Blazing Glory Ch. 11

This is a work of my own creation and, being so, is a parody of many races of fantasy that have been created over the past century. Any similarity of characters with real world is either coincidence or intended with implied differences (Example: If I wanted to write a story on say Jasmine of Disney because she's hot, the character will be similar in appearance but different physically in ways as well as psychologically). Under no circumstances should anyone under 18, or 21 (under local government law), or any non-Adult read this! This work contains graphic violence and acts of pornography. Regardless of description (or me simply forgetting to state it in the story), none of the characters in my stories are intended to be under eighteen years of age.

With that disclaimer aside, sit back and enjoy the stories filled with sex and (gasp!) plot.

Feel free to send feedback to me.

Chapter 11 – Truth and Honor

Harsh blazing rays of the sun beat down upon the desolate landscape. It was a dead land that the sun looked over as it journeyed its daily trek across the sky. Some areas of land it saw were flat and barren. The dirt baked so dry that it was literally riddled with cracks everywhere and dust gently stirred by an occasional blistering breeze. Other places held vast mounds of sand as far as the eye could see. In such a vast wasteland, it was hard to find any form of life. Those that did were pretty small in size but very deadly in nature. Odd plants with spiky thorns all about them were occasionally grouped in clusters scattered sparsely about. It was a dead man's land...

On this particular day, the sun would have been surprised to see life moving down beneath it as it moved towards its setting for the evening. A group of five moved across the crest of one of the giant sand dunes in a never ceasing direction to the north. They moved with a purpose that would not allow them to lose their heading in a heat-induced delirium and get them lost. One of them stopped to wipe as his brow as he looked back up in return to the sun.

Blaze sighed as the sweat kept on coming. He sighed as he wished he could stop sweating so he wouldn't get dehydrated, but knew also that he needed it to keep his body cool to begin with. They had been moving across this waste for what seemed almost a week now. It reminded him of the dunes area near his home. But the sound of the sea had always been near whereas here it was the sound of sand whispering by on a hot breeze. A sea of sand that threatened to swallow them whole. Never in his life had he imagined a place that could be so bloody hot! It was worse than the grasslands that they had left behind.

He looked back to his comrades that trudged onwards behind him, tired but determined to make it through alive. They were all suffering though. They had to ration their water strictly so that it didn't disappear too quickly. It would have by now if it hadn't been for stumbling across what Kendra called an oasis. The demoness' knowledge was saving their lives as she used experiences in the deserts of other lands to help them survive. She helped them retrieve water from these odd cacti plants. Other times she saved their necks by killing a snake whose tail rattled beside Nadine or the time her whip yanked him out after stumbling into quicksand.

But still they suffered greatly. Tyra tried to fan herself with her wings or use them as a shield to the sun, but not with much success. Rae hid as deeply within the darkness of her piwafwi as she could. He was surprised by the look he saw in her cloaked confines when he looked back to her. Her glowing red eyes glanced about nervously within that darkness. The drowess was actually afraid of this land. Dead waste with the harsh brilliant sun beating down from above, Blaze supposed that it must be the equivalent to hell for a drow.

Nadine suffered even more so than she did in the grasslands because of her dark fur. They had to sacrifice their water for themselves and give more rations to the catwoman. She would have perished long ago had they not. Her tail hung limply behind her and ears wilted in misery as she walked with them. Even Kendra was exhausted. The succubus refused to have any sexual encounters with any of them. She felt such strenuous activity would only drain them of their much needed energy to get through this. But that meant she went longer without any sustenance. Kendra claimed she could go on for a while before being in danger, but Blaze could tell by the look in her eyes that she was feeling the beginning pangs of 'hunger' as the rest of them thirsted.

They traveled only in the mornings and late evenings. They sheltered as best they could together from the midday heat and stayed close in the freezing chill of night. Blaze simply couldn't believe that a place this hot could also become so cold! As he trudged on, he remembered back to the first couple of days that they traveled.

"Blaze?" Nadine had chirped in surprise when they woke up for the morning trip to continue on. "Why are you so red?"

The young man just groaned as he lay there in pain from the severe burns along his exposed skin. The poor human was spread eagle on the sand and looked like he was ready to just die. The others glanced down and peered down at him like he was some sort of oddity.

"By the Abyss," Kendra grumbled in exasperation, "He's been badly sun burnt."

"So that's what that is?" Nadine inquired as she poked him, drawing a startled yelp of pain from the poor guy. "I've heard about humans getting these but have never seen it."

"And naturally none of us thought of such," Tyra sighed, shaking her head as she ran a hand through her mane of fiery red hair. "Nadine, you have your fur as Rae her cloak. Kendra's a demoness that clearly wouldn't be affected while we gargoyles are naturally resistant to sunlight in order to perform our guarding."

Rae sighed as she moved in closer, "Come on Blaze get up so I can help you."

Blaze blinked and snorted slightly, giving a groan of defiance to the drowess that he was staying put and not moving an inch. Rae was about to hiss something angrily when Nadine dropped down to crouch next to Blaze.

"YEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!!!"

Sand exploded and made them all cover their faces instantly. When it settled just as quickly they looked to see Blaze no longer there. Glancing about they didn't see him until they heard his yell. They all gasped as he came crashing back down from high above, face planting right into the sand!

Nadine blinked as she looked to his legs sticking up out of the crater formed in the sand before giggling, "Nothing like a little pinch to get you up my mom always said!"

Blaze rolled his eyes as he remembered that incident and was thankful Rae had been able to heal his burns. She even produced a salve that she always kept on her but rarely used these days due to her getting used to sunlight. It was a drow's protection against the sun for those on surface missions not used to it. What could work for the drow should work even better for a human. The smell was awful, but Blaze was more than happy to apply this 'sun block' cream of hers every start of the day.

But that wasn't the worst of it. The most heart-sinking feeling throughout this endeavor came with the final realization of it two days later. It was in the darkness of night as they all lay down for a much needed rest. The air was chilly, but he was not bothered by it because of the soft warmth of the succubus cuddling up so possessively next to him. He stared up at the stars filling the whole sky and the Great Path expanding across in its milky essence as the road for souls into the afterlife. He thought about when he had nearly died that time that seemed so long ago, only to be saved by the beautiful Callista. His eyes blinked as it hit him in that moment. Dear Spirits...

"Two down," he whispered, "two to go..."

"What?"

The young man nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected voice. Turning his head to the side, he stared into those beautiful green depths. He couldn't help but sigh and smile. Kendra was always so aware of him. Clearly she wouldn't sleep until he was fast asleep and she always knew when he was troubled. All this time she had been quietly observing him while he was lost in thought.

"The prophecy..." He answered her truthfully.

"Oh..." Her eyes hardened as her grip on him tightened protectively. "That."

He nodded as he looked back up to the stars. "It just now occurred to me that we are within the timeline of Callista's prophecy and have already unknowingly blundered through some of it."

The succubus nearly hissed in anger as she stiffened, not liking him being in danger to mystical forces such as prophecy. "How? Are you sure?"

"I am," Blaze sighed, remembering those haunting words of the sorceress elf, "An ordeal of those close by his side, in them his faith essentially reside. Though weary and worn his body from strife, fierce heart never waiver to keep his life."

After the silence hung over them for a moment as she pondered his words and their meaning, he shifted as he looked once more to her. "Callista said if I failed even one of the tests, I would have died. The first was the Amazons. 'An ordeal of those close by his side, in them his faith essentially reside'. You all went through the ordeal of being forced to decide between myself and the feminine touch. What if I had shown lack of faith to all of you? Giving in to despair that there was no way all of you would choose me after such pleasure. Such an action could easily have hurt one of you so deeply that you may have turned your back on me, thus resulting in my death."

Kendra looked about ready to argue that she never would do such a thing, but she already saw that in his eyes that he knew she wouldn't. But she then thought about the others. She was not them and did not know how they would react in their own right in such circumstances.

"The second was my battle with the dancing warrior. 'Though weary and worn his body from strife, fierce heart never waiver to keep his life'," he continued. "My body was broken and beat like hell so much so that I began to lose heart that I could actually win. But I refused to give in and let all of you be killed. I didn't want to fail you. I didn't want to lose any of you. Such actions preserved my life in keeping my will to fight on or else I would have been finished."

Kendra swallowed back a lump of fear in her throat as his words were true. There could be no mistaking that they were within the time of Callista's prophecy. It is a time in which Richard was the only one in control of his destiny and life when the events unfolded. And there was nothing she could do to change that or help.

"To him the serpent will hiss many a lie, in its servant's truth he must espy. Though the path to be taken will be clear, will he choose with the honor he holds so dear," she whispered the rest, remembering the words herself clearly.

"Tests yet to come," he nodded. The sensual beauty said nothing else but held on to him tighter the rest of the night.

It had been nearly two weeks since they first entered this desert. Try to survive and ration as they might, their supplies were growing shorter by the day. On the fourteenth day of their trek, they finally came upon it. A vast oasis opened down below them from where they stood on the high dune. The oasis was so vast that it could literally have been called a large lake. Lush green palms and grass surrounded its perimeter for miles. Occupying much of their view along its southern shore was a large town bustling with activity among its stone buildings and tents.

All five of them shared looks of apprehension, but joy overshadowed any cautious feelings as they rushed down to finally reach a place of sanctuary from the brutal landscape around.

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His stomach growled with the sharp pangs of hunger. His arms folded over his stomach as he crunched down in pain, trying to fight it off. Not now, Hakim berated himself mentally. His eyes were already on the prize. He was so close to ending these pangs now.

Glancing to his side, Hakim saw a mirror in which a young, famished boy stared back at him. He was nothing special. He looked a lot like the other kids at his age of seven years. His skin was browned like the rest of the people inhabiting the town. His scraggly black hair hung limply in the heat about his boyish face. His clothes were nothing elaborate. They were simply the loose baggy clothing of his people.

Hakim stared hungrily from the shadows of the alley with his dark eyes at the loaf of bread sitting on top of many others. The loaves rested just to the left of the merchant seller barking out his prices to the shopping citizens in the bazaar. As hungry as he knew he was, Hakim knew he could count on his speed once again to come through for him to snatch and escape. You'd be surprised at what you could do when facing starvation.

The young boy snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the local merchant, whom he knew was Basit, began talking to an interested shopper. Basit lovingly raised some delicious looking fruits for the customer to see as he informed them of the price. Seizing the opportunity too good to pass up, the young boy darted out from the dirty narrow alley into the bustling throng of people in the street.

Hakim ducked and weaved in and out between numerous people like an agile viper through tall reeds. Breath escaped him for a brief moment in relief as he reached the food stand and saw Basit still occupied with his customer. He reached to snatch for the bread as he turned at the same moment to dash for safety!

"AH HA!" a voice roared as his wrist was seized in a painfully powerful grip.

Hakim yelped in shock and fear as the massive man Basit literally lifted him off the ground. The sweaty brute lifted the child up to his face by his wrist so that he had no choice but to meet the man's furious eyes.

"Not this time you little rat!" he voice bellowed, spittle spraying Hakim's face. Many passers-by soon came to a stop as they looked to see what the shouting was about. "You've stolen from me one too many times. Now you will pay for your crimes thief!"

"No! Please!" the frightened boy cried as he squirmed about in midair futilely, "I'm just so hungry!"

"I don't care! Now you will receive your just punishment," Basit spat into his face as he cleared aside fruit before slamming the boy's arm onto the hard wood. Hakim's eyes grew wide in horror as Basit unsheathed his curved scimitar from his belt. "Visralar speaks in holy words that the unjust thief whom takes with his free hand shall then be freed of it from body forever!"

"NO! NOO!" Hakim shrieked, fear filling his entire being as the man cried out holy verses from the canaan of their god to the crowd, but words twisted in evil fanaticism. The boy sobbed as he tried to pull away with everything he had left in him, but Basit was just too powerful!

"Please don't cut off my arm... please.. oh please..." He cried endlessly, hoping that someone would see reason and stop this. That mercy be granted. But Basit only continued to recite holy verses twisted with vile words of hate. No onlookers made any move to help. Either they cheered Basit on with their own fanatical beliefs agreeing with this or they simply watched on, not liking what they were witnessing but fearful of what would happen if they interceded.

Hakim screamed at the top of his lungs as Basit raised the weapon to maim the starving boy for life. As the scimitar descended to chop like a savage meat cleaver among the gasps of the watching crowd, the boy closed his eyes and waited for the agonizing pain to burn from his arm to his whole being. Tensed, it seemed like an eternity of waiting for him in his terror.

After a few moments, Hakim blinked as he realized that the eternity of waiting was time passing by as normal. No pain filled him. The boy tested to be sure and felt his fingers wiggling about true enough. Opening his eyes in confusion, he looked down to his hand and could only stare at what he saw. In the little space between his arm and the scimitar was one lone blade. This unusual straight blade hovered above his arm with the blade of the scimitar resting against its other flat slide.

"Tell me," a cold man's voice trembling with barely restrained fury spoke in the shocked silence that had overtaken the bazaar, "What is so 'holy' about crippling a young boy not yet seen a decade in this world?"

Getting over his own shock at what happened with those words, Basit turned his gaze up towards the voice's source hatefully. "Who the hell are you? You have no right to interrupt the divine justice of Visralar!"

Hakim looked up to see the man staring defiantly back at Basit. The look in the man's eyes gave Hakim chills. Behind the mysterious man who had saved his arm, for the moment, were four women of beauty beyond what Hakim thought possible. They were all different from each other and obviously foreign. The crowd also gazed at this group with both awe and fear.

"My name is Blaze," the man growled angrily, "There is nothing divine about such justice. That is the justice of the damned and wicked. I don't know who this Visralar god is, but I'd put more weight in the justice and divinity of Stavros than in Visralar after what you've just demonstrated."

"INFIDEL!" Basit exploded as his face turned red with rage. "You speak such blasphemies about the almighty Visralar! DIE!!!!"

The enraged merchant shoved Blaze's sword away before coming up and to the side with it with such swiftness that Hakim couldn't help but watch in horror as his savior would surely be beheaded. In a movement that made both him and the crowd gape in shock, Blaze moved with even greater speed as he swiftly ducked the curved blade. His hand gripped a second sword upon his back. The harsh hiss of the blade being drawn upwards out of its sheath was soon followed by the harsh clang as it caught Basit's scimitar from below. The curved blade went spinning out of the brute's hand to sink it's blade into the post next to Hakim with a resounding thunk, making the poor boy yelp in shock.

The on looking crowd gasped as Blaze was instantly over the wooden barrier and had Basit up against the wall with one hand at his throat and the blade's tip pressed against his neck's flesh.

"Give me one excuse to split your head from body," Blaze hissed venomously, "so that your skull may be used as a fucking piss pot and your body fed to the vultures... Go on!"

Basit trembled slightly, his eyes now filled with fear. Remaining silent, the man shook his head slightly as he wanted no part in giving the maddened warrior a reason to follow through with that threat.

"Good," Blaze growled. "But if I so much as hear that you went after this boy ever again, I swear I will be back to split open your fat belly and slowly pull out your insides while you still live!"

The big burly merchant paled and looked nearly on the verge of fainting from fright, only barely able to nod that he understood. Looking thoroughly disgusted, the young man released the other's throat and hopped back out into the street. Or he would have but was met instantly in mid-air!

WHAM!

Hakim blinked as Blaze gasped in surprise as his cloaked companion tackled him and slammed him into the ground.

"Rae.. Wha?"

"Oh you vithing evil bastard! Such hideous threats and violent rage.... By the Abyss you know how to turn a drowess on! Take me here and now you wonderful son of a bitch!"

"Oh Rae, c'mon!" the bat-winged female sighed in exasperation.

"Oh be quiet, Kendra. I know you want him right now too! You can have your way with him after I'm done," The cloaked woman cackled.

"That's our Rae!" the cat-looking woman giggled as the one called Kendra blushed and twittled her thumbs embarrassingly, having been caught correctly by Rae's statement.