The Corrupted Forest

With the space around him opened up the wizard took a deep breath of dusty air. It had never felt so good as his lungs filled back up. A crater had been formed by his spell. The young wizard stood in the center of it, hunched over and panting. All of his strength had been spent with that spell, but he would live to talk about it. In the end that's all that mattered.

Weakly he began to climb his way out of the crater. His surroundings had stopped crashing down but still made creaking sounds. It would only be a matter of time before the rest of the building fell apart. With each step painful throbs warned his brain of his exhausted body. Not that he needed the constant reminder.

Finally after several painful moments he had climbed out of the crater, returning to the hallway that had caved in. Everything looked different now. The hallway had become a blocked passage and the wall opened up to the outside. He looked out from the third floor by the way the height appeared. Far off outside the castle gates he could see a lone figure. The silhouette had his master's shape and the thought made him smile weakly. His master had made it out. Now all he had to do was make it down there before the place came crashing down.

He stood on the opposite side of the collapsed section wall. Go figure, right? Yet he could see that the fallen debris created a slight slope. He took one last deep breath to steel his nerves. The wizard leaped over the crater to land on the largest chunk of stone on the other side. The stone shifted with his weight and slid down the steep slope, gaining speed every second. Enorim held his arms out to keep his balance.

The leap had hurt and the edges of his vision blurred. The wind striking his face stung but he managed to keep his eyes open just enough. The ground below raced towards him and he braced for the coming crash. But it came too soon. The stone's momentum should have been strong enough to make it all the way. Yet it still got stuck. About six feet from the ground it jammed between two large chunks, sending the wizard flying forward.

He hit the ground hard and rolled.

The apprentice's body came to a stop in a heap. He laid there, a complete tattered mess at the master's feet. With tired and blurry vision he looked up at his master's smiling face.

The old man leaned heavily on his broken staff, looking just like Enorim felt. The tired, painful smile on his face spoke volumes.

"Been waiting long?" Enorim croaked out with a weak voice. The master replied with a chuckle as he shook his head.

"I'm proud of you." The older man spoke more seriously than normal. "Even if you look like a ghost."

Master Magus Proteus spoke that last part with a hint of sarcasm; along with a smile. Even though the man could barely move he still had a spark left in him.

"Yeah, almost didn't make it, almost!" The younger wizard replied as he shook his head. A thick layer of dust fell off him. Now he understood his master's comment.

"I saw the blue flash after that section of wall collapsed up there. I knew you were safe then." The master spoke slowly.

"Barely had en—"

The extremely loud rumbling behind him cut off his thought as they both turned to look. The remnants of the ruins collapsed in on itself, creating a massive cloud of dust. The wizards covered their faces as the raging dust storm blew past them. It has so much power that both of them were thrown to the ground.

Shortly afterward it died off and Enorim rose to his feet, happy to be alive. His legs felt like noodles as he looked around. It only took a moment for him to find what he searched for. The master laid on the ground, struggling to rise up. Quickly the apprentice rushed to the man's aid. When he bent down a wave of nausea hit him. Somehow he managed to bite down the feeling as he reached out to help his master to his feet.

Proteus clung to his broken staff the moment Enorim handed it to him.

"Now we both look like ghosts!" The apprentice laughed.

The chuckle from the master came along with a puff of dust as he coughed. Enorim glanced around and couldn't believe his eyes. The entire area had been covered in dust. Now the trees truly did appear like skeletons. Just then the unfinished thought came back to him.

"I barely had enough energy left when that wall collapsed on top of me. I never would have forgiven myself if you had been forced to find another apprentice."

The joke left Proteus coughing after he started to laugh. When he finally cleared his throat the older man replied.

"I'm going to need a week of meditation near the ley-line to recover from this nightmare."

"I couldn't agree more, but right now... I could use a nap." Enorim said with a yawn.

"Help an old man back home first?"

"Of course, Master."

With the broken staff under one arm, Proteus wrapped his other arm around Enorim's shoulders. They walked very slowly towards their home.

Each pained step they took sent waves of life into the ground. Even though they didn't have much energy left their bodies emitted just enough. The dying land around them surged from that small amount. It started small and without their knowledge. Tiny buds of grass began to grow in the wake of their foot prints.

The energy flowed through the entire area. Bark began to strengthen, leaves started to grow back. By that time Enorim noticed.

"Wow, look, Master!"

Vibrant colors grew all around them. Their footsteps caused a chain reaction of restoration. They paused for a moment and enjoyed the magnificent event.

Birds returned, along with squirrels and many other smaller animals. The corruption appeared to be defeated. After a long pause Proteus made a gesture. His tired body had had enough.

Standing still for a bit had given Enorim some strength. His next step didn't hurt quite as bad. The bruises on his thighs remained the most painful part of his body.

One thing worried the younger wizard. They had arrived with a marching army of animals. He wanted to ask his master what had happened. After all he had been the one that found and 'fought' Knigrith. Yet Proteus looked worse than he had ever before. The ragged robes would have to be discarded. Even the staff had been rendered useless. Those crystals weren't easy to come by. If they had extra crystals laying around it'd be a different story, but they didn't.

The only thing that stopped him from asking had been the fact that Proteus could barely move. By the time they were in sight of their tree Enorim practically carried the older man. It worried him seeing his master like that. Suddenly the older man spoke and Enorim flinched. Embarrassment flushed his cheeks red. It had been a long and silent walk after all.

"It's time you found yourself an apprentice, Enorim." Each word dragged out. It took an awful lot of energy to speak.

"What do you mean?"

"I need a vacation." That caused the apprentice to laugh. "You've earned it. You're the master now, my son."

They walked through the protective wards. Enorim didn't know what to say, truly speechless. At long last he replied by thanking him. Carefully the blue eyed wizard helped Proteus into the ley-line chamber.

"I'm going to go lay down. Will you be alright, Master?"

"Go, go I'll be fine."

Moments later Enorim's head hit his pillow; snores echoed around the room shortly after.

~*~ The Master's Cry ~*~

Magus Proteus sat hunched over, breathing heavy. The magical water's aroma filled his every breath. Age had definitely caught up with him. Normally sitting that close to the waters filled him with a sense of calming clarity. The waters felt different now, however. After all these years he had never lost or damaged his staff.

That staff had served as his life line to these waters whenever he had been away. It always needed to be recharged, and normally, sitting here gave him a similar type of recharge.

It didn't this time, though. He felt disconnected from the ley-line. Maybe he just needed to meditate and let the waters do their work. He had spent so much fighting those humanoid plants without his staff. It could just need a while before his body felt the surge through his veins.

Everything would be fine in the end. He'd retire, or possibly help Enorim find an apprentice, and then retire. He could finally be done worrying about the sacred, beautiful forest. Just by knowing his apprentice had grown to be a powerful and noble wizard warmed his heart.

The evil, corrupted rein of Knigrith had come to an end. He could go off toward the sunset and live happily ever after.

Hahahaha

Quiet laughter filled the chamber. The meditating older wizard didn't notice it at first, lost in thoughts of a happy future. It steadily grew louder until finally interrupting him.

The sound echoed throughout the area, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin. Proteus glanced around with tired eyes. He felt no better than before, as if the waters weren't connecting to him. Finally the feminine laughter paused and spoke.

"Do you really think your pathetic apprentice defeated that witch on his own?" The voice spoke with malice.

Proteus propped up his staff and slowly rose to his feet. "Show yourself!"

"All in good time..." His thoughts became a whirlwind of doubt as he attempted to decipher the voice's owner. Nothing came to mind. There were many sentient beings within the forest, but all those that were evil had been routed a long time ago.

If he had a working staff a simple spell would cancel any effects on the room and flush her out.

He said, "So, you helped my apprentice and you -- what? Want a thank you note?"

"Ha, nothing will stop my ascension."

That narrowed it down to a new player in town. But didn't help give him hints as to what he faced. If only the ley-line would have recharged his system.

"Troubled old man can't figure out how to respond. That's alright. I don't need you. The boy will provide everything I desire, like a puppy to its master."

That hit a nerve. Anger filled the older man's eyes until he saw red. The broken staff slammed against the floor as he shouted. A pale white wave shot through the air. "Ahh!"

Pain flashed before his eyes as his body rejected the spell. His vision blurred as black dots appeared everywhere. The pain forced him back down onto a knee as a cold sweat chilled him to the core.

Once again the unknown female laughter echoed around the room.

"Aww, did the sacred addictive waters cut you off?" The way she said it with a condescending tone made him worried.

"What did you do?" His words came out slow as he struggled back to his feet.

"I've been corrupting the waters all week. Your little apprentice had been too embarrassed to tell you." He had looked down at the waters only to quickly snap back to attention once she mentioned Enorim.

"What have you done to him!?"

"Oh, nothing short of seduced him. He doesn't know it yet but his body is addicted to me."

Now he understood the subtle change in how the Ley-line felt. Even the air smelled slightly different. If she'd been here for a whole week; who knew what kind of damage she had caused.

"Oh, just noticed the pheromones you've been breathing in, have you? Your weak old body will be nothing but a light snack."

The old man's heart pounded in his chest painfully. Pheromones!? Types of Fae had potent odors that they used to enslave their prey. If Enorim had been exposed to it for an entire week, the Master could not blame his Apprentice one bit.

A sound caught his attention as he turned back towards his severed life-line. There were subtle ripples within the water. As he watched they grew until a shape appeared. A dark green shape slowly rose up from under the surface. With hair plastered to her face, she continued to rise. Once her eyes cleared the blue water their lids opened. Blazing green eyes stared at him with intent he didn't want to understand.

She had spoken the truth about one thing. He stood there tired and weak. After what happened with his last attempted spell he feared trying any other. He didn't know what to do and it showed. She continued to rise as her shoulders broke the surface. Every inch of her was a shade of green. Her skin the lightest shade.

She licked her wicked lips. "Enough talk. I'm hungry."

She continued to walk towards him. With each step more of her body met his reluctant gaze. He could feel the pheromones effect when her large gravity defying chest greeted him, hard nipples and all. They had just the slightest hint of a sag in them. Despite himself his mouth watered.

She didn't have any defining marks or traits that would have told him what type of Fae she was. In all of his years the Fae communities kept to themselves. He didn't bother them since they didn't upset the balance of the forest.

Mentally he ran through countless books in his mind. Nothing rang a bell. Her skin color fit in perfectly with the many descriptions of many different types of Fae. Regardless of what type she came from the real question that bugged him was how did she get past all the wards? The powerful incantations were spells that couldn't be tampered with. A simple invite didn't allow entry or foreign magic to be cast within. They served to keep this place hidden from all senses.

A powerful caster could stand right outside the tree and have no clue of the secrets hidden within. So how did she get in?

More of her body rose out of the sparkling water. She had a body he would have killed to lay with, back in his youth. It didn't come as a surprise when he felt a long forgotten tingle down below. If she had the room filled with her scent the last time he meditated, he hadn't noticed. She must have to be extremely powerful to do that.

Then again he had been exhausted from fighting those humanoid plants.

"Those minions were yours, weren't they?" He said, connecting the dots.

"Oh clever..."

"You had orchestrated this whole thing?"

"I began corrupting your first apprentices' dreams years ago, even though I had been ignorant of this world. Recent events changed all that."

Tricks! It had to be tricks... Speaking like she had come from another world! That meant everything about Enorim could be a lie! Proteus turned around and ran, as fast as he could. The green skinned woman's waist had just risen above the water. His body's reaction scared him. Sure, years ago he would have welcomed the challenge, but right now, he simply didn't have the strength. He just needed to reach his apprentice and they'd fight this unknown threat together.

"Where you going? Don't you want to touch this body?"

He reached the closed trap door and pushed at it. Nothing happened. They didn't have a lock on the other side and the lock dangled on this end, unlocked. Giggling startled him and he turned. The woman stood dangerously close. Her bright eyes penetrated into his soul.

"Use your magic or I'll..." She leaned closer, taking a deep breath. Too late. A spark went off as she closed the distance and their flesh touched. The surprise contact made Proteus gasp. Tatiana slid her tongue into his mouth to tangle with his.

An unexplainable surge began with her kiss and flowed through his body. It made him feel energized. That wasn't even a great description of how he felt. The aching of his bones numbed and replaced with an unnatural rush of lust. Tatiana's hands wrapped around his head and pulled him tighter.

By instinct he tried to push her away. But his hands pressed into... Large, soft yet firm pillow breasts. He let out an audible moan that caused her to giggle. The vibrations from it made him moan louder.

When she pulled away he panted for breath. Pheromone filled air entered his lungs. He had the strength now to fight back, regardless of the lack of magic.

The problem though, was... His mind couldn't comprehend that fact. Deep seeded hunger replaced his fright. The focus of said hunger... The green skinned bombshell with a wicked grin standing in front of him.

"Isn't that better?"

Her condescending tone flowed to his ears like a siren's call. He didn't even nod. The lust charged hunger counteracted all rational thought. Proteus shot forward, grabbed her face, and pulled her into another kiss. Their hands roamed all over each other. His slid down her slim frame to cup a naked and firm ass. Each hand squeezed as the Fae pushed him back against the wall.

Eagerly she tore at his tattered robes until they fell from his body, shredded into rags.

Cold air bit at his naked flesh, but he didn't have a care in the world. With force he spun around until her back hit the wall hard. The grunt that escaped her lips fueled Proteus' desires to new heights.

Tatiana raised a leg and wrapped it around the older wizard's waist. The growl that followed from deep in his throat made her giggle. Her juices coated his length as she bucked her hips and pulled his hair with one hand, and his beard with the other.

Magus Proteus' roar would have frightened anyone else. He pushed her leg down and forced her to spin around as he pressed her face against the wall. With her hips angled out he lined himself up and thrust to the hilt in one move.

Tatiana squealed and he pressed harder, forcing himself as deep as he could. Only the animal side fueled by lust could be found within the wizard's eyes. Her inner walls massaged his length like nothing he had ever felt before in his long life. The primal rage came out in the form of growls and roars. When he attempted to pull out, fully intent to thrust back hard... He couldn't. Old hips flexed and strained but he couldn't pull out.

The harder he tried the harder her inner walls squeezed. Tatiana moaned deeply and looked back over her shoulder.

"My turn!" She said with a sexy pout. The Fae pushed her hips out and her inner walls began to milk his aching member. That's all it took. The wizard unloaded pulse after pulse like a fireworks spell. All the lust she had thrown at him flowed out along with his seed.

He stood there panting and moaning, losing strength by the second. Bags formed under his eyes as they regained focus. Tired hands pressed against her hips as he leaned into her, head resting on her shoulder.

The Fae continued to moan as her body convulsed. Proteus knew what had happened but he needed a moment to catch his breath, once again feeling the painful absence of the ley-line's magic. He felt the strange woman's inner walls quiver along his unusually hard member. When he couldn't pull out he knew something wasn't right.

Proteus leaned up and watched the woman shake. To his horror two sharp bones pierced through her temples. The bones grew, until he realized they were horns.

"You aren't a Fae!" He cried out, struggling to free his tormented member from the prison of her snatch. The green skinned woman simply laughed hysterically.

"What is it with you wizard folk and Fae?" She looked over her shoulder and glared at Proteus. "That gullible young man thought the exact same thing."

Proteus fought for freedom even though his tired body protested every movement. Dark green leather wings tore out of her shoulder blades, stretching out to the sides.

There had been a good reason he couldn't figure out what type of Fae she belonged to... It's because her kind weren't in the books he had been picturing in his mind!

"I sucked out blue eye's soul yesterday... Mmmhmm he tasted good."

"You lie! He's upstairs right now sleeping." His voiced broke into a worried whisper as he looked up at the trap door.

"Oh he didn't die. Something magical happened, giving me the best orgasm of my life!" With that said she released his tortured member.

Without that tight pussy sealed around his base, the wizard's weakened state became truly apparent. Proteus cried out as his body lost balance and fell backwards. The impact nearly knocked him unconscious. Little black spots danced in his vision as he groaned in pain.