The Long Road to Ruin Ch. 29

The intense pain of him penetrating her so very hard and deep had her begging him to stop. But, in spite of it, an intense pressure steadily built within her. Her pain had shifted to a whole new level. Suddenly the pressure burst and she bucked her hips and shrieked in climax, her body throbbing and writhing as the pain and pleasure wove together into an intense, long, hard orgasm.

Her body trembled after what seemed like an eternity beneath him, but Bastian remained massively hard in her. Her eyes locked on his glowing red gaze. "Again," he demanded and felt her muscles clench around him. This time, he withdrew almost completely out of her. Only the hot, huge head of his dick was in her. Then he plunged hard, twisting, deep into her. She howled. Each measured thrust twisted into her, intensifying the pain-laced pleasure as she thrashed and screamed and climaxed. Over and over again until she couldn't scream any more. She could only whimper and climax. Hard, sharp, deep twisting thrusts brought his orgasm bursting into her. He pulsed burning hot, hard, deep into her.

She lay limp, quivering, and sated. He gazed down at her. "You shall have your vengeance, little one. You have pleased me more than I had hoped," Bastian's red eyes glowed as he stared down into her sparkling green ones. "I release you."

He swept away her bonds kissed her one last time, placing upon her body his secret mark before he sent her and Shiloh back to their reality. And though it seemed like an eternity had passed while he coupled with her, only moments had passed since Shiloh had pricked her finger. The two returned to themselves just as Christano and Myra approached.

Shiloh could hear Myra tutting in her holier-than-thou manner, her face skewed up in a sneer over the subject manner of the various reliefs. "Such perverts!" she huffed with her nose in the air.

Christano eyed the kneeling sisters intently. "You both seemed fairly entranced. Just what were you doing?" He asked, taking notice of the blade in Shiloh's hand and the evident flush on Shanna's delicate features.

"Saying a word of prayer to my patron. I know this isn't his altar, but I know he can hear me regardless," she replied as she stowed her knife in its sheath.

"With blood? Sounds rather deviant to me. No, that will never do. I will introduce you to the glory of the Sun Lord. He is a deity worthy of you. You will find beauty and light and wonder in the gloriousness of his divine grace. He will fulfill you and lift you on high. Surely, you find that more appealing over someone who demands the sacrifice of your blood." The golden haired paladin raved boastingly.

A muscle in Shiloh's jaw ticked furiously. She sneered at him as Bastian renewed his mantra in her head. Kill him, bleed him, make him suffer my wrath repeated over and over again. "I am happy with the graces my patron gives me. You would be wise not to push your beliefs down my throat if you don't want my knife in your ribs!"

"The way he's looking at you I'd say he'd rather push something else down your throat," Shanna quipped ribaldly, her eyes sparkling with intense fulfillment.

"How dare you say such a thing? Harlot!" Myra charged, "You have no business in the company of holy warriors. Perhaps you should head back to the boat and wallow in carnal deviancy with those wretched sailors! It's where you belong!"

Inner fire flared in Shanna's eyes. Immediately Shiloh knew what that meant. Bastian must've given her a command. Certainly it couldn't be to dispose of Myra. He wanted her for himself. She made a note to ask her about it.

Don't be nosy, Bastian commented a moment afterwards. It is solely between Shanna and I. You focus on bringing the cleric to me and Shanna will do what I wish of her.

As you wish, she replied mentally before she turned her attention back to the fuming cleric. "Just because we are different than you doesn't give you the right to malign us for the lives we've lived. I was an innocent virgin living in a castle surrounded by the finest of everything before my perfect little world was shattered by abject violence. I was raped by my rescuer, a man who saved me from death at the hands of the Dhorn. I think we've all gotten off on the wrong foot with each other so let's try to work together to bring this glorious quest to fruition."

Are you sure you aren't interested in being a cleric, my sweet? Bastian teased mirthfully. You almost had me convinced.

"Shiloh is right. We all need to work together. Come; let me show you the places we were able to investigate." Christano spoke up as he drew Myra away. She watched as Myra seemed to shrink while Christano furiously hissed in her ear. That she intended to remedy. She vowed to bring Myra over to Bastian. She knew that Bastian would empower the female cleric to stand on her own two feet and not relinquish control to a man ever again.

O.O

Shiloh and Shanna followed them across the cobweb and rubble choked room, bypassing a few small side chambers that still held the crumbling remains of wood and iron sarcophagi. Small urns rested upon raised dais, though some were tipped over leading her to believe their contents had been already looted. She followed him to an arched doorway and ducked through the mass of webs. A short twisting hallway led to stairs that descended into the darkness. She stopped and listened for a moment, her sensitive ears picking up a low hissing noise. She motioned for quiet as she crept down the hall, blending into the shadows. As she reached the stairs, she came up close and personal with the biggest spider she'd ever seen in her life. It towered over her by a full six inches, its many legs held taut as it waited to spring. A scream reflexively slipped from her lips as she focused on its row of multiple black beady eyes and the dripping mandibles below. It reared up before her, a high pitched whine coming from it as it aimed its jutting stinger at her. With a scream still on her lips, she tumbled backward, cartwheeling to safety as she grabbed both Darkstar and Heart of Winter from their sheaths.

"I hate spiders!" Shiloh wailed as it surged toward her. She slashed at its legs while Christano swung his morningstar over her head, connecting with its bloated body in a sickening swish. Ichor spewed forth, painting the wall with its foulness. She could hear Myra chanting in a language she couldn't comprehend and twirled sideways as a searing holy blast of flame came crashing down upon the arachnid. It shrieked and lashed out, instinctively shooting a sticky mess of webbing to trap them in. Shiloh tumbled, evading it nimbly, but Christano was not so lucky. It hit him square in the chest, cocooning him with its viscous threads. He bellowed in disgust and began to tear at the strands of stickiness, pulling them from his gleaming mail while Myra surged to the forefront with her mace in hand. She swung with everything she had, brutally making contact with the arachnid's gaping maw as it reared up to sink its fangs into her. Its mandibles cracked, falling to the ground, as it hissed and squealed in pain. Black ichor dripped from its wounds. It reared defensively one last time, aiming its stinger at the mace wielding cleric. It never got a chance to strike. Shiloh slipped beneath it and slammed both her blades deep into it the diseased looking flesh of its thorax. She felt Heart of Winter's icy enchantment fill the spider with blood freezing cold while Darkstar filled her with its fading energy. The arachnid collapsed, withering into a deflated ball of spindly legs and frozen body.

Christano finished ripping the webs from his armor and marched over to it. He smashed it to bits before smiling at Myra. "You did well, my dear." He patted her bottom affectionately.

"Rotten spiders! That thing was bigger than anything I've ever seen. I don't remember encountering anything like that the last time we were here," she commented as she wiped the nasty black blood of her mace.

"The evil of this place is fueling their size!" Christano surmised enthusiastically. "Never fear. I won't allow you to come to any harm."

Shiloh rolled her eyes. "Are you done grandstanding yet? Can we continue on?"

He flashed an angered look at her, "Clearly you're not taking this seriously! Evil breeds here and we must stop it!"

"That was such a scary thing! Its fangs were enormous! And just think had it defeated you, I would have been left alone with it and all I have is this little dagger." Shanna's face looked pale as she held up her small knife. "I really must learn to fight. Will you teach me, Sir Christano?"

"I would be pleased to be part of your training. Perhaps with my help, you will see the light and the error of your sister's way since she has obviously been coaxed to the dark side. I make it my sworn duty!" Christano charged enthusiastically.

"Oh, thank you!"

Once again Shiloh rolled her eyes and repeated, "Can we continue on, oh wise and powerful holy man?"

His eyes narrowed, "Lead the way."

Shiloh crept down the curving staircase into the darkness, fading into its depths as if she were a natural part of it. The room it opened up was circular with an odd pale red light shimmering in from its web choked depths. A huge focal edifice of cavorting naked women and robed priests found purchase on a wall suspended over a deep pit. Shiloh immediately tumbled over to it, spanning the distance in no time at all. She lit a torch and peered down into the inky depths. The light barely penetrated it. She picked up a loose stone and dropped it down. She found it disturbing that she never heard it hit the bottom.

"We tried that. I'd say it goes quite a ways," Christano spoke as he joined her, causing her to jump out of her skin. Shiloh whirled on him, her eyes flashing fire.

"Don't do that again unless you'd like to find out just how far that pit goes down personally," she snarled between clenched teeth.

"Sister, you should have sharper ears than that. I can't believe you didn't hear him approach in his clanking steel," Shanna sweetly smiled then her eyes grew wide. "Look out!"

From the depths of the pit rose another monstrously large spider with eight red glowing eyes, massive mandibles that dripped green slime and a body that was covered it sharp pointy spines. Shanna shrieked again and headed for the stairs. "Kill it!"

Shiloh tumbled away from it, avoiding several of its sword shaped legs that lashed out at her immediately. Christano bellowed, drawing a divine burst of light into his morningstar. He lashed out at the spider, connecting with its body. The thing hissed as the spines Christano hit ejected themselves and flew in a barrage at the brave paladin. He cried out as a couple impacted his armor, finding cracks to squeeze through in their quest for flesh. Myra leapt forth, chanting loudly as she brought forth a shimmering beam of holy light. It engulfed the arachnid, causing it to shriek in pain. She summoned forth a second beam, bringing it down on the shuffling beast. Though she figured this was beyond her ability to be any help, Shiloh sprang from shadow to shadow, looking for the right moment to drive her blades home. She tumbled on the floor, landing beneath the writhing creature and stabbed the chitinous underbelly near where she figured the stinger might spring from if the oversized insect got a chance to use it.

A keening shriek whistled from between its mandibles. It reared up, using it razor sharp legs to bat the paladin and his lady away, while it slashed its fangs and shot spines down in Shiloh's direction. She cried out in pain as the spikes pierced her armor, slicing through the mithral links. But she refused to give up. She feinted away, seeking the shadows, before slashing at it once more.

The three combatants continued the exhaustive fight with the arachnid. Christano gripped his shield before him, blocking spikes and slashing legs alike as he swung his holy weapon. His aim was true, bringing it down onto the thing's spiny flesh. Shiloh could hear the sickening crunch every time he hit. Shanna's frightened shrieks joined Myra's heroic chants as she brought forth all the divine might she could muster to help the man she loved find victory.

Tense moments passed before the dying arachnid lost grip of its perch and fell back into the abyss of the pit. Christano staggered away, pulling off the breastplate of his mail and the skirt beneath it to expose his bare chest. "Heal me with the grace of the Sun Lord, my dear."

Holy light erupted from her hands as she called to the heavens, bringing down her faith to engulf Christano. The spines seemed to wither and fall off, no longer burrowing into his skin. He gingerly touched his chest were they had been, wincing in pain as his fingers grazed the sensitive flesh. Leaning forward, he planted a soft kiss on Myra's lips. "That'll do nicely, dear."

He stretched before re-armoring himself. "Is anyone else injured? Shiloh? Did you get hit?"

Shiloh crouched near the wall, practically doubled over as she clutched her stomach. She gurgled pitifully before blood erupted from her mouth, splattering against the floor beneath her.

"Myra! Heal her now! Without her all is lost!" Christano demanded forcefully.

Racing to her side, the cleric touched Shiloh's fevered skin. "She's trying to fight it off," she murmured before calling to fruition her most powerful spell of divine healing. Shiloh's body shook as the magic engulfed her. Ragged spines pushed themselves out of her flesh, as if fleeing the divinity that subsumed her entirely. Shiloh screamed in pain, collapsing to the floor.

"Get her out of her armor. We'll have to do more healing on her," Christano bellowed as he knelt down to lend a hand to his lady. Quickly they stripped her of the blackened mithral she wore as well as her black linen tunic and trousers. Myra chanted another spell, holding it in her hand before pressing it to the exit wounds the spiky parasites had made. A moan slipped from Shiloh's lips. Two more similar castings brought her back to consciousness. She shivered and reached out to Myra.

"Thank you," she whispered into the cleric's ear as she hugged her tightly. "I owe you my life."

Myra struggled out of Shiloh's embrace, a deep blush covering her cheeks. "You're welcome. Without your help all would be lost. You owe me nothing."

"Would you help me dress while Christano keeps watch? I'm feeling a bit weak. Please, Myra," Shiloh flashed big pleading eyes at her. The color in her cheeks flamed once more, but she helped her nonetheless. As soon as Shiloh could stand on her feet, Myra handed the black tunic and curve hugging trousers to the younger woman, assisting her as she pulled them on. Though Myra did her best not to brush her fingers against Shiloh's supple flesh. Shiloh smiled sweetly at Myra, softly brushing her hand as she reached her the suit of armor Myra clutched in her hand.

A hissing breath escaped the cleric's lips as she nearly dropped it to the floor. "Don't," Myra whispered, handing her the suit. Shiloh wriggled into its body conforming pieces, doing her best to make sure Myra's hand brushed over her curves as she assisted her. As soon as the task was finished, Myra huffed away, joining Christano as he tore down the cobwebs that choked the back half of what once was a ceremonial chamber.

"There are large cocoons back here. We can't allow any spiders to spawn from them. I think torching them should suffice." He pulled the means to light them, watching with an gleeful expression on his face as the flames tore through the silken sacs.

"Hey, I've found a key," Shanna spoke up as she crowded between Myra and Christano, pushing the cleric out of the way as she handed the large brass object to the paladin. Myra glowered at the rude girl, but bit her tongue in deference.

"Good work," he beamed. "Let's head back upstairs! I'll show you where we found the hidden door."

To be continued....

O.O