This story was split into 10 parts. Jump to any of the segments from here:
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Note: This story was originally submitted as one long story
and it was only broken into 10 parts for faster page loading.

"We should be arriving in Castle Hloffeth in an hour, partner!" Roberto yelled.

"Got it!" Atrus replied. "The Dwarves know we're here, so we can expect a welcoming committee!"

"Like a flying battle-axe?!" Hawk asked jokingly as Aurelia waved her trophy, the old rusted battle-axe that she 'collected' earlier.

"Uh... No, I don't think so..." Atrus answered.

"Well, we'll find out soon enough..."

The chamber was cold. It was supposed to be cold. It gave... a special meaning.

The demon stood alone inside the chamber. Several figures stood in the room, their eyes fixed, staring into empty spaces. Their rigid bodies decorated the otherwise-dull chamber. The statuettes, made as the memoir of many great heroes, had lost their purpose.

"Come! I summon you!" The demon roared.

A thick mist appeared before him. The mist subsided, revealing a figure of a beautiful maid. Her slim body shivered from the chill. Her beautiful eyes found the dark man and showed great fear.

"Worry not, my dear..."

"D... don't hurt me..." The girl pleaded.

"I won't... In fact, I can't hurt your body... I can only wound your soul..."

Invisible shackles seized her limbs and pulled her taut. She was soon hanging spread-eagled in the air, unable to escape. She desperately tried her restraints, only to find that they were holding her firmly. Her body shook in fear as the dark man approached, still wearing his cloak.

"What a lovely soul you are..."

With a jerk he tore her maid suit in half, revealing her slim body. Her firm breasts stood proudly, slightly hidden by the satin bra. With a rough tug, the bra was gone, and her breasts came free. She shivered and moaned in fear as the cold touch of his finger teased and tormented her sensitive skin.

"Please..."

"Ah... how... weak..."

Without a warning, the demon slipped his finger inside her panties and into her pussy. She jerked as the chill hit her tender skin, followed by the sensation of terrible agony. She wailed in pain as the demon tormented her. It didn't take too long until the pain became unbearable and she fainted.

The demon was extremely pleased with the reaction. The play went just as planned. Slowly he disrobed, letting his cloak fall on the floor. He grabbed the maid's small waist and quickly thrust his cock deep inside her pussy. The sudden chill sent her back to the reality and she let out a long wail of agony. He showed no mercy and the torture started immediately. He maintained a slow rhythm, pumping his member inside and outside of her, therefor maintaining her agony. He relaxed the shackles, letting her thrashing body entertain him. Every time the maid was about to faint, he twisted her nipples, sending her back to reality. The torture went on until he reached his peak and shot his load inside her.

The girl slumped back on her bondage. Her vagina muscles had turned numb from the terrible cold. Her head swung frantically in the air. The demon held her twisting head and forced her to look straight at him. For the first time she finally took a close look at her captor, and the horror came to her. She wailed and wailed as fear overcame her...

The demon waved his hand, and the girl vanished.

Yet he could hear her fear. He could feel her endless agony. The horror had been printed, and it would not be removed. It was destined to be eternal, except, of course, if he said otherwise...

He smiled...

The Dwarven Kingdom of Seraphim was the biggest Dwarven kingdom in the realm. Located east of the Kingdom of Aragon, Kastore had been Aragon's closest neighbor and ally. Unlike the Elves, the Dwarves welcomed warm relationship with the Humans. The alliance had lasted for ages and both races had been quite close to each other. The border was almost nonexistent, and both races could settle down in each other's territory.

However, the Humans would be greatly discouraged when moving to the new land. The Land of the Dwarves was almost completely barren. Rocky ground and mountainous range dominated the landscape. Unlike Humans, Dwarves rarely farmed. They found delight in staying near their beloved metal mines, where most Humans found this dull and annoying. This created a nice trading opportunity to both nations. The Humans would import ores and metals from the Dwarves and exported farming products.

Dwarves were about one-third shorter than average Humans. Their bodies were usually bigger and fatter too. The legend said that Dwarves used to stay deep beneath the ground, closer to the center of the earth. They had stayed there for ages mining their precious metals, and had suffered from gravity many times larger than the Humans, who had been staying on the earth's surface from the beginning. This theory was accepted as a valid explanation on why the Dwarves were so short. Yet inside their small bodies was power stronger than normal Humans were. A Dwarf with an axe was just as dangerous as a mountain Ogre after its winter hibernation.

They arrived at Castle Hloffeth, the capital of Seraphim an hour later. The Dwarves welcomed them warmly before the castle gate, although they looked at the dragons in annoyance. Dwarves hated dragons. They were excellent foot soldiers, but they couldn't do anything against flying enemies. During the history, Aragon had always lent the Dwarves its legions of archers if the Dwarves were under attack by dragons.

A welcoming committee waited patiently near the castle gate as the dragons landed before them. The party dismounted quickly and approached the waiting Dwarves.

"Fellow Humans!" One of the Dwarves, wearing neat, formal attire, welcomed them. "We greet you, faithful allies. My name is..."

"Omar, the minister of foreign affairs of the Kingdom of Seraphim." Roberto smiled. "Omar... You're still the same..."

The Dwarf's face brightened. "Prince Roberto of Aragon...?! What a surprise! I didn't know that you're here! Look how much you've grown! And... you're... different...!"

"Ah, indeed." Roberto nodded and gestured at his friends. "These wonderful friends of mine changed my life." He introduced them one by one. "They are the real delegation."

"Very nice to meet you, Sir White Lion, Lady Freesland and Lady Murdock." Omar bowed slightly. "Your names have been well known even here in Seraphim."

Anna bowed. "Really, you're too kind." She said.

"And we have another surprise!" The Dwarf announced, gesturing at Aurelia. "It's been quite a long time since we had an envoy from the Elves of Elom. I hope everything is going well back home, especially with your mother."

"Thank you." The Elf-girl replied politely.

"Come, my friends. King Parson is expecting you in the throne room." Omar announced.

Castle Hloffeth was a majestic fortress built on top of a small hill, overlooking the capital city of Hloffeth. It was named after Hloffeth, the first king of the Dwarves who had merged hundreds of Dwarven tribes across the barren land into a kingdom. The majestic castle had been built from the finest material extracted from many underground mines and quarries. The design was simple, consisting of the main building and four castle wings, facing the four directions. Guard towers circled the palace complex, giving ample protection from airborne attackers.

Yet, the magnificence lay inside the castle. The party couldn't help but admire the interior of the main hall. Beautiful stone statuettes and sculptures decorated the spacious room, giving the sense of wonder to the visitors, regardless of their races. Numerous chandeliers and torches along the walls seemed to animate the statues to life. A pair of stairways was fixed on either sides of the room, leading to the palace wings. A heavy yet richly decorated stone double door led to the throne room.

Here the party separated. Maya volunteered to take care of their stuff. Hawk and Aurelia quickly offered their help. Atrus, Roberto, and Aurelia are the representatives of the three nations, so Omar insisted that they had to attend the audience. Atrus also insisted Anna to come with them for this. So far, only Anna had the necessary talent and experience in diplomacy.

The throne room was also magnificent. The half-circle meeting area dominated the room, with the throne on the middle of the half-circle. The chairs and tables were made of fine oak, probably imported from the vast forest in western Aragon. The throne itself was made of fine wood adorned with ivories. A circular glass-covered ceiling let the sunlight in, making a patch of light at the center of the room. The room was full with the royal members. The Dwarves in formal suits sat along the tables, staring at the party. King Parson, sitting on his throne, smiled at them.

"Welcome to Seraphim, my friends. I hope your journey was fine." The king announced.

"All is well, your majesty." Anna said in her best diplomatic tone.

"Ah... You must be Lady Freesland from Aragon." The king guessed. "You are even more beautiful than tales could tell."

Anna blushed at the compliment. "You're too kind, your majesty." She drew a deep breath. "Please let me introduce my companions..."

"Yes, I've known most of them." King Parson quickly said. "Sir White Lion... Your exploits are well known throughout our land. It's an honor to meet you."

"The honor is all mine." Atrus answered politely.

The king turned to Roberto. "I hope everything is well with your father, Prince Roberto?"

"My father is well, your majesty, thank you."

"And what do we have here?" The king gestured at Aurelia.

"My name is Aurelia, the princess and future queen of the Elves of Elom, your majesty."

"Welcome to my kingdom." King Parson smiled, then turned to the party. "I have received the word of your arrival. Do you have the scroll?"

Anna produced the alliance proposal scroll from her backpack and gave it to the king who, to everybody's surprise, refused to accept it.

"Y... Your majesty...?" Anna said in confusion.

"I have no need to read the contents. "The king answered flatly. "If old Edward wants an alliance, tell them that I accept!"

"What...?!" Roberto completely forgot about the diplomatic tongue. "So fast...?!"

"The Human and Dwarven kingdoms have been friends for many years." Omar the Dwarf explained. "After what our loyal ally has done to our people, we will accept any proposals whatever the terms are. The Dwarfs are honored to join your cause against the demons."

"But..." The king quickly added, "despite your great deeds, I have to test your ability as the envoys of the Guardian." The king stared particularly at Atrus. "I want you to do a task for me."

"What do you wish us to do?" Anna asked.

Omar approached the party. "Probably some of you are familiar with the geographical detail of our land. Our land is mostly barren ground, rocky mountains, and arid plains. Mining is our main source of living. To the west lie the fertile land of Aragon, where Humans settle down. To the east is the vast, unending Desert of Desolation, an uncharted and dangerous land. And to the north is the wild, treacherous Northern Ocean.

"For many years the desert to the east has been a haven for beasts and raiders. The Desert of Desolation has been a nightmare for our people. Ever since our founder King Hloffeth tamed the raider tribes along the perimeter of the desert, the Desert of Desolation has been proclaimed as part of the Forbidden Land. However, over the past years the desert seemed to possess more threat to our land. Just a few month ago, we discovered the source of the trouble."

Omar took a moment to regain his breath. "Many centuries ago, the desert was a part of the territory owned by an ancient civilization called Salthi. But for some odd reasons, the Salthi was wiped out. Their ancient city was the only thing left, and for many years it had been populated by beasts and many foul folks. A few years ago, a lone wizard came to the ancient city of the Salthi to put an end to the threat. Then the rest of the story is mostly myth. It is said that the wizard was overwhelmed and decided to lock himself along with all the monsters inside an impenetrable structure, so the monsters could not escape. With the rest of his magical power, he summoned a giant pyramid to rise and cover the ancient city, thus trapping the monsters inside. The wizard himself was never seen again."

The king continued the story. "Lately, the land around the pyramid, the Pyramid of Salthi it was called, has grown to the most dangerous land in Seraphim. We have many mines around the area and the workers are afraid of the pyramid. They claimed that the pyramid possesses a terrible curse to those who enter or disturb the trapped occupants. If the mining operation in that area is disturbed, our war effort will be greatly affected, and we can't devote our resource to the alliance.

"I want you to go there and investigate the matter." The king finally said. "Discover the mystery of the pyramid and do whatever you can to end the curse, if it really exists. If the area around the pyramid is secured, our mining operation can continue, and our alliance will prosper."

"Do you have any idea of the pyramid's threat?" Aurelia asked.

"We have many cases of sudden sickness and hallucinations." Omar answered. "Those are normal for miners working deep underground, but the close proximity to the pyramid enhanced the rumor of the pyramid's curse. Honestly, we don't know what you will expect inside. Be very careful."

(next)

This story was split into 10 parts. Jump to any of the segments from here:
1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10
Note: This story was originally submitted as one long story
and it was only broken into 10 parts for faster page loading.

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