Story Notes:
This is basically your standard "Bad guy try to take over land. Here sword. Go kill" thing.In other words this was an idea I came up with out of boredom as I wait for college to start. I'm planning a sequel to this story (STORY, not chapter. I actually plan on finishing this story. Shocking, huh?) but those of you who have been following my writing for the past however long it's been know that's probably not going to happen since I'm a lazy shit like that.But enjoy anyway.
Chapter 2
For legal purposes, I don't own these characters, they're owned by Nintendo, these characters are fictitious and not meant to represent real people or events, blah blah blah. Less talk, more yiff.
===
Lyria awoke the next morning, still in Alaric's arms. Shortly afterwards, his eyes slowly fluttered open. She licked his nose with a smile. "Good morning," she said.
He smiled back and kissed her, pulling her closer as he did so. "Sleep well?"
She got out of bed and dressed herself. "I sure did. What about you?"
Alaric climbed off the bed as well and went to the window. The sky was still dark with clouds and didn't look any less chilly. Just great. To make matters worse, it looked as if the wind had picked up and there was another chance for rain. He wanted to stay here with Lyria as long as he could, but he knew that they had to get moving.
He tugged his pants on and slid his boots over them. "I slept great. Hope you're ready to freeze your ass off again." He more or less grumbled the last sentence as he donned his tunic and buckled his belt. Clearly, he wasn't looking forward to the trip.
Lyria winked at him. "If you do get cold, I'd be more than happy to warm you up again." She giggled as Alaric nodded, trying to shrug off the not-so-subtle flirt. Only his wagging tail gave that away.
After gearing up, they left the room. Lyria descended the steps, feeling a slight sense of remorse towards last night. Though she was being forced into marrying a man she didn't even like to even see much less love, she still felt some guilt since it still felt as though she was cheating on him. And regardless, she'd do it again without any second thought. But if she'd do it again, then why did she feel bad about it? She pushed the thoughts away, cursing silently to herself.
They headed outside, Alaric tossing the room key over his shoulder onto the counter. The early morning light was barely visible through the dense cloud cover overhead. A fog had rolled in during the night, blanketing everything in a thick mist that was almost completely impermeable.
Lyria stretched, a touch of a smile on her face. "Perfect weather, don't you think?"
Any normal person would assume that she was being sarcastic, but Alaric knew her far too well. "I can't believe you like this kind of weather."
"What do you mean? There's nothing better than a chill in the air." She walked beside him, her cloak hanging loosely from her shoulders and her hood down; a stark contrast from Alaric.
The townspeople hadn't emerged from their houses yet, giving the streets a deserted and haunted look. Alaric shrugged; something didn't sit right with him. He didn't even catch a scent that might even hint at activity. He didn't smell anything cooking; he couldn't hear anything moving, not even the sound of an infant crying to wake its parents up. The entire town had gone completely silent.
Lyria started to feel the same way. She felt the fur on her back standing up and she suddenly felt anxious. Electricity hung in the air like the calm before a thunderstorm. She felt nothing but a strong urge to leave the town. She carefully reached for Alaric's arm. "I don't like this. We need to get out of here."
Alaric nodded. "I hear you." Absentmindedly, he drew his sword, feeling slightly better with the weight of the hand-and-a-half sword in his hand. Lyria did the same, her falchion gleaming in the dim light of the early morning.
Together they walked down the road, expecting an attack at any moment. Only the wind passing between the buildings made an almost eerie howl that only unnerved the two Riders further. Alaric tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, his body tensing. He heard a shuffle around a corner between a pub and a house. He spun, raising his sword.
He led Lyria down the alleyway, preparing for a fight. A stack of crates collapsed, causing both of them to jump. "We don't like strangers here..." someone said behind them.
Whirling on her heel, Lyria lifted her sword and held it ready, about to strike when she saw a filthy boy standing in front of her. He looked past her to Alaric. "I remember you. You were the nice Rider that said I would make a good soldier." He walked past Lyria, ignoring her presence completely.
Flags went up in Alaric's head like Central Hall's memorial ceremonies as the boy approached. He didn't move, but prepared himself for anything. "Only one problem with what you said," he continued. "I'm already a soldier."
The boy grinned, displaying a wide mouth brimming with razor-sharp teeth. "I'm a soldier in the army of demons." He leapt forward with amazing speed, launching through the air with the speed and accuracy of a bolt loosed from a crossbow.
He latched onto Alaric's thigh, just above his boot. Alaric cried out in surprise and agony as the boy's teeth sank into his flesh with the pressure of a bear trap. He drew a dagger from his left boot and slashed the boy's face. With a high-pitched squeal, blood fanned from the gash that ran all the way across his face. "Kill them!" he hissed.
From all sides came more townspeople, all with teeth like the boy's. Lyria spied three-inch long claws that looked as sharp as the Reaper's scythe. One of them swung at her, the claws skating off her armor with a screech, sparks flying off the metal. She swung her sword, beheading three with a single stroke. She ran to Alaric, and they fled down the alley behind the building.
Alaric limped behind her, blood running down his leg in a steady stream. He felt dizzy and slightly feverish; not a great thing to experience after being bitten by someone. Lyria whistled as loud as she could, hoping that Stradius would hear her and come to their aid.
She screamed as a townsperson grabbed her ankle. She pitched forward into the street, her sword falling down just a few inches from her hand. She struggled to get free, kicking at the demon's hand. Alaric plunged his sword down into the back of the demon's head, blood spraying everywhere. She wrenched her leg free and scrambled to her feet, picking up her sword.
They ran, Lyria still whistling. She was starting to panic; Alaric was wounded and neither Stradius nor Reila could hear her whistling. She skidded to a stop where she believed she found the stables. Alaric was starting to fall behind, and she could hear him struggling to draw in a full breath. Whatever had bitten him, it'd had venom and it was taking effect fast.
She found the stables and dashed into the building in search for the two Arcanine. She started to look in the back while Alaric searched the front. She'd looked in nearly every stall in the back when she heard Alaric call out to her. She ran to the front and saw both Stradius and Reila on their sides in a sizeable pool of blood.
Alaric went into the stable to check on them when Lyria spotted movement behind one of the haystacks. "Alaric!" she cried, but too late. She could only watch as a townsperson leapt from the haystack, brandishing a pitchfork. Alaric had stood and saw his attacker an instant before the pitchfork slid underneath his armor and all three prongs pierced his chest.
The pitchfork was yanked free, blood running freely off the prongs. The townsperson then turned to her and raised the pitchfork. He charged at her with an inhuman shriek and brought it down. The last thing she felt was the warm spray of Alaric's blood on her face.
===
Her eyes snapped open and she found herself out of breath. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, the demon's scream still echoing in her ears. Remembering the dream, she wiped at her face and brought her hand away clean. She looked down and saw Alaric still asleep, snoring lightly. She got out of bed and padded to the window. She looked out at the sky, which was still dark. The sky had cleared, and the moon hung bright overhead; she judged it to be a little past midnight by its position in the sky.
Where had that dream come from? She'd never had nightmares that vivid or detailed before. It almost didn't feel like a nightmare at all. She felt the room grow a bit chillier.
(you know that wasn't a good idea)
Who said that? That certainly hadn't come from her thoughts.
(he's going to find out, he always does)
He wouldn't find out if she didn't tell him. And why would she tell him? All that would get is both her and Alaric executed.
She went to close the curtains when she saw a face on the window. His face. She clapped a hand to her mouth to stifle a scream.
(well now, is that any way to greet your future husband?) the apparition asked. It had to be a dream; this couldn't be real! And yet here he was, the evil Mightyena, the same jagged scar that ran from his left temple to the edge of his muzzle on the right side. His red eyes were still just as intimidating and frightening over this scrying spell as they were in person.
"What...what do you want?" she whispered, trying not to wake Alaric.
(why, I just want to know how you're doing, is all.) he looked her over and she was suddenly aware that she was still completely naked. (I don't believe you sleep naked all of the time, if at all. You haven't been secretly seeing anyone behind my back, have you?)
"What? Iâ�"of course not," she replied, knowing that she was caught.
(now now, no need to lie. I hate it when people lie to me.) She saw him glance over towards the bed. (Then who's that in the bed with you?)
"I wasn't sleeping with him," she said.
He looked back at her, giving her a look that wondered if she really thought he was that stupid. (alright, then if you're sleeping in the other bed, why is it still made?) she started to reply, but he cut her off. (Save your excuses. I'll let it slide this time since I don't have the time or energy to argue. If I catch you at this again, I'll make sure I see you both hanging from the gallows that afternoon.)
With a final scowl, the face disappeared. She sagged to her knees and hugged herself, fresh tears leaking from her eyes. She looked back towards Alaric's sleeping figure. It wasn't fair to endanger his life just so she could be away from a future she chose but dreaded. She had to leave him now, to prevent this from happening again.
Silently, she dressed and donned her armor. She reached for the doorknob to leave when Alaric spoke out of the darkness. "Giving up just like that?"
She sighed, her hand sliding off the doorknob and hanging by her side. "Alaric...I can't drag you into this. I don't want you to get hurt just because I made a bad decision."
She couldn't see well in the dark, but she heard a ruffle of blankets which she interpreted as Alaric getting out of bed. She heard his claws on the floor. "And I don't want you making any more decisions that you're going to regret," he said. The room lit up slightly as his rings glowed.
"I'm not letting you get hurt or killed because of me," she said. "This is for the best, and we both know it."
He shook his head. "If you walk out of here now, you're walking out on your only shot at getting out of marrying that guy. I don't care what it takes, but if you don't want to end up with him, I'll help you find a way out of it."
"But why?" it came out sounding more like a childish whine than an actual question.
His rings glowed brighter as he hugged her. "Because I love you more than anything in the world, and I would die for you. I don't care what he says. I'm not abandoning you no matter what."
She looked over Alaric's shoulder to make sure the curtains were closed before hugging him back. "Thank you, Alaric. I love you too. It's because of that that I don't want to bring you into this. I couldn't stand the thought of losing you because of me."
She could say that without any guilt of lying because she'd just seen it happen. It was quite possibly the worst thing that she had ever experienced. She hugged him tighter, all memories of the nightmare vanishing with Alaric's embrace. She let him go and took her armor off. "Alright, let's get back to bed."
===
Alaric woke first at the crack of dawn, suddenly fully alert. He continued to lay on his side, but cracked one eye open. Something felt off. He closed his eye and listened, hearing nothing out of order. Taking a huge risk, he sat up. No one else was in the room save for Lyria. He got out of bed, still feeling uneasy.
Lyria woke up after him. She either didn't get the same strange feeling as he did or she just chose to ignore it. After fully determining that they weren't in any immediate danger, Alaric dressed and stretched. It was still dark outside, and from the look of things, the sky had clouded over again since last night. He sighed. Great.
She dressed as well and waited by the door. Alaric closed the curtains and headed out, wondering why he still felt uncomfortable. When they got downstairs, he smelled bacon and sausages cooking in the back. Lyria's stomach growled with the same volume and intesity as his own.
They took a seat at a table. Lyria couldn't shake the same feeling that she'd had in her nightmare. Either she was dreaming again or they were really in serious danger. They ordered their breakfast, neither of them saying a word to each other. She could feel how tense Alaric was just by watching him, and he knew he could feel the same about her.
The food was delicious, something that the both of them were extremely grateful for. If they did end up having to fight their way out of the town, at least they'd have a full stomach. After they had finished, they stood up to leave. As Alaric rose, he felt a strong hand clap his shoulder and spun him forcefully around.
"Yeh f'rgot to pay, Rider," the innkeeper said. His breath smelled absolutely horrible; more like that of decay than morning breath.
"I was just about to," Alaric replied, reaching to his belt. He felt more than half-tempted to reach for his dagger and drive it into the innkeeper's chest, but restrained himself. Instead he grabbed his coin purse and held it up.
The innkeeper grinned. His teeth were rotted and some were missing completely. "Not wha' I mean', Rider."
"Hey! Lemme go!" Lyria cried out. She struggled desperately to get away from the two men who had grabbed her. They had a grip like iron; their hands didn't even budge. An ice-cold and paralyzing fear began to set into her mind like shackles. This was almost exactly like her nightmare, only this time there wouldn't be any waking up.
With his other hand, the innkeeper shoved Alaric's head back, exposing his neck. He opened his mouth and moved to tear his throat out when Alaric drew his dagger and thrust it forward. The blade plunged into the innkeeper's chest, directly into the heart. He stumbled backwards but continued forward. His nails grew until they became claws.
Alaric drew his sword and neatly sliced off the innkeeper's head and spun around. Lyria was already free, her two captors laying on the floor. A silver crossbow bolt was embedded in both of their eyes. Lyria had her sword up and they looked for the one who had shot the two men.
"Nasty pieces of work, wouldn't you say?" a cheery voice asked from above.
They both looked up, spotting a rather amused-looking Lucario hanging upside down from the rafters. She dropped to the floor, landing perfectly on her feet. She had a large golden hoop earring in her right ear, and wore light leather armor. Her boots looked to be soft Stantler hide. They reached mid-way up her shin, revealing a length of slim black-and-blue-furred leg that ended at the hem of her long black tunic. She slung the crossbow over her back and extended a hand, the palm of which was halfway hidden within her sleeve. "Name's Stella. My mate should be bringing your mounts over in a moment."
She shook Lyria's hand as well. "What's going on here?" she asked.
Stella laughed. "Well we'll have plenty of time to explain that when we take off. We've got to get to the 4th Providence by the time the spirits return to the Dranori Woods."
"4th Providence?" Alaric nearly sputtered. "That's at least a week's journey out of our way!"
She put her hands on her hips with a frown. "Well where were you two going, anyway?"
"We're headed to Madrenstadt, in the 1st Providence," Lyria explained. "Why? Should we not go there?"
"Well not unless you want to end up carved to pieces," a male answered. He walked in, his equally soft-looking boots almost silent on the wooden floor. He wore almost the same outfit as Stella, only his tunic was short-sleeved and his golden earring was in his left ear. Instead of a crossbow, he had two short swords attached to his belt. From their dress, Alaric surmised that they were both thieves. He shook both Alaric and Lyria's hands. "I'm Morlo, in case you were wondering."
"What's going on in Madrenstadt?" Alaric asked after they had all introduced themselves.
Morlo started to reply when another townsperson crashed through the window. He moved so quickly that he nearly vanished. In a flash, he drew a short sword which was glowing with purple aura. He jammed it into the back of their neck. The townsperson shuddered and fell silent and still.
"Nevermind, we'll explain on the way," Stella said, pushing both Lyria and Alaric out the front door.
Stradius and Reila stood outside. "This wasn't what I had in mind when I mentioned having something interesting happen," Stradius said as Lyria climbed onto his back. Despite his fatigue, Lyria could tell that he was in much better spirits than before.
Alaric mounted Reila and they left, the two Lucarios flying behind them, powered by their aura. Townspeople continued to follow them, snapping at their legs with razor-sharp teeth. With a cry of pain, Stella was dragged to the ground as a townsperson leapt out and grasped her tail.
She hit the ground on her back, the wind rushing from her lungs. She managed to kick them away and unslung her crossbow. "Go ahead, wait for us outside of town," Morlo said to Alaric and Lyria as he flew back to Stella's aid.
He was stiff-armed by another townsperson and was knocked down, choking for breath. Two of the monsters hauled Morlo to his feet as three more held Stella to the ground. They both struggled, channeling as much aura as they could through their bodies. Stella's crossbow was kicked away. Two more townspeople walked up and stood between her and Morlo.
"Well well, looks like we've got ourselves a couple of meddlers," one of them said before swaggering over to Stella. "Well what a pretty one we have here. What do you say we should have a little bit of fun before we kill them?"
The other townsman nodded with an evil grin. Stella's eyes widened as the first one dropped his pants. She struggled to free herself, but was unable to wrest an arm out of the demons' iron grip. The townsman reached down and tore her tunic off, throwing it to the side.
Morlo tried furiously to gain control of his body, but to no avail. One of his short swords was drawn from its sheath and he was clocked over the head with the hilt. The townsman tossed it to the one in front of Stella and he held it to her throat. "Keep struggling and I slit her throat and violate her corpse in every way possible."
He stopped wrestling with the demons and instead held his rage inside, feeling it growing with his aura that built inside the deep confines of his soul. The townsman traced around Stella's nipple with a finger, rubbing his semi-hard cock against her exposed vagina. "Ah...you'll be a good fuck toy, I can tell already."
Stella felt the cold steel of Morlo's sword against her throat and kept still, angry tears streaming from her eyes. With no regard as to how much pain he inflicted, the townsman shoved his entire huge cock into Stella's tight hole, stretching it almost to her breaking point. She cried out in pain, her claws digging into the dirt.
Morlo gritted his teeth, feeling his fury build like a storm. The townsman thrusted into her again, sending another wave of agony coursing through Stella's belly. She felt the demon grasp her breast, squeezing it equally as hard. Tears of both pain and rage ran from her eyes, and she dove deep into her mind, trying to find an escape from her situation. But no matter where she went, she could not escape the reality that she was being raped and there was nothing neither she nor Morlo could do about it.
"You're just as good as I thought you'd be," the demon said. The second one spoke up. "I can't take this anymore." He stood over her head, removing his pants as well. He knelt down, placing his huge cock at her mouth. "Bite it at all and he'll slit your throat," he threatened.
She resisted for as long as she could until she felt the blade cut her neck slightly. She reluctantly opened her mouth and the demon slid his entire length down her throat. She nearly gagged on the large member, but managed to find a way to take it all. She could hear the townsman working at her cunt getting ready to blow his load into her when another voice spoke up.
"Give me a moment, and I'll let the outsiders know that we don't appreciate their kind around here."
Morlo turned his head and saw a child. In an instant, the child transformed into a large demon, growing almost an entire foot taller than Morlo himself. Sharp claws grew from its fingertips and he saw a huge throbbing cock pointing straight out from his crotch. Stella apparently saw it too, because he could feel her terror from where he was.
The demon pulled out of her and moved up, pressing his cock between her breasts, the spike disappearing due to black magick from the child. The large demon knelt between her legs, and with a primal grunt of lust, forced his massive cock into her pussy. Morlo heard her cry of agony even around the cock in her mouth. His fury tripled in size, and he could see his vision start to go purple.
The two townsmen continued to use her mouth and breasts for their pleasure while the demon used her cunt for his own dark means. The townsman on her breasts squeezed them while thrusting his cock between them. She could feel his length running up the fur on her throat, where it almost seemed to meet the one going in her mouth. She tried to keep her breath and prayed for it to just be over.
"Such soft and...lovely...breasts," the townsman on her chest said. He humped them faster until he blasted his seed over her chest and neck, cum running down her shoulders in small streams. The townsman in her mouth slid in one final time, shooting his own cum down her throat. She swallowed what she could to keep from choking, letting the rest flow from her mouth as he pulled out.
The demon plunged into her pussy, firing an impossible amount of demon seed directly into her womb. She arched her back, clawing at the ground as she felt it running out of her cunt and onto the dirt as it overflowed.
The demon climbed off of her, cum still seeping from his cock. "You'll enjoy the gift I've just bestowed upon you both. Tell the Riders that I wish them a happy travel."
Morlo's vision flashed and went deep violet as his eyes glowed with aura. He tore his arms out of the townspeople's grasp, ripping their arms out of their sockets as he did so. As they screamed in shock and pain, he drew his short sword and hurled it at the townsman holding his other sword to Stella's throat. The blade entered straight between his eyes, and he pitched backwards.
He raised his hand and fired an Aura Sphere that tore another townsperson apart, shredded flesh and blood spraying everywhere. He curled his hand into a fist and punched the third one restraining Stella. His entire upper body was disintegrated, and his legs fell on their own, twitching.
The child/demon swung his hideously long claws in an attempt to disembowel the enraged Lucario, only to have his meaty arm stopped dead with one hand. Morlo grasped the wrist with both hands, and with a wet ripping sound, tore the demon's arm from its shoulder. He lifted it over his head in the same fashion as one would with a large sword, and brought it down. It thudded on the child/demon's head, sending it staggering backwards.
He rolled and picked up his two short swords, leapt over the child/demon's head, and landed behind it. He charged the two blades with the last of the aura that he had and plunged them deep into its spine. The power of his fury and hatred surged through its body, causing it to become engulfed in purple and black flames. It centered in its chest and disappeared. He retracted the blades and stepped back.
The demon turned to face Morlo again when his chest cavity caved in and then erupted, sending viscous black slime and blood all over the ground between the two. He opened his mouth to curse the Lucario, but all that came out was an angry gurgle before the demon crashed to the ground, blood forming a pool around its dead body.
===
"They've been gone for a long time, what could be keeping them?" Lyria asked as they waited outside the town. She plucked an apple from a nearby tree and munched on it.
"I dunno. Let's go back and look," Alaric suggested, climbing on top of Reila. Lyria mounted Stradius and they returned to the town.
They found Morlo, looking exhausted and furious, covered in blood. He carried Stella, who was draped in her tunic. Neither Alaric nor Lyria could see what was wrong with her, but they assumed it was bad from the fact that they could see she clung to Morlo's neck.
"Morlo? What happened?" Lyria asked, jumping off of Stradius.
"Don't worry about it," Morlo said, glaring at her. "Let's get moving."
As they went, he felt Stella crying against his shoulder. They stopped at a stream not far out of town, and he carried her down the bank for a bit, making sure they were out of sight of Alaric and Lyria. Morlo cleaned her off, trying to comfort her as much as he could. When she'd dried off and dressed, she hugged him tightly.
He hugged her back, stroking the back of her head. "I'll never let anything like that happen to you again. And that's a promise."
===
Lyria awoke the next morning, still in Alaric's arms. Shortly afterwards, his eyes slowly fluttered open. She licked his nose with a smile. "Good morning," she said.
He smiled back and kissed her, pulling her closer as he did so. "Sleep well?"
She got out of bed and dressed herself. "I sure did. What about you?"
Alaric climbed off the bed as well and went to the window. The sky was still dark with clouds and didn't look any less chilly. Just great. To make matters worse, it looked as if the wind had picked up and there was another chance for rain. He wanted to stay here with Lyria as long as he could, but he knew that they had to get moving.
He tugged his pants on and slid his boots over them. "I slept great. Hope you're ready to freeze your ass off again." He more or less grumbled the last sentence as he donned his tunic and buckled his belt. Clearly, he wasn't looking forward to the trip.
Lyria winked at him. "If you do get cold, I'd be more than happy to warm you up again." She giggled as Alaric nodded, trying to shrug off the not-so-subtle flirt. Only his wagging tail gave that away.
After gearing up, they left the room. Lyria descended the steps, feeling a slight sense of remorse towards last night. Though she was being forced into marrying a man she didn't even like to even see much less love, she still felt some guilt since it still felt as though she was cheating on him. And regardless, she'd do it again without any second thought. But if she'd do it again, then why did she feel bad about it? She pushed the thoughts away, cursing silently to herself.
They headed outside, Alaric tossing the room key over his shoulder onto the counter. The early morning light was barely visible through the dense cloud cover overhead. A fog had rolled in during the night, blanketing everything in a thick mist that was almost completely impermeable.
Lyria stretched, a touch of a smile on her face. "Perfect weather, don't you think?"
Any normal person would assume that she was being sarcastic, but Alaric knew her far too well. "I can't believe you like this kind of weather."
"What do you mean? There's nothing better than a chill in the air." She walked beside him, her cloak hanging loosely from her shoulders and her hood down; a stark contrast from Alaric.
The townspeople hadn't emerged from their houses yet, giving the streets a deserted and haunted look. Alaric shrugged; something didn't sit right with him. He didn't even catch a scent that might even hint at activity. He didn't smell anything cooking; he couldn't hear anything moving, not even the sound of an infant crying to wake its parents up. The entire town had gone completely silent.
Lyria started to feel the same way. She felt the fur on her back standing up and she suddenly felt anxious. Electricity hung in the air like the calm before a thunderstorm. She felt nothing but a strong urge to leave the town. She carefully reached for Alaric's arm. "I don't like this. We need to get out of here."
Alaric nodded. "I hear you." Absentmindedly, he drew his sword, feeling slightly better with the weight of the hand-and-a-half sword in his hand. Lyria did the same, her falchion gleaming in the dim light of the early morning.
Together they walked down the road, expecting an attack at any moment. Only the wind passing between the buildings made an almost eerie howl that only unnerved the two Riders further. Alaric tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, his body tensing. He heard a shuffle around a corner between a pub and a house. He spun, raising his sword.
He led Lyria down the alleyway, preparing for a fight. A stack of crates collapsed, causing both of them to jump. "We don't like strangers here..." someone said behind them.
Whirling on her heel, Lyria lifted her sword and held it ready, about to strike when she saw a filthy boy standing in front of her. He looked past her to Alaric. "I remember you. You were the nice Rider that said I would make a good soldier." He walked past Lyria, ignoring her presence completely.
Flags went up in Alaric's head like Central Hall's memorial ceremonies as the boy approached. He didn't move, but prepared himself for anything. "Only one problem with what you said," he continued. "I'm already a soldier."
The boy grinned, displaying a wide mouth brimming with razor-sharp teeth. "I'm a soldier in the army of demons." He leapt forward with amazing speed, launching through the air with the speed and accuracy of a bolt loosed from a crossbow.
He latched onto Alaric's thigh, just above his boot. Alaric cried out in surprise and agony as the boy's teeth sank into his flesh with the pressure of a bear trap. He drew a dagger from his left boot and slashed the boy's face. With a high-pitched squeal, blood fanned from the gash that ran all the way across his face. "Kill them!" he hissed.
From all sides came more townspeople, all with teeth like the boy's. Lyria spied three-inch long claws that looked as sharp as the Reaper's scythe. One of them swung at her, the claws skating off her armor with a screech, sparks flying off the metal. She swung her sword, beheading three with a single stroke. She ran to Alaric, and they fled down the alley behind the building.
Alaric limped behind her, blood running down his leg in a steady stream. He felt dizzy and slightly feverish; not a great thing to experience after being bitten by someone. Lyria whistled as loud as she could, hoping that Stradius would hear her and come to their aid.
She screamed as a townsperson grabbed her ankle. She pitched forward into the street, her sword falling down just a few inches from her hand. She struggled to get free, kicking at the demon's hand. Alaric plunged his sword down into the back of the demon's head, blood spraying everywhere. She wrenched her leg free and scrambled to her feet, picking up her sword.
They ran, Lyria still whistling. She was starting to panic; Alaric was wounded and neither Stradius nor Reila could hear her whistling. She skidded to a stop where she believed she found the stables. Alaric was starting to fall behind, and she could hear him struggling to draw in a full breath. Whatever had bitten him, it'd had venom and it was taking effect fast.
She found the stables and dashed into the building in search for the two Arcanine. She started to look in the back while Alaric searched the front. She'd looked in nearly every stall in the back when she heard Alaric call out to her. She ran to the front and saw both Stradius and Reila on their sides in a sizeable pool of blood.
Alaric went into the stable to check on them when Lyria spotted movement behind one of the haystacks. "Alaric!" she cried, but too late. She could only watch as a townsperson leapt from the haystack, brandishing a pitchfork. Alaric had stood and saw his attacker an instant before the pitchfork slid underneath his armor and all three prongs pierced his chest.
The pitchfork was yanked free, blood running freely off the prongs. The townsperson then turned to her and raised the pitchfork. He charged at her with an inhuman shriek and brought it down. The last thing she felt was the warm spray of Alaric's blood on her face.
===
Her eyes snapped open and she found herself out of breath. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, the demon's scream still echoing in her ears. Remembering the dream, she wiped at her face and brought her hand away clean. She looked down and saw Alaric still asleep, snoring lightly. She got out of bed and padded to the window. She looked out at the sky, which was still dark. The sky had cleared, and the moon hung bright overhead; she judged it to be a little past midnight by its position in the sky.
Where had that dream come from? She'd never had nightmares that vivid or detailed before. It almost didn't feel like a nightmare at all. She felt the room grow a bit chillier.
(you know that wasn't a good idea)
Who said that? That certainly hadn't come from her thoughts.
(he's going to find out, he always does)
He wouldn't find out if she didn't tell him. And why would she tell him? All that would get is both her and Alaric executed.
She went to close the curtains when she saw a face on the window. His face. She clapped a hand to her mouth to stifle a scream.
(well now, is that any way to greet your future husband?) the apparition asked. It had to be a dream; this couldn't be real! And yet here he was, the evil Mightyena, the same jagged scar that ran from his left temple to the edge of his muzzle on the right side. His red eyes were still just as intimidating and frightening over this scrying spell as they were in person.
"What...what do you want?" she whispered, trying not to wake Alaric.
(why, I just want to know how you're doing, is all.) he looked her over and she was suddenly aware that she was still completely naked. (I don't believe you sleep naked all of the time, if at all. You haven't been secretly seeing anyone behind my back, have you?)
"What? Iâ�"of course not," she replied, knowing that she was caught.
(now now, no need to lie. I hate it when people lie to me.) She saw him glance over towards the bed. (Then who's that in the bed with you?)
"I wasn't sleeping with him," she said.
He looked back at her, giving her a look that wondered if she really thought he was that stupid. (alright, then if you're sleeping in the other bed, why is it still made?) she started to reply, but he cut her off. (Save your excuses. I'll let it slide this time since I don't have the time or energy to argue. If I catch you at this again, I'll make sure I see you both hanging from the gallows that afternoon.)
With a final scowl, the face disappeared. She sagged to her knees and hugged herself, fresh tears leaking from her eyes. She looked back towards Alaric's sleeping figure. It wasn't fair to endanger his life just so she could be away from a future she chose but dreaded. She had to leave him now, to prevent this from happening again.
Silently, she dressed and donned her armor. She reached for the doorknob to leave when Alaric spoke out of the darkness. "Giving up just like that?"
She sighed, her hand sliding off the doorknob and hanging by her side. "Alaric...I can't drag you into this. I don't want you to get hurt just because I made a bad decision."
She couldn't see well in the dark, but she heard a ruffle of blankets which she interpreted as Alaric getting out of bed. She heard his claws on the floor. "And I don't want you making any more decisions that you're going to regret," he said. The room lit up slightly as his rings glowed.
"I'm not letting you get hurt or killed because of me," she said. "This is for the best, and we both know it."
He shook his head. "If you walk out of here now, you're walking out on your only shot at getting out of marrying that guy. I don't care what it takes, but if you don't want to end up with him, I'll help you find a way out of it."
"But why?" it came out sounding more like a childish whine than an actual question.
His rings glowed brighter as he hugged her. "Because I love you more than anything in the world, and I would die for you. I don't care what he says. I'm not abandoning you no matter what."
She looked over Alaric's shoulder to make sure the curtains were closed before hugging him back. "Thank you, Alaric. I love you too. It's because of that that I don't want to bring you into this. I couldn't stand the thought of losing you because of me."
She could say that without any guilt of lying because she'd just seen it happen. It was quite possibly the worst thing that she had ever experienced. She hugged him tighter, all memories of the nightmare vanishing with Alaric's embrace. She let him go and took her armor off. "Alright, let's get back to bed."
===
Alaric woke first at the crack of dawn, suddenly fully alert. He continued to lay on his side, but cracked one eye open. Something felt off. He closed his eye and listened, hearing nothing out of order. Taking a huge risk, he sat up. No one else was in the room save for Lyria. He got out of bed, still feeling uneasy.
Lyria woke up after him. She either didn't get the same strange feeling as he did or she just chose to ignore it. After fully determining that they weren't in any immediate danger, Alaric dressed and stretched. It was still dark outside, and from the look of things, the sky had clouded over again since last night. He sighed. Great.
She dressed as well and waited by the door. Alaric closed the curtains and headed out, wondering why he still felt uncomfortable. When they got downstairs, he smelled bacon and sausages cooking in the back. Lyria's stomach growled with the same volume and intesity as his own.
They took a seat at a table. Lyria couldn't shake the same feeling that she'd had in her nightmare. Either she was dreaming again or they were really in serious danger. They ordered their breakfast, neither of them saying a word to each other. She could feel how tense Alaric was just by watching him, and he knew he could feel the same about her.
The food was delicious, something that the both of them were extremely grateful for. If they did end up having to fight their way out of the town, at least they'd have a full stomach. After they had finished, they stood up to leave. As Alaric rose, he felt a strong hand clap his shoulder and spun him forcefully around.
"Yeh f'rgot to pay, Rider," the innkeeper said. His breath smelled absolutely horrible; more like that of decay than morning breath.
"I was just about to," Alaric replied, reaching to his belt. He felt more than half-tempted to reach for his dagger and drive it into the innkeeper's chest, but restrained himself. Instead he grabbed his coin purse and held it up.
The innkeeper grinned. His teeth were rotted and some were missing completely. "Not wha' I mean', Rider."
"Hey! Lemme go!" Lyria cried out. She struggled desperately to get away from the two men who had grabbed her. They had a grip like iron; their hands didn't even budge. An ice-cold and paralyzing fear began to set into her mind like shackles. This was almost exactly like her nightmare, only this time there wouldn't be any waking up.
With his other hand, the innkeeper shoved Alaric's head back, exposing his neck. He opened his mouth and moved to tear his throat out when Alaric drew his dagger and thrust it forward. The blade plunged into the innkeeper's chest, directly into the heart. He stumbled backwards but continued forward. His nails grew until they became claws.
Alaric drew his sword and neatly sliced off the innkeeper's head and spun around. Lyria was already free, her two captors laying on the floor. A silver crossbow bolt was embedded in both of their eyes. Lyria had her sword up and they looked for the one who had shot the two men.
"Nasty pieces of work, wouldn't you say?" a cheery voice asked from above.
They both looked up, spotting a rather amused-looking Lucario hanging upside down from the rafters. She dropped to the floor, landing perfectly on her feet. She had a large golden hoop earring in her right ear, and wore light leather armor. Her boots looked to be soft Stantler hide. They reached mid-way up her shin, revealing a length of slim black-and-blue-furred leg that ended at the hem of her long black tunic. She slung the crossbow over her back and extended a hand, the palm of which was halfway hidden within her sleeve. "Name's Stella. My mate should be bringing your mounts over in a moment."
She shook Lyria's hand as well. "What's going on here?" she asked.
Stella laughed. "Well we'll have plenty of time to explain that when we take off. We've got to get to the 4th Providence by the time the spirits return to the Dranori Woods."
"4th Providence?" Alaric nearly sputtered. "That's at least a week's journey out of our way!"
She put her hands on her hips with a frown. "Well where were you two going, anyway?"
"We're headed to Madrenstadt, in the 1st Providence," Lyria explained. "Why? Should we not go there?"
"Well not unless you want to end up carved to pieces," a male answered. He walked in, his equally soft-looking boots almost silent on the wooden floor. He wore almost the same outfit as Stella, only his tunic was short-sleeved and his golden earring was in his left ear. Instead of a crossbow, he had two short swords attached to his belt. From their dress, Alaric surmised that they were both thieves. He shook both Alaric and Lyria's hands. "I'm Morlo, in case you were wondering."
"What's going on in Madrenstadt?" Alaric asked after they had all introduced themselves.
Morlo started to reply when another townsperson crashed through the window. He moved so quickly that he nearly vanished. In a flash, he drew a short sword which was glowing with purple aura. He jammed it into the back of their neck. The townsperson shuddered and fell silent and still.
"Nevermind, we'll explain on the way," Stella said, pushing both Lyria and Alaric out the front door.
Stradius and Reila stood outside. "This wasn't what I had in mind when I mentioned having something interesting happen," Stradius said as Lyria climbed onto his back. Despite his fatigue, Lyria could tell that he was in much better spirits than before.
Alaric mounted Reila and they left, the two Lucarios flying behind them, powered by their aura. Townspeople continued to follow them, snapping at their legs with razor-sharp teeth. With a cry of pain, Stella was dragged to the ground as a townsperson leapt out and grasped her tail.
She hit the ground on her back, the wind rushing from her lungs. She managed to kick them away and unslung her crossbow. "Go ahead, wait for us outside of town," Morlo said to Alaric and Lyria as he flew back to Stella's aid.
He was stiff-armed by another townsperson and was knocked down, choking for breath. Two of the monsters hauled Morlo to his feet as three more held Stella to the ground. They both struggled, channeling as much aura as they could through their bodies. Stella's crossbow was kicked away. Two more townspeople walked up and stood between her and Morlo.
"Well well, looks like we've got ourselves a couple of meddlers," one of them said before swaggering over to Stella. "Well what a pretty one we have here. What do you say we should have a little bit of fun before we kill them?"
The other townsman nodded with an evil grin. Stella's eyes widened as the first one dropped his pants. She struggled to free herself, but was unable to wrest an arm out of the demons' iron grip. The townsman reached down and tore her tunic off, throwing it to the side.
Morlo tried furiously to gain control of his body, but to no avail. One of his short swords was drawn from its sheath and he was clocked over the head with the hilt. The townsman tossed it to the one in front of Stella and he held it to her throat. "Keep struggling and I slit her throat and violate her corpse in every way possible."
He stopped wrestling with the demons and instead held his rage inside, feeling it growing with his aura that built inside the deep confines of his soul. The townsman traced around Stella's nipple with a finger, rubbing his semi-hard cock against her exposed vagina. "Ah...you'll be a good fuck toy, I can tell already."
Stella felt the cold steel of Morlo's sword against her throat and kept still, angry tears streaming from her eyes. With no regard as to how much pain he inflicted, the townsman shoved his entire huge cock into Stella's tight hole, stretching it almost to her breaking point. She cried out in pain, her claws digging into the dirt.
Morlo gritted his teeth, feeling his fury build like a storm. The townsman thrusted into her again, sending another wave of agony coursing through Stella's belly. She felt the demon grasp her breast, squeezing it equally as hard. Tears of both pain and rage ran from her eyes, and she dove deep into her mind, trying to find an escape from her situation. But no matter where she went, she could not escape the reality that she was being raped and there was nothing neither she nor Morlo could do about it.
"You're just as good as I thought you'd be," the demon said. The second one spoke up. "I can't take this anymore." He stood over her head, removing his pants as well. He knelt down, placing his huge cock at her mouth. "Bite it at all and he'll slit your throat," he threatened.
She resisted for as long as she could until she felt the blade cut her neck slightly. She reluctantly opened her mouth and the demon slid his entire length down her throat. She nearly gagged on the large member, but managed to find a way to take it all. She could hear the townsman working at her cunt getting ready to blow his load into her when another voice spoke up.
"Give me a moment, and I'll let the outsiders know that we don't appreciate their kind around here."
Morlo turned his head and saw a child. In an instant, the child transformed into a large demon, growing almost an entire foot taller than Morlo himself. Sharp claws grew from its fingertips and he saw a huge throbbing cock pointing straight out from his crotch. Stella apparently saw it too, because he could feel her terror from where he was.
The demon pulled out of her and moved up, pressing his cock between her breasts, the spike disappearing due to black magick from the child. The large demon knelt between her legs, and with a primal grunt of lust, forced his massive cock into her pussy. Morlo heard her cry of agony even around the cock in her mouth. His fury tripled in size, and he could see his vision start to go purple.
The two townsmen continued to use her mouth and breasts for their pleasure while the demon used her cunt for his own dark means. The townsman on her breasts squeezed them while thrusting his cock between them. She could feel his length running up the fur on her throat, where it almost seemed to meet the one going in her mouth. She tried to keep her breath and prayed for it to just be over.
"Such soft and...lovely...breasts," the townsman on her chest said. He humped them faster until he blasted his seed over her chest and neck, cum running down her shoulders in small streams. The townsman in her mouth slid in one final time, shooting his own cum down her throat. She swallowed what she could to keep from choking, letting the rest flow from her mouth as he pulled out.
The demon plunged into her pussy, firing an impossible amount of demon seed directly into her womb. She arched her back, clawing at the ground as she felt it running out of her cunt and onto the dirt as it overflowed.
The demon climbed off of her, cum still seeping from his cock. "You'll enjoy the gift I've just bestowed upon you both. Tell the Riders that I wish them a happy travel."
Morlo's vision flashed and went deep violet as his eyes glowed with aura. He tore his arms out of the townspeople's grasp, ripping their arms out of their sockets as he did so. As they screamed in shock and pain, he drew his short sword and hurled it at the townsman holding his other sword to Stella's throat. The blade entered straight between his eyes, and he pitched backwards.
He raised his hand and fired an Aura Sphere that tore another townsperson apart, shredded flesh and blood spraying everywhere. He curled his hand into a fist and punched the third one restraining Stella. His entire upper body was disintegrated, and his legs fell on their own, twitching.
The child/demon swung his hideously long claws in an attempt to disembowel the enraged Lucario, only to have his meaty arm stopped dead with one hand. Morlo grasped the wrist with both hands, and with a wet ripping sound, tore the demon's arm from its shoulder. He lifted it over his head in the same fashion as one would with a large sword, and brought it down. It thudded on the child/demon's head, sending it staggering backwards.
He rolled and picked up his two short swords, leapt over the child/demon's head, and landed behind it. He charged the two blades with the last of the aura that he had and plunged them deep into its spine. The power of his fury and hatred surged through its body, causing it to become engulfed in purple and black flames. It centered in its chest and disappeared. He retracted the blades and stepped back.
The demon turned to face Morlo again when his chest cavity caved in and then erupted, sending viscous black slime and blood all over the ground between the two. He opened his mouth to curse the Lucario, but all that came out was an angry gurgle before the demon crashed to the ground, blood forming a pool around its dead body.
===
"They've been gone for a long time, what could be keeping them?" Lyria asked as they waited outside the town. She plucked an apple from a nearby tree and munched on it.
"I dunno. Let's go back and look," Alaric suggested, climbing on top of Reila. Lyria mounted Stradius and they returned to the town.
They found Morlo, looking exhausted and furious, covered in blood. He carried Stella, who was draped in her tunic. Neither Alaric nor Lyria could see what was wrong with her, but they assumed it was bad from the fact that they could see she clung to Morlo's neck.
"Morlo? What happened?" Lyria asked, jumping off of Stradius.
"Don't worry about it," Morlo said, glaring at her. "Let's get moving."
As they went, he felt Stella crying against his shoulder. They stopped at a stream not far out of town, and he carried her down the bank for a bit, making sure they were out of sight of Alaric and Lyria. Morlo cleaned her off, trying to comfort her as much as he could. When she'd dried off and dressed, she hugged him tightly.
He hugged her back, stroking the back of her head. "I'll never let anything like that happen to you again. And that's a promise."