Tender Mercies: Book 1 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Wondered if you'd wake up, I did."

Kelnozz looked quickly to the origin of the voice, then almost immediately regretted moving his head so quickly. It was a human man, out of his prime but still able. The man was grinning, his white teeth shining through the bushy beard and mustache that had grown on him. He wore leathers for clothing, and stirred a pot hung over the fire pit.

"Who are you?" Kelnozz asked.

"Aye elf, that's a good question! But it's not important...what's important is who you are. Aye aye, who are you?" he said, dipping a bowl in the pot and handing it to Kelnozz.

Kelnozz saw and smelled the stew, and without further words fell to it. He quickly learned how sore his side still was as he tried to move to eat. Remembering more, he tested his leg and found the calf still equally painful.

"My name is Kelnozz Risingmoon, and I appear to be indebted to you," he said once he'd finished the bowl of stew.

The hermit grinned and took the bowl back. "You were a sore sight, that's for sure! Took me a while to fix you up. Though I'd lost you with all the bleeding."

Kelnozz could see that the hermit was tottering on the edge of madness. "How long have you been here?"

"How long? Hmmm, don't rightly know. Ever since the change took me, I guess. But don't worry, the change won't get you, I'll make sure of that!"

"Where are we?" Kelnozz asked, checking the bandages and finding them clean.

"Where are we? Ha! We're here! We're else?" The man cackled and finished his own bowl of stew.

"How long has it been?" Kelnozz asked, growing frustrated at the crazy old man.

"I found you two days ago on the shores of the Swiftwater Sea," he said, his laughter dying down. "Last time somebody got washed ashore there it was nigh twenty years ago...and it was me!" He cackled again at that, but it lacked any real mirth to it.

Kelnozz ignored the pain in his side and leg and rose up enough to stare directly into the man's eyes. What he saw surprised him. "Tell me old man, who are you really?"

The man met Kelnozz's gaze evenly. "It's not important elf, let it go."

The man turned away but Kelnozz reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder. "I think it is."

Spinning around quicker then he looked possible the man had knocked Kelnozz's hand away and held a dagger between them. "I used to be called Aquinar Belisarius, elf, and I was the champion of Celos in my time," he hissed at Kelnozz. "Now will you let it go?"

Kelnozz settled back on the skins, grimacing at the unhealed wounds. "Aye, friend, for now I'll let it go. Why do you play at being mad?"

The hermit laughed bitterly. "I've been here twenty years, madness would be a welcome release. It keeps the light elves and the goblins away, they think me a harmless raving lunatic...harmless unless they trespass on my lands, that is! Nay lad, I'd embrace madness gladly if it would come, but I've erred so badly that I'll not get away so easily."

"Where are we then, hermit?" Kelnozz asked, growing more and more curious.

"Inside the periphery, boy-o. Deep inside it. Only way out of here is through league after league of lands roamed by giants, light elves, orcs, and their kin, or the Swiftwater Sea, which you've discovered isn't much safer!"

Kelnozz nodded and laid back to think. Before he knew it, he was sleeping again, recovering from his wounds. Aquinar watched him for a few minutes before moving out to the entrance of the cave. The sun was setting behind the mountains to the west. In the east the edge of what he could feel was another full moon began to show itself. Sighing, Aquinar left the cave in a trot, putting as much distance between it and himself as he could.

---

The mournful howl of a wolf awoke Kelnozz. He found the fire had died and night had come. Grimacing, he rose up from his bedding and examined his bandages. The hermit must have been a talented healer, for while still sore, his wounds were healing nicely.

Kelnozz gathered up his equipment and put it back on. He examined the cave, heading deeper into it. It turned out to be more of a fissure in the rock face then anything else, for it didn't head back to deeply. Kelnozz did discover Aquinar's possessions, however, and he found himself impressed. A suit of plate mail, looking recently polished and well maintained, was laying in a corner under another animal skin. Kelnozz reached out and picked up the sword that was sheathed and laying with the armor. Drawing it carefully from its scabbard, he marveled at the craftsmanship and feel of the blade. Certain it was no match for his own blades, he was nevertheless impressed with it. Testing the edge with his thumb, he was amazed to find himself bleeding from a shallow cut.

Replacing the weapon, he began to explore more of the hermit's belonging when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise. He dropped his hands to the hilts of his swords and turned around to face the opening of the cave.

A lone wolf stared at him, a look of sadness in its eyes. Kelnozz stared back at the wolf, waiting for it to make a move. Finally it did, turning away and loping off into the night. Kelnozz breathed a sigh of relief and limped back to the camp fire. He piled some fresh kindling on it and blew the still glowing embers back to life.

An exhausted looking Aquinar trudged into the cave an hour before Dawn. He locked gazes with Kelnozz, to weary to speak, and then moved to his own bedroll where he collapsed and fell instantly to sleep. Kelnozz watched him for few minutes, studying him carefully, then dozed himself.

"Have a problem with wolves around here?" Kelnozz asked the next day.

Aquinar glanced at him sharply. "What do you mean?"

Kelnozz shrugged and said, "A wolf visited this cave last night, it didn't seem threatening though, and it went away."

Aquinar shook his head and sighed quietly.

"Does that happen often?" Kelnozz asked, pressing him for information.

"What? Oh, sorry, I'm not used to other people being here," Aquinar said. "Sometimes it does, but rarely."

"How are you feeling?" Aquinar asked, changing the topic.

Kelnozz tested his leg and his side. "Still sore, but healing well. My thanks to you, you are a skilled healer."

Aquinar grunted acknowledgement and returned to sharpening his dagger on a rock. "You should move on soon, it is dangerous here, more so then you realize."

"Oh? I can take care of myself," Kelnozz said, watching Aquinar carefully.

"I'm sure you can," he replied, "but there are strange and dangerous powers that vie for control in this valley. I'm cursed to stay, but you should leave."

"You've mentioned this curse a few times, what is it and how did it happen?"

Letting out a sharp scornful laugh, Aquinar shook his head, "None of your concern, elf, I was tested by Celos and found wanting, and have thus fallen from grace."

Kelnozz shrugged. "If that is how you wish to live, then may you have the best of life. My thanks again for rescuing me."

Aquinar watched Kelnozz walk to the mouth of the cave and glance about. Then without even a glance back, he stepped out of the cave and headed down the hillside to the west. Aquinar scowled, glad to be rid of the troublesome elf. He talked to much and asked to many questions. Aquinar's life was his own business, and his problems his to bear.

---

Kelnozz found his the stiffness in his side and leg slowly leaving as he exercised them by moving. He knew that he'd pay for it later, but for now he could do without the distraction. Since leaving Aquinar, he had the feeling that he was being followed. For most of the day he'd moved west through the forested valley. As twilight approached he set up a camp and started a fire with his flint and steel. Draping his cloak around some rocks and branches he'd pulled together, he crept off to the side to lay an ambush for whatever it was that pursued him.

Moving quietly as only he could, and possessing an unnatural patience, he circled behind his unknown shadow and studied him carefully. After a few moments, the man moved out of a shadow into the moonlight. In the increased light Kelnozz's elven eyes were able to identify him easily. It was as he thought, Aquinar came after him. Dressed in his armor this time, not his leather. Kelnozz knew the armor to be more then just finely crafted, but surely magical as well to allow him to move as quietly as he did.

Aquinar scowled when the twin blades rested lightly on his shoulders. "Well done elf," he muttered, turning slowly to face Kelnozz with his arms out to show him unarmed.

"Why do you follow me?" Kelnozz asked before noticing the sweat on Aquinar's face and his pale color.

Aquinar stepped out of the moonlight and into the shade, seeming to relax a little. "I had to make sure you were leaving," he said.

"What's wrong with you? Are you injured?" Kelnozz asked, seeing the hermit close his eyes and shudder as if in pain.

Aquinar sat down heavily, taking a deep ragged breath. "Nay, 'tis no wound that ails me. It's something far deeper."

"You saved my life," Kelnozz offered, "what can I do to aid yours?"

Snorting in derision he said, "Bah, nothing. I am beyond help."

The winds blowing through the top of the trees moved the branches aside enough for the moonlight to shine down directly on Aquinar's face. He grimaced and moved abruptly, as if in pain. Out of the moonlight again he growled deep in his throat and then calmed.

"Tell me of your curse, graybeard, or I head back to your cave and stay with you!" Kelnozz threatened.

"If you feel indebted to me, then leave me alone!" Aquinar said through clenched teeth.

"I think not," Kelnozz responded.

Aquinar glared dangerously at Kelnozz, his muscles tensing up beneath is armor in preparation to spring. A cloud passed in front of the moon then, making the night that much darker. As if a weight was lifted from him, the hermit grew less agitated.

"Long ago I was one of Celos' chosen holy warriors. A paladin. Few were the peers that I had, and great honors and glories were heaped upon the Church of Celos in my name. I grew pompous and vain over time. Victory after victory, I knew no equal that my skills and divine powers could not overcome.

"After championing a cause in the North, I took ship to the south, intent upon heading to the isles to the east of Belurian so that I might bring the law and order of Celos to the savage natives there. My ship encountered a storm. A storm so great that we were blown off course and eventually overwhelmed by the seas. As far as I know, I alone survived."

The cloud passed over and the waning moon shone down around them again. Clearly irritated again, Aquinar said, "Please, help me find some darker shadows."

Kelnozz took Aquinar's hand and led him deeper under a copse of trees that let none of the direct moonlight in. Aquinar leaned against a tree and breathed deeply to regain his composure.

"Washing up on the shore, I had nothing but what you see on me now. Recovering my health was easy, as I was still in Celos' good graces at that point. So then I set out to discover what it was that Celos had destined me for. What I found was not what I was expecting."

Taking a break to drink some water from a skin at his side, he wiped the sweat from his face before continuing. "There is an ancient ruined castle at the mouth of this valley. It lies to the west, and is the only way out of here save for scaling the peaks of the mountains. In my arrogance, I approached it, certain anything within could not stand up to my prowess...

...Approaching the ruined gate, Aquinar surveyed the ruined battlements and escarpments of the castle. Once mighty and easily defended, now it could be taken by an army of children. Surely no match for him alone. He strode through the gate, wondering what brand of evil, if any, could dwell within.

As soon as he set foot within he could feel the evil surround him. Shaking it off and erecting a mental defense against the invasive foulness of the castle, he drew his sword and moved within the courtyard. Around his very eyes the castle shifted and blurred. When it cleared, he saw himself standing inside a very finely maintained and cared for fortress.

Knowing it to be false, he pushed himself onward through the bailey and towards the inner keep. A scream of terror pierced the air. Running now, Aquinar did not see the shapes detach from the shadows behind him and follow him into the manor house. He ran as if a man possessed, forgetting the illusion of the castle and instead focusing on the sound of a woman in need.

Bursting through a great set of double doors he found the source of the scream. Already dead was a small child, dogs tearing at her corpse. Likewise a man hung from a rope tied to a tall pillar about his wrists. He had been disemboweled, the last life in his eyes fading as he looked at Aquinar pleadingly. More wolves lapped up the blood at his feet and feasted upon his entrails.

A woman whimpered. Looking to her, Aquinar saw a beautiful young woman that had been stripped naked and tied to a table. She was murmuring, "Daddy," over and over as she stared at her father's remains.

Looking about the room, Aquinar saw a man sitting in a throne on a small dais. He stared back at Aquinar, grinning. Aquinar could sense the evil emanating from the man. Other then the feasting wolves, several people were arranged about the room. Men and woman in varying states of dress. Indeed, one man holding his engorged penis had been heading towards the surviving human woman when Aquinar had burst into the room.

Knowing himself outnumbered, in spite of his devotion, Aquinar acted before the unholy inhabitants could. He ran forward and lashed out at the would be rapist, taking his penis holding arm off at the shoulder. Working quickly, he severed the ties on the woman's wrists and legs. Kicking a wolf away that came at him, he picked her up and retreated towards the door he had entered through. Seeing several armed guards waiting down that hallway he set the woman down.

"Stay behind me!" Aquinar said before charging into the midst of the soldiers. Terrified to the point of madness, the woman numbly followed him.

Fighting furiously, Aquinar laid about him with skill worthy of the champion of Celos. His divine might flowing through the blade, each time a hit was scored on one of the evil minions it shrieked in pain and the wound hissed.

Aquinar slew the last of the guards in short order. Looking about he saw reinforcements rushing from the throne room. Grabbing the hand of the frightened woman, he ran from the manor into the courtyard. In the bailey of the keep they stopped running, breathing heavily. The woman whimpered in fear again. Standing just inside of the gates was the lord of the castle.

"I know not what evil magic you have used, but stand clear of us or by the mite of Celos I shall strike you down!" Aquinar called out to him.

The man grinned again, a flaming sword appearing out of nothingness in his hand. "Come, champion of good, and let us see who is the stronger!" It said, its voice clear and strong.

"Wait here," Aquinar told the woman, letting go her hand. He gripped his holy symbol in his now free hand and approached the man. "Celos shall see to it that I defeat you, fiend!"

Battle was joined. For a long moment the two sparred with each other, coming close to one another but never landing a blow. Aquinar backed off, breathing heavily, and noticed his opponent was unfazed by their exertions.

"Were is your God now?" It asked him, grinning widely. Nordan saw the sharpened points of his canines and knew that he faced a being that was not human.

"He is with me, foul one, and he shall see to it that I strike you down!" Aquinar answered, launching a fresh flurry of attacks.

A scream pierced through his battle haze. Glancing back, Aquinar saw the wolves circling around the woman. Diverted, one of the attacks his enemy launched breached his defenses and slipped in the crease of his armor at his left elbow, biting painfully into him. Grimacing in pain he returned his attention to the fight and fought on.

The woman kicked out at a wolf when it snapped at her, making it yelp in pain and jump back. She barely avoided another one that lunged at her from behind.

"What will you do, holy man? Save her or destroy me?" the man asked, stepping back and tossing his sword to the ground.

Glancing at the woman, he saw her on her feet still, but the wolves still gathered round her. Further back a crowd of people waited, watching the battle. Judging her safe a moment more, he turned back to his adversary.

"I shall destroy you!" Aquinar growled, lunging forward and plunging his sword deeply into the man's chest.

"And now where is your God?" The man said, laughing. His laughter grew more and more sinister, then he dissolved into mist and disappeared.

Shaken by what had taken place. Aquinar turned again when he heard another scream. Seeing the wolves lunging at her, he ran to her aid. Slicing the head off of one and kicking another away, he picked the woman up from where she'd collapsed on the ground and ran out the front of the keep. The remaining wolves and people chased him to the front gate, but once he was beyond it they stopped and howled angrily.

Aquinar carried her far from the evil castle before setting her down on a bed of pine needles. Taking some water he washed her wounds and roused her from her faint. She groaned painfully when she awoke. Nordan looked at her body, trying hard to ignore her womanly areas. Several bites on her legs and arms bled freely, as did some tears on her midsection.

"Why didn't you save me?" she asked quietly.

"You are safe, milady, I've slain the lord of the castle and we've escaped!" Aquinar said, trying to staunch the flow of blood from the more dangerous wounds on her.

"I so tired... am I, am I dying?" she asked slowly, her voice thick.

"No, you'll live, I will heal you," Aquinar said, struggling to channel the power that he wielded as a paladin into healing the young woman.

When nothing happened, Aquinar let out a strangled gasp. He tried again and again, demanding Celos to aid him. The woman passed out again from the loss of blood, and finally Aquinar was left with no choice. Stripping off his armor, he shredded his tunic with his dagger and tied the makeshift bandages around her.

He laid close to her that night, keeping her warm with his own body heat and trying to comfort her with a human touch. Throughout the night he was plagued with alternating worry and anger as to why Celos had abandoned him and refused his demands to heal the woman.

When she awoke before dawn the next day he was still holding her tightly and trying to figure out why he could not help her. She turned to face him, smiling still half asleep and nuzzling into him. Her hand crept down to his crotch, cupping his manhood in her hand. Snapping out of his reverie, Aquinar was about to tell her to stop when he realized she wasn't aware of what she was doing.

Nearing thirty years of age and of chastity, Aquinar inwardly groaned as he felt himself growing erect. Her hand cupped his erection better and gave it a faint squeeze every time his heart beat.

"I beg you, torment me no longer!" Aquinar gasped finally, unable to control himself. "I have taken a vow of chastity!"

The woman looked up at him and smiled. "You saved me, I want to show my appreciation to you," she pouted.

"A simple 'thank you' will suffice," he said, torn by his bodies desire and his vow.

"Thank you," she said, smiling again. "I'm so cold and so lonely, can't you please just hold me and comfort me?"

Aquinar struggled to find an excuse not to do so, but his chivalric vows prevented him from doing so as she had moved her hand off of his aching manhood. He nodded to her and she smiled. Turning about, she pressed her back into his chest and her butt into his groin to spoon with him.

Aquinar cursed his vow of chastity, for any sane man would be taking advantage of her at this point. He sighed and realized that was what made him so much better then any other man. That got him lost in thoughts of why Celos had abandoned him again the night before. So lost in thought was he that he didn't realize the steady pressure that the woman had been putting on his groin, very slowly and gradually grinding her ass into his cock.

By the time Aquinar realized what was happening, he was so far gone that he knew he had to get up and leave the woman for a few moments or he would be lost. He couldn't make himself get up though, sealing his fate. When her leg lifted ever so slightly and her hand slipped between her legs to fondle him through his breeches, his last resistance was shattered.

"After all these years of service, I deserve a reward!" He said, reaching around and fondling her breasts.

She moaned in his hands, pushing her ass back at him harder. Together they scrambled to lower his breeches, allowing his manhood to spring free. Wasting no time, Aquinar plunged himself into her soaked depths. He let out a long and deep moan at the feeling of having his cock buried inside of her. She pushed against him, forcing him in deeper, and Aquinar's thirty years of pent up sexual frustrations burst at that point. He grunted and unleashed a torrent of his seed inside of her.

She moaned at the sensation of being filled by the paladin's hot seed. She tried thrusting her hips back at him more and more, making Aquinar slam his own against her. Staying hard after filling her, he let himself go and rode her for all he could. The position was awkward though, and the woman rolled over on her hands and knees. Anxious to be back within her, Aquinar knelt behind her quickly and got his first look at her quim. Engorged with blood, he could make out her clit just barely hanging through her spread lips. His cum ran down the inside of her thighs and marked the opening to her sex. Guiding his cock, he sank quickly into her depths again.

They fucked feverishly for several minutes, until Aquinar began to lose himself again. He closed his eyes and bucked against her with all he had. Unseen and unheard in front of him, the woman had began to growl deep in her throat like an animal. Grunting, Aquinar felt his balls tighten up again and another torrent of his cum burst free from him and flowed deeply inside of her clutching pussy. He fell forward, his arms landing beside her head as their hips continued to thrust against one another.

Aquinar knew she was climaxing as well, for the sound she was making as well as the way she convulsed around his cock. Then he felt a sharp pain in his arm. It caused the last few surges of his orgasm to explode violently, then he shuddered and collapsed on top of her. After a few second he regained his composure and pulled himself free of her, groaning in horror at what he had done.

His horror grew when he looked on the woman and saw that she had changed. A fine silver down covered her skin. She turned to look back at him and he saw that her face had begun to take on the shape and cast of a wolf. Numb, he looked at his arm and saw where she had bitten him deeply enough to draw blood. He stumbled backwards to his gear and drew his sword and pointed it at her.

"What's wrong, my champion?" she said, her voice sounding strange and guttural with the change she was undergoing. "This is what you let happen to me!"

"No! I... I had to slay the evil one, that's what I'm supposed to do!" He called out, confused. "Celos relies upon me to slay all that is evil! Including things such as you, vile trickster!"

Gaining certainty, Aquinar advanced on the she-wolf and raised his sword to deliver a killing stroke. She looked at him sadly for a moment, then ran off into the woods. Aquinar watched her flee from him, knowing he couldn't match her speed. He sat down after a moment, stunned by what had happened. His sword fell from nerveless fingers and he hung his head in his hands and began to weep....

..."The change took me the next full moon," Aquinar finished, his voice flat. "Now every full moon I am forced to change and hunt like a wolf. On the nights surrounding the full moon, I can fight off the change, but it is hard and it took many years to learn how to control it."

He paused a moment thoughtfully before saying, "I've not aged a day either, to return to civilization and watch those around me grow old and die? Bah, better I find death alone myself."

Kelnozz listened to his story, withholding any judgment on him. "In the twenty years since then have you ever seen her again?"

Aquinar shook his head. "Nay, lad, I have not. Nor have I been able to regain Celos' blessing, though I strove so hard to do so in the beginning."

"I'm not one to offer advice on the Gods," Kelnozz said with a chuckle. "I've little use for them myself."

Sighing unhappily Aquinar said, "Aye, it seems I'm the same way these days."

"What say you get some payback then? I need to get out of here and it appears that castle is the only way to do it."

Aquinar looked at Kelnozz for a good long time before nodding his head and saying finally, "Though I think it death to do so, I am tired of living like this, I must reach an end of it, one way or another!"

"Then at first light, we march on the castle!" Kelnozz said.

Aquinar nodded, lost in thought. They returned to Kelnozz's fire and rested the few hours they had left before dawn came.

---

The afternoon sun shown down on the abandoned castle. Great holes in the walls and the rotted gates. They stepped in through the main gate and looked at the empty bailey. Kelnozz looked to Aquinar for guidance.

Shrugging, Aquinar said, "This is how I came before, but this time it looks the same still. Let us advance."

The two moved through the bailey and entered the main courtyard of the castle. An iron portcullis, rusty and pitted with age, squeaked loudly as it fell behind them, in the inner bailey gate. They turned to look at it, then turned back to face the hoard of things emerging from the ruined buildings.

An army of skeletons began to assemble itself around them. Advancing mindlessly, the undead were upon them before they had a chance to properly understand their situation. Kelnozz slashed at the horde of undead time and again, easily dispatching the mindless animations. Celos, after a few moments of uncertainty, also got into the battle, driving back anything that came at him.

"Follow me!" Celos cried out after several minutes had passed and their foes continued against them. Both warriors were wounded with small scratches in several places, but nothing slowed their movements save the growing concern of fatigue.

Forging a path through the skeletal horde, they made it to the manor house and slipped through the doorway. While no door remained to close, the skeletons did not pursue them inside, but instead began to return to the buildings they had emerged from.

"You okay?" Aquinar asked, breathing heavily. Kelnozz nodded after checking his minor scrapes and cuts.

Spending another moment catching their breath, they moved down the hallway, with Aquinar leading the way. Kelnozz kept checking behind them for pursuit, giving him little chance to react when the floor opened beneath Aquinar. Kelnozz managed to leap to the side and avoid the trap door in the floor, but Aquinar fell through.

Lunging to the pit in the floor, Kelnozz beat his fist on it angrily as it closed up. Examining the floor carefully, he could find no sign of the trap door. Even going so far as to walk over it, he could not find it. Scowling angrily, he looked about, trying to find a way to go down and find Aquinar. Seeing nothing readily, he moved down the hall cautiously.

Following the directions Aquinar had given him from his 20 year past visit, Kelnozz came to the doors to the throne room of the castle. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he swung his arm around a few times to make sure his healing side wound wouldn't interfere. Then he pushed open the doors and boldly walked in.

"Hello lover."

Aquinar picked himself up from the floor. He looked up and saw the chute he had slid down, then looked about until he saw the woman that had spoken. It was none other then the same woman he had failed to rescue twenty years past, looking exactly the same.

"What... why are you here?" he stammered, his mouth suddenly dry.

Pouting seductively, she walked towards him and said, "after you turned me away, where else could I go? Lord Thexx took me in and forgave me for trying to leave. He's been wonderful to me since then, even promising me that you'd return one day and that I could have you."

Aquinar forced his eyes off her nude body as she slinked towards him hungrily. He glanced about the room and saw a door on the far end of it, behind her. He looked back at her as she stopped in front of him and dropped to her hands and knees.

"What's wrong, don't you want me?" she pouted, arching her back so that her ass stuck in the air.

Aquinar was paralyzed. He felt stirrings within him that he'd only felt once before. A great pressure was building within him, he shook his head in denial, trying to clear his mind. The woman moved closer, brushing against his leg with her face. Then she turned away from him, letting him see her glistening and ready sex. She moaned and stuck herself even higher in the air.

"Come my hero, I'm ready for you, take me like you did before!" She was nearly panting she was so turned on.

The scent of her aroused pussy reached him, letting the beast within know that she was in heat. He growled deep in his throat, fighting with himself. His codpiece grew tight about him as his body began to betray him. Lurching to his feet, he stumbled behind her and sank to his knees, reaching for the straps on his armor.

Shoving his weapon belt aside, he glanced at his sword and saw the holy symbol carved into the hilt. It gave him pause and a moment of strength. Sensing his hesitation, the woman thrust back at him, rubbing herself against his armored crotch. Aquinar stared down at her, his senses enflamed with need.

"My Lord Celos, I have failed you time and again, but I beg of you to give me strength," he pleaded.

"Take me now, I need you!" She hissed at him, looking back over her shoulder at him.

Aquinar fought through the spell that her body had worked on him and gripped the hilt of his sword. A brief moment of hesitation in which he felt on the verge of madness followed. Then with a strangled gasp he drew his sword and plunged it deeply into the back of the seductress, pinning her to the floor.

She screeched and howled in agony, writhing under the blade. Gaining strength and resolution, Aquinar held firmly, keeping her immobile. After thrashing about some more, she shuddered again and began to change. Before his eyes, Aquinar saw the woman become less and less a woman and more a wolf. When she finally lay still, he saw a cross between the two species. Covered in fine silver fur and sprouting a tale, she otherwise resembled a human woman.

Aquinar shook his head to clear it. Rising slowly, he pulled his sword free and looked about the room again. He glanced at the slain she-wolf again, confused. Falling back to his knees, he reached through a pouch at his side and pulled out his holy symbol. He stared at his for a long moment before bowing his head and letting loose a great racking sob.

"I know I am impure in your eyes, Lord," he began. "I know I have erred many times and gone against your teachings. I beg of you to turn your eyes upon me now, for I seek to try to right those wrongs and vanquish the evil of this place. I devote this crusade to you. My failures have been my own doing, not yours. I pray that I am strong enough to succeed in this."

Rising to his feet, Aquinar put the holy symbol around his neck and felt a sense of peace settle over him. Holding his sword in hand, he advanced to the door and opened it, uncertain of what his future held but ready to face it regardless of the consequences.

---

"Welcome to my humble home."

"I enjoyed the warm reception," Kelnozz replied, sizing up the man sitting on the throne. A slim and small man, he nevertheless exuded a dark and powerful charisma. Kelnozz could almost sense a chilling dread emanating from him.

"I like to keep the riff raff out," he said, smiling coldly. "To what do I owe the unique honor of a visit from a dark elf?"

"Traveling salesmen, you looked like you could use some new murals on your walls," Kelnozz replied dryly, stalling for time.

"Ha!" The man laughed, genuinely amused. "Indeed I could, but I've not heard of a dark elf this deep within the Periphery for hundreds of years, so I'm forced to doubt you."

"You seem to know well enough then, why am I here?"

Chuckling as if to a private joke, the man said, "I believe it has something to do with that fallen knight that refused my hospitality so many years ago. At this very moment though he is enjoying the company of a long lost friend of his."

"But where are my manners! I get so few guests, I fear I let them slide," he said, dropping the tension from his voice and speaking pleasantly. "I am Baron Thexx, ruler of this castle and the lands surrounding it."

Kelnozz glanced about, realizing that on his finest day he couldn't stand against the many men and women in the throne room. He realized with a start that he had almost fallen under the man's spell, for everyone within the throne room was dressed in rich clothing and decorated finely. The doors and walls and surrounding were likewise in fine condition, appointed luxuriously. Kelnozz forced himself to remember that it was an illusion, in reality the walls and ceiling were falling apart.

"And you are?" he asked, nonplussed by Kelnozz's silence.

"Sorry, was just admiring your décor," Kelnozz said. "I am Kelnozz Risingmoon, most recently of the Cloudchaser, shipwrecked in the Swiftwater Sea."

"Ah, that explains it. Well my friend, now that you are here, I hate to tell you that safety is your chief concern. My lands are surrounded by the savage wilderness and occasional groups of your cousins, who would be none to happy to see you, I imagine."

He paused for a moment, as if listening to something only he could hear. "Indeed, return over the Periphery is all but impossible as well, for it lies several leagues to the south, or even further to north. But I think that is not your chief concern right now."

Kelnozz listened carefully to Baron Thexx, making plans on how to get out of the throne room without being delayed by the guards. "What is my greatest concern then?"

Grinning fiendishly, the baron made a motion with his hand. A shimmering orb appeared in the middle of the room. "This."

Instead of a magical attack, as the elf feared, instead the orb acted as a window. It showed the bailey of the castle, and in there two people walked. Kelnozz recognized them instantly, Nordan and Alesha. He also noticed that he had been in the castle longer then he thought, for night had fallen outside.

---

"You're sure he is in here?" Nordan asked.

"Yes," Alesha responded, stepping around some rubble in the inner gateway.

"Nice place," she commented, nudging the shattered remains of a skeleton with her toe.

Nordan grunted and knelt down to check the corpse. "Looks like it's been dead for a long time, but the bones are on top of some tracks."

Alesha closed her eyes and concentrated on figuring out what had happened. With a gasp she opened her eyes and looked around again. In her mind's eye she could see the horde of undead fighting against Kelnozz and his companion.

"They were here," she whispered, her heart beating quickly. "He was with someone else, and together they fought through an army of skeletons and went in there."

Nordan looked where she was pointing. Gripping his hammer tightly, he set out towards the manor. Alesha followed closely behind, gripping her katana hilt tightly but not drawing it.

Inside the manor their perception changed. Gone was the rubble and ruin, replaced by the illusion of grandeur and luxury. "How can this be?" Nordan asked, looking out the door behind him to see the courtyard still falling apart.

"Magic," Alesha whispered, amazed at it anew in spite of her own mysterious abilities she was discovering.

Nordan scowled and headed down the hallway. Checking each door along the way, they found several empty rooms of varying purposes. Ignoring side passages, they pushed deeper into the manor.

"Nordan wait!" Alesha called out. Nordan stopped to see her staring down a side passage.

"What?" he asked, impatient and distrusting of magic, but torn by knowing he had to rely on it to help them.

"There's something over here," she said, already walking down a side passage.

Nordan looked to the double doors at the end of the hallway not thirty feet away and ground his teeth in frustration. Cursing the Gods, he quickly overtook her and led the way again. They stopped at a door at the end of the hallway.

Alesha nodded to Nordan. He opened the door quickly and stepped in to allow him room to swing his hammer if need be. The sight inside was not what they had expected.

"Welcome!" Said a surprised red haired woman. She was laying on a bed nude, with her legs spread. One hand was buried in the red hair below, pleasuring herself, while the other pulled at the small nipples on her large breasts.

"Excuse us!" Alesha said, her eyes wide in surprise. Alesha was blushing as well, and started to back up out of the room. More then just embarrassment caused her to blush, she was instantly aroused by the sight.

"Wait, don't leave!" The woman said, jumping off the bed and coming towards the surprised invaders.

Nordan knew what was happening was to good to be real, but the attractive redhead coming at them short circuited his thinking. He glanced at Alesha and saw that she had already fallen prey to the woman, even if she didn't know it herself.

"Wouldn't you rather stay and watch?" The woman asked seductively, trailing her glistening fingers along Nordan's cheek, allowing him to catch her scent on them.

"Or help?" she directed the last to Alesha, whom she had reached out and caressed with other hand. Alesha's breath caught in her throat as the woman cupped her breast and gently tweaked her nipple.

Nordan was shocked when Alesha beat him to the punch and embraced the woman, kissing her deeply. It did little more then stoke his raging fires more, causing him to grab both of them up and push them towards the bed. In a rush, they moved to the large bed and resumed their kiss, their hands stroking up and down each other's bodies.

Nordan followed them, his breeches strained by his growing manhood. Tugging them down, he climbed onto the bed with them and was immediately satisfied to feel the redhead turn her attention to him and take him deeply into her mouth. Deprived of her mouth, Alesha groaned. She looked at her briefly, enjoying her nudity as she lay on her side sucking deeply on Nordan's cock.

Nordan nearly lost control when the woman moaned around him. Looking down her saw Alesha had moved behind the woman and was busy trying to stab her tongue into the redheads sex from behind. Frustrated at how hard it was to reach her, she grabbed the woman's hips and twisted her so that her ass was on the bed and her legs spread invitingly for her. Diving in, Alesha used her lips, teeth, and tongue to ravish the woman. Part of her mind was in shock at what she was doing, but realizing how good and natural it felt, that part quickly dissolved. Uncertain of what she was doing, she made up what she lacked in experience with enthusiasm.

With the two beautiful women laid out before him, and the talented cocksucker working at him, Nordan quickly lost control. He groaned and thrust himself at the woman suckling him, blasting her tonsils with his cum. She gathered the impressive load in her mouth, refusing to swallow. Her hand continued to jack the last of his orgasm into her mouth while her tongue tickled the head of his manhood, driving him crazy. Finally she relented and sat up.

Alesha fought against the hands pulling her up, but relented eventually to discover the redhead trying to kiss her. Seeing the drops of cum that had leaked out around her lips, Alesha dove in for the kiss. The women shared Nordan's seed between them, each savoring the taste and texture repeatedly before eventually swallowing it.

When it was gone and their desires driven to the edge and beyond, Alesha found herself being pushed on her back on the bed. The woman then slid down her body, savoring licks and kisses on her body along the way, taking special care to lavish attention to Alesha's breasts. When she moved lower, she yanked the ties loose on Alesha's loin cloth and tossed it off the side of the bed.

Nordan was amazed to find himself still aroused beyond reason. Seeing the woman bent over, her mouth devoted to driving Alesha to the edge of sanity, he aimed himself at her glistening slit and slowly impaled her in one smooth thrust. She groaned into Alesha's quim, as she felt herself filled with Nordan's hot shaft.

The three of them rutted away at each other, doing their best to push the next person in the chain over the edge. Every time Alesha grew close she felt something holding her back, what it was she was unsure. She groaned in frustration and twisted her nipples harshly in an attempt to get herself to cum. Nordan had no such problem, as he felt his cock milked by the expert muscles of the woman. He grunted and slammed into her deeply, filling her again with his essence. He felt himself weaken as he did this, but the delightful agony of the orgasm was more intense then any he had ever felt before. Again he was amazed to find himself remaining erect, but he thanked the Gods that he wouldn't have to take a break as he continued to hammer away at the temptress between them.

---

"The fallen hero is enjoying my hospitality," Baron Thexx said, breaking Kelnozz out of his trance as he watched his companions with the woman. "And now your friends are benefiting from my charity as well. What can I do for you?"

Kelnozz knew Baron Thexx to be evil. He knew that Alesha and Nordan would continue as they were until they were killed or killed themselves. He was unsure of how he knew it, but it was as plain as day to him. He knew as well that Aquinar was most likely in similar trouble. He looked around, noticing that many of the people in the throne room had disrobed themselves, standing about in various states of undress. All of them were extremely attractive as well.

"And you do this out of the kindness of your own heart, of course," Kelnozz said, walking around the open area at the base of the dais and examining the people as they displayed themselves for him.

"Of course! I seek to allow my guests to be as comfortable as possible! You should enjoy your stay while you are here," Baron Thexx said, watching Kelnozz with interest.

Kelnozz grinned and shook his head. "Any chance I can gather up my companions and we can simply leave?"

Thexx frowned. "I'm afraid not, Kelnozz, you see it's rare that we get visitors, so we hunger for there, shall we say, company."

Kelnozz nodded. "I expected as much."

The baron opened his mouth to say something but instead watched in shocked rage as Kelnozz's swords seemed to leap into his hands and slay first one then another of his loyal courtesans.

"Guards!" He called out finally, rising to his feet himself. On the floor the guards and other people swarmed Kelnozz, trying to immobilize him with the press of their bodies if nothing else.

Kelnozz was to quick for them though, slaying two more and slipping out of the ring of humanity. He darted up the stairs of the dais to the top to see Thexx glaring at him, his eyes red with power and fury. He opened his mouth and growled at him as the elf advanced. Kelnozz swung his longsword, expecting to meet flesh, but instead nearly lost his balance when the blade passed through the mist that the baron had turned into. Kelnozz watched the vaporous baron swiftly float away.

Cursing, Kelnozz turned to face the guards that rushed up the dais towards him.

Alesha still couldn't reach her peak, and it began to concern her. She let go her senses and focused on nothing. Almost instantly she could sense the strange aura of the room. She knew there was some sort of magic at play, and that it was because of this magic that she was not able to climax. Reaching out experimentally with her mind, she altered her aura enough to keep the strangely inhibitive powers in the room from affecting her.

Almost instantly she returned to herself, overcome with the sensations. She knew she was free of the spell, but the pleasure she was receiving was undeniable. Unable to fight with herself, she let herself go as the woman lavished attentions on her clit with her talented tongue.

The orgasm that washed over her was extremely powerful. Alesha didn't know how long it took her before she came down from her high, but she enjoyed it immensely. Still, something was missing from it, for in spite of all its glory, she didn't feel the way she had when Nordan and she had coupled. That brought her back to the present, and she examined their situation without the trappings of any spells affecting her.

She felt a pinch near her pussy and then an overwhelming ecstasy threatening to take her away. She shuddered at it and fought the urge to let go. Looking down she saw the woman was no longer feasting upon her sex, but was instead feasting upon the blood welling up from a bite in her leg!

"Nordan!" She screamed as the tried to buck the woman off of her. Nordan was lost in his lust though, and continued to pound his increasingly sore penis into her.

The woman wrapped her arms around Alesha's leg, sucking even more from her. What had been ecstasy turned to intense pain. Alesha wrapped her other leg around the woman's neck and squeezed her legs together with all her strength. She leaned up on the bed and changed her angle of attack, so that soon she heard a cracking and popping noise as the woman's neck broke. At no time had she stopped sucking the blood out of Alesha's leg. With her neck broken, she couldn't hold on to Alesha's leg, and she was able to scoot out from underneath of her.

Glancing at the blood running down her leg, Alesha scurried away from her and watched in despair as Nordan continued to piston in and out of the dead woman's pussy. Then Alesha saw her blink. Terror filled her mind as her head slowly began to straighten back out, and before she knew it, she looked unharmed.

"Nordan, bring your friend back here, I want to play with her," she said, grinning evilly at Alesha.

Nordan pulled himself free of her clutching pussy, reluctant to leave, but anxious to please her. He had been so close too. He turned to Alesha and came towards her, reaching out for her.

"I'm sorry, Nordan," Alesha said, kicking out and connecting with his engorged penis with her foot, causing him to double over and collapse to the floor in pain

The woman shrieked in outrage and came off the bed at Alesha. Alesha dropped low in her stance to get balance and realized that she no longer wore her katana. Dodging the first rush, she spun around and managed to keep the vampire away with a flurry of punches and kicks. She knew she couldn't hurt her for long, but she was able to keep her away with her powerful strikes. Alesha knew she would tire soon though, or Nordan would recover and come after her.

Then Alesha remembered all the bad movies she'd seen about vampires. She knew that a stake through the heart was what usually killed them. Garlic kept them away too, but she didn't have any garlic handy. She drove the evil woman away with a kick to her side that sent her crashing into a wall.

Turning to one of the raised pillars coming off the corners of the four poster bed, Alesha took a deep breath and put all of her energy into a powerful roundhouse kick. With a sharp cry when she hit it, she nevertheless drove her foot through the wood. Still held up by the other three, the canopy of the bed remained up and Alesha was able to grab up the fallen piece of wood.

She hadn't moved quickly enough though, for the vampire had latched onto her back and tried to sink her teeth into Alesha's neck from behind. Alesha hunched over quickly and threw the undead woman free from her back. She brandished her makeshift stake and came up, ready to pounce on her. Instead she saw the vampire shuddering in agony as it writhed on the remaining part of the broken piece of wood still attached to the bed.

Alesha looked on, wild eye, as eventually she stopped moving and lay there, a dark, foul looking blood leaking out of her mouth. She dropped the stake in her hand and laughed at how things had worked out. Her laughter turned into a scream when hands grabbed her from behind.

Caught off guard, she was pushed over the bed and felt her legs spread. Looking over her shoulder she saw Nordan behind her, recovered from his pain enough to allow the magically induced lust to overpower him again. She had hoped it would die with the vampire.

Alesha felt Nordan's penis thrust roughly into her. Her pussy was still soaking wet from the sex earlier and the workout she had received afterwards though. Alesha had to admit, violence was indeed a turn on for her. In moments she was moaning as Nordan tried to rape her violently, but you can not rape the willing. She bucked back at Nordan as much as she could, making him slam into her harder and deeper with each thrust. She almost screamed in need when he pulled out of her suddenly.

Instead he pushed back into her. She stayed motionless for a couple of moments while Nordan held her hips, pushing his shaft deep into her. As soon as she began to get used to the fullness, she started pushing back at him, forcing him deeper into her. Her hand flew between her thighs to grope at her abused pussy, rubbing and pinching her clit.

Nordan squeezed her hips and growled in lust and pleasure. He thrust deeply into her a more times and began to tense up and shiver with the signs of impending orgasm. Alesha sensed it too, and feeling particularly depraved, she pulled away from him.

Nordan's hand flew to his wet shaft, stroking it towards completion. Alesha turned around qucikly and engulfed his swollen cock, slick with her juices. Nearly crazy with hormones, she was able to swallow him whole and pushed her nose against his crotch. Nordan hand clutched her hair as he thrust himself into her face. Alesha loved it, stroking her clit with a thumb and thrusting three fingers into her pussy all the while.

Seconds later Nordan exploded again, causing him to cry out in pleasure and pain as his seed filled her mouth. His orgasm triggered Alesha's own, making her swoon and have trouble swallowing his cum. She managed just fine, and if she had the strength she would have laughed as Nordan collapsed back onto the floor in exhaustion. As his softening shaft escaped her lips, she idly pulled her slick fingers up to her mouth and licked them clean of her juices while she waited for him to recover.

"Sorry about that," Alesha grinned when she saw him gingerly cupping his bruised testicles.

"Ow," Was all he replied with.

"You're not still hard and incredibly horny?" she asked, thinking that perhaps the spell had finally ended.

"Far from it! I may never lay with a woman again!" He groaned, slowly getting up.

Alesha pouted good naturedly and said, "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"

"Stay away from me, wench!" Nordan said, pulling his breeches back up and fastening them.

Alesha laughed lightly, and soon Nordan joined in. Then they both moved to examine the corpse of the vampire. "Nice job," Nordan grudgingly admitted.

"Gee, thanks."

That reminded Alesha and she looked down at the inside of her thigh. The blood had stopped flowing from the twin puncture wounds on her leg, and when she wet her finger and wiped the blood away from the skin, she couldn't even see the wounds. She didn't snap out of her surprise until Nordan handed her back her loin cloth and weapon belt.

Grinning sheepishly at him, she put her meager belongings back on and grabbed up the makeshift stake that she had never used. "You never know," she said when he looked at her questioningly. Nordan shrugged and led her out the door and back to the main passage.

They could hear sounds of behind the double doors at the end of the hallway. Rushing towards it, Nordan lowered his shoulder into them and knocked them off their hinges. Inside they saw Kelnozz standing atop a dais defending himself against a score of guards and unarmed people that sought to swarm him. Already half a dozen lay dead or dying near his feet.

Bellowing a war cry, Nordan launched himself at the rear of the guards. The first to fall never knew what hit them. Others turned to keep him busy while his warhammer swung back and forth threateningly.

Alesha drew her katana and attacked the ones after Nordan, slaying one quickly and distracting another so that Nordan could smash his skull in. One after another they fell, either slain by a rejuvenated Kelnozz or defeated by the coordinated team of Nordan and Alesha. She wielded her katana to good affect, but her real strength was in her unarmed combat.

When they at last stood alone in the room, Alesha rushed up the stairs and leapt at Kelnozz, wrapping her arms around him and embracing him. She planted a deep kiss on his lips that caught him entirely off guard. He looked at her in surprise when she stepped back and let him go.

"What was that for?" he asked, still shocked by her behavior.

"Just glad to see you," she mumbled, blushing at her actions.

Kelnozz looked to Nordan, who had just come up the stairs and before he could do anything found himself wrapped in another great bear hug. This one threatened to crack his ribs though! Nordan let him go finally and with an evil grin planted a kiss on him too. Kelnozz backed away spitting and sputtering.

"Why in the nine hells did you do that?" he demanded, wiping his lips with the back of his hands as though he could rid himself of Nordan's touch.

Nordan's laughter bellowed loudly, and for the first time in weeks the three companions felt good again. The laughter was infectious, and soon all three of them had to sit down and recover themselves.

"What manner of beasts are these?" Nordan asked, nudging one of the corpses that was covered in a fine layer of fur.

"Werewolves," Kelnozz said matter-of-factly.

"First skeletons, then a vampire, now werewolves? Christ, what's next?" Alesha said in disbelief.

"What about this one?" Nordan said, ignoring her outburst and indicating a corpse of a rapidly decomposing woman.

"Some sort of zombie, I'd guess," Kelnozz said. Indeed, with the magic that had kept them whole now gone, the room quickly began to reek with the smell of rapidly decaying flesh. "Now what was this about a vampire? Is that what Baron Thexx is?"

Holding their noses and quickly exiting the room, Alesha stopped only to grab up her unused wooden stake. Nordan asked, "Who's Baron Thexx?"

Outside the range of the smell, they stopped long enough for Kelnozz to explain briefly about how he had come to be there. He told them of Aquinar and his curse, Baron Thexx, and how he'd escaped from the light elves. In turn Alesha and Nordan filled him in on their private struggles, including Alesha's meeting with the stranger they suspected was the God Carson. They left out the sex though, Alesha having strange feelings about things and not wanting to possibly upset Kelnozz. Nordan deferred to her judgment, figuring he'd fill Kelnozz in later when she was elsewhere.

"What now?" Nordan asked, uneasily looking about the passage as if expecting an attack.

"Aye," Kelnozz said, seeing him, "reinforcements will be quick to arrive. We must find and slay Baron Thexx or get free from here quickly."

"Do we know where he is?" Alesha asked, the thought of reinforcements making her nervous. All of them sported small wounds and scratches from the fight, as well they were all weary from the exertions. Then Alesha realized she really wasn't tired. In spite of all the activity, she still felt relatively fresh and full of energy. She chalked it up to another of the amazing new powers she had received. Nonetheless, she was painfully aware of the cuts, scrapes, and bruises she had received.

"No," Kelnozz replied, heading back down the main passage towards the front of the manor house.

"Then let's get out of here!" She said anxiously.

"I gave Aquinar my word that I'd help him slay Thexx, I'll not back down on it unless he or Aquinar has fallen."

Alesha scowled unseen behind them, but had to admit that she admired his dedication and loyalty. She wasn't sure that she possessed as much in herself, but she hoped that she did. Nordan nodded in understanding and approval, making Alesha realize that either she'd found two truly wonderful people or the men in her world were nothing compared to the ones in Viconia.

---

The sounds of battle reached their ears. The moved quickly down a side hallway, pulling up short when a door on their left burst outwards. A humanoid creature with wisps of hair still on it and ashen colored skin sailed was the source of the doors destruction. It struggled back to its feet but was transfixed by a shining sword that suddenly impaled it. Aquinar stepped through the doorway, pulling his sword free and beheading the monster before it fell to the ground. He turned then to face the companions, breathing heavily but brandishing his weapon.

"Hold, Aquinar, 'tis me and my friends!" Kelnozz said to him.

Aquinar shook the battle rage off of himself and stared at them. He grinned at Kelnozz and took in his friends. "Aye, well met elf! Thought I'd lost you! And a well met to your friends as well! Though it appears your lady friend could use my cloak!"

Alesha blushed and said, "No, I'm okay, but thank you for the offer."

"We've got Baron Thexx on the run, Aquinar, what say we finish this?" Kelnozz asked.

Aquinar looked at himself briefly, pleased to see that in spite of that countless ghouls and other undead minions he had fought his armor shone clean and bright still. He looked back up at Kelnozz, his eyes tearing up. "Aye, friend, let us put an end to the fiend!"

The dark elf clapped him on the back and they headed back towards the main hall. Without missing a beat, Aquinar turned and led them to the front of the manor. Stepping through the doorway, they saw that the horde of skeletons had returned to wait patiently for them.

"Are you sure he is this way?" Kelnozz asked, not looking forward to another large scale battle so soon.

"Aye, elf, I can feel him."

Trusting in the fallen paladin, Kelnozz let Aquinar lead the charge into the courtyard. The four of them fought nonstop against the skeletal masses, destroying skeleton after skeleton until it seemed that everything had ceased to exist save the hack, slash, parry, and block. At long last, the last of the undead fell to the ground, hacked to bone chips by fist, foot, blade, and hammer.

Breathing heavily, the companions struggled desperately to regain their breaths. Alesha found once again that while she was breathing heavily, she was not tired in the least, but instead was ready for more action. All of them bled freely from several cuts, though none of them was in mortal danger, Nordan and Alesha especially had some injuries sure to slow them down.

"Come to me, slayer of children. You have sought me out, let this be a lesson you shall not forget!"

Aquinar stiffened and turned to where Baron Thexx had appeared. Straightening up, he looked to Kelnozz and his friends briefly. "This I must do alone, do not interfere." Each nodded acceptance in turn, then Aquinar turned and strode towards the evil baron.

"But first, I have a present for you," Baron Thexx said. He pointed towards the overcast sky. Everyone glanced up to see what would happen. At first nothing, and Aquinar took a few more steps towards Thexx, his sword clenched in his hands. Then the clouds began to move. Swifter and swifter, they parted, until the moonlight broke through and shone down on them all.

Two days past full, it was still large and bright. Aquinar grit his teeth and fought the baser urges in him as they struggled to rise. He broke out in a sweat but advanced on Thexx undaunted.

"You've learned well, but is it well enough?" he raised his hand and suddenly Alesha found herself walking towards him. She struggled to stop or speak or do anything, but had no idea what was going on.

Aquinar stopped when he saw her approaching. She came to a stop near him, raising her katana and then reversing it so it pointed at her.

"Alesha, what are you doing?" Kelnozz demanded, his voice low and harsh.

Alesha whimpered in response, unable to talk. Thexx grinned evilly. "If you harm her, I'll..."

"You'll what, dark elf? You'll kill me? You'll hurt me? You'll teach me a lesson? Bah, you fools can't harm me, haven't you learned?

"For destroying so many of my forces, you will be punished. Lay down your lives here and I will take her quickly, that's all I offer you!" Thexx motioned and Alesha raised her sword away from her belly to gain more room to build up speed.

Kelnozz's elven ears could pick up Aquinar mumbling prayers to Celos, his God. He saw Nordan's jaw muscles twitching, a sure sign that the barbarian was at odds with himself and about to explode. Indeed, even the veins on Nordan's neck and forehead were beginning to stand out. Kelnozz counted the distance between himself and either Alesha or the baron. He cursed, knowing it was to great. He looked to Alesha for an answer.

Alesha, for her part, was terrified. She didn't understand why she had no control over her body. She saw her katana pointed at her own belly and tried to move out of the way or move her arms. To no avail. She realized there must be magic involved, so she tried to force herself to breathe calmly. Even her breathing was beyond her control. She tried to close her eyes but again found herself denied. Growing angry now, she remained calm and let her eyes roll back up into her head.

Struggling to grasp what was going on with her, she sent her awareness inside of her. She found a dark streak of what she could only describe as a sickness inside of her. Tracing it, she found it followed throughout her and had originated at the bite mark on her thigh. The vampire that had bitten her had infected her somehow, and that was how Thexx had control of her.

She fought against it searching desperately for something to help her. She cast herself back to when Carson had given her the powers she was still discovering. He had done it by kissing her on the forehead. Sure enough, she could sense a mark there, magical or not, she dove into it and begged for help.

Will you accept my aid again?

Had she been able to, she would have gasped at the sudden voice in her mind. It was the same as the one the stranger had used on her before. She tried to nod her head, desperate to be herself again. Finding she couldn't she instead focused on thinking to him.

There is a price this time, will you pay it?

Frustrated to the point of tears -- tears that would not come, she again told him that she would through her thoughts. Suddenly she felt the sickness that she had found within her change. It melted away from what it was and infused her body with strength to replace the paralysis.

"Aye fiend," Aquinar said, having no idea of the struggle Alesha went through. "I yield to you for her." He laid his sword on the ground and stood straight, staring hatefully at Baron Thexx.

"And you two?" Thexx said, looking to Kelnozz and Nordan. Seeing them still hesitant, he walked over next to Alesha and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, lightly tapping sharp and vicious looking fingernails against her throat.

Nordan slowly began to lower his hammer then. Kelnozz sheathed his longswords, trying to burn holes in Thexx with his eyes. Thexx grinned and turned to Alesha, "Such faithful friends you have, my dear. Time for us to teach them a lesson..."

Thexx stopped, staring at her forehead suddenly. His eyes widened as he saw something none of them could see there. Seizing her chance, Alesha sprung into action.

"This body does not belong to you!" She spat out, changing the path of her katana but completing the plunge he had first intended. Instead of impaling her, it tore into his abdomen.

Alesha spun about while Thexx stumbled backwards. His wound began healing before their eyes, but she advanced on him again, striking out again and again, wounding him lightly twice more. Both wounds healed magically, and then he summoned his flaming sword into his hand. He advanced on her and drove at her, launching furious blows at her. With a powerful swing he sent Alesha's katana spinning from her hands. She backed up as he sneered at her.

"I don't know how you did that or how you bear his mark, but I'll not be defeated!" Thexx snarled at her, raising his sword high and then driving it towards her.

The blade was stopped just above her head by a silver blade that glowed in the moonlight. Following the point of impact down the blade, Aquinar stood there holding him at bay. With a swing, he disengaged the baron from his own blade, and stepped in front of a grateful Alesha.

"This time your evil will end, demon!" Aquinar spat at him. "In the name of Celos, you will be destroyed!"

Sword in one hand, holy symbol in the other, Aquinar again faced Baron Thexx. The attacked one another for several long minutes. Both showed a score of superficial wounds, though this time Thexx's did not heal as quickly. Aquinar's blade actually began to shine with a light of its own as the battle continued and he chanted a prayer to Celos. The light clearly irritated the baron, as he found himself squinting from its holy glow.

Aquinar's blade tore a jagged wound in Thexx's thigh, causing him to stumble backwards then. Thinking him beaten, Aquinar lunged forward for the kill, but instead he found his opponents sword plunging into his side. The shock of the wound upon him, he looked at it and then to a grinning Thexx. Refusing to give in, Aquinar ignored the pain the blade caused him, and grabbed onto the baron's wrist. He pulled it towards him, pushing the blade into him further and drawing him closer.

"By the power of Celos, I banish thee, foul one!" The holy symbol flared brightly into light as it came into contact with Thexx's forehead. He struggled to pull away but Aquinar would not release him.

They fell to the ground then, with Celos on top driving the symbol of his faith into the baron's flesh. Thexx screamed in agony, driven beyond the threshold of sanity by the pain. At last he took the only relief he could, and dissolved once again into mist.

Alesha was closest and reach Aquinar first. She turned him over and gasped when she saw that the sword imbedded in his side had dissolved as well. Blood poured freely from the wound onto the ground and her hands as she sought to staunch the flow.

"Aquinar, you have defeated him!" Kelnozz said, kneeling next to the paladin.

"Aye, but he is not destroyed. Help me up, we must find his resting place and finish it!" Aquinar struggled to his feet, grimacing in pain.

"If you do this, you will die!" Alesha hissed, calling on her knowledge to try and save him.

"Why didn't the flames seer the wound shut?" Nordan asked, a little confused about the nature of magic.

Alesha glanced at him sharply silencing him. "He's not far," Aquinar said, gritting his teeth through the pain. "This way."

Kelnozz helped Aquinar stumble along around the side of the manor. Behind it and in the corner of the keep they discovered a fenced in cemetery. "In there," Aquinar said, motioning towards it. "Now leave me be for a moment."

They backed up while Aquinar sank to his knees. Kelnozz alone could pick out his prayer to his God. Out of respect for him, he deliberately chose not to listen but instead went about checking everyone's wounds and dressing them as best they could.

"Come with me friends, it ends now," Aquinar said, his face pale with the loss of blood.

They rose and followed him into the graveyard. His wound had stopped bleeding, and his stride was stronger, but they all knew he must have made a special deal with his God. Aquinar led them through the headstones, stopping only when skeletal arms burst free from the ground around them. As animated corpses pulled themselves free of the earth, they hacked and slashed at them, splintering skulls and backbones. More remained, leaving them outnumbered again.

Like before, the skeletons proved no true threat to them, but wore them down slowly. By the time the small force was dispatched, they were all breathing heavily and bore fresh wounds. Aquinar seemed paler then before, but grim-faced, he pushed on. They could see now that their target was a crypt near the wall of the keep.

Drawing up to it, a fresh group of zombies and ghouls assailed them. The zombies fought mindlessly, trying to overwhelm them with numbers and strength. The ghouls fought with an evil cunning and intelligence, trying to bite and scratch them. When the fight was finished they were near the limits of their strength. Kelnozz bled freely from a scratch to his head, the back of Nordan's left hand was laid open to the bone, and Alesha sported deep gouges along her back that made her wince in pain with each breath.

Aquinar needed a long moment to gather his strength before they put their strength together and opened the crypt door. Nothing save dust had inhabited the crypt for many years. The brittle skeletons of rats lay scattered about, testimony to the inescapable nature of the tomb. A covered stone coffin lay on a pedestal in the middle of the crypt.

They approached it, two to a side. Grabbing onto the bars on the side, the slid it off to the side to reveal what looked like a sleeping Baron Thexx inside. A angry red scar resembling Aquinar's holy symbol graced his forehead. Alesha handed Aquinar the stake she had retrieved from when she'd dropped it while fighting Baron Thexx. Nordan handed his hammer to him.

Tight lipped and growing weak, Aquinar placed the stake over his heart. He raised the hammer up high and prepared to drive it home. "Lord Celos, I beg of you to grant this damned soul release from his eternal torment."

Thexx howled as the holy symbol back upon Aquinar's chest flared brightly. Summoning up his remaining strength, Aquinar smote the stake soundly, sending it deep into the chest of the vampire lord. He thrashed under them, his arms flailing about desperately, trying to grab the stake and pull it free while black blood gushed from his mouth.. Aquinar leaned over him, holding it in place until finally Thexx lay still.

"Come, friend, it is done." Kelnozz said, lightly touching Aquinar's shoulder.

When the paladin did not move, Kelnozz gently pulled him away and set him on the floor. Nordan retreated to the entrance of the crypt to stand guard. Alesha stared at the vampires corpse, watching it slowly sink into itself as it aged. Unable to stop herself, her finger reached out and wiped some of the baron's blood that had landed on her arm. She raised it to her lips and slowly reached her tongue out, tasting it. The taste reminded her faintly of the ecstasy she had felt when the female vampire had bitten her thigh. She also tasted countless generations of memories and power within it.

"As he said, it is ended," Kelnozz said sadly. They followed the elf out of the crypt, staying silent while he carried the body of Aquinar with him. Nothing accosted them as they left the keep, for with Baron Thexx destroyed, so was the evil magic that empowered the castle and its inhabitants.

The next day they entombed Aquinar's body in his cave near the ocean. Pushing great rocks against the opening, they sealed him in the chamber he'd used as a sleeping room. Kelnozz took some time and carved on a rock in the tomb an epitaph for him. As they walked away to the south west passing the castle and the mouth of the valley, a lone wolf howled at the rising moon.

Herein Lies Aquinar Belisarius
Champion of Celos
Slayer of Baron Thexx
Protector of the Weak
Friend to all

Continued in Chapter 6

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