by Erik Weir
“I love you,” Victor whispered to Vala’s after images.
“I love you,” Night whispered as she snuggled closer.
The Champion held her close, a smile on his lips and renewed vigor touching his spirit.
***
Victor, Shyryth and Night stood on the bottom floor of the tower. The trio faced each other as the dragon woman slipped an arcane pistol into its holster with one hand and placed her hat on her head with the other.
“We are going deep into the Forsaken Lands. The town we are visiting is as far to the east as we can go before the Molten Desert and the Leviathan Ocean. The town of Brimdark is a small settlement surrounded by canyons and jagged mountains. I believe Dorian is still hidden among the canyons.
“When we arrive, I’ll seek out a few Slingers Astor told me about that reside there. One of them may have an idea where Dorian is or will be. Any questions?”
Victor raised his hand to his chest, “What will we be doing while you’re asking around? Time is kind of short, maybe we can help.”
Shyryth shook her head. “Thanks, but no Slinger is going to talk to you about Dorian. I’m not even sure they will talk to me since I’m new to the Coalition. Stay at the Inn and out of sight until I get back.”
Victor gave a slight nod, his brow betraying how he felt. Night looked over and touched his hand, fingers sliding along his skin before pulling away.
Shyryth continued, “The important part is to find and see Dorian. After that, we can move on, Astor’s last request complete.”
The dragon turned to the elf with long black hair, “Are you ready to transport us?”
Night nodded. “I scryed the location and see it clearly in my mind. I’m ready.”
“I’m ready. Let’s go find us a cowboy,” Victor smiled.
Shyryth nodded as Night lifted her pale hands. Fingers moved in arcane gestures as incantations spilled from her lips. The very air began to vibrate and Victor braced himself. Realm Walking and creating portals were similar but portals had an extra kick he barely understood, even after creating one himself. The Champion studied Night as she continued to draw on mana and hissed the word of power.
Reality rippled before a jagged line formed and opened. Black and purple energy flowed from the portal as a small chill filled the area. Shyryth didn’t hesitate as she stepped in and disappeared from sight. Victor looked to Night as energy danced along her fingers. With a wink, he stepped in next and disappeared. The elf took three steps, entering the portal. The black opening snapped closed and the vibration faded from the room.
Victor tried to take it all in as his mind and body crossed massive distances. When several seconds passed, the flowing abyss ripped. Boot out, the champion stepped out into the sun-drenched land, a small town to his right and jagged mountains surrounding them. The dryness in the air sucked away so much moisture, Victor blinked several times to make his eyeballs wet again. When the blurriness faded, the young man saw Shyryth looking around and Night standing next to him.
“Go to the Inn. I’ll be back when I have the information,” Shyryth ordered before walking off without looking back.
Victor watched her march off before turning to Night. The elf gave him a shy smile before she took his hand into hers. The Blade let her pull him along as they walked toward the small town. Much like most of towns in the Forsaken Lands, Brimdark looked just like any town you saw in every cowboy movie. The backdrop of the mountains added to the picturesque beauty and Victor found himself caught in its glow. The sun was high above, showing the land for miles in every direction. The air and land spoke to him on a deeper level, visiting family on the west coast and always seeing the Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance.
Entering town, no one gave the man and elf a sideways glance. Victor thought it odd since he figured not many people make it out this far. An orc in a cowboy duster saddled his horse while a man and woman danced while no music played. A tower similar to Astor’s home stood at the end of the dirt street while shops and homes lined the left and right sides of town.
Night pulled Victor along until they reached the Inn. A sign hanging from chains creaked in the breeze, the words 'Lizard Song Inn' painted on the sun-bleached wood. The pair made their way inside and were greeted by the innkeeper who quickly questioned if they needed a room.
“One room with one bed,” Night said a little enthusiastically.
Victor turned to her, but she kept her pleasant smile on the innkeeper. Gold touched the counter and a key slid forward. The Blade felt the eagerness from the elf, but before he could dwell on it, she grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Climbing a set of stairs and following a long hallway, Victor could barely process what was happening until he was pulled into their room, the door closed and the lock slid into place.
Arms flew around Victor’s neck and soft lips touched his. Night’s eyes closed as their tongues danced. A manic energy wrinkled across flaring nerves. Victor could barely contain her as hands grabbed at him. When fingers coiled into his belt and undid the buckle, Victor pulled away with an amused smile.
“Night, are you sure?”
The elf eyed him like he was the only source of water for hundreds of miles. “The way my sister spoke of you, I have to know. You could have taken me last night, but you didn’t. I have been fighting myself since I met you and now, I cannot think of any other reason why we should be apart. Take off your clothes!”
Victor’s smile grew as he shed his trench coat and tossed his hat to a nearby chair. The pure lust in Night’s eyes was more than enough to let nature take its course. The elf couldn’t wait any longer as she helped him out of most of his clothes, tossing them to the floor with reckless abandonment. One boot flew against a wall while another bounced across the floor. When Victor was naked, soft hands pushed at him until his legs touched the edge of the bed.
Night opened her robe down the middle, creamy breasts appearing with dark pink nipples. Smooth skin shined in what little sunlight entered through the curtained window. Victor’s gaze drifted down to her perfectly smooth stomach and lingered on her hairless valley, wet pink lips blooming. Night stared down at Victor’s member as it grew to attention, veiny and hard. The moment fell away as she sank down to her knees, taking hold of his member and licking the tip before devouring it.
Victor tried to stay steady himself as the elf sucked back and forth, the head of his member touching the back of her throat. Night was not shy, moaning loudly while her head bobbed along Victor’s rigid member. Bliss coiled along both of their bodies, the connection blazing true between them. The Champion tried to concentrate but clearly there was no romance in this moment, only unbridled wanting between two souls.
The Blade reached down, trying to pull the open robe from Night’s shoulders, but her hands quickly slapped his away. Wetness coated his cock as the elf’s tongue ran along it. Victor quickly noticed Night and Dawn had almost the same technique before pleasure soaked into his mind and body. The brutal lust glowed as Night tasted pre-come and upped the tempo.
Heat grew as tensions coiled. Victor was about to release his soul when Night pulled away, stood up and pushed him. The Blade fell onto the comfortable bed, the elf already on him and crawling over his body. Madness filled her eyes as she moaned. It was a little unnerving until her soft hand took hold of and stroked his cock. The tension bled away as she played with him, soothing away any concerns. The robe opened and breasts bounced slightly as she stroked and moved over him. The Blade let out a warm sigh as Night pointed his cock straight up and rubbed her elfhood against the tip.
“No matter how many times I come, don’t stop,” Night commanded before she let gravity take hold.
Victor said nothing, wetness and pleasure cascading down his manhood. The elf’s inner world was tight, barely budging until she slowly forced her hips down. Inner walls parted to his throbbing power and when the elf reached the hilt, a moan rose up from the deepest parts of her being. It continued as Night’s eyes rolled into
her head. Hips moving of their own accord, she bounced slightly, the fullness from within drowning her in bliss.
Victor took hold of her small waist, helping her to find the rhythm, but she moved like a caged beast, squeezing him for dear life. Pleasure roared and the Blade found it difficult to hear with the sound of blood pumping into his ears. Night and Dawn felt similar, but the crazy edge of the dark-haired sister seemed to put her over the top. The tempo grew as mad eyes slid back into place and looked down with wicked lust.
Hands pressed against Victor’s chest as hips worked. The elf impaled herself again and again, squeezing with each intimate slide. Victor basked in the connection between them, but something felt off. He couldn’t understand the sliver of doubt touching his heart. They were meant to be together, but at the same time, it was odd, almost unnatural.
Night’s fingers curled and clawed across Victor’s chest. Sharp pain rose up as trickles of blood bloomed. The Champion had had rough moments with lovers before, but again, the vibration of uneasiness grew louder and louder. When he questioned it, it seemed Night became unchained, slamming her hips down and taking him to the hilt. The sounds of their union filled the room until the elf let out a muffled scream, squeezing the Champion like a vice.
Bliss exploded and a deluge of wetness spilled. Victor noticed he was quickly drenched between his legs as she continued to ride him. The urge for release grew closer, each second a painful reminder to let his love fill her already full womanhood. When the tempo grew to the breaking point, Night’s hand slipped into her robe and drew a long dagger.
Time fell into moments as her hand went up, blade gleaming in a shaft of sunlight. Victor’s body shuddered as the piece of Vala dwelling in Night was freed and a shadow loomed. Come spurted as the dagger flashed down, directly over his heart. Hand snapping forward, he grabbed Night’s wrist just before the dagger’s point plunged into his chest. An inch of space separated the point from Victor’s toned chest. Night screamed in defiance as she tried to force the blade. The Champion’s other hand took a firm hold of her waist and with power, threw her from the bed.
Night crashed to the floor, rolled and tried to get back up when Victor’s shadow was over her. Grabbing her wrist again, he bent it away. Pain flared as Night screamed again. The dagger fell from her hand and a growling rumbled. Victor watched as a black arm emerged from her chest and slashed at the naked Blade. Stumbling back, Victor barely dodged the strike when darkness spilled from his chest. Chill emerged, blasting forward as a shadow with red eyes emerged from Night’s chest. Sharp, black hands slashed at each other as Night went limp. A gun-blade slid into Victor’s hand and he charged it with a constitution point. Six slot holes glowed to life as the two shadows slashed at each other like rabid animals. Victor aimed, trying to get a clear shot but the shadows seemed to melt into each as they fought.
“Chill, get down,” Victor shouted.
The blue and red eyed shadows spun around, hacking and slashing at each other until Chill coiled, closed his hand into a fist and slammed it into the side of the other shadow. The red eyed shadow crashed into the wall. Hissing, it turned to attack Chill once again when light flashed and a bolt of energy slammed into her chest.
The female shadow let out a sad moan as smoke rose up and it slumped to the hardwood floor. Chill slinked closer, as did Victor, his gun-blade aiming at the shadow’s head.
“No…no…it must end. The pain and suffering…must end,” the shadow said with hysterical weeping.
Chill glowered as he looked down on the fallen shadow. “She is too weak to keep fighting. The treatment has drained her.”
Victor was about to pull the trigger to end the shadow’s suffering when red eyes centered on the Champion.
“You…did this to us…all of us! They cry out from the voids…unable to be free of their prison. You trapped them and I feel their suffering!”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Victor asked.
“End it,” Chill said darkly.
“You broke our master…you shattered him to pieces,” the shadow wept.
Chill glanced to Victor, “They are all mad. Kill her before she tries to get away.”
The shadow’s sobbing faded away and she glared at the man and shadow before her. “Fate will not be denied.”
Victor’s finger fell on the trigger and just as he was about to pull it, the red-eyed shadow’s featureless face began to change. It morphed and shifted, taking on a new face but remaining black as pitch. The shadow slumped further with new features and took on an amused smirk as it stared at Victor. The darkness could not hide the familiar features as Victor’s brow hardened.
“I killed you,” Victor growled.
“After all this time, you still don’t understand the rules of the cosmos,” Draygon’s features wrinkled in amusement.
Victor’s finger stayed on the trigger, but it was the shadow of Draygon who bowed and raised sharp fingers in surrender.
“I’m not here…to fight. I’m showing myself because you have set in motion things that cannot be undone,” Draygon whispered.
Victor smirked. “Tell me something I don’t know. Vala is coming back and you lost your chance to do anything about it. I suggest you climb back to whatever hole your hiding in so I can finish her will.”
Draygon looked up, his amused expression melting into a serious mask. “Begrudgingly, you have earned a sliver of respect from our interactions, something I do not take lightly. True, I lay in the voids, floating pieces of my former self, but I have enough power to show myself before I sleep again. I still hear the whispers and your once doomed crusade has now reached the upper echelon of the pantheon. Many thought you would fail and I thought you would fail by my hand, but here we are.”
The shadow slinked a little closer, thin black arms hanging at its side and an intense glare in abyssal eyes. “Our conflict will continue at another time, but for now, I wish to give you a small warning. The universes are older than even the gods and there are things that even the pantheon cannot fight. A cosmic balance must be struck and we all have our part to play in it. If you survive what is to come, there will be trials. With the return of Vala, those trials will quicken and fates sealed. I have seen fractured possibilities and you will lead the forces of light.”
Victor aimed at the shadow’s head, “I don’t have time for this nonsense, Agent Smith. Spit it out and disappear.”
Draygon closed his eyes and shook his head, “Yet another pop culture reference from your world, how drool. But I digress, I look forward to the future so I tell you this, there is no greater power than your will to overcome. Vala has given you much, but your will to use it will be the deciding factor.”
The shadow oozed back, gaze still on the champion. “It was nice to see you again. When I resurrect, we will have such stories to inspire.”
Before Victor could speak a rebuttal, Draygon’s face melted away and a blank shadow stood with glowing red eyes. The twitch of those eyes slid to the side, seeing the crumpled form of Night. A screech filled the room as the shadow leapt for the elf.
Victor pumped five points into Strength and launched forward like a bullet. Left hand clamping on the back of the shadow’s neck, he lifted her up as she thrashed like a snake. The screeches continued as grim shadows filled Victor’s face.
“She belongs to me! I will never let you have her! I will never,” the shadow screamed until the gun-blade slid into her black chest.
Red glowing eyes widened before Victor pulled the trigger, again and again. At point blank range, energy blasted at the black shadow six times. The thing stopped writhing, its mouth a perfect oval in a silent scream. Chill stood off to the side, watching with glowing indifferent blue eyes. Victor pulled his sword from the shadow as a gaping hole filled its chest.
The Blade let go, the shadow falling and shattering into black shards. Each shard hit the wooden floor, bounced and faded away from sight. The last piece was the shadow’s head as it hit the floor, break
ing into clumps of black sand before fading from sight.
Chill gave a grim nod before swirling into darkness and arcing into Victor’s chest. When the last hint of darkness sank into his skin, the Champion let his gun-blade slide into his wrist. Turning his attention to Night as she lay, he knelt down seeing tears forming at the corners of her oval eyes. The moment his hands touched her, eyes blinked open and sobbing filled her form. The champion sat down as she crawled into his arms, clutching at him like their very worlds will fly apart.
“She’s gone…” Night sobbed.
“She won’t bother you anymore,” Victor tried to reassure her.
“I feel so empty…like a piece of me died.”
Victor nodded. “It did. That’s why we are here to help pick up the pieces and fill the missing part.”
Night cried into Victor’s chest as he held her, thin shafts of sunlight touching their naked bodies.
***
Shyryth walked up to the door and gave it a gentle knock.
“Come in,” Victor said from the other side.
The dragon woman opened the door and stepped in. Victor and Night sat on the bed, fully clothed and looked to be having a conversation. They turned their attention to the dragon as she closed the door behind her.
Shyryth took in a deep sniff at the air and gave the couple a confused expression. “I smell sex, but I also smell energy and darkness.”
Victor nodded. “We should update you on what happened, but did you find out where Dorian is?”
The dragon woman nodded. “I have an idea. An old Slinger told me where we may be able to find him. Night will transport us when we are ready.”
Victor gave Shyryth a small smile. “Okay…” the Blade said before explaining what happened in the room.
The sun sank low in the afternoon sky as Shyryth listened intently. When Victor and Night finished, the dragon eyed them with concern.