Triumphant Chorus - Chapter 1 - Part 2

Chapter 1 - Part 2

"The selfless nature of your offering honours us all," Keldian continued, somehow managing not to sound like he knew he was talking shit. Nobody thought she was doing this to honour the Temple in any way, shape or form, but it wouldn't do for any part of the process to actually acknowledge that. "Your sacrifice will never be forgotten, for as long as our land endures."

Which will be longer if you try listening to its people every once in a while.

She made no effort to give voice to that thought. It wasn't anything new, anyway, and none of them had shown any inclination to listen to it so far.

"In the name of the Spirits... we thank you."

There was something behind the serene mask of his face, the calm, even tone of his voice shifting just a tiny bit as some piece of genuine feeling threatened to break out. The sneering twist of Ilris' lips faded a little as she looked into Keldian's eyes, seeing the regret that lurked deep inside them. She nearly said something, made some effort to offer him a bit of sympathy... then clamped down hard on the temptation. He'd had his chance, and blown it.

And it wasn't like he was going to get another one. When she'd offered herself to the Choir, she'd know what the end result was going to be. It had seemed like a good enough idea at the time, especially given the alternatives that awaited her if she hadn't done it, but the reality of it all was definitely starting to hit home.

Licking her lips in a nervous display she wished she could have held back, Ilris made herself keep her eyes on Keldian, not anything else in the Chamber. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to use him to distract herself, because he'd turned to the acolytes and was directing them with curt, economical motions.

Which meant that she as left to her own devices when it came to fighting back the feelings that threatened to boil up inside her, feelings that entered around one overriding certainty that there was no way she getting out of this room. Not alive.

But that was fine. It was why she was here. To make it mean something, to make it worth the sacrifice.

A pair of acolytes approached, one of them carrying an ornate silver tray, a number of jars and bottles standing on its surface. Keldian studied the tray and its contents for a moment, then nodded in apparent satisfaction. He turned back to her at last, and there was a pause as he seemed to be gathering himself to speak.

"Do you know what needs to be done?" he asked softly, and he sounded like he genuinely didn't know the answer. Ilris's head jerked, a choppy motion that was too abrupt to be a nod, but it got the idea across.

"Are you ready to begin?"

"I'm bored of waiting."

There was an undeniable tremor in her voice, one that gave the lie to the confidence she as trying to project. One hand curled into a tight ball as she fought down the urge to let any more of her nervousness show, and jerked back as Keldian reached out to take that clenched fist in his own.

"Ilris..."

She shook her head, brushing aside his attempt to reach out to her. Talking would only make this take longer, and she had no interest in that. Not if she wanted to keep from trying to back out, anyway, and that would be possibly the single dumbest thing she could try and do after everything that had led her here.

Taking a long, deep breath, she glanced at the acolytes standing at Keldian's side and gave them a tiny nod. Both of them returned it, stepping up to take position on either side of her. With hands that trembled faintly no matter how much she willed them to be still, she reached up to her shoulders, laying her fingertips against the cool metal of the clasps holding her dress in place. Another steadying breath, and she undid them, letting the fabric drop.

A shiver ran through her as the material slid silkily down the length of her body, and she deliberately turned her gaze to the Vessel and what was inside it. The Chorister was totally still, watching her in silence as her body was revealed to it.

Ilris could almost feel those eyes on her skin, and she almost smiled. She was kind of proud of her figure, even if she was closing in on her fortieth birthday, and from the way the Chorister licked his lips again, he was appreciating the view.

She'd have felt a bit better about that if she hadn't been trying to ignore the cold, tight ball in her belly.

The rest of the acolytes in the Chamber closed in, forming a circle around her and the two at her sides, and a low, rhythmic chant started to fill the air. Lifting her arms, Ilris spread them wide, holding them out to her sides. The acolytes at her sides, both young and of either sex, stepped back until they were behind her, and she heard a light clinking sound as the contents of the tray were put to work.

Despite the fact she'd been expecting it, Ilris twitched in surprise as she felt hands touching the back of her neck. Her jaw tightened as she got herself back under control, and she kept her attention on the Chorister as fragrant and - allegedly - sacred oils were spread slowly and carefully across her skin. Her own body heat warmed them, and a heady scent began to fill her nose.. and after a couple of minutes, her head began to swim with the intoxication that was beginning to take hold.

The fear coiled inside her started to ebb, and a distant part of Ilris' mind found the whole process rather... interesting. It wasn't done yet, either, and as the acolytes' gently massaging hands worked around to her front, her back arched ever so slightly to push her full breasts forward. She felt her body growing loose and limber, her nipple tightening as heat began to gather deep inside her.

One of the acolytes started rubbing the oil into the soft flesh of her breasts, whilst the other moved down her body, fingers skimming across her skin until they reached the patch of dark hair between her legs.

"As your nature aligns with that of the Spirit, know that the blessings of the Chorus are upon you."

Keldian's voice was quiet, serene, and Ilris found the interruption rather annoying at that moment.

At least with this one, the process might be a bit enjoyable.

It as an absent, distracted thought, but a little reassuring regardless... especially since she was already imaging that it was the Chorister's long, flexible tongue stroking up the inside of her thighs instead of the hands of the female acolyte.

Just for a moment, there was a flicker of something, an awareness that she knew she had no business feeling. Dropping her gaze, she felt her lips curl into a tiny smile as she parted her legs just a little bit more. The young woman knelt in front of her paused for a tiny instant, then flicked her gaze upward to meet Ilris'. She could feel the teenager's reaction to the arousal right in front of her, and she felt a moment's frustration that she couldn't reach out and taste it fully. The knowing look in the girl's eye steadied her, though. She wasn't alone in this, and she could, would, succeed.

Lifting her eyes again, she met those of the Chorister, and her smile grew a touch wider at the knowing smirk the being wore.

Far sooner than she would have liked, the acolytes stepped away, their task done. The hypnotic chanting filled Ilris' ears, and the circle around her parted to clear a path between her and the Vessel. Keldian stepped up to the woven net of steel, laying his hand gently on one particular spot. He whispered under his breath, and an aura of pure force gathered around his other hand as a section of the enchanted metal began to untangle itself, forming an open doorway to the Vessel's interior.

The Chorister stepped forward, then paused as Keldian lifted his energy-wreathed hand. With a dismissive sneer, it stepped back again, offering the priest a deep, mocking bow - but staying back from the doorway.

Still keeping a wary eye on the Chorister, he looked Ilris' way again and beckoned her forward.

"Your essence prepared, it is time for the merging to occur."

A deep part of her wanted to cry out that it was about fucking time, but she kept silent... even if it took biting her lip nearly hard enough to draw blood to do it. Gathering enough of her wits to make her body respond, she started forward in a loose, hip-swaying stride. The Chorister gave her a leering smile, and she returned it with just a shade more decorum as she strode past Keldian and into the Vessel. As soon as she crossed the threshold, the web of metal closed again, leaving her securely trapped inside.

Her nervousness and fear still existed, but it was buried deep under the influence of the oils - and the proximity of what she shared the Vessel's interior with. In its place, her whole being seemed like it was on fire, a burning heat surging through her as a hunger for sensation and release made it hard to even think.

Not that she had much time to do so. Barely a moment after there was no longer any escape for her, the Chorister pounced, a lithe, powerful movement that was full of beguiling grace... and slammed her back against the metal wall hard enough to make her teeth rattle. The pain of the impact barely registered, what coherent thought Ilris could muster far more focussed on the way those fearsomely strong hands felt on her flesh as they pinned her in place.

With a low, sensual hiss, the Chorister lowered its head, tongue dragging across her skin, leaving a tingling trail of pure pleasure in its wake. Gasping at the overwhelming sensation, Ilris grabbed the Vessel's bars tightly, twisting so that the hot, questing mouth found the tight peak of her breast - at which point the ecstasy surging into her flared even higher.

She offered no resistance at all as the Chorister grabbed her rear and hauled her upward. In fact, she wrapped her legs greedily around the bare, narrow hips that were steering themselves between her legs. A hard pressure laid itself against the folds of her sex, pushing against the slick, how wetness that was leaking out of her, and a single instant of clear thought fought its way into her mind as she realised that this was all the foreplay she was going to get.

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Keldian had tried to pretend that it didn't matter to him to have watched the woman he'd once loved being touched and stroked by mere acolytes, her skin shining with the holy oils that were being applied as part of the rite. It was a lie, though, and he knew it.

His feelings got even more tangled as the demands of the ritual forced him to stand and watch as Ilris stepped into the Vessel, and he winced as the Chorister moved in on her.

This is how it has to be. She knew what she was volunteering for, even better than most...

Which meant precisely nothing as she threw her head back and let out a hoarse cry, a mixture of pain and pure, savage pleasure as the Chorister pushed himself into her. Closing his eyes, he whispered a prayer to the Spirits that it wouldn't take long for this whole ordeal to be over.

"That all you got?"

The half-snarled challenge had his eyes flashing open again, and his mouth fell open as Ilris, impaled on the monstrous length of the Chorister's shaft, hauled tore a hand away from the vessel's bars and slammed an echoing slap across the Chorister's face. It was hard to tell who was more shocked by her actions, but the startled moment let her brace herself against the metal web and shove the Chorister backward.

Without its support, and her legs obviously weak as the movement pulled the invading phallus from her, Ilris dropped to her knees with a choked gasp that her swore sounded disappointed. It took only a heartbeat or two for the Chositer to recover, but that was enough for Ilris to get herself moving again and, with a balletic move that Keldian could barely believe she knew, she swept its legs out from under it, sending the holy entity crashing to the ground.

"Ilris!" he cried, lurching forward. "What are you doing?"

She didn't answer. In fact, she showed no sign of having even heard him as she dove toward the Chorister, straddling its prone form. Wrapping her hands around the swollen shaft jutting up into the air, she shifted her hips, pulling it close and grinding herself hard against it.

As comprehension began to dawn in Keldian's mind, she lifted her head, the hair that had fallen from her ponytail hanging in unkempt strands as she met his eyes with an almost feral smile of satisfaction.

"What I came here for," she hissed, triumph and rage mingling in her expression, her gaze almost searing him with the intensity of her mocking laughter. "Thanks for the chance."

"No! You cannot do this!"

"Watch me," was the only answer she gave, lifting herself so she could line the blunt head of the Chorister's member up with her opening. Barely pausing for a sharp inhale of air, she lowered herself sharply, spearing herself on the huge shaft, and her head fell back with a groan of pleasure.

Instead of resisting at all, the Chorister laid its hands on her waist, an oddly gentle and tender touch that held her weight and let her concentrate on riding what filled her as hard as she could.

"No..." Keldian whispered, dread filling him as he fully understood what she was doing. The Chorister wasn't claiming a new host - she was claiming it, and it was impossible to know what catastrophe such an act was going to unleash.

For her part, Ilris didn't seem to care. As Keldian pulled at the bars in impotent desperation, she closed her eyes, expression rapturous as her body tensed and shook. Nearly half the Chorister's shaft was smeared the with shining wetness of her womb, and mere seconds later a gasping roar erupted from the being's throat. Eldritch light boiled out of its skin, gathering in the air before wrapping itself tightly around Ildris body, and Keldian stared in shocked wonder as, waves of climax still rushing through her, years seemed to simply drop away from her figure.

Without warning, a surge of power blasted outward, knocking Keldian - and the assembled acolytes and guards as well - to the ground, skidding across the smooth stone until they were piled against the Chamber's walls.

Groggily, he shook his head, trying to clear it as he fought his way back to his feet, and when he managed it, Keldian felt his blood practically freeze in his veins. The Vessel was gone, reduced to nothing more than ragged, twisted strands of metal, and what had been the Chorister only moments before was now nothing but a withered husk. Standing over the ruined body, the new Chorister stretched out her arms, obviously revelling in the fresh and youthful form she wore - as well as the power that shimmered in the air around her.

"Much better," the entity purred, Ilris' voice falling from its lips in evident satisfaction.

"What have you done?" Keldian managed to gasp, than shrank back against the wall as a sneering laugh shivered through the air.

The new Chorister didn't answer him, though, or at least not with anything more than she already had. Instead, she turned her gaze to what Keldian realised was the one other person in the Chamber that hadn't been slammed into the masonry. It was the female acolyte that had anointed Ilris, and instead of laying prone on the ground, she was on her knees, head bowed in a show of reverence that made the priest's stomach knot with fear.

"Come," the Chorister said softly reaching out a hand and drawing the girl gently to her feet. "Join me."

"Ilris!Stop this! Please!"

Keldian's hoarse cry tore at his throat, and both the Chorister and the acolyte turned to face him. It was hard to tell which terrified him more in that moment - the smug contempt on what had once been Ilris' face, or the pure adoration on the acolyte's as she looked back up at being still holding her hand.

"Fuck you, Keldian."

There was no denying the satisfaction fuelling those words, even if nobody in the Chamber had more than a heartbeat to process them before another surge of power tore the Chamber, and most of the rest of that floor of the Temple Tower, apart.

The End?

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