Crusade Gone Awry Ch. 07

!IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

Hellhounds are mythical creatures common in European folklore. They are dog or wolf-like monsters that are denizens of the underworld or hell. Depending on the myth, they either come to collect human souls or guard the gates of the underworld. The most famous example is the Cerberus from Greek Mythology. Other examples include the Barghest, Dip, Cŵn Annwn, and Gwyllgi. There are also legends of them serving the devil or a demon, which is what inspired this chapter's version of a hellhound.

The hellhound in this chapter is not a dog, wolf, or other wild animal. It is a monster that is the offspring of a demon and a human. It possesses monstrous size, strength, and speed. It also has human intelligence, the ability to grab things with its paws like a hand, and is able to both understand and communicate with humans. It is NOT a real animal.

WARNING! This chapter contains: furry, nonhuman sex/monster sex, animal genitals, knotting, creampie, cum bath, oral sex/blowjob, redhead, violence, gore, big cock, excessive cum, doggy style, impregnation and LOTS of licking. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

*****

Eliza had made a miserable mistake by wedging herself in the tight, tiny cave to hide from the pigmen. It didn't work, and now they kept a little siege, waiting for her to pass out from exhaustion. Every morning one of them would poke around the entrance. She would respond by stabbing at them with her sword. They would then leave her alone for the rest of the day, the hot, hot miserable day. The sun would heat up the rock around her until it became a literal oven. She would bathe in her sweat, and with water she was rapidly deteriorating.

After more days than Eliza ever thought she could last, she could take it no more. She had to take her chance. Night had fallen once again, and she could hear snoring. Perhaps it was her water-deprived mind, but she thought there three different voices making noises. It was a terrible risk. However, her throat was like sandpaper, the skin on her lips was cracking, and her head was pounding in utter agony. There was no way she could last another day. After removing as much of her armor as she could get out of, she began wiggling her way forward. With her heart pounding in her ears, she gingerly stuck her head out of the tiny crevasse.

Eliza gulped, her dry throat stinging terribly. There were two pigmen off to the side around a dead fire, snoring away. The third was much closer to the entrance. He was sitting with his back to a rock, a sword in his hand. He had fallen asleep as well. Doing her best to control her breathing, she began emerging through the tiny entrance. Her limbs were quivering, both from lack of water and being still for so long. She managed to get the top of her body free, but that was the easy part. She hadn't been able to reach her lower body in her prison, so her leg armor was still on. If her metal-plated legs or feet hit rock, the noise would surely wake the pig monsters. Eliza gulped dry again, painful stabs going through her throat. With painful slowness, she guided her body out.

One of the pigmen let out a grunt in his sleep. She froze, feeling sheer terror grip her heart. If she was caught, she was doomed to a life of slavery to these foul monsters. There would be no more adventures, no new creatures to find, and no life outside of being their fucktoy. It was the most terrible fate she could imagine. Eliza's wide eyes, veins visible, turned towards the pigman. He grumbled and turned over. He smacked his lips a few times, and then began snoring. Another dry gulp, and another wave of stabbing pain, she continued. Inch by painful inch, she finally pulled her feet free, until they reached sand. Eliza instantly attempted to jump to her feet, only for her legs to buckle. For a brief moment she panicked, terrified that she would awake her would-be captors. Her hands landed on the sand, silently. For a few moments she caught her breath and flexed the muscles in her legs, begging them to work. Finally, she could feel strength return to them, despite their demand for water. Very awkwardly then, she began shambling into the desert.

Fortunately for Eliza, the moon was full and high in the sky, letting her see all the landmarks clearly. Despite that, she couldn't remember what direction the oasis was in. When she left her army she had been intently looking for hellhound and not paying attention to where she was.

Just as she was putting some distance between herself and her hellish prison, she got a terrifying surprise. A loud, pig-like squeal pierced through the night, followed by several echoing cries. The pigmen knew! Eliza's dry tongue went over her cracked lips. She was suddenly aware of her footprints. The night was windless, and there was a clear trail behind her.

"Fuck!" Eliza croaked weakly. She whirled her head around and around, trying to find something to save her. She spotted what appeared to be a broken-apart butte nearby. It had basically formed canyons in between the cleaved rocks. One of the broken pieces had partially collapsed, giving her a way to climb to the top of it. If she had the high ground, maybe she could keep them at bay. She began scrambling towards the escarpment, her muscles already screaming for her to stop. As she reached it, she gazed back and could already see the pigmen bolting towards her. Running on only adrenaline, she scrambled up the rough surface, sending rocks and debris behind her. She could hear the pigmen grunting and squealing behind her. For several minutes, they all moved towards the top, the monsters slowly gaining.

Just as Eliza reached the top, she realized she only made another mistake. The air went out of her lungs as her hope crumbled. Only a few feet in front of her there was sheer drop-off into one of the huge cracks on the butte, forming a canyon. There was no space for her to maneuver. The pigmen were only seconds behind her, still squealing. Eliza had no choice but to draw her sword and try to fight. What followed was a split-second mad scrambled.

Eliza swung her blade recklessly, with all of her might, and the pigmen dodged. He then lunged forward, grabbing onto her hands. With her hands tied up, the other two leapt at her. In a moment of desperate instinct, Elisa lurched forward and sank her teeth into the hand grabbing hers. The pigman simply reacted. He squealed, released her hands, and gave her a stiff punch in the face. In her weakened state, and with the monster's strength, she went sprawling backwards, right off the edge of the cliff. The other pigmen actually tried to grab her before she fell, but it was no good. Eliza was now falling hundreds of feet.

The girl wanted to scream, but her throat was too dry. Her hands flailed, grasping at everything, anything. She actually managed to grap onto a few rocks and shrubs growing, which slowed her fall, but not enough. Just before she reached the ground, she hit something solid, shattering it apart. Then her back collided with rock and everything went dark.

Eliza jerked away, trying to get air. She hadn't been out long, but her lungs were refusing to fill. She was surrounded by the bones of dead creatures, with the huge skull of one having broken her fall. Unfortunately, she had landed on her back, and her limbs were numb. A surge of panic swept over her as she heard the dreaded sound of pig-like squeals. She managed to turn her head, looking up and down the canyon. The pigmen had gone back down and around. They would be upon her soon. Eliza only had feeling in one of her arms and desperately tried to crawl away. She struggled valiantly, pushing bones aside and wheezing for air. There was no getting away this time. The pigment thundered into the canyon and quickly spotted her. They were panting and sweating in exhaustion, but each of them had a smile. They knew they had her. They drew their weapons and walked over to Eliza casually. She grit her teeth and wanted to scream. She made one mistake and now she was doomed forever! It wasn't fair! She was supposed to study all the monsters of this desert! Document all the creatures! It was her dream! Not to be these monster's slaves! One was only a few paces away, snickering and undoing his pants...

The pigman froze, his face turning white. The hairs on Eliza's neck went up. There was a rumbling, a growling. It was loud, deep, and powerful. Gulping with her dry throat once again, Eliza turned her head slowly. She hadn't seen before, but there was a cave on the other end of the canyon. Something came lurching out of the dark, pearly fangs glittering. It was the hellhound...and he was pissed. His black fur glowed in the moonlight, and his face was in such a furious snarl that even the bravest warrior would turn tail and run. His muscled seven-foot body moved with surprising grace. He stalked forward, his very amble paws carefully stepping over the bones. Eliza tried to squirm out of his way, but she wasn't fast enough. In a matter of moments, he was upon her. She cringed, knowing that this was finally the end.

Then she felt a thud beside her. She opened her eyes to see that the hound had stepped past her and was hovering over her body. The pigmen were glancing between each other, unsure of what to do. They didn't want to give up on the woman, but that hellhound was a hulking beast. The wolf monster made the decision for them. It burst forward, charing at blinding speed. The first pigman swung with his sword. Much to the surprise of all, the hound deftly ducked. He then lifted his very prehensile paw and rammed it onto the pigman's chest. The pig was slammed onto the ground with a resounding "thud." The porcine monster let out a painful yelp and it's sword went flying. A second pigman ran forward, his axe swinging. The hound jumped backwards to avoid it, and then leapt, fangs first. The canine's massive ripped into the pigman's arm, flesh shredding. The pigman let out a deafening shriek and tried to escape. In response, the hellhound sank it's teeth further and jerked his head back and forth, viciously. With a sickening cracking noise, the limb was split from it's owner. The warrior screamed and fell backwards. The hellhound dove after him, biting at the open wound. It was tearing through the pigman's ribs, heading for the heart. The pig monster fought desperately, but had lost it's weapon.

The final pigman emerged from the dark, wielding a spear. Just before it would have skewered the hellhound, the canine monster sprung out of the way, facing the new challenger with blood dripping from his mouth. The pigman desperately stabbed with his lance, over and over. The hound bobbed out of the way, looking more annoyed each time. Finally the spear went low. The canine stomped his paw over it, snapping the staff. Before the pigman could react, the canine lunged for the neck. In a split-second, blood poured in all directions as the pig's throat ripped open. The hellhound slung the body around like a ragdoll before tossing it aside. The carcass went sprawling to the ground, perfectly still.

The canine slowly turned his head. The original pigman, the one that had only been knocked to the ground, stood back up. Instead of fighting, the pig monster was fleeing, shrieking in terror. The hellhound hurtled after the pigman, catching him in seconds. The canine leapt at his prey, snapping his jaws around the pig's head. The skull split open like a melon, and the hound slung his head back and forth, ripping and tearing.

Eliza was in total shock at what she witnessed. The slaughtering of the pigmen happened in a matter of seconds. It was vicious and precise. The tales of how lethal these monsters were no myths. The hellhound didn't seem to notice her staring, however. Instead, he grabbed the bodies of the pigmen in his jaws one by one and dragged them away. Realizing she wasn't next on the menu, Eliza felt a wave of relief and her adrenaline faded. Her vision narrowed and her head continued to pound painfully. She could feel her eyes roll into the back of her head. She was losing consciousness, and had no idea if she would awake again.

*

Eliza did wake up again, but regretted it. When her eyes opened she groaned, hating the fact that she was alive. Every part of her body was in intense pain. Her head felt like someone was pounding it with a hammer. If her throat and mouth could get any drier she didn't know how. She abruptly wished she were dead, and all of this would be over.

Then she noticed two things. First, she wasn't outside anymore. She was staring at the ceiling of a cave, studded with blue, glowing crystals. Second, she heard a noise. It sounded like rushing water. Water? WATER!

Abruptly finding her strength, Eliza popped up from the ground. She scanned the lit cave desperately. The hellhound was in one corner of the room, laying on his stomach. He briefly flicked his dark eyes in her direction, but otherwise didn't acknowledge her. Eliza didn't pay attention to him, however. She saw that running through this cave was a stream of water, flowing from one end of to the other in a trench the river had cut into the rock over time. She scrambled most ungracefully over it, collapsing beside it. She dunked her head into the water, gulping quickly and deeply. It was the sweetest, purest water she ever drank. The knives that had been stabbing at her throat finally stopped and her mouth no longer felt like dry sand. With each gulp, she felt her head clear and her body stop screaming. When her stomach was finally full, she turned over onto her back and finally relaxed. She had just had the worst few days of her life, and she was eternally grateful they were over.

She turned to look at the hellhound, who had not moved. There was only one way she could have gotten here. He had dragged her into this cave. She had no idea why, but she was overjoyed that he had. With enormous effort, she got to her feet. Although she wasn't in pain, her limbs felt incredibly heavy and she was about to pass out again from exhaustion. She stumbled over to the monster, who still hadn't moved. Not considering the danger, she half-collapsed against him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Thank you," she said in a weak voice. "Thank you so much." The hound turned it's head and put it across her back, enveloping her. That was the last thing Eliza remembered before everything went black.

*

When Eliza next woke up, she was extremely groggy. Her entire body was throbbing in pain, even worse than before. Her back and limbs were terribly sore and stiff, likely from the impact of her fall off the cliff. Her stomach was also twisting and stabbing. Now that she had satisfied her thirst, her insides were reminding her of other things she neglected, namely her hunger. She was starving. Eliza tried to lift herself up, only to have bolts of unbearable pain shoot all over her body. She shrieked and collapsed back down. There was no way she was going to be able to move, much less walk. She turned her head to the side to lament her situation.

She then saw something amazing. In a disorganized pile right beside her were fruits, roots, and herbs. The crusader blinked dumbly for a few moments. Was she hallucinating? With a wince of pain, she reached out her stiff arm and seized one of the fruits. It was very real! She brought it to her face and bit into it, rind and all. She was too desperate to attempt peeling.

As she munched on the fruit, she considered where it came from. It was obvious the hellhound brought it to her. This only created more questions however. How did the hound know what humans ate? Why did it protect her? Why is it still taking care of her? Her eyes darted around the room she was in. The monster wasn't there, and even if he was it wasn't like he could tell her. Unable to lift herself up, Eliza just ate all the food provided, even the bitter roots and tasteless herbs. With her hunger satisfied, another wave of exhaustion came over her. She allowed sleep to overtake her once again, hoping she felt better once she woke up.

*

She didn't. When she awoke from her deep slumber, she found herself in even deeper agony. Her body was now pulsating with pain constantly. Trying to even lift her arm caused her to scream at the top of her lungs. She could only lay on the rock ground as still as humanly possible. Still the pounding pain never ceased. She suddenly wished that the fall off the cliff had killed her.

Eliza then heard heavy footsteps. She couldn't turn her head, but her eyes darted around desperately. At the edge of her vision, she saw a hulking black mass. The hellhound trotted beside her and opened his mouth. More fruits, herbs, and roots tumbled out onto the ground. He turned and began walking away.

"I can't eat it," Eliza whined pathetically. "I'm in pain." The hellhound briefly turned his head towards her, just staring for a few moments. He then turned and began ambling down one of the tunnels. Eliza watched him go out of the corner of her eyes, hoping he understood and was going to help somehow.

After a short time, the monster returned with something in his jaws. It appeared to be a leather satchel, cracked and dried out with age. The hellhound shifted the bag around in his mouth and dumped the contents next to Eliza. Her eyes widened. There were bottles of medicine from her kingdom! Ginger, valerian root, and white willow bark! Judging from the quality of the bottle, they were probably professionally made, which meant they were refined and more concentrated! The hellhound kicked the bottles toward her hand. While his front paws could grab like a hand, they weren't small enough to undo the corks. Working together, Eliza used her miserably stiff fingers to pull the cork free. The hellhound then nuzzled the container up to her face. Using her lips and jaw, Eliza seized the neck and tilted a ridiculous amount into her mouth. She chewed the bitter herbs before swallowing. She then let the bottle fall back to the ground and roll away. She then laid still, panting in exhaustion. The hellhound disappeared again, likely heading back to it's spot. She was forced to stay frozen in pain for quite some time before the refined medicine did it's work, dulling her pain and making her drowsy. She drifted off to sleep once again.

*

The next couple of weeks were a blur, at least Eliza assumed it was a couple of weeks, she couldn't see the sun. She would wake up, wallow in pain, eat, drink, take some of the medicine, and then fall asleep. In all likelihood, she was also probably suffering from exhaustion. The cure for that was sleep, which Eliza took in abundance. Over time, she began moving her muscles around to exercise them, then she began to sit up, and finally she began to stand. Once she got enough strength to hobble around on her feet, she decided to explore the cave system. She was surprised to find that all of the tunnels seemed to have a clear destination, with no dead-ends. One led to the top of the partially split butte, where one could see for many miles. One led to what appeared to be a storage area for food, which was empty. Another led directly to the open desert, which was where the hellhound probably went when he disappeared. Finally, Eliza followed the tunnel that went to the graveyard.

When she shuffled her way out into the canyon, she finally gave it a good inspection. There had to be upwards of three hundred skeletons here, all of them hellhounds. As her eyes scanned the edges of the canyon, she spotted something odd. On one of the walls there was a large area carved into it, like a shelf. There appeared to be something lining this shelf, but there were too many glittering bones reflecting the sunlight for her to see. Eliza shuffled her way across the canyon to get a better look. As she got closer, she began to tense up and her stomach dropped.