Champions Vol. 02

Laurena was in heaven. It had been a few days since she had last lain with David, and over the past month she had come to realize the truth of her earlier fears. He was a sexual partner without compare. There were certainly others she had known with greater skill, and the length and girth of his 'sword' could be painful to the unprepared. However, he possessed some element, some quality, which she had never experienced before. She and Sapphire had discussed it at length (pun intended) and concluded it was linked to the changes his body was undergoing. Becoming a demigod had not just made him bigger and stronger; it had also made him a titan of the bedroom. Her contemplation was interrupted by Sapphire, who leaned forward to stroke her breasts and pull her into a kiss. As their tongues dueled Laurena slowly rocked herself up and down David's shaft. She was in no hurry to climax, and wished to luxuriate in the closeness of this moment. Unfortunately Sapphire seemed to have other plans, and was stimulating her with an increasingly fevered pace.

Unknown to Laurena, Sapphire was nearly at her peak, and wanted her friend to join her. David's relentless tongue had begun lathing between her folds, the nimble terror alternating between burrowing into her center and flicking her clit with each lick. As she struggled to delay her impending orgasm, she reached down with one hand and found where David and Laurena were joined. Coating her fingertips in the copious juices, she moved them slightly higher, and began flicking Laurena's pleasure nub.

The slow boil that Laurena was trying to achieve shattered in an instant, and she began riding David like a prized thoroughbred. In moments she flooded his member with her essence and screamed her climax in concert with Sapphire's, their aria of rapture a duet for David's enjoyment.

Panting, the pair leaned forward to embrace one another, providing mutual support as they rode the aftershocks of ecstasy. Lying beneath them, David chuckled in delight. It did not go unnoticed. Neither woman could hear him, as his mouth was still muffled by Sapphire's pussy, but the vibrations of it tickled her core and shot jolts of further pleasure through her still quivering sex.

"I think our foe may be impervious to our efforts," Sapphire stated with false vexation once she had caught her breath.

"The night is young," Laurena responded with supreme confidence, her eyes twinkling in amusement. "And I have a few secrets left to bring him to heel."

With that she rose off his length while taking a firm hold of it. She then moved forward a few inches, and guided his member -- now thoroughly coated with her juices -- to an opening that David had yet to plunder. Lowering herself slowly, she gasped at the burning discomfort as his massive head attempted to press past her puckered star.

As the tip of his cock popped into Laurena's ass, David moaned into Sapphire's vagina. The pressure of Laurena's back passage was so good it almost hurt. His lover squealed in surprise, and hopped up, freeing his mouth.

"My god woman," David groaned at Laurena, "you really don't fight fairly."

Smirking, Laurena slowly inched herself downward. His penis was stretching her ass more than it ever had been, but the satisfaction of having surprised him allowed her to focus as she slowly packed herself with his meat.

With a pace so slow that David suspected it would lose a race with glacial drift, Laurena fully impaled herself on his length. Both of them sighed in relief when she was finished, her cheeks resting firmly on his pelvis. Sapphire could only gape in astonishment. She knew that Laurena was no novice to anal sex, and often enjoyed it, but she never imagined that the Champion would try to stuff David's massive length into her ass. He barely fit into her vagina! However, as Laurena took a few tentative bounces, the look of accomplishment on her face slowly morphed into rapture, and Sapphire had to admit that the sight was one of the most erotic she had ever seen. Considering all the carnal acts that she had witnessed and participated in recently, that was really saying something.

Laurena began to quicken her pace now that her ass had fully adjusted to David's intruder. For his part, David was quickly approaching release. As part of his change he had developed significant control over his own orgasms, but the erotically charged sight of Laurena's bouncing breasts combined with the fiercely gripping paradise of her rectal muscles was overloading that control. With a roar of ecstasy David came mightily in the Champion's bowel.

Laurena had been steadily climbing toward her own orgasm, basking in the luxurious feeling of David's rod plundering her darkest depths for the first time. But the moment his seed exploded inside her she peaked instantly, her scream of release joining his.

Leaning down Laurena lay on David's chest to catch her breath from the intense climax. David had spent enough seed in her recently that she no longer lost consciousness at his release, but it was still an overwhelming experience. As she rested he began to stroke her hair and back.

"It appears you are determined to conquer me, Champion," David said, only somewhat jokingly.

"Before this night is over you shall bow before our greatness," Laurena murmured into his chest. She had wanted the statement to sound more impressive, but she was so comfortable in his arms she was beginning to lose interest in their game.

"Of that I have no doubt, Laurena," David whispered softly, kissing the top of her head.

* * *

Hours later -- after Sapphire and Laurena had congratulated one another over David's happily admitted defeat -- the trio lay in bed together. David was in the middle, with Sapphire on one side and Laurena on the other. Both women were completely relaxed, something he was thankful for after the extremely stressful day. He had confidence that Sapphire was accepting of the unfortunate death they had wrought that day, but he was worried about Laurena. She had not reacted well after their first battle, and he was concerned that she would have similar issues with this one.

Reading his feelings through their bond -- which were even easier for her to do with his seed still inside of her body -- Sapphire decided to broach the subject with her friend.

"Laurena, David is worried about you, but does not wish to disturb you at the moment. I admit that I am worried as well, so I shall ask the question that he does not want to. How are you dealing with the lives we took today?" Sapphire asked softly.

Stiffening slightly at the question, a host of emotions flitted across her face. Shame, sadness, guilt, and hopelessness all spared a moment to darken her face. But quickly she settled, relaxing back onto the comfort of David's chest and gave Sapphire a wan smile.

"I am saddened by the death we dealt, but I would be far more so if that death had touched one of us, or the friends we have made here," Laurena explained. "Once the fighting was done, I struggled with the guilt of having killed again, even if it was in defense of our own. However, as I was healing those wounded by our actions I realized an important difference between what we did, and what Eros commands us never to do. We did not seek out to intentionally extinguish life; we merely used force to protect it. As soon as that force was no longer necessary we set it aside, and acted to preserve as much life as we could.

"As a Champion of Eros it is now my duty to protect the faithful, and sometimes that means I will have to use violence to do so. I am certain that every Champion before me has had to make similar choices, and none of them ever had to face the challenge of a rival god. I am in for a difficult life, and I now thank Eros each day that he convinced both of you to stay with me. I do not know that I will ever be completely comfortable with harming others, and I truly hope that I will not. But I must be prepared to face that discomfort when it is needed to defend those imperiled by the actions of others," she continued.

"But for now, whenever it becomes more than I can handle, I know that I have you, Sapphire, to help me carry the burden," Laurena finished, and leaned over to kiss Sapphire gently. Next she moved up to David, her lips inches from his own and her eyes gazing appreciatively into his. "And you as well, David," she added, kissing him. The kiss he received was a little more passionate that the gentle peck Laurena had shared with Sapphire. Once their lips separated Laurena returned to resting at David's side, once again tucked under his comforting arm.

"We will be at your side, whenever you need us," Sapphire replied, gazing at her friend with love.

"For as long as you need us," David added.

Comforted, Laurena drifted off to sleep, and that night her mind was not visited by the nightmares of violence. Her dreams were protected by the love of a woman who was closer than a sister, and the burgeoning love of the man they shared.

*** Chapter 24: Preparing for the Future ***

270700MAY13 DW

7^th of Pyanepsion, 2351 EC

The Great Sea, en-route to The Isle of Eirini

The following day Sapphire began her interrogation of the prisoners with the help of Phaidros, the Sophia's Navigator. While no one aboard knew the Amanduran language (besides David) Phaidros knew a language spoken by islanders who lived west of Erosius. Two of the prisoners admitted to knowing the language, mostly because David had instructed them to not be fed until they requested meals in a language that one of the crew spoke.

Sapphire and Phaidros learned little from their interrogation, but David learned a great deal.

One of the men who did not speak a common language had given terse instructions to their two communicators. [The following is in Amanduran] "Say nothing about the location of our forces. You can tell them about the size of our navy, in fact exaggerate its scope and power, but do not tell them where our ships are. Do not tell them we are a scout ship, and do not discuss our destination or the size of our army," commanded them. "Other than that do what you must to ensure our survival. We cannot expect a rescue soon, as we are so far from the fleet, but they are certain to take us back with them to Erosius. When the armada arrives there we shall surely be saved."

Sadly nothing more was said about the sailing schedule or size of this Amanduran force, but David had at least learned that no other ships allied to these men were in the region. At the conclusion of what Sapphire and Phaidros felt was a fruitless questioning session; David let them and Captain Epaphras in on what he had learned.

"Then there is little risk of conflict should we repair and keep the Eye of Amenemhet?" the captain asked.

"It looks that way," David replied. "I suggest we begin repairs immediately."

Chuckling in amusement, Epaphras responded, "Lysandros has already begun."

Laughing, David gathered Sapphire and Laurena and joined the repair crew.

For the rest of the day the trio, and every hand that could be spared from running the Sophia, worked to restore the Amanduran vessel. As the sun began to set that evening, the group surveyed their accomplishments.

Lysandros had renamed the ship Laurena's Chariot. The announcement had caused the Champion to blush, and David to laugh in amusement. Sapphire thought it was a lovely name, and punched her love in the upper arm in response to his insensitivity. He quickly apologized and agreed that it was an excellent name.

The sails, masts, and rigging had been repaired, and the refit of the oversized crew quarters into cells was half finished. The work would be completed and the prisoners moved the following day. Lysandros was now the captain of the Chariot with Korrina joining him as his First Mate. His wife Phile would come aboard as the ship's doctor, while Laurena would remain on the Sophia. Captain Epaphras wanted the prisoners as far from Eros' Champion as possible for the remainder of the journey. The rest of the crew split evenly between the ships, with Phaidros and Leontios transferring aboard with the prisoners once the cells were completed. David and Sapphire returned to the Sophia for one more night in their luxurious bed. They would relocate to Laurena's Chariot the following day in order to continue their interrogations and help guard the prisoners.

That night Laurena once again joined them in bed, and the trio had another pleasant evening together.

* * *

"My King, I think I have solved the task of control," Court Wizard Iahmesu announced.

King Amenemhet IV looked up from his rough maps of Erosius and called the meeting with his two generals to a halt. If the wizard was to be believed, this might just be the solution to some of his problems.

"You have my attention," Amenemhet replied.

"I have prepared a demonstration for you with the last remaining subject you gathered if you have the time for it," Iahmesu solicited.

"Proceed."

Iahmesu nodded to the guard that had accompanied him, and the man opened the cabin door beckoning in someone from outside. Another guard entered, escorting a woman wearing an iron collar. She was apparently the last of the ten 'volunteers' that the king had taken from an island along their path for this experiment. Iahmesu handed a collar identical to the one she wore for the king to inspect.

"After a long process of trial and error I believe I have found the proper combination of spells to ensure compliance. I have enchanted these two collars with simple spells, which allows the wearer to understand the commands of the person that places it on them, and causes the wearer crippling pain whenever they refuse to follow them; or if someone other than that person tries to remove the collar," Iahmesu explained. "The challenge was not one of finding the correct spells to force compliance; it was keeping the enchantments simple enough that they could be produced in large quantity.

"This version seems to be the most effective at producing results, while also requiring the least amount of magical investment to enchant," the wizard explained.

Turning to the slave he commanded, "Strip."

The woman balked, and immediately screamed in pain, clutching at the collar as she fell to her knees.

"The pain will end as soon as you stop resisting," Iahmesu told her calmly.

Tears streaming from her eyes, the woman began to strip out of her clothing. The moment she made the first movement to do so, her pained expression began to relax. Soon she was naked before the room full of men, her head bowed in shame.

"Play with yourself," Iahmesu commanded in amusement.

Again the woman hesitated, but with an agonized whimper she quickly moved to do as instructed. As her hands stroked her own breasts the two generals murmured in appreciation of the move. The woman was not a beauty, but her body was decently curved, and they had only had a few stolen moments with local women since the start of the voyage.

"What happens if someone other than the person that collars her gives commands?" the king inquired, uninterested in the display.

"The collar cannot differentiate between friend or foe. The magic to do so was far too costly for mass production my king," Iahmesu explained. "The current version only enforces the will of the one who puts the collar on. This is as much a safety mechanism to prevent tampering as it is an effort to simplify the enchantment process."

"Will this work on someone who has strong magic?" General Menes inquired with interest.

"Yes," Iahmesu replied. "It will work on anyone. But someone with strong magic could remove the collar themselves if they could somehow withstand the pain. To make a collar able to completely control another person would take years to enchant. This one can be completed by a moderately powerful magic user in three days. However, considering how agonizing the pain is, I truly doubt that anyone could concentrate long enough to do so, no matter how strong their magic," Iahmesu added with a chuckle. "Further, you can always just command them not to do magic, or not to speak at all if there is significant concern."

"At the next port we will gather additional 'volunteers' for further testing," the king announced. "I want you to make more of these collars, and test them thoroughly. Find out every weakness in their construction and enchantment and ensure that there are no surprises before the first Erosian is collared."

Iahmesu bowed his head respectfully, and turned to leave.

"Wizard," General Seti interrupted, "what will you do with her?"

"I have little use for her at the moment," Iahmesu replied, looking at the weeping woman with disdain. "She obviously does not have a strong enough will to be of use in testing the limits of the collars' enchantments."

The woman whimpered in fear and shame at this proclamation, but continued to stroke her naked body in front of them as Iahmesu had commanded.

"My king, perhaps the Court Wizard can leave her with us," Seti 'suggested' lecherously. "We can spend time independently testing his construct."

Considering the request, the king looked to Iahmesu questioningly. The old man shrugged in reply. "I see no reason not to," he said.

"Document your results," the king told the general, "and share them with Iahmesu when you are finished."

Motioning for Seti to join him before the devastated woman, Iahmesu called forward the two guards to hold her immobile as he instructed the general in the process of removing and applying the collar.

Once the wizard was satisfied that the general understood his instructions, he removed the collar and handed it to him. With a sadistic gleam in his eye, Seti fitted the collar back on the crying, struggling woman. The moment it was on he commanded her to stop resisting, and she wailed in pain before going still.

Chuckling, General Seti commented that he would enjoy 'experimenting' with this collar. The woman sobbed and Iahmesu said nothing. The wizard was already thinking of his next set of tests.

* * *

High Priest Gennadios and High Inquisitor Nikanor strolled calmly through the training fields of the Eastern Erosian Mora. All around them the sounds of training could be heard. The clash of metal training blades, the crack of wooden 'melee' swords and spear shafts against shields and armor, the thump of padded spear-tip strikes, and the chanting of healers and spell-casters practicing their crafts all echoed through the field.

"What is the status of training Polemarch?" the Gennadios asked Nikanor.

"It proceeds at pace High Priest," the polemarch replied. "First, Second, and Third Lochos are progressing well through their training. First and Second Militia Lochos are keeping pace as well. Another month and the militia will be ready to return to their homes while the Eastern Mora can march for Wolfsvale."

Gennadios smiled in appreciation. The training manual of land warfare tactics they had found had been an Eros-send. The organization, tactics, and personal commentary within had allowed them to begin training basic combat skills immediately. The manual had apparently been written before magic though, so incorporation of magical training as well as its use on the battlefield had required long planning sessions on the part of the Inquisitor trainers.

Both the High Priest and the High Inquisitor/Polemarch had kept a close eye on that portion of the training, but while combat was a mostly foreign concept for Erosians every faithful had some magical training. The biggest task with the healer units had been teaching conventional healing techniques, while the challenge with the caster units had been finding a space to train so many of them safely. Most of the spells taught to the casters were intended for large and medium-sized engagements, thus they had the potential to be highly destructive.