by Logan Jacobs
Chapter 7
We walked down a short hallway in silence. My eyes drifted to watch my combat boots stomp along the clean white floor until the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Then I looked up to find Ariette’s blue eyes glued to my face. They flickered back and forth, and something about them seemed sad.
“You know, HC, this job isn’t always easy,” she began. “It’s fun and adventurous, and we get to be heroes, yes, but at the end of the day, it’s hard. There are moments when you’ll be absolutely sure you’re never going to see another sunrise. There will be moments when you wonder what your life could have been like if you’d just got some boring office job.”
“I know that,” I said softly.
“No, you don’t,” she replied with a shake of her head and stopped me in the hallway. “You don’t know until you’re in the middle of it, and then it’s too late. I guess what I’m saying is, I need to make sure you will be ready to die tomorrow. If not, say something now.”
“Ariette.” I placed a hand on her shoulder this time. “I said yes. I’m not changing my mind.”
“Good.” She nodded, and then she transformed back into the steely warrior. “Then let’s go see what you can do on a mat.”
We headed to another room that was about as big as the gym but completely empty save for the blue mats on the floor.
“Are we going to learn how to do gymnastics?” I joked as I motioned to the mats.
“No, HC.” Ariette laughed. “You’re going to fight me.”
“I’m going to what?” I stuttered. The thought of a fight with the elven beauty seemed scary but also pretty damn hot.
“Oh, come on, HC, you won’t hurt me. Trust me.” She smirked.
“Oh, really?” I questioned as I crossed my arms and swaggered over to stand a few inches in front of her. I watched her breathing speed up, but she played it off as she wrapped her hands in cloth.
“Alright then, if you’ve got so much confidence, stand back and get ready,” she said.
Ariette walked a few feet backward, her eyes on mine the whole time. Her body crouched low to the ground with her torso over her thighs, and then the look in her eyes shifted to one of hunger.
Cockily, I moved backward and took the same stance as her. With her willowy figure and skinny arms, this should be a piece of cake.
I quickly realized I’d spoken too soon.
Before I knew it, the warrior was in front of me in a flash and had her hand wrapped around one of my ankles. Gracefully, she wrenched her hand upward and threw me on my back.
The wind was knocked out of my lungs as my spine hit the dense blue mat, but Ariette didn’t give me a chance to recover. She pinned my wrists to the floor above my head, and then she sank one knee into my stomach.
Her blue eyes sparkled with glee, and she threw me a victorious grin. As she went to open her mouth to speak, I made a move that wiped the smile right off her face. My body moved of its own accord, and I could feel the muscles in my arms and leg ripple. I was way faster and stronger than I had ever been before.
My Hand didn’t just give me magic, it also gave me superhuman strength and speed.
I used the strength in my legs to flip myself in a backward somersault. The movement took Ariette’s body along with mine, and she let out a grunt as I flipped her onto her stomach.
“Ready to give up yet?” I questioned. One of my hands landed on her butt, and I felt its plumpness rise into my hand. I lost myself in my thoughts and didn’t realize what she was doing until it was way too late.
“Not even close,” she stated.
Then she threw me off her, and I rolled backward along the mat. For a moment, neither one of us moved. We locked eyes, and I took in the sweat that plastered her hair to her forehead, and the way her breasts fought against the edge of her shirt as she breathed heavily.
Far too fast, she was back in action. She lunged forward and her hands wrapped around my waist as her momentum brought me back to the mat. But I was ready, and I used my weight to flip us around quickly.
The air whooshed out of her lungs as I threw her down on the mat and pinned her wrists above her head. She struggled, but as she tried to push me off with one of her legs, I slid my knee into the space between her thighs.
To my surprise, I felt a lot of heat make contact with my knee.
Ariette froze and panted up at me.
“How’s that for a win?” I grinned with pride.
“Well, HC, I don’t know who’s the real winner here,” she said as she batted her eyelashes.
“And you think that because...?” I laughed.
The expression on her face surprised me. Her cheeks were red, and her blue eyes were huge. She drew her lips together in a pout, and I watched as her pupils dilated.
“I think I’d have to declare myself the winner in this situation, because I really, really like you being on top,” she breathed.
My pants got really tight the moment I heard her words, and my pulse quickened. Heat filled my body, and goosebumps rose on every part of my body that was in contact with hers. For a moment, I just looked at her.
I took in the soft curve of her hips, the flush across the top of her full breasts, and the way her lips parted and shut.
Without warning, the elf raised her head and planted her lips on mine. Her kiss was soft and warm, and her lips moved against my mouth in the most wonderful rhythm imaginable.
Ariette pulled back, and I let out a soft huff when she broke contact. Her blue eyes were dark with a hint of danger as she looked at me from under thick black lashes.
“I think I should show you where your room is now,” she whispered.
We barely made it up the stairs before we crashed into the wall. My lips covered hers as she slammed me against the doorframe. Then one slender hand reached out for the doorknob to my new room, and she turned it without breaking our kiss. As soon as the door was open, Ariette guided me backwards and then she kicked the door closed.
The back of my knees hit the bed, and I toppled onto it.
Her hands were everywhere. They quickly undid the button and zipper on my cargo pants and pulled my boxers down with them, and then they ripped my shirt off. Ariette paused momentarily to undo her own ensemble with nimble fingers.
“Were you this seductive before you got your Hand?” she whispered as she unbuttoned her top. “Because I swear it feels like my blood pressure is rising simply by being this close to you.”
I wondered about that for a brief moment as I watched her nimble fingers slide along the buttons. I’d always been a ladies man, but I’d never quite felt the pull toward a woman like I did today. It was like my blood had called her in and heightened the already strong attraction between us. And as her shirt came free, I decided I was really, really glad about that. I sent out a silent thought of gratitude for the dead fairy and his Hand.
I smiled and yanked her gently toward the bed as she continued to undress. I sat back against the pillows, focused on nothing but the beautiful elf as she got naked in front of me. Her black top slid down past her breasts and released them from their prison. Pert pink nipples stood out against pale full breasts. The top came down further, and it glided over toned porcelain abs, and finally over two sharp hip bones.
Ariette threw the outfit behind her and didn’t even look to see where it landed before she was on top of me, and then our lips collided.
“Wait,” I pulled back to mumble, “I thought you said you like me on top.”
That earned a wry smile, and I flipped us over, so I hovered above her. She was beautiful to look at.
Blonde hair had pulled free from her braid and splayed out across the pillow. One hand was thrown next to her head, and the other ran softly up and down my abs. Her cheeks were flushed, and the red ran all the way down to her breasts. I cupped one in my hand and brushed softly over a nipple, and the warrior below me moaned.
My eyes continued down over her flat stomach as it rose and fell rapidly in antic
ipation. I took in the small patch of golden hair between her legs just as they spread even further apart.
“Hey, HC,” she mumbled as her hand trailed up my chest.
“Yeah?” I whispered softly as I looked back to her.
“I don’t like waiting.”
I nodded at the hidden order and used my hand to guide myself into the warmth between her legs. Both of us let out a sigh as our bodies joined together. Ariette closed her eyes and threw her head back, and the sight below me was enough to make me almost lose control. Her hand stayed on its path up and down my stomach as her hips thrust upward to meet my movements. I drew the moment out as long as I could, but it didn’t take long for Ariette to let out a growl of pleasure, and I felt her clench around me. I followed within seconds.
We locked eyes as I pulled out of her, and then she bit down on her bottom lip as her hands trailed up my back. I leaned down and pulled her soft bottom lip into my mouth, and then I kissed down the silken skin of her neck. I drank in the sensation of her delicate pulse against my lips as I kissed down her stomach until I finally felt the heat of her arousal against my lips. Slowly, I lapped at the warm skin of her clitoris as she let out a sultry moan.
“Oh, fuck, Milton, right there.” She sighed as her hips left the bed and began to thrust toward my mouth. I flattened my tongue against her as the friction caused her to convulse in another orgasm. Her hands twisted in the sheets, and as I looked up from my vantage point between her legs, my eyes were met with the sexiest sight I had seen in my entire life.
Ariette’s nipples were hard against the cold air, and her breasts bounced slightly as her chest rose and fell hard. Her blue eyes were screwed shut in pleasure, and her lush lips formed a perfect circle. I licked her slowly as she fell back against the bed, and then I crawled back up her body as my dick screamed for its own second release.
As if she could read my mind, her legs wrapped around my hips and she lifted her pelvis as she looked at me alluringly from under thick black lashes. The elf licked her lips seductively and nodded once. I slipped myself back inside her warmth and began to rock in and out of her. Our breathing picked up speed, and I nuzzled my nose into the soft skin between her neck and shoulder as her lips trailed over the crown of my head. This time, I felt her muscles clench tightly around me as I spilled inside of her once again with a soft grunt.
“Oh my God, yes!” Ariette all but screamed out as she came for the third time.
I took a moment to catch my breath before I rolled off her. Her chest was still heaving as she pulled a blanket over our bodies and turned to face me.
“Too bad that’s not a talent we need more of in the guild,” she said breathily.
I threw my head back against the pillows and laughed.
We fell asleep tangled up not long after, and I slept heavily and easily until I slipped from the world of dreams into the world of nightmares.
I was back on the street from earlier as I watched the monstrous troll throw people and cars through the air. Brick exploded out from walls as objects were thrown into them, and screams echoed down the road as everyone ran for their lives.
Then, suddenly, it was dead silent. The people were gone. Dead bodies littered the street. I looked up to see the creature head toward the little girl, and I watched as she squeezed her teddy bear closer to her chest.
“Hey, ugly!” I yelled.
The creature looked up at me, but it didn’t continue to reach for the child as it had done before. Instead, it looked at me and smiled. Its teeth dripped with blood, and one fang curled over its bottom lip.
“You will fight a great evil, Milton Bailey,” troll-2.0 said in the dragon’s voice.
Then I sat up straight in the bed, and my chest heaved as I panted.
I looked over to see Ariette still deep in sleep with one hand thrown across the mattress. I took a moment to look around my new room and calm myself down.
I had been far too busy when we first barged in to take in my new home. It was pretty sparse with less stuff than I figured the guild would give a warrior. The room was no more than one hundred square feet, and the floors were covered in plush white carpet. The bed we were laying in was in the far corner of the room, nestled under the window. The red curtains fell from a golden rod in between the bed and the wall, and directly across from me was a tall dresser and a big wooden desk. The desk had two drawers down the side, a sleek black laptop centered on top of it, and a gray chair tucked beneath it.
I rolled carefully out of bed so I wouldn’t disturb Ariette. My feet hit the carpet and were instantly engulfed in the soft material. I plodded over to the dresser and pulled out the top drawer. It was filled with boxers. The next drawer down held shirts and vests of the exact kind I had picked out yesterday. The last drawer was filled with cargo pants and socks. I put on an outfit and was surprised at how perfectly the clothes hung on my body.
Slowly, I pulled on my combat boots and stepped out of the room. The door closed behind me with a click.
The guild hall was eerily quiet in the early morning. The light of the sunrise peeked through glass windows near the ceiling, and the hallways were completely empty. I encountered no one as I tried to remember how to get to my intended destination.
I passed the control room and looked in to see Danira alone at the round table. She concentrated intensely on the computer screen in front of her as it replayed the recording Ariette had taken after the monster attack. After a moment, I continued onward so that I wouldn’t disturb her thoughts.
When I got to the break in the hallway where it forked in two different directions, I racked my brain to remember which way Ariette took me yesterday.
Unable to remember exactly, I took my chances and turned to my right.
My decision paid off because moments later I felt the floor begin to dip downwards, and the hall I walked in was now lit only by sparkling faerie lights.
I noticed things that I hadn’t yesterday in the rush of the moment. The white walls of the guild building were much duller and dirtier down here, and the hall was lined with barred doorways. It seemed the dragon wasn’t the only prisoner the guild held.
I paused at one of the doorways and looked in to see if there was a giant pit in it. Instead, I saw a dirt floor with a bench pushed up against the opposite wall. On the bench sat the nastiest ogre I had ever seen.
It was enormous. Its sickly blue skin was covered in warts and wounds, and it wore nothing more than a dirty rag around his waist. The beast sat on the bed, hunched over a raw and bloody piece of meat. As I watched, it raised the meat to its mouth and tore off a chunk. Then the ogre raised its head and looked straight at me as blood dripped from its jaw.
“Hello, human,” it growled, “are you enjoying the show?”
“Not particularly,” I shot back.
The beast shrugged and turned back to its meat.
“Unless you are here to free me of this prison, you are not welcome here,” it roared before it tore another chunk out of its meal. “Leave.”
I stumbled backward slightly before I righted myself and turned from the beast.
The dragon’s pit was farther down than I remembered from yesterday. When I finally came upon it, I realized I didn’t have a plan. After I heard the dragon’s voice in the dream, I had simply felt some strange pull to come down here.
What he said to me yesterday didn’t make much sense. I was no more important than anyone else here, so why would I be the one to end evil’s reign? Why not Ariette, or Danira, or, hell, even Arendor?
I didn’t like all those questions in my head, so I came down here for answers, but as soon as I came across the rusted iron bars and looked out into the pit, I realized I had no idea what to do.
I waited for a moment as I looked into the pit and hoped the dragon would fly up here as he did yesterday. But, as the moments passed and I stared into the black abyss, I realized that was highly unlikely.
“Dragon,” I called out. My voice reverberated through th
e hall, and I waited with bated breath, but nothing happened.
“Dragon,” I tried again. “It’s Milton. Milton Bailey. From yesterday. I want to ask you something.”
I waited, and still, nothing happened, but just as I was about to call out again, I heard the flap of powerful wings come from deep inside the pit.
Then it occurred to me that I was about to be face to face with a fire breathing beast again, but this time there were no friendly living creatures in sight. As green scales emerged from the black depths, I stepped to the side of the door in case I was about to be met with a hot blast of fire.
Giant wings flapped a few more times, and then I heard the creature land heavily on the ground in front of the pit. Snorts of heated air blew out of the bars and tickled my shoulder, but I still stood to the side.
“Milton Bailey, if you wanted to see me, you are not doing a very good job of it,” the dragon rumbled.
I took a deep breath and swung around to place myself in front of the bars.
The dragon was quite a sight. His muscles rippled through his huge body, and he folded his wings into his sides. There was a regal gleam in his red eyes as he looked me over.
I didn’t say anything as I almost forgot what I had come here for while I stared at the beast.
“You have returned,” he stated, “because you have questions, Milton Bailey of the human race.”
“You knew I was coming, didn’t you?” I asked. I tilted my head as I watched the beast smirk. It was almost overwhelming to be so close to such power and wisdom.
“Yes, I did,” he rumbled.
“I need to know more,” I said.
“More about what?” he sneered.
He wore an expression of twisted joy like a cat did as it played with a mouse right before it killed and ate it.
“What do you know about me?” I asked as I fought to keep my voice level. “What else, other than what you said yesterday?”
“I know a great deal about a great many people, Milton Bailey,” he laughed. “However, I will tell you the things that I know you need to hear, but first, let me tell you about me.”