Orc Bait 04

My arousal was rapidly fading as I remembered that my party was dead. They had left me alone in this world. I was filled with overwhelming sadness.

What in the seven hells was that? A dream? It was not like any dream I had ever had. Everything I just experienced had actually happened. It wasn't just a memory--I relived it. It all felt so real. All the sights, smells, sounds, tastes and feelings. And being joined with Sierra. It was amazing, but now she had been taken away from me again and I felt so hollow and empty.

I tried to shake the haze from my mind as I unsteadily got to my feet. I leaned against the rock and surveyed the area around me. The birds began to stir in the trees and sing songs to assert their territory. Nothing was out of the ordinary in the immediate area around the small forest clearing. The place I had chosen to get a few hours rest before sunrise, after trekking through the forest for half the night.

My pulse and breathing were gradually steadying. I still tried to make sense of what happened to me. It was a dream, a flashback that was so vivid. That was the last night I spent with my party. It happened not too far away. It was six years and three months ago. The night before the twin full moons, just as tonight would be. We all fucked like soldiers who may not be returning from battle...and most of us didn't.

The death of my party had wounded me deeply. For a while after, I didn't want to carry on. I started drinking heavily and getting into all sorts of trouble. I attended a Feloran temple in a drunken stupor and loudly demanded the Gods tell me why I wasn't killed with my party. But I never got an answer.

After I slept it off in a gaol cell, I envisioned Cordelia coming to me. She told me that the Gods wanted me to live because they had another purpose for me. I prayed to the Gods for guidance as to what that purpose might be, but again, the Assholes gave me nothing.

I became aware that no one in the land even knew how close the kingdom had come to being plunged into darkness, misery and bloodshed. No one knew the ultimate sacrifice Sierra, Cordelia and Strafe had made for their peace and safety. They were quickly forgotten.

So I gave myself a purpose. I decided that I had survived so that I could tell their story. I would see that my partys' sacrifice would be acknowledged. They would be honored and remembered as the heroes they were. For that, I needed money. When the King announced a bounty on orc ears, I saw it as fate stepping in to help me achieve my purpose.

Then I encountered a certain chaotic evil witch. She bound me and molested me, left me to be gang-raped by a horde of orcs. Cast a potent arousal charm on my leathers without my knowledge. Then she just left me behind, with a small fortune in orc ears.

I sought revenge, with the help of an old friend--Duane the summoner wizard. I humiliated her, and ravaged and defiled her body, the way she did to me. But I let her live. I'm not adverse to killing. As long as they were evil or wild and were likely to harm myself or others. Aerowyn certainly fit that description. I have no reservations killing an orc for two hundred gold. I should have killed the witch for what she did to me.

I told myself it was because she had spared me. She could have easily killed me without consequence, but didn't. Even after I swore I would get revenge. To be honest with myself, it was also because I was infatuated with the hot little half-elf. She was evil, callous, deviant, unpredictable and dangerous. Yet there was something about her that drove me wild, and I don' t think it was just her arousal and orgasm spells.

She was a beautiful mage who gave me raw magical pleasure. Perhaps I was seeking what I had with Sierra.

That was a strange thought. She was nothing like Sierra. Sierra was a good-hearted person, with empathy, understanding and tolerance of others. She had amazing charisma and could get just about anybody to like her and listen to her. She was calm and rational and wise. Aerowyn was pretty much the opposite of that. So why did I find her so attractive?

I discovered that Aerowyn was seeking to complete the ritual that my party died stopping six years ago. She wanted to become immortal and create and unstoppable undead army. It became clear to me. That was my purpose--I was supposed to have killed her. Due to my weakness, my infatuation, I let her live. Perhaps my ordeal at Ulrich was punishment from the Gods for my failure.

And now I had one last chance to stop her.

I let out a loud sigh as I leaned back on the rock. I really wished I had my party there with me. I had sent word to Duane, at Kabores' Tower, but there's not telling if he would be able to get there in time. I wasn't going to count on it. So it was up to me to stop her. And time was running out.

I drank some water from a bladder, and splashed some on my face. I let out a yawn. The little stop-off didn't leave me as rested as I hoped. I felt like I had been up having vigorous sex. I had a rejuvenation potion in my pack, but I would save that until I was closer to my destination. I rolled up my bed roll tightly and stashed it into my pack. The sky continued to brighten as the sun started to peak over the horizon. The birds around me were getting noisier.

As is my usual routine when in the wilderness, I started making a mental list of possible dangers in this area. Wolves, bears, kobolds, poisonous snakes, bandits. Orcs, though they were less likely this deep into the kingdom. None of them seemed likely to threaten me. No, it was a trap or ambush from the witch as I got close to my destination, that was more likely. She was expecting me, she invited me to follow her to the ruins. I couldn't figure out why she would do that, other than her planning to torment me some more.

Soon I was heading off, striding through the forest as the sun slowly rose. I had a pressed grain bar and some dried fruit, which I nibbled on as I walked. I didn't have time for any hunting, so I relied on the rations I bought before leaving Ulrich. They were nearly depleted.

I was tired and stiff from the relentless pace I kept up for the last few days. I could have acquired a horse for the journey, but I decided to take the more direct route, cutting through thick overgrown woods, rocky ravines and across a rushing river that a horse would never be able to make.

I could feel my sticky juices at my crotch in my leather pants. I would find a stream to quickly clean myself on the way. I got thinking about Strafes' big thrusting cock, and my pussy was tingling. Damn it, there goes my cursed leathers again.

They had been taken from me in Ulrich, while I was locked in the pillory. I didn't have time to shop around for suitable light armor. I wanted my studded leathers back, even knowing that Aerowyn had put an arousal enchantment on them. It wasn't difficult to track down the street thug rapist, Sticky Gabbel. And it wasn't difficult to beat the shit out of him and make him tell me where he sold my armor. I left him and his cohorts tied together naked in the market square. It was probably too much to expect that they might have learned a lesson. I should have taken their balls.

I had recovered my good quality studded leathers. They were comfortable and familiar and offered a decent amount of protection for light armor. But thanks to Aerowyn, they also made me horny most of the time. It was just her twisted way of messing with me. It was distracting, but I could handle it. Sierra had taught me useful meditation techniques. I focused on my breathing and cleared my mind, trying not to think about Strafes' wonderful cock, or Cordelias' silky pussy. I needed to focus on my task.

***

Around mid morning, after a few hours of walking through the forest, I had come to the traveler's road. I had hoped that Aerowyn had followed the road all the way around, and I had made up some ground on her with my shortcut. I doubted I would be ahead of her though.

It really wasn't much of a road, more of a trail around this part. Two worn dirt tracks surrounded by thick green grass. It wound closely to the forest, with the tall trees on one side and the sweeping grasslands on the other. I looked both ways down the road, there was no sign of anyone. Clouds were gathering in the sky and muting the sun. I hoped it wouldn't rain.

The road lead from the farmlands around the Urial River and Ulrich City to the small town of Wiltson. It was hardly a trading hub. So the road was used infrequently. I had traveled down this road last time, with my party, so I was familiar with it. I started following it north at a brisk pace.

The sun continued to rise as I walked, and had reached its peak over my head. I regularly checked behind me for anyone coming up the road, but I had not seen any other travelers. I was feeling hungry again, so decided to make a brief stop.

I found a shady area near the road where I briefly rested, ate and masturbated. None of it was really enough to satisfy my bodies' needs. Soon I was heading north along the road again. I kept up a fast pace. Each hour that passed brought me closer to my fate. I couldn't help feeling apprehension over what was to come. I simply couldn't fail.

Only a couple of hours had passed since my little lunch break, when I suddenly stopped. I could hear something ahead. I cupped my hands around my ears to help focus my hearing. There were growls and scuffles that I could just make out. Wild beasts, I immediately thought that it could be a bear or wolves, that were common to the area.

I cautiously made my way forward with bow in hand. Soon I saw something on the road ahead. It looked like a large body on the ground, with some movement around it. As I got closer, I saw that it was a pack of wolves, scuffling around a large dead animal. The wolves were unlikely to be there if there were people in the area. Living people anyway.

I pulled an arrow from my quiver and notched it. I lined up the animal carcass. It was far away, I needed to aim high. I loosed the arrow into the air. I counted five seconds before it came down into large body. The wolves feasting on it were startled and quickly turned and ran off into the woods yelping. They were obviously wary of hunters around here.

I approached the scene, and saw that it was a dead horse. I became aware that there were more bodies close by--human bodies. I counted six, and they all appeared to be male, strewn about between the trees and the road. I walked among them, scanning the area around me. They appeared to be bandits, from the crude leather and mail armor they were wearing, and the basic weapons lying nearby. They were certainly dead, though I could see no blood or visible wounds.

The horse had light grey fur. I could see where the wolves had ripped open its hide around the underside and haunches. Torn flesh, organs and intestines spilled out. The ground beneath it was stained with blood. It wasn't the wolves that killed it though. Along with my arrow sticking out from the top of it, there were another two in its neck.

I approached the carcass and got a firm hold of my arrow before yanking it out. Blood dripped from the sharp arrowhead. The flesh of the horse appeared fresh. I knew that wolves only ate fresh kills, unless they were starved. The horse had died earlier today.

The men too. Curiously, the wolves didn't seem to have taken a bite out of any of the humans. A possible reason suddenly came to me--poison. I looked at the horse again. I never saw Aerowyns' horse, but I remembered spotting fine grey hair on her robes. Hairs that could match this horse. I squatted down next to one of the dead bandits and rolled up his pants around his lower leg. I could see several small puncture wounds on his hairy skin. Thornbite--Aerowyn did kill him.

I stood up and played out the scenario in my head. Aerowyn was traveling down the road on her horse earlier today. The bandits were waiting in the trees here to ambush her. They shot arrows into her horse, bringing it down. She took them all out with her magical poison.

I surveyed the area around me again, looking for any signs of the witch. I walked over to the horse and checked the ground. There were a lot of wolf tracks, it was too difficult to identify anything else. There was a broken potion bottle nearby. I picked up a piece and sniffed it, it had the distinct unpleasant aroma of a healing potion. The stuff tasted horrible, but had saved my life quite a few times. I had one in my pack. I continued searching the ground thoroughly, moving outwards from the dead animal. The grass also made it difficult to find tracks.

I found something in a patch of dirt near the tree line. A boot print that was smaller than mine. It wouldn't have belonged to any of the men. I squatted down and examined it. The tracks were leading into the woods. Her right foot was dragging. She had been hurt. I smiled. This could be a fortunate turn of events for me. The witch had gone off to a less exposed area to heal herself. I could track her down and end this.

I felt a surge of vivacity as I stood again. I followed the tracks into the forest, holding my bow and arrow in front of me. A short way into the forest, I saw that Aerowyns' tracks met up with the larger, heavier tracks of the bandits. Of course, the bandits may have had a camp nearby. She was heading there, probably hoping to find another horse.

The multiple tracks of the bandits were easy to follow. I continued on with a balance of haste and caution. Even if Aerowyn was injured, I didn't want to get into trouble underestimating her. She had just killed half a dozen armed men.

I made my way through the forest for a short while. I saw the canvas tents and horses through the trees from some distance away. I stealthily made my way closer to the camp. It was close to rocky stream, there were three tents set up around a fire pit. Four horses were tied up to trees near the stream. After getting into position behind some large rocks, I peeked over and saw her. Her distinctive blood-red hair and green mage robes.

Aerowyn was sitting on a tree stump in the middle of the camp, eating what looked like a green loopfruit, which I knew was poisonous. She didn't appear to be nursing an injury, so I guessed she had already healed herself. The witch looked up and was surveying the forest around her. I ducked back down behind the rock. This was good, she didn't know I was there. It was my opportunity to take her out with an arrow. I could have hit her from that range, but I decided to move closer for a better shot.

My heart was thudding strongly in my chest as I stayed low and silently moved from cover to cover, working my way closer to the camp. I got behind a broad tree trunk and notched my arrow. Peeking around the tree, I could see Aerowyn still sitting there in the middle of the camp, unaware of my presence.

This was it. I steadied my breathing and planted my feet firmly. I raised my bow in front of me and lined up her head. She brought the fruit to her mouth and took another bite, a juicy chunk fell down. As I loosed the arrow, she bent over to wipe the chunk off her robes. The arrow whooshed over her head, tossing up her hair.

Aerowyn yelped in surprise and leaped to her feet. I swore and notched another arrow as quickly as I could. I quickly shot it off, aiming for central mass. The arrow reflected off a hastily erected magical shield. I was already loading another arrow and loosed it, but that was reflected as well.

"Rohme?!" Aerowyn called out. "Is that you?"

I cursed under my breath. I had given away my position. I scrambled to the side, staying low behind the thick bushes. The witch came forward to the tree line. "Damn, Rohme! you nearly killed me." I took cover behind a large fallen tree, and placed my bow and quiver on the ground, they weren't doing me any good now. I quietly drew my steel shortsword from its sheath at my waist.

Aerowyn came forward into the woods, toward the position where I had shot at her. "I'm glad you're here, Lover. Let's not fight. Come out and we'll talk. Promise I won't hurt you." I was slowly moving around, keeping low through the thick underbrush. I needed to get close to kill her.

Aerowyn stood at the tree and looked around, "Rohme, where did you go? Come out and say hello." I gripped my sword as I quietly edged closer from behind. Then I suddenly lunged at her with my sword raised high, intending to swing it down hard into her skull. The witch quickly turned and threw a ball of green light into me. The magic missile hit me hard in the torso and threw me back onto the ground, knocking the wind out of me.

I growled at the dull pain. I knew right away it was just a hard knock and didn't do any real damage. I still gripped my sword as I quickly scrambled to my feet. Aerowyn was standing calmly in front of me. "Stop it Rohme. I don't want to fight you."

"Then just stand there and let me kill you."

"No. Now, put down that snake!"

Snake? I looked down and was surprised to see that I was holding a black viper in my hand. It was reeling its head back, getting ready to strike me. I gripped my sword hilt firmly. Mages had tried that trick on me before. It was only an illusion. "I'm going to ram this snake through your heart Aerowyn."

She smirked, and the snake morphed back into my steel blade. As I got ready to lunge at her again, I felt strong tugging at my leg. I looked down and saw that one of her damned green vines had wrapped around my ankle and had me tangled. I quickly slashed my sword down hard, cutting myself free.

Several more vines rose up from the ground. I slashed my sword about, furiously hacking at the magical vines that were threatening to take hold of me. I turned and came at Aerowyn again and there was a blinding flash in my face. I was suddenly plunged into a world of darkness and silence. It was distressing, but I managed to keep my footing and slashed my sword in wide arcs where I thought she was.

A hard blow struck me again and I was knocked backwards onto the ground. Vines immediately started wrapping themselves around my arms and legs. I yanked my sword arm forcefully against the vine and managed to pull free. Then I started hacking blindly. I struggled and slashed against the magical vines for a short while, until I was able to pull myself up.

My sight was slowly starting to return to me as I blinked rapidly. I could see basic shapes again. I saw the shape of the half-elf in front of me. I charged at her again. She threw another magic missile, and it hit my shoulder, but I kept coming. It was hard to judge how close she was with my compromised vision and my body slammed into her, knocking us both to the ground.

Aerowyn cried out as she wrestled against me, but I was on top of her and was physically stronger. She must have finally exhausted her magic power. I was able to pin her arms above her head and put my blade to her throat. She grit her teeth as she looked up at me. Her wet red hair was clinging to her youthful face. I could see the fear in her mismatched green and hazel eyes. "Rohme, don't! You need me!"

I almost felt sorry for her, but I steeled myself for what had to be done. "I need to kill you Aerowyn. I can't let you complete that ritual."

She look up into my eyes, "Oh, you've got it wrong, Rohme. I have come to stop the ritual, just like you."

"Liar! You're just trying to buy some time."

"Then why would I invite you to follow me here? Why wouldn't I just kill you when I had the chance? I told you before--we make a good team. Now we have to work together to stop this. It's how it has to be."

"I know you're a lying manipulative bitch. You told me yourself; all any mage wants is more power. You want to gain the demonic power and rule over an undead army."