One Night for Peace

The door to the tavern swung closed. A pair of bulky men locked in a test of strength watched the stranger leave before returning their attention to their competition. A serving girl squeezed behind them, and jumped in startled fright as a man pinched her ass hard.

The girl, Maya, said nothing and simply tried to hurry away to deliver the ale on her tray. She was stopped by a grip around her arm. One of the men, eyes glassy from more than just liquor, smiled lewdly at her.

"Where ya running to, pretty little thing?"

Maya muttered something quietly and yelped as he tugged her back against him.

"What's yer rush? I just want some company." His hands strayed toward the apex of her legs.

She squirmed trying to get away but his grip on her arm kept her close.

Another man noticed her plight and strolled over. "Can't ya see she's not interested in you? And I don't blame her, look at the warts on you! Let her go. I'll take her."

Maya was cast aside as the two men faced off defiantly. The tension in the room raised and the friendly competitions came to an end. Men watched as the two friends began brawling for the right to have the unwilling serving girl. Fueled by the heady atmosphere more men joined in until the entire room erupted into brutal chaos.

A chair smashed against the wall, massive wooden splinters spraying across the room as the lone orc bellowed a war-cry. The sound was cut short as a fist slammed into his pale green cheek, spraying teeth and blood across the filthy dirt floor. The orc howled in pain and launched himself at the attacking barbarian. They fell back onto a table, beating each other senseless.

The serving wench they had been fighting over cowered against a wall, all but forgotten. She screamed as the table collapsed and the men fell to the floor, still locked in a brutal brawl.

Around the tavern girls trembled in similar situations as groups of men pummeled each other half to death supposedly for the right to bed them. Behind the counter the barkeeper hid, having given up a long time ago on pleading for the brutes to cease.

The normally peaceful inn had erupted into chaos that night, spurred by gods knew what. The men had all been flirting with the girls more aggressively than usual, and when the two had locked in on Maya all hell broke loose.

Outnumbered nearly four to one the girls could only watch as men bashed one another's heads in. They prayed to the gods that whichever man won would be equally battered and unable to lay with them. "Goddess, please," Maya whispered, the petite girl hiding under a table. "Please protect us."

She trembled as one of the men looked down at her, smirking. He spoke, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Oy, Renard! What say you and I call it a draw? Let's just share the whore."

Maya wailed as he reached for her, capturing her thin waist in his beefy grip.

"No need for us to fight over more than which hole ya want, eh?" Both men turned on her, eyes wild with lust. These were hardly more than animals at this point, slaves to their own carnal needs.

The girl fought against them, kicking and clawing, desperately trying to escape their grips. "Goddess, please!" she cried.

"Don't fret mah pretty lil' thing." He crooned, pulling her tight against him. She whimpered as she felt his swollen erection grind up against her ass. "We'll take care of ya."

Around the room, other men saw the logic in this, and quickly began to divvy up the girls into groups of two or three men. The bartender hid behind the counter, horrified at what was happening, but helpless to stop it. He only hoped that the girls could forgive him for this.

The first pair reached the door with Maya, and were about to push through the rough wooden slab.

"Stop." A voice, solid and stern; but sliding through the air as smooth as silk, rang out over the ruckus. Surprisingly, everyone stopped and for a moment no one moved. It was as if they were held spellbound by the single word. Then, slowly, all eyes turned toward the figure that had suddenly appeared in the center of the room.

The woman was tall and lithe, her slender form wrapped in a pure white gown. Her golden hair seemed to shimmer and glow in the dim candlelight and her pale skin shone as if it radiated from within. Slowly, she stepped forward until she was surrounded by the surging crowd of men and their captives.

Crystalline eyes met with each of the girls, and they relaxed visibly. "It's going to be alright now," she said gently. They all nodded, overcome with an inescapable sense of calm. Maya sagged in the now slack grip of her harassers.

Everyone in the room had become incredibly pliable, the woman giving off an aura that was as effective as a sleeping draught. All except the orc.

He laughed. It was a nervous and uncomfortable sound. "Have ya come to join in?" When she didn't retaliate, he grew bolder. "We could use another bitch!" He strode up to her and grabbed her arm roughly with his calloused hand.

She said nothing. Instead she ran her hand across his pale green skin, almost in a caress. "Peace," she whispered.

Slowly his beady eyes started to droop, his muscles all going limp. His knees gave out from under him, and in a moment the orc fell to the ground. His chest moved in the slow rhythm of a deep slumber.

Shaking her head sadly the woman looked at the room around her. Soaking in the sight of all the terror they had inflicted in their blind desire, she felt as though her heart might break. "There's been enough violence tonight." Her commanding voice reached into the souls of each man and they quaked in shame.

"Ladies," she said gently, "please go to the kitchens. I will speak with you in a few minutes, but you will not be needed here again tonight." Warmth washed over them, and each girl easily slipped from the men's limp grasps.

The sight of their former entertainment filing out of the room seemed to slowly rouse the men. Whatever magic the woman cast was wearing thin and they began to move, slowly as if through a thick bog, making gradual progress.

"Hey," the one called Renard accused dully, "them was our girls. Ya can't do that."

"Yeah," another man added.

"'Unless ya want to take their place?"

They began clamoring louder and louder. Their energy spiraled upwards as they surrounded the lone, unarmored woman.

The barkeeper turned away, unable to watch as the girl's savior was about to be torn apart, or worse.

She stood calmly as the men surged around her, pinching her small breasts and smacking at her ass. She ignored their foul groping and closed her eyes. Her chest swelled in a deep breath, slow as if in meditation.

A man grabbed a fistful of her hair. Another began to lift up her skirts. She simply exhaled in response.

Power ripped through her, imbuing her with all the majesty of a goddess. The energy emanated from her and the men collapsed to the ground as if slammed by a concussive force. Kneeling before her no man could bear to bring his gaze to meet her. She shone freely now, her skin shining brighter than the candles along the walls.

"You have been tainted by darkness," she accused. She walked between the men and pressed her palm to their foreheads. "Evil has corrupted you and your town. Your lust will devour all. I will tolerate no more."

When she lifted her hand from each man the spot glowed for a moment before fading into his skin. She left a seed of her power within each man, it would grow and spread through him, marking him as a servant of Peace. These men would no longer be susceptible to the demonic auras that swelled through their city.

"You are all born of the light. You do not belong to the shadows. You do not belong to Redraak." She hissed out the name of the foul dark god whose influence had begun to consume them. "From this day on, walk with Peace in your hearts."

They nodded sluggishly, unable to escape the goddess's aura of peace.

"Good, now go home. Leave coin to pay for your damages and then go. Sleep in your beds and when you wake, prove that you are worth more than this."

There was the soft rattling of coin purses as men dropped bits of silver onto the bar. Two of them shared the weight of the fallen orc and dragged his useless mass behind them. The rest filed meekly out the door behind them.

The barkeeper bowed in thanks. "Milady, Goddess Leianna. How can I ever repay you for this?" He fell to his knees, groveling before the deity.

"Give the girls their share of coin to help console them for their troubles. You may leave an offering in my temple, and live your life in peace." She patted his cheek gently, feeling a drop of her power flow into him with her mark.

Nodding he backed out of the room, tripping over himself as he waddled, still bent half over in reverence.

The room was empty but for the goddess, and she sighed in relief. She had been hunting throughout the city of Meadhall for the demon that she knew was causing trouble and the girl's prayers had reached out to her. It seemed she had arrived just in time; if she'd been a little later the peace she could offer them would have been poor comfort.

"Oh aren't you just sickeningly sweet?" a husky voice rang out loudly behind her.

Leianna whirled around, bursting with power and ready to strike, only to see the nude form of the goddess Onaria lounging on one of the few remaining tables. She was the Goddess of passion and pleasure, and the curvaceous deity never wore clothing, something which made Leianna very uncomfortable.

"Sister!" she scolded. "Announce yourself. It's very rude to just materialize like that."

Onaria stood, her bronzed skin glowing with muted power. There were very few people in a human city who worshiped the rather promiscuous goddess; she would not have the luxury of faith and prayers to draw extra power from. Here in Meadhall Leianna had an abundance, worshipped as one of their primary gods.

"Leianna, darling. You know how I hate it when you call me that... Sister is just so familial." She shuddered as if the word had slithered from her throat. "We do not even have blood to be related by. Please, call me dear, or lover, or-"

"That's enough, please," Leianna interrupted, an exasperated pout stretched across her petite features. "I have work to do, and I don't appreciate your frivolous interruptions."

The other woman shrugged languidly, "I could have helped too, you know."

Leianna scoffed. "How?" her voice dropped to a whisper, "By fucking everyone into submission?"

Onaria laughed, her full breasts shaking with the movement. "Well, at least with me around everyone would have enjoyed themselves." She grinned slyly toward the prim goddess. "Even you could have had some fun for once."

"Don't be absurd," Leianna growled, rattled as always by her sister's presence.

Onaria was... assertive. Not evil! She was a goddess of the light, and where this demon had spread violent, selfish lust, Onaria radiated pleasure. Just as Leianna had an aura of peace and warmth, her sister filled everyone's head with a heady passion and heat within their loins. This, combined with her constant nudity and tendency to touch everyone around her, made a proper conversation difficult.

"Sister, I am certain that there is a demon of Redraak here," Leianna said. Onaria spat at the sound of the god's name. "Nothing good can come of you coming into contact with him. It's not safe."

Lust and passion were opposites, just as wrath opposed peace. Fights between deities or servants of those paired gods never ended well, and it was determined that others would intercede instead.

"Bastard," Onaria snarled. "Rip him apart for me."

"Of course." Leianna patted the other woman's arm. "This town worships me. I have plenty of power here. No mere demon could pose a threat to me. I can handle myself here, but I must begin now, his trail grows cold and he's surely spreading turmoil elsewhere even as we speak."

Reluctantly, Onaria nodded and gripped her fellow goddess' hand. "Be safe," she said sincerely. "Redraak's demons are nasty, devious creatures. Don't let them into your head. Their aura can be distracting, even for a goddess."

Leianna nodded, but really wasn't worried about it. She was one of the most powerful gods in existence, what could a demon possibly do to her?

Consoled by her serious expression, Onaria faded away as if she had been nothing more than an illusion, leaving Leianna to face the town alone.

*****

Leianna pushed through the kitchen doors and found the girls huddled around a coarse wooden table. The distance from the goddess had given her aura's effects time to fade, and they jumped as she entered. It would be some time before they got over the trauma of what nearly happened to them.

She opened her arms in a peaceful greeting, her power burning a little brighter to ease their minds. "Please, there's nothing more for you to worry about. The men are gone and will not harm you again. It is safe for you now."

Maya smiled shyly behind the sheltering arms of the head server. The goddess had come in answer to their prayers. She did not have time to voice her thanks however, as Saelie's voice echoed out from over her head.

"Thank you, my lady. I don't know how we could ever repay you for what you did for us today. I can't begin to imagine what came over those men, but they wouldn't take no for an answer. If you had been a few minutes later..." She trailed off, unwilling to expound further.

Taking the silence as her opening, Maya chirped in. "Some of us have taken coin for... it before. But it's always been our choice. This time, it wasn't."

The goddess nodded solemnly. "Of course. There is no shame in your own decisions. But like you have said, those men were impossible to reason with. I believe it is because there is a demon here within your city."

Her audience gasped, one girl shrieked and nearly fainted.

"It is why I am here: to hunt him down and cast him out," Leianna added, easing the girls further with her aura. "This is the closest I have come to finding him so far, with so many men out of control he must have been here in the tavern tonight. If any of you could help me identify him it would be of great use."

Some of the girls nodded hesitantly. Saelie spoke, "Of course, my lady. But I do not remember seeing anyone out of place. What sort of man would he have been?"

This was the tricky part. Greater demons, such as this, were shapechangers, able to shift and blur their forms at will to mask their appearances. He could have looked like anyone. But lust demons were a haughty sort and she could guess some basics of his behavior.

"He would have been tall and muscular. Very attractive in a generic sort of way." The goddess knew he wouldn't have wanted to stand out in their memories, for this very reason. But no demon could refuse to look his very best when around the succulent young women that tended the tavern.

She continued. "He would have been here earlier in the evening, leaving just before the chaos. Probably very friendly, making conversation with as many people as possible. And he would have been touching people, casually of course, but making skin on skin contact with as many men as possible."

The room was quiet as they all thought, then Maya jumped excitedly. "Oh yes! I think I do remember him." She elbowed Saelie rather roughly. "Don't you remember? He was doing those idiotic strength tests with some of the men." She referred to a sort of game where men gripped each other's hands as firmly as possible in an attempt to either break their opponent's fingers or get them to forfeit.

Maya didn't wait for the older woman to answer before pushing forward. "He was tall, and while he was definitely quite strong, I don't think he lost a single match. He was sort of lean. Graceful, not like the lugs we get around here." She tittered, cut off by an elbow to the ribs.

"Don't be rude, Maya. And be concise. It seems that you're the only one who remembers this devil." Saelie made the god's sign over her face, a sort of half circle under her eyes.

Leianna held back a chuckle. It was a silly tradition; one that people had forgotten began by spreading scented oils under their noses before slaughtering animals for sacrifice. Over the centuries it had simply become a sign meant to ward off evil. It was useless of course.

The girl had slumped in shame, nodding meekly. "Of course. I'm sorry. Please, my lady, what exactly do you need to know?"

"Well, did he say anything? Anything about his plans or where he was headed next? Anything you can remember at all?" It had been weeks, and this was her greatest lead on the demon, faint as it was. But it seemed that his warm up was over and he was really beginning to torment Meadhall. Before this there had only been one or two stray men, and one woman, riling up trouble. This mob would have quickly gotten out of hand without her. She needed to know where she could find him next before anything worse could happen.

Leianna had all the power of a god but unfortunately even gods were not all powerful. She had her limits like everything else. She gained power from the prayers of her worshipers, and her priests and priestesses ensured she had power all across the land. But she could only be in one place at a time; she could not simply mystically locate the demon.

So she had been forced to hunt through the streets like anyone else, seeking out cold trails and dead ends. Now she feared another lead had been lost, cruelly dangled before her and now leading to yet another dead end.

"Well," Maya's voice was thoughtful, "I think he said he was going to pay his respects to our goddess." She paused, frowning. Leianna was their goddess. "Which means he was probably going to your temple-" She was cut off by another girl's shriek of terror as the goddess vanished with a flash.

*****

Leianna stood before her grand temple, trembling with suppressed fury. Her body shone with light, her power close at hand this near to the source of her prayers. She would have needed to focus to suppress this much power, but furious as she was it all bubbled to the surface.

The bastard had been toying with her all this time. He had dragged her through the streets, leaving little bits of bait for her to follow. And she had. Leianna had clung to every tiny scrap of information he left behind like a starved dog. The torment he had put those poor girls through back at the tavern had been a mere distraction.

She would make him suffer for this humiliation. She would make him pay tenfold for whatever he had done to her priestesses in her absence. The demon would die before the night was out.

Her body seemed to float as she ascended the great marble stairs leading up to the statuesque columns that framed her temple. This was her home, a palace worthy of a goddess. And a filthy demon dared to defile it with his presence? She would tear the place to the ground before she allowed him to escape.

As she passed over the threshold, entering the space halfway between the mortal and spiritual realms, her body seemed to dissipate. She was a god. No physical form could hold her. And no demon was a match for her. With each breath she drew in more and more power, calling on the reserves that centuries of prayer had readied for her.

Her priestesses rose from their places of prayer, dropping bowls of scented water and running to her side, falling to their knees before her. "Goddess! You have come to save our town! Thank you, my lady, thank you!"

"Where is he?" Her voice echoed through the hall like thunder. She ignored her groveling followers. These women were safe at the moment, they didn't need her attention.

"He?" a priest asked timidly.