Duke Diablo
4th Level Red Feather
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OK, guys, here is a prologue of a major tickling story I'm thinking of writing. However, before I start writing, I'd like to ask on opinions from all of you to see if I should continue writing. Note that this is just a prologue, so it's not so heavy on tickling (sorry about that), but the rest of it won't be missing the tickling in any aspect (IF it will be written). So, without further ado... Enjoy!
«Pray tell, dear baroness, where is your daughter at the moment?», Eleron asked the tied woman in front of him.
«Never!», the woman, obviously baroness, replied.
«As you wish, milady», Eleron bowed to her, turning to the woman behind the tied-up baroness. «Mordanna, would you please continue?»
«With pleasure», the red-haired woman replied, a devious smirk on her face. She dug her long fingernails into baroness' armpits, wiggling them in order to produce extreme ticklish sensation. Baroness burst into laughter again, flailing her head around, trying to escape her tormentor's ticklish touch, but to no avail. Her hands were tied high above her head to the ceiling, making it impossible for her to defend her armpits. She was showing signs of exhaustion already, Eleron noticed. He knew it was only a matter of moment before she breaks.
«Come on, baroness, talk and we'll stop doing this to you», he said, trying to get her to talk. «Where is your daughter?»
«AAAHAHAHAHA... Never!», the baroness replied, laughing from the depths of her soul. Her once neatly combed and folded hair was now all messed up, hanging freely from her decorations, due to prolonged tickling. «HAHAHA Someone... HAHAHAHA.... Someone will comeee... and rescue me... HAHAHAHA.»
Hearing her last hope, Eleron couldn't help but smile. The elf loved when people had false hopes which made them go through interrogations. It was even more fun that way, when it was shattered the despair was even greater.
«Who?», he asked, teasing their helpless prisoner. «All of your guards are dead... I saw to it personally... and all of your maidens are captured. Did you forget that we tickled them in front of you, one by one, just to make you talk? True, it didn't work out, so we had to go to the main course... you.»
«But, please, don't feel obliged to tell us everything right away», Mordanna joined in. «I'm enjoying this quite a bit, and we're not in much of a hurry... right Eleron.»
«Damn you!», the baroness barely mustered before succumbing to hysterical laughter again. Mordanna was really a master of tickling, as he had the chance to see for himself. The baroness stood no chance. He remembered the day they met: she set him a trap while he was fighting a bounty hunter. She caught him off guard, while he was getting some breath... that bounty hunter was an elite, and fighting him took all the strength from Eleron. That is why he was such an easy target for her. She rendered him unconscious, but instead of turning him over to the officials and claiming a reward on his head (which was quite high, actually), she made him a partnership offer. At first he refused, but after a week of merciless tickling at her hands, he saw that he had no other choice to accept. When she first tried it out on him, he thought her method was a joke, but it wasn't so funny after a while, even though he was laughing the whole way.
«Suit yourself», Mordanna told the laughing noblewoman. «Talk, don't talk, it's all the same to me... win-win situation. This way, I get to tickle you.»
The poor baroness was on her wits end. Unlike Mordanna, who was certainly having a good time, Elerion wished things to go a tad bit faster... unlike her, he didn't share her obsession with tickling. Even though he had to admit her methods were quite effective, Elerion still preferred a more classical and direct approach: slice them up until they talk. He looked at the two swords at his sides. They drank blood tonight, and will be used once again very soon if Mordanna does the job good... and he had no doubt that she will do that.
Then, suddenly, a scream brought him back from his thoughts.
«STAHAHAHAP!!! I'll TAHAHAHAHALK!» It was the baroness. Finally, Elerion thought, but he couldn't help not notice the look of disappointment on his companion's face.
«Aww... broke so soon?», Morganna teased. «I didn't even get the chance to work on your feet.»
Oh, yes, Morganna liked feet, the elven warrior remembered. That was the only thing he wasn't sure about her: did she inherit it from her human or demonic side. Morganna had an interesting family tree: her grandmother was a succubi who got pregnant with a mortal... she was a gift to him, given by her demonic masters out of gratitude for abandoning light... the man was once a Grand Paladin, but then fell from the path of light. From that union came Morganna's father, who then became a menace in his own right. Made a few armies, tried to take over the kingdom, stuff like that, until he was stopped by some slayer or other. But, before he was stopped, he did ransack a few villages, raping whoever he could find there. From one of such rapes, Morganna was born. However, she didn't quite match the classical demonspawn profile: no horns, no tails, no fangs, no disfigured, burning eyes or claws. Only things she inherited from her grandmother were the beauty, crimson-red hair and immortality. Her lust for sex and rather... uncommon tastes didn't have to be of a strictly demonic nature. Some humans were known for that, too.
«Well, then, tell us where she is and we'll be on our way, then», Elerion told the broken baroness. He stopped to look at her. She didn't look so bad, considering the facts that she was human, and that she was nearly 40... a mere child for an elf (since elves were immortal, 40 years was nothing to them... they reached adulthood at age of 140), but in his long years Elerion learned that it's not so few years for humans.
«She...», the baroness started, trying to catch breath, «she's hidden in the catacombs beneath the castle... she sensed your arrival, so I told her to hide in there.»
«All right... It wasn't so hard, you see?», Elerion said. «Now, how do we get to the catacombs?»
«You'll have to find that out yourselves!», baroness shouted, defiance back in her voice. Elerion sighed.
«Morganna.»
Hearing her name being called, the demonkin approached the tied baroness, licking her lips. «We're gonna have some more fun.» Saying that, she took baroness' ankle in her hand, removing the shoe. «Nice feet... for an old lady.»
«Damn you!», baroness shouted, but started laughing hysterically shortly after, as Morganna started to lick her feet, slowly, from the heel and all the way up to toes, not leaving a single inch uncovered. The method worked wonders on baroness, as she was laughing as hard as her lungs would let her. She looked desperate... on one hand, Elerion knew, she wanted to save her daughter. On the other hand... well, there was Morganna and her torture technique. But, she already broke once, it won't take long for her to break again now. Not with Morganna licking so delightfully. Elerion watched her. Looking at her exploring the foot of the captive noblewoman, he remembered how it felt to have been tortured like that himself. It made him shiver. If he had any compassion, he would have pitied the poor woman, as soon she was going to betray her own daughter. However, this way he only wished things to go a tad bit faster.
«HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA.... I CONFEEHEHES!! AAAHAHAHAHA... I'LL... I'LL TAAALK!!!» It didn't take long for baroness to break. Ten more minutes of Morganna's passionate, skillful foot licking did the trick, and baroness started to talk.
«The passage...», she started, exhausted from the many hours of torture she endured so far, «the passage is behind the mirror in the main hall. Behind the portrait to the right is a lever... use it to open the pass.»
«I see...», Elerion said, then clapped his hands. «Well, now, dear baroness, I'm glad that you finally came to your senses. I'm only sorry that we had to waste all this time to make you talk.» Saying that, Elerion took out his two swords. «As for now, your services are no longer required... as well as your maids' ones. So, this is goodbye.»
«What?!», baroness screamed, surprised, as the elf came closer to her, his twin blades drawn out, ready to strike.
* * *
Moments later, baroness and her maids all lay dead, killed by Elerion who no longer deemed them useful. He and his demonkin partner went down into the passage to look for the one they came to see in the first place: baroness' daughter, Aurora the Seer. She was the one who held the answer they were seeking: the location of the Chosen One. Hurriedly, they searched the corridors, filled with many rusty tools of torture, human skulls and other relics of the family's violent past. Violent and ancient, Elerion mused; judging by the state of the machinery, it was long since it has seen some use. Well, if little Aurora doesn't tell them what they want to know, that would definitely change.
It didn't take them long to find the person they wanted. She was waiting for them in a small room, equipped only with a small, uncomfortably-looking bed, a table and a chair. This must have been the executioner's... or the torturer's... room. Now, it was populated by completely different inhabitant. Instead of a big, cruel, muscular executioner, there sat a frail, beautiful, young blonde. Her hair was straight, reaching to her shoulders, framing her long face like a golden frame does a masterpiece. The girl would pass as pretty even between elves, Elerion figured. Her small nose, full, seductive lips and perfect facial lines made quite an impact on the elven warrior. For a moment, just for a moment, he regretted having to kill her when all of this was done.
«Good evening, Aurora», Morganna started.
«Good evening, demonkin Morganna and Elerion the elf, slayer of his own kin», the girl replied. Her voice resounded with resignation, a sign of knowing what is to inevitably follow now. «I have foreseen your arrival.»
«Then you must have also foreseen what will happen to you if you don't tell us what we want to know», Elerion started out. He had no time for games.
The girl sighed. «I know I'm weak... I wouldn't be able to take the secret to my grave... that is why I'm going to tell you everything, even though I know I shouldn't.»
«Now that's a smart girl», Elerion said, complimenting the girl in his own way. «You probably know why we're here, so there is no reason for me to ask the question, is there?»
«No», the girl replied, pointing at the scrying ball in front of her. «Look here. I have already summoned the visage of the Chosen One.»
The pair looked in the cloudy sphere that lay in front of them. It was so cloudy one couldn't see anything. However, very soon, the mist started to clear, and a vision of a girl, barely 18-years old, appeared. And, to make things weirder, she was a poor oriental girl, a city thief or beggar, they couldn't say for certain.
«What is this?!», Elerion demanded an explanation, angry. «I told you not to play with us, human!»
«As much as I would love to, but I cannot lie», the girl answered. «My scrying ball doesn't show anything but the person you want to see... even to the likes of you, it cannot lie.»
«Don't play with me!», Elerion repeated, grabbing the girl by her throat. He was really angry now. «The prophecy said the Chosen One will be a princess, a direct descendant of king and queen, and you give me a street urchin?! And on top of that, halfway across the globe?!»
«I...», the girl tried to reply, but he was choking her, making talking difficult. «I swear upon my honor that is correct.»
«Don't you...», Elerion started to choke her even harder, almost breaking her neck, but Morganna intervened. She broke Elerion's grip, standing between them. She turned to Elerion, using her sweetest voice possible.
«Elerion, darling, let me work on this one a bit, please?», she asked. «You must be tired... why don't you get some sleep, and in the morning I'll debrief you, ok?»
«All right», Elerion grumbled, but obliged. He knew he didn't sleep for a long time, something he had to make up for now, or else his combat prowess would be endangered... and he didn't want that to happen.
* * *
Next morning, when Elerion woke up, first thing he did was to go into the dungeon and see how was Morganna doing.
«Hey», his partner greeted him with a sight he hardly imagined possible: Aurora, her hands tied at her backs, down on her knees, licking the demonkin's bare foot. Morganna patted her on the head, like a dog who just brought her slippers.
«I see your... methods... were successful again», Elerion noted.
«Yes, but it wasn't a success you hoped for», Morganna replied, enjoying the licking. «It seems my little tickle-slave here», she pointed at the blonde with her bare big toe, «was telling the truth all along. It seems that the oriental girl is indeed the one we're looking for.»
«But... how can that be?», Elerion rebelled. «We all know that the prophecy said...»
«Elerion, Elerion», Morganna waved off, as if dismissing him. «We all do know what the prophecy said, but it seems it was wrong... or maybe that girl does have royal blood. After all, what do we know about politics there? Maybe she was orphaned in rebellion or a shift of power came to pass... anything could happen. So, why don't we go and see for ourselves?»
The elf sighed. He thought all of this was nonsense, but the Seer told them so... and kept telling them so even after Morganna worked on her. There had to be something to it.
«All right then», he said. «We're leaving right away. Kill her and let's be off.»
Demonkin Morganna looked him directly in the eyes.
«Actually... she's coming with us», she said.
«What?!», Elerion shouted. «Are you crazy?!»
«No», Morganna replied. «Just practical. Her powers as a seer will come in handy during the trip, and...», she bit her lip, «it's a really long trip. I could use some company... if you know what I mean.» Saying that, she stripped Aurora's dress off her, giving Elerion a chance to look at her better. She had an amazing figure. Her full breasts, long legs, firm belly and a nice, round ass made Aurora look like a goddess that came down to mortals. Even Elerion, who was usually known for his self-control when women were involved, couldn't help but feel being drawn to her.
«So», Morganna's voice brought him back to reality. «What do you say? Is she coming with us?»
«Yes... she's coming with us», Elerion said. «Now come on... we have a boat to catch.»
* * *
Keisuke woke up with a strong headache that morning. Still not opening his eyes, he massaged his heavy eyelids, trying to get them to open. It didn't work so well, so he let out a moan. Damn, he shouldn't have drunk that much last night. Finally getting his eyes open, he looked at the empty bottle of sake that lay next to him. He couldn't believe that he drank it all by himself. But, that was pretty much how he lived his life after that happened, so it came as no big surprise to him.
Slowly getting up on his feet, Keisuke picked up his sword, and then went to the nearby river to wash his face. When he got there, he was surprised by the face that was looking at him: was this guy really him? The messy, three-days-old beard and uncombed, messy hair... were those something what a samurai could let himself wear? But, he was a samurai no longer. After that day, he was a ronin, serving no one but himself, living by the sword and alcohol, with no real purpose in life. He didn't even have a place to call home. His life was filled with constant wanderings, bound to never settle down. He looked once again at his reflection in the water, sighing. However, instead of thinking all over again how things could have gone different if he wasn't a young fool back then when it all came crashing down, Keisuke jumped up screaming, his sword drawn out. The face looking at him wasn't his own any more, but it was that of a beautiful woman from western lands. She was blonde, her straight hair covering about half of her face.
«What the...», Keisuke started, but the visage started to speak.
«There is nothing to be afraid of Keisuke the Swordsman», she said, her voice resounding in his ears like river's hum. «I am not here to harm you, but to ask for your help.»
«My help?», he said, confused.
«Yes...», the woman continued, a poor, orphaned girl showing in the surface of the lake. «This girl... she is the Chosen One, the one prophecy foretold will decide on the future of the struggle of Heaven and Hell here on earth.»
Keisuke laughed. «Oh, come on, this is rich. You come here to me and try to sell me some far fetched story...»
«It's not a far-fetched story, Keisuke», the woman said. «Much larger forces are on the move here... forces neither of us can understand or comprehend. I don't know nothing about the prophecy myself, but what I do know is that people from all over the countries have started massive Seer hunts in order to locate this Chosen One... many of them are trying to kill her. They wouldn't be doing so if she wasn't important.»
«All right», Keisuke said, accepting the game. «Suppose you're right... what does it have to do with me?»
«Keisuke... you must protect her!» The face of the woman appeared again, and it looked desperate. «You are the legendary swordsman that sliced through an army of 50 people alone, leaving the fight with only minor injuries. You have to...»
«I don't have to do anything.» Keisuke's voice was cold as ice and hard as stone. «My fighting days are over. Find someone else to do your dirty work for you.»
«I can't! There isn't enough time!», the girl pleaded. «Listen, you're my last hope. I'm begging you... My time is short now. Soon, two people seeking the Chosen One will come for me, and I will be powerless against them. Please... I'm down on my knees... if you have heart, please find that girl and protect her.»
Saying that, the woman vanished, bringing back Keisuke's reflection in the water. He took some, and splashed his face with it to refresh himself. Then, he took a deep breath, and stood there, looking at his sword and an empty bottle of sake that lay in the vincinity.
Then, after a long pause, he stood up and yelled, as loud as he could. «Listen, woman! I will take on your quest! Keisuke the Swordsman will defend the girl!»
Saying that, he put his sword back into his belt and started walking in the direction of the nearest city. As from now on, he was through with drinking. He didn't really believe in the mission but, he thought, maybe in all of this he would finally be able to find a reason to live again.
«Pray tell, dear baroness, where is your daughter at the moment?», Eleron asked the tied woman in front of him.
«Never!», the woman, obviously baroness, replied.
«As you wish, milady», Eleron bowed to her, turning to the woman behind the tied-up baroness. «Mordanna, would you please continue?»
«With pleasure», the red-haired woman replied, a devious smirk on her face. She dug her long fingernails into baroness' armpits, wiggling them in order to produce extreme ticklish sensation. Baroness burst into laughter again, flailing her head around, trying to escape her tormentor's ticklish touch, but to no avail. Her hands were tied high above her head to the ceiling, making it impossible for her to defend her armpits. She was showing signs of exhaustion already, Eleron noticed. He knew it was only a matter of moment before she breaks.
«Come on, baroness, talk and we'll stop doing this to you», he said, trying to get her to talk. «Where is your daughter?»
«AAAHAHAHAHA... Never!», the baroness replied, laughing from the depths of her soul. Her once neatly combed and folded hair was now all messed up, hanging freely from her decorations, due to prolonged tickling. «HAHAHA Someone... HAHAHAHA.... Someone will comeee... and rescue me... HAHAHAHA.»
Hearing her last hope, Eleron couldn't help but smile. The elf loved when people had false hopes which made them go through interrogations. It was even more fun that way, when it was shattered the despair was even greater.
«Who?», he asked, teasing their helpless prisoner. «All of your guards are dead... I saw to it personally... and all of your maidens are captured. Did you forget that we tickled them in front of you, one by one, just to make you talk? True, it didn't work out, so we had to go to the main course... you.»
«But, please, don't feel obliged to tell us everything right away», Mordanna joined in. «I'm enjoying this quite a bit, and we're not in much of a hurry... right Eleron.»
«Damn you!», the baroness barely mustered before succumbing to hysterical laughter again. Mordanna was really a master of tickling, as he had the chance to see for himself. The baroness stood no chance. He remembered the day they met: she set him a trap while he was fighting a bounty hunter. She caught him off guard, while he was getting some breath... that bounty hunter was an elite, and fighting him took all the strength from Eleron. That is why he was such an easy target for her. She rendered him unconscious, but instead of turning him over to the officials and claiming a reward on his head (which was quite high, actually), she made him a partnership offer. At first he refused, but after a week of merciless tickling at her hands, he saw that he had no other choice to accept. When she first tried it out on him, he thought her method was a joke, but it wasn't so funny after a while, even though he was laughing the whole way.
«Suit yourself», Mordanna told the laughing noblewoman. «Talk, don't talk, it's all the same to me... win-win situation. This way, I get to tickle you.»
The poor baroness was on her wits end. Unlike Mordanna, who was certainly having a good time, Elerion wished things to go a tad bit faster... unlike her, he didn't share her obsession with tickling. Even though he had to admit her methods were quite effective, Elerion still preferred a more classical and direct approach: slice them up until they talk. He looked at the two swords at his sides. They drank blood tonight, and will be used once again very soon if Mordanna does the job good... and he had no doubt that she will do that.
Then, suddenly, a scream brought him back from his thoughts.
«STAHAHAHAP!!! I'll TAHAHAHAHALK!» It was the baroness. Finally, Elerion thought, but he couldn't help not notice the look of disappointment on his companion's face.
«Aww... broke so soon?», Morganna teased. «I didn't even get the chance to work on your feet.»
Oh, yes, Morganna liked feet, the elven warrior remembered. That was the only thing he wasn't sure about her: did she inherit it from her human or demonic side. Morganna had an interesting family tree: her grandmother was a succubi who got pregnant with a mortal... she was a gift to him, given by her demonic masters out of gratitude for abandoning light... the man was once a Grand Paladin, but then fell from the path of light. From that union came Morganna's father, who then became a menace in his own right. Made a few armies, tried to take over the kingdom, stuff like that, until he was stopped by some slayer or other. But, before he was stopped, he did ransack a few villages, raping whoever he could find there. From one of such rapes, Morganna was born. However, she didn't quite match the classical demonspawn profile: no horns, no tails, no fangs, no disfigured, burning eyes or claws. Only things she inherited from her grandmother were the beauty, crimson-red hair and immortality. Her lust for sex and rather... uncommon tastes didn't have to be of a strictly demonic nature. Some humans were known for that, too.
«Well, then, tell us where she is and we'll be on our way, then», Elerion told the broken baroness. He stopped to look at her. She didn't look so bad, considering the facts that she was human, and that she was nearly 40... a mere child for an elf (since elves were immortal, 40 years was nothing to them... they reached adulthood at age of 140), but in his long years Elerion learned that it's not so few years for humans.
«She...», the baroness started, trying to catch breath, «she's hidden in the catacombs beneath the castle... she sensed your arrival, so I told her to hide in there.»
«All right... It wasn't so hard, you see?», Elerion said. «Now, how do we get to the catacombs?»
«You'll have to find that out yourselves!», baroness shouted, defiance back in her voice. Elerion sighed.
«Morganna.»
Hearing her name being called, the demonkin approached the tied baroness, licking her lips. «We're gonna have some more fun.» Saying that, she took baroness' ankle in her hand, removing the shoe. «Nice feet... for an old lady.»
«Damn you!», baroness shouted, but started laughing hysterically shortly after, as Morganna started to lick her feet, slowly, from the heel and all the way up to toes, not leaving a single inch uncovered. The method worked wonders on baroness, as she was laughing as hard as her lungs would let her. She looked desperate... on one hand, Elerion knew, she wanted to save her daughter. On the other hand... well, there was Morganna and her torture technique. But, she already broke once, it won't take long for her to break again now. Not with Morganna licking so delightfully. Elerion watched her. Looking at her exploring the foot of the captive noblewoman, he remembered how it felt to have been tortured like that himself. It made him shiver. If he had any compassion, he would have pitied the poor woman, as soon she was going to betray her own daughter. However, this way he only wished things to go a tad bit faster.
«HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA.... I CONFEEHEHES!! AAAHAHAHAHA... I'LL... I'LL TAAALK!!!» It didn't take long for baroness to break. Ten more minutes of Morganna's passionate, skillful foot licking did the trick, and baroness started to talk.
«The passage...», she started, exhausted from the many hours of torture she endured so far, «the passage is behind the mirror in the main hall. Behind the portrait to the right is a lever... use it to open the pass.»
«I see...», Elerion said, then clapped his hands. «Well, now, dear baroness, I'm glad that you finally came to your senses. I'm only sorry that we had to waste all this time to make you talk.» Saying that, Elerion took out his two swords. «As for now, your services are no longer required... as well as your maids' ones. So, this is goodbye.»
«What?!», baroness screamed, surprised, as the elf came closer to her, his twin blades drawn out, ready to strike.
* * *
Moments later, baroness and her maids all lay dead, killed by Elerion who no longer deemed them useful. He and his demonkin partner went down into the passage to look for the one they came to see in the first place: baroness' daughter, Aurora the Seer. She was the one who held the answer they were seeking: the location of the Chosen One. Hurriedly, they searched the corridors, filled with many rusty tools of torture, human skulls and other relics of the family's violent past. Violent and ancient, Elerion mused; judging by the state of the machinery, it was long since it has seen some use. Well, if little Aurora doesn't tell them what they want to know, that would definitely change.
It didn't take them long to find the person they wanted. She was waiting for them in a small room, equipped only with a small, uncomfortably-looking bed, a table and a chair. This must have been the executioner's... or the torturer's... room. Now, it was populated by completely different inhabitant. Instead of a big, cruel, muscular executioner, there sat a frail, beautiful, young blonde. Her hair was straight, reaching to her shoulders, framing her long face like a golden frame does a masterpiece. The girl would pass as pretty even between elves, Elerion figured. Her small nose, full, seductive lips and perfect facial lines made quite an impact on the elven warrior. For a moment, just for a moment, he regretted having to kill her when all of this was done.
«Good evening, Aurora», Morganna started.
«Good evening, demonkin Morganna and Elerion the elf, slayer of his own kin», the girl replied. Her voice resounded with resignation, a sign of knowing what is to inevitably follow now. «I have foreseen your arrival.»
«Then you must have also foreseen what will happen to you if you don't tell us what we want to know», Elerion started out. He had no time for games.
The girl sighed. «I know I'm weak... I wouldn't be able to take the secret to my grave... that is why I'm going to tell you everything, even though I know I shouldn't.»
«Now that's a smart girl», Elerion said, complimenting the girl in his own way. «You probably know why we're here, so there is no reason for me to ask the question, is there?»
«No», the girl replied, pointing at the scrying ball in front of her. «Look here. I have already summoned the visage of the Chosen One.»
The pair looked in the cloudy sphere that lay in front of them. It was so cloudy one couldn't see anything. However, very soon, the mist started to clear, and a vision of a girl, barely 18-years old, appeared. And, to make things weirder, she was a poor oriental girl, a city thief or beggar, they couldn't say for certain.
«What is this?!», Elerion demanded an explanation, angry. «I told you not to play with us, human!»
«As much as I would love to, but I cannot lie», the girl answered. «My scrying ball doesn't show anything but the person you want to see... even to the likes of you, it cannot lie.»
«Don't play with me!», Elerion repeated, grabbing the girl by her throat. He was really angry now. «The prophecy said the Chosen One will be a princess, a direct descendant of king and queen, and you give me a street urchin?! And on top of that, halfway across the globe?!»
«I...», the girl tried to reply, but he was choking her, making talking difficult. «I swear upon my honor that is correct.»
«Don't you...», Elerion started to choke her even harder, almost breaking her neck, but Morganna intervened. She broke Elerion's grip, standing between them. She turned to Elerion, using her sweetest voice possible.
«Elerion, darling, let me work on this one a bit, please?», she asked. «You must be tired... why don't you get some sleep, and in the morning I'll debrief you, ok?»
«All right», Elerion grumbled, but obliged. He knew he didn't sleep for a long time, something he had to make up for now, or else his combat prowess would be endangered... and he didn't want that to happen.
* * *
Next morning, when Elerion woke up, first thing he did was to go into the dungeon and see how was Morganna doing.
«Hey», his partner greeted him with a sight he hardly imagined possible: Aurora, her hands tied at her backs, down on her knees, licking the demonkin's bare foot. Morganna patted her on the head, like a dog who just brought her slippers.
«I see your... methods... were successful again», Elerion noted.
«Yes, but it wasn't a success you hoped for», Morganna replied, enjoying the licking. «It seems my little tickle-slave here», she pointed at the blonde with her bare big toe, «was telling the truth all along. It seems that the oriental girl is indeed the one we're looking for.»
«But... how can that be?», Elerion rebelled. «We all know that the prophecy said...»
«Elerion, Elerion», Morganna waved off, as if dismissing him. «We all do know what the prophecy said, but it seems it was wrong... or maybe that girl does have royal blood. After all, what do we know about politics there? Maybe she was orphaned in rebellion or a shift of power came to pass... anything could happen. So, why don't we go and see for ourselves?»
The elf sighed. He thought all of this was nonsense, but the Seer told them so... and kept telling them so even after Morganna worked on her. There had to be something to it.
«All right then», he said. «We're leaving right away. Kill her and let's be off.»
Demonkin Morganna looked him directly in the eyes.
«Actually... she's coming with us», she said.
«What?!», Elerion shouted. «Are you crazy?!»
«No», Morganna replied. «Just practical. Her powers as a seer will come in handy during the trip, and...», she bit her lip, «it's a really long trip. I could use some company... if you know what I mean.» Saying that, she stripped Aurora's dress off her, giving Elerion a chance to look at her better. She had an amazing figure. Her full breasts, long legs, firm belly and a nice, round ass made Aurora look like a goddess that came down to mortals. Even Elerion, who was usually known for his self-control when women were involved, couldn't help but feel being drawn to her.
«So», Morganna's voice brought him back to reality. «What do you say? Is she coming with us?»
«Yes... she's coming with us», Elerion said. «Now come on... we have a boat to catch.»
* * *
Keisuke woke up with a strong headache that morning. Still not opening his eyes, he massaged his heavy eyelids, trying to get them to open. It didn't work so well, so he let out a moan. Damn, he shouldn't have drunk that much last night. Finally getting his eyes open, he looked at the empty bottle of sake that lay next to him. He couldn't believe that he drank it all by himself. But, that was pretty much how he lived his life after that happened, so it came as no big surprise to him.
Slowly getting up on his feet, Keisuke picked up his sword, and then went to the nearby river to wash his face. When he got there, he was surprised by the face that was looking at him: was this guy really him? The messy, three-days-old beard and uncombed, messy hair... were those something what a samurai could let himself wear? But, he was a samurai no longer. After that day, he was a ronin, serving no one but himself, living by the sword and alcohol, with no real purpose in life. He didn't even have a place to call home. His life was filled with constant wanderings, bound to never settle down. He looked once again at his reflection in the water, sighing. However, instead of thinking all over again how things could have gone different if he wasn't a young fool back then when it all came crashing down, Keisuke jumped up screaming, his sword drawn out. The face looking at him wasn't his own any more, but it was that of a beautiful woman from western lands. She was blonde, her straight hair covering about half of her face.
«What the...», Keisuke started, but the visage started to speak.
«There is nothing to be afraid of Keisuke the Swordsman», she said, her voice resounding in his ears like river's hum. «I am not here to harm you, but to ask for your help.»
«My help?», he said, confused.
«Yes...», the woman continued, a poor, orphaned girl showing in the surface of the lake. «This girl... she is the Chosen One, the one prophecy foretold will decide on the future of the struggle of Heaven and Hell here on earth.»
Keisuke laughed. «Oh, come on, this is rich. You come here to me and try to sell me some far fetched story...»
«It's not a far-fetched story, Keisuke», the woman said. «Much larger forces are on the move here... forces neither of us can understand or comprehend. I don't know nothing about the prophecy myself, but what I do know is that people from all over the countries have started massive Seer hunts in order to locate this Chosen One... many of them are trying to kill her. They wouldn't be doing so if she wasn't important.»
«All right», Keisuke said, accepting the game. «Suppose you're right... what does it have to do with me?»
«Keisuke... you must protect her!» The face of the woman appeared again, and it looked desperate. «You are the legendary swordsman that sliced through an army of 50 people alone, leaving the fight with only minor injuries. You have to...»
«I don't have to do anything.» Keisuke's voice was cold as ice and hard as stone. «My fighting days are over. Find someone else to do your dirty work for you.»
«I can't! There isn't enough time!», the girl pleaded. «Listen, you're my last hope. I'm begging you... My time is short now. Soon, two people seeking the Chosen One will come for me, and I will be powerless against them. Please... I'm down on my knees... if you have heart, please find that girl and protect her.»
Saying that, the woman vanished, bringing back Keisuke's reflection in the water. He took some, and splashed his face with it to refresh himself. Then, he took a deep breath, and stood there, looking at his sword and an empty bottle of sake that lay in the vincinity.
Then, after a long pause, he stood up and yelled, as loud as he could. «Listen, woman! I will take on your quest! Keisuke the Swordsman will defend the girl!»
Saying that, he put his sword back into his belt and started walking in the direction of the nearest city. As from now on, he was through with drinking. He didn't really believe in the mission but, he thought, maybe in all of this he would finally be able to find a reason to live again.
