Belar the Mighty: The Lost Sister Ch. 03

"Please, please don—" the man started before the thud of Belar's hammer silenced his plea.

His fury was so strong, that he actually started to walk out of the clearing and back towards the forest trail, intent on tackling the beast they had barely escaped hours ago.

"Belar?" a strained voice called out behind him, tugging at his cloudy consciousness, "Belar... don't leave..."

Belar turned towards the voice and her tear-stricken face brought him back. A flood of foreign emotions filled the void left behind. He closed the distance between them in a few strides.

"Bel... Belar," the priestess stammered, "Are you... okay?"

"Aye, the rage is passing," he replied as he knelt beside the wounded priestess.

"G... good," she replied. Without warning, the priestess wrapped her arms around his neck and locked him in a firm hug. "Thank you."

The action left Belar thunderstruck. All the fighting and training did nothing to prepare him for this. After a long moment, her grip ceased and she pulled away. Her eyes widened when she saw the tears he knew were forming in his own eyes. He quickly brushed the moisture away.

"Stupid bugs," he stated, looking away. "I, uh, suppose we should get moving."

"Yes, I suppose so." Taria replied and Belar turned back to see a hint of a smile on her face. The smirk was immediately replaced with a cringe of pain as she attempted to rise.

"Let me," he said and slid one arm under her legs and the other around her shoulders.

He lifted her with ease and turned them back towards the clearing.

"That... you... how?" the priestess sputtered as she looked across the carnage that had once been four bandits.

"I don't know," Belar responded honestly.

He could not remember the blood rage ever taking him like that. The devastation was magnificent, even by his standards. The medicine men of Athys would have been lucky to piece together a single man from the body parts that still remained. He felt the priestess' gaze on him and also felt the blood rushing into his cheeks. He set off across the bloody clearing, refusing to return the look in fear of how he would respond. Amur be damned, he was acting like a bloody stable boy!

Belar easily guided them back to where Taria's horse lay. He did his best to focus on their next course of action, but his mind was incessantly drawn to the firm, lithe woman lying in his arms. The mere touch of her arm around his neck drove him crazy, and he could not fathom why. More than once, he mentally scolded himself and commanded his mind to focus! Only to become more frustrated when his mind and body ignored the order. The whole ordeal was so mentally exhausting that he was actually relieved when they reached the trail and he finally was able to set her down.

"Let me get one of the potions," he said, turning towards her horse.

"Thank you."

He took a step towards the horse and stopped, wanting to smack himself. The potions were in his bloody pouch now! He sheepishly reached into the pouch at his waist and pulled the remaining healing potion free, hoping the priestess failed to realize his foolishness. The look on her face suggested she hadn't.

"Uh, here you go."

"Thank you," she replied again, not commenting on the oversight.

The priestess pulled the stopper free and downed the contents. Taria's eyes widened with anticipation for a moment before her tears flooded back. A face took on a resolute look and Belar watched her begin to rock back and forth. He knew that pain and he was impressed at how well she was taking it. This was a strong woman. For the first time since this all began, Belar acknowledged to himself how much he appreciated her companionship on this journey. That realization was astounding. He was a man who needed no one, and all this woman had been so far was a hindrance! Why in Amur's name would he be grateful for her presence?

Refusing to dwell on the uncomfortable thoughts, he turned to the nickering horse. Taria's horse was still one the ground and after a thorough check, he concluded the horse was lame in the front left leg. The horse would be of no further use on this journey, and he doubted it would survive long after they left. It would be a kindness to put the animal down quickly. Belar sighed and began to pull his hammer free once more.

"Wait!"

The exclamation halted the action and Belar turned towards the priestess.

"Give... give me a... moment," Taria said through clenched teeth, "I... I can see... to the animal."

The last few pieces of the puzzle slid into place. That was why the horse's neck was not broken! It had been the priestess. Belar stood there awkwardly for a moment, not really knowing how to comfort the woman or the horse. Instead, he fell back into what he did know and began a quick sweep of the immediate area. He doubted any other bandits would be present, but he needed to do something.

When he returned, he found the priestess was kneeling beside the horse, her hands working a complex pattern above the horse's wounded leg. Her whispering was barely perceptible from this distance and he could not make out what she was saying. His disdain for priestly magic kept him from moving any closer and he watched as she finished the ritual. When Taria's hands finally slowed, she climbed to her feet and the horse followed suit. Belar had to admit, he was impressed.

"That's useful," Belar said as he walked towards them.

A smile lit up her face in response, and Belar blushed like a stable boy for the second time that day.

"I, uh, are you okay?" he said, trying to regain some semblance of control.

"Yes, thank you again. Those men..." she trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.

The thought alone threatened to reignite his fury.

"Pitiful men. Too weak to serve in the guard and too pathetic to find honest work," Belar said with disgust.

Taria nodded and he saw the approval in her eyes, "Well, at least they will not harm anyone else."

That was an understatement, Belar thought.

"Can you ride?" Belar asked, nodding towards her leg.

"Yes," she replied and smoothly mounted the now upright animal as if to accentuate the point.

The horse nickered in response, apparently just as excited to be walking once more.

"Is your horse?" Taria asked, looking around.

"Gone," Belar said without emotion.

Moisture filled the priestess' eyes as she nodded solemnly, "And that... thing?"

"Gone as well."

"Wh—what was it?"

"I've no idea, but I'm guessing it is why no hunters return from deep in the forest."

He did not fault the priestess for the fear she showed as she looked back the way they had come. He was ashamed to admit that he had felt the same fear himself.

"What now?" she asked.

"Well, bandits mean we must be getting close to the northern edge," Belar explained, "If we follow the trail, it should take us out near the Onekyh's cave."

Taria nodded, "How far?"

"I am not sure," Belar shrugged, "I am not as familiar with this area of the forest."

A look of realization crossed Taria's face, "Are you okay to walk?"

"Aye, I don't usually ride through the forest anyways," Belar said with a laugh, "Tends to scare the animals."

Taria looked at him perplexed for a moment before a look of comprehension crossed her face as she remembered he often hunted these woods. To cover up the oversight, she flicked the reins on her horse and started down the trail without another word.

Belar was thankful for the silence as he struggled to come to terms with the jumble of emotions he was experiencing. The effect this woman was having on him was incomprehensible. She rode beside him, back straight and a confident look on her face. The same woman who had experienced a dire attack, survived an encounter with the forsaken beast that lived deep in this forest, and had nearly been raped and killed by bandits. Amur be damned, he was a little shaken from it all. Yet, here she sat, riding towards a cave full of Onekyh, and somehow looking confident. The whole thing left him awestruck, and Belar was a little thankful when a much more recognizable emotion began to emerge—lust.

That is not to say that Belar did not feel some guilt at his natural reaction to watching her ride. The way her legs gripped the horse, the curves of her hips, and most of all, the unmistakable bounce of her bosom as she rode. It all added up to a bulge in his trousers that was becoming more pronounced by the minute.

Belar tried to turn his attention from the priestess and refocus his attention on their journey. Thoughts of what they would do when they reached the forest's edge, how they would get into the Onekyh's cave, how they would find her sister, all flashed through his mind. Yet, it always came back to those bloody bouncing tits and worst of all, to the events of this morning. His quick glances slowly morphed into open stares. Even the priestess was not that oblivious to her surroundings.

"Yes?" she asked finally.

"Uh, nothing, I was just wondering, uh, how the leg was doing?" Belar asked, trying to cover his tracks.

"It's fine," Taria replied and shifted the leg around a bit as if to affirm the statement.

"Great," Belar replied and felt stupid when he failed to come up with anything else conversational.

Taria gave him a confused look, "Do you think we are getting close?"

"Aye," he replied, thankful for something to talk about, "See how the trees are thinning."

The priestess glanced around and nodded in understanding.

"If I am right, we should be getting close to a small lake. The forest's edge is only half an hour or so further."

As if on cue, they rounded a bend in the trail and spotted a lake in the clearing up ahead. Belar's chest swelled a bit.

"Wow..." Taria said with genuine surprise.

"That would be the lake," Belar bragged, acting as if he had expected it to be just around the corner all along.

"Uhm," Taria started hesitantly, "Do you... think we could stop for a moment?"

"Stop?"

"Yes, I wouldn't mind cleaning up a bit." Taria responded, somewhat abashed.

It was then that Belar became fully aware of just how bloody he was. His clothing was practically caked in both dire and bandit blood. Taria was not nearly as bad, but she had not escaped the carnage in the clearing unscathed. In reality, they looked pretty haggard, even if the priestess still somehow managed to shine through the muck.

"Good idea. I would not mind cleaning up a bit myself."

The look on Taria's face indicated that she had been planning on requesting he do just that. With that, the two travelers veered towards the lake, to do something Belar so often neglected—take a bath.

The realization hit him as Taria gracefully dismounted, the priestess was about to clean up... Did that mean she was going to disrobe? His prick immediately shot to attention and his vision fixated on the object of its desire. His devious mind also sprang into action.

"I, uh, don't think we should separate," Belar stated.

"What?" Taria responded in surprise.

"Well, this close to the forest's edge, and, uh, with the bandits..."

"Oh," Taria replied, her face darkening in thought, "I... guess that makes sense."

The priestess looked at the lake for a moment with indecision.

"Why don't you go there," she said finally, pointing to their left, "And I will go over here."

Belar nodded, "Just stay within sight. I don't want any surprises."

She nodded back, and the deep red that filled her cheeks was incredibly alluring. Belar turned towards the lake before she became aware of the noticeable bulge in his pants. When he neared the lake, he glanced in her direction and saw that she had also reached the lake's edge. He could not peel his eyes away as she pulled her tunic free. Somehow, even her bare back sent shivers through his body. He quickly shifted his gaze forward when she turned her head towards him. Amazingly, he removed his boots and blood-stained trousers before giving in to the overwhelming desire to turn back. When he did, he was rewarded with a glimpse of her naked breast as she waded into the lake. He knew then that he was going to have to take care of himself before they left the lake. He looked down at his prick, now pointing skyward. There was no way he could fight like this, and there would probably be more fighting on this journey.

Belar tugged his filthy tunic over his head and entered the lake himself. The water was cool, but even it could not diminish what looking at the priestess had started. Not a man to bathe often, he comically splashed a bit of water over himself in an attempt to clear the dried blood and dirt. All the while, his attention remained on anything but his own body. More than once, his glances were greeted by Taria also glancing in his direction. He would sheepishly turn back, a little embarrassed. That embarrassment would disappear quickly though, and the result left him sneaking another peek. After a series of glances, Belar resolved to focus on bathing and, to his credit, lasted a few minutes.

He was so focused on not peeking that he completely failed to hear Taria's approach. Her touch on his back startled him to the point that his trained reflexes kicked in and he swung around so powerfully that the priestess was sent staggering backwards. Her arms flailed against the water as she fell beneath the lake's surface. Her head reappeared a moment later and she started coughing up the ingested water.

"S—sorry," he stammered, not thinking about her nudity for the first time in quite a while.

The priestess waved her hand as if to say it was not his fault as she finished coughing. Belar began to take a step in her direction, but paused, unsure of the appropriate response. Why did she come over here, he silently asked himself.

"I, ahem, I'm sorry," she finally said between coughs, "I did not mean to startle you."

The realization that this woman had snuck up on him dawned on the seasoned hunter. It was his turn to blush. That blush deepened when the priestess finished her coughing fit and turned fully in his direction.

While everything was technically covered by the water, a good portion of her bosom was on display, and the rest was hinted at just below the water line. What the previous incident had done to diminish his rigid prick was immediately restored. Belar tried his best to look at her face, but failed miserably.

"I..." Taria began and slowly stepped towards him.

The action was so unexpected that Belar nearly retreated. Now he did look into her face, trying to unravel the puzzle. Her blushing, unsure expression did nothing to answer his questions. She closed to within an arm's length of his body and gently placed her hand on his bare chest. He shuddered under her touch.

"I... I want to..." she began again, "Thank you."

Belar stood there, fully confused. Her hand began to trace along one of the many scars that lined his chest.

"So many," she whispered, "Have you ever known peace?"

Belar did not respond, but he hated the moisture that returned to his eyes. This woman... what was she doing to him?

Her hand traced one of his deeper scars, earned during mercenary work protecting a rich merchant's caravan. The man who had given him the scar had ended up eerily similar to the bandits in the clearing. That memory came to a jarring conclusion as her hand left the scar and traversed downwards.

"I thought..." Taria whispered, "I thought I might... uhm, say thank you by doing... doing what we did earlier."

Belar shuddered when her hand reached his nearly bursting cock and her soft fingers wrapped around the flesh. It occurred to him that maybe the beast in the forest had killed them after all and now he was simply dreaming.

"I mean... only if, uhm, if you want to?" Taria finished, blushing profusely and sounding more unsure of herself by the minute.

That got his attention, "I would like that," he replied, instantly cursing the banality of his response.

Taria must not have felt the same because her hand slowly worked its way up his cock and then back down. After all of his daydreaming in the past half hour, the sensation felt heavenly. Her hand pumped his cock a few more times before traveling upwards to find his own hand. Belar allowed himself to be led from the lake and watched as her intoxicating body emerged from to water's surface. He was finally privy to the priestess in all her glory.

When they reached dry land, the priestess turned back towards him and Belar's breath caught. Her hand was still in his and she made no effort to cover herself. Every curve was on full display and for the first time in his life, Belar simply stared at a naked woman slack-jawed. Those sparkling blue eyes locked on his and she gave him the slightest smile. Belar's heart was now pounding harder than when his rage was in effect. He felt her hand slip from his and watched dumbfounded as she dropped to her knees before him. The scene was nothing like what had happened earlier that day.

Those soft hands found his manhood once more and he quivered under their touch. The emotions funneling through his body were all new and he did not understand their implications. He was simply left gawking at the beautiful woman kneeling before him. For the second time that day, those lovely lips wrapped around his cock and took him in. Taria needed no instruction this time as she sucked along the shaft and slowly traversed back to the tip. Belar was moaning audibly long before the first repetition was completed and grunted when the flesh disappeared into her mouth once more.

He was enthralled; her full lips gliding along his cock, the sway of her hair as her head bobbed back and forth, and the bounce of her naked breasts below it all. Powerful sensations wracked his body. He was not a man who courted women, nor was he a man whom he felt women desired. The only sex Belar had was sex he paid for, and not with the prostitutes men craved, but with the ones who had reached the point where they would accept his offer. So, to have a woman, especially this woman, choose to do this was riveting. Standing there, experiencing a level of passion that had always been absent from his previous encounters, Belar came to the realization that he wanted more.

"Errgh, st—stop," he grunted.

As his cock slipped from between those soft lips and the glorious sensation halted, Belar cursed his bloody emotions.

"Is... is something wrong?" Taria said, looking up at him and wiping saliva from her chin with the back of her hand.

The part of Belar that he knew, he understood, demanded that he push his cock back into her warm mouth and let this gorgeous woman finish what she started. Belar suppressed that part and instead took her hand, guiding the priestess back to her feet.

"I don't," he halted for a second, "I don't want it to just be about me."

Taria looked at him in obvious confusion, and it was Belar's turn to shock her by leaning down and kissing her. At first her lips remained rigid, but she did not pull away. After a moment, they began to respond in kind and he felt her hands slide around him. Everything was a haze. Somewhere along the way they found the ground. When their lips finally split, Belar was leaning over her prone body. Without a word, he kissed his way down her neck and nestled between her lovely breasts. He felt Taria shiver as his lips worked across each luscious mound and traced circles around her nipples. Belar smiled at the shudder he invoked when he finally flicked his tongue across the nipple's firm nub. He continued to play with her tits for a time, not entirely sure who was enjoying the experience more.

By the time Belar reluctantly shifted his attention from Taria's firm breasts, moans of pleasure were regularly escaping her lips. He continued his trek across her taut stomach and into her womanhood. The scent of her arousal filled his nostrils and her body welcomed his attention. Belar's tongue slid along her widening flower a few times before finding its way back to the sensitive tip.