A Town Called Eclipse

"Where are you going?" I asked Tara and she stopped and looked at me.

"Simple mathematics my dear Duskwalker. I am far too petite to endure that slab of man meat you call a penis. You would break me and leave me in pieces on my laboratory floor. I wish to the gods I was of more typical proportions. I have problems sleeping with the sheriff. He is quite well hung for an elf."

I returned my full attention to Lilac as poor Tara watched from a distance. I slowly picked up speed when I sensed how close the human was. She let out a blood curdling cry as she climaxed, and I stopped, letting her recover. I was still halfway hilted inside of her when I asked her about the family that once owned her.

"You are asking that now?"

"Yeah, I know something of that clan that is quite unique. They used a kind of conditioning on all their property. The tattoo was the final bonding element. Why are you really here Lilac?"

"I was supposed to seduce you and then slit your throat while you slept. But I don't need to do that now. The mayor will finish you off tomorrow and save me the trouble. When the war ended I stayed with my family. It took them time to discover who killed Loren. They told me what to do and I set out hunting you down. It is nothing personal."

"Poor broken thing," I said as I began thrusting again. "I am going to finish what I started and then let Tara decided your fate."

I pounded the human until her eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted from her sixth orgasm. Only then did I allow myself the pleasure of climaxing inside of her. Tara had watched the long drawn out affair and whistled. She told me that she had made the correct decision. Once I had cleaned up the gnome took out the book she wanted me to translate. As I sat next to her as she continued with her latest experiment with electricity I skimmed the contents of the book. It was handwritten, and I recognized the stylized penmanship instantly.

"It is a diary of sorts. The author was a scientist like you. They recorded their experiments both successes and failures. It is a miracle that it survived this long. The pages must have been discovered and bound afterwards."

"Why do you say that?" She asked looking over my shoulder.

"Duskwalker books don't look anything like this." I said smiling.

"Alright Mr. Mysterious, what do your people's books look like?"

I reached out and plucked a fountain pen from where it lay on the table. I dipped it in ink and did a sketch of a book. I finished and handed her the scrap of paper I had scrawled on. She stared at the image and her mouth fell open. When I asked her what was wrong, she told me she had seen just such a thing at the estate sale. She hadn't had the coin to purchase it and now she was cursing her bad luck.

"If I survive tomorrow I will seek out this book. I hate to think of it in someone else's hands. Has Russell contacted you yet?"

"He told me that the thrice cursed goblins have plans on sabotaging my baby. What am I supposed to do?" Tara growled as she closed the metal housing on her latest device.

"Leave it to Russell. He has my every confidence."

"Speaking of confidence, I have something for you. I hope you'll wear this tomorrow. It needs to be field tested."

"I gave my word..."

"You said you wouldn't wear your duster. This isn't your duster, it is my latest design. It is patterned after the honeycomb of bees. The hexagonal pattern... oh hell, just wear it damn you!"

"I didn't know you cared Tara." I said touching her cheek gently.

"Before you ask," the gnome said fidgeting and blushing furiously. "It is a secret. Just wear it."

She walked away never looking back. I turned my attention back to Lilac and wondered if I should release her or leave her freedom to Tara. I decided to leave it to the gnome. I washed up and dressed. I returned to my hotel room, but sleep eluded me. I placed a chair near the outer wall and looked out over main street. When I had faced Grimjack I knew I held an edge. While I had Tara's ebony vest it was untested. My duel with the mayor was an unknown. I felt that blend of fear and excitement. I had lived so long, and I hadn't felt this thrill very often since the war. There was little foot traffic below, so I collected my thoughts and went over my existing will. The few family members that were still alive were well taken care of as well as dear friends like Russell and others.

It was around midnight when the knock came to my door. It was soft and unsure as if whoever was outside had second thoughts about visiting me. I told them to come in and the door opened. I was as surprised to see Lady Crimson as she seemed to be standing in my room. I gestured towards the bed since it was the only other place to sit. I remained where I was and that seemed to suit her just fine. I waited for her to speak since I hadn't anticipated this little event. She started and stopped three times before she blurted out why she was here.

"I wanted to thank you. No one stands up to the mayor, he is just too damn powerful. When you issued your challenge, you could have knocked me over with a feather. He has been draining the life out of this town for so long." She stopped, and I saw genuine tears rolling down her cheeks. "The things he does to my girls." Again, her voice faltered, and I fought the urge to get up and wipe the tears away. "Why? I came here to find out why you are doing this?"

"It is the same reason I fought for the North in the war. I felt it was the right thing to do."

"Really," she said a look of confusion on her lovely elven features. "I expected you to tell me who hired you. So, you are doing this out of the goodness of your heart." She wiped away the tears and her act was over as quickly as it began. "I was sure that stuck up gnome bitch had leased your services to save her property."

"For a second there I thought you had a heart." I replied watching her flinch. "I was wrong, leave."

Crimson was a stunning redheaded example of her race. The elves, like the younger human race, had adapted in both coloring but height and musculature to their environment. My own people possessed a static evolution but there was a reason for that. I caught a flash of anger in her emerald eyes and smiled. She rushed to her feet and glared as she crossed the distance between us. The slap was loud but had little impact on me. Instead of touching my cheek or rebuking her my hand flew upwards and snatched her by her crimson locks. I pulled her downward and the whore had no option but to kneel. I tightened my grip and yanked her head backward. She rewarded me with a cry of pain. Her curses fell on deaf ears as I traced her jaw line with my other hand. I had bedded dozens of elven females and I had to admit her raw beauty was astounding. I tried to determine her bloodline by the angle of her cheekbones and other subtler hints.

"Moondancer..." I muttered and again the look of shock on her face all the answer I needed. "Your pale complexion and eyes the color of royal emeralds there could be little doubt now. Does your clan know you are a mere whore?"

I caught her clawed hand as she attempted to rake my face. She surprised when she surrendered after only a few seconds. I pulled her close until her lips were mere inches away from mine. I grinned as I gave her a shove and she toppled onto her back. The whore shifted to a sitting position as she rubbed her wrist. She looked confused and I remained silent adding to it. I owed her nothing. She sat on the floor and I could see her mind trying to puzzle out what I was up to. She was confused at my behavior.

"Why don't you..." she growled before falling silent.

"Rape you," I said finishing her thought. "Do you want me to rape you?"

"NO... I don't understand you." She fired back her eyes narrowing. "Am I not... it can't be that."

"What exactly did you expect me to do? Get upset, so upset that I strip you down and pound you until dawn? That's like five hours away, is that what you wanted?"

"Huh," she said raising an eyebrow. "Can you... I mean do you have that kind of stamina?"

I just nodded and the redheaded whore chewed her lower lip savagely. It could have just been another act, or it could be genuine hunger for something she couldn't get elsewhere. I would let her initiate things. She got to her feet and began undressing. As she unbuttoned her blouse she told me why she had forsaken her clan name and her family.

"I was the third daughter. I would never inherit so I had a measure of freedom my older siblings did not possess. I traveled extensively, and my first century was glorious but relatively uneventful. I was heading home aboard a Greek trader when pirates captured the ship and I was sold into slavery. I became the bound concubine to a human emperor. I was trained in the erotic arts and settled into the lifestyle of a pet. There were no bars or chains but archers and swordsmen aplenty. There is no act I haven't performed and mastered. Shall I show you?"

"You have kindled my curiosity." I admitted. "Get over here."

She was naked by this time and straddled my lap. I kissed her and felt her arms slip over my shoulders and settle there. I let my hands roam over her body starting at her upper back and finally settling on her ass. The whore squirmed in my lap and I felt her hands fumbling to free my erection. She had me out in no time at all. I moaned into her mouth when she pressed her sex against mine and began teasing me. I felt the petals of her sex open against the length of me as she rocked her hips slowly. The lady was a talented whore and no doubt trained her girls with the tips and tricks she had been forced to do. She was moving easier now as her sex got slicker as things went along. I wondered how long she could last before she slid me inside of her. As it happened I didn't have that long to wait. She lifted her hips and aimed me proper like and sank down slowly.

"Oh, that's does it," she moaned breaking our kiss. "I needed this so much."

"Show me what you got." I growled as she began to move. "You are a talented whore."

"Why do you do that?" She gasped as she took me deep. "Why do you have to call me a whore?"

"It is what you are," I said as I let her ride me. "I am a writer and a killer. You are a gifted concubine. Do you prefer that word?"

"Yes. It doesn't sound so cheap. By the gods you are hung like a troll!"

I kissed her to shut her up. She unbuttoned my shirt and pressed her bare breasts against my chest. Her hips began to move with quick hard thrusts now. I grunted each time my cock hit deep. The madam built up her movements and she was the first one to climax. I held her sweaty body in my arms as she recovered. She had almost slipped out of my grasp when her body bucked above me. I asked her about the mayor and she shared bits and pieces but nothing that would help me with my upcoming duel. What she did say wasn't a bit surprising.

"He is heartless." She whispered in my ear. "He would sell his mother into slavery if he thought he could earn a dollar. He hates humans, so I never send them to him. I made the mistake once and she returned beaten and bloody. I didn't make that mistake again. He nigh on killed her."

"Have you seen his tattoos?"

"Many times," she shuddered in my grasp. "I've seen them on other males but not quite like his. He's been in prison."

"He survived Darkmoor Prison. Those that go there call it the grave. No one has ever escaped Darkmoor so he must have been paroled. Maybe that is how he came up with the money to recreate himself."

"I've never heard of it." She said as she spun around on my cock without letting me slip out of her snug sex. "How do you know so much?"

"I ran the prison for a time." I growled as she began squeezing her internal muscles as she lifted her hips. "You are going to milk me if you keep that up."

"That's the idea, killer... you are getting even bigger... my stars but I am getting close again."

I placed my hands on her hips and began pulling her down harder. I was panting now as I felt my orgasm crash into me. She squealed when my seed hit her insides. We came at the same time and she took credit for that. The whore cleaned up a bit and used the toilet down the hall. She returned ready for another go. It went on like that until dawn. I hadn't lied about my nearly preternatural stamina and sexual hunger. My people were voracious when it came to pleasures of the flesh. I had the whore in my grasp and pinned against the wall when someone knocked on my door. The madam begged for a break, but I told whoever it was to come on in. The door opened, and I heard a gasp of surprise. I looked over and saw the mayor's secretary standing there. While she played at being shocked her eyes took in everything and her cheeks were flushed with color.

"What is it?" I asked as I continued thrusting into the whore.

"He's gone... the mayor I mean... he's fled the town with all his ill-gotten goods. I thought you should know. I am sorry for interrupting."

"Thank you," I said as the whore climaxed for the last time. "Damn, I think she fainted." I said as I pulled out of Crimson and placed her unconscious form on my bed. "When did he leave?"

"OH..." the secretary said her gaze glued to my erection. "An hour ago, he left an hour ago."

"Did he pay you?" I asked as I closed the distance between us. "What are you going to do now?"

"Me, I'll be okay. I have money set aside. I lived in his home, so I didn't pay rent per se. When the girls weren't enough he used me to get off. I was his all-purpose tool. If he needed a letter written I did it." She said as her hand reached out for me. "If he needed something delivered I did it." She whimpered as she began stroking me softly. "If he needed my mouth, or hands, or sex..."

"You were there," I said and pulled her into my arms.

Russell woke me at ten o'clock. I was settled between the whore on my right and the secretary on my left. He crossed his arms and pouted. I just smiled, and he told me what I already knew. The mayor had fled the town leaving nothing but his empty home and a short note. The sheriff had sent Russell to me after telling him what the note had said.

"In a nutshell he told the town and especially you to fuck off and die. He left behind two assassins, snipers to be precise. They were perched nearby so I removed them for you. I sent one of the deputies to watch over your precious gnome while I made the rounds. You are a hero even though you didn't get the land titles back." He stopped and looked at the females and shook his head. "You are the only male I know that goes to bed looking at death and wind up with two gorgeous females in your bed before dawn. How the hell do you do that?"

"I have an enormous cock." I said, and he nodded.

"That you do," he said laughing. "Wash up and I'll tell them to fix you up a heroic meal to break your fast."

Russell left, and I woke the whore getting out of bed. I took a bath with the redheaded whore and she was kind enough to wash my back for me. The secretary took my spot in the tub when I got out and rinsed off. We joined Russell in the dining room of the hotel and ate well. While my companion returned to his watch of the gnome I went to see the sheriff. He told me all that he had found and more over what he hadn't found at the mayor's home. He spent most of the night with his men removing every valuable. They had disappeared without a trace. No one heard a horse or the sound of a carriage. It was a mystery as to how he had performed this little trick. I walked the paths and streets that led from the mayor's house but found no sign of men weighted down with loot. How the hell had he done it?

I walked through his house and the only thing left was the furniture. He had even cleaned out the larder. It was by far the second nicest home in the town. Tara's house was far cozier and had the feel of home and hearth about it. My impression of the mayor's place was more like a museum than a living space. He had so many cold fixtures about the place that it felt sterile. I returned to the sheriff's office and he looked in better spirits than he had in days. When I asked him why he replied that he was finally free of that damned orc. I had just sat down when Magnus D strode into the jail. He had a ruby whistle on his lips and smiling brilliantly.

"I heard that cocksucker fled the town." Magnus roared as he laughed. "Good riddance to bad rubbish, we need a new mayor here in Eclipse."

"Why the hell are you looking at me like that Magnus?"

"He is offering you the job." The sheriff said holding the keys to the mayor's house up. "What do you say?"

"I have a house back east. Let me think it over..." I said, and the dwarf clapped me on the shoulder.

"You do that. Tomorrow is the big day, I expect you to dine at my table on the morrow. I want you to meet my family."

"I would never deny myself the pleasure of dwarven hospitality. It is second to none."

"Well-spoken Duskwalker," Magnus laughed and waved as he left. "On the morrow... both of you."

"Damn, I need to go buy a fresh set of duds." The sheriff cursed. "I can't show up in these."

I left the jail with the sheriff, but he went to the tailor and I checked up on Tara. I was on the footpath between her house and the laboratory when I heard the scream. I broke out into a full run and tore the door open and found the gnome doing a little dance of joy. There were splotches of grease all over her as well as signs of singed clothing. She looked up at me and she placed her hands on her hips. I walked over and asked her why she had cried out. Tara simply pointed at the open grate behind her. I knelt and peered into the pitch-black space. I smelled oil, steam, and burning wood. She handed me an electric torch and I aimed the beam until it settled onto the armored backside of the digging machine. I was staring at the front of the beast with its metallic spiral horn aimed at me. I dropped down into the pit and got a better look. The machine was identical back and front. It boasted two steam powered drills so that it could go forward or back ways without hindrance. The middle of the machine was its heart. The furnace and boiler were located there along with the driver's compartment and fuel storage. The machine was idled so I climbed up and peered into the lever dominated pilot's box. The configuration of knobs, levers, and wheels of many sizes.

"It's very complicated." I muttered.

"It has to be." Tara said from behind me. "It has to be able to adjust its path in three dimensions. Notice the gauges just there... it took forever to develop them."

"Jules Verne would be proud." I said, and she looked at me puzzled. "He is a human author."

"Ah, I don't read anything other than works published by other scientists. I don't have time for silliness."

"You are expected to make an appearance at tomorrow. You wouldn't want to miss the full solar eclipse."

"I had forgotten. I planned on the second stage of another experiment. I guess it can wait. Will there be dancing? I love dancing."

"I am sure there will be." I said. "Don't forget, Russell will be keeping an eye on things."

I walked past the digging machine and out to the surface at the end of the tunnel it had created. The tunnel appeared stable and would easily replace quite a few miners. I understood the anger from the goblins. Their livelihood was in danger. She had only built one machine but then again, the railroad began with only one engine. If it worked well enough they would be out of a profession. Progress was inevitable. We returned to the laboratory and had some tea. I told Tara that Magnus had offered me the position of mayor. Her face lit up when she thought I might accept it. She had taken a shine to me that much was obvious. I had lived in New York for quite a while. Maybe I was due for a change of scenery.