The Rogue’s Harem

Book Three: The Rogue’s Passionate Harem

Part Nine: Iron Fury

By mypenname3000

Copyright 2018

Note: Thanks to WRC 264 for beta reading this.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Harem’s Armored Passion

Sven Falk – Az, Princedom of Kivoneth, The Strifelands of Zeutch

Metal thundered forward. The iron body hurtled at me, a brutal sword clutched in the animated statue’s hand. My eyes scanned across the room in a heartbeat, glimpsing strange monsters lurking in the background while a massive blog of slime undulated in the center of the room, a shape buried inside of it.

I couldn’t focus on that as the statue charged straight at me, face twisted in a mask of anger. A face I recognized.

“Scatter!” I snarled at my women as Prince Meinard charged at us. “Carsina, watch over Aingeal and Ava!” How was the bastard here already? We should have days before he arrived and—

“What happened to Master Theophil?” Carsina shouted behind me, her voice quivering with pain.

Prince Meinard reached me, his arm drew back. Sword slammed down at me. My new leather armor quivered. Shadows writhed around me as I flowed to the right. I moved with such speed and grace. My perception slowed to a crawl. The gray iron sword fell past me. I could follow its brutal progress. It moved like it swung through tar and—

The blade hit the stone floor.

Metal rang. Stone groaned. Chips of rocks exploded from the impact. He swung with enough force to shear through me despite how slow I perceived him moving. I shuddered as his head snapped to the left at me. His iron body creaked as his sword lashed out at me in a horizontal thrust.

Shadows dived down my wrist, forming the rapier of darkness while at the same time I ducked low. My armor gave me such mobility. Despite the death hurtling at me, I almost wanted to laugh in delight. It was like before I donned this armor, my body was wrapped up in iron chains, restraining my movements.

Now I was free.

The iron blade scythed over my head. I lunged my blade upward at Prince Meinard’s chest, a flowing blow of darkness. He was utterly open to attack. At my speed, Prince Meinard couldn’t even react to parry. He was still swinging as my rapier knifed at his chest. The shadowy point aimed right at his heart.

I struck.

My shadow blade bent and flexed. I felt the resistance in the grip. My blade didn’t penetrate his iron proxy at all. It didn’t even so much as scratch the surface. My exhilaration sank. I could flow like smoke, but my weapon couldn’t harm Prince Meinard.

“You corrupted my daughter!” howled Prince Meinard. His iron body groaned as he drew up his blade into a brutal swing at me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kora Falk

As Sven flowed beneath Prince Meinard’s attack, I stared in horror at the beige ooze writhing and convulsing. Inside of it was the shape of a thrashing man. Master Theophil. Carsina shouted in horror beside me as I stared at the silhouette of the old man thrashing in obvious pain.

“Save him, Ealaín!” I gasped, horror filling my soul. There were so many terrible things. Other monsters scuttled through the church. The women of my harem, my new wives, darted away from Sven, obeying his words. Nathalie and Greta, empowered by their new armor, didn’t flee away like they used to. Ava and Aingeal grabbed Carsina and dragged her down the hallway we just came from.

Ealaín charged forward.

My aoi si muse glowed as she rushed into battle. Weapons of light flashed into her hands. Her war hammer and ax had a graceful appearance to them, flowing with their own warm, golden hue. Her black skin appeared as negative space in the gaps of her shining accouterments. She became a living work of art as she rushed at the blob to save Theophil’s life.

I felt so helpless as Ealaín slammed her weapons down at the undulating blob. My hands went to my chest. I didn’t have any sort of weapons. I had no way to fight. To help save Theophil’s life. What could I do. My body shuddered. The amulet I wore around my neck brushed my hands.

I clutched it, squeezing the gem. All I could do was make illusions. I could paint something, but would that work against the blob? Did it even see? Could I use my dazing spell on him? Would it work on the thing? How did a massive blog of jelly see?

A twinge shivered through me. I had to do something.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ealaín

My armor glowed brighter as I raised the two weapons of pulsing light. They felt weightless in my hands. What could I do with this armor? I felt it brimming with power. It held potential, but what could I do with it?

Could I save Theophil?

He thrashed inside the formless blog. I raised my weapons and swung hard, crying out. Shadows flashed around me as my weapons blazed brighter. It shed golden light across the blob, illuminating Theophil thrashing inside.

His body dissolved. The thing digested him.

My weapons landed against the blob. It slammed into the gelatinous surface. It rippled and jiggled like a bowl of jelly. I shuddered at the undulations. My skin crawled witnessing it. My weapons rebounded off of the elastic surface. The force made me stumble back.

The surface of the monster flowed suddenly. It gurgled as it moved. I gained my balance, shifting my feet beneath me as a bulge formed before me. It swelled like a bubble rising to the surface of a tar pit. Then it shot out at me, a battering fist of jelly. I swung my hammer, slamming into the protoplasm appendage. It slammed to the side.

My ax swung in at is body again. I shouted with all my might. I felt the power brimming in my armor swell into my weapon. It glowed like the sun. The light arced down at the appendage. I slammed into the narrow tentacle. My blade bit an inch into it. The appendage contorted and contracted. It shot back into the monster.

A gurgling snarl echoed. The entire surface contracted and rippled. Then more bulges formed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Princess Ava

I grabbed the sobbing Carsina and tugged her away from the doorway, from her poor master trapped in that hideous monster devouring it. Sven’s words rang in my mind. He wanted Carsina to protect Aingeal and me. He knew what we would do. That we would be vulnerable.

And he knew that Carsina was unarmed and didn’t have any way to fight. He was protecting her, too. I had to get to a safe place so I could sink into the feyhound proxy with Aingeal. We needed the swift movement of the proxy mixed with Aingeal’s magical powers.

“No, no, no,” Carsina sobbed as I hauled her away. I gripped the diamond hammer in my other hand. It throbbed and pulsed in my hand. I could feel it reacting to the power flowing through the armor. I could feel my family fighting for their lives.

“CORRUPT MY DAUGHTER!” my father boomed, his voice ringing like a bell.

How was he here so fast? Did that even matter? No.

“In here!” Aingeal shouted. Her pink butterfly wings fluttered as she threw open the door to Carsina’s workshop.

“No, no, we have to save him!” Carsina shouted. “It’s eating him!”

“We are saving him!” I shouted at her. Did I used to be like her? Panicking during danger? I felt so helpless when the assassin ambushed my family in the Forest of Lhes after they appeared from Faerie. I thought I was weak. That there was nothing I could do.

I’d learned there was always something you could do.

“You need to watch over us,” I added. “Protect me. For Krab.”

“What?” Carsina asked, her blue eyes wide with tears.

I hauled her into the workshop. “I’m going to imbue. My body will be vulnerable. There’s monsters around. You need to watch over us.”

“We’re trusting you,” Aingeal added, her purple eyes flashing to me then rolled back in her head in exasperation. “Okay?”

“O-okay,” Carsina said, her words tight, hoarse.

I sank to the floor. Aingeal joined me. She grabbed my hand, smiling at me. My proxy’s pulsed and beckoned. I thrust my soul out at the feyhound, seizing Aingeal’s with me. We hurtled together in a bodiless rush. We hurtled through that void.

We filled the vessel. Aingeal and I became one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zanyia

I sprang to the right and…

Purred with silent delight at how far I jumped. I hurtled through the air jumping four times as far. It was amazing. The air rushed past my ears. My tail swished behind me while my mane of tawny hair flowed. I landed with grace before one of the monsters. It was a hideous things, looking like a massive dog. But it buzzed and hummed. Its entire body writhed and twitched.

“You look tasty,” the monster spoke. Its voice didn’t come from its muzzle, which didn’t move, but like its entire body had spoke, resonating with the same voice.

I shivered as I asked, “Do I? I’m so scrawny. Not much meat on my bones.”

“An appetizer before I enjoy the others,” the monster said, advancing on me.

Annoying anger surged through me. “Ooh, that’s so insulting. Appetizer? I am the complete meal!”

The triangular katars formed from the leather wrappings of my armor. The punching daggers thrust from my knuckles, the blades base thicker than my fists, each narrowing into sharp points. I smiled at the extensions to my body. I slashed with my new “claws” at the monster.

I sprang beneath its muzzle and struck it in the chest. My blade bit deep into the monster. I cut into its flesh, slashing through it with ease. I purred in delight at the wound I left in the monster, a deep strike to its chest and…

It didn’t bleed.

No blood gushed out of the deep wound. Instead, dead insects spilled out to rain on the ground, carapaces and wings severed by my attacks. I frowned at that. I looked at the monster and realized… it was a massive blob of insects that had formed into a body, their segmented bodies squished together to fashion the “scales” of its flesh.

“Yes, yes, such a morsel,” the monster said before it exploded apart into a humming swarm of angry insects.

“Las’s putrid cum!” I hissed as they surged at me, buzzing with hunger.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Iron Fury

Prince Meinard

Anger boiled inside of me. This foul, loathsome thing touched my daughter. He corrupted her purity. He made her into his slut. Shadows trailed after him as he flowed past my attacks. My iron body creaked and groaned. I swung my sword as his shadow rapier prodded my body without effect. He danced around, a fly buzzing around my greatness.

“She is mine?” I snarled, my sword slashing at him.

“Really?” he growled. “Yours? You had to enchant her to make her wet for you.”

“Because you polluted her!” I whirled to track him as he moved around me. I changed directions, slashing at him as he rounded my body.

My sword slashed at his chest. He wouldn’t get out of the way this—

“Las’s putrid cum!” I snarled as he moved like smoke. His body blurred into black streaks. How did he move so fast? “Las’s putrid cum and Illth’s poxed boils! Stay still!”

“So you can carve me up?” Sven asked, a sneer to his voice. “Do you think that will make her love you?”

“She would love me if you never stole her from me!”

“Stole her?” He blurred around another sword stroke, his blond hair flowing about his sneering face. His blue eyes glinted with a mocking light. “She came to my bed so willingly. She slid in, so lithe and breathtaking. She ached for it. She was so eager for what I gave her. She gave me everything. She surrendered herself to me with every ounce of her passion. How did she come to your bed?”

I snarled, fury pounding through my soul.

“Right, you cast a spell on her to make her so horny she couldn’t think about anything but satiating herself the only way she could.”

“She was so eager for me!” I growled and thrust my sword.

He stepped aside with ease, his rapier flicking out and poking my iron body, scratching across the surface. Doing nothing to me. He couldn’t hurt me. I just had to hit him and his damned black, shadow-bleeding armor. I would cut him in half.

“Right, right, soooooo eager,” he sneered. He paused, staring at me as I raised my weapon. “That’s why she fled you. That’s why she came to me. She begged me for help. Together, we broke your damned spell. You don’t have any hold on your daughter. But I do.

“She’s pregnant with my child.”

My iron teeth ground together. The rage built and built in me. My body quivered. I gripped my hilt. Metal scraped on metal as I focused on his hateful, young face. He confused my daughter’s young heart, tricked her into thinking he was what she desired.

Not me. Him!

And now he stole my heir. He usurped her womb!

I swung my sword with every ounce of strength I possessed. I slashed it down at him. I would cleave him in twain and have my daughter back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aingeal

Our souls settled into the feyhound. I quivered, gathering my bearings. Ava controlled the body, but I could feel it. We rose, the wooden, wicker-woven body creaked as it moved. Ava shook us as she settled into control.

“Let’s go!” I thought at her. Our souls were almost one in this form, our emotions surging between each other.

“I know,” Ava said. She sprang towards the door. “Little help!”

We were in our room in the Temple of Rithi. Ahead, the wooden door was closed. In the form of the feyhound, that proved a problem. How to open doorknobs? I knew how. An excited burst shot through me as I reached out to the spirits that dwelled in the room, the abstract representation of magic and energy.

I grabbed the evocation spirits. I gathered them before me. The orange balls of light danced before me. A purple aura sprang about them, channeling them as beam. It slammed into the door. The wood splintered in an explosion a moment before Ava hurtled us into it.

An acolyte gasped in shock, her blonde braids flying as she jumped out of the way as we hurtled down the hallway. Another priestess stood in the way, gaping at us in her pink robes. She pointed at us, her mouth working.

I seized her with more spirits and yanked her out of the way. She let out a squeal as she thumped into the wall. We had to move. We had to go. Ava ran us as fast as she could down the corridor, our wooden feet slapping into the stone.

Shouts rose around us as more priests and priestesses scrambled out of our way. I blew open another door, splinters dancing around us as we leap through the ruin. Ava controlled our body with ease. She moved it with grace, changing directions to race through the main sanctum, past the great works of arts as we howled for the exit. For the daylight.

“Faster! Faster!” Ava shouted. “We need to go faster!”

“Right!” I shouted back, my soul quivering. Those monsters were hideous. I couldn’t get the image of poor Theophil writhing in the gelatinous mass.

We had to get to him. We had to save him. We had to get to our family.

I grabbed enhancement spirits as we burst into the evening. People screamed. Crowds were running down the street from the direction of the Tempe of Krab. The green enhancement spirits surged down at us, striking our body.

Speed burst through us. We hurtled out into the street. Ava roared as we charged into the mass of fleeing people. I sent out abjuration spirits, forming a shield before us, pushing aside the panicked mob. We raced down the street.

We had to get there before it was too late.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kora Falk

I squeezed my amulet and shouted as Ealaín crashed back from the monster, struck and sent reeling by the undulating tentacles that lashed out from the gelatinous thing. The formless slime gurgled as it raised its appendages and slammed down on my muse. Light burst from her armor. She rolled to the side, almost propelled by energy coming out of her.

I had to distract it. I had to stun it. I plunged my hand into my robe. I needed to power my magic. My fingers plunged into my pussy, gathering my juice as I shouted, “Rithi, paint an image of profound beauty for his appreciation!”

My magic surged out at the formless thing as my hand squeezed tight about my amulet. The power rippled through the air, pulsing through my body. I would daze it with an image of pure beauty. It would stand there in a stupor.

The thing gurgled. It contorted as my magic hit it. Its appendages quivered for a moment. Giving Ealaín a chance to gain her feet. She rose with grace in her glowing armor. She brandished her weapons forged of light. The formless slime rippled. It quivered and shook while poor Theophil died inside of it.

But it kept moving. It recovered. Somehow, it wasn’t distracted by beauty. Because… could the thing even see? It had no eyes? How did it sense the world? By just feeling the air vibrations? Or did it just not have the intelligence to appreciate beauty? Was it too mindless for it to work?

I hoped illusions would work. I hoped it could see. If not… I was useless. I couldn’t help Ealaín save that poor man.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ealaín

I was back on my feet, hacking, slashing, doing nothing to help the poor man dying in there. Such a welter of frustration surged through me as my hammer and ax landed with no effect. It was like striking water. The formless blob absorbed my impacts but I didn’t do anything to it. I couldn’t cut it. Whatever little mars to the surface my ax left melted away the moment I pulled back.

My heart sank. I couldn’t save Theophil. He didn’t thrash inside anymore. He was drowning and dissolving. He was dead. Failure pierced my heart with cold heat. I groaned as around me, other battles raged.

Greta fought an emaciated bear-thing, sweeping waves of water at it from her sword, the young girl backing away, out of her depth. She had magical armor, but she didn’t know how to fight. Flames crackled as Nathalie battled a segmented centipede abomination that scuttled across the ground in the corner, snapping at her with sharp jaws while Sven danced around Prince Meinard’s swing. Insects buzzed, a swarm chasing Zanyia as she bounded along the perimeter.

I felt so useless. I couldn’t help Greta as she shrieked and threw another panicked wave of water before her with a wild swing of her sword. The ooze lashed out with its appendages again, recovered from Kora’s spell. I battered down the plunged limbs, driving them back. They melted into its body only to reform and fire out at me from other directions. Its beige form crept at me.

I felt it… hungering for me. It wanted to wrap about me and dissolve me.

“Damn your creator!” I howled. “I hope Dauthaz punishes Biomancer Vebrin’s souls with razors and hooks!”

It quivered and gurgled, “Amulet. Amulet. Father!”

I shuddered at the words as it oozed towards me. It reared up, arms reaching, lashing out at me and… No, at Kora. It wanted my radiant. She had the phylactery. This thing must have spotted it about her neck.

“Rithi’s inspiring art!” I cursed as I knocked back another appendage. Its creeping progress forced me to retreat. The thing could just swallow me with its bulk. “Kora! It’s after you! Run!”

The creature burbled and then surged forward at me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sven Falk

Prince Meinard swung with reckless rage. I felt the passage of his iron sword. Lights burst from Ealaín. Fires crackled from Nathalie. All I could do was dodge and flow around Prince Meinard. I couldn’t hurt him.

So, I needed to immobilize him. Somehow.

I had to lure him out of here. The wild swings of his sword hissed through the air. Other fights raged. My women danced and fought the Biomancer’s foul creations. The quarters were growing too tight. I couldn’t defeat the bastard in here, and if I stayed, his brutal attacks might harm one of my wives.

He wouldn’t steal another person I loved from me.

I retreated for the battered open doors of the temple. Prince Meinard chased me, his metallic race brimming with fury. His body groaned and creaked as he swung. Every step was heavy. His body must way a hundred stones or more. So much weight. Could I use that? Could I lure him somewhere that would collapse?

“She! Is! Mine!” howled the berserk prince. “MINE!”

“Then why did she cum so hard on my cock while begging me to breed her?” I asked, grinning at him before I flowed back a few feet towards the door.

Shadows danced at my feet. They writhed and undulated. I seized them. My armor let me do such interesting things. I remembered fighting the assassin. He used shadows effectively. To blind. To distract.

Could I do the same?

I’d find out.

“Her pussy milked my cock for all my seed,” I taunted. “She worshiped me with her body.”

“She WORSHIPED me!” he bellowed, his voice ringing like a mighty bell.

“Did she? Or did she just submit to your lusts to spy on you?” I asked. “Did she play the dutiful daughter because she was feeding me information about your patrols? Your activities?

“Your lodestone?”

He quivered for a moment.

“That’s right. I destroyed your army. Your ambition. I stole it all away with her help. When your daughter rules Kivoneth after your dead, I’ll be standing at her side!”

I backed out of the temple as he charged after me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prince Meinard

Shadows danced and swirled about the thieving bastard. A rage I hadn’t felt since my wife’s death filled me. That impotent fury that compelled me to curse the gods and turn my back on them, to forge my own path to conquest.

Never would he rule my kingdom. Ava was mine. She was my sweetling. He bewitched her. Befuddled her innocent mind. No wonder she was so skilled at sucking cock and so eager to take my dick in her asshole. She was corrupted by him. He stole her virginity. Her purity. He turned my daughter into a whore.

I would kill him.

People screamed as I followed him outside. My sword hacked and slashed as I tried to reach him. A blur of gray streaked before me, sweeping death. If only I could reach him. He kept moving, the inky darkness crawling up his legs. It surged around him.

A man screamed as my sword hacked through his arm. A woman gasped as my blade severed her leg. I didn’t care how many of my citizens I butchered to get to him. Sven’s face twisted as he looked around at the people fleeing through the street from me.

Distracted by the carnage.

I lunged out at him, throwing my iron body forward with all my strength. I thrust my sword before me, becoming a lance aimed right at his heart. He cursed and flowed out of the way. I hurtled past him, crashing into a wagon. Wood burst around me. Sacks of grain tore, filling the air with white dust. I didn’t care. I whirled around in a spray of millet, searching for Sven.

He stood alone, the people fleeing from him.

This wasn’t working. He was too fast. I had to use that against him. I had to feint him into a move that would get him killed. I had to think. I needed my cold passion back. He was goading me. Taunting me with that smirk, claiming my daughter was pregnant with his son.

She was pregnant with mine! I fucked her! I bred her. I pumped my seed into her before he tricked her into fleeing. He enchanted her. I would save her. But not if I let him keep me angry. I faced him, studying the terrain. I needed some place narrow. I had to drive him into an alley where he couldn’t escape my attacks.

I needed to swing with precision and care.

I advanced.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Harem’s Battle

Kora Falk

I couldn’t flee. I had to stand my ground and fight. But… the slime surging at me gave me hope. It could see. It glimpsed the ruby I clutched in my hand. It knew its creator’s soul quivered in my grip, and it wanted it.

So, I needed to give it what it wanted. “Rithi, bless my sexual juices and let them paint new beauty in the world.”

“No, Kora, run!” Ealaín shouted as my pussy clenched about my fingers probing into my depths.

My pussy juices would be my paint. I ripped my hand free, fingers spread wide. Ealaín had taught me so much about illusions. She showed me that I could fool even faeries. I could definitely trick this monstrosity.

At the same moment I wrapped myself up in an illusion of invisibility, blending myself in with the surrounding terrain, I sent a doppelganger of myself darting to the right, racing around the formless ooze towards the door, my hand squeezing tight about the amulet.

“Track it,” I muttered beneath my breath. “Rithi, please.”

I couldn’t quite describe how I knew the thing followed my illusion. It didn’t have a head or eyes. It didn’t turn its bulbous body to follow my illusions sprint. But somehow I could tell it shifted its awareness. I stopped the illusion to its left, I puppeteered it, painting its actions as my fingers wiggled.

My illusion shook the amulet.

“Come on, go for it,” I muttered, the magic of my spell flowing out of me. “Leave yourself open.”

The appendages drew back into its body for a moment then erupted from the other side. Ealaín was clear to attack it as the thick, goopy limbs surged at my illusion. I jolted my form into action to dodge away from the attack.

But not fast enough.

As Ealaín slammed her ax as hard as she could into the monster, its limb smacked my illusion. It broke apart into a scintillating web of rainbowed light, its appendage passing through it harmlessly. The amulet twinged in my left hand as my right wiggled my fingers, trying to maintain the spell.

It vanished, disrupted too much by its touch.

Ealaín’s ax embedded into the monster’s body. It was a good blow, the best she’d landed, and her ax hardly penetrated. At the same moment, it rippled, drawing in the limbs that struck my illusion. A great gurgle burst out of it, almost sounding like bubbles rising out of tar.

“TRICK!” it burbled. “TRICK! TRICK!”

“Las’s putrid cum!” snarled Ealaín. “I can’t hurt it at all!”

“AMULET!” the thing called in its disgusting voice. Its entire body writhed.

Beyond, fires exploded from Nathalie. The girl shrieked in panic as something writhing leapt burning out of her flames. I wanted to help her, too. I didn’t know what to do. It didn’t matter if I could distract the thing with illusions if Ealaín couldn’t harm it.

What do to? Nathalie and Greta were in trouble. Sven darted out of the temple leading Prince Meinard. A horde of buzzing insects chased Zanyia. This was all a mess. I needed to think, to form a plan and—

“Master!” a new voice shouted.

Carsina charged past me, her red streaming behind her. She held Ava’s diamond hammer in her hand, raising it to attack. She rushed right at the formless ooze as it contorted and gurgled. Light glinted off her hammer, reflecting the fires burning around Nathalie.

The ooze’s body bulged, about to slam its appendages at the unarmored Carsina.

“No!” I shouted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zanyia

The buzzing insects surged down at me. My ears twitched. Master had a good plan. I couldn’t keep dodging the thing in the temple’s grand hall. I had to escape. I had to get outside and away from the buzzing swarm before it engulfed me.

“Morsel, don’t flee!” the swarm hummed, speaking as one.

My skin crawled.

I leaped, not making a sound, my leather straps absorbing everything. They were amazing, the perfect thing for a hunter to wear and utterly useless against the insects chasing after me. The straps didn’t even cover my flesh. Most of me was exposed. If that thing got to me…

I didn’t want to be stung to death by a horde of flies.

I burst out the ruined doors into the screaming outside. Citizens fled, some lying hacked and dying. Prince Meinard crashed into a wagon as I landed. I didn’t have time to worry about him. Master could handle him. I had to survive.

I couldn’t serve my Master, my husband, if I were dead.

With a mighty leap, I soared across the street. The air hissed past me. I almost felt like a hawk soaring through the sky. My arc carried me up over the top of a three story building, landing upon its peaked roof. I hit the slate tiles and landed with a soundless impact. I darted for the chimney, pressing my body behind it.

A moment later, I heard the buzz of the insects burst out of the temple. I held myself still. I didn’t have to worry about noise. I just had to stay still and think. What could I do to deal with an entire horde of insects. What was good about that.

The sound of the buzzing swarm grew diffused. Not quiet like it moved away, but more that the noise spread out in every direction as… as it split apart. I let out a silent groan, the noise swallowed by my armor.

It didn’t have to stay together.

I wanted to peak out. To see what it was doing, but I couldn’t. I needed to stay here and think. What did insects hate? The rain. They didn’t fly when it was raining. How could I make it rain? I didn’t control the weather. I needed to channel water.

Greta’s armor? Could I—

A fly buzzed before my face. It hovered there for a moment and I heard a tiny, humming laugh coming from it.

I hissed and swatted it with the side of my katar. Its broken body slammed into the slate tiles at my feet.

Behind me, a mighty buzz grew volume. In anger.

“Las putrid cum!” I screamed and not a sound came from my mouth.

I leaped from my hiding spot as the swarm rose behind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Princess Ava

I ran so fast, blurring down the street. The crowd of fleeing people suddenly thinned before me. Aingeal didn’t need to clear us a route any longer. Before the Temple of Krab, Sven and my father fought while Zanyia leaped down from the roof, a growing swarm of insects hurtling in her wake. The swarm became a dense cloud, almost solid.

It buzzed with hunger for her. The droning sound vibrating the air. The lamia raced on all fours down the street, moving on silent steps. Her tail swished behind her as the insects boiled after her, the dark cloud of death coming closer.

“I bet they’re poisonous,” Aingeal said.

“Does it matter?” I asked, shocked that a swarm of insects was one of our enemies. The Biomancer created such disgusting things.

“No,” Aingeal said. I felt her concentrating as I raced to help.

A beam of purple energy fired from my mouth. It was almost like I breathed it, only it was Aingeal’s magic. The lance slammed into the sword. The insects burst away from it, opening a hole in their center to let it past through.

Another beam fired, and a third. The swarm’s insects dispersed before it, darting to the right and left, up and down. They spilled and tumbled, moving together in a mass like smoke curling around invisible walls as they reformed higher up in the air.

Annoyance quivered through Aingeal’s soul. “Cernere’s black fingers! I didn’t kill a single one of them!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sven Falk

I spotted what I needed: a well.

The city of Az, like many cities, had community wells, places for the residence of their neighborhoods to draw water. And one lay a block away. A deep shaft that led to water far below. The perfect place to trap the murdering bastard.

I backed down the street as I said, “Did Ava ever suck your dick clean after you fucked her asshole? She loves doing that for me.”

Prince Meinard didn’t growl or bellow. He slashed his sword at me from the left, forcing me to dart to right. He followed up with another swing and a third, driving me away from my retreat and towards the side of the street.

I frowned at his actions. What was he doing? Where was his anger? His swings held purpose. The recklessness was gone. My brow furrowed as his next attack made me roll towards the side of street again.

Towards the mouth of an alley.

Clever.

“She cleans my dick like a champ,” I said, tensing for the next swing of his sword to hurtle at me. “Just cleans off every bit of her asshole before begging me to cum on her face.”

He swung a smidge too hard, his metal teeth grinding together.

I flowed like shadows beneath it, rolling back out towards the center of the street. As I came up, I sent out the darkness around my feet racing towards the well. It merged into the long shadows cast by the buildings on the left side of the street, the sun setting behind them. I reached the well, covering it, hiding it.

It vanished into inky darkness.

“Did she ever wake you up by sucking your dick?” I asked as I retreated backward.

He glared at me.

“What, did you think I’d fall for your obvious feint towards the alley?” I moved behind the well as he turned to face me, my shadows obscuring it. I let myself blend in, too, fading most of my body away, leaving only my skin and blond hair exposed. “Do you think I am an idiot?”

“You’re a thief!” he snarled. “And a coward. You hid in the shadows that night, too, didn’t you.” He marched towards me, a rusting laugh echoing from his body. “It’s been a year, hasn’t it? Since I was last in Az. Since I burned your family. Such a tragic accident. Your parents, that sister of yours.”

I grit my teeth against the anger. The rage beat in my heart. A part of me wanted to burst around the well and fight him.

“I heard them screaming for help,” he continued, advancing. “Your sister was in the window, shouting at my soldiers to save her. They fired arrows at her, not to hit her, but to drive her back into the inferno.”

My body shook.

“She screamed and screamed as she burned.”

“So will you!” I bellowed.

His iron lips twisted in a grin. He drew back his sword and then charged at me.

He ran into the hidden well. He grunted in shock as he struck the barrier. His iron torso pitched forward. His weight carried him down into the well. His body rang as he banged against the side. A great splash echoed.

The shadows melted away, revealing the stone lip of the well. I leaned over, peering down at him. A part of me wanted to leap down after him. To cut him apart. Katriana screamed in my mind, begging me to act.

“I will burn you alive,” I growled. “You will scream like my sister did!”

He roared his rage as I looked away. My other women were still fighting. I needed to help them. Prince Meinard would have to wait. Next time, he wouldn’t have his proxy to hide behind. I would meet him in the flesh.

Insects buzzed as purple energy lanced through the swarm. I frowned. What was going on there?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aingeal

“No!” I hissed as another blast of evocation spirits howled through the swarm of insects without hitting anything. That was so annoying of them.

“Thanks!” Zanyia yowled as she ran towards us.

“Watch out!” Ava shouted through feyhound muzzle. “Aingeal!”

The insect swarm, which I thought I had at least distracted from swarming at Zanyia, recoiled then hurtled down at her. A darkness fell over the lamia. A great, hungry maw seeking to devour her. She ran faster, but it wasn’t enough.

The cloud of buzzing death engulfed her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prince Meinard

Water sloshed around me as I gained my feet. I flexed fingers. Everything still moved. My heavy body survived the twenty foot plunge down the well. I stared up at the circle, seeing Sven looking over me. He cursed and moved out of sight.

He thought this would stop me. I stared at the stone walls. I grinned at the uneven texture. The footholds and hand grips. My body had strength. It had endurance. It didn’t grow tired. My muscles didn’t fatigue.

I climbed.

My iron feet slammed into the crevasses, battering into the stones to work deeper. My free hand reached up, clawing at the next grip and pulling my body higher. I ground my teeth, working my way higher and higher. I would gut Sven. I would see his entrails spill out before me.

He would die screaming like that bitch-sister of his.

I worked higher and higher. The lip came closer and closer. I lunged up for it, thrusting up with my powerful legs, gripping my sword in my right hand. My left snagged the rim. Metallic fingers scratched against stone.

I pulled hard.

The momentum hurtled my iron body out of the well. I burst out to see Sven curse and whirl around. I gripped my sword in both hands and fell upon him standing before the well like a meteor. I swung my sword down at him.

I would cut him in twain!

To be continued…

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