Love's Labors, Part 5


Giving the villagers a winning smile, you ask them if there's anywhere you might be of use in helping them catch up on the work they're behind on due to your impromptu orgy.

At first they're shocked that the Queen's emissary is willing to help them in such a way. But you insist, and eventually they describe a few simple jobs. You throw yourself gamely into the work, helping with menial tasks such as pulling up weeds and thorns or carrying water from the well. It's not much—not compared to what the experienced hands can accomplish—but it gives you an opportunity to work your charm some more. To show solidarity by working alongside them.

You certainly don't lack for partners come the night. As the villagers' inhibitions erode away, sleeping arrangements quickly become far more fluid and communal between all of them, piles of shifting, moaning naked bodies fucking into satiated slumber. You keep giving special focus to Dura, watching with satisfaction as the village leader's jaded, suspicious attitude toward you simply crumbles under your tender attentions, as you fuck her into her cot like she's never been fucked before.

In the morning, you wake next to Dura's naked body, while at the same time feeling a pleasant warmth enveloping your cock. Raising the rough blanket a little, you see Ceriss coaching one of the teenage orc girls in how to suck cock. The tiefling's hand grips the girl's head, guiding her motions. At the same time Ceriss molds her voluptuous body tight against the orc girl's younger one, drawing forth whimpers of delight as Ceriss pleasures her as well.

You let it continue until the lesson is done. Then you signal Ceriss, who pulls the girl off your member and increases the fervor of her own fingering. The orc girl tenses, lets out an adorable cry... and you unload, covering both her face and Ceriss' in thick ropes of cum. Ceriss turns the dazed teen's head to face her, kissing her with a fierce, demanding kiss, and soon they're enthusiastically licking each other clean of your semen.

There's no way to tell exactly when the elemental will arrive. But you take advantage of the time to spend several days working closely with the farmers. For all the investigation you've done outside of Kovora, this is a chance to better understand the populace of the nation you were summoned to defend.

The orcs of this village, at least, are a tough, practical bunch. Life hasn't given them much—not until you came, at least—and from your conversations you get the sense that they're more focused on the day-to-day realities of survival than any larger picture.

A few times, you discreetly work Melca into the conversation. The sense you get is that their worship of her is an eminently practical affair. They hold no illusions that the sadistic goddess particularly cares for them in any real way... but for her own reasons, she is willing to stand in their corner against their ancient enemies. Which is a transaction they can respect.

And it's not as though they have a wealth of options to begin with.

One encounter stands out to you in particular, however. Toward the evening of the third day, as your aching body is dragging yet another bucket of water from the well back to the fields, you notice that one of the younger orcs—young enough that she hasn't participated in the orgies—is behaving in a strange manner, kneeling furtively in the dim evening and whispering a strange chant over a section of the crops. Intrigued, you walk closer, moving silently so as not to draw attention to your presence.

The closer you get, the more apparent it is that she's making some kind of invocation over the sickly plants. And interestingly, it seems to be working. Not working very well; even with your heightened senses, you can detect only tiny flickers of supernatural response. You're not sure how much it's even accomplishing. But something is happening. A response, however faint.

Her words don't sound like any spell you've ever heard. You frown, trying fruitlessly to puzzle it out... until you pull a sudden flash of insight from the murky well of foreign knowledge that you've so recently gained access to. No, this isn't a spell... it's a prayer. A divine ritual. One heavily mangled in transmission and divorced from its original context until it's barely recognizable.

You continue to observe the girl, fascinated by what she's trying (inexpertly) to do. Finally she finishes, rising to her feet and turning... only to see you standing there. She lets out a terrified yelp, leaping away but losing her balance and tumbling back onto her rump. She's panicking, near tears. "No! No master demon, I... I didn't... I wasn't...!"

"Hush..." you say reassuringly, raising a hand. "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you."

It's obvious from her expression that she doesn't believe you, her breath coming fast and ragged, nearly hyperventilating. "Trust me," you say, turning up the charm, making you voice as soothing as you can. "I'm not your enemy. I just want to know what you were doing. It seemed like you were giving those plants a blessing."

The orc girl flinches, unable to look you in the eye. "Please..." she eventually whispers brokenly, barely audible. "Please don't tell."

"Is what you were doing forbidden?" you ask quietly.

She hesitates, then nods, curling up into a ball. "If... if the Inquisition finds out... They'll... they'll do the same thing to me that... that they did to my... to my..."

"...to your mother?" you guess. The way she flinches miserably in on herself, a haunted, horrified expression crossing her face, is answer enough.

Fascinating. So this is some kind of... prior ritual? Predating Melca's solidification of her position as sole goddess of Kovora? Passed down in secret from mother to daughter, with only remnants surviving to the present day?

What's even more interesting is that—even in such a partial, fragmented state—it does seem like it was actually having an effect on the blight. Looking very closely, you can see that the area she was praying over really does look a bit more healthy that the area surrounding it. Even if the improvement is only slight... it's something that shouldn't be happening at all. And she was doing it with a mangled, half-remembered piece of a ritual. Recited by a child with barely any clerical or shamanistic training.

Just what exactly is going on here?

"I won't tell anyone," you say. Though there is the risk that Melca herself might have her own gaze on you even now. And if she is... is this important enough to her that she might bother to send a direct revelation, ordering her agents after such an insignificant heretic? You can't rule it out. Which means that this—potentially—could get even more complicated.

For now, you quickly bid the girl not to speak of this to anyone, and hurry away. One way or another, you won't be able to do much until you finish your immediate task here. Still, even as you depart, you're already calculating all the ways you might be able to use this to your advantage. Most obvious is how it could help with Lily's food problem, if you can find a way to make something more potent out of it.

High Priest Nergan would less than pleased to hear of this, of course. Probably moving that confrontation to happen sooner rather than later. The question is whether you can manipulate the situation to ensure it happens on your terms. It's definitely a choice with its share of risks... but the corresponding benefits might well be even greater.

And of course, the real question would be how Melca will react to all this. That... and why she was so very determined to suppress something this useful in the first place.

Your mind is so alight with the possibilities that you have difficulty sleeping, but eventually you do manage. When the morning comes you resume your work, keeping an eye on the young girl out of the corner of your eye even as you wait for your true quarry.

It's the day after that when Aila finally arrives.

The air elemental really is good at stealth. She isn't as good as Verika, though, which isn't good enough. Not to mention that you're on the lookout for her, waiting for her to take the enticing bait you so carefully laid back at the capitol.

Granted, the time you spent working with the orcs means you didn't spend as much time coming up with backup plans for this encounter, should unexpected wrinkles arise... but you feel confident you can wing it, making this trap work with what you do have.

Aila is clearly focused on Ceriss for the moment. You could hardly ask for a more perfect opening. Slipping out of her line of sight behind one of the buildings, you put your own stealth to the test, creeping around behind her while her attention is elsewhere. And it seems to work. Before long you're creeping up behind her, your prey completely unaware of your approach.

Her lithe frame radiates an innocent, bewitching beauty. Ethereally pale skin. Wispy, cloud-like hair that flows out around her in twisting trails. She peeks over the small rise she's hiding behind, surveying the village.

You notice, however, that it's not just Ceriss that she's getting distracted by. She's watching some of the other activities going on as well.

Since you corrupted the farmers, their ordinary day-to-day has (of course) been noticeably more tinged with eroticism. Touching, groping, fondling... all far more commonplace and out-in-the-open, now that they've shed the shackles of "common decency" and are free to indulge with each other in any way—or combination—they desire.

Aila sees this happening, of course. And you can tell that she understands what it means, what you've accomplished here. She watches the display with wide eyes, occasionally swallowing hard. You notice that she rubs her own wrists absently as she does so, a gesture that confuses you for a moment.

But then you recall that your tentacle monster grabbed her in just that place during your previous clash, back when you and Ceriss were escaping. The hold didn't last for too terribly long, of course. Not before Nevati rescued her and killed the mindless summon.

However, watching her squirm slightly while she spies on the (relatively tame) instances of sexual play that the orcs are doing in passing... it seems that the monster's aphrodisiac touch—and perhaps the helpless situation it put her in—left even more of an impression on Aila than even you would have expected.

The opportunity is just too perfect for you to pass up. You continue circling until you're fully behind her. Then you raise your hand, preparing to snap your fingers and summon a tentacle monster for a reprise. Exactly as planned. Nevati reacted as you anticipated, and with this—

But the hint of movement, just out of the corner of your eye, interrupts your thoughts. It's so distant and slight that even with your enhanced perception you just barely notice it. But notice it you do. Puzzled, you turn... just in time to see a spear of solid stone hurtling toward you at an incredible velocity from an even-more distant hilltop.

Calling on all your speed, you fling yourself away. Even with the advance warning, the dodge isn't completely successful; the spear tears a chunk out of your side, the force sending a wide arc of blood spraying out behind you. You stagger, reeling, your eyes searching for your distant attacker.

And it doesn't take you long to locate her. Even though only one arm and tiny bit of the head—barely enough to see one eye—are visible above the ground into which Nevati's earth elemental is submerged.

You curse under your breath, even as your regeneration starts to pull the gaping hole in your side back together. Nevati didn't send the air elemental alone, relying only on stealth. She sent additional aid along with. A sniper to watch Aila's back, even if it meant outright halving the support Nevati herself had for her own mission.

Aila whirls, caught off-guard by her comrade's attack, only to see you. In a display of raw willpower you ignore the pain, snapping your fingers and calling on your summon. A swirling portal bursts to life, disgorging the mindless, writhing bulk of a tentacle demon.

The air elemental lets out a panicked squeak. After all she knows exactly what this creature's arrival means for her. And, once she gathers her wits, she tries to dart away in a burst of flight.

But she froze for just a moment too long. Before she can get clear, one of the longer tentacles manages to latch around her ankle, reeling her slender body inexorably back in toward the central mass with a strength far greater than any force her flitting body can provide. Like a rebellious little kite, struggling ineffectually against its owner.

She lets out a shriek, a long, despairing cry... with just a tiny undercurrent of anticipation. Out on the more distant hill, you can see the earth elemental readying another stone spear, this one targeted at the monster holding her friend. She launches it with even more force than the previous one, sending it tearing through the mindless demon, which lets out a pained screech.

But it still holds on, not letting Aila go despite the debilitating hole that the stone spear punctured through its center mass. Fortunately for you, demons like the one you summoned have few identifiable organs or really vital spots, making tightly focused piercing attacks a bad strategy. Something you don't think the earth elemental realized.

She tries for another strike, launching a third stone spike. But this time, it impacts against a glowing shield of conjured arcane force, as Ceriss lands next to you, her wand at the ready. And with a heroine now backing you up, it spells the utter end for any hope a mere elemental might have had of attacking any of you, or of freeing her trapped comrade.

Even from this great of a distance, your senses can detect the stricken look of horror on that taciturn face, as she glares furiously at you, trying to find some way of turning this impossible situation around. But there is none. Then, finally, she sinks back into the earth completely, vanishing from sight.

This presents you with an urgent choice. The earth elemental will have little choice but to flee back to her mistress, warning her of what happened. You could try to hunt her down now, but given her ability to move through the ground, it would be a difficult, time-consuming process. Not impossible; she'll need to surface if she wants to navigate based on above-ground details, and between your senses and Ceriss' magic you can probably track her tunneling. But it would be a protracted game of cat and mouse. Even if you eventually caught her, by the time you subverted both elementals and caught up with your true target, Nevati might be significantly farther along in her overall plan.

On the other hand, you could let her go for the moment, focusing on subverting Aila and catching up with Nevati as quickly as possible. You can probably make better time on horseback than the earth elemental, especially if she's staying submerged to avoid detection. This would allow you to catch up with Nevati at an earlier stage of her plan, gaining some headway there... but with the knowledge the earth elemental could show up at before long, injecting a random element in your considerations.

Either way, though, your time at the village is nearing its end. Which means there's also the question of what you want to do with the girl you discovered, and her mysterious, incomplete ritual.

Bringing her back to the fortress would allow you to both put her under you direct protection, as well as allowing you to investigate further into how she was able to affect the blighted lands in however small a way. Though it would doubtless greatly escalate the friction with the Church of Melca and their Inquisitors, when they inevitably learn of who you are harboring, bringing things to a head much more quickly.

Alternatively, you could leave her here for the moment, hoping that Melca wasn't watching your very brief encounter at that moment, and trusting obscurity to hide this lead, at least for now.

Finally, there's the question of exactly what method you want to take in subverting any elementals you do capture. You're pretty sure that either approach would work just fine, given everything you have to bring to bear on them, but there is the question of which style you prefer for this situation in particular.