Demigod

by Sam Ryder

  In any case, twelve percent was a helluva lot better than one in a million.

  I swung my hammer again, just as Vrill leapt forward nearby, meeting one of the Maluk’ori with sword point, ramming it into the demon’s chest until it burst through its back. The impaled creature continued to spit and hiss as Vrill twisted the blade viciously, black blood spewing out and slickening her blade.

  My own hammer connected with a bludgeon, the goddess power devastating its arm, breaking it at the shoulder. Unfortunately, the bastard had two arms, and it swung the second one, clocking me in the jaw. On Earth the punch would’ve killed me. As a Warrior it would’ve rendered me unconscious. As a Demigod? I flinched, pain shooting through my face. But I didn’t go down, didn’t take a step back. Instead, I cracked the monster over the head with my hammer. The bludgeon didn’t flinch at all, even going so far as to roar a powerful roar from deep in the back of its hideous throat, and for a second I thought I was overmatched. But then I saw the tiniest of cracks appear on its bald dome, growing by the second, chiseling its way down its face, throat, chest and torso. Chunks of stone began to fall away, like a rocky cliffside being slowly eroded by wind and weather. Soon he would become a pile of stones, but I couldn’t enjoy the pleasure of watching, because I was already moving, leaping high in the air just as the massive troll took a shot at me with its club. I felt the air of the club as it whistled beneath me and one of the oversized spikes nearly amputated my leg at the knee.

  I landed in full gallop, charging for a group of Creed members who had stayed well out of harm’s way, until I brought harm’s way right to their doorstep. Their eyes widened as they realized what was happening and they turned to run.

  Too late.

  The earth shook as the troll gave chase and I relied solely on instincts to tell me when the creature would take another shot at me, diving for ground at the last possible second, once more feeling a wash of air pour over me as the club narrowly missed breaking my skull open to allow my brains to pour out. The troll tried to stop its follow through, but it had swung with all the effort its tiny brain could muster. The six Creed members that had been trying to flee were sent flying, like baseballs thrown half-speed down the middle of the plate to Babe Ruth. Homeruns all of them. I didn’t watch them land, content with the knowledge that none of them would ever be getting back up.

  Vrill and Silk were following my lead, drawing other monsters toward Creed members, making them scatter under the threat of being caught in the crossfire. I would’ve liked to watch the two capable women at work, but still had the troll to deal with. I’d never liked trolls. Though they could be manipulated, they were still unpredictable. One false step and you ended up with your head removed from your shoulders. I quite liked my head these days, so that was something I was trying to avoid.

  The troll released a bellow of frustration at having missed its target. Despite its size, the dumb lug could move pretty fast. It pivoted and locked me in its sights once more. This time, it didn’t take a sweeping swing at me, which might’ve ended in a repeat of the last one. Instead, it decided to play a vigorous game of Whack-a-mole. Guess who got to be the mole?

  I ran, cutting a zigzag path, trying to keep my feet each time the troll slammed it down into the ground. It hit several places I had just been standing a moment earlier, and then decided to try to start predicting where I would be next, forcing me to change things up, stopping and dancing from side to side. Although I was a Demigod and had plenty of stamina, even I couldn’t last forever like this, especially when I had no real way of taking out the troll.

  The others were showing signs of fatigue too. Vrill, one of the most agile women I’d ever met, almost took a hit from a bludgeon, while Silk, even with her catlike quickness, was starting to flag while being chased by a hellhound.

  Vrill shouted, “To me! To me!” and I had a feeling I knew what that meant, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I obediently cut toward her, afraid I would only cause more trouble by drawing the troll in her direction. Silk also brought her hellhound trailing behind her. The Creed members had grown bolder now, mostly because Fong was now encouraging them to join the fray. “Kill them!” he was shouting at the top of his lungs. They charged at us like moths drawn to a flame. If I was wrong about what Vrill was thinking, we were fucked.

  As I ran in my random zigzag pattern, I searched the sky for the dragon. Why else would Vrill call us to her if not because she’d reconnected with Mrizandr and knew the winged reptile was near?

  The sky was empty, however, and my heart sank. I reached Vrill at the same moment as Silk did, the two of us screeching to a stop and standing back to back with the Lri Ay woman. “Hope you have a plan,” I said, teeth gritted. We were sitting ducks now, and the troll stomped closer, prepared to order the three-for-one special.

  “No, I thought you did?” Vrill said.

  Oh. Shit.

  Wait. Was that sarcasm in her tone?

  At that same moment, there was an ear-splitting shriek from directly overhead. Above us, Mrizandr screamed as he burst in a nosedive from the cloud cover, releasing a jet of flames that singed my eyebrows even as they encased the troll just as he was winding up to finish us off. The lumbering asshole bellowed, stomping dangerously close as he dropped his club and swatted at the flames with his meaty hands. This was dragonfire, however—almost impossible to extinguish. As the troll rampaged, he took out a couple of the monsters and three more Creed members. Alas, Fong managed to stay clear of the danger zone, shouting for his folks to “Retreat!” He might be a demon-overlord-serving grade-A douchebag, but he was no fool. Now that Mrizandr was with us, this was a fight he couldn’t win.

  His people were also smart enough not to run in the same direction, which would make them easy pickings for our friendly neighborhood dragon. Instead, they scattered like chaff blown by the wind, heading in literally all directions, not even any pairs choosing to go the same way. It would allow some of them to survive.

  But not all. (I say that with a grin on my face. Yes, it’s a little gruesome, but I very much enjoyed watching some of these bastards being burned alive by dragonfire. Better them than me.)

  Once the enemy had spread wide and far, Vrill whistled and Mrizandr wheeled about, returning to us and landing next to the now-smoldering pile of dead-troll corpse. Other monsters and Creed members in various stages of turning to ash dotted the landscape. Everything was still and silent now, save for the flames crackling from dozens of fires.

  And Mrizandr purred.

  FIVE

  SEX ON A BEACH? NAH. SEX ON DRAGONBACK

  “Come with us,” I said to Silk. “Come back to camp.”

  “Return to the Three?” she said. “I don’t know…”

  “I swear things are different now. We decide our own fate. The Three listen to us. Eve is—”

  “Eve?” Silk said, disgust evident in her tone. “That bitch is still around?”

  Vrill chuckled. “Yeah, and Sam’s got a thing for her.”

  “I do not have a thing,” I said. “We’ve just been through…a lot together.”

  “Eve almost died, believe it or not. While bringing a marmot back to Tor against its will, of course.”

  “Pity it was just almost died,” Silk said. She offered me a pointed look. “No offense.”

  “None taken,” I said. “Look, I get it. Everyone hates Eve. You have good reasons for that. Hell, I wasn’t exactly her biggest fan for a while either. She brought me to Tor against my will, too, and would’ve pretty much signed my death warrant if not for Vrill saving me in the Circle. But I also believe in second chances.”

  “Even for murderers?” Silk asked, hands on hips. It was an incredibly attractive posture for her, even if she was staring daggers at me with her narrowed cat eyes.

  “Back on Earth I would’ve said no. But here in this land of monsters and mayhem we need all the help we can get. I won’t blame you for distrusting Eve or for not wanting to speak to her. That’s fine.
Trust me. Speak to me.”

  “I don’t know…” Silk said.

  I looked to Vrill for support. After all, she despised Eve as much as the next person, and yet she was with us now. She sighed heavily. “Sam is right. This is bigger than our animosity for the Finder. Bigger than even the Three at this point. This world is about to be overrun by the worst monsters yet. I’ve seen them. We don’t have time for old feuds. Our revenge on Eve can wait.”

  I didn’t like the last part so much, but the rest of her speech was decent. I watched Silk’s reaction. She gave nothing away with her expression, which was skeptical at best, her whiskers twitching. Finally, her shoulders fell and she said, “Fine. I’m in. But don’t get angry when I eat out the bitch’s throat while she’s sleeping.”

  I’d take it. Eve could handle herself—she’d proven that many times over.

  “I’ll ride Shadowflash to your camp,” Silk said.

  Vrill shook her head. “No, we should all ride Mrizandr.”

  “Your dragon has a name?”

  “That’s what I said,” I muttered but they both ignored me.

  “Yes. And he’s more than capable of carrying three riders. We’ll be back much quicker that way. It’s not safe out here in the open. Fong and the Creed may be regrouping as we speak, preparing to attack us again.”

  Silk didn’t argue, a resigned look crossing her face. She caressed her lizard steed’s cheeks, which came across as both tender and bizarre at the same time. Given those rows of teeth, I half-expected it to snap her head off at any second. Then again, we were asking her to ride a dragon, so I couldn’t really judge. “Stay safe, Shadowflash,” she said. “May we be reunited one day.”

  The lizard cocked its head to the side as if confused, but then she slapped it on the side and it took off, racing away as if the devil himself was at its heels. When Silk turned back to us, a single tear rolled down her face. I’d heard of the strength of a bond with an animal before, but before Vrill, never a bond with a monster. Now standing before me were two very strong examples of just that.

  “We should go,” Vrill said, always pragmatic.

  We clambered aboard Mrizandr, who seemed happy to see us—even me. Silk, with her cat-like agility, made short work of getting onto the dragon’s back. Vrill sat in front, gripping a back spike. I sat behind her, holding her waist for balance, and Silk brought up the rear, her hips pressed taut against me from behind. Her hands roped around my chest, squeezing slightly. I didn’t mind it one bit.

  Vrill said something and the dragon leapt into the air, wings unfurling and blasting us with hot air as she erupted into the night. The Black wouldn’t last much longer, but we didn’t want to wait to head back, not after the close call we’d already had. The biggest risk was that a flock of gargats attacked us, but even that chance was low given our trusty dragon steed. Gargats feared dragons more than anything else.

  Given the darkness, I was the one who could see the best, although both Vrill, as a Finder, and Silk, with her animal senses, would still be able to make out shapes in the night.

  Once we were well on our way back, Silk slipped her hands beneath my armor, squeezed my chest and said, “You’re hard.”

  I knew she meant my muscles, but still, the observation was laced with innuendo. I wondered if it was normal for women of her race to be so forward, or if she and Lace just happened to be cut from the same cloth. Vrill certainly didn’t mind sex talk given it was as crucial to her kind as drinking or breathing. “Uh, yeah, the Demigod upgrade has its benefits,” I said. I didn’t want to assume anything at this point.

  Her hands roamed lower, feeling each individual ab. Lower still, feeling another body part. “Very hard,” she said. “Vrill, how’s your energy? Need rejuvenation?”

  Holy shit. I waited breathlessly for Vrill’s answer. “To be honest, it would help.”

  “Shouldn’t we wait until we get back to camp?” I said. I shouldn’t have asked it, but now I was trying to be pragmatic.

  “We’ll get distracted with all the questions from everyone,” Vrill said. “Better to do it while in route.”

  Wait. Was she saying what I thought she was saying? In route implied while still moving, as in flying on a dragon. Sex on dragonback? Uh…sign me the hell up!

  Vrill agilely kicked her leg in the air and spun to face me. “Hello,” she said.

  “Hey.”

  “We need to be careful not to lose any of our armor or weapons,” she said. Now that was pragmatic. “Here.” She showed me how we could strap our gear to a rope she had tied tightly to Mrizandr’s neck spike.

  “That’ll work.” I pressed the buttons on her armor, enjoying the familiar hissing sound. She slipped out of her armor and, fully naked now, threaded the rope through the hinges, tying them off tightly. With Silk behind me and Vrill in front, they assisted me in removing my own armor and clothing, tying everything to the ropes, along with all our weapons. Silk was the last one to lose her clothes, her round breasts popping loose and flashing as a shred of the bronze light filtered over the mountains at the perfect moment.

  Her fingers found my penis and she began to stroke it from behind while Vrill began to kiss me, tongue flitting in and out. Wind rushed over us as we soared through the early morning light. Vrill dropped onto her stomach, ass in the air, and licked at my erection while Silk continued to play with it. The cat woman was also grinding against me from behind, both with her pussy and her tits. Vrill slid back up and leaned over my shoulder to kiss Silk. “I’ve missed your tongue,” she said. Oh boy, so these two had some other history as well, something I hadn’t been aware of.

  While she kissed Silk, the cat-woman guided my penis into Vrill’s waiting vagina. Vrill thrust against me, a long slow movement that hardened me further. Then she slid me back out, teasing me the entire way. Back in, long slow thrust. Back out. Tease. Repeat. Simultaneously, Silk somehow maneuvered around me, nude form flashing past, tail caressing my cheek. She roped her leg over where Vrill and I were locked tight, performing our dance of passion. Though Silk had patches of fur on her body, her pussy was smooth and tight and about three inches from my face. I leaned forward and slid my tongue inside, sliding it up through the middle and then flicking. At the same time, I moved my hands around her hips to her ass, which was every bit as round and firm as it looked. My fingers brushed against the base of her tail and then dropped back down, cupping her. I worked two fingers in from the back while my tongue continued to work her from the front. She was releasing soft sighs of pleasure now, her hands roaming down her own chest, grabbing and pinching her nipples and massaging her breasts.

  Vrill had sped up her own thrusting, keeping me inside her the whole time, pushing at the end of each thrust to grind her hips into mine. And then, suddenly, she pulled me out and, like a well-orchestrated team, Silk spun around and offered me her ass as she sat on my dick, which slid inside her pussy, which had been moistened by my eager tongue. She bounced on me, French kissing Vrill at the same time. I reached around her to cup her breasts, circling her nipples with my fingers and then plucking at them until she moaned with pleasure.

  We changed positions again. This time Vrill lay on her back, head toward me, careful to avoid Mrizandr’s neck spikes. (I had almost forgot about the fact we were having an intense threesome on dragon back. I wondered what the big fella thought of all this.) Silk crawled over her until they made a 69. I moved in from behind Silk, grabbing her hips and entering her from behind. Silk leaned forward to eat out Vrill while Vrill raised her head to lick my dick as it entered Silk’s body.

  I thrust again and again, waves of pleasure pouring through me as my body made a slapping sound against Silk’s ass. Vrill’s tongue was going double time now, ensuring we were well-lubricated as I pumped inside the cat-woman. Her tail flicked back and forth as I fucked her, excited by the escapade. I eased forward, still pumping my hips, my hands roaming from her hips to her firm body, reaching up, up, up until I could grab her tits again. My body
was flush against her now, my thrusts shorter and more grinding. It slowed the path to orgasm while increasing the pleasure. “More, Sam Ryder,” Silk said, taking a second away from snacking on Vrill’s pussy. “More.”

  I kissed her back while I continued to play with her nipples and slapped against her from behind.

  “Oh,” Silk said, unable to focus on her own task anymore. She reared up and I helped her by grasping her breasts. She reached back and caressed my head and hair with sexy fingers. Thankfully her claws were fully retracted. I kissed her neck, the back of her ear, her earlobe, biting slightly. She moaned and begged for more. I gave it to her. Her stamina was impressive, but I was up for the challenge, especially because in the back of my mind I knew Vrill was in the wings waiting for her next turn. When I could tell Silk was getting close, I once more dropped my hands to her curving hips for balance and then sped up, pounding into her over and over and over—

  She arched her back, grabbed onto her own nipples and screamed, “Oh! Oh yes! Oh! Fuck yeah!”

  She went on like that for a good long while until finally her screams lessened. “Oh. Oh. Fuck yeah. Oh. Oh. Fuck me, Sam Ryder. Fuck me. Oh.”

  I pumped into her slowly a few more times until her body went slack. She rolled over and I was aware enough to grab her arm as she would’ve tumbled hundreds of feet to the ground below. She barely seemed to notice, such was the intensity of the orgasm she’d just experienced. Although I could tell Vrill was eager, she assisted Silk into a safe position where we could keep an eye on her before returning to me.

  I was ready. More than ready. Hell, everything thus far had been extremely pleasurable, but I had plenty left in the tank. Vrill, as comfortable with me as any woman I’d ever been with, sat in my lap side saddle and kissed me, slow and tender at first and then harder and more eager, like she wanted her tongue to go all the way through me. “How…much…more?” she asked as we kissed, trying to ensure we would get our timing right.