Elan Prologue - Distraction

Author's Note: This prologue can be enjoyed on its own; it's a stand-alone story with its own lewd twists and turns, written to provide a couple new characters with some much-needed development.

Distraction

----

Markus strolled through the large marketplace of Imperia, eyes darting eagerly over the food stalls and street performers as he walked with a hand on the pommel of his sword.

It's not that he was planning on using the weapon today, here in the center of mankind. Drawing steel in the Imperial capital would land one in prison, at the efficient mercy of the city's ten-thousand strong watch brigade.

He just enjoyed looking tough. A hand on your sword signals to those around you not to give you grief as you go about your day. It shows that you're ready to use it. Markus, a man with thirty-one years to his name, had learned the trick as a boy when he joined up with a mercenary outfit in a misplaced attempt to get rich. His sword had been replaced a dozen times since then, his round shield thrice. But he couldn't replace the training.

Markus had left the mercenary career three years later, but still gained most of his coined through his hired services. Convoy security, guarding a dignified lord, hunting fiends, any job which would pay him appropriately for his deeds really. Today he was preparing for just one of those jobs, although it had devolved into quite a different mess altogether.

Markus opened the door to his most frequented shop in the capital, "Rebecca's Alchemical Supplies". He came here often, looking for potions or advice that would make his jobs easier. He found the storefront only inhabited by his favorite merchant, who owned the shop, and a plain-looking woman he could only assume had gotten lost.

"Reb! How's it going?" he greeted the shopkeep behind the counter. Rebecca's eyes lit up at his arrival, the pair's history as amiable friends having lasted for years now.

"Markus," she greeted with a chuckle. "What trouble have you run into this time?" Rebecca knew he would only be here if he needed her help. Not that she minded.

"Always so quick to assume, Reb. Ya see, I was just... curious... if you had an invisibility potion or ten in stock," Markus said, his eyes shifting mischeviously to the side.

"I do," Rebecca nodded. "And you'll be happy to know the latest brews now last for almost fifty seconds," she explained gleefully then shrugged. "They're not cheap, of course. Three silvers each."

"Ah, come on... What about a discount for an old friend?" he bartered jokingly using their relationship as leverage.

"That is the discount. You think those ingredients are cheap? Brittlewort doesn't exactly grow on trees, you know," she chided with a smile. Markus fished out his coinpurse, finding it oddly light. He probably shouldn't have had a second run with that whore yesterday. He placed six silver Imperials on the counter.

"Fine. I'll take two of 'em. Fifty seconds, you say?" he asked, wondering if it'd be long enough. Rebecca opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by the plain-looking woman standing to the side.

"Don't forget to take off your swordbelt before using it, merc. Potions don't block the noise."

He turned to face her, giving the woman another scan with his eyes. She wore the cloths and leathers of a simple man, which would not be unusual if her gender were reversed. Her ratty, brown hair fell freely to her shoulders, her dark brown eyes doing no good deeds for her face. Her long, straight nose sealed the deal, Markus deciding in an instant that he'd never lust for her.

"And who might you be, then?"

"You mean you haven't met Vexima of Astarra, the world's greatest magical infuser?" Rebecca asked with a chuckle.

Markus extended a hand towards her, an offer accepted by the brunette. "Good to meet ya Vexima."

"Just call me Vex," she replied with a smirk, "everyone else does."

Markus crossed his arms at his chest with a grin. "Good wit' me. Say, what does a infuser do anyway?" he asked, not knowing the lingo of the sorceresses.

"An infuser pushes magic into ordinary, mundane items, basically allowing the spell to be cast at a later time, even by those not trained in the art," Vex explained quickly, "so even a man could use them."

Markus rolled his eyes at the statement and whistled. "Wooow. 'Even a man', huh? Sounds like ya don't give us nearly enough credit," he retorted. Markus was a well-experienced fighter, and usually didn't show any apprehension towards his opponents. Especially in conversation.

"She's just teasing you, Markus. Vex is all about giving the menfolk their... 'credit', isn't that right dear?" Rebecca chortled from behind the counter, raising her hands to air-quote the word. Vex raised her palm towards the alchemist as if dismissing her claim, even though she was right.

"Just being truthful," Vex sneered. "So, you got me interested. What are you planning on doing with this invisibility potion?"

"What's it to ya?" he replied boorishly with a flick of a wrist.

"Call it idle curiosity." Vex mimicked his stance, crossing her arms beneath her breasts. Markus let out a chuckle.

"Call it, 'I need to sneak past some guards without anyone knowing'," Markus replied crudely, imitating her nasally voice. Vex took one step towards him and squinted into his eyes.

"Call it, you're an idiot for relying on a potion when a distraction would suffice."

"Call it you're a whor-"

"Hey!" Rebecca interjected, pointing a stern finger at Markus. "Call it what you will, but don't insult each other in my shop!"

Both Vex and Markus were taken aback by the interruption, and rested their arms at their sides. Rebecca glanced at both of them. "Good. Let me get the potions from the back, and behave yourselves!"

Rebecca gave another second of her glare to Markus before she turned away, leaving the room to gather his purchase. Markus took one step to his left, closing the distance with Vex. He leaned into her and whispered.

"Sorry, Vex."

"Whatever, merc," she huffed. Markus took a couple steps back to lean against the wall, crossing his arms once more. A pregnant silence filled the room for a minute until he spoke up again.

"So... what was that about a distraction?"

"This is for a job of yours, I take it? A two minute job?" she asked dryly. Markus nodded. "If all you need to do is distract some men for two minutes, then just find a woman who is willing to do it. The potions are unnecessary and prone to failure."

Markus put a hand on his chin as if in contemplation. "I s'pose. It would also mean I'd need to find a whore willin' to do it for little pay."

"Or a..." Vex put a finger to her chapped lip, "woman who merely finds the idea exciting. How much is the pay?" His eyebrows rose at the notion, finding her statement to be a mere repetition of his own.

"Four silver Imperials," he offered greedily. Vex chuckled, her finger slipping from her mouth.

"And how many men would your woman need to distract, merc?"

"Two, maybe three tops?" he shrugged.

"I'll do it for six."

"You?" he exclaimed in astonishment, finding the idea hilarious and somewhat repulsive all at once.

"Yeah me, Markus," Vex hastily retorted with a hand on her hip. "What's the matter? Am I too plain? Are my clothes not tight enough? My hair too knotted?"

His eyes darted over her subconsciously at the bombardment of self-criticism. "Yeah. And the nose, woman," Markus added with a nod.

Vex swept a hand through her hair, brushing it aside as she tilted her head ever so gently away from him with a soft smile. She then pouted, puckering her lips and fluttering her eyelashes as she gazed into his eyes sultrily. In an instant she held the seductive elan of a woman frequently bedded, a spontaneous transformation of character.

"Or maybe..." Markus said before Rebecca re-entered the storefront.

"Okay! Just remember to toss the brittlewort into the solution ten minutes or so before you drink it."

"I think I'll pass on the potions, Reb," Markus replied with a shrug and a frown. "Got a new plan."

--

The following day, Markus found himself waiting in a small market square a block from his target. He'd told Vex to meet him here at midday, explaining that the owner of the home he'd be breaking in to would be away at that time, leaving only a small number of guards to watch over the place. His head tilted skyward to judge the sun's position. Just about time.

"Hey," he heard a nasally voice greet from his left. He turned to meet it, finding a woman he barely recognized from the day before.

"Vex?" he asked, as if unsure it was really her.

Vex had certainly put some effort into her looks this day. She strut towards him in her knee-high boots, slim legs pushing the flowing shapes of her silken red skirt as she swayed towards him. She wore a belt to draw attention to her willowy waist, with a loose black blouse beneath that which left her shoulders bare.

She'd prepared with eye-catchingly red lipstick and foundation to hide her few wrinkles. Her nose seemed almost exquisitely too long, if it were possible, and her hair had been smoothed so it fell straight down the sides of her face equally. Lastly, she'd also perfected her eyebrows with the use of kohl, hiding her imperfections there as well.

"You done gawking, Markus?" she asked with a smirk, bringing a hand to her hip.

"Er. Sorry," Markus said, realizing he'd been fixated in all the wrong places. "Ya did somethin' to your hair."

Vex rolled her eyes. "Let's get this over with."

The pair began the short jaunt down the street towards the target house, flanked by large mansions of the city's elite. Markus ran through the game plan one more time.

"Right, so there's gonna be two at the door. I know that much."

"Mhm."

"The thing I gotta get to is in the study on the first floor, supposedly, so ya need to see if there are any guards there, then take 'em upstairs or out back... and then I go through the side door."

"Sure."

"Give me two or three minutes and I'm out of there, and we're both richer."

"Yep," Vex replied curtly. "Who's the owner of the estate?"

"Er... a Lord Bartholomew. Why?"

"It's relevant."

"How're you so sure your distraction's gonna work?" Markus asked genuinely.

Vex fished a small, cylindrical metal vial from between her breasts, faint purple etchings barely noticeable on its sides. "One sniff of this and they'll be out for half an hour. Just need to get them in a room. Oh," she reached around the back of her neck, removing one of the small pendants she had been wearing. "Take this, press it five times quickly when you're done. That'll be my signal to leave."

Markus took the small necklace and put it in his pocket, astonished by her preparation for such a simple task. "I feel like we're gonna be reeeally good friends, Vex."

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Now shut up and let me do my thing."

Markus hid around the corner, listening in from behind a stone pillar. He was certainly curious of Vex's plan.

Vex strut towards the pair of men in front of the door, a hand on her hip as she confidently placed one foot directly in front of the other as she swayed. A gentle smirk was present on her lips, and she had maintained eye contact with the man closest to her.

"Good afternoon, sirs," she greeted huskily, fluttering her eyelashes seductively as her gaze bounced between the men.

"M-ma'am," the man closest replied nervously.

"Master Bartholomew sent me," she continued, stopping just before the first man. "Said you guys deserved a bonus for your..." her eyes flickered downward, if only momentarily, "hard work." Vex wrapped an arm around the closest guard, while glancing at the other and biting her lip.

"He said you could use me," she declared without hesitation, "so long as it's only my mouth. And so long as we don't make a mess."

The men exchanged a nervous glance. "T-that's most generous of him..."

"Yeah," she concurred, licking her red lips slowly across their length. "It is. Is there anyone else inside? Wouldn't want someone feeling left out."

The second man nodded. "Uhh... yeah... one more."

Vex sighed ever so softly, realizing her task would take that much longer. "Very well." She flicked a hand towards the door. "After you," she offered huskily.

Markus had been taken completely aback by her demeanor, but knew she had that... sleeping vial, or whatever, up her sleeve. Or in her tits, rather. Markus gave her a minute to work her magic before making his way through the side door.

--

Vex fell to her knees on the wooden slats of the guest bedroom, staring expectantly into the eyes of the three men surrounding her. She vaguely hoped Markus wouldn't be too taken by surprise from the fact that she hadn't decided to use the Dream Perfume.

Or concerned about the idea that she didn't have it on her at all. The empty vial she had shown the simple mercenary earlier served another purpose, one which Vex didn't particularly want to mention to a stranger.

"So who's first?" the man to her left asked. Vex laughed sultrily and shook her head.

"You don't need to fight, boys. I have hands too," she said eagerly.

Looks of confusion and shrugs gave way to jingling belt-buckles as the guardsmen agreed with her lewd statement. Vex wrapped her fingers around the first prick to be displayed, stroking it sensually to hardness. Her mouth was devoted to the second, lapping at the salty, unwashed cockhead daintily before taking it in her mouth and humming softly. The third received her right hand, which needed far less attention than the others before it grew to her touch.

--

Markus picked the side door to the house with little trouble, a simple two-pin tumbler he'd encountered all too often in the past. He thankfully found the main room emptied, and looked hastily down the hallway to ensure he had the floor to himself. Muffled moans could be heard from down the hall, but that was not where his mark would lie.

He supposed Vex was toying with her victims for a little longer before releasing the vial's contents. With a shrug to no one he sauntered through the main room, finding the adjacent study unlocked and ready.

Markus scanned the room quickly; three bookshelves, a desk by the window, and a large fire-place on the inside wall to his right. A deed to a farm would be at the desk, so he began there and rummaged through the stacks of papyrus he found.

--

Vexima of Astarra, a proud and well-respected sorceress from the College of Catriona, locked eyes with the stranger above her as she sucked eagerly on his pulsing cock. She lapped the underside, knowing it would get him going. She hummed on it as she stroked the two hard members flanking her, then pulled herself away from the meat in her mouth.

She'd need to give Markus just a bit more time, her pendant not yet vibrating on her neck.

She took the cock to her left instead, sucking the sweet precum from its tip before wrapping her lips around it in earnest and sliding it into her thirsty mouth. She brought her now-freed hand to the cock she had just left, to ensure he stayed interested as well, and stroked two pillars at the same sensual rate.

The man in her mouth brought a hand to her head, either encouraging Vex to continue or letting her know he was close to finishing. It was a dangerous game to play, a coin-flip determining if Markus would be caught in the act. She instead slowed the salacious slurping of his pillar, then decided to release him entirely and polish the shaft with her tongue instead. Her head was released, signifying it was the former, so she submissively returned the cock to her lips.

--

Markus reclined on the plush sofa in the main room of Lord Bartolomew's house, realizing Vex was still hard at work judging from the moans and slurps he could hear emanating from the back room. He held the deed he had been sent here to retrieve, which he'd found three minutes ago at the top of a stack of papers.

Markus flipped a silver Imperial through his fingers as he waited for Vex to finish with the guards for another minute, then remembered the pendant she had given him. Oops. He fetched the pendant from his pocket with a smirk.

One, two, three, four, five.

--

Vex's pendant around her neck had finally started to vibrate. A funny thing, the pendant. Vex had repurposed a sorceresses sex toy to be a useful and silent messenger instead. All she had to do was pair two of them and split their functions between each other.

Vex began making obscene slurping noises as she bobbed on the cock in her mouth, now determined to get him off as soon as possible. She was still stroking the pillars to her left and right but only automatically, giving the one before her all her attention.

She gazed into his eyes above as he brought a hand to her head, guiding her as she diligently worked his shaft. Vex wished he'd rock his hips as well, but had no way to convey the idea with her hands and mouth occupied, so she merely bobbed her head faster.

He gripped her hair, commanding Vex to continue now that he was close. She reflexively took him fully into her mouth as he erupted, before realizing her secondary task. She dutifully swallowed his salty gift and soon turned to the cock to her left.

She worked the next with the same finesse, locking eyes with him as he groaned and gripped her head. Vex ensured that when he shot, she pulled her mouth back to the head and allowed his jism to splatter against her tongue with thick, hot ropes. She swirled it around in her mouth, storing his seed beneath her tongue as she turned to the final man.

... Who was now stroking himself, somehow finding the need to make himself cum when there was an eager girl on her knees willing to do the dirty work for him. Vex quickly parted her lips in front of the man's cockhead -- the guard clearly forgetting the 'don't make a mess' part of their arrangement -- and collected his seed as he erupted into her thirsty, waiting mouth. Ensuring as well as she could that she hadn't spilled a drop, she collected the salty spunk in her mouth on her tongue then brought her vial from between her tits to her puckered lips.

"What in the hells are ya doin'?!" one of the guards exclaimed at the grotesque sight.

"Erch. Whores these days!" another bellowed.

Vex, now with the realization that the only thing more degrading than swallowing a man's cum is being seen saving it for later, let the seed pour from her lips in a steady stream. Once it slowed, she sealed the top of the vial with a tiny magical infusion, the purple etchings on the side lighting up to signal that it was doing its job. Vex hid the vial within her bosom once more.

She rose to her feet, stumbling a bit on her heel when she realized her foot had fallen asleep.

"It's been a pleasure, gentlemen."

--

Vex returned out the front door of the mansion soon after, flanked by the now-pleased guards. She strut over towards Markus, who was leaning against a stone pillar on the opposite side of the street.

"You uh..." Markus said gruffly, scraping a finger against the side of his own mouth, "have something there."

Vex's hand shot up, wiping the remnants of a man satisfied from her from her mouth. She blushed, surprising herself that she had any humility left, then brought her messy fingertip to her lips and sucked it clean.

"Gods you're something else, aint'cha?" Markus chided with brow furrowed.

"You said to distract them," Vex shrugged with a smirk. The pair started walking down the street, back the way they came.

"So what happened to your sleep vial thingy?"