Here be Dragons!
Chapter 6
"Rick?" Somehow it had happened right in front of them and they hadn't even noticed.
That had Rick turning to look at what she was looking at. "He was a shifter!? A Gnoll shifter." Behind him should have been a dead Red Dragon. Instead there was a dead Gnoll.
The dead Gnoll was wearing armor and had weapons on him amongst other items. "Interesting… I wonder why he was so late. Keep your eyes open I'm going to look this guy over," Rick asked Kate who readied her staff and looked around.
Rick had Detect Magic spell so he started with that and stripped him based on what was and wasn't magic. Rick soon had two piles. "Breast plate is magic. Sword is magic. Bag is magic. Two gems are magic." Rick ignored the stuff that wasn't magic. Those things one could get in just about any city or town.
Rick put the two gems in his backpack while the bag got added to his belt. He was still deciding what to do with the breast plate and sword when Kate got his attention.
He looked where she was pointing. Rick and Kate saw three people that Kate said had come out of the forest and were walking their way.
Rick got his bow ready and pulled out two normal arrows, got them ready, and waited.
As the three got closer Rick and Kate could tell that one was wearing robes while the other two were wearing nice shiny armor. Each had a bow and a sword. Neither of them had a weapon out.
"They're Elves!" Kate whispered to him since she had seen her fair share of Elves in her time in the city. However once they got closer they looked different to her. Something was different.
The three stopped still a distance away. Then the one in robes walked a little closer and bowed.
"My Lord would like an audience with you. He wishes to personally thank you for killing our enemies. We were not sure we were going to survive. Our small group has lived in these woods for generations. A Red Dragon of that size would have defeated us along with his army."
"We accept," Rick said then asked for their patience. "Allow us time to retrieve our horses."
"We will escort you in case any of the enemy that you chased away are still around," the Elf explained.
"I'm sure we'll be fine, however we accept your help," Rick told him.
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They ended up walking in a line. The Elf in robes was in the middle with Rick and Kate to either side and the two Elves farther out on each side.
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"Dog!" Rick and Kate found Dog right where they had left him guarding the horses. But he saw Elves who were to him the enemy. Though Rick had told him not to worry. Still he never took his eyes off of those three all the way back to the trees.
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Where these Elves lived was impressive. They had to take a basket just to get up to the first level that was easily 60 feet high.
Technically there were two massive trees side by side. The next level up they found was a market that was elevated just a few feet higher, located between the two trees.
Rick and Kate found that it was much like any other market. It held goods that were made, food, jewelry. Passing through this area and up to a level just above it they found themselves in front of the Lord of this area.
"My Lord, these are the two that we spotted defeating our enemy." He bowed in front of him.
Rick and Kate watched him hold out his hand that the lady next to him took and side by side they both walked past this Elf and right up to Rick and Kate.
"I am Aattikan and this is my wife Drelleha. We are all indebted to you. We are a small group. At our height we had 74 of us here. We managed to keep out earlier attempts to overrun us. But we lost a few of our fighters in so doing. We would never have survived what was amassed against us now."
"They were evil creatures that needed to be stopped. I will admit that we hadn't anticipated having a Red Dragon of that size and age showing up. You owe us nothing," Rick said. They'd done it even without knowing just why this little army was here. The fact that they saved someone was simply a bonus.
"We will have to agree to disagree then. Still you must spend the night. We will celebrate your timely arrival. Someone will tend to your horses. You may keep your…pet with you." He wasn't sure what humans saw in having animals for pets, though these two had one and they had saved them.
"You must be dirty and tired. Tosros will escort you to our very best guest quarters where you can rest. We will celebrate tonight and you may leave with our blessing in the morning," Aattikan told both of them.
"Please say you will join us," Drelleha asked them. "We were convinced that we were all dead."
"In that case we accept," Rick said
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Kate found them in interesting quarters. The walls looked woven from wood instead of built with wood planks. Even the floor looked woven though worn down or smoothed down to a flat finish. There were two beds and two windows with real glass.
"I'm not sure I've ever seen Elves like them." There was something different about them. Their skin color, the hue of their hair. They even had more than one twig in their hair. Though it looked to be used to hold hair styles in place rather than just randomly placed.
"They're Wood Elves, and yes, their skin is slightly green as is their hair color. That isn't paint. They're a little more in tune with nature than most Elves," Rick explained.
"I never realized that Elves were broken down into various races," Kate said thoughtfully.
"You're probably used to the High Elves encountered in big cities or perhaps Grey Elves. From what I've been told there are also Aquatic Elves, Deep Elves, Moon Elves, Snow Elves, Sun Elves, Valley Elves, Winged Elves, and Drow Elves." Rick twisted the wrong way and grunted.
"Winged Elves? You mean like Elves with real wings?" Kate tried to picture one of those in her head.
"I've never actually seen one but I'm told that they exist. Most of those are based on where you actually find them. Snow, Sun, and Valley Elves for example. What you don't want to meet or so I've been told is a Drow Elf. Jet black skin, silver colored hair. Evil in the extreme. I'm told they live deep in the ground inside huge caves. They hate anyone not a Drow Elf though I'm told they hate any Elf not a Drow more than any other race."
Kate asked the big question. "Do you trust them?"
"Much like any race there can be good and evil. However, the only group of Elves I know anything about are the Drow Elves. If they live in these two trees I'm willing to bet that they spoke the truth. There can't be more than a hundred of them at any one time.
"Do you feel any evil in the area?" Rick asked her since he didn't.
"No, but I'm still trying to get over a Gnoll being a Shifter that was a Red Dragon," Kate admitted.
"That was a bit of a shock," Rick agreed. "I've only ever met barely a handful of shifters in my travels. So I suppose it's possible that anyone could be one."
Kate shuddered in disgust. "A Gnoll."
"Well I feel dirty after all that so I'm going to go find a shower." Rick began stripping. Dog was going to be there to guard his gear if indeed a Wood Elf got bold enough or stupid enough.
Kate stripped along with him and soon both of them were wearing very little. They went in search of a shower that they found easily enough.
There was a short wall separating them after they stripped down and found a bowl of warm fresh water and a sponge. So not so much a shower as an open bath.
Kate could feel her heart pounding heavily in her chest. She was coming to really like Rick a lot and they still had a long ways to go. Plus he was incredibly handsome and from what she had seen he had a body to match.
It was now or later or never. She could almost feel her body shaking as she left her space and went around the wall, into his space. "Rick?" He turned to face her and she couldn't stop her eyes from looking down. Damn but he had a reason to live. He was damn near perfect.
Rick spun around and was blessed with seeing Kate standing there totally naked. He hadn't wanted to press her but she really was beautiful. Now he saw her other tattoos. She really did have 6 of them. The two new ones he hadn't seen were a White Mask and an Arrowroot.
The one that occupied her chest including her breasts was one he stopped looking at because the look he saw on her face was fear. Was it here because she was afraid of what they could become together? Was it there because she was scared of what he would think of all her tattoos that covered most of her body. He wasn't sure she had room for another one unless it was tiny.
Kate was scared to death. No one, literally no one, had ever seen her this naked. The people that had inked her various tattoos had only ever seen the part of her that they were applying the tattoo to that section of her body.
Her Tattoos gave her power. Each one served a purpose. She had long since gotten use to her tattoos and didn't see them as ugly. But what did Rick think of her tattoos? Was he only interested in a woman that was truly bare? What about her shaved head? She was sure he had seen her shave it at least once by now.
Then she saw him reach out his arms to her and it had her timidly walking into them and kept her arms in close and let him hold her.
"You cold? I feel a slight shiver." Was she really that worried about what he would think? Instead of answering him he felt her shake her head. "I thought you were gorgeous that very first time we met in that tiny room." Rick ran his hand across her bald head then kissed it.
"You don't hate my tattoos?" It was one of her biggest fears. She was so devoted to being a Monk that she hadn't given them a second thought until now. Not until Rick entered her life.
"They're very colorful." Rick was ready to admit that much. "Do I get to stroke and kiss each and every inch of every one of them? If I get to do that you can get another one."
Kate chuckled softly. That allowed her to relax and try and melt into him.
"I don't remember seeing any tattoos when you were a Dragon," Rick commented though since part of the magic meant that everything they wore effectively melded into them that meant her tattoos must do the same.
"I'm not a Monk when I'm a Dragon." It was as simple as that to her.
Kate felt him tilt her head up and she saw his head coming down to her. She raised up on her toes to meet his lips with hers.
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The following sections may be more M rated so reader discretion is advised.
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Kate had her arms wrapped around him and was whimpering loudly. Her legs were also wrapped around him. His hands were on her ass helping to hold her in place. His cock was buried deep inside her. It had taken a little work to get him this deep. She really needed to adapt to his size.
But damn if having him inside her didn't feel so overwhelmingly good. It was all Kate could do to start nibbling on his ear. "Fuck me!" She was used to having him inside her now. Now she needed to feel him fucking her. She needed him to fuck her.
Kate groaned into his ear when he used his strong arms to lift her and slide out of her a little then drop her so that he plunged deep inside her.
"OH, SHIT! Fuck me. Don't ever stop fucking me." She willed him to go faster, deeper, harder.
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Kate felt great. She was sure she was going to be a little sore later but right now she didn't care. Besides, the soreness would fade with time. So long as they did this more often.
Right now she was standing while she delighted in being held in his arms. Reaching down she realized he was semi-hard so she began stroking him. Then left his arms that she instantly missed. She knelt down on her knees, licked his cock, and watched it grow. She could only take just so much of him in her mouth. More than that and she gagged. However, it didn't stop her. She loved hearing him groan from what she was doing to him.
It was too fast to her liking. She wanted to keep stroking and licking his beautiful cock. Instead he groaned loudly and she felt him climax in her mouth. His climax was warm, a little salty with just a touch of bitterness. But it wasn't nearly as bad as what she had feared. She was thinking she might even learn to like the taste and maybe even crave it one day.
Kate made sure she got every last drop when she felt him lift her up and kiss her. She tried to put all she was into the kiss. From now on they were going to do this a lot more often as far as she was concerned. They were lovers now and she was going to do all she could to keep them lovers.
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It is now safe to read and reader discretion is no longer required.
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Now clean, dry, and dressed in what casual clothing they had, they left Dog behind to guard their room from thieves and went to attend the dinner celebration.
There was actually a fair amount of food for all to eat. There were even some Elven female and male dancers.
Kate picked up another piece of fruit to eat only to have Rick stop her. She looked at him. She knew what the fruit was and it wasn't dangerous.
Rick leaned closer. "Look around. How many Elves do you see eating anything?" That had Kate looking past the dancers and saw food everywhere but no one was eating any of it.
"It's all for show," Kate whispered as she understood now. Kate kept the fruit she'd chosen but instead of eating it quickly since she was hungry after having sex, she nibbled.
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They were back in their room after the celebration and Kate dug out some trail rations and handed one to Rick. "These people are starving yet they offered us everything they had." Kate was impressed and felt bad that she hadn't noticed.
Rick offered his opinion. "I think that army has been out there long enough that they couldn't go hunting and foraging for anything. That might have been all that they have left."
Kate hung her head. "Now I feel bad for eating anything."
"It would have been insulting if you hadn't. In their eyes we saved all their lives. No matter how much we actually ate they can now start replacing it tomorrow. You didn't do anything wrong," Rick assured her.
"Still." It didn't make her feel better. "Is there a way to combine our sleeping bags?" They were lovers and now she wanted to sleep naked with him.
"I'll let you find out. I need to take Dog out so he can do his business. I'd let him stay out there so he can hunt for something to eat but I don't trust the area. We didn't kill all the Gnolls and Bugbears." Rick thought Dog could handle one Gnoll or Bugbear one on one. More than one he wasn't willing to risk it.
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Rick was back eventually though getting in and out meant using the basket each time. Dog was content except for being hungry.
Rick stripped everything off this time and saw Kate had indeed found a way to join their two sleeping bags into one. He also found a naked Kate in said sleeping bag.
This time they spent the night in each others arms for the first time.
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Rick had left behind the magical chest plate and sword they'd gotten off the Gnoll shifter. Kate had left behind a few of her chunks of gold and silver ore. The Elves here needed it more than they did.
It was almost dark when suddenly Kate saw something that had her worried. Then they started walking through it. "What is this place?" There were bones all over the place. Not just any bones, either. It wasn't hard to tell by the skulls that they were all Dragon bones. It was unsettling for her.
"It's called The Well of Dragons," Rick said.
"That doesn't sound so bad. What's with all the bones?" Kate questioned.
"In the mountains is a Citadel operated by the Cult of the Dragon in the Canyonlands. The site was at one time a legendary graveyard of dragons and historically many dragons would travel to the Well of Dragons to die. Cultists freed the Shadow Dragon Guardian of the site and built a Citadel in the mountain where they carried out their activities which mainly involved attempting to transform Dragons into Dracoliches. The Citadel was and still is well defended as it often came under attack from treasure hunters and Dragons angered by the cult's beliefs."
Kate frowned. "I don't like the sound of it." She knew what a Lich was and could only imagine what a Dracolich was. Half evil Dragon and half Lich. Not a good thought.
The dirt was soft and dusty though their horses didn't leave a trail. Rick got off his horse and held onto the reins. Kate followed his example and watched him kneel down. Pulling out a dagger he began to draw something. "This is us." He drew an X in the ground. "There's a river that flows out of the mountains and travels this way." Rick drew it. "This is the mountain range that's tall, wide and long. I know of no way through it." Rick thought before drawing more.
"The opposite side of this mountain where we are is another river and deep, thick, almost impenetrable marshes with yet another mountain range just like this one beyond that." Rick drew it.
"Up here at the edge of the first mountain range and the second and beyond is the desert filled with undead." Rick drew and explained.
So far Kate didn't like any of this and was wondering why they had come this direction.
"What we need to decide now is where we ultimately want to go. Here's one of the major cities I mentioned earlier. A good place to get a ride in a ship across the sea, through Pirate Islands. Or we skirt this first mountain range all the way to the far end. That will ultimately take us to the other major city to catch a ship." Rick looked at her.
"Desert is bad, marsh is bad, so I say this city is out. So what's the bad part about going around this mountain range here?" Kate pointed at the first one.
"In this mountain range somewhere is that Citadel under the control of a Dracolich. There's also a huge Castle called Darkhold. It's manned by evil humans, Goblinoids, and lots of Hill Giants. Possibly hundreds."
"Oh, damn. So what if we travel the side of this river? Where does that take us?" Kate inquired.
"A large and deep forest. The river will actually run right down the middle of it. It will add maybe 2 weeks or more to our travel time."
Kate stood up and looked it over. It was still fall but would be winter soon. If they didn't put in some travel time they would be in trouble soon. Kate stuck out her foot and wiped his map away. "Mountain it is. Just remember if I get turned into a Dracolich I'm going to kill you."
"If I understand it correctly you have to want to be a Dracolich, but I get the point." Rick moved to get back on his horse and headed for the mountain.
First up was a river to cross. Kate's little portable bridge had them across and still moving with ease.
Being at the base of a large and tall mountain range Kate found was a little unnerving. Mostly because of what Rick had told her was inside it.
They set up their tent in a shallow outcropping that put rock on three sides and hid their tent well.
"We need food." Kate realized all of their fresh bags were empty. It meant a night of eating trail rations. She was able to put their sleeping bags together again and sleep naked in his arms. Even his arms didn't allow sleep to come easily. This place was just creepy. At least it was better than being in a desert surrounded by undead.