Herb Quest Pt. 02: Hunter. Hunted

Finally, she spotted a likely point on the far bank where she might scramble up without leaving any sign of her being there. She pulled herself up and then took cover inside a leafy bush from where she could see who was behind her. Gazing back up the streams course, she saw the figures of the Minotaur and his small company emerge almost precisely where she had from the forest. 'Damn', she thought, 'at least one of them can track'.

It appeared to be the Minotaur who had at least some tracking skills. He had the Orc's fan out to both banks, working their way slowly down the narrow path left by the streams passing. They came closer and closer. Bria couldn't pull her bow out from inside the hedge, even drawing her short sword would be awkward and liable to set the hedge to shaking, and so revealing her location. She settled for drawing out a long-bladed dirk that she kept sheathed inside one of her boots. One of her pursuers, an Orc, was less than three feet from her now, head lowered as it inspected the ground for sign. Bria decided that if her spotted her, she'd take him first with the dirk and then try get an arrow into the bull man before attempting to flee again. Maybe with their leader dead or even injured the Orc's might not be able to chase her down so effectively.

In the end her plan was unnecessary. The Orc passing her by, the skirmish line of hunters inching their way further and further away while she hid in cover.

Bria gave them a full ten minutes before she emerged from the bush. She headed back up the stream, northwards, hoping this choice in direction would be the last thing to occur to the Minotaur and Orc's. She made it about a half mile before getting back into cover in the forest. Before leaving the stream behind she drank deeply, the stress giving her a raging thirst. Bria then quickly filled her flask, grabbed another bite of the iron hard bread for energy and then was off, cutting back into the forest in a general southerly direction.

She travelled cautiously for two hours maybe; it must have been near noon now. Bria felt she was getting close to where she had spent the night before in the tree. That was good, she was on the right track home, it was also bad because that was where she had picked up the Minotaur trail originally, so he'd be familiar with the terrain. Cursing the necessity of it, she stopped heading south, choosing to go directly west for a while, just to put some sort of distance between her and them. After a mile of so she headed back south again, ever more cautiously as now she had no idea of where she was, what sort of terrain lay ahead of her.

Bria wasn't sure if it was the birds or her own instinct that warned her. There was no bird song, nothing. The forest was too quiet and that worried her. There was a clearing ahead, a good killing ground if ever she saw one. She didn't want to cross that wide open area but likewise she couldn't keep chopping and changing her direction, it was slowing her down and she needed to get out of here fast. Come nightfall the Orc's would have the advantage of their enhanced night vision whereas she would be forced to find cover and hope to wait them out. That probably wouldn't go well. She needed to keep going. Bria checked her equipment to make sure everything was tight and secure from her headlong flight, if she was going to start skulking through the tree's she didn't need anything rattling to give her away. Once she was satisfied her kit was in order, Bria notched an arrow to her bow string and began working her way slowly around the clearing edge, keeping enough trees between her and the open ground to keep her hidden.

Around the midpoint the tang of unwashed flesh tickled her nose and she froze mid step. A few feet in front of her, its back firmly to her, crouched an Orc archer. He was staring at the far treeline, expecting Bria to no doubt come skipping along to be killed or caught. Her respect for the minotaur's hunting ability grew, the fact that he had anticipated her course and had set a snare for her was impressive. Less impressive though were his troops. Bria put her arrow away and slung her bow. Every movement dragged out to remain hidden. She then drew her dirk and snuck up, like moss growing on a rock, to the half-hidden archer. Once she was within striking range, stealth disappeared, speed was all. A hand, hardened by hours and hours of wielding bow and sword, clamped like a vice over the creature's mouth, the dirk then driven hard up through the base of its skull. She wiggled the blade back and forth, slicing into the Orc's brain, then she withdrew the knife, cutting it cleanly across the exposed black skinned throat for good measure. She then gently eased the body to the earth.

It was habit more than anything else, but before she moved on Bria took an ear to mark her kill.

She did the same with the next Orc, two hundred yards further down, and again with a third one. Bria started to feel a lot more confident now. She had reduced the enemy's numbers by almost half and she hadn't taken a wound in the doing of it. The smart move now was to work her way through this gap she had created, run like blazes, and hope she caught up to Ox and the others before to long. Still the smart move was not to follow the Minotaur's trail in the first place, but now she was three ears to the better and had a chance at more.

Bria started to move on, looking for the next hidden archer. It wasn't an Orc this time though, it was the Minotaur. He must have positioned himself at the center of his men. Bria could see the distinctive shape of the tridents three prongs just sticking out from behind a fallen tree ahead of her. The knife work she had employed on the Orc's wouldn't get her far with something as big and powerful as a Minotaur. She'd get a bit closer and then sink a couple of arrows into its back, see how a pierced lung effected its ability to fight. Her blood was up now, hunting a creature nobody in living memory had seen. If she returned with its head as a trophy, maybe her name would join with Alice's as a hero. Maybe she could gather a larger force, actually perform a search for Alice?

She was getting ahead of herself. 'Kill it, then skin it' she thought to herself, an old adage her grandfather would use, something about thinking about things in the right order.

She slipped further back into the tree's looking for an angle where she might attack from. As she started to skirt to the side, she could see more and more past the fallen tree. Wait, he wasn't there! The trident was there but its owner wasn't lying down beside it as she'd expected. Bria whirled around; bow raised but she could see nothing. A whirling sound caused her to turn again, and again as she tried to pinpoint its location. A movement caught her eye and she loosed an arrow by instinct.

The arrow had just released when she felt herself getting hit by something, the weight of it carrying her back a foot till she stumbled and fell. Bria tried to get her arms under herself to break her fall but she couldn't raise them. The forest floor slammed into her back driving the air from her lungs. Bria gasped and tried to suck in a breath. She looked down to see a thin cord wrapped around her upper arms, pinning them to her sides, a weight secured to the ends of the cord, that was what had thrown her off her feet, a bola.

A shadow loomed over her, the Minotaur, her arrow driven deep into its shoulder. She saw him raise a hoof above her, saw it descending and then... nothing.

Chapter 4:

Bria woke up to a thumping headache. She wished she was still unconscious as a wave of nausea swept over her. Her hands were bound behind her back so she rolled onto her side to vomit noisily on the ground. After she had finished emptying her stomach, the small amount of vomit reminded her how little she'd eaten in the last twenty-four hours. She attempted to sit up to see where she was and what was happening.

Bria was at the edge of the clearing from earlier on. Judging by the shadows cast by the trees, a few hours had passed since the Minotaur had gotten the drop on her. The creature in question was seated a few yards away, he had removed his breastplate and his shoulder was swathed in bandages from the wound she'd given him. He glanced up as she struggled into a seated position. She couldn't see the Orc's but she knew they must be close by.

"Awake. Good. Good fight" he said, his mouth parted into what passed for a grin for his kind she supposed. Square blocky teeth flashed between his lips and a large reddish-brown tongue lolled out as he followed up the smile with a chuckle. "Damn good fight" he added.

"Soldier, yes?" he asked.

"Once" she answered, no reason to lie, her skills proclaimed her former calling.

"Truth, that is good. Soldier, scout or hunter?" he probed.

"Hunter" she answered, there was no point spinning a tale of a rescue party or invasion force, he would probably just kill her quicker then, no chance of escape.

"Good, more truth. If I give you a message, you take it to your leader, king?" he said, he leaned forward. Bria noticed that unlike the Orc she had smelt in the wood earlier, he kept himself clean, his weapons and armour in perfect care. This creature wasn't some uncivilised brute, he spoke her tongue, was a skilled tactician, he wouldn't be fooled easily.

"A king yes, but the realm nearest us is not my own, though they have their own king." She explained.

"One king, two king, it is no matter. It is the message that matter."

"What message would you like to send?" she asked, genuinely interested in the answer.

"Human war with Orc race over. You win. Now done. Now you stay away. I no..." he struggled for a moment, seeking the word he wanted, "I know like Orc honour, not my honour. But if human come to my lands, I fight, all races fight. Then human not face just Goblin, Orc and Giant. They face more. Then human lose. You remember this?"

"I will remember it; I'll deliver your message but I can't promise that they will heed your message." Bria replied.

"It matter that they know, if they choose to fight then my honour, honour of my clan is clean" he sat back at these words a thoughtful expression on his bovine features. Bria marvelled again that something bearing a face like that could convey so many emotions openly that way. Then he was talking again.

"My Orc's, they feel you owe them. You... mutilate...yes, mutilate their kin, you take ears. They want mutilate you to balance scales."

Bria hissed and immediately began to struggle against her bonds. No way was she getting her ears cut off without a fight. He watched as she struggled for a time, waiting for Bria to accept the futility of the action. Her bonds were too tight. Then he spoke again once he was sure she'd calmed down enough to listen.

"I say no to mutilation, their action is my honour, no honour in this. This is a thing for humans. But a price is owed. I agree to price because it is fitting. You are a prisoner, taken in combat. If I did not need message brought to your king, then you are slave. Until the scale is balanced, you slave, then you messenger. You understand this?"

Bria had no idea what he meant, slave? Did he think she was going to cook and clean up after them for a couple of days or something? The Minotaur slowly unwrapped the bandages that covered his shoulder. Beneath them, a bunch of green leaves, a bluish tint to their edges, were clogged into his wound. He pulled two or three of the leaves out, a small sheen of blood covering one of them. He placed the leaves beside him and rewrapped the wounded shoulder.

Picking up the leaves he carried them towards her. Bria tried to inch away from him but he grabbed her shoulder, holding her in place. He didn't say anything, he just pushed the leaves into her mouth, a large finger prodding in behind them so she couldn't spit them out. She could taste the blood on her tongue, the leaves sticking to the roof of her mouth that was dry and sticky. The Minotaur must have anticipated this, he freed a water skin from his belt and brought it to her lips. She wanted to spit out the leaves but then she thought he would hold back on the water. Bria allowed him to pour some into her mouth and she felt the cool water scour the leaves free. They disappeared along with the water as she swallowed as quickly as she could.

He sat back then, just in front of her and watched her.

'What in the name of the gods does he expect to see' she thought, 'maybe he is expecting a thank you?'. She grinned at the thought, not a chance of that happening.

He waited patiently, allowing the silence to stretch out. Bria actually started to relax now that imminent death wasn't on the cards. She noticed her headache was fading as well, which was a good sign. The Minotaur then stood up, walking back a few paces. He stood beside where he had left his weapons and breast plate. As Bria watched he removed his greaves as well and then he unfastened his kilt. When he dropped it to the ground, she could just stare open mouthed at what it had been covering. His cock was huge, twelve, no thirteen inches long and the Gods alone knew how thick it was. And it was soft still. Unbelievably impressive as his cock was, it was the balls hanging beside it which were truly breath-taking. They hung huge down behind his cock, each testicle easily the size of Ox's clenched fists. 'He must fill a bucket when he cums' she thought, then wondering why she was thinking that.

The Minotaur continued to look at her, noticing her dilated pupils, increased breathing, and unconscious licking of her lips. He tapped a hand against his cock causing it to sway from side to side, he watched as Bria's eyes tracked the movement. She couldn't look away if she tried.

He looked past her to where his three remaining followers stood, all of them already stripped nude. In Orcish he said "She is ready, you may take your price out on her but understand this, she is to be my messenger. Damage her and you pay with your life". The three black skinned Orcs gave their savage smiles in reply and then advanced on Bria who was still blissfully unaware of their presence.

Bria became aware of the three figures only when one stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the Minotaur's huge bull cock. She hissed in irritation and attempted to drop to her side again so that she might see past him. A hand on each shoulder however held her in place, the Orc behind her had a grip like iron. Annoyed that one of these foul creatures was laying hands on her she tried to shrug him off. That's when she noticed the Orc in front of her was naked, he has sporting an erection as well, the black phallus hard and easily nine inches in length.

"Get that black cock anywhere near me and I'll bite the fucking thing off!" she snarled defiantly.

The Orc chuckled, showing he understood her tongue. He took a grip of his cock, the large calloused hand slowly jerking on it. Bria couldn't tear her eyes from the sight of it, she felt herself becoming excited, visibly excited by it. 'What the fuck were those leaves he made me eat?' she wondered to herself. She was ashamed of her own lust, ashamed that her enemies could see her body giving into it. Bria tried to inch back from the figure in front of her but his companion held her firmly in place.

The Orc advanced on her. Bria clamped her mouth shut, screwing up her face in disgust as the cock came closer. The Orc rubbed the head of his cock against her smooth cheek, she could feel it leaving a thin sheen of precum on her skin as it grazed across her pale flesh. The smell of him made her want to vomit. It was a horrid mix of stale sweat and old blood which reminded her of her father's tannery. Under that scent of death and decay there was something else, a heady musk that made her mouth water and her pussy moisten still further. Bria firmly closed her eyes, her teeth grinding as she fought herself to keep her mouth closed tight.

The Orc moved his cock, keeping it in contact with her skin. He brought it along and under her chin, the head now dragging across her throat. Then it was on the other side of her face, pressed in against her cheek, its rigidity surprising her. It seemed stiffer, stronger than any she had felt before this. Then the Orc moved it against her lips, the head pulling down her bottom lip, smearing itself against her bright white teeth and inside her lip. She shuddered, part disgust, part lust. A little moan escaped her lips, encouraging him, betraying her. She felt like she might drown in her own drool at any moment. With a low whine signalling her surrender she opened her mouth and he pushed inside.

His cock tasted as she expected it would. As foul as it smelt but with a tang that corrupted her senses, overruling her sense of right and wrong, encouraging her to suck harder, to taste it deeper. Her hands were freed, the cord cut by one of the other Orc's. Her wrists should have stung from being bound tightly for hours but she felt no pain, no urge to rub at her chaffed skin. Instead, she just brought up her hands, one to grip the base of his black Orc shaft, the other to cradle his balls. She was aware of hands, two, no, four hands. They were pulling at her clothes, she could feel their nails, talons really, scratching at her skin as they stripped her. She didn't care, she just needed to feel this cock in her mouth, feel it and taste it.

She had been drunk before, many times. She had woken up on tavern floors, vomit on her jerkin, the taste of cheap ale still in her mouth. She remembered the day the war had been declared won. The three monarchs rewarding their armies with the best of wines. She had drunk herself stupid with her squad, swallowing the best part of three bottles on her own. This felt a little like then, a euphoric assault on her senses coupled with a drunkard's lack of conscience as regards the aftermath of their actions. Bria knew the Minotaur had drugged her in some fashion, but as she squatted nude in front of the muscled Orc warrior, worshipping his cock with her lips and tongue she didn't care. She cared even less when another one pushed a hand between her legs, his fingers finding and then exploring her sodden pussy.

The Orc began to back away, she tried to follow. He stooped slightly, then taking a knee so that she could continue to suck on him even though she had gone on all fours to follow him. The Orc who had been fingering her now slid himself under her, pausing part of the way to suck on her rounded tits as they hung beneath her. Then he moved on another few inches. Bria knew what he was doing, she was no stranger to having a ride on a cock. Never though had she been with more than one partner at a time. The idea that she was performing in this manner with two Orc's was a shock of course, even more so that she knew others looked on.

Bria felt the cock brush across her sex before it veered off course, spearing against her stomach instead. The Orc cursed in its own tongue. He must have adjusted himself or just taken better aim because his next attempt had his cock penetrate her deeply, a good five inches of his shaft spearing into her pussy like a spear to her guts. She was still focused on the cock in her mouth, marvelling at the Orc's stamina and lasting prowess. The one beneath her began to do the majority of the work, raising its hips to fuck her. He began slowly at first, not in any kindness to her, more the fact he was just seeking a pace and position that suited himself best. Once found his favoured position he began to fuck her in earnest, slamming his cock home with the force of someone with an intense hatred inside them. Bria supposed that in the case of these Orc's that was true. Once the fucking began, so too did the orgasms. The first came unexpectedly, a particularly savage thrust to her pussy causing her to moan as best she could around the cock that seemed lodged in her throat.