcos could hear her breath in his ear as they worked together. The scent of strawberry wine on her breath tickled him.

He was too backed up with cum to care that the matrons of Sellis’ upper society watched them fuck. The Queen barely started moving before he came finally. He almost blacked out with an intense orgasm as she rose and dropped into him. She rode him through it and bit his shoulder as she came, and was rewarded with another release of a fresh cum load. His cum filled and leaked out of her. Behind them Mara leaned in and worked diligently sucking and licking off excess. Mara used a technique she learned from aiding Kaarthen and her flickering tongue lashed the Queen’s rosebud making her jump and twitch. Her jerky movements and clenching pussy released more cum for Mara as the Queen came in fits and starts.

She rolled over with Marcos and he got on top to drill into her. They kissed as he held her knees open and back. He licked her face and neck cleaning off her sweat like a loving mate trying to keep her conscious. Her legs and arms snaked around him and tightened until he again pumped a load into her. The spurts never seemed to stop and the sensation of hot cum flowing into her shooting up against her cervix was exactly what her body craved to get off a big one once more. Under him, she chewed a hole into a pillow trying to stay quiet as she thrashed and flopped.

“Mom?!?” The prince cried from the back of the room.

Instantly, the maidens closed in and redirected the prince telling him his mother was napping.

The startled matrons straightened skirts and brushed back hair. Marcos was rolled off the Queen onto his back but he found another willing hole for his cock as Mara shoved it all down her throat after crawling onto his chest. Kaarthen lay down next to him and fished out slices of wet mango for him, which helped ease the hangover developing.

“I want you to stay with me in the Palace. We have much more to discuss.” The Queen whispered after getting dressed. Quietly the women around them left and went to sit in the larger room.

They joined later, and found that nothing had changed. Marcos noted the King leering at him as he moved to sit in the couches with the women. Mara sat in his lap and Kaarthen sat on his left in the couch. In the couch across the Queen entertained the prince. Marcos learned a lot about the boy from watching them. In particular, he noted the Queen still treated him as if he was four.

After the prince left, she addressed Marcos and Kaarthen conspiratorially. “Look at the fool. He tried to kill my baby because he knows I want him dead.” The Queen looked at the King laughing in the back of the room with undisguised hatred. Around her, the other women quietly listened and drank tea.

She turned and with an appraising look, she ran her eyes over him again. “You may not be able to kill him in a challenge, but he has people around him that must be dealt with.” She continued.

“Like Partez Rocert?” Marcos ventured.

“Him? Yes. That is his uncle. The fool is lulled by him into believing and signing anything.” She said leaning back. “I fear an entire family is behind the guild however. Which one is unknown since they are all intermarried.”

Several women squirmed almost imperceptibly at her tone. “These women help me. Let me introduce Duchess Clarin Perstavy, Noblewoman Fellia Grann, and Noblewoman Gerris Blacksail. You’ll meet the others in time but these three are living in the Palace apartments.”

The Duchess was a short, round, darkly tan, black haired, middle-aged woman. She was chubby with several rings on her short fingers and had massive breasts hidden under her voluminous purple robes.

The noble woman from the House of Grann was the opposite and seemed nearly identical to the Queen. Her slender frame had less curves and seemed lanky. Her pale face was thick lipped with a small nose and light hazel eyes. Her dress was fashionably low-cut and long sleeved. The color was a flesh-like tan with sparkling gold bodice. She sat aloof and at times seemed nervous or fidgeted like she was troubled. Marcos noticed how she looked over frequently at a man Marcos figured to be her husband. He stood observing the king from the crowd watching the Queen’s crux game. Marcos resolved to drop by and see if he couldn’t dig up information on the noble women since nothing was as it seemed in this place.

The last noble woman was somewhere in between the first two in shape. Her face was oval with a prominent chin, mirthful glittering blue shadowed eyes, full lush red lips, and a confident grin set on her face. Her frame was statuesque with generous breasts and ample hips. Her off white dress was as low cut as the Queen’s was, with an added touch of a long slit up the side.

“A pleasure ladies.” Marcos nodded. Next to him, Kaarthen said something similar.

The Queen continued. “You’ll need to keep an eye out for his assassins. The King is the ditch digger in the guild’s operation. They already have the control they want through him. If I killed him I would be deposed immediately.”

Marcos looked to her. “So I need to kill off the guild and the nobles who back it?”

The Queen considered it before replying. “I suppose if you can. A hard hit would be enough to allow me to remove my husband in the confusion. I could execute the rest and force them to submit and reform.” The Queen giggled melodically.

“Tomorrow let’s go find that guild meeting hall. Could you get me in to take a look?” Marcos asked.

“Perhaps, I apparently don’t hold any sway on entering the building. I’ve hoped it’ll burn down during an important meeting for a while now.”

“Hmm perhaps it will.” Marcos mused.

The party closed out after the King ordered everyone out. He obviously expected Marcos to leave and stop talking to his unhappy scheming wife. Instead of leaving, Marcos stayed and was shown a room in the Royals’ wing. The prince was ignored and left with the two guards Marcos detailed to him.

For the first time, the entire group had one suite of apartments to share.

“We might finish our mission here tomorrow if we are lucky. I’ll need you to stay here while I check on our noble friends.” Marcos said walking to a window and looking out. He moved along looking down at the window sill then stopped.

“What are you doing?” Kaarthen asked finally.

“Just this,” Marcos said turning and popped the windowpane out with an elbow. After a few moments, it crashed on the ground far below.

He dropped his outer robe and swords and climbed out onto the ledge outside. The moon was full and nearly illuminated everything. On the ledge, he snaked around and raised himself to the next floor where he heard the Duchess and other nobility had apartments. He crept around to where he could see into two apartments across from each other.

The dark rooms lit up and in one room, a drunken noblewoman Marcos recognized as the steamy Gerris Blacksail came in with the Duchess Perstavy. The two were obviously drunk and didn’t talk much before the Duchess laid across a couch and passed out. The noble woman disappeared into a dark doorway before returning to the room naked.

Marcos was surprised that under what she wore to the party her body was intricately painted. The designs referenced the ocean with waves and mythical sea creatures. It covered from her elbows to knees leaving her inner arms and outer thighs bare. Her neckline to the tops of her breasts was also unmarked.

Marcos was surprised this noble woman bore a nearly full pirate tattoo. It made it less surprising how she caressed and undressed the sleeping Duchess. She was clever to pull and tug what she could as the Duchess drunkenly rolled around. The Duchess helped her by rolling to her back once it was uncovered and got cold. In moments, the helpless Duchess was naked.

The Duchess’ whole body was deeply tanned and her breasts were massive. They were as large as or larger than Kaarthen’s with dark brown erect nipples. On the compact frame of the Duchess, he had been tricked by her breasts into thinking her fat. The woman was only slightly chubby with a paunch and padded features. Her soft appeal and huge sagging dark tipped breasts got him quite horny for some time with her himself.

He watched as the noble woman bent over her possessively to lick and suck on her body not missing a spot from head to toe.

Across from her apartment, a light came on as Noblewoman Grann came in. Instantly, as the door closed two young men dressed in sleepwear came up to meet her and her husband. By appearances, these seemed to be her unmarried sons. They were twenty years old approximately and appeared mature. The men seemed to talk happily while ignoring her before they each in turn hugged her and pulled her between them.

The blond man who looked very similar to her husband grabbed her front while his almost identical brother undressed her from behind. She struggled mutely with them but wasn’t quick enough to get away. Marcos could see this must have happened frequently. She neither yelled, or struck them as she weakly fought back.

The blond in front repeatedly tried to kiss her as he massaged her breasts. T brown haired one behind got on his knees and buried his face in her slender ass.

Across from them, the Noblewoman ate the hairless charms of the sleeping Duchess. The Duchess was back to being face down and the noble woman gently worked her with just a tongue. After a while, she stood up and leaned over her lover as she fingered her while watching for movement.

The noblewoman of the Grann house was on her knees servicing the men with her mouth. Her husband stood before her with his cock out taking turns with her sons.

She worked the others with her hands and reluctantly took them in her mouth. The two boy’s had long thick seven inch cocks. Her husband was more average and pulled her tight several times using her throat. He came and got on tiptoes before he backed away and left the room.

The Duchess was being fucked now, her hole was lubed and opened up. Her lover had an obsidian phallus strapped with leather between her legs. Obsidian only comes from Dar Delis the volcanic capital of the Sisterhood. Dar Delis was also a place with no free men and the homeport of female pirates or ‘Water Mistresses’. If he wasn’t sure she was a pirate before, he was definitely sure now. It seemed a waste that the Duchess wasn’t awake to know what was happening to her.

The brothers were fucking their mother now too. One had her from behind, while the other kept her mouth on his cock. She was putting up more than a token defense. She tried pushing back on them with her hands. Marcos had never seen that work for anyone before. She also tried to stand which was nearly impossible. She turned her head and bucked her hips. Both men kept her firmly latched and kept thrusting into her despite her movement. Finally, the one on her mouth got down and pushed her back onto his brother who laid back. She again tried to stand but they held her down while she got a cock up her ass and another in her pussy. Together they fucked her until they each came. Slowly and reverently they pulled her up. Dripping loads of their spending came out and down her body in gobs, and the men each took an arm and led her out.

The noble woman was asleep now naked on the floor. The lights were still on but Marcos passed her up and got to the royal apartments further down. What he saw shocked him. The king was fucking the same black haired woman at the party on the bed. He thrust her from behind and Marcos watched smugly as he fucked her savagely in the ass. Naked, the King seemed chubbier than what Marcos would have guessed. Under the dark haired woman, the Queen was held down in her torn dress. Her hair, make up, and dress were ruined and wet with piss or drink. A pale red head helped hold her down on the bed under the pair.

The king bellowed and pulled out tossing the woman before him aside and jerked his load on the face of the squirming Queen. He produced a hefty squirt from his long but narrow penis. It looked like needlelike ‘sperm injector’.

Finished the king pushed her from the bed onto the floor. Her maidens swept in grabbing her arms and guided her out of sight as she cried openly in shame. Marcos thought on what he’d seen as he crept back. The sleeping form of the painted noble woman passed out on the floor tempted him but he passed it and went to his own apartment.

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Marcos got into his room and found Ein watching the window.

“What was out there?”

“If you’re a good girl I’ll take you next time.” Marcos said making her blush.

He found the pile of clothing and weapons he left before leaving and took it to the bedroom. Mara and Kaarthen slept naked with Rinis in the middle. After stripping, he crawled up the foot of the bed. Rinis opened her eyes and he saw the reflection of her pupils in the moon light as he came up over her. She raised her arms and spread her legs wide in an obvious invitation. Her pussy glistened as he saw her in the light and he slid between her legs as she reached up to embrace him with both hands.

The heat of her body surprised him as he mounted her. Her pussy was very wet as he rubbed her with his cock. The soft folds parted and admitted him as it pulsed and clutched tightly. Under him, Rinis squeezed him to stop before letting him continue after a few breaths. He reached her end half way inside her. She lay under him with her legs splayed and knees as far back as possible as they breathed into each other’s ear. She held him still in a tight hug while she further got accustomed to his girth. After a few minutes, she relaxed despite starting to hiccup under him quietly.

Marcos gently moved within her by shifting his hips. After what felt like a long time, she started to move with him. She had an orgasm as she made pleading moans. After her climax, her legs wrapped around him and she fucked up onto him as he held still on hands and knees. With very little work for him, she sweated out another climax that got him off too. As he came, he dropped onto her before he caught himself. She screamed in surprise cumming again from the shock as he emptied into her.

“I’m sorry about that Rinis, you’re so small and I was just caught up.” He said quietly after catching his breath.

“Thank you master, you have been so gentle. This girl enjoyed that too.” She quickly pecked him, lay back, and quickly went to sleep as he rolled over and used Kaarthen’s bosom as a pillow.

She embraced him as he lay with her. “That was beautiful what you did for her.”

“Hmm?” Marcos asked.

“She has bad memories of sex, they all do. You gave her time, which was as important as how you just took her. You did a beautiful wonderful thing and I can feel it healing her already.”

“Oh?” Marcos asked half asleep.

“She expected you to ravish her a hundred times by now. That was to her what ‘masters’ did. She expected you to kill her by now too, but she’s better now.”

“She doesn’t think we abuse her then like a little puppet?” Marcos asked.

She hugged him tighter before answering. “No, she chooses to act like that because she knows we can’t blame or hurt her that way.”

“Hmm.” Marcos said half asleep.

In the morning, the group met for breakfast. Marcos noticed how Rinis followed him again. He wasn’t sure it was because the prince’s departure left her free or if it was the night before. Like Mara, she stayed close but she didn’t eye him and watch like a hawk for a chance at his cock.

After breakfast, Marcos and Kaarthen met with the Queen in an open sunlit balcony. She wore a less elaborate light linen dress. The terror and humiliation of the night before was behind her happy mask. Marcos, armed with insight, was better able to see when it slipped.

After tea was served, the Queen spoke from the rail of the balcony looking out over her city.

“The Guild meets in a brand new building that used to be a warehouse.” She paused and looked out over the city. “The building with the wide copper roof is the meeting place. They use another building nearby for administrative and storage work. Rumors of a prison and gold stored in there are spread around too.” She paused and cleared her throat. “I toured it once, and the place is cleverly designed to project the speaker’s voice. It’s vented to stay cool during our hot dry summer. Some other things are in the building too but I don’t remember since it’s been so long. I don’t know its final layout since the building was unfurnished when we toured.” She noted.

“What of their schedule?” Marcos asked gently as the Queen walked back to sit in a padded wicker basket chair. She sat back in the padded bowl pulling her feet in under herself.

“Again, I don’t know. The guild keep’s that all secret for trading purposes.”

“Hmm. I’ll need a tour though.”

“Yes and we have one, but we can only be shown around the outside. We are able to go into the admin building but only certain floors.” She said drinking tea and lying back into her peaceful alcove.

“That should be enough.” He said.

For the rest of the early morning they spoke of the budding city’s affairs and she asked him of Menthino. Marcos was surprised at her candidness about things. He felt he was talking to a more subdued Queen Mensillin on a balcony in Sellis.

They heard the King and his staff awake. His whores and servants sped around to get him cleaned and ready for a day at Senate.

That Queen disappeared to make herself presentable. Kaarthen and her girls returned to the ambassador’s residence to claim luggage to be moved. The Queen came down wearing a riding outfit of a thick linen dress with a leather cover and they left in a covered carriage to tour the grounds.

The boxy Guildhouse sat where the Queen described, on the edge of the warehouse district. It was similar in its rectangular shape to the warehouses around it. The streets around the buildings were relatively wide for the crowded city. The walls of the front were frescoed with strong men working in fields, harvesting, planting, cutting trees, working stone, and sailing ships. The circular speaking chamber stuck out of the roof and had a coned roof of shiny copper that matched the building. Along the sides of the huge cylindrical tower were stained glass windows similar to the frescos on the buildings front. The whole building was a richly dressed tribute to industry.

Across from the Guildhouse, a building of stone blackened with age stood across the wide road and the city’s open sidewalk. The space between the two buildings was wide and triangular as the wide warehouse district streets paralleled and merged with the warren of the city.

The guild Headquarters had the obvious look of a trading house. It was five stories with a clean storefront fa?e. The upper levels were naked, aged, and blackened stone with simple windows. Carts were out front, pulleys were ready, and a neat entrance way with several displayed wares stood in front of the building like a simple general store. It was completely unassuming as the Guild’s administrative headquarters.

“That will be enough.” Marcos said.

“Are you sure? You only just looked.” The Queen said puzzled.

Marcos saw her fear that he was giving up despite her practiced clipped tone.

“Yes I’m done here, and I think you were right, a fire would be best.” Marcos said. Along the sides of the walls on either side trenches were dug in intervals. The wall extended down into the trenches forcing the airflow under and into the building. If a ceiling window was opened, it made a clever air conditioning system for hot days. The airflow helped ventilate the goods kept inside, or in this case the people and the fire. “I have men I trust. Could a servant take a note to the harbor? And I’ll need thick oil by the cart and a bale or two of hay.”

“I’m sure we can get it.” The Queen said nervously. Marcos pictured one of her maidens making the purchase, while the others loaded it, and she drove the cart in her dress.

“Good. The materials may or may not be needed tonight.” The Queen visibly relaxed. “I’ll pay for it if you have to buy the materials from the guild. History loves irony and so do I.” Marcos smiled.

“But how will you kill them all?” The Queen asked wonderingly.

“To get them together I’ll need to tell them something about Menthino, or offer to make a complicated purchase on their behalf. They won’t trust me to say I want to join. They won’t want to be here for me to just insult them in person. Likely, I’ll have them debate the merits of our imminent boycott and embargo. That’s why I won’t know how soon they’ll see me.” Marcos said looking over both buildings. He figured a tunnel below their feet connected the two.

“What plans will you have for the long term after you’re done?” She asked hesitantly.

Marcos didn’t figure she would be so adrift on this. Even commoners have plans of what they’d do with the crown, and right now she was confused about what to do with getting it back.

“Highness, what plans will you have when I’m done? Menthino has no ill will, or real interest for a place so far away. Pray on it, I beckon you. I won’t let you resurrected the guild in your name. Nevertheless, If you balance things we’ll help. You’d make a good ally in this region. Your neighbor, Dar Delis, is always happy to see a Queen on the throne. They will be quick to send sisters to advise you, or to your court to petition. They are watching what happens here closely.”

“I wanted to know if…” She paused looking around. Marcos noticed suddenly she was without her maidens with him. “I want you to know you will always be a friend of the crown.”

Marcos looked around, he felt like they were watched. “I never do well with emotions this complex. Queen Di Sellis, thank you. I travel much, and I will pass through again so keep a room ready, I’m rarely announced.” He watched her closely especially her eyes as she listened to his words. He was still really bad with emotions of this nature and it could go fifty-fifty at times like these. His tower women didn’t need excessive emotional encouragement anymore. It was too draining and even Kaarthen would burn him out if she needed it. He guessed the Queen needed a hug, and was glad she thought so too.

“Well let’s go stir the hive shall we?” He said making her laugh.

As they turned, he noticed four men positioned around them. They wore very dark green cloaks, and had matching boots and the hint of a bronze chest plate hidden under their cloaks. They looked like real forest rangers. Since Sellis didn’t have either forests, or an expert infantrymen-training regime for forestry, he had to guess at outside talent. Their flaw was they wore a uniform of sorts and as the street trickled with late morning business they were easy to track.

The men had covered the exits in one-man teams. A man at the street’s exit little more than a hundred yards away, one halfway to the carriage in the middle of the street at seventy five, one behind the deserted carriage about twenty five yards, and one about halfway to them at ten. It was a clever tactic that distracted targets from those that one couldn’t see. It meant the open windows facing them from the guild headquarters couldn’t be ignored.

He was surprised by the guild’s speedy reaction in getting men to them, but then of course they had their schedule.

Marcos half-turned to the Queen. “Did you ask someone permission to tour here?” Marcos mused.

“I had to ask a representative at the palace, it was very humiliating.” The Queen answered. She was as oblivious as everyone else to the change from a midmorning business day in the commercial district to a prepared battlefield. He tried to act calm but it would be hard with what he had to do.

Marcos quickly checked their rear and saw the alley behind them was clear. He wouldn’t run, even though the ones in the windows would be a pain to get at.

“Oh? Let’s sit down for a moment.” He guided her back by the arm. As soon as she took a step, he kicked her ankle, since the pain had to look real.

“OW! oh my, that hurt.”

“Oh did it? I’m so clumsy, sorry Highness.” Marcos hid his face in shame. As he bent down helping her, he raised his robes hem. “Here, I got you good, let’s sit down here.” Together they hobbled next to the Guildhouse and used a crate for her to sit on.

“Why don’t you put this on Highness.” With practiced ease, he disrobed and flipped the weighty garment over her. She slumped under the sudden weight of the armored cloth, her head poked out of the hood looking questioningly at him. “Stay. Behind. The crate. Taris.” He ordered and stood.

She looked at him surprised when he used her name. He smiled, pulled his specialty sword from behind her, and turned to face his anxious playmates. He hoped she got the message as he turned back. He only had one sword to use but he could get more if they shared.

The appearances of armed masked men clear streets in commercial districts. Authorities are usually interested in those types of phenomenons too. Marcos, who has fears of enclosed spaces lacking access to pussy, is allergic to getting arrested.

He walked to the carriage. The driver and two guards were gone without a trace. If the men were here to scare him no harm no foul, he wasn’t blood crazy. If they let him pass, they would be allowed to live. At less then two yards from the carriage the new friend asked him if he wanted to play.

“You got a price on your head easterner.” The first playmate said. With his cloak closed, Marcos couldn’t see what toys he brought. However, that was answered when the man drew a single faced axe backed by a spike on a studded two-foot shaft.

Marcos bit back a laugh seeing the tool. “I’m sorry that was rude.” He muttered. He hoped this man was the junior member of the bunch.

The man saw his stifled giggle and raised his weapon. “You’ll die!” he bellowed.

The odd sparkle at the guild headquarters’ window caught his eye and Marcos caught in front of him the bolt the mercenary launched. It was off center but at almost fifty yards, it was nearing its limited range. It would have made him meat for the axe man if it got his shoulder.

“Not bad.” He quipped, dropping the long tipped armor-piercing bolt.

Even the armor he had on the Queen wouldn’t dissipate the energy very well from that. It would even go through his robe’s chainmail and cotton while tangling in the silk causing lethal damage.

The man before him couldn’t believe his eyes and stood froze as Marcos stepped forward with one foot and drew an exact line with his sword across him just above the kneecaps before stepping back and standing. The cut severed tendon and cut deep into the bone making standing a nightmare.

The strike drew first blood and lit the open street with a hoarse scream of painful distress.

“You’ll live” he said passing the man and continued for the carriage.

He had to step around it for the next two men who tried to stand behind it to draw him into view from upstairs. If this lasted too long the crossbowman would be rearmed. Marcos considered styles and ways to engage them strategically. Pushing them twenty yards back to be under the windows would make it easier but the Queen would be open. If they were organized, and this bunch appeared good quality, they could snatch her as a hostage or even kill her.

“So you want my head is all?” Marcos knew after a particularly messy accident involving three idiots with explosives, that decapitation wouldn’t kill him either.

“You gotta go, easterner, and the lady’s gotta renounce her crown.” The one on the right said drawing a sword.

In one sentence, the man just decided where he and his friend would die.

Marcos knew now that they had to kill him before moving on to the woman. Anything else could jeopardize both actions. That’s what was trained by his men in small unit tactics. They didn’t have the manpower to do more then fight him now.

The man on his left stepped up drawing a forged sword. The cheap metal was dull and was molded then hammered for shape. It was a cheap weapon desperate, cash-strapped armies used, not something for a mercenary to bet his life on. Marcos was getting disappointed in his playmates choice of cheap and unwieldy toys. They must have just gotten into town, or got a lot of money recently.

The pair attacked in tandem from the front trying to make passes on either side and keep clear of him. The one on the right led swinging low as he passed and high from behind as his partner came in. Marcos stepped in to the left, and brought his sword across catching the second man’s pass. His low counter strike bounced the man’s blade away and back out of his hands. Marcos flowed forward bringing the inside foot behind him and turned behind him continuing the movement by dropping the sword through his neck and out the armpit.

The first man jumped in and their swords crossed briefly, before Marcos slashed at his face with his gauntlet. The man barely dodged to avoid losing an eye and having his throat torn out. Pressed, the man backed up to the carriage and squared for a defensive fight hoping the crossbowman helped out. Marcos used the moment to lead with his left side holding the sword blade up along his gauntlet’s outstretched thumb. The parry the man tried was caught by his gauntlet and the sword thrust caught him in the neck pinning him to the carriage. Marcos tugged and wiggled the blade clear and snapped his wrist bleeding the man properly.

He circled the carriage to catch sight of the Queen peaking out from behind the crate. The other man by the street approached him. Both his hands rested on pommels and numerous daggers were visible along his belt. He also wore thin leather armor on his chest that also held smaller throwing knives.

Marcos let him approach. They both knew his slow approach would let the crossbowman get a shot off. Marcos wanted to use the knives this man had to kill the crossbowman so he backed slowly around to the far side of the carriage making the man adjust to keep him in clear view. He stopped at the far end covered by the front of the carriage from the man in the window.

For a moment the mutters and moans of his first attacker was the only noise. Marcos was blocked by the man on top. By himself the dagger thrower knew he was dead if he got closer or was shielded by the carriage also.

“Did they pay you very much to hunt me?” Marcos taunted.

“Enough, easterner, enough. You fight well. My brothers are glad it was you who sent them off instead of a coward’s nameless arrow.”

Marcos grinned. “If your brothers fight tonight they will meet the metal monsters of Menthino.”

The mercenary paused. “I have no more brothers after me. The merchant’s coward is up there trying to fight you.” He pulled two long daggers into his hands and touched the tips getting ready.

Marcos prepared himself also. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I’m not.” He said smirking and raised both hands high over his head. “By the way, what is your name?”

“Marcos Panthi, the Immortal of Menthino, and Champion to the Dark Mother herself.” He said with a smirk of his own.

The man charged making tight flicks with the daggers pushing Marcos back along the horses. After clearing the carriage, the clever merc hacked the harness chain burying a dagger in the carriage arm then jumped astride a horse hacking it completely free and rode off. He looked silly dressed for battle riding a harnessed horse with a royal seal and gay feathered blinders on its bridle, but he made it.

Marcos had to smile at the man. He wasn’t ready to die yet and knew it. With a smile he tugged out the dagger left behind and slunk over to the guild house. Inside he stopped, wholesale goods of dry coffee, tea, flour, trinkets from everywhere, and fireworks were stacked all over. Marcos looked around the empty store. From his gauntlet he pulled a flint and a stone. He tumbled a load of fireworks onto the ground and ripped several sacs of flour over it. Under the counter he spied some black Duavian cigars. He walked around to them and ripped open a box and stashed another. He lit the fuse of a particularly large charge finally after having his fun in the store and gathered his weapons and spoils. Outside, the late morning sun was cooking up to a hot day. Inside the guild headquarters, at least one man was about to find out hot the day was going to be.

After the building started smoking up good, Marcos crossed over and checked the wide-eyed Queen. She had been waiting for him looking like a waif in the overbearing armor. Earth shaking booms and loud screaming whistles started up from the Guilds headquarters as the fire spread into the warehouse area.

“Come on highness, I couldn’t help myself.” He said offering a hand.

“You easterners sure do know how to fight.” She said getting up and smoothed her skirts.

A muffled thump tossed burning debris from the torched building. Marcos handed her a cigar and used his gauntlet to pick up a piece of the burning building. They lit their cigars watching the building burn.

“To victory.” He toasted chuckling.

The Queen held the cigar daintily and looked at it oddly. “Where too now?” The Queen asked as they watched the fire.

Marcos turned to her. “Do you want to ally with Menthino?”

She paused narrowing her eyes at him. For this situation she received a lifetime of royal tutelage so she could say ‘yes’ on equal understanding terms, or say ‘no’ knowing why.

She nodded slowly. “Sure.”

Marcos continued. “Do you give rights for your allies to act on your behalf in this time of crisis?”

She gave him a suspicious look. “Yes, temporarily.”

“Who or what is leading this revolt or crisis element?” Marcos said opening his hands.

“The guild and the unlawful king.” She declared.

Marcos nodded soberly. “I understand. I under, temporary orders will aid the city of Sellis. Our actions will be directed towards the king and his assets, and the guild and their assets. I will go to the Senate and declare my intentions. But we’ll need to grab my men first.” He said un-harnessing the remaining horse.

@@@@@@@@@@@@

Kaarthen’s routine day took turn for the worst the moment they returned back to the palace. The courtyard in front had a detail of soldiers waiting for them. Kaarthen and her angels stood transfixed as a man livery walked up. Behind them, the servants carrying their luggage turned and went directly to the stables.

He curtly stopped them and declared. “Excuse me but you ladies must come this way. The Crown is interested in your activities.”

He led them to the palace and Kaarthen’s three servants were taken to the prison. Out of propriety, the little servants of the priestess weren’t searched, they were merely let in with a group of seven dirty men.

Kaarthen was brought to the same lounge the party was held in. She was restrained to a metal chair and left alone. In her mind, she idly wondered about the difference a day made on the appearance of the room. Lourndai was in the luggage far away. She chastised herself for leaving it not only at the party, but on the day after too.

She and the Goddess could see it through the walls and floors of the palace. The Goddess in its corner of her mind mused about creating another weapon of death. Kaarthen had numerous times thought how she wanted weapon that could shrink smaller then the wooden handled Lourndai. The weapon she made would have to be as lethal, and if possible, complementary to Lourndai itself.

The Goddess trolled through her thoughts and popped up with Marcos’ gauntlet. Kaarthen had numerous times wished the cold metal were gone when she was with him, nearly as many times its harsh savage touch had brought her ecstasy during their love making.

If the gauntlet became a mundane bracelet or a ring when dissembled, she couldn’t have that problem. The goddess’ own decisions mingled with hers and together an elegant shoulder length gauntlet materialized on her left arm. Mists of sand appeared pulling the essences from her chair and surrounding exotic metals into the armor.

The gauntlet was formed beautifully, the first time she saw it she knew it was perfect. The silvery metal cupped her shoulder. Instead of loosely covering the bicep, an etched gold tinted diamond shaped sheet shielded the outside of the muscle. The curved plate’s points wrapped into each other on the inside of her arm and connected the shoulder and elbow joints. Under the gold sheet, overlapping curved plates bound her arm in another layer of protection. Along the forearm, the overlapping plates continued and a spine ran along the outside of her arm to create an intimidating spine for a bash effect. Spikes studded her knuckles and claws accented her fingertips. At the wrist, elbow, and the side of her hand several spikes came out along the tops or sides to assist her if she needed to brush back an attack. The gauntlet’s actuation was inscribed and constructed on a wide bracelet for her left hand.

Another ring on the middle finger gave the gauntlet a fixed sword extending from the wrist. Kaarthen pushed into it a fire effect but the goddess didn’t want to cauterize people’s wounds. Instead, a freeze effect of white flame would burn with extreme cold and double as a torch. The ring actuating the sword was attached by a thin silvery chain to the bracelet.

She liked the effect. The gauntlet felt comfortably heavy. Similar magic to what she saw in Lourndai kept her weapons clean and sharp. The articulated joints were extremely maneuverable. She waited patiently and thought of the jewelry her angels would wear. She decided on some weapons they would have in common.

A ring on her index finger actuated a free wielded, razor sharp, dagger of black poisoned obsidian. The weapon was made intentionally to shatter like dust in its victims and it would reform limitlessly in her hand so long as there was dirt nearby. Its shape was crude and unfinished despite it’s extremely shape edges. The girls all agreed the weapon was the best for their fighting style.

Finally, on her right index finger she made a ring to call Lourndai. She found it wouldn’t form properly until the two made contact. It stayed as a black smudge on her finger like a tattoo, or a buildings frame waiting to be raised. The girls got rings that called their specialty swords and imbued them to become permanently sharper and stronger like Lourndai.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

The little angels in prison were not getting the reception Mara had hoped for. The men seemed oddly wary of them. Rinis sat staring blankly ahead, Ein talked to a wall designing fantasy armor, and Mara paced with her robe and pants off trying to jiggle up the next meal.

When they first came in a big brute came up and grabbed Mara. She smiled at him sweetly as he stripped her and tossed her roughly onto her back. His cock nudged her insides and she squeezed him in.

From the man’s perspective, everything went white after that in a pure orgasm unrestricted for eternity.

The rest of them heard the abrupt snapping and popping of his back and shattered hips. To make matters more confusing he fell gasping as if he was just tired in a very lifelike death rattle. The other prisoners quickly realized big Jorn did more then blow himself early over some ‘grade A fine pooz’. The men watched the girls warily after that sitting huddled together whispering to each other in a far corner.

The girls had little black smudges on their hands when booms and explosions started. The guards rushed out and shouted down in confusion. Mara dressed quietly, disappointed and a little miffed. Rinis got up also and walked to the door. Ein pulled out a needle like dart triumphantly as Mara rolled her eyes. She tumbled the lock and opened the door after the panicked guards left. The three each drew their preferred blades of engagement, and advanced along the block heading to Kaarthen, collecting souls along the way.

Rinis moved in front with armored arms and legs, her specialty sword was drawn before her. Mara stood touching her hips with two daggers double fisted, her head stayed in motion swiveling around for a target to charge. Ein was completely armored and walked alone to their left keeping their blind side clear.

Upstairs, Kaarthen was out of the suddenly uncomfortably rickety chair, and pacing and trying to decide what to do. She wanted to see what she could learn if someone came in and questioned her since Marcos could use the information. However, the Goddess was aware Marcos had just killed two people and three more were about to die by fire from his hand. Kaarthen and the Goddess wanted to immediately prosecute targets for her waist chain. Kaarthen also wanted to test out her new toys.

The materialization of her fanciful imagination had devastated the once elegant room around her. The armor and weapons had consumed most of the chair, turned her throwing knives into darts, turned the chandelier into a tangled glittery ball, made puddles of china and sterling vases like half-melted ice, and eaten away some pieces of furniture.

As she paced mulling over whether to play the prisoner or start tossing bodies a voice cut through.

A blond leading the king’s sullen brunette and redhead came in. “Thank goodness nothing happened to you Sister. I only just now heard a Head Sister came into the city.” The blond kneeled and behind her, the confused women bowed their heads after a moment. “I’m here to get you out. I’m from Dar Delis.” She said as if it meant Kaarthen was home free. The goddess told her the name of this randomly helpful soul.

Kaarthen cleared her throat. “Sister Dellin, I am on a mission still. The Queen will be installed and this is only the first stage.”

Double doors flew open behind her and without looking Kaarthen reached back and tossed a dart into the servant’s neck as he tried to close the doors behind him. He fell paralyzed and suffocated slowly on his own blood.

Kaarthen continued. “In several moments, my traveling sisters will be here. If you are prepared to leave, we will take you to the stables where you can get to the harbor quickly.”

The sister continued. “Yes Head Sister, but this city is about to blow, someone just hit the…”

“Guild headquarters, yes we know.” Kaarthen said testily. Outside the girls were cutting through Palace like they were running down hill with the wind at their backs. “It was ahead of schedule, but they acted first. The girls are here you may want to move.”

Behind them, the hall sounded like a room quietly eating dinner. The sound of metallic clangs weren’t like loud sword fighting but rather like subdued quick scrapes of metal on a plate or brushing stone. Frequently, the clatter of dropped weapons on the stone floor of the hallway was heard. That particular noise was troubling for them to understand since they knew most of the wide hallway outside was carpeted. The odd noises grew slightly louder as they listened, but they were definitely getting closer.

The doors behind them burst open suddenly with the weight of a mostly intact body. Three tiny messengers of death came up and stepped over the carcass into the room. The view of the hall through the doors behind them was vastly different scene then what the four saw coming up. Blood and broken bodies littered the landing in front of the door.

Except for Mara, everything on or around them was coated in obscene layers of splashed blood. Only Mara’s arms up to her elbows were dripping blood. She had been maneuvering and stabbing her targets gleefully.

The two groups of women looked critically at each other. “Well lead the way,” Sister Dellin said finally.

Half the path they took to the stables was over the carnage in the wide hall. The direction the girls came from wasn’t very clear because partial remains and broken bodies lined the walls and spread along the floor all the way up and down the hallway. Short tables, pictures, mirrors, and curtained windows dripped with fresh crimson lacquer.

Rinis and Ein strode in front of the group confidently while Kaarthen strode up the rear. Mara disappeared from sight up ahead. The women were surprised to turn corners or pass rooms and see her put the final touches on a guard or servant. It seemed she wanted to add shock value by popping out over an unsuspecting guard and mercilessly stab and slice him to the ground as they came into view turning corners or passing doorways.

As they came down the wide stairs at the entrance, Mara rejoined them and bounced along goose stepping next to Kaarthen. The party exited the open entranceway to find the rest of the Palace in communications break down and in complete uninformed disarray. Many people were not aware of the carnage inside as they watched in wonder the nearby burning guild headquarters. Kaarthen had them quickly sheathe their weapons and move quickly around the crowd.

The Duchess was the ranking person and stood in a shiny chest plate over a purple leather-riding outfit with a jeweled sword on her belt. Despite what she thought of the situation, a show must be made about not giving up her place in line. As the head of house for a royal family, anyone attacking the king had to get through her. She looked out over the city with five armored guards in matching purple, white, black, and gold uniforms.

The color scheme was different but Kaarthen was surprised that out here someone wore Menthino’s colors unwittingly. Her party got odd looks as they trooped past from those not facing outwards looking at the ominous pillar of smoke.

Kaarthen’s angels were the only ones dripping blood. Everyone else around them was dressed for crisis but didn’t know what was happening. None of them knew the Dark Mother’s three hands had just seized what they could inside.

“Is someone attacking the palace?” The Duchess asked turning to look at them at the behest of a growing crowd shifting their attention to them.

“Yes, we ran into craven assassins in there.” Kaarthen lied. “Form up a supported armored company before entering, but move quickly to catch the murderers.” She added confusing them with two mutually exclusive orders. She hustled the group along and had the girls prepare their distance weapons. Incase they randomly stumbled upon their secret.

She didn’t have to worry, instant confusion and chaos broke out behind them as the crowd reconnected themselves to the world and learned of the situation inside. Orders were shouted and rescinded. People ran in to check and out to alert.

They scurried through the chaos around the back of Palace’s north wing to the stables. The wide long stables sat along the back of the palace wing. In it, Kaarthen had a saddle boy stop gawking at them and saddle their horses. She found Lourndai missing among the baggage. This confused her since she had just seen it here. She turned.

“Where’s the…” She was stopped by the Goddess and looked down. Below them, clear as day to her, the treasure of the city had been collected.

She turned to the women and stable boy. “You can all go. Please have pleasant trip.” She said flatly.

“What? I…” A knife thrown to the stable boy’s throat caught him by surprise. A slash under his arm and between his ribs and he died choking on his own blood despite being able to breath out of his armpit.

The women mounted and rode out looking at her oddly. They didn’t hide feelings of uncertainty and dubiousness at her actions. Behind them, Kaarthen was already working sweeping out old hay from a unique, wide, and empty stall bearing the royal seal. Under an old layer of hay, a door was found. Kaarthen pulled it open and found herself in the royal secret tunnel.

She dropped down and found herself in an underground tunnel. It seemed an orgy room, everywhere women’s under things and accessories were scattered by frantic lovemaking. The king or someone, had been bringing women to the secret location. They must have showed off the royal horde to get a rise before shagging their dazzled dame.

A heavy wood door at one end of the short tunnel led to the palace, another similar door led to the treasure room she had been standing over. She called for Ein to come down and had Rinis and Mara close, lock, and guard the stable.

Kaarthen knew time was short once the stable closed. People would try to force themselves in eventually since horses are a big part of what the city does. The royal stable had two hundred stalls and held valuable product perhaps worth what was to be found below. Kaarthen would set fire to it all and reenter the palace if necessary.

The treasure room door oddly wasn’t locked which made her curious about what the room was the tunnel’ other end went to. The room had a low ceiling with many old black thick timber beams. The area was roughly the size of the stable above. Yellow light from the stable above illuminated the place. Up top, the stalls were well lit while the stable’s interior was less luminous. Down here was obvious why, snorting horses and displaced strands of straw fell from above as the horses hid the secret of this place. Kaarthen hoped her sword hadn’t been pissed on.

Inside the treasure room were trinkets of unimportance covered in dust, possibly from when the city was an island a few thousand years ago. Kaarthen walked further and found that a majority of it all was recently placed. The king had seized one fifth of all assets of the guild and placed it all here it seemed. Among the things, she saw one thing that made the goddess focus her as she paused.

A pile of statues and effigies to the Dark Mother were dropped and broken in a large pile. Shine and glitter drew her eyes into it. An old gift from neighboring Dar Delis to Sellis was here. It was an old realistic miniature statue of the death aspect with mithril chain mail. She touched the metal looking at the signature of it written by the gods and before her eyes, it pulsed and extended becoming many times its size.

It grew from being a pretty bracelet to something she could wear. In an instant, the change happened with a whirl wind of changes to key parts of the pieces signature. She actuated it into a necklace and picked it up to look at. Its weight was feathery and pleasant. As a necklace, it still shined with the brilliant radiance of mithril.

As she sat wondering over the divine gift, Ein snooped and found Lourndai. Once in Kaarthen’s hand her spell of bonding merged magic and her ring actuated on her right hand. Now with little thought she could actuate Lourndai from thin air by calling it from wherever it was just like the girls with their swords.

Kaarthen moved out of the room feeling suddenly closer to the goddess. With the mithril, she felt much better then with the gauntlet or Lourndai could do for her despite knowing it was mundane compared to the two.

Kaarthen couldn’t tell if the other things in the room were really of value. She was annoyed no chests of gold and jewels were found.

She had the girls open the stable doors and come down. Together they opened the door into the palace but found a simple storage room on the other side.

Kaarthen led them back up to the stable. She had Mara open the stable doors and hide the stable boy’s body. Ein and Rinis dumped their bloody clothes in a water trough. Kaarthen never realized importance of quick clean material but when they pulled them back out, they were passable. The edges of the splatters had dried creating subtle patterns, but the rest washed out. The women wore them wet and packed up to move out.

Kaarthen had a faint idea where they would strike next.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Marcos and the Queen reached the harbor within less than an hour by following the canal. He was able to find the captain of the detachment and ready his men quickly. The plan he needed was for the men to find carts hide their armor and sneak into the city in small groups.

He turned around and was back off to the capital to make a formal declaration without even getting off the horse.

The city gate was as crowded as usual getting into the city. He noted the bored and inattentive guards and breathed relief. His invasion depended on these unprofessional guardians of the city.

He moved with the flow of the crowd as he got higher on the hill the energy of the city could be felt. The headquarters of most of the cities workers was burning. The Palace was unresponsive it seemed. He continued up and as he got to the Senate he found the towering head and shoulders of Kaarthen moving through the crowds.

“Why hello sisters.” Marcos called out once getting next to them.

“Marcos, they tried to arrest us.” Kaarthen said and looked at the Queen before continuing. “We did some sad things and escaped. We may not be allowed back in there.”

“So where are you going now?” Marcos asked.

“To the ambassador’s residence to wait for you.” Kaarthen said pointing.

“Well woman, you’re going the wrong way.” He said and looked up. “Follow us to the senate up a head.” He looked back at the Queen. “Get us a covered carriage back to the Palace after this”

The senate house was full with the day’s excitement. They expected a Queen’s abdication and exile or execution today. The King was surprised at Marco’s arrival. When the Queen moved in unannounced and sat, he looked truly confused and waved over several aides.

The Queen stopped the proceedings and called Marcos before the court.

“Lord Panthi, for the short time Menthino has been an ally your country has done much good.” A murmur arose around them. “Your assistance has been balancing a time of uncertainty here. We have heard of a recent decision regarding our relationship and trade in Mavvus I hope this court can hear it.”

Marcos spoke his piece of political theater clearly for the politicians in back. “Highnesses, Members in equal standing of the court, Menthino has decided it will cease trade relations with Sellis during this time of emergency.” A furor arose behind him at the words. He waited until things quieted. “Unfair trade practices are cited but general diplomatic cooling is creating an unworkable environment.”

The Queen quieted them and spoke. “Perhaps, Lord Panthi, our guild can speak to your fears.”

“Perhaps but I have not seen a representative the whole time I’ve been in the city.” Marcos shouted for effect. “If your serious then I need to meet, or whatever trade controlling body needs to meet me before I leave to advise my Crown.” He hoped that was clear enough.

“You can decide now?” The Queen pushed.

“Yes Highness, with the proper discussion your city won’t lose a trade that could disassemble your magnificent horse trading industry.” Marcos gestured.

“Excellent news.” She said bouncing back and sitting up in her chair. She turned to address the pale sickly King. “Can we arrange a meeting for this important discussion?” The Queen suggested.

“Aaa…Of course.” He sputtered sounding unsure.

He was pasty and sweating again. He looked weak in these halls but boisterous when outside. Marcos noticed a lead advisor not in the party last night. He had a trimmed beard and seemed confident enough to look Marcos in the eye. Rings of gold were on his hands and a circle necklace was worn about his shoulders. His shirt seemed to be silk. Marcos figured that would be his next target for questioning.

“Well then, since you are leaving so soon we hope you can have a meeting tonight. Lord Panthi please have a safe trip.” The Queen finished and rose.

Marcos turned and left to walk back past the angry glares of impotent men who voted away their powers.

Marcos walked into the antechamber and saw Kaarthen and her girls looking inconspicuous as they thumbed their weapons in the back of the room.

The Queen came out after a few moments. Outside the doors opened as the large enclosed carriage rolled up. Two maidens bustled out quickly rushing to the Queen.

“Highness a terrible thing has happened. The Palace was under attack!” A brunette squealed

The Queen whitened. As they came up to her. “Oh my how are the girls?”

“We made it fine hiding in a closet. The screams will make it hard to sleep.” She sobbed.

The Queen turned to Marcos. “I must be available for my country. Once I have the palace situation controlled I will send word to the ambassador’s residence.” She turned quickly and left with the maiden in tow.

“Perhaps we could watch her.” Kaarthen suggested.

“No, appearing weak is much worse than appearing slightly out of control for a moment. What happened? You were there weren’t you? Did you see anything?” He questioned Kaarthen as they moved to the carriage.

“They tried to arrest us. I found the treasure room as we tried to escape and found this.” Kaarthen actualized and displayed her gauntlet, weapons, and mithril chain mail once she got into the carriage.

“Sellis has treasure like that?” Marcos stared at each item. “And, you found it breaking out of prison? Let me guess, I bet the door was unlocked?” He joked leaning back.

Around them, the city started moving as the carriage moved out and turned into the street traffic.

“Yes actually.” Kaarthen said making him snap up. “Several discarded small pants and decorative hair ties were on the ground too. Well the outer door to the escape tunnel wasn’t, but the escape hatch to the stables was so yes actually, the door was unlocked.”

Marcos almost fell out of his seat at that. “A secret escape tunnel used as a love nest and an unlocked treasure room door. A week ago I would have not believed it, but now it makes perfect sense.” He sighed and laid back. Plucking out a stashed cigar, he chewed it in his mouth looking out the window and sighed again. Around them citizens were rioting in some patches. “If this place weren’t such an imminent disaster we could have just had a civil discussion. Instead, we’re trying to trap and kill a foreign government. This is a regime change Kaarthen.”

The arrived at the ambassador’s residence and barged into the lounge as if they owned the place. Trailing them was a slender manservant in livery. Mara led the girls to lay back in the couches and lounge. Kaarthen stayed out in the hallway to get the servants to start some food.

In the lounge, the room was empty except the small young looking maid who seemed to be loitering. Marcos lit his cigar in a wall lamp and turned to her.

“What did I tell you about being suspicious?” He shouted. He waved over to the manservant. “Strip and search her.”

In this completely random town, a random inspection would make the most sense.

The servant started by asking for her apron, her headpiece, her shoes. Marcos sat when they got to the dress. Mara moved over and sat back on his lap.

The girl tried to balk at removing the dress and the manservant had to spin her around to pull it off. Finally, she stood in just a shift. Marcos had him toss over the dress and by crunching it in his hands, he found hard small things in the seams.

“What are these?” He asked ripping down the dress to get to the hidden pockets.

He found listening bells. Flattened, egg-shaped, hollow spheres with a long slit running through the middle that helped a nosy girl listen to too many conversations. Also, Marcos found and pocketed a set of various sized lock picks.

“Where did you get these?” Marcos started. Mara fiddled with a throwing knife on top of him.

The girl tried to stay brave. “I found them here. They are quiet common.”

“Why didn’t you return them, isn’t that stealing?” Proper interrogations are done by a thousand cuts.

“I just held onto them, I never took them.” She answered still defiant.

“You just made them unavailable for whoever they were for.” Marcos pushed.

She got confused on that. “I…”

Marcos smile and began another line of questioning to connect. “Let’s move on. Who have you listened to?”

The girl stuttered. “I didn’t I just…”

“YOU LIE!! You listened to me discuss my plans minutes after my arrival.” Marcos roared.

The girl pleaded. “I was waiting for you Milord.”

Marcos snorted. “I can’t trust you. I now feel that I must hurt you to ensure cooperation.” He turned to the manservant. “Fetch a chair.”

As he waited, Marcos considered how much to hurt her. “While we wait, start a fire and make sure it’s hot.”

The sniveling girl moved to comply barely able to see from tears.

He questioned the manservant as he came with the chair. “Are you a local?”

“No Sir, I am residence staff from Osmuun. I take care of all the residence’s common areas and duties here on this block.”

“Do you know of this girl? Have you seen this girl often?”

“No Milord.” He said quickly.

Marcos waved him off.

Marcos cleared his throat. “Mara I will start counting and you will move up cutting her from toes to head. If she comes off that chair cut her again. Be creative, because each cut must be higher then the next, do you understand?”

“Yes Master.” She replied quietly staring at the girl’s feet.

He turned to the girl as she rushed from the fire to her seat.

She pleaded. “Milord, I’m just a girl.”

Marcos paused to clear his throat. “One.” He had killed younger girls in fights to the death over food.

Mara jumped down and made a small cut before hopping back into his lap gleefully. The girl writhed and screamed on the chair. The cut wasn’t immediately obvious until her nailbed on the big toe started going bleeding profusely.

“That looks horrible.” Marcos noted dryly. “What is your name girl?”

“Carline, Milord.” She wheezed and ripped the chair like it was about to run away.

Marco continued. “And where are you from Carline?”

“Fffrom here lord.” She stuttered through the pain.

He leaned in. “Do you like what’s happening Carline?”

She cringed. “Nnno, Milord.”

Marcos leaned back. “What is happening Carline?”

“You’re hurting me.” She accused.

“Two.” Like a shot Mara jumped down grabbed the foot and flicked her knife under the toes flaying a flap of skin a few inches wide along the bottom of her foot.

Again, more screams lit the room until they slowed to quiet sobs.

“I’m trying to get answers from someone I don’t trust.” Marcos gestured with his hands as he corrected. “Where are you from and don’t tell me ‘here’.”

She cringed again. “The lower end of the west side lord.”

“Hmm.” Marcos was getting bored and hungry. Carline shifted uncomfortably torturing herself thinking he was considering something ominous for her.

Kaarthen came in at that moment. “I got some food coming.”

“Good. Hey, Carline, let’s wrap this up. Who buys information around here?” Marcos offered.

“Ah…Umm the guild sir.” She sputtered.

Marcos shifted. “They pay you?”

“Yesss.” She hissed.

“Anybody else?” He asked.

“Nnno lord.” She said quietly.

“Great. Whom do you speak too?” Marcos demanded.

She straightened. “Umm..”

“Don’t make me count you to your death.” Marcos warned.

“They’ll kill me.” She pleaded.

Marcos almost chuckled. “I’ll hurt you… and do worse. If you’re lucky they’ll all be dead by tonight anyway.”

She thought about it. “The king’s advisor Garren watches this place.”

“Okay, not too bad.” Marcos mused sniffing the smell of food in the air. “What’s he look like?”

She almost swooned remembering. “Handsome but rude with a beard, brown hair, and laughing eyes.”

Marcos figured him to be the clown who smiled at him in court.

“What does he want to know?” Marcos asked.

She shrugged. As the foot numbed, she tried to make this all seem normal. “Usually nothing. He just wants anything of interest. He recently wanted to hear about you.”

“Will you see him again?” Marco said getting up.

“If I hear about your travel plans I must signal him.”

“How do you signal?”

“I…” she paused knowing she’d be useless to him soon. “Milord please don’t kill me!”

“Five.” Marcos blurted randomly.

Mara got in and grabbed both feet slicing along the arches then dropped one and made a deep cut between her outer small toes. Carline barely twitched until they were dropped.

“Oh that’s right.” Marcos said after counting. “Mara you’ll have to cut higher she’s numb already.”

“Yes, Master.” She replied dejectedly from behind him.

“The signal.” Marcos demanded. Carline was flushed and sweating. She was rigid and stared ahead silently as her mind tried to protect her. “After that, I’ll let you heal here, but no more playing spy.”

She turned her head to him slowly gaining hope. “I write a letter and I mark a window with a red candle. That day the letter goes out with regular dispatch. Nobleman Garren is an advisor to the King and comes to our block if he wants to talk. He’ll meet me after as I bring tea.”

“Good.” He stood. “Carline I want a letter written advising him of a landing force outside the city attacking the harbor very soon.”

Marcos turned to the pale manservant. “Take her upstairs make sure she does it right.”

“Carline, what no one told you is the power of words. You were sold into a game you had no business being in. Against the state, it never mattered if you were young or pretty. Many lives were at stake so bringing you onto the merciless field is… within limits. Remember until your old age to understand the risk, and to truly understand if you can take it. We wouldn’t be having this conversation if you truly believed in what you did. You were just used. Use your second chance well.” The manservant had to carry her to bed.

Another maid came in twitching and advising them about dinner. The group followed her in and ate a refreshing course of meals before retiring back into the lounge.

Marcos arranged for Carline’s message to go out after reading it for precise information. Making the city’s defenses empty out would be a huge boon.

By late afternoon, the Captain and his men started to show up at the residence by infiltrating in small groups. Marcos didn’t ask where they hid their armor and they didn’t tell.

“The men are formed and ready Sir. The colonel is down stairs he seemed to think it wise.” The captain reported.

“Great.” The colonel was right to be away. His presence could make Marcos error during this planning if his mind was distracted. “Have him go with a team and make recon on the gate leading to the harbor. He needs to let us know how many troops are leaving and what equipment, weapons, direction, and appearance of competence they’re.”

The captain chuckled. “I understand sir, the guards we saw were less then alert.”

His plan of burning out the city’s cancer was coming along well he just needed them to send the invite.

Just before dinner, a messenger came to the door requesting audience.

“I have a message to deliver to Lord Panthi.” He said looking around expectantly.

“It is I.” Marcos called.

“We are to meet in the Guildhouse at once. Please follow me.” The man announced.

“I am prepared.” Marcos said and nodded to the Captain.

Kaarthen and her girls stalked Marcos at a distance as he moved down with the messenger. The two got down to street level and boarded a carriage. Kaarthen followed them on the oddly deserted streets south past the palace to a large elegant looking warehouse across a wide plaza from the burnt down wreck of the former headquarters.

Around her, the area bustled with other carriages and horsemen arriving. She moved over across the street to be unnoticed as she watched the activities. From the shadows of the burnt out hulk Kaarthen looked at the building and the entering members. The building was filling and seemed they would have their goal of a full house.

The large warehouse from the outside appeared smaller than its true size. The ground under the structure was dug out to create large storage and guest areas. Kaarthen could see it as an actual complex that the Guild headquarters had also been apart. Escape tunnels went to the buildings next door and a large hallway connected the destroyed headquarters.

Around her things were slowing as the last of the guild members got in. In quiet unassuming groups, three man teams pushed carts around the building stopping in the shadows surrounding the guild.

After finding their position, two men would jump in back. One man stood watch while the two others got in heavy armor and waited among the stacks of oil and hay. Kaarthen moved over to a drunken homeless man who happened to have an excellent view of what was going on around the building.

“Captain, I am going to cut off their escape tunnels. There are three exits not including the headquarters. Two tunnels go to the building next door on the south side. I will enter through the Headquarters, another three will enter to the east heading in. Guard the exits but do not enter. What is your signal for the fire?”

The homeless man nodded and quietly spoke. “The colonel is watching the chamber from the roof for a signal. He’ll break out all the windows and start to scream like a banshee to start it.”

“Excellent.” Behind her Ein, Mara, and Rinis took off like three shadows to the south to circle around the building.

Kaarthen went back and looked among the rumble. The door to the underground passage was cleared of debris and ash, it looked recently used after the fire. Kaarthen actuated her gauntlet and crept over to it looking for any traps.

After a moment, she pulled the handle of the door, and eased it up as quietly as she could. Light streamed up and stone steps led down two yards to the floor of the tunnel. The area underneath was well lit and appeared to be still used. The wall on either side was lined with shelving completely stuffed with scrolls of what appeared to be invoices and shipping orders. Kaarthen moved quietly towards the direction of the guild house. An intersection came up and her path was blocked. By her estimations, she was barely out from under the headquarters. Kaarthen took the left branch and came along a passage lined with several rooms.

The Goddess took a quick glance and stopped her. To the left at the far end was a room with a group of people inside. Kaarthen crept to the door and heard the voices of multiple men raping at least one woman.

With a savage kick she busted open the door. Everyone paused looking at her as she took in the scene. Along the entire floor was thick hay like a horses stall. To the left, were four short spikes in a periodically spaced line along the wall. Chained to each spike were two lazy eyed lethargic women who seemed drugged or dazed. In the far back of the room, a square pit twice the size of a royal bed was filled with hay and a partially opened hay bale. A haystack towering in the right corner and reaching the ceiling was infested with sleeping pale scrawny women hiding in the fluffy pile.

In front of Kaarthen, the blond Sister Dellin and the brunette women from the palace she had escorted were being raped and questioned by three pants-less gruff looking men on the other side of a table and a few chairs. Each of the men sported huge wrist thick erections with low sagging balls nearly the size of eggs.

Sister Dellin was being ruthlessly used while bent over a chair. Her pussy and ass were white with the loads they had been pumped full of. Multiple loads had dried on her and multiple more were wet and frothy around her holes. The brunette was taking the two other men at either end as she was bent forward. She hung limply as she was skewered between them. The men’s clothing and a few whips were laid out across the table next to bottles of rum, only a few steps from Kaarthen in the middle of the room.

Along the wall on her right side, the red head was hanging by her shackled arms facing the wall. Next to her, a man was chained upside down dripping wet in a similar fashion. Both looked to have been beaten pretty severely. The redhead’s asshole was gaping and blaring red despite being white washed with thick ropes of cum.

The five people in front of the door turned to look at her as the door fell. The blade on Kaarthen’s gauntlet actuated with the sliding metallic sound of a sword being drawn as she froze staring at them in righteous anger.

The three men scrambled around to arm themselves. Two came the quick way around the table to her left and Kaarthen sliced across the first man’s neck and brought her arm back through the second man’s front leg as he came forward onto it.

The snap of a whip caught her attention as the third man came forward with a driving whip for carriage horse teams.

Kaarthen without thinking snapped up Lourndai and extended it through the man’s chest. In a blink, two and half feet of magically sharpened steel as wide a hand and as thick as her finger exploded out his back and buried in the wall directly behind him. She pulled back the blade and recast it to a useful size. Looking around, the women in the back of the room cast fearful confused looks at her while hidden in the hay.

“How many of you can travel?” Kaarthen called out.

“I can.” Said Sister Dellin moving over to lean on the table. The brunette picked herself up slowly. Finally, rising to her feet, a gush of cum splattered the floor and rolled down the brunette’s leg in gobs.

Kaarthen tried to ignore the sound of their holes trying to close. Farts and wet burps accompanied the women’s movements.

“This place is to be destroyed. What can be done about those… women?” Kaarthen said motioning around the room.

“If I can find key’s we’ll get them out of here.” Sister Dellin announced

Kaarthen turned to her. “The way out is same but this place is surrounded. You’ll need to keep them at the stairs until I can have the door opened.”

“You won’t come too?” She squeaked before catching herself.

“No, but this time I’ll get you out of here myself.” Kaarthen looked at the other women and determined that they would get better with time and lots of indirect love.

Lourndai made quick work of their chains. The redhead and the man simply fell wetly to the ground once they cut down. Once the chained women were released, they quietly herded to the door. Sister Dellin had to stop the pitiful creatures as Kaarthen turned to getting the women in the haystack out. Pulling them out one by one took forever and the wriggling women were difficult to hold onto. Once released, it was an even chance they scurried to the door or tried to dive back into the haystack.

Kaarthen eventually resorted to waving her gauntlet’s frozen sword in the haystack and deep pit to help find anyone she missed.

Finally done, she walked the group down to the stone stairs and warned Sister Dellin again not to let them leave until she returned or the door opened from above.

“And take this Sister.” Kaarthen offered her the obsidian dagger. “It is sharp and imbued with poison but it won’t fail you.”

“Thank you Sister you are truly a great daughter to our mother.” Sister Dellin said clutching her gift.

Heading back, Kaarthen raced around looking through walls and doors with the Goddess’ sight. In a mad race, she continuously double backed catching servants and scribes moving through the halls.

As Kaarthen closed in on the hall ending in the Guildhouse, the door burst open and a rush of scared men in robes came face to face with her. Kaarthen chuckled that after all the rushing around she found herself in the perfect spot where everyone would have to come through her.

The pasty sweaty men in the front of the line weren’t heard as they shouted warning to those pushing frantically from behind. With an efficiency that would have stunned anyone who knew it, Kaarthen wielded the gauntlets wrist sword and Lourndai in a beautiful dance of death for the first time together.

As the crowd funneled through in line they came into her vertical swipes of Lourndai hacking down the waves of men. Her burning frost blade whipped through the stragglers. Sparks flew from where the blades flew through stone. The walls bled as the wet blades gouged through them as Kaarthen’s will and superhuman strength guided them around harvesting souls from flesh.

Men came into her thinking the flickering bright light and screams ahead were just more fire, and they girded themselves, or foolishly closed their eyes. Curtains of blood from the men they had been following fell to reveal the ghastly vision of Kaarthen’s dance. Her form was illuminated in flashes of whipping arms, shining eyes, and the white rope of her hair among the glinting walls and glistening carnage. The men always froze and tried to stop as they came to her, but like all the others momentum and the press from behind meant they could only raise terrified bloodcurdling screams as they were harvested.

Finally the deluge of panicked fools stopped. Beyond her, the room they poured from was burning too intensely and was blocking their path to her. In the light of her armblade and the open door’s glow, the scars on the walls told of her ferocity. The rivulets of blood, the shattered bodies’ dismembered parts, the stink of eviscerated bowels, the ache of her muscles, and the drips of blood that echoed over the steady roar of the fire were all vindication of the horrors the slaves had felt. The death she brought was a cleansing of their sullied femininity. The Goddess was pleased.

Ahead the curtain of flames moved and an armored behemoth stepped through clearing a path. It was a nearly seven foot tall man in cleverly designed armor that presented smooth slopes from every possible attacking angle. The metal appeared to be thick enough that Kaarthen doubted Lourndai could cut it despite its ability to hack stone with ease. The behemoth carried a sword three and half feet long and thicker and heavier than Lourndai with a similar shape of a flat-backed single-edged S shaped blade, triangular armor piercing tip, with a short six inch blade running along the back.

They paused looking at each other then it raised a hand to her and waved.

“All clear behind us ma’am” he shouted.

Kaarthen was startled out of her bloodlust as a gust of wind pulled her to reality and carried to her the sound of shouts of all clear from the other end.

She rushed back and found the slaves being led out. Hard looking muscular beggars and bums bandaged the redhead and the man she found. She almost missed a pale cold figure in a robe curled in on himself with a wide eyed surprised look.

“He came after you left. He was a guildsman drunk and barely able to stand. He took one look at us and tried to raise an alarm.” Sister Dellin said starring at what Kaarthen presumed was her work.

“You did well harvesting him Sister. Was it your first time?”

“It was.”

“I will sing for you tonight.”

“Thank you sister and I you.” Sister Dellin said embracing her tightly. “You honor me. You were always in control. I was just supposed to grab the King’s women and bring them in to be questioned. I haven’t had this much trouble before at all in any city I’ve worked. I had no idea what to do when this city fell into chaos. When everything fell apart, you were strong and amazing. When you come to Dar Dellis I shall sing in every temple for you.” She babbled.

Kaarthen led her up onto the street while keeping her under her arm. The Guildhouse was completely destroyed already. The trenches dug for it under the walls initially as a warehouse had fed the flames perfectly. The inferno inside had sucked in oil with the air as it consumed the interior with enough heat to melt and collapse the copper roof. The circular roof of the central speaking hall had also collapsed and the fire bellowed out intensely in a roaring yellow pillar pointing straight into the sky. Around them, a city watched as their greatest, most cherished institution burned to the ground.

The men Marcos brought were stashing their armor as they came out of the hidden tunnels and blended into the crowd. Kaarthen’s little angels had found their way over to her. Their exploits were nonexistent since few people inside had known of the other secret entrances. In the crowd’s panic, it was Kaarthen who stopped them as they ran for a familiar way out.

A hobbled old man came over as she watched the blaze.

“Ma’am, Marcos is at the Palace now, would you like me to lead?”

Kaarthen chuckled and led her girls away into the dark embracing night of death to finish their work.

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As Kaarthen approached the Palace, she saw it had become organized somewhat. It had the look of an army field camp. Bodies had been pulled out from the rooms and halls and laid out in lines. Several tents were set up since people weren’t keen on going back into the Palace.

Armored men in orange, blue, and brown shirts with shiny steel helmets, arm braces, and chest plates patrolled carrying spears and swords. Kaarthen could see the Queen seated near a carriage looking over reports. She wore an elegant suit of armor that protected her upper body and lower legs in a shell of steel. The suit was intended for mounted battles and her thighs were left protected by a skirt of thick hardened leather.

Marcos whistled Kaarthen over before she was noticed. She turned to see him among the shadows across the wide street from the Palace’s encamped front lawn. Several of his men were hidden with him in an alley further back acting as vagrants and dirty drunks.

“Well how was it?” Kaarthen asked.

“Good. I found the man that Carline the maid was paid by. I got some answers from him too. Nobleman Rocert is coming into the city in another month. He is a face of the guild and important to capture. The King is in there somewhere.” Marcos said noting the bustling Palace. “They haven’t done much about the Guildhouse. In fact they seem real insular right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe it’s the Queen’s orders, but they are only patrolling on the Palace grounds. No drawn out patrols are being made for the city’s security for some reason. It helps us move about the city around them, but the concentration of security is a little daunting for recon, or anything other than a frontal assault. You must have really messed them up.”

Kaarthen smiled and grabbed his hand. “It was my angels. They were put in a dark, dirty, jail with dirty men who wanted to play with their bodies.”

Marcos shuddered. “That’s pretty harsh for a jailbreak. They took out carts of the pieces already. Those are the intact bodies. They must have killed almost a hundred people in there.”

“They got lost.” Kaarthen replied with a shrug.

Marcos looked at her knowingly.

“So what’s your plan?” Kaarthen asked finally.

Marcos leaned back and shrugged. “Just to watch. Even if the Queen is in trouble it would damage the Crown’ image for her to be seen relying on us.”

“So, what is she to do?” Kaarthen said looking over at the illuminated Queen quietly writing at her desk. She seemed untouched by the bustle around her.

Marcos shrugged and rubbed his head. “Confront him, challenge him, kill him, I really don’t know. Sellis has laws I’m not familiar with, but ostensibly she should have power over him since he married into the crown.”

They stood quiet and watched for a moment.

“What happened to the girls I rescued?” Kaarten asked suddenly

Marcos blinked, and turned to regard her. “They were taken to the Ambassadors residence. What’s their story?”

“I haven’t even spoken to one yet.” She replied quietly.

Marcos leaned in. “Be careful taking things home. It’s always sad to have to kill what you try to protect.”

“Perhaps.” Kaarthen paused. “You know, Mara could get in there.”

Marcos snapped over and looked down over at Mara. “Really? How?”

“Watch.” Kaarthen turned as Mara stepped forward.

Kaarthen pulled from her the message she ate with the hair. The instructions for the glossy haired brunette could be read and told to Mara’s receptive body. The changes started slow as her inside shifted first.

Mara pulled off the outer robe and stripped off the leathers. Marcos looked around, as she got naked. He was more then slightly incredulous as she stood still in the street. For a moment, nothing happened then Marcos noticed her hair and skin darkening. Slowly, her torso shrank, and her limbs lengthened. Her breasts and hips narrowed and shrank becoming more modest curves. Finally, with an odd twitch her hair poofed into gentle wavy curls of the silky black long waist length hair he remembered from earlier.

Mara bent and dressed back into her pants and pulled her robe over her head before stepping forward again with a smirk.

“How do you like it? Except for her eyes the changes are exact.” Kaarthen beamed.

Mara modeled the body and twisted to show herself off.

“I understand you have some aggression towards this woman. Mara will help you release it for you later if you like.” Kaarthen said as the two women fell into each other for a hug.

Marcos looked from them to the Palace and back. “That’s clever Kaarthen. She can pass as that other woman?”

“Yes. We don’t know the brunette’s voice so she may not sound the same, but she will get passed the guards.”

Marcos eyed the Mara closely. “Good, that works for me.”

I hope people enjoy this. People who post these stories are looking for many things. I just enjoy comments, and knowing people enjoy the story.

I would like to know, if you do Jack/Jill off that the stories help. If, as you are enjoying yourself, you peal another layer of the dark onion of desire in the back of your mind, and think to yourself “wow, if only they….”.

Leave a comment. You’re likely not alone. Honestly, know you’re not alone even if you are one percent, there are millions of us. So just know even the comments are free. if you want to PM ideas, questions, or random non related stuff. BTW this is now just over half of what was written, editing is slow…

The idea may not be in every segment, but you will certainly be more likely see your fetish if you request it. I write because I haven’t seen enough stories they way I like.

There will be a three part story (called ‘Sweat’, ‘Spit’, and ‘Tears’) about the Spear Mistresses and their rather single minded efforts to purge the elves. you haven’t seen the last of them.

Also (restitution of love) is being edited too. It’ll be the sequel for dissolution of love.

Look for series ‘Victorious’ it’s a present day work, and more involved. (I hope) It fell out of my head, it works, and I enjoy it. I hope we can share.

So please enjoy and comment freely. I’ll respect your freedom of speech if you exercise it. You could be in china right now….

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